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Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..62be7c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60000 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60000) diff --git a/old/60000-8.txt b/old/60000-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ca89706..0000000 --- a/old/60000-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19031 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Living Animals of the World, Volume 1 -(of 2), by C. J. Cornish and F. C. Selous and Harry Johnston and Louis Wain and and others - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Living Animals of the World, Volume 1 (of 2) - A Popular Natural History - -Author: C. J. Cornish - F. C. Selous - Harry Johnston - Louis Wain - and others - -Release Date: July 28, 2019 [EBook #60000] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Keith Edkins and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - -Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin._ - -OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA. - -This is one of the most beautifully marked of all Mammals. The ornamental -colouring is seldom quite the same in any two specimens.] - - - - -THE . . - -LIVING ANIMALS - -OF THE WORLD - -A POPULAR NATURAL HISTORY - -AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF BEASTS, BIRDS, FISHES -REPTILES, INSECTS, ETC., WITH AUTHENTIC ANECDOTES - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz. Berlin_] - -VOL. I. - -MAMMALS - -BY - - C. J. CORNISH, M.A., F.Z.S. (_Editor._) - F. C. SELOUS - SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B. - C. H. LANE, F.Z.S. - LOUIS WAIN - W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - H. A. BRYDEN - F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S. - W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S. - -WITH - -567 ILLUSTRATIONS - -(INCLUDING 13 COLOURED PLATES) - -FROM PHOTOGRAPHS - -LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO., PATERNOSTER ROW - - - - -PRINTED BY -HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., -LONDON AND AYLESBURY. - - - - -VOL. I. - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - INTRODUCTION i - - _BOOK I. MAMMALS._ - - I. APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS 1 - - II. THE CAT TRIBE 33 - - III. THE FOSSA, CIVETS, AND ICHNEUMONS 74 - - IV. THE HYÆNAS AND AARD-WOLF 80 - - V. THE DOG FAMILY 84 - - VI. THE BEARS 114 - - VII. THE SMALLER CARNIVORA 125 - - VIII. MARINE CARNIVORA: THE SEALS, - SEA-LIONS, AND WALRUS 136 - - IX. THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS 146 - - X. THE BATS AND INSECT-EATING - MAMMALS 165 - - XI. THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND - RHINOCEROS 172 - - XII. THE HORSE TRIBE 189 - - XIII. THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS: - OXEN, BISON, BUFFALOES, AND - MUSK-OX 207 - - XIV. THE SHEEP AND GOATS 221 - - XV. THE ANTELOPES 239 - - XVI. THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI 264 - - XVII. THE DEER TRIBE 271 - - XVIII. THE CAMEL TRIBE AND THE - CHEVROTAINS 302 - - XIX. THE PIG AND HIPPOPOTAMUS 310 - - XX. THE DUGONG, MANATEES, WHALES, - PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS 327 - - XXI. THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND - ARMADILLOS 336 - - XXII. MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES 344 - -COLOURED PLATES. - - Ocelot from Central America _Facing page_ i - The largest Gorilla ever captured " " 8 - African Lion and Lioness " " 33 - Wolf from Central Europe " " 65 - Himalayan Black Bear " " 97 - Raccoon " " 129 - Chapman's Zebras " " 161 - Highland Cattle " " 193 - Female Kudu " " 225 - Northern Giraffe " " 257 - Fallow Deer " " 289 - A Hippopotamus gaping " " 321 - The Great Kangaroo " " 353 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. - - - - PAGE - - Pekin Deer in summer dress i - Negro Boy and Apes i - Skeletons of Man and Gorilla ii - Sea-swallows iii - African Leopard iv - East African Giraffe iv - Flying-fox v - Dolphins v - A Happy Family vi - Elephants vi - Giant Tortoise vii - A group of Crocodilians vii - Somali Zebras viii - Sun-fish viii - A young Chimpanzee (Anger, - Pleasure, Fear) 1 - Arabian Baboon 1 - "Jenny," the well-known - Chimpanzee at the Zoo 2 - A young Chimpanzee 3 - Head of male Gorilla 4 - A male Gorilla 5 - Young Orang-utans 6 - Baby Orang-utans at play 7 - Two baby Orang-utans. The - tug-of-war 8 - White-handed Gibbon 9 - Hoolock Gibbon 9 - Head of Proboscis Monkey 10 - Cross-bearing Langur and young 11 - Male Himalayan Langur 12 - Gelada Baboons at home 13 - Mantled Guereza 14 - Diana Monkey 15 - Barbary Ape 15 - Rhesus Monkey 16 - Rhesus Monkey and Sooty Mangabey 16 - Grey-cheeked Mangabey 17 - Chinese Macaque 17 - Grivet Monkey 17 - Bonnet Monkey and Arabian Baboon 17 - Rhesus Monkeys 18 - Orange Snub-nosed Monkey 18 - Pig-tailed Monkey 19 - Chacma Baboon 20 - A young male Chacma Baboon 21 - Head of male Mandrill 22 - Brown Capuchin 22 - Drill 22 - Red Howler Monkey 23 - A Spider Monkey 23 - Patas Monkey 24 - Wanderoo Monkey 24 - Common Squirrel Monkey 25 - Black-eared Marmoset 26 - Humboldt's Woolly Monkey 26 - Pig-tailed Monkey catching a fly 27 - Ringed-tailed Lemur 28 - A Dwarf Lemur 28 - Black Lemur 29 - Coquerel's Lemur 29 - Ruffed Lemur 29 - Garnett's Galago 30 - Maholi Galago 30 - Slender Loris 31 - Slow Loris 31 - Tarsier 32 - Head of Aye-aye 32 - African Lion 33 - An Unwilling Pupil 33 - Lioness aroused 34 - Algerian Lioness 35 - A Foster-mother 36 - A performing Lion 36 - Lioness and Cub 36 - A young Lioness 37 - A Happy Family 38 - A cross between Lion and Tigress 38 - A hungry Lion 39 - Lioness and Tiger 40 - Tigress 41 - Tiger Cub 42 - A Royal Tiger 42 - A Tiger before sleeping 43 - A half-grown Tiger Cub 44 - Tigers in Italy 45 - A Leopard-puma Hybrid 46 - Leopards 46 - A young Leopard 47 - Snow-leopard, or Ounce 48 - Cheeta 49 - Jaguar 50 - Puma 50 - Female Puma 51 - Ocelot 52 - Ocelot from Central America 53 - Clouded Leopard 54 - Fishing-cat 54 - Marbled Cat 54 - Golden Cat 55 - Pampas-cat 56 - Eyra Cat 56 - Bay Cat 56 - Kaffir Cat 57 - African Chaus, or Jungle-cat 57 - Serval 58 - Male Serval 59 - Serval climbing 60 - European Wild Cat 61 - Scotch Wild Cats 62 - Lynx 63 - European Lynx 64 - Canadian Lynx 64 - Cheetas 65 - A Cheeta hooded 66 - A Cheeta on the look-out 67 - Domestic Cats: - White Short-haired 68 - Long-haired White 68 - Mackerel-marked Tabby 69 - Cat carrying Kitten 69 - Blue Long-haired, or Persian 69 - Smoke and Blue Long-haired 69 - Orange Tabby 69 - Long-haired Tabby 69 - Silver Persian 69 - Smoke Long-haired, or Persian 69 - Short-haired Blue 70 - Silver Tabby 70 - Short-haired Tabby 71 - Long-haired Orange 71 - Manx 72 - Siamese 72 - Blue Long-haired, or Persian 72 - Silver Persians 72 - Long-haired Chinchilla 73 - The "Bun" or "Ticked" Short-haired Cat 73 - Fossa 74 - Large Indian Civet 74 - African Civet 75 - African Civet 76 - Sumatran Civet 76 - Genet 77 - Two-spotted Palm-civet 78 - Masked Palm-civet 78 - Binturong 79 - Mongoose 79 - Meercat 80 - Spotted Hyæna 81 - Spotted Hyæna 81 - Striped Hyæna 82 - Aard-wolf 82 - Young Grey Wolf 83 - A growing Cub 84 - Wolf Cubs 85 - White Wolf 86 - Prairie-wolf, or Coyote 86 - The Wolf with privy paw 87 - Russian Wolf 88 - A Wolf of the Carpathians 89 - Indian Wolf 90 - Wolf's head 90 - Russian Wolf 91 - North African Jackal 92 - Indian Jackal 92 - Maned Wolf 93 - Turkish Jackal 93 - Wild Dog 94 - Dingo 94 - Dingoes 95 - Cape Hunting-dog 96 - Fox Cubs 97 - Mountain-fox 98 - Leicestershire Fox 98 - Too difficult! 99 - Arctic Fox (In summer; Changing - his coat; In winter) 100 - Fennec-fox 100 - Domestic Dogs: - Stag-hound Puppies 101 - Greyhound 102 - Retriever 103 - Blood-hound 104 - English Setter 104 - Smooth-coated Saint Bernard 104 - Great Dane 105 - Dachshund 105 - Dalmatians 106 - Newfoundland 106 - Bull-dogs 107 - Old English Sheep-dog 108 - Mastiff 108 - Deer-hound 109 - Pointer 109 - Skye Terrier 109 - Corded Poodle 109 - Pomeranian 109 - Scottish Terrier 109 - Maltese Toy Terrier 109 - Butterfly-dog 109 - Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, with - Chow and Japanese Spaniels 110 - Sand-dog 110 - Pug and Pekinese Spaniel 111 - Fox-terrier 111 - Blenheim and Prince Charles - Spaniels 112 - Pariah Puppies 112 - Common Brown Bear 113 - An inviting attitude 114 - Three performing Bears 114 - European Brown Bear 115 - Syrian Bear 116 - Large Russian Brown Bear 116 - American Black Bear 117 - Young Syrian Bear from the Caucasus 118 - A Brown Bear in search of insects 119 - Polar Bears 120 - Two Polar Bears and a Brown Bear 121 - Polar Bear 122 - Half-grown Polar Bears 123 - The Ice-bear's couch 124 - Common Raccoon 125 - Raccoon 125 - Great Panda 126 - Kinkajou 127 - Young Otters 127 - Two tame Otters 128 - Sea-otter 128 - A Skunk 129 - A Badger in the water 129 - European Badger 130 - Ratel 131 - Pine-marten 132 - Polecat 133 - Himalayan Weasel 133 - Common Stoat (In summer and - winter coats) 134 - Glutton 134 - Californian Sea-lions, or Eared Seals 135 - Steller's Sea-lion 136 - Sea-lion 137 - Sea-lion 138 - Female Walrus 139 - Male Walrus 140 - Walrus and Sea-lion 141 - Grey Seal 142 - Grey Seal 143 - Harp-seal 144 - Sea-elephant 145 - Capybara 146 - Flying-squirrel 146 - Flying-squirrel 147 - Dorsal Squirrel from Central America 148 - Asiatic Chipmunks 148 - Red-footed Ground-squirrel 149 - Black Fox-squirrel 149 - Long-tailed Marmot 150 - Prairie-dogs, or Marmots 151 - American Beaver 152 - Beaver 153 - Beaver 154 - Musk-rat 154 - Gambian Pouched Rat 155 - Pocket-gopher 156 - Long-eared Jerboa 157 - Cape Jumping-hare 157 - Octodont 158 - Coypu 158 - Short-tailed Hutia 159 - Porcupine 159 - Porcupine 160 - Viscacha 160 - Chinchilla 161 - Agutis 161 - Paca, or Spotted Cavy 162 - Pacas, or Spotted Cavies 162 - Patagonian Cavy 163 - Wood-hare 163 - Wild Rabbits 164 - Australian Fruit-bat, or "Flying-fox" 165 - Australian Fruit-bat 166 - Tube-nosed Fruit-bat 166 - Pipistrelle Bat 167 - Leaf-nosed Bat 167 - Cobego 168 - Cobego 169 - Cobego asleep 170 - Three baby Hedgehogs 170 - Common Mole 171 - Golden Mole 171 - A fine Tusker 172 - A young Indian Elephant 173 - The Chief of Chiengmai's Carriage 174 - Timber-elephants 175 - Female Indian Elephant dragging teak 176 - Indian Elephants bathing 177 - African Elephant 178 - Male African Elephant drinking 179 - Malayan Tapir 180 - Common American Tapir 181 - Hairy-eared Sumatran Rhinoceros 182 - Great Indian Rhinoceros 183 - Great Indian Rhinoceros 184 - Black African Rhinoceroses 185 - One of the same Rhinoceroses dead 185 - Rhinoceros bathing 186 - Black African Rhinoceros 187 - Sumatran Rhinoceros 188 - Mountain-zebra 189 - Grevy's Zebra 190 - Burchell's Zebra at home 191 - The Hon. Walter Rothschild's - team of Zebras 192 - Burchell's Zebra, Chapman's variety 193 - Mare and Foal of Burchell's Zebra 194 - Burchell's Zebra 194 - Zebras on Table Mountain 195 - Quagga 195 - Baluchi Wild Ass 196 - Male Kiang 197 - Yearling Arab Colts 198 - Arab Mare 199 - Arab Mares and Foals 200 - Percheron Horse 201 - Hackney and Foal 201 - Ladas 202 - Florizel II. 202 - Shetland Pony and Foal 203 - Champion Shire Stallion 203 - Shire Mare and Foal 204 - Welsh Pony 204 - Polo-pony 205 - Donkey 205 - Egyptian Donkeys 206 - Mules 206 - English Park-cattle 207 - English Park Bull 208 - Calf of English Park-cattle 208 - Jersey Cow 209 - Spanish Cattle 209 - Young Gaur 210 - Cow Gayal 211 - Indian Humped Bull 212 - Indian Humped Cattle 213 - Domesticated Yak 214 - American bull Bison 215 - European Bison 216 - American Bison 217 - Cape Buffalo 218 - Domesticated Indian Buffalo 218 - A pair of Anoas 219 - Young bull Musk-ox 220 - Young Barbary Sheep 221 - Siberian Argali 222 - Barbary Sheep 223 - Barbary Sheep 223 - Burhal Wild Sheep 224 - Punjab Sheep 225 - Fat-tailed Sheep 225 - Four-horned Sheep 226 - South Down Sheep 226 - Merino Rams 227 - Black-faced Mountain-sheep 228 - Leicester Ewe 228 - Cross-bred Sheep 229 - Lonk Ram 230 - Welsh Ewes 230 - Female Angora Goat 231 - Angora Ram 231 - British Goat 232 - Female Toggenburg Goat 233 - Stud Toggenburg Goat 233 - Schwartzals Goat 234 - Male Alpine Ibex 235 - Young male Alpine Ibex 235 - Nubian Goat 236 - Italian Goat 237 - Rocky Mountain Goat 238 - Himalayan Tahr and young 238 - Bubalino Hartebeest 239 - Biesbok 240 - White-tailed Gnu and Calf 240 - A cow Brindled Gnu 241 - Red-flanked Duiker 241 - Klipspringer 242 - Sing-sing Waterbuck 243 - Mountain Reedbuck 244 - Male Impala, or Palla 244 - Male Saiga Antelopes 245 - Arabian Gazelle 246 - Goitred Gazelles from Mesopotamia 247 - Speke's Gazelle 248 - Gazelles from Egypt 248 - Red-fronted Gazelle 249 - Red-fronted Gazelle (another view) 249 - Male Springbuck 250 - Sable Antelope 251 - Roan Antelope 252 - Male of Grant's Gazelle 252 - Group of Beisa Oryx 253 - White Oryx 254 - Beisa Oryx 254 - Gerenuk 255 - Female Nilgai 256 - Addax 256 - A pair of young Prongbucks 257 - Female Goral 258 - Harnessed Antelope 258 - Male Kudu 259 - Eland 260 - Eland Cows 261 - Bull Eland 262 - The Southern Giraffe 263 - Southern Giraffe lying down 264 - Male Southern Giraffe 265 - A Giraffe grazing 266 - A Giraffe browsing 267 - Male and female Giraffes 268 - The Okapi of the Congo Forest 269 - Head of Okapi 270 - Scandinavian Reindeer 271 - Woodland Caribou 272 - Immature Scandinavian Elk 273 - Female American Elk, or Moose 274 - Park Red Deer 275 - An Asiatic Wapiti 276 - American Wapiti 277 - American Wapiti 278 - American Wapiti 279 - Altai Wapiti 280 - Manchurian Wapiti calling 281 - An Axis Hind 282 - A stag Axis, or Indian Spotted Deer 283 - A Spotted Oriental Deer 284 - A young Fallow Buck of the Brown Breed 285 - A Sambar Stag 286 - Formosan Sika Stag 287 - Javan Rusa Stag 287 - Hog-deer 288 - Young male Swamp-deer 289 - Indian Muntjac 290 - Young male Chinese Water-deer 290 - Male Siberian Roe 291 - Female Siberian Roe 291 - Siberian Roebuck 292 - Female European Roe Deer 293 - Père David's Deer 294 - Group of Virginian Deer (two - bucks, four does) 295 - A Mule-deer Fawn 296 - Virginian Deer 297 - Mule-deer Stag 298 - Young Marsh-deer 299 - Young Himalayan Musk-deer 300 - The Camel-plough, used in Algiers 301 - A White Camel 302 - Arabian Camel 302 - A Camel 303 - A string of Camels near Port Said 303 - Head of Bactrian Camel 304 - An old male Bactrian Camel 305 - Bactrian Camel 306 - Young Bactrian Camel 306 - Guanaco 307 - Llamas 308 - Llama 309 - Alpaca 309 - A Domesticated Sow and her Progeny 310 - Wild Boar 311 - Diving-pigs 312 - Javan Wild Pig 313 - Male and female Babirusa 313 - Wart-hog 314 - Ælian's Wart-hog 314 - Head of male Wart-hog 315 - Collared Peccary 316 - A young Collared Peccary 317 - A three-year-old Hippopotamus 318 - Hippopotamus drinking 319 - Hippopotamus bathing 320 - Baby Hippopotamus, aged six months 321 - Dental operations on a Hippopotamus 322, 323 - Female Hippopotamuses 324 - A Hippopotamus Family--father, - mother, and young 324 - Hippopotamus 325 - Male and female Hippopotamuses 326 - Dugong 327 - American Manatee 328 - Narwhal 329 - Grampus, or Killer 330 - Short-beaked River-dolphin 331 - Sowerby's Beaked Whale 332 - Common Porpoise 333 - Elliott's Dolphin 334 - Risso's Dolphin 334 - Bottle-nosed Dolphin 335 - Heavyside's Dolphin 335 - Northern Two-toed Sloth 336 - Three-toed Sloth 337 - The Great Ant-eater 338 - Tamandua Ant-eater 339 - Two-toed Ant-eater 340 - Weasel-headed Armadillo 341 - Hairy-rumped Armadillo 341 - Peba Armadillo 341 - Kapplers' Armadillo 341 - Cape Aard-vark 342 - The Great Grey Kangaroo 343 - Silver-grey Kangaroo 344 - Black-striped Wallaby 345 - Bennett's Wallaby and the - Great Grey Kangaroo 345 - Albino Red Kangaroos 346 - Tasmanian Wallaby 347 - Albino Red-bellied Wallaby 348 - Rock-wallaby 349 - Parry's Wallaby 350 - Parry's Wallaby 350 - Foot of Tree-kangaroo 351 - Brown Tree-kangaroo 352 - Tree-kangaroos 353 - Gaimard's Rat-kangaroo 354 - Rat-kangaroo from New South Wales 354 - Koala, or Australian Native - Bear, and Cub 355 - Koala, or Australian Native Bear 356 - Koala, or Australian Native Bear 357 - Squirrel-like Flying-phalanger - of Victoria 358 - Larger Flying-phalanger 359 - Lesser Flying-phalanger 360 - Pygmy Flying-phalanger 361 - Common Grey Opossum, or Phalanger 362 - Australian Grey Opossum, or Phalanger 363 - Front view of Grey Opossum, - or Phalanger 364 - Profile view of Grey Opossum, - or Phalanger 364 - Ring-tailed Opossum, or Phalanger, - and nest 365 - Spotted Cuscus 366 - Common Wombat 367 - Hairy-nosed Wombat 368 - Common Wombat 369 - Long-nosed Australian Bandicoot 370 - Rabbit-bandicoot 371 - Pouched Mole 372 - Under surface of Pouched Mole 372 - Tasmanian Wolf 373 - Tasmanian Wolf 373 - Tasmanian Devil 374 - Spotted Dasyures, or Australian - Native Cats 375 - Brush-tailed Pouched Mouse, or - Phascogale 376 - Banded Ant-eater 377 - Yapock, or Water-opossum 378 - Young Opossum (natural size) 379 - Woolly American Opossum 380 - Common or Virginian Opossum 381 - Echidna, or Ant-eating Porcupine 382 - Tasmanian Echidna, or Porcupine - Ant-eater 383 - Duck-billed Platypus 384 - - - -_N.B.--The photograph of dolphins on page v was inadvertently attributed to -Mr. F. G. Aflalo. The name of the photographer should have been Mr. T. -Limberg, who kindly gave permission for his capital snap-shot to be -reproduced in these pages._ - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn._ - -PEKIN DEER IN SUMMER DRESS. - -An example of the white-spotted type of coloration so common among -herbivorous mammals.] - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -NEGRO BOY AND APES. - -An interesting picture of a Negro boy, with a young Chimpanzee (left side -of figure) and young Orang-utan (right side of figure).] - -The welcome accorded to "The Living Races of Mankind," of which the present -work is the natural extension, would be a practical encouragement, if such -were needed, to treat of the Living Races of Animals in like fashion. But -the interest now taken in Natural History is of a kind and calibre never -previously known, and any work which presents the wonders of the Animal -World in a new or clearer form may make some claim to the approval of the -public. The means at the disposal of those responsible for the following -pages are, by mere lapse of time, greater than those of their predecessors. -Every year not only adds to the stock of knowledge of the denizens of earth -and ocean, but increases the facilities for presenting their forms and -surroundings pictorially. Photography applied to the illustration of the -life of beasts, birds, fishes, insects, corals, and plants is at once the -most attractive and the most correct form of illustration. In the following -pages it will be used on a scale never equalled in any previous -publication. Without straining words, it may be said that the subjects -photographed have been obtained from every part of the world, many of them -from the most distant islands of the Southern Ocean, the great barrier reef -of Australia, the New Zealand hills, the Indian jungle, the South African -veldt, and the rivers of British Columbia. Photographs of swimming fish, -the flying bird, and of the leaping salmon will be reproduced as accurately -as those of the large carnivora or the giant ungulates. In accordance with -the example now being set by the Museum of Natural History, the living -breeds of domesticated animals will also find a place. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Umlauff_] [_Hamburg._ - -SKELETONS OF MAN AND GORILLA. - -This photograph shows the remarkable similarity in the structure of the -human frame (left) and that of the gorilla (right). This gorilla happened -to be a particularly large specimen; the man was of ordinary height.] - -The time and expenditure employed in illustration will be equalled by the -attention given to the descriptive portion of the work. The Editor will -have the assistance of specialists, eminent alike in the world of science -and practical discovery. Mr. F. C. Selous, for example, will deal with the -African Lion and the Elephants, and other sportsmen with the big game of -the Dark Continent. Mr. W. Saville-Kent, the author of "The Great Barrier -Reef of Australia," will treat of the Marsupials of Australia and the -Reptilia; Sir Herbert Maxwell will write on the Salmonidæ, and Mr. F. G. -Aflalo on the Whales and other Cetacea of the deep seas; while Mr. R. -Lydekker, Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, Mr. W. F. Kirby, and other specialists have -kindly agreed to supervise the work. Where possible the illustrations will -show the creatures in their natural surroundings, and in all cases the -photographic portraits of the animals will, by the nature of things, -present true and living pictures, in place of the often curiously incorrect -and distorted objects, the product of illustrators' fancy rather than the -record of facts, not infrequently seen in previous illustrated natural -histories. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. Watmough Webster & Son_] [_Chester._ - -SEA-SWALLOWS. - -From their long wings, forked tail, and flight, the Terns are popularly -called Sea-swallows.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -AFRICAN LEOPARD. - -An example of the black-spotted type of coloration so prevalent in -Carnivora.] - -It is possible that while these pages are in the press discoveries of new -animals may be made, or living representatives of creatures supposed to be -extinct may be discovered.[1] One band of explorers is engaged in seeking -on the plains of South America for recent remains and possible survivors of -the giant ground-sloths. Another expedition is engaged, in the island of -Java, in an even more interesting quest. Great as is the difference between -even the lowest human intelligence and the mind of the man-like apes, the -likeness both in form and action of the latter to man has never failed to -suggest that there may have existed, or may even still exist, a higher -anthropoid ape nearer to the human being than those now known. The idea has -taken shape in the term "the missing link." The phrase is misleading in -itself. Such a creature would be no more a link in the descent of man than -one imperfectly developed limb of a tree is a link between the other -branches and the stem. But it was always possible that we might find -another branch which had attained a higher type than those terminating in -the gorilla or chimpanzee. Recent search seems to have discovered the -remains of such a creature. - -[Illustration: EAST AFRICAN GIRAFFE. - -This photograph was taken in the wilds of Africa by Lord Delamere, and -shows the animal at home. The tree is a mimosa, on the top shoots of which -the giraffe habitually feeds.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -FLYING-FOX. - -This bat, which is a native of Australia (where it was photographed), is -commonly called the Flying-fox. Great flocks set out at sunset from the -forest to feed upon the indigenous fruits, such as that of the native fig.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by F. G. Aflalo, F.Z.S._ - -DOLPHINS. - -This photograph was taken in mid-ocean, and shows a couple of dolphins -following a ship across the Atlantic.] - -In the island of Java, near one of the homes of the man-like apes of -to-day, a naturalist, M. Dubois, employed by the Dutch Government, -excavated some fossil-bearing gravels on a river called the Solo. These -gravels belong to a period when civilised man, at any rate, did not exist. -In them he found a great quantity of bones of mammals and of prehistoric -crocodiles. There were no perfect skeletons, and it was fairly plain that -the bodies of the creatures had been floated down the river, and there -pulled to pieces by the crocodiles, just as they are in India to-day. In -this place, lying within a distance of about fifteen yards from each other, -he made an extraordinary discovery of animal remains. This was no less than -the top of the skull of a creature much higher in development than the -chimpanzee or gorilla, but lower than the lowest type of human skull. Near -it were also found two of the teeth and one of the bones of the thigh. The -thigh bone resembles very nearly that of a man, though Dr. Virchow, whom -Englishmen remember in connection with the fatal illness of the German -Emperor Frederick, considered it did not differ from that of one of the -gibbons. The inference is that the creature _walked upright_; and this fact -is recorded in its scientific name. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -A HAPPY FAMILY. - -Hyæna, tiger, and lions living in amity--a remarkable proof of their -tamer's power. In the same park at Hamburg, belonging to Herr Hagenbeck, -are also bears, dogs, leopards, and pumas, all loose together.] - -As regards the skull, some specialists in anthropology said that it was -that of a large ape, of a kind of gibbon (a long-armed, upright-walking -ape, described later), of a "higher anthropoid ape," and of a low type of -man. Finally, Dr. Cunningham, the able secretary of the Royal Irish -Zoological Society, said it resembled that of a "microcephalous idiot." It -is rather strange if the remains of the first and only man found in the -Lower Pleistocene should happen to be those of a microcephalous idiot, for -out of many millions of men born there are perhaps only one or two of this -type. Compared with the head of any of the living apes, it is very large. -Its brain-holding power is about five to three compared with the skull of a -gorilla, and two to one compared with that of a chimpanzee. - -[Illustration: ELEPHANTS. - -This is another of Lord Delamere's East African photographs, and shows a -couple of wild elephants in the open.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild_] [_Tring._ - -GIANT TORTOISE. - -This photograph of Mr. Walter Rothschild riding on one of his huge -tortoises gives a good idea of the relative sizes of one of the "giant -tortoises" and a human being.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -A GROUP OF CROCODILIANS. - -A wonder of modern animal-training. The photograph shows a number of living -crocodilians with their trainer. They have been on exhibition in Florence -for some years past, and are still to be seen there.] - -There is a tradition in Sumatra that man-like apes exist, of a higher -character than the orang-utan. Pending the discovery of more remains, the -following extract is worth quoting, as giving shape to current ideas about -such creatures both here and among the Malays. They take form in a very -curious and interesting book, called "The Prison of Weltevreden," written -by Walter M. Gibson in the middle of the last century. His story is that he -was kept in prison at Weltevreden, in Java, by the Dutch, after leading a -life of adventure and enquiry among the islands of the South Atlantic and -Indian Ocean; that he came in his own small vessel to the Malay -Archipelago, and spent some time in the interior of Sumatra, _where he saw -apparent evidences of semi-human beings_. He saw the orang-utans in their -native forest, and noted that they were covered with red hair, and was -surprised at the slowness of their movements. Among some men engaged in -building a stable for the raja, he saw "a dark form, tall as a middle-sized -man, covered with hair, that looked soft and flowing; the arms, hands, -legs, and feet seemed well formed, like the Malays'; the body was straight, -and easily bore, on the right shoulder, the yoke of two heavy panniers -filled with material for the building which was going on." Gibson says that -"the eyes were clearer, the nose fuller, and the lips thinner than those of -the common Malay, but the mouth was wide, the lips protruding, and a chin -formed no part of its hairy face; yet it was pleasantly human in -expression," much more so than the dirty, mottle-faced coolies and lascars -he had seen. We quote the account, as showing, if true, that Gibson saw an -anthropoid ape _taught to work_. - -[Illustration: SOMALI ZEBRAS. - -This is a photograph of a group of zebras taken in Africa by Lord Delamere, -and gives some idea of the surrounding country, where they live in happy -freedom.] - -It may be a mere coincidence, but it is nevertheless somewhat remarkable -that the two great black man-like apes, the chimpanzee and the gorilla, -inhabit the same continent as some of the blackest races of mankind, while -the red orang-utan is found in countries where the yellow-skinned Malay -races of man are indigenous. - ----- - - _The special thanks of the Editor and Publishers are due to a great many - naturalists and zoologists for the valuable help they have given to, and - the interest they have taken in, this work while it has been in - preparation. No doubt, before the complete work is published, a great - many more names will be added to the list, but meanwhile grateful - acknowledgment should be made to the following:--Her Grace the Duchess of - Bedford, who has kindly allowed many of her fine photographs to be - reproduced in these pages; the Hon. Walter Rothschild, M.P., for the - splendid collection of photographs taken especially for him in all parts - of the world; Lord Delamere, for several unique photographs taken with a - telephoto lens during his celebrated expedition to Africa; Major Nott, - F.Z.S., for the use of his scientific series of animal photographs; Dr. - R. W. Shufeldt, of Washington, for many photographs of fish and other - animals in their natural surroundings; Mr. W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., - F.L.S., for the photographs taken by him while in Australia; Mr. Lewis - Medland, F.Z.S., for the use of his singularly complete set of animal - photographs; Herr Carl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, for permission to use his - photographs of some extremely rare specimens of animals which from time - to time have found a temporary home at his wonderful Thierpark; the - Trustees of the British Museum, for permission to photograph some of - their animals; Professor E. Ray Lankester, Director of the Natural - History Branch of the British Museum; and the Zoological Society, for - permission to photograph some of the animals. And also to Herr Ottomar - Anschütz, of Berlin; Messrs. Bond & Grover, of the Scholastic - Photographic Co.; Signor Alinari, of Florence; Messrs. Kerry & Co. and - Mr. Henry King, of Sydney; Mr. Charles Knight; Mr. J. W. McLellan; - Messrs. Charles and William Reid; Messrs. A. S. Rudland & Sons; and - Messrs. York & Sons, for permission to reproduce their photographs._ - -[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._ - -SUN-FISH. - -This photograph was taken through the water by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, who has -made a speciality of this kind of photography.] - -[Illustration: _Photos by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE. - -_Anger._ _Pleasure._ _Fear._] - - - - -THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD. - - - - -_BOOK I. MAMMALS._ - ----- - - - -CHAPTER I. - -_APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS._ - ----- - -THE MAN-LIKE APES. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari, Florence._ - -ARABIAN BABOON.] - -THE CHIMPANZEE. - -Of all the great apes the CHIMPANZEE most closely approaches man in bodily -structure and appearance, although in height it is less near the human -standard than the gorilla, 5 feet being probably that of an adult male. - -Several races of this ape are known, among them the TRUE CHIMPANZEE and the -BALD CHIMPANZEE. The varieties also include the Kulo-kamba, described by Du -Chaillu, and the Soko, discovered by Livingstone, who confounded it with -the gorilla. But the variations in neither of these are sufficiently -important to justify their being ranked as species. - -The first authentic mention of the chimpanzee is found in "The Strange -Adventures of Andrew Battell." an English sailor taken prisoner by the -Portuguese in 1590, who lived eighteen years near Angola. He speaks of two -apes, the Pongo and the Enjocko, of which the former is the gorilla, the -latter the chimpanzee. The animal was first seen in Europe in 1641, and -described scientifically fifty-eight years later, but we are indebted to -Dr. Savage, a missionary, for our first account of its habits, in 1847. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -"JENNY," THE WELL-KNOWN CHIMPANZEE AT THE ZOO. -A VERY CHARACTERISTIC POSE. - -In this picture the rounded ear, human-like wrinkles on the forehead, and -length of the toes should be noted.] - -The chimpanzee, like the gorilla, is found only in Africa. The range -includes West and Central Equatorial Africa, from the Gambia in the north -to near Angola in the south, while it occurs in the Niam-Niam country to -the north-west of the great lakes, and has been discovered recently in -Uganda. The new Uganda Railway, which will open out the great lakes to the -east, will bring English travellers well within reach of the nearest haunt -of these great apes. It is on the likeness and difference of their form and -shape to those of man that the attention of the world has been mainly -fixed. - -The chimpanzee is a heavily built animal, with chest and arms of great -power. The male is slightly taller than the female. The crown is depressed, -the chin receding, the ridges which overhang the eye-sockets more prominent -than in man, less so than in the gorilla. The nose has a short bridge, and -a flat extremity. The ear is large, and less human than that of the -gorilla. The hands and feet are comparatively long; the digits are, except -the thumb and great toe, joined by a web. The arms are short for an ape, -reaching only to the knees. The teeth are similar to those of man, and the -canines of only moderate size. The chimpanzee has thirteen pairs of ribs, -and, like man, has a suggestion at the end of the vertebræ of a rudimentary -tail. It walks on all-fours, with the backs of its closed fingers on the -ground, and can only stand upright by clasping its hands above its head. -The skin is of a reddish or brown flesh-colour, the hair black, with white -patches on the lower part of the face. The bald chimpanzee has the top -front, and sides of the face bare, exceedingly large ears, thick lips, and -black or brown hands and feet. - -The chimpanzee's natural home is the thick forest, where tropical -vegetation ensures almost total gloom. But near Loango it frequents the -mountains near the coast. It is a fruit-feeding animal, said to do much -damage to plantations, but the bald race, at all events in captivity, takes -readily to flesh, and the famous "Sally" which lived in the Zoo for over -six years used to kill and eat pigeons, and caught and killed rats. The -male chimpanzee builds a nest in a tree for his family, and sleeps under -its shelter; when food becomes scarce in the vicinity, a move is made, and -a new nest built. This ape lives either in separate families or communities -not exceeding ten in number, and is monogamous. - -As to the animal's courage, it is difficult to get accurate information, as -the sins of the gorilla and baboon have often been laid on its shoulders, -and information derived from natives is usually untrustworthy. Apparently -the chimpanzee avoids coming into collision with man, although, when -attacked, it is a formidable antagonist. Tales of chimpanzees kidnapping -women and children need stronger evidence than they have yet obtained. The -natives kill this ape by spearing it in the back, or by driving it into -nets, where it is entangled and easily dispatched. According to -Livingstone, the soko, as the chimpanzee is called in East Central Africa, -kills the leopard by biting its paws, but falls an easy prey to the lion. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE. - -This excellent photograph, by Major Nott, F.Z.S., is particularly good, as -showing the manner in which these animals use their hands and feet.] - -In captivity it is docile and intelligent, but usually fails to stand a -northern climate for more than a few months. It is easily taught to wear -clothes, to eat and drink in civilised fashion, to understand what is said -to it, and reply with a limited vocabulary of grunts. Sally learnt to count -perfectly up to six, and less perfectly to ten; she could also distinguish -white from any colour, but if other colours were presented her she failed, -apparently from colour-blindness. Of this ape the late Dr. G. J. Romanes -wrote with something more than the enthusiasm of a clever man pursuing a -favourite theme: "Her intelligence was conspicuously displayed by the -remarkable degree in which she was able to understand the meaning of spoken -language--a degree fully equal to that presented by an infant a few months -before emerging from infancy, and therefore higher than that which is -presented by any brute, so far at least as I have evidence to show." -Romanes here speaks _only_, be it noticed, of ability to understand human -speech--not to think and act. But this is in itself a great mark of -intelligence _on human lines_. "Having enlisted the co-operation of the -keepers, I requested them to ask the ape repeatedly for one straw, two -straws, three straws. These she was to pick up and hand out from among the -litter of her cage. No constant order was to be observed in making these -requests; but whenever she handed a number not asked for her offer was to -be refused, while if she gave the proper number her offer was to be -accepted, and she was to receive a piece of fruit in payment. In this way -the ape had learnt to associate these three numbers with the names. As soon -as the animal understood what was required, she never failed to give the -number of straws asked for. Her education was then completed in a similar -manner from three to four, and from four to five straws. Sally rarely made -mistakes up to that number; but above five, and up to ten, to which one of -the keepers endeavoured to advance her education, the result is uncertain. -It is evident that she understands the words seven, eight, nine, and ten to -betoken numbers higher than those below them. When she was asked for any -number above six, she always gave some number over six and under ten. She -sometimes doubled over a straw to make it present two ends, and was -supposed (thus) to hasten the attainment of her task." By no means all the -chimpanzees are so patient as Sally. One kept in the Zoological Gardens for -some time made an incessant noise by stamping on the back of the box in -which it was confined. It struck this with the flat of its foot while -hanging to the cross-bar or perch, and made a prodigious din. This seems to -bear out the stories of chimpanzees assembling and drumming on logs in the -Central African forests. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -HEAD OF MALE GORILLA. - -This is a photograph of one of the first gorillas ever brought to England. -It was sent by the famous M. du Chaillu.] - - -THE GORILLA. - -The name of this enormous ape has been known since 450 B.C. Hanno the -Carthaginian, when off Sierra Leone, met with wild men and women whom the -interpreter called GORILLAS. The males escaped and flung stones from the -rocks, but several females were captured. These animals could not have been -gorillas, but were probably baboons. Andrew Battell, already mentioned, -described the gorilla under the name of Pongo. He says it is like a man, -but without understanding even to put a log on a fire; it kills Negroes, -and drives off the elephant with clubs; it is never taken alive, but its -young are killed with poisoned arrows; it covers its dead with boughs. Dr. -Savage described it in 1847. Later Du Chaillu visited its haunts, and his -well-known book relates how he met and killed several specimens. But Mr. -Winwood Reade, who also went in quest of it, declared that Du Chaillu, like -himself, never saw a live gorilla. Von Koppenfels, however, saw a family of -four feeding, besides shooting others. The late Miss Kingsley met several, -one of which was killed by her elephant-men. - -The gorilla has a limited range, extending from 2° north to 5° south -latitude in West Africa, a moist overgrown region including the mouth of -the Gaboon River. How far east it is found is uncertain, but it is known in -the Sierra del Cristal. In 1851-52 it was seen in considerable numbers on -the coast. - -The gorilla is the largest, strongest, and most formidable of the Primates. -An adult male is from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet high, heavily built, with -arms and chest of extraordinary power. The arms reach to the middle of the -legs. The hands are clumsy, the thumb short, and the fingers joined by a -web. The neck scarcely exists. The leg has a slight calf. The toes are -stumpy and thick; the great toe moves like a thumb. The head is large and -receding, with enormous ridges above the eyes, which give it a diabolical -appearance. The canine teeth are developed into huge tusks. The nose has a -long bridge, and the nostrils look downwards. The ear is small and -man-like. - -In colour the gorilla varies from deep black to iron-grey, with a reddish -tinge on the head; old animals become grizzled. The outer hair is ringed -grey and brown; beneath it is a woolly growth. The female is smaller--not -exceeding 4 feet 6 inches--and less hideous, as the canines are much -smaller, and the ridges above the eyes are not noticeable, a feature common -also to the young. - -Timid, superstitious natives and credulous or untrustworthy travellers have -left still wrapped in mystery many of the habits of this mighty ape, whose -fever-stricken, forest-clad haunts render investigation always difficult, -often impossible. Many tales of its ferocity and strength are obviously -untrue, but we think that too much has been disbelieved. That a huge arm -descends from a tree, draws up and chokes the wayfarer, must be false, for -intelligent natives have confessed to knowing no instance of the gorilla -attacking man. That it vanquishes the leopard is probable; that it has -driven the lion from its haunts requires proof. Nor can we accept tales of -the carrying-off of Negro women; and the defeat of the elephants, too, must -be considered a fiction. - -But we must believe that this ape, if provoked or wounded, is a terrible -foe, capable of ripping open a man with one stroke of its paw, or of -cracking the skull of a hunter as easily as a squirrel cracks a nut. There -is a tale of a tribe that kept an enormous gorilla as executioner, which -tore its victims to pieces, until an Englishman, doomed to meet it, -noticing a large swelling near its ribs, killed it with a heavy blow or two -on the weak spot. - -Gorillas live mainly in the trees on whose fruit they subsist; they -construct a shelter in the lower boughs for the family, and as a lying-in -place for the female. The male is said to sleep below, with his back -against the tree--a favourite attitude with both sexes--to keep off -leopards. On the ground it moves on all-fours, with a curious swinging -action, caused by putting its hands with fingers extended on the ground, -and bringing its body forward by a half-jump. Having a heel, it can stand -better than other apes; but this attitude is not common, and Du Chaillu -appears to have been mistaken when he describes the gorilla as attacking -upright. - -In captivity only immature specimens have been seen--Barnum's great ape -being one of the larger forms of chimpanzee. Accounts vary as to the temper -of the gorilla, some describing it as untamable, while others say it is -docile and playful when young. There is an American tale that a gorilla -over 6 feet high was captured near Tanganyika, but nothing more has reached -us about it. - -When enraged, a gorilla beats its breast, as the writer was informed by a -keeper, who thus confirmed Du Chaillu's account. Its usual voice is a -grunt, which, when the animal is excited, becomes a roar. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Umlauff_] [_Hamburg._ - -A MALE GORILLA. - -This photograph of the largest gorilla known was taken immediately after -death by Herr Paschen at Yaunde, and gives an excellent idea of the size of -these animals as compared with Negroes. The animal weighed 400 lbs.] - - -THE ORANG-UTAN. - -This great red ape was mentioned by Linnæus in 1766, and at the beginning -of the last century a specimen living in the Prince of Orange's collection -was described by Vosmaer. - -There are three varieties of the ORANG, called by the Dyaks MIAS-PAPPAN, -MIAS-RAMBI, and MIAS-KASSU, the third of which is smaller, has no -cheek-excrescences, and very large teeth. Some naturalists recognise a pale -and a dark race. - -Most of our information is due to Raja Brooke and Dr. Wallace. The species -is confined to Borneo and Sumatra, but fossils have been found in India of -this genus, as well as of a chimpanzee. The orang is less man-like than the -chimpanzee and gorilla. In height the male varies from 3 feet 10 inches to -4 feet 6 inches, the female being a few inches shorter. It is a heavy -creature, with large head--often a foot in breadth--thick neck, powerful -arms, which reach nearly to the ankles, and protuberant abdomen. Its legs -are short and bowed. The forehead is high, the nose fairly large, the ears -very human. The throat is ornamented with large pouches, and there are -often callosities on the cheeks. The fingers are webbed, the thumb small, -the foot long and narrow, the great toe small and often without a nail. The -brain is man-like, and the ribs agree in number with those of man; but -there are nine bones in the wrist, whereas man, the gorilla, and the -chimpanzee have but eight. The canine teeth are enormous in the male. The -hair, a foot or more long on the shoulders and thighs, is yellowish red: -there is a slight beard. The skin is grey or brown, and often, in adults, -black. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -YOUNG ORANG-UTANS. - -It will be seen here, from the profile, that the young anthropoid ape has -only the upper part of the head at all approaching the human type.] - -The orang is entirely a tree-living animal, and is only found in moist -districts where there is much virgin forest. On the ground it progresses -clumsily on all-fours, using its arms as crutches, and with the side only -of its feet on the ground. In trees it travels deliberately but with -perfect ease, swinging along underneath the branches, although it also -walks along them semi-erect. It lives alone with mate and young, and builds -a sleeping-place sufficiently low to avoid the wind. Its food is leaves and -fruit, especially the durian; its feeding-time, midday. - -No animal molests the mias save--so say the Dyaks--the python and -crocodile, both of which it kills by tearing with its hands. It never -attacks man, but has been known to bite savagely when brought to bay, and -it is very tenacious of life, one being found by Mr. Wallace still alive -after a fall from a tree, when "both legs had been broken, its hip-joint -and the root of the spine shattered, and two bullets flattened in neck and -jaws." - -In captivity young orangs are playful and docile, but passionate. Less -intelligent than chimpanzees, they may be taught to eat and drink nicely, -and to obey simple commands. One in the Zoo at present has acquired the -rudiments of drill. They will eat meat and eggs, and drink wine, beer, -spirits, and tea. An orang described years ago by Dr. Clarke Abel was -allowed the run of the ship on the voyage to England, and would play with -the sailors in the rigging. When refused food he pretended to commit -suicide, and rushed over the side, only to be found under the chains. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -BABY ORANG-UTANS AT PLAY.] - -The orang is the least interesting of the three great apes; he lacks the -power and brutality of the gorilla and the intelligence of the chimpanzee. -"The orang," said its keeper to the writer, "is a buffoon; the chimpanzee, -a gentleman." - -It is worth remark that, although all these apes soon die in our -menageries, in Calcutta, where they are kept in the open, orangs thrive -well. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -TWO BABY ORANG-UTANS. THE TUG-OF-WAR.] - - -THE GIBBONS. - -Next after the great apes in man-like characters come a few long-armed, -tailless apes, known as the GIBBONS. Like the orang-utan, they live in the -great tropical forests of Asia, especially the Indian Archipelago; like the -latter, they are gentle, affectionate creatures; and they have also a -natural affection for man. But it is in mind and temperament, rather than -in skeleton, that the links and differences between men and monkeys must be -sought. It will be found that these forest apes differ from other animals -and from the true monkeys mainly in this--that they are predisposed to be -friendly to man and to obey him, and that they have no bias towards -mischief, or "monkey tricks." They are thoughtful, well behaved, and -sedate. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Umlauff._ - -THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER CAPTURED. - -This huge ape, 5 feet 5 inches high, measures a distance of over 8 feet -from finger to finger.] - -The SIAMANG, one of the largest of the long-armed, tailless gibbons, lives -in the Malay Archipelago. The arms of a specimen only 3 feet high measured -5 feet 6 inches across. This, like all the gibbons, makes its way from tree -to tree mainly by swinging itself by its arms. But the siamang can _walk_ -upright and run. One kept on board ship would walk down the cabin -breakfast-table without upsetting the china. The WHITE-HANDED GIBBON is -found in Tenasserim, south-west of Burma. This ape has a musical howl, -which the whole flock utters in the early mornings on the tree-tops. In -Northern India, in the hills beyond the Brahmaputra, lives another gibbon, -the HULOCK. One of these kept in captivity soon learnt to eat properly at -meals, and to drink out of a cup instead of dipping his fingers in the tea -and milk and then sucking them. The SILVERY GIBBON kept at the Zoological -Gardens was a most amiable pet, and had all the agility of the other -gibbons. It is very seldom seen in this country, being a native of Java, -where it is said to show the most astonishing activity among the tall -cane-groves. One of the first ever brought to England belonged to the great -Lord Clive. The AGILE GIBBON is another and darker ape of this group. - -The list of the man-like apes closes with this group. All the gibbons are -highly specialised for tree-climbing and an entirely arboreal life; but it -is undeniable that, apart from the modifications necessary for this, such -as the abnormal length of the arms, the skeleton closely resembles that of -a human being. In their habits, when wild, none of these apes show any -remarkable degree of intelligence; but their living is gained in so simple -a way, by plucking fruits and leaves, that there is nothing in their -surroundings to stimulate thought. They do not need even to think of a time -of famine or winter, or to lay up a stock of food for such a season, -because they live in the forests under the Equator. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -WHITE-HANDED GIBBON. - -This gibbon is found in the forests of the Malay Archipelago.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -HULOCK GIBBON. - -The great length of arm in comparison with the body and head should here be -noted.] - - -MONKEYS. - -THE DOG-SHAPED MONKEYS. - -After the gibbons come a vast number of monkeys of every conceivable size, -shape, and variety, which naturalists have arranged in consecutive order -with fair success. Until we reach the Baboons, and go on to the South -American Monkeys and the Lemurs, it is not easy to give any idea of what -these monkeys do or look like merely by referring to their scientific -groups. The usual order of natural histories will here be followed, and the -descriptions will, so far as possible, present the habits and appearance of -the monkeys specially noticed. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -HEAD OF PROBOSCIS MONKEY. - -A native of Borneo. Next to the orang-utan, the most striking monkey in the -Malay Archipelago.] - -This great family of true monkeys contains the Sacred Monkeys, or Langurs, -of India, the Guerezas and Guenons of Africa, the Mangabeys, Macaques, and -Baboons. Most of them have naked, hard patches of skin on the hindquarters, -and the partition between the nostrils is narrow. Some have tails, some -none, and they exhibit the most astonishing differences of size and shape. -Perhaps the most grotesque and astonishing of them all is the PROBOSCIS -MONKEY. It is allied to the langurs, and is a native of the island of -Borneo, to which it is confined; its home is the west bank of the Sarawak -River. It is an arboreal creature, living in small companies. Mr. Hose, who -saw them in their native haunts, says that the proboscis monkeys kept in -the trees overhanging the river, and were most difficult to shoot. "I saw -altogether about 150 of these monkeys, and without a single exception all -were in trees over the water, either lake, river, or in submerged forest. -As long as they are in sight, they are very conspicuous objects, choosing -the most commanding positions on open tree-tops. Once I saw thirteen in one -tree, sitting lazily on the branches, as is their habit, sunning -themselves, and enjoying the scenery." They are very striking animals in -colour, as well as in form. The face is cinnamon-brown, the sides marked -with reddish brown and white, the belly white, the back red-brown and dark -brown. Next to the orang-utan, these are the most striking monkeys in the -Malay Archipelago. - -The greater number of the species intermediate between the gibbons and the -New World species are called "DOG-SHAPED" MONKEYS. We wonder why? Only the -baboon and a few others are in the least like dogs. The various SACRED -MONKEYS of India are often seen in this country, and are quite -representative of the "miscellaneous" monkeys in general. Most of them have -cheek-pouches, a useful monkey-pocket. They poke food into their pouches, -which unfold to be filled, or lie flat when not wanted; and with a -pocketful of nuts or rice on either side of their faces, they can scream, -eat, bite, or scold quite comfortably, which they could not do with their -mouths full. The pouchless monkeys have only their big stomachs to rely on. - -The ENTELLUS MONKEY is the most sacred of all in India. It is grey above -and nutty brown below, long-legged and active, a thief and an impudent -robber. In one of the Indian cities they became such a nuisance that the -faithful determined to catch and send away some hundreds. This was done, -and the holy monkeys were deported in covered carts, and released many -miles off. But the monkeys were too clever. Having thoroughly enjoyed their -ride, they all refused to part with the carts, and, hopping and grimacing, -came leaping all the way back beside them to the city, grateful for their -outing. One city obtained leave to kill the monkeys; but the next city then -sued them for "killing their deceased ancestors." In these monkey-infested -cities, if one man wishes to spite another, he throws a few handfuls of -rice on to the roof of his house about the rainy season. The monkeys come, -find the rice, and quietly lift off many of the tiles and throw them away, -seeking more rice in the interstices. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -CROSS-BEARING LANGUR AND YOUNG. - -A forest monkey of Borneo.] - -This is not the monkey commonly seen in the hills and at Simla. The large -long-tailed monkey there is the HIMALAYAN LANGUR, one of the common animals -of the hills. "The langur," says Mr. Lockwood Kipling in his "Beast and Man -in India," "is, in his way, a king of the jungle, nor is he often met with -in captivity. In some parts of India troops of langurs come bounding with a -mighty air of interest and curiosity to look at passing trains, their long -tails lifted like notes of interrogation; but frequently, when fairly -perched on a wall or tree alongside, they seem to forget all about it, and -avert their heads with an affectation of languid indifference." - -In India no distinction is made between monkeys. It is an abominable act of -sacrilege to kill one of any kind. In the streets holy bulls, calves, -parrakeets, sparrows, and monkeys all rob the shops. One monkey-ridden -municipality sent off its inconvenient but holy guests by rail, advising -the stationmaster to let them loose at the place to which they were -consigned. The station, Saharanpur, was a kind of Indian Crewe, and the -monkeys got into the engine-sheds and workshops among the driving-wheels -and bands. One got in the double roof of an inspection-car, and thence -stole mutton, corkscrews, camp-glasses, and dusters. Among many other -interesting and correct monkey stories of Mr. Kipling's is the following: -"The chief confectioner of Simla had prepared a most splendid bride-cake, -which was safely put by in a locked room, that, like most back rooms in -Simla, looked out on the mountain-side. It is little use locking the door -when the window is left open. When they came to fetch the bride-cake, the -last piece of it was being handed out of the window by a chain of monkeys, -who whitened the hill-side with its fragments." - -From India to Ceylon is no great way, yet in the latter island different -monkeys are found. The two best known are the WHITE-BEARDED WANDEROO MONKEY -and the GREAT WANDEROO. Both are grave, well-behaved monkeys. The former -has white whiskers and a white beard, and looks so wise he is called in -Latin _Nestor_, after the ancient counsellor of the Greeks. Nice, clean -little monkeys are these, and pretty pets. The great wanderoo is rarer. It -lives in the hills. "A flock of them," says Mr. Dallas, "will take -possession of a palm-grove, and so well can they conceal themselves in the -leaves that the whole party become invisible. The presence of a dog excites -their irresistible curiosity, and in order to watch his movements they -never fail to betray themselves. They may be seen congregated on the roof -of a native hut. Some years ago the child of a European clergyman, having -been left on the ground by a nurse, was bitten and teased to death by them. -These monkeys have only one wife." Near relatives of the langurs are the -two species of SNUB-NOSED MONKEYS, one of which (see figure on page 18) -inhabits Eastern Tibet and North-western China, and the other the valley of -the Mekong. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -MALE HIMALAYAN LANGUR. - -A king of the Jungle, not often met with in captivity.] - - -THE GUEREZAS AND GUENONS. - -[Illustration: GELADA BABOONS AT HOME - -This photograph is probably unique, as a gelada baboon has been rarely -seen. It shows them at home looking for food on the ground under the -bamboos and palms. It was taken by Lord Delamere in the East African -jungle.] - -Among the ordinary monkeys of the Old World are some with very striking -hair and colours. The GUEREZA of Abyssinia has bright white-and-black fur, -with long white fringes on the sides. This is the black-and-white skin -fastened by the Abyssinians to their shields, and, if we are not wrong, by -the Kaffirs also. Among the GUENONS, a large tribe of monkeys living in the -African forests, many of which find their way here as "organ monkeys," is -the DIANA, a most beautiful creature, living on the Guinea Coast. It has a -white crescent on its forehead, bluish-grey fur, a white beard, and a patch -of brilliant chestnut on the back, the belly white and orange. A lady, Mrs. -Bowditch, gives the following account of a Diana monkey on board ship. It -jumped on to her shoulder, stared into her face, and then made friends, -seated itself on her knees, and carefully examined her hands. "He then -tried to pull off my rings, when I gave him some biscuits, and making a bed -for him with my handkerchief he then settled himself comfortably to sleep; -and from that moment we were sworn allies. When mischievous, he was often -banished to a hen-coop. Much more effect was produced by taking him in -sight of the panther, who always seemed most willing to devour him. On -these occasions I held him by the tail before the cage; but long before I -reached it, knowing where he was going, he pretended to be dead. His eyes -were closed quite fast, and every limb was as stiff as though there were no -life in him. When taken away, he would open one eye a little, to see -whereabouts he might be; but if he caught sight of the panther's cage it -was instantly closed, and he became as stiff as before." This monkey stole -the men's knives, tools, and handkerchiefs, and even their caps, which he -threw into the sea. He would carefully feed the parrots, chewing up biscuit -and presenting them the bits; and he caught another small monkey and -painted it black! Altogether, he must have enlivened the voyage. The GRIVET -MONKEY, the GREEN MONKEY, the MONA MONKEY, and the MANGABEY are other -commonly seen African species. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -MANTLED GUEREZA. - -This group of monkeys supplies the "monkey muffs" once very fashionable. -The species with white plumes is used to decorate the Kaffir shields.] - - -THE MACAQUES. - -The MACAQUES, of which there are many kinds, from the Rock of Gibraltar to -far Japan, occupy the catalogue between the guenon and the baboon. The -COMMON MACAQUE and many others have tails. Those of Japan, and some of -those of China, notably the TCHELI MONKEY, kept outside the monkey-house at -the Zoo, and the JAPANESE MACAQUE, at the other entrance, are tailless, and -much more like anthropoid apes. The Tcheli monkey is large and powerful, -but other macaques are of all sizes down to little creatures no bigger than -a kitten. Some live in the hottest plains, others in the mountains. The -COMMON MACAQUE, found in the Malay Archipelago, is a strong, medium-sized -monkey. The FORMOSAN MACAQUE is a rock-living creature; those of Japan -inhabit the pine-groves, and are fond of pelting any one who passes with -stones and fir-cones. The BONNET MACAQUE is an amusing little beast, very -fond of hugging and nursing others in captivity. The BANDAR or RHESUS -MONKEY, a common species, also belongs to this group. But the most -interesting to Europeans is the MAGOT, or BARBARY APE. It is the last -monkey left in Europe. There it only lives on the Rock of Gibraltar. It was -the monkey which Galen is said to have dissected, because he was not -permitted to dissect a human body. These monkeys are carefully preserved -upon the Rock. Formerly, when they were more common, they were very -mischievous. The following story was told by Mr. Bidcup: "The apes of the -Rock, led by one particular monkey, were always stealing from the kit of a -certain regiment encamped there. At last the soldiers caught the leader, -shaved his head and face, and turned him loose. His friends, who had been -watching, received him with a shower of sticks and stones. In these -desperate circumstances the ape sneaked back to his old enemies, the -soldiers, with whom he remained." Lord Heathfield, a former Governor of the -Rock, would never let them be hurt; and on one occasion, when the Spaniards -were attempting a surprise, the noise made by the apes gave notice of their -attempt. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -DIANA MONKEY. - -One of the most gaily coloured monkeys of Africa.] - - -THE BABOONS. - -Far the most interesting of the apes in the wild state are the BABOONS. -Their dog-like heads (which in some are so large and hideous that they look -like a cross between an ill-tempered dog and a pig), short bodies, -enormously strong arms, and loud barking cry distinguish them from all -other creatures. The greater number--for there are many kinds--live in the -hot, dry, stony parts of Africa. They are familiar figures from the cliffs -of Abyssinia to the Cape, where their bold and predatory bands still occupy -Table Mountain. They are almost the only animals which the high-contracting -Powers of Africa have resolved not to protect at any season, so mischievous -are they to crops, and recently to the flocks. They kill the suckling -lambs, and tear them to pieces for the sake of the milk contained in their -bodies. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -BARBARY APE. - -The last of the European monkeys; on this side of the Mediterranean it is -only found on the Rock of Gibraltar.] - -One of the best-known baboons is the CHACMA of South Africa. The old males -grow to a great size, and are most formidable creatures. Naturally, they -are very seldom caught; but one very large one is in the Zoological -Gardens, Regent's Park, at the time of writing. The keeper declares he -would rather go into a lion's cage than into the den of this beast when -angry. Its head is nearly one-third of its total length from nose to the -root of the tail. Its jaw-power is immense, and its forearm looks as strong -as Sandow's. Like all monkeys, this creature has the power of springing -instantaneously from a sitting position; and its bite would cripple -anything from a man to a leopard. The chacmas live in companies in the -kopjes, whence they descend to forage the mealie-grounds, river-beds, and -bush. Thence they come down to steal fruit and pumpkins or corn, turn over -the stones and catch beetles, or eat locusts. Their robbing expeditions are -organised. Scouts keep a look-out, the females and young are put in the -centre, and the retreat is protected by the old males. Children in the Cape -Colony are always warned not to go out when the baboons are near. When -irritated--and they are very touchy in their tempers--the whole of the -males will sometimes charge and attack. The possibility of this is very -unpleasant, and renders people cautious. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -RHESUS MONKEY. - -A young specimen of the common Bengal monkey.] - -Not many years ago a well-known sportsman was shooting in Somaliland. On -the other side of a rocky ravine was a troop of baboons of a species of -which no examples were in the British Museum. Though he knew the danger, he -was tempted to shoot and to secure a skin. At 200 yards he killed one dead, -which the rest did not notice. Then he hit another and wounded it. The -baboon screamed, and instantly the others sat up, saw the malefactor, and -charged straight for him. Most fortunately, they had to scramble down the -ravine and up again, by which time the sportsman and his servant had put -such a distance between them, making "very good time over the flat," that -the baboons contented themselves by barking defiance at them when they -reached the level ground. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY. - -The sooty mangabey (to the right of the picture) is gentle and -companionable, but petulant and active.] - -They are the only mammals which _thoroughly_ understand combination for -defence as well as attack. But Brehm, the German traveller, gives a -charming story of genuine courage and self-sacrifice shown by one. His -hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was retreating to some cliffs, and -cut off a very young one, which ran up on to a rock, only just out of reach -of the dogs. An old male baboon saw this, and came alone to the rescue. -Slowly and deliberately he descended, crossed the open space, and stamping -his hands on the ground, showing his teeth, and backed by the furious barks -of the rest of the baboons, he disconcerted and cowed these savage dogs, -climbed on to the rock, picked up the baby, and carried him back safely. If -the dogs had attacked the old patriarch, his tribe would probably have -helped him. Burchell, the naturalist after whom Burchell's zebra is named, -let his dogs chase a troop. The baboons turned on them, killed one on the -spot by biting through the great blood-vessels of the neck, and laid bare -the ribs of another. The Cape Dutch in the Old Colony would rather let -their dogs bait a lion than a troop of baboons. The rescue of the infant -chacma which Brehm saw himself is a remarkable, and indeed the most -incontestable, instance of the exhibition of courage and self-sacrifice by -a _male_ animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY. - -One of the small African monkeys.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -CHINESE MACAQUE. - -This monkey lives in a climate as cold as that of England.] - -If the baboons were not generally liable to become bad-tempered when they -grow old, they could probably be trained to be among the most useful of -animal helpers and servers; but they are so formidable, and so uncertain in -temper, that they are almost too dangerous for attempts at -semi-domestication. When experiments have been made, they have had -remarkable results. Le Vaillant, one of the early explorers in South -Africa, had a chacma baboon which was a better watch than any of his dogs. -It gave warning of any creature approaching the camp at night long before -the dogs could hear or smell it. He took it out with him when he was -shooting, and used to let it collect edible roots for him. The latest -example of a trained baboon only died a few years ago. It belonged to a -railway signalman at Uitenhage station, about 200 miles up-country from -Port Elizabeth, in Cape Colony. The man had the misfortune to undergo an -operation in which both his feet were amputated, after being crushed by the -wheels of a train. Being an ingenious fellow, he taught his baboon, which -was a full-grown one, to pull him along the line on a trolly to the -"distant" signal. There the baboon stopped at the word of command, and the -man would work the lever himself. But in time he taught the baboon to do -it, while he sat on the trolly, ready to help if any mistake were made. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill._ - -GRIVET MONKEY. - -This is the small monkey commonly taken about with street-organs.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -BONNET MONKEY, AND ARABIAN BABOON (ON THE RIGHT).] - -The chacmas have for relations a number of other baboons in the rocky parts -of the African Continent, most of which have almost the same habits, and -are not very different in appearance. Among them is the GELADA BABOON, a -species very common in the rocky highlands of Abyssinia; another is the -ANUBIS BABOON of the West Coast of Africa. The latter is numerous round the -Portuguese settlement of Angola. Whether the so-called COMMON BABOON of the -menageries is a separate species or only the young of some one of the -above-mentioned is not very clear. But about another variety there can be -no doubt. It has been separated from the rest since the days of the -Pharaohs. It does not differ in habits from the other baboons, but inhabits -the rocky parts of the Nile Valley. It appears in Egyptian mythology under -the name of Thoth, and is constantly seen in the sculptures and -hieroglyphs. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -RHESUS MONKEYS. - -This photograph is particularly interesting. It was actually taken by -another monkey, which pressed the button of Mr. Medland's camera.] - -Equally strong and far more repulsive are the two baboons of West -Africa--the DRILL and the MANDRILL. As young specimens of these beasts are -the only ones at all easily caught, and these nearly always die when -cutting their second teeth when in captivity, large adult mandrills are -seldom seen in Europe. They grow to a great size, and are probably the most -hideous of all beasts. The frightful nose, high cheekbones, and pig-like -eyes are the basis of the horrible heads of devils and goblins which Albert -Dürer and other German or Dutch mediæval painters sometimes put on canvas. -Add to the figure the misplaced bright colours--cobalt-blue on the cheeks, -which are scarred, as if by a rake, with scarlet furrows, and scarlet on -the buttocks--and it will be admitted that nature has invested this -massive, powerful, and ferocious baboon with a repulsiveness equalling in -completeness the extremes of grace and beauty manifested in the roe-deer or -the bird of paradise. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -ORANGE SNUB-NOSED MONKEY. - -This should be contrasted with the Proboscis Monkey.] - -The natives of Guinea and other parts of West Africa have consistent -accounts that the mandrills have tried to carry off females and children. -They live in troops like the chacmas, plunder the fields, and, like all -baboons, spend much time on the ground walking on all-fours. When doing -this, they are quite unlike any other creatures. They walk slowly, with the -head bent downwards, like a person walking on hands and knees looking for a -pin. With the right hand (usually) they turn over every stick and stone, -looking for insects, scorpions, or snails, and these they seize and eat. -The writer has seen baboons picking up sand, and straining it through their -fingers, to see if there were ants in it. He has also seen one hold up sand -in the palm of its hand, and blow the dust away with its breath, and then -look again to see if anything edible were left. Mandrills kept in captivity -until adult become very savage. One in Wombwell's menagerie killed another -monkey and a beagle. Mr. Cross owned one which would sit in an armchair, -smoke, and drink porter; but these convivial accomplishments were -accompanied by a most ferocious temper. - -One of the earliest accounts of the habits of the Abyssinian baboons was -given by Ludolf in his "History of Ethiopia." It was translated into -quaint, but excellent old English: "Of Apes," he says, "there are infinite -flocks up and down in the mountains, a thousand and more together, and they -leave no stone unturned. If they meet with one that two or three cannot -lift they call for more aid, and all for the sake of the Worms that lye -under, a sort of dyet which they relish exceedingly. They are very greedy -after Emmets. So that having found an emmet hill, they presently surround -it, and laying their fore paws with the hollow downward upon the ant heap, -as soon as the Emmets creep into their treacherous palms they lick 'em off, -with great comfort to their stomachs. And there they will lye till there is -not an Emmet left. They are also pernicious to fruits and apples, and will -destroy whole fields and gardens unless they be looked after. For they are -very cunning, and will never venture in till the return of their spies, -which they send always before, who, giving all information that it is safe, -in they rush with their whole body and make a quick despatch. Therefore -they go very quiet and silent to their prey; and if their young ones chance -to make a noise, they chastise them with their fists; but if the coast is -clear, then every one has a different noise to express his joy." Ludolf -clearly means the baboons by this description. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin_ - -PIG-TAILED MONKEY. - -"Footing the line." Note how the monkey uses its feet as hands when walking -on a branch.] - -A more ancient story deals with Alexander's campaigns. He encamped on a -mountain on which were numerous bands of monkeys (probably baboons). On the -following morning the sentries saw what looked like troops coming to offer -them battle. As they had just won a victory, they were at a loss to guess -who these new foes might he. The alarm was given, and the Macedonian troops -set out in battle-array. Then through the morning mists they saw that the -enemy was an immense troop of monkeys. Their prisoners, who knew what the -alarm was caused by, made no small sport of the Macedonians. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -CHACMA BABOON. - -This photograph shows his attitude when about to make an attack.] - - -THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. - -Something should be said of the alleged "speech of monkeys" which Professor -Garner believed himself to have discovered. He rightly excluded mere sounds -showing joy, desire, or sorrow from the faculty of speech, but claimed to -have detected special words, one meaning "food," another "drink," another -"give me that," another meaning "monkey," or an identification of a second -animal or monkey. He used a phonograph to keep permanent record of the -sounds, and made an expedition to the West African forests in the hope that -he might induce the large anthropoid apes to answer the sounds which are so -often uttered by their kind in our menageries. The enterprise ended, as -might have been expected, in failure. Nor was it in the least necessary to -go and sit in a cage in an African forest in the hope of striking up an -acquaintance with the native chimpanzees. The little Capuchin monkeys, -whose voices and sounds he had ample opportunity of observing here, give -sufficient material for trying experiments in the meaning of monkey sounds. -The writer believes that it is highly probable that the cleverer monkeys -have a great many notes or sounds which the others do understand, if only -because they make the same under similar circumstances, otherwise they -would not utter them. They are like the sounds which an intelligent but -nearly dumb person might make. Also they have very sharp ears, and some of -them can understand musical sounds, so far as to show a very marked -attention to them. The following account of an experiment of this kind, -when a violin was being played, is related in "Life at the Zoo": "The -Capuchin monkeys, the species selected by Professor Garner for his -experiments in monkey language, showed the strangest and most amusing -excitement. These pretty little creatures have very expressive and -intelligent faces, and the play and mobility of their faces and voices -while listening to the music were extraordinarily rapid. The three in the -first cage at once rushed up into their box, and then all peeped out, -chattering and excited. One by one they came down, and listened to the -music with intense curiosity, shrieking and making faces at a crescendo, -shaking the wires angrily at a discord, and putting their heads almost -upside-down in efforts at acute criticism at low and musical passages. -Every change of note was marked by some alteration of expression in the -faces of the excited little monkeys, and a series of discordant notes -roused them to a passion of rage." At the same time a big baboon, chained -up near, evidently disliked it. He walked off in the opposite direction to -the farthest limits of his chain. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A YOUNG MALE CHACMA BABOON. - -Note the protruding tusk in the upper jaw. A baboon sitting in this -position of rest can instantly leap six or seven feet, and inflict a -dangerous bite.] - - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -HEAD OF MALE MANDRILL. - -This is one of the most hideous of living animals. The natives of West -Africa hold it in greater dislike even than the large carnivora, from the -mischief which it does to their crops.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -BROWN CAPUCHIN. - -The most intelligent of the common monkeys of the New World. It uses many -sounds to express emotions, and perhaps desires.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -DRILL. - -Only less ugly than the Mandrill. Its habits are the same.] - - -THE NEW WORLD MONKEYS. - -Mention of the Capuchins takes us to the whole group of the New World -Monkeys. Nearly all of these live in the tropical forests of Brazil, -Guiana, Venezuela, and Mexico. They are all different from the Old World -monkeys, and many are far more beautiful. The most attractive of the -hardier kinds are the Capuchins; but there are many kinds of rare and -delicate little monkeys more beautiful than any squirrel, which would make -the most delightful pets in the world, if they were not so delicate. To try -to describe the Old World monkeys in separate groups from end to end is -rather a hopeless task. But the American monkeys are more manageable by the -puzzled amateur. Most of them have a broad and marked division between the -nostrils, which are not mere slits close together, but like the nostrils of -men. They also have human-looking rounded heads. Their noses are of the -"cogitative" order, instead of being snouts or snubs with narrow openings -in them; and the whole face is in many ways human and intelligent. The -HOWLER MONKEYS, which utter the most hideous sounds ever heard in the -forests, and the SPIDER MONKEYS are the largest. The latter have the most -wonderfully developed limbs and tails for catching and climbing of any -living animals. As highly specialised creatures are always interesting, -visitors to any zoological garden will find it worth while to watch a -spider monkey climbing, just as it is always worth while to watch a great -snake on the move. The tail is used as a fifth hand: the Indians of Brazil -say they catch fish with it, which is not true. But if you watch a spider -monkey moving from tree to tree, his limbs and tail move like the five -fingers of a star-fish. Each of the extremities is as sensitive as a hand, -far longer in proportion than an ordinary man's arm, and apparently able to -work independently of joints. The monkey can do so many things at once that -no juggler can equal it. It will hold fruit in one hand, pick more with one -foot, place food to the mouth with another hand, and walk and swing from -branch to branch with the other foot and tail, all simultaneously. These -monkeys have no visible thumb, though dissection shows that they have a -rudimentary one; but the limbs are so flexible that they can put one arm -round behind their heads over on to the opposite shoulder, and brush the -fur on their upper arm. The end of the tail seems always "feeling" the air -or surroundings, and has hairs, thin and long, at the end, which aid it in -knowing when it is near a leaf or branch. It is almost like the tentacle of -some sea zoophyte. Gentle creatures, all of them, are these spider monkeys. -One of them, of the species called Waita, when kept in captivity, wore the -fur off its forehead by rubbing its long gaunt arms continually over its -brow whenever it was scolded. The spider monkeys differ only in the degree -of spidery slenderness in their limbs. In disposition they are always -amiable, and in habits tree-climbers and fruit-eaters. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons_] - -RED HOWLER MONKEY. - -The males possess a most extraordinary voice.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -A SPIDER MONKEY - -This monkey is specially adapted for arboreal life. The tail acts as a -fifth hand.] - -The CAPUCHINS are, in the writer's opinion, the nicest of all monkeys. Many -species are known, but all have the same round merry faces, bright eyes, -pretty fur, and long tails. There is always a fair number at the Zoological -Gardens. They are merry, but full of fads. One hates children and loves -ladies; another adores one or two other monkeys, and screams at the rest. -All are fond of insects as well as of fruit. A friend of the writer kept -one in a large house in Leicestershire. It was not very good-tempered, but -most amusing, climbing up the blind-cord first, and catching and eating the -flies on the window-panes most dexterously, always avoiding the wasps. This -monkey was taught to put out a lighted paper (a useful accomplishment) by -dashing its hands on to the burning part, or, if the paper were twisted up, -by taking the unlighted end and beating the burning part on the ground; and -it was very fond of turning the leaves of any large book. This it did not -only by vigorous use of both arms and hands, but by putting its head under -too, and "heaving" the leaves over. - -In the private room behind the monkey-house at the Zoo there are always a -number of the rare and delicate monkeys from the New World, which cannot -stand the draughts of the outer house, like the Capuchins and spider -monkeys. The greater number of these come from tropical America. There, in -the mighty forests, so lofty that no man can climb the trees, so dense that -there is a kind of upper storey on the interlaced tree-tops, where nearly -all the birds and many mammals live without descending to earth, forests in -which there is neither summer nor winter, but only the changes from hour to -hour of the equatorial day, the exquisite MARMOSETS, whose fur looks like -the plumage and whose twittering voices imitate the notes of birds, live -and have their being. They are all much alike in shape, except that the -LION MARMOSET'S mane is like that of a little lion clad in floss silk; and -they all have sharp little claws, and feed on insects. The PINCHÉ MARMOSET -from the Guiana forests has a face like a black Indian chief, with white -plumes over his head and neck like those worn by a "brave" in full -war-paint. Merchants who do business with Brazil very frequently import -marmosets and the closely allied tamarins as presents for friends in -England; the Brazilians themselves like to have them as pets also; so there -is to some extent a trade demand for them. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -PATAS MONKEY. - -Found in West Africa. A large and brilliantly coloured species.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -WANDEROO MONKEY. - -The number of monkeys which have leonine manes is large. The manes act as -capes to keep the dew and wet from their chests and shoulders.] - -Among the most delicate of American monkeys are the OUKARIS, which have -somewhat human faces, exquisite soft fur, and are as gentle as most of -these forest creatures. They seldom live long in captivity, a few months -being as much as they will generally endure, even in Brazil. Perhaps the -rarest of all is the white-haired SCARLET-FACED OUKARI. This monkey has -long white hair from neck to tail, sandy whiskers, and a bright scarlet -face. It lives in a district of partly flooded forest, and is only obtained -by the Indians using blow-pipes and arrows dipped in very diluted urari -poison. The WHITE-HEADED SAKI is a rare and very pretty little monkey of -Brazil; and there are a very large number of other species of this group -whose names it would be mere weariness to mention. All these small monkeys -are very quick and intelligent, while the rapidity of their movements, -their ever-changing expression, and sharp, eager cries heighten the idea of -cleverness given by their general appearance. Other little imps of these -forests are the SQUIRREL MONKEYS. In the common species the face is like a -little furry man's, its arms brilliant yellow (as if dipped in gamboge -dye), the cheeks pink, and eyes black. In habits it is a quick-tempered, -imperious little creature, carnivorous, and a great devourer of butterflies -and beetles. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -COMMON SQUIRREL MONKEY. - -The squirrel monkeys have soft, bright-coloured fur, and long, hairy tails. -They are found from Mexico to Paraguay.] - -The most beautiful and entertaining of all monkeys are these New World -species. No person clever at interpreting the ways of animals would fail to -consider them far more clever and sympathetic than the melancholy -anthropoid apes, while for appearance they have no equals. Probably the -most attractive monkey in Europe is a South American one now in the London -Zoological Gardens. It was first mentioned to Europeans by Baron von -Humboldt, who saw it in the cabin of an Indian on the Orinoco. These forest -Indians of South America are gentle creatures themselves. Among other -amiable qualities, they have a passion for keeping pets. One who worked for -a friend of the writer, with others of his tribe, was asked what he would -take in payment, which was given in kind. The others chose cloth, axes, -etc. This Indian said that he did not care for any of these things. He said -he wanted a "poosa." No one knew what he meant. He signed that he wished to -go to the house and would show them. Arrived there, he pointed to the cat! -"Pussy," to the Arawak Indian, was a "poosa," and that was what he wanted -as a month's wages. Humboldt's Indian had something better than a "poosa." -It was a monkey, as black as coal, with a round head, long thickly furred -tail, and bright vivacious eyes. The explorer called it the LAGOTHRIX, -which means Hare-skin Monkey. The fur is not the least like a hare's, but -much resembles that of an opossum. The more suitable name is the WOOLLY -MONKEY. The one kept at the Gardens is a most friendly and vivacious -creature, ready to embrace, play and make friends with any well-dressed -person. It dislikes people in working-clothes which are dirty or soiled--a -not uncommon aversion of clever animals. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -BLACK-EARED MARMOSET. - -These are among the prettiest of small tropical monkeys from the New World. -They are insect-feeders, and very delicate.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -HUMBOLDT'S WOOLLY MONKEY. - -This is the most popular monkey in England. He looks for all the world like -a Negro, and has a most beautiful, soft, woolly coat. He is very tame, and -loves nothing better than being petted.] - -In spite of all the varieties of _temperament_ in the monkey tribe, from -the genial little Capuchins to the morose old baboon, they nearly all have -one thing in common--that is, the monkey brain. The same curious -restlessness, levity, and want of concentration mark them all, except the -large anthropoid apes. Some of these have without doubt power of reflection -and concentration which the other monkeys do not possess. But in all the -rest, though the capacity for understanding exists, the wish to please, as -a dog does, and the desire to remember and to retain what it has learnt, -seem almost entirely wanting. Egoism, which is a sign of human dementia, is -a very leading characteristic of all monkeys. There is no doubt that the -baboons might be trained to be useful animals if they always served one -master. Le Vaillant and many other travellers have noted this. But they are -_too clever_, and at the bottom too ill-tempered ever to be trustworthy, -even regarded as "watches," or to help in minor manual labour. Baboons -would make an excellent substitute for dogs as used in Belgium for light -draught; but no one could ever rely on their behaving themselves when their -master's eye was elsewhere. - -Taken as a family, the monkeys are a feeble and by no means likeable race. -They are "undeveloped" as a class, full of promise, but with no -performance. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -PIG-TAILED MONKEY CATCHING A FLY. - -Most of the smaller monkeys, as well as the baboons, are fond of eating -insects. Beetles, white ants, and flies are eagerly sought and devoured.] - - -THE LEMURS. - -The South American monkeys, with their squirrel-like forms and fur, are -followed by a beautiful and interesting group of creatures, called the -LEMURS, with their cousins the Lorises, Maholis, and Pottos. Their -resemblance to monkeys is mainly in their hands and feet. These are real -and very highly developed hands, with proper thumbs. The second toe on the -hind foot nearly always terminates in a long, sharp claw. "Elia," the -Indian naturalist, who kept them as pets, noticed that they used this to -scratch themselves with. Some of them have the finger-tips expanded into a -sensitive disk, full of extra nerves. Lemur means "ghost." Unlike the -lively squirrels and monkeys, they do not leave their hiding-places till -the tropical darkness has fallen on the forest, when they seek their food, -not by descending to the ground, but by ascending to the upper surface of -the ocean of trees, and again, at the first approach of dawn, seek refuge -from the light in the recesses of some dark and hollow trunk. The -RING-TAILED LEMUR is as lively by day as night; but most of the race are so -entirely creatures of darkness that the light seems to stupefy them. When -wakened, they turn over like sleeping children, with the same inarticulate -cries and deep, uneasy sighs. But at night most are astonishingly active; -they fly from tree to tree, heard, but invisible; so that the natives of -Madagascar doubt whether they are not true _lemures_, the unquiet ghosts of -their departed dead. - -Though the lemurs are here treated apart from the other animals of -Madagascar, it will be obvious that they are a curious and abnormal tribe. -This is true of most of the animals of that great island, which has a fauna -differing both from that of the adjacent coast of Africa and from that of -India or Australia. In the FOSSA, a large representative of the Civets, it -possesses a species absolutely unlike any other. The Aye-aye is also an -abnormal creature. Nor must it be forgotten that Madagascar was until -recently the home of some of the gigantic ground-living birds. But, after -all, none of its inhabitants are more remarkable than its hosts of lemurs, -some of which are to be met with in almost every coppice in the island. -There are also many extinct kinds. - -Exquisite fur, soft and beautifully tinted, eyes of extraordinary size and -colour (for the pupil shuts up to a mere black line by day, and the rest of -the eye shows like a polished stone of rich brown or yellow or -marble-grey), are the marks of most of the lemurs. But there are other -lemur-like creatures, or "lemuroids," which, though endowed with the same -lovely fur, like softest moss, have no tails. The strangest of all are two -creatures called the SLENDER LORIS and the SLOW LORIS. The slender loris, -which has the ordinary furry coat of the lemurs, and no tail, moves on the -branches exactly as does a chameleon. Each hand or foot is slowly raised, -brought forward, and set down again. The fingers then as slowly close on -the branch till its grasp is secure. It is like a slow-working mechanical -toy. Probably this is a habit, now instinctive, gained by ages of -cautiously approaching insects. But the result is to give the impression -that the creature is almost an automaton. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -RING-TAILED LEMUR. - -This lemur is often kept as a domestic animal, and allowed to run about the -house like a cat.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -A DWARF LEMUR. - -These tiny animals take the place of the dormouse in Madagascar.] - -Madagascar is the main home of the lemurs, though some of the related -animals are also found in Africa and in the East Indies. But the dense -forests of the great island are full of these curious nocturnal beasts, of -which there are so many varieties presenting very slight differences of -form and habit, that naturalists have some difficulty in giving even a -complete list of their species. Add to this that nearly all of them are -intensely and entirely nocturnal, and the scarcity of data as to their -habits is easily accounted for. When seen by us, their faces all lack -expression--that is to say, the eyes, which mainly give expression, seem -entirely vacant and meaningless. But this is due to their special -adaptation to seeing in the dark tropical night. By day the pupil of the -eye almost disappears. If only we could also see in the dark, the eyes of -the lemur might have as much expression as those of a faithful dog. The -change which night makes in their general demeanour is simply miraculous. -By day many of them are like hibernating animals, almost incapable of -movement. When once the curtain of night has fallen, they are as active as -squirrels, and as full of play as a family of kittens. The RING-TAILED -LEMUR is often kept as a pet, both in Madagascar and in the Mauritius. It -is one of the very few which are diurnal in their habits. When in a hurry -it jumps along, standing on its hind feet, like a little kangaroo, but -holding its tail upright behind its back. It will follow people upstairs in -this way, jumping from step to step, with its front paws outstretched, as -if it were addressing an audience. The French call these day lemurs MAKIS. -The ring-tailed lemur lives largely among rocks and precipices. Most of -these creatures live upon fruit, the shoots and leaves of trees, and other -vegetable food. But, like the squirrel, they have no objection to eggs and -nestlings, and also kill and eat any small birds and insects. Some of the -smaller kinds are almost entirely insect-feeders. The largest kind of lemur -belongs to the group known as the INDRIS. The BLACK-AND-WHITE INDRI -measures about 2 feet in length. It has only a rudimentary tail, large -ears, and a sharp-pointed nose. The amount of white colouring varies much -in different individuals. This variation in colouring--a very rare feature -among wild mammalia, though one of the first changes shown when animals are -domesticated--is also found in the next three species, called SIFAKAS. The -DIADEMED SIFAKA, the WOOLLY INDRI, and the BLACK INDRI all belong to this -group. The SIFAKAS, as some of these and the allied forms are called, are -venerated by the Malagasys, who never kill one intentionally. Mr. Foster -observes that "they live in companies of six or eight, and are very gentle -and inoffensive animals, wearing a very melancholy expression, and being as -a rule morose, inactive, and more silent than the other lemurs. They rarely -live long in captivity. In their native state they are most alert in the -morning and evening, as during the day they conceal themselves under the -foliage of trees. When asleep or in repose, the head is dropped on the -chest and buried between the arms, the tail rolled up on itself and -disposed between the hind legs. The sifakas live exclusively on vegetable -substances, fruits, leaves, and flowers, their diet not being varied, as in -the other lemurs, by small birds, eggs, or insects. Their life is almost -entirely arboreal, for which the muscles of their hands and feet, as well -as the parachute-like folds between their arms and bodies, and their -peculiar hooked fingers, are well fitted. The young one is carried by the -mother on its back, its hands grasping her armpits tightly." - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -BLACK LEMUR. - -Found on the coast of Madagascar.] - -This is not the universal way of carrying the young among lemurs. The -CROWNED LEMUR, a beautiful grey-and-white species, often breeds at the Zoo. -The female carries its young one partly on its side. The infant clings -tightly with arms and tail round the very slender waist of the lemur, and -pushes out its sharp little face just above the thigh of the mother. The -WOOLLY INDRI has more woolly fur than the others of its tribe, a shorter -nose, and a longer tail. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -COQUEREL'S LEMUR. - -A lemur which strongly objects to being awakened in the daytime.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -RUFFED LEMUR. - -Another of the nocturnal lemurs. It lives mainly on fruit and insects.] - - -THE TRUE LEMURS - -Of these there are several species, all confined to Madagascar and the -Comoro Islands. One of the best known is the RING-TAILED LEMUR, mentioned -above. It is called LEMUR CATTA, the Cat Lemur, from being so often kept in -domestication. The WEASEL LEMUR, the GREY LEMUR, the MOUSE LEMUR, the -GENTLE LEMUR, the SPORTIVE LEMUR, the CROWNED LEMUR, and COQUEREL'S LEMUR, -all represent various small, pretty, and interesting varieties of the -group. The BLACK-AND-WHITE LEMUR, one of the larger kinds, is capable of -domestication. A specimen kept in a London house, where the present writer -saw it, was always called "Pussy" by the children. The other small kinds -are very like squirrels, mice, weasels, and other creatures, with which -they have no connection. It seems as though the curiously limited and -primitive fauna of Madagascar tried to make up for its want of variety by -mimicking the forms of other animals, and something of the same kind is -seen in Australia, where the marsupials take the place of all kinds of -ordinary mammals. There are marsupial rats, marsupial wolves, marsupial -squirrels, and even marsupial moles. The small squirrel and rat-like lemurs -are called CHIROGALES. COQUEREL'S LEMUR is really a chirogale. It is a -quaint and by no means amiable little animal, sleeping obstinately all day, -and always ready to growl and bite if disturbed. Its colour is brownish -grey and cream-colour. A pair of these, rolled up tightly into balls in a -box of hay, will absolutely refuse to move, even when handled. They only -feed by night. - - -THE GALAGOS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -GARNETT'S GALAGO. - -One of the squirrel-like lemuroids.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -MAHOLI GALAGO - -This little animal is a native of East Africa. It has very large eyes, and -fur as soft as the chinchilla's.] - -An allied group, confined to tropical Africa, is that of the GALAGOS. They -are most beautiful little creatures, whose nearest relatives are the -Malagasy lemurs. Generally speaking, they have even more exquisite fur than -the lemurs. It is almost as soft as floss silk, and so close that the hand -sinks into it as into a bed of moss. The colour of the fur is rich and -pleasing, generally some shade of brown. The head is small, the nose -pointed, and the ears thin, hairless, and capable of being folded up, like -the wings of a beetle. But the most beautiful feature of the galagos is -their eyes. These are of immense size, compared with the head. The eye is -of the richest and most beautiful brown, like a cairngorm stone, but not -glassy or clear. Though quite translucent, the eye is marked with minute -dividing-lines, like the grain in an agate--a truly exquisite object. When -handled or taken in the arms, the little galago clasps the fingers or -sleeve tightly, as if it thought it was holding a tree, and shows no -disposition to escape. A family of three or four young ones, no larger than -mice, with their large-eyed mother attending to them, forms an exquisitely -dainty little group. The galagos vary from the size of a squirrel to that -of a small cat. The kind most often seen in England is the Maholi GALAGO -from East Africa. Another species comes from Senegal, and others from -Calabar and the forests of the Gold Coast. GARNETT'S GALAGO, another -species, is shown above. They may be regarded as nocturnal tropical -lemuroids, analogous to the chirogales of Madagascar. It has been -suggested, with great probability, that the intensely drowsy sleep of many -of the lemuroid animals corresponds to the hibernation of many northern -mammals. Tropical animals often become torpid to avoid the famine caused by -the hot season, just as creatures in cold countries hibernate to avoid the -hunger which would otherwise come with winter. - - -THE SLOW LEMURS OR LORISES, AND TARSIERS. - -Another group of lemuroids is distinguished from the foregoing by having -the second finger of the fore paws either very short or rudimentary. The -thumb and great toe are also set very widely apart from the other fingers -and toes. A far more striking distinction to the non-scientific eye is -their astonishingly deliberate and slow movements. They have no tails, -enormous eyes, and very long, slender legs. - -The SLOW LORIS is found in Eastern India and the Malay countries, where it -is fairly common in the forests. The Bengali natives call it _sharmindi -billi_ ("bashful cat"), from its slow, solemn, hesitating movements when in -pursuit of insects. Of a slow loris kept by him, Sir William Jones, in the -"Asiatic Researches," wrote: "At all times he seemed pleased at being -stroked on the head and throat, and he frequently allowed me to touch his -extremely sharp teeth. But his temper was always quick, and when he was -unseasonably disturbed he expressed a little resentment, by an obscure -murmur, like that of a squirrel.... When a grasshopper or any insect -alighted within his reach, his eyes, as he fixed them on his prey, glowed -with uncommon fire; and having drawn himself back to spring on his prey -with greater force, he seized it with both his fore paws, and held it till -he had devoured it. He never could have enough grasshoppers, and spent the -whole night in prowling for them." - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -SLENDER LORIS. - -This extraordinary creature has the habits of a chameleon when seeking -insects for food. The photograph is unique.] - -The SLENDER LORIS, an equally curious creature, is only found in Southern -India and Ceylon. Its food consists entirely of insects, which it captures -by gradual, almost paralysed approach. It has been described as a -"furry-coated chameleon." A group of slow lemurs, living in Western Africa, -are known as Pottos. They are odd little quadrupeds, in which the -"forefinger" never grows to be more than a stump. The tail is also either -sharp or rudimentary. They are as slow as the lorises in their movements. - -In the Malay islands a distant relative, even more curiously formed, is -found in the TARSIER. It has the huge eyes, pointed ears, and beautiful fur -of the galagos, but the tail is long, thin, and tufted. The fingers are -flattened out into disks, like a tree-frog's. These creatures hop from -bough to bough in a frog-like manner in search of insects. They are not so -large as a good-sized rat. Our photograph does not give an adequate idea of -the size of the eyes. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -SLOW LORIS. - -Another of the slow-moving loris group. These animals are not shown to the -general public at the Zoo, but kept in a specially warmed room.] - - -THE AYE-AYE. - -Last, and most remarkable of all these weird lemuroids, is the AYE-AYE. It -is placed in a group by itself, and has teeth like those of the Rodents, a -large bushy tail, and most extraordinarily long, slender fingers, which it -probably uses for picking caterpillars and grubs out of rotten wood. It is -nearly as large as an Arctic fox, but its habits are those of a lemur. In -Madagascar it haunts the bamboo forests, feeding on the juice of -sugar-cane, grubs, and insects. The fingers of its hands are of different -sizes and lengths, though all are abnormally long and slender. The second -finger seems to have "wasted," but is said to be of the utmost value to its -owner in extracting grubs and insects from the burrows in which they dwell, -or the crannies in which they may have taken refuge. Very seldom is this -animal seen alive in captivity. Although commonly called Aye-aye in this -country, it is doubtful if this is really its native name. The aye-aye was -long a puzzle to naturalists, but is now classed as a lemuroid. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -TARSIER. - -These little animals hop about in the trees like frogs. They are nocturnal, -and seldom seen.] - - - -THE living races of animals have thus far been reviewed along the completed -list of the first great order--the Primates. Even in that circumscribed -group how great is the tendency to depart from the main type, and how -wonderful the adaptation to meet the various needs of the creatures' -environment! The skeletons, the frames on which these various beings are -built up, remain the same in character; but the differences of proportion -in the limbs, of the muscles with which they are equipped, and of the -weight of the bodies to be moved are astonishing. Compare, for instance, -the head of the male Gorilla, with its great ridges of bone, to which are -attached the muscles which enable it to devour hard tropical fruits and -bite off young saplings and bamboos, with the rounded and delicate head of -the Insect-eating Monkeys of South Africa; or set side by side the hand of -the Chimpanzee with that of the Aye-aye, with its delicate, slender -fingers, like those of a skeleton hand. What could be more diverse than the -movements of these creatures, whose structure is nevertheless so much -alike? Some of the lemuroids are as active as squirrels, flying lightly -from branch to branch; in others, as the Slow Lorises, the power of rapid -movement has disappeared, and been replaced by a creeping gait which cannot -be accelerated. Already, in a single order, we see the rich diversity of -nature, and its steady tendency to make all existing things serviceable by -adapting other parts of creation to their use or enjoyment. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., N. Finchley._ - -HEAD OF AYE-AYE. - -The aye-aye lives mainly in the wild sugar-cane groves, and feeds on -insects and grubs, as well as on the Juice of the sugar-cane.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Knight, Aldershot._ - -AFRICAN LION AND LIONESS. - -These animals are so numerous in the new British Protectorate of East -Africa that they are exempted from protection.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -AFRICAN LION. - -This lion is almost in the attitude of those sculptured by Sir Edwin -Landseer for the Nelson Monument, but the feet are turned in, and not lying -flat.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER II. - -_THE CAT TRIBE._ - -Though only one species is entirely domesticated, and none of the Cats have -flesh edible by man, except perhaps the puma, no group of animals has -attracted more interest than this. Containing more than forty species, -ranging in size from the ox-devouring tiger or lion to the small wild cats, -they are so alike in habit and structure that no one could possibly mistake -the type or go far wrong in guessing at the habits of any one of them. They -are all flesh-eaters and destroyers of living animals. All have rounded -heads, and an extraordinary equipment of teeth and of claws, and of muscles -to use them. The blow of the forearm of a lion or tiger is inconceivably -powerful, in proportion to its size. A stroke from a tiger's paw has been -known to strike off a native's arm from the shoulder and leave it hanging -by a piece of skin, and a similar blow from a lion to crush the skull of an -ox. The true cats are known by the power to draw back, or "retract," their -claws into sheaths of horn, rendering their footsteps noiseless, and -keeping these weapons always sharp. The hunting-leopard has only a partial -capacity for doing this. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck, Hamburg._ - -AN UNWILLING PUPIL. - -This is one of Herr Hagenbeck s famous performing tigers.] - -The characteristics of the Cats and their allies are too well known to need -description. We will therefore only mention the chief types of the group, -and proceed to give, in the fullest detail which space allows, authentic -anecdotes of their life and habits. The tribe includes Lions, Tigers, -Leopards, Pumas, Jaguars, a large number of so-called Tiger-cats (spotted -and striped), Wild Cats, Domestic Cats, and Lynxes. The Hunting-leopard, or -Cheeta, stands in a sub-group by itself, as does the Fossa, the only large -carnivore of Madagascar. This closes the list of the most cat-like animals. -The next links in the chain are formed by the Civets and Genets, creatures -with more or less retractile claws, and long, bushy tails; the still less -cat-like Binturong, a creature with a prehensile tail; and the Mongooses -and Ichneumons, more and more nearly resembling the weasel tribe. - - -THE LION. - -Recent intrusions for railways, sport, discovery, and war into Central and -East Africa have opened up new lion countries, and confirmed, in the most -striking manner, the stories of the power, the prowess, and the dreadful -destructiveness to man and beast of this king of the Carnivora. At present -it is found in Persia, on the same rivers where Nimrod and the Assyrian -kings made its pursuit their royal sport; in Gujerat, where it is nearly -extinct, though in General Price's work on Indian game written before the -middle of the last century it is stated that a cavalry officer killed -eighty lions in three years; and in Africa, from Algeria to the Bechuana -country. It is especially common in Somaliland, where the modern -lion-hunter mainly seeks his sport. On the Uganda Railway, from Mombasa to -Lake Victoria, lions are very numerous and dangerous. In Rhodesia and the -Northern Transvaal they have killed hunters, railway officials, and even -our soldiers near Komati Poort. It has been found that whole tracts of -country are still often deserted by their inhabitants from fear of lions, -and that the accounts of their ravages contained in the Old Testament, -telling how Samaria was almost deserted a second time from this cause, -might be paralleled to-day. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -LIONESS AROUSED. - -The pose of the animal here shows attention, but not anger or fear.] - - -THE AFRICAN LION. - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - -When, in the latter half of the seventeenth century, Europeans first -settled at the Cape of Good Hope, the lion's roar was probably to be heard -almost nightly on the slopes of Table Mountain, since a quaint entry in the -Diary of Van Riebeck, the first Dutch governor of the Cape, runs thus: -"This night the lions roared as if they would take the fort by storm"--the -said fort being situated on the site of the city now known as Cape Town. - -At that date there can be little doubt that, excepting in the waterless -deserts and the dense equatorial forests, lions roamed over the whole of -the vast continent of Africa from Cape Agulhas to the very shore of the -Mediterranean Sea; nor was their range very seriously curtailed until the -spread of European settlements in North and South Africa, and the -acquisition of firearms by the aboriginal inhabitants of many parts of the -country, during the latter half of the nineteenth century, steadily denuded -large areas of all wild game. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. Geiser_] [_Algiers._ - -ALGERIAN LIONESS. - -This lioness, sitting under an olive-tree, was actually photographed in the -Soudan by the intrepid M. Geiser.] - -As the game vanished, the lions disappeared too; for although at first they -preyed to a large extent on the domestic flocks and herds which gradually -replaced the wild denizens of the once-uninhabited plains, this practice -brought them into conflict with the white colonists or native herdsmen -armed with weapons of precision, before whom they rapidly succumbed. - -[Illustration: A FOSTER-MOTHER. This is a remarkable photograph of a setter -suckling three lion cubs which had lost their mother. It is reproduced here -by permission of the Editor of the Irish Field.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -A PERFORMING LION. - -Lions, it would seem, are capable of being taught almost anything, even -tricycle-riding.] - -To-day lions are still to be found wherever game exists in any quantity, -and their numbers will be in proportion to those of the wild animals on -which they prey. - -The indefinite increase of lions must be checked by some unknown law of -nature, otherwise they would have become so numerous in the sparsely -inhabited or altogether uninhabited parts of Africa, that they would first -have exterminated all the game on which they had been wont to prey, and -would then have had to starve or to have eaten one another. But such a -state of things has never been known to occur; and whenever Europeans have -entered a previously unexplored and uninhabited tract of country in Africa, -and have found it teeming with buffaloes, zebras, and antelopes, they have -always found lions in such districts very plentiful indeed, but never in -such numbers as to seriously diminish the abundance of the game upon which -they depended for food. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -LIONESS AND CUB. - -Lion cubs thrive both in Dublin and Amsterdam, but not so well at the -London Zoo.] - -It is easy to understand that the increase of a herd of herbivorous animals -would be regulated by the amount of the food-supply available, as well as -constantly checked by the attacks of the large carnivora, such as lions, -leopards, cheetas, hyænas, and wild dogs; but I have never been able to -comprehend what has kept within bounds the inordinate increase of lions and -other carnivorous animals in countries where for ages past they have had an -abundant food-supply, and at the same time, having been almost entirely -unmolested by human beings, have had no enemies. Perhaps such a state of -things does not exist at the present day, but there are many parts of -Africa where such conditions have existed from time immemorial up to within -quite recent years. - -Since lions were once to be found over the greater portion of the vast -continent of Africa, it is self-evident that these animals are able to -accommodate themselves to great variations of climate and surroundings; and -I myself have met with them, close to the sea, in the hot and sultry -coastlands of South-east Africa; on the high plateau of Mashonaland, where -at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea-level the winter nights are cold and -frosty; amongst the stony hills to the east of the Victoria Falls of the -Zambesi; and in the swamps of the Chobi. In the great reed-beds of the -latter river a certain number of lions appeared to live constantly, preying -on buffaloes and lechwe antelopes. I often heard them roaring at nights in -these swamps, and I once saw two big male lions wading slowly across an -open space between two beds of reeds in water nearly a foot in depth. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -A YOUNG LIONESS. - -The sole of the hind foot shows the soft pads on which the Cats noiselessly -approach their prey.] - -Although there are great individual differences in lions as regards size, -general colour of coat, and more particularly in the length, colour, and -profuseness of the mane with which the males are adorned, yet as these -differences occur in every part of Africa where lions are met with, and -since constant varieties with one fixed type of mane living by themselves -and not interbreeding with other varieties do not exist anywhere, modern -zoologists are, I think, now agreed that there is only one species of lion, -since in any large series of wild lion skins, made in any particular -district of Africa or Asia, every gradation will be found between the -finest-maned specimens and those which are destitute of any mane at all. -Several local races have, however, been recently described by German -writers. - -In the hot and steamy coastlands of tropical Africa lions usually have -short manes, and never, I believe, attain the long silky black manes -sometimes met with on the high plateaux of the interior. However, there is, -I believe, no part of Africa where all or even the majority of male lions -carry heavy manes, the long hair of which does not as a rule cover more -than the neck and chest, with a tag of varying length and thickness -extending from the back of the neck to between the shoulder-blades. Lions -with very full black manes, covering the whole shoulders, are rare -anywhere, but more likely to be encountered on the high plateaux, where the -winter nights are extremely cold, than anywhere else. In such cases, in -addition to the tufts of hair always found on the elbows and in the armpits -of lions with fair-sized manes, there will probably be large tufts of hair -in each flank just where the thighs join the belly; but I have never yet -seen the skin of a lion shot within the last thirty years with the whole -belly covered with long, thick hair, as may constantly be observed in lions -kept in captivity in the menageries of Europe. There is, however, some -evidence to show that, when lions existed on the high plains of the Cape -Colony and the Orange River Colony, where the winter nights are much colder -than in the countries farther north where lions may still be encountered, -certain individuals of the species developed a growth of long hair all over -the belly, as well as an extraordinary luxuriance of mane on the neck and -shoulders. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -A HAPPY FAMILY. - -Here is a group of animals and their keeper from Herr Hagenbeck's -Thierpark. The animal in front is a cross between a lion and a tigress; he -lives on quite friendly terms with his keeper, and also with lions, tigers, -and leopards, as seen in the photograph.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -A CROSS BETWEEN LION AND TIGRESS. - -This unique photograph shows a remarkable hybrid and its proud parents. The -father (on the right) is a lion, and the mother (on the left) a tigress. -The offspring (in the centre) is a fine, large male, now four years old; it -is bigger than an average-sized lion or tiger.] - -From the foregoing remarks it will be seen that wild lions, having as a -rule much less luxuriant manes than many examples of their kind to be seen -in European menageries, are ordinarily not so majestic and dignified in -appearance as many of their caged relatives. On the other hand, the wild -lion is a much more alert and active animal than a menagerie specimen, and -when in good condition is far better built and more powerful-looking, being -free from all appearance of lankiness and weakness in the legs, and having -strong, well-formed hindquarters. The eyes of the menagerie lion, too, look -brown and usually sleepy, whilst those of the wild animal are yellow, and -extraordinarily luminous even after death. When wounded and standing at -bay, with head held low between his shoulders, growling hoarsely, and with -twitching tail, even if he is not near enough to be observed very closely, -a lion looks a very savage and dangerous animal; but should he be wounded -in such a way as to admit of a near approach--perhaps by a shot that has -paralysed his hindquarters--his flaming eyes will seem to throw out sparks -of living fire. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -A HUNGRY LION. - -Notice that the mane, as in most wild lions, is very scanty.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -LIONESS AND TIGER. - -The straightness of the lioness's tail is here shown. It is not in the -least like that of the tiger or of the cat.] - -Speaking generally, there is little or no danger in meeting a lion or lions -in the daytime. Even in parts of the country where firearms are unknown, -and where the natives seldom or never interfere with them, these animals -seem to have an instinctive fear of man, and even when encountered at the -carcase of an animal freshly killed, and at a time when they may be -supposed to be hungry, they will almost invariably retreat before the -unwelcome presence, sometimes slowly and sulkily, but in districts where -much hunting with firearms has been going on at a very rapid pace. However, -I have known of two cases of Europeans mounted on horseback having been -attacked by lions in broad daylight, and Dr. Livingstone mentions a third. -In one of the instances which came within my own knowledge, a lion sprang -at a Boer hunter as he was riding slowly along, carrying an elephant-gun in -his right hand and followed by a string of natives on foot. The lion -attacked from the left side, and with its right paw seized my friend from -behind by the right side of his face and neck, inflicting deep gashes with -its sharp claws, one of which cut right through his cheek and tore out one -of his teeth. My friend was pulled from his horse, but, clutching the -loosely girthed saddle tightly with his knees, it twisted round under the -horse's belly before he fell to the ground. Instead of following up its -success, the lion, probably scared by the shouting of the Kaffirs, trotted -away for a short distance, and then turned and stood looking at the -dismounted hunter, who, never having lost his presence of mind, immediately -shot it dead with his heavy old muzzle-loading elephant-gun. Besides these -three instances of Europeans having been attacked in the daytime by lions, -I have known of a certain number of natives having been killed in broad -daylight. Such incidents are, however, by no means every-day occurrences, -and, speaking generally, it may be said that the risk of molestation by -lions in Africa during daylight is very small. It is by night that lions -roam abroad with stealthy step in search of prey; and at such times they -are often, when hungry, incredibly bold and daring. I have known them upon -several occasions to enter a hunter's camp, and, regardless of fires, to -seize oxen and horses and human beings. - -During the year following the first occupation of Mashonaland in 1890, a -great deal of damage was done by lions, which could not resist the -attractions of the settlers' live stock. For the first few months I kept as -accurate an account as I could of the number of horses, donkeys, oxen, -sheep, goats, and pigs which were killed by lions, and it soon mounted up -to over 200 head. During the same time several white men were also mauled -by lions, and one unfortunate man named Teale was dragged from beneath the -cart, where he was sleeping by the side of a native driver, and at once -killed and eaten. Several of the horses were killed inside rough shelters -serving as stables. In the following year (1891) over 100 pigs were killed -in one night by a single lioness. These pigs were in a series of pens, -separated one from another, but all under one low thatched roof. The -lioness forced her way in between two poles, and apparently was unable, -after having satisfied her hunger, to find her way out again, and, becoming -angry and frightened, wandered backwards and forwards through the pens, -killing almost all the pigs, each one with a bite at the back of the head -or neck. This lioness, which had only eaten portions of two young pigs, -made her escape before daylight, but was killed with a set gun the next -night by the owner of the pigs. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -TIGRESS. - -Were the grass seen here the normal height of that in the Indian jungles, -the upright lines would harmonize with the stripes, and render the tiger -almost invisible.] - -When lions grow old, they are always liable to become man-eaters. Finding -their strength failing them, and being no longer able to hunt and pull down -large antelopes or zebras, they are driven by hunger to killing small -animals, such as porcupines, and even tortoises, or they may visit a native -village and catch a goat, or kill a child or woman going for water; and -finding a human being a very easy animal to catch and kill, an old lion -which has once tasted human flesh will in all probability continue to be a -man-eater until he is killed. On this subject, in his "Missionary Travels," -Dr. Livingstone says: "A man-eater is invariably an old lion; and when he -overcomes his fear of man so far as to come to villages for goats, the -people remark, 'His teeth are worn; he will soon kill men.' They at once -acknowledge the necessity of instant action, and turn out to kill him." It -is the promptness with which measures are taken by the greater part of the -natives of Southern Africa to put an end to any lion which may take to -eating men that prevents these animals as a rule from becoming the -formidable pests which man-eating tigers appear to be in parts of India. -But man-eating lions in Africa are not invariably old animals. One which -killed thirty-seven human beings in 1887, on the Majili River, to the -north-west of the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi, was, when at last he was -killed, found to be an animal in the prime of life; whilst the celebrated -man-eaters of the Tsavo River, in East Africa, were also apparently strong, -healthy animals. These two man-eating lions caused such consternation -amongst the Indian workmen on the Uganda Railway that the work of -construction was considerably retarded, the helpless coolies refusing to -remain any longer in a country where they were liable to be eaten on any -night by a man-eating lion. Both these lions were at last shot by one of -the engineers on the railway (Mr. J. H. Patterson), but not before they had -killed and devoured twenty-eight Indian coolies and an unknown number of -native Africans. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -TIGER CUB. - -Note the great development of the legs and paws.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd._] [_Dundee._ - -A ROYAL TIGER. - -This is an old Bengal Tiger, with the smooth, short coat grown in that hot -climate.] - - -THE TIGER. - -TIGERS are the "type animal" of Asia. They are found nowhere else. Lions -were inhabitants, even in historic times, of Europe, and are still common -on the Euphrates and in parts of Persia, just as they were when the -Assyrian kings shot them with arrows from their hunting-chariots. They -survived in Greece far later than the days when story says that Hercules -slew the Nemean lion in the Peloponnesus, for the baggage-animals of -Xerxes' army of invasion were attacked by lions near Mount Athos. But the -tiger never comes, and never did come in historic times, nearer to Europe -than the Caucasian side of the Caspian Sea. On the other hand, they range -very far north. All our tiger-lore is Indian. There is scarcely a story of -tigers to be found in English books of sport which deals with the animal -north of the line of the Himalaya. These Chinese northern tigers and the -Siberian tigers are far larger than those of India. They have long woolly -coats, in order to resist the cold. Their skins are brought to London in -hundreds every year to the great fur-sales. But the animals themselves we -never see. The present writer was informed by a friend that in the Amur -Valley he shot three of these tigers in a day, putting them up in thick -bush-scrub by the aid of dogs. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -A TIGER BEFORE SLEEPING. - -Tigers, when about to sleep, sit in this position; when more drowsy, they -lie down or roll over on their backs.] - -The ROYAL BENGAL TIGER, so called, and very properly called in the old -books of natural history, is a different and far more savage beast. It is -almost _invariably_ a ferocious savage, fierce by nature, never wishing to -be otherwise than a destroyer--of beasts mainly, but often of men. Compared -with the lion, it is far longer, but rather lighter, for the lion is more -massive and compact. "A well-grown tigress," says Sir Samuel Baker, "may -weigh on an average 240 lbs. live weight. A very fine tiger may weigh 440 -lbs., but if fat the same tiger would weigh 500 lbs. There may be tigers -which weigh 50 lbs. more than this; but I speak according to my experience. -I have found that a tiger of 9 feet 8 inches is about 2 inches above the -average. The same skin may be _stretched_ to measure 10 feet. A tiger in -the Zoological Gardens is a long, lithe creature with little flesh. Such a -specimen affords a poor example of this grand animal in its native jungles, -with muscles in their full, ponderous development from continual exertion -in nightly travels over long distances, and in mortal struggles when -wrestling with its prey. A well-fed tiger is by no means a slim figure. On -the contrary, it is exceedingly bulky, broad in the shoulders, back, and -loins, and with an extraordinary girth of limbs, especially in the forearms -and wrists." - -This ponderous, active, and formidably armed creature is, as might be -expected, able to hold its own wherever Europeans do not form part of the -regular population. In India the peasants are quite helpless even against a -cattle-killing tiger in a populous part of the country. In the large -jungles, and on the islands at the mouths of the great rivers, the tigers -have things all their own way. Things are no better in the Far East. A -large peninsula near Singapore is said to have been almost abandoned by its -cultivators lately, owing to the loss of life caused by the tigers. In the -populous parts of India the tiger is far more stealthy than in the -out-of-the-way districts. It only hunts by night; and after eating a part -of the animal killed, moves off to a distance, and does not return. -Otherwise the regular habit is to return to the kill just at or after dusk, -and finish the remainder. Its suspicions seem quite lulled to sleep after -dark. Quite recently a sportsman sat up to watch for a tiger at a -water-hole. It was in the height of the Indian hot season, when very little -water was left. All the creatures of that particular neighbourhood were in -the habit of coming to drink at one good pool still left in the rocky bed -of the river. There the tigers came too. The first night they did not come -until all the other creatures--hog, deer, peacocks, and monkeys--had been -down to drink. They then came so softly over the sand that the gunner in -waiting did not hear them pass. His first knowledge that they were there -was due to the splashing they made as they entered the water. It was quite -dark, and he felt not a little nervous, for the bush on which he was seated -on a small platform was only some 10 feet high. He heard the two tigers -pass him, not by their footsteps, but by the dripping of the water as it -ran off their bodies on to the sand. Next night they came again. This time, -though it was dark, he shot one in a very ingenious manner. The two tigers -walked into the water, and apparently lay down or sat down in it, with -their heads out. They only moved occasionally, lapping the water, but did -not greatly disturb the surface. On this was reflected a bright star from -the sky above. The sportsman put the sight of the rifle on the star, and -kept it up to his shoulder. Something obliterated the star, and he -instantly fired. The "something" was the tiger's head, which the bullet -duly hit. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -A HALF-GROWN TIGER CUB. - -Tigers "grow to their head," like children. The head of a half-grown cub is -as long, though not so broad, as that of the adult.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -TIGERS IN ITALY. - -These tigers were photographed in Turin. Italy was the first European -country to which these animals were brought from the East.] - -The hill-tigers of India are, or were, much more given to hunting by day -than the jungle-tigers. In the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India the late -General Douglas Hamilton said that before night the tigers were already -about hunting, and that in the shade of evening it was dangerous to ride on -a pony--not because the tigers wished to kill the rider, but because they -might mistake the pony and its rider for a sambar deer. He was stalked like -this more than once. Often, when stalking sambar deer and ibex by day, he -saw the tigers doing the same, or after other prey. "My brother Richard," -he writes, "was out after a tiger which the hillmen reported had killed a -buffalo about an hour before. He saw the tiger on first getting to the -ground, and the tiger had seen him. It was lying out in the open watching -the buffalo, and shuffled into the wood, and would not come out again. Next -morning, when we got to the ground, the tiger was moving from rock to rock, -and had dragged the body into a nullah.... We were upon the point of -starting home when we observed a number of vultures coming down to the -carcase. The vultures began to collect in large numbers on the opposite -hill. I soon counted fifty; but they would not go near the buffalo. Then -some crows, bolder than the rest, flew down, and made a great row over -their meal. All of a sudden they all flew up, and I made certain it was the -tiger. Then my brother fired, and there he was, shot right through the -brain, lying just above the buffalo. He had been brought down by the noise -the crows were making. Upon driving the _sholas_ (small woods on these -hills), tigers were often put out. Sometimes they availed themselves of the -drive to secure food for themselves. A wood was being driven, when a -tremendous grunting was heard, and out rushed an old boar, bristling and -savage. B---- was about to raise his rifle, when a growl like thunder -stopped him, and a great tiger with one spring cleared the nullah, and -alighted on the back of the old boar. Such a battle then took place that, -what with the growls of the tiger and the squeals of the boar, one might -believe oneself in another world. I thought of nothing but of how to kill -one or the other, or both; so, as they were rolling down over and over, -about fifty yards from me on the open hillside, I let fly both barrels. For -a second or two the noise went on; then the tiger jumped off, and the boar -struggled into the nullah close by. The tiger pulled up, and coolly stared -at us without moving; but his courage seemed to fail him, and he sprang -into the nullah and disappeared." - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -A LEOPARD-PUMA HYBRID. - -This is a photograph from life of a very rare hybrid. The animals' father -was a puma, its mother a leopard. It is now dead, and may be seen stuffed -in Mr. Rothschild's Museum at Tring.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -LEOPARDS. - -A pair of leopards, one spotted, the other black. Black leopards may be the -offspring of the ordinary spotted form; they are generally much more -savage.] - -In most parts of India tigers are now scarce and shy, except in the -preserves of the great rajas, and the dominions of some mighty and pious -Hindu potentates, such as the Maharaja of Jeypur, who, being supposed to be -descended from a Hindu god, allows no wild animals to be killed. There the -deer and pig are so numerous that tigers are welcome to keep them down. But -the Sunderbunds, unwholesome islands at the Ganges mouth, still swarm with -them. So does the Malay Peninsula. - -Mr. J. D. Cobbold shot a tiger in Central Asia in a swamp so deep in snow -and so deadly cold that he dared not stay for fear of being frozen to -death. Tigers sometimes wander as far west as the Caucasus near the -Caspian. The farther north, the larger your tiger, is the rule. The biggest -ever seen in Europe was a Siberian tiger owned by Herr Carl Hagenbeck, of -Hamburg, and the largest known skin and skull is from the Far North. The -skin is 13 feet 6 inches from the nose to the end of the tail. The largest -Indian tiger-skin, from one killed by the Maharaja of Cuch Behar, measures -11 feet 7 inches. - - -LEOPARDS. - -Less in size, but even more ferocious, the LEOPARD has a worse character -than the tiger. Living mainly in trees, and very nocturnal, this fierce and -dangerous beast is less often seen than far rarer animals. It is widely -spread over the world, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Atlas Mountains, -and from Southern China to the Black Sea, where it is sometimes met with in -the Caucasus. There seems to be no legend of its presence in Greece, Italy, -or Spain; but it was quite common in Asia Minor; and Cicero, when governor -of Cilicia, was plagued by an aristocratic young friend in Rome to send him -leopards to exhibit in a fête he was giving. - -Any one who has frequented the Zoo for any time must have noticed the -difference in size and colour between leopards from different parts of the -world. On some the ground-colour is almost white, in others a clear -nut-brown. Others are jet-black. Wherever they live, they are cattle -thieves, sheep thieves, and dog thieves. Though not formidable in -appearance, they are immensely strong. Sometimes one will turn man-eater. -Both in India and lately in Africa cases have been known where they have -"set up" in this line as deliberately as any tiger. They have four or five -young at a birth, which may often be kept tame for some time and are -amusing pets. But the following plain story shows the danger of such -experiments. At Hong-kong an English merchant had a tame leopard, which was -brought into the room by a coolie for the guests to see at a dinner party. -Excited by the smell of food, it refused to go out when one of the ladies, -who did not like its looks, wished for it to be removed. The man took hold -of its collar and began to haul it out. It seized him by the neck, bit it -through, and in a minute the coolie was dying, covered with blood, on the -dining-room floor! - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A YOUNG LEOPARD - -The leopard cub is far more cat-like in appearance than the young tiger or -lion.] - -The Chinese leopard ranges as far north as the Siberian tiger, and, like -the latter, seems to grow larger the farther north it is found. The colour -of these northern leopards is very pale, the spots large, and the fur very -long. At the March fur-sales of the present year, held at the stores of Sir -Charles Lampson, there were Siberian leopard-skins as large as those of a -small tiger. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan]_ [_Highbury._ - -SNOW-LEOPARD, OR OUNCE. - -This is a striking portrait of a very beautiful animal. Note the long bushy -tail, thick coat, and large eyes.] - -Leopards are essentially tree-living and nocturnal animals. Sleeping in -trees or caves by day, they are seldom disturbed. They do an incredible -amount of mischief among cattle, calves, sheep, and dogs, being especially -fond of killing and eating the latter. They seize their prey by the throat, -and cling with their claws until they succeed in breaking the spine or in -strangling the victim. The largest leopards are popularly called PANTHERS. -In India they sometimes become man-eaters, and are always very dangerous. -They have a habit of feeding on putrid flesh; this makes wounds inflicted -by their teeth or claws liable to blood-poisoning. Nothing in the way of -prey comes amiss to them, from a cow in the pasture to a fowl up at roost. -"In every country," says Sir Samuel Baker, "the natives are unanimous in -saying that the leopard is more dangerous than the lion or tiger. Wherever -I have been in Africa, the natives have declared that they had no fear of a -lion, provided they were not hunting, for it would not attack unprovoked, -but that a leopard was never to be trusted. I remember when a native boy, -accompanied by his grown-up brother, was busily employed with others in -firing the reeds on the opposite bank of a small stream. Being thirsty and -hot, the boy stooped down to drink, when he was immediately seized by a -leopard. His brother, with admirable aim, hurled his spear at the leopard -while the boy was in his jaws. The point separated the vertebræ of the -neck, and the leopard fell stone-dead. The boy was carried to my hut, but -there was no chance of recovery. The fangs had torn open the chest and -injured the lungs. These were exposed to view through the cavity of the -ribs. He died the same night." - -In the great mountain-ranges of Central Asia the beautiful SNOW-LEOPARD is -found. It is a large creature, with thick, woolly coat, and a long tail -like a fur boa. The colour is white, clouded with beautiful grey, like that -of an Angora cat. The edges of the cloudings and spots are marked with -black or darker grey. The eyes are very large, bluish grey or -smoke-coloured. It lives on the wild sheep, ibex, and other mountain -animals. In captivity it is far the tamest and gentlest of the large -carnivora, not excepting the puma. Unlike the latter, it is a sleepy, quiet -animal, like a domestic cat. The specimen shown here belonged to a lady in -India, who kept it for some time as a pet. It was then brought to the -Zoological Gardens, where it was more amiable and friendly than most cats. -The writer has entered its cage with the keeper, stroked it, and patted its -head, without in the least ruffling its good-temper. The heat of the -lion-house did not suit it, and it died of consumption. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -CHEETA. - -A cheeta is a hunting-leopard; this one is a particularly large specimen. -The cheetas are dealt with later on in this chapter.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by G.W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -JAGUAR. - -The largest and strongest of the Cats of the New World. A South American -species.] - - -THE NEW WORLD CATS. - -The cats, great and small, of the New World resemble those of the Old, -though not quite so closely as the caribou, wapiti deer, and moose of the -northern forests resemble the reindeer, red deer, and elk of Europe. They -are like, but with a difference. The Jaguar and the Ocelot are respectively -larger and far more beautiful than their counterparts, the leopard and -serval cats. But the Puma, the one medium-sized feline animal which is -unspotted, is something unique. The jaguar and puma are found very far -south in South America; and though the jaguar is really a forest animal, it -seems to have wandered out on to the Pampas of Argentina, perhaps attracted -by the immense numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses on these plains. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green._ - -PUMA. - -A puma in the act of lying down, like a domestic cat.] - - -THE JAGUAR. - -The JAGUAR is as savage as it is formidable, but does not often attack men. -Its headquarters are the immense forests running from Central America to -Southern Brazil; and as all great forests are little inhabited, the jaguar -is seldom encountered by white men. By the banks of the great rivers it is -semi-aquatic; it swims and climbs with equal ease, and will attack animals -on board boats anchored in the rivers. As there are few animals of great -size in these forests, its great strength is not often seen exercised, as -is that of the lion; but it is the personification of concentrated force, -and its appearance is well worth studying from that point of view. The -spots are larger and squarer than in the leopard, the head ponderous, the -forearms and feet one mass of muscle, knotted under the velvet skin. On the -Amazons it draws its food alike from the highest tree-tops and the -river-bed; in the former it catches monkeys in the branches, fish in the -shallows of the rivers, and scoops out turtles' eggs from the sandbanks. -Humboldt, who visited these regions when the white population was scarce, -declared that 4,000 jaguars were killed annually, and 2,000 skins exported -from Buenos Ayres alone. It was clearly common on the Pampas in his day, -and made as great havoc among the cattle and horses as it does to-day. - - -THE PUMA. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -FEMALE PUMA. - -This shows a puma alert and vigilant, with ears pricked forward.] - -The PUMA is a far more interesting creature. It is found from the mountains -in Montana, next the Canadian boundary, to the south of Patagonia. Yankee -stories of its ferocity may have some foundation; but the writer believes -there is no recorded instance of the northern puma attacking man -unprovoked, though in the few places where it now survives it kills -cattle-calves and colts. It is relentlessly hunted with dogs, treed, and -shot. As to the puma of the southern plains and central forests, the -natives, whether Indians or Gauchos, agree with the belief, steadily handed -down from the days of the first Spanish conquest, that the puma is the one -wild cat which is naturally friendly to man. The old Spaniards called it -_amigo del Cristiano_ (the Christian's friend); and Mr. Hudson, in "The -Naturalist in La Plata," gives much evidence of this most curious and -interesting tendency: "It is notorious that where the puma is the only -large beast of prey it is perfectly safe for a small child to go out and -sleep on the plain.... The puma is always at heart a kitten, taking -unmeasured delight in its frolics; and when, as often happens, one lives -alone in the desert, it will amuse itself for hours fighting mock battles -or playing hide-and-seek with imaginary companions, or lying in wait and -putting all its wonderful strategy in practice to capture a passing -butterfly." From Azara downwards these stories have been told too often not -to be largely true; and in old natural histories, whose writers believed -the puma was a terrible man-eater, they also appear as "wonderful escapes." -One tells how a man put his _poncho_, or cloak, over his back when crawling -up to get a shot at some duck, and felt something heavy on the end of it. -He crept from under it, and there was a puma sitting on it, which did not -offer to hurt him. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -OCELOT. - -Note the elongated spots, and their arrangement in chains.] - -As space forbids further quotation from Mr. Hudson's experiences, which -should be read, the writer will only add one anecdote which was told him by -Mr. Everard im Thurn, C.B., formerly an official in British Guiana. He was -going up one of the big rivers in his steam-launch, and gave a passage to -an elderly and respectable Cornish miner, who wanted to go up to a -gold-mine. The visitor had his meals on the boat, but at night went ashore -with the men and slung his hammock between two trees, leaving the cabin to -his host. One morning two of the Indian crew brought the miner's hammock on -board with a good deal of laughing and talking. Their master asked what the -joke was, whereupon, pointing to the trees whence they had unslung the -hammock, one said, "Tiger sleep with old man last night." They were quite -in earnest, and pointed out a hollow and marks on the leaves, which showed -that a puma had been lying _just under the man's hammock_. When asked if he -had noticed anything in the night, he said, "Only the frogs croaking -wakened me up." The croaking of the frogs was probably the hoarse purring -of the friendly puma enjoying his proximity to a sleeping man. Mr. Hudson -quotes a case in which four pumas played round and leapt over a person -camping out on the Pampas. He watched them for some time, and then went to -sleep! Many of those brought to this country come with their tempers ruined -by ill-treatment and hardship; but a large proportion are as tame as cats. -Captain Marshall had one at Marlow which used to follow him on a chain and -watch the boats full of pleasure-seekers at the lock. - -The puma is always a beautiful creature,--the fur cinnamon-coloured, tinged -with gold; the belly and chest white; the tail long, full, and round. -Though friendly to man, it is a desperate cattle-killer, and particularly -fond of horse-flesh, so much so that it has been suggested that the -indigenous wild horses of America were destroyed by the puma. - -There are two other cats of the Pampas--the GRASS-CAT, not unlike our wild -cat in appearance and habits, and the WOOD-CAT, or Geoffroy's Cat. It is a -tabby, and a most elegant creature, of which there is a specimen, at the -time of writing, in the London Zoo. - - -THE OCELOT. - -In the forest region is also found the most beautiful of the medium-sized -cats. This is the OCELOT, which corresponds somewhat to the servals, but is -not the least like a lynx, as the servals are. It is entirely a tree-cat, -and lives on birds and monkeys. The following detailed description of its -coloration appeared in "Life at the Zoo":-- - -"Its coat, with the exception perhaps of that of the clouded leopard of -Sumatra, marks the highest development of ornament among four-footed -animals. The Argus pheasant alone seems to offer a parallel to the beauties -of the ocelot's fur, especially in the development of the wonderful ocelli, -which, though never reaching in the beast the perfect cup-and-ball ornament -seen on the wings of the bird, can be traced in all the early stages of -spots and wavy lines, so far as the irregular shell-shaped rim and dot on -the feet, sides, and back, just as in the subsidiary ornament of the Argus -pheasant's feathers. Most of the ground-tint of the fur is smoky-pearl -colour, on which the spots develop from mere dots on the legs and speckles -on the feet and toes to large egg-shaped ocelli on the flanks. There are -also two beautiful pearl-coloured spots on the back of each ear, like those -which form the common ornaments of the wings of many moths." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA. - -The ocelot can be tamed and almost domesticated if taken young, and is -occasionally kept as a pet by the forest Indians.] - -The nose is pink; the eye large, convex, and translucent. - -A tame ocelot described by Wilson, the American naturalist, was most -playful and affectionate, but when fed with flesh was less tractable. It -jumped on to the back of a horse in the stable, and tried to curl up on its -hindquarters. The horse threw the ocelot off and kicked it, curing it of -any disposition to ride. On seeing a horse, the ocelot always ran off to -its kennel afterwards. When sent to England, it caught hold of and threw -down a child of four years old, whom it rolled about with its paws without -hurting it. - - -OTHER WILD CATS. - -A handsome leopard-like animal is the CLOUDED LEOPARD. It is the size of a -small common leopard, but far gentler in disposition. Its fur is not -spotted, but marked with clouded patches, outlined in grey and olive-brown. -Its skin is among the most beautiful of the Cats. It is found in the Malay -Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Formosa, and along the foot of the Himalaya -from Nepal to Assam. Writing of two which he kept, Sir Stamford Raffles -said: "No kitten could be more good-tempered. They were always courting -intercourse with persons passing by, and in the expression of their -countenance showed the greatest delight when noticed, throwing themselves -on their backs, and delighting in being tickled and rubbed. On board ship -there was a small dog, which used to play around the cage with the animal. -It was amusing to watch the tenderness and playfulness with which the -latter came in contact with its smaller-sized companion." Both specimens -were procured from the banks of the Bencoolin River, in Sumatra. They are -generally found near villages, and are not dreaded by the natives, except -in so far that they destroy their poultry. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -CLOUDED LEOPARD. - -It shares with the ocelot the first place among the highly ornamented -cats.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -FISHING-CAT. - -This wild cat haunts the sides of rivers, and is an expert at catching -fish.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -MARBLED CAT. - -Another beautifully marked cat. The tail is spotted and very long, the -marbled markings being on the body only.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -GOLDEN CAT. - -Sumatra is the home of this very beautifully coloured cat. The general tint -is that of gold-stone. Sometimes the belly is pure white.] - -The number of smaller leopard-cats and tiger-cats is very great. They fall, -roughly, into three groups: those which are yellow and spotted, those which -are grey and spotted, and those which are grey and striped, or -"whole-coloured." There is no wholly grey wild cat, but several -sandy-coloured species. All live on birds and small mammals, and probably -most share the tame cat's liking for fish. Among the grey-and-spotted cats -are the MOTTLED CAT of the Eastern Himalaya and Straits Settlements and -islands; the TIBETIAN TIGER-CAT; the FISHING-CAT of India and Ceylon, which -is large enough to kill lambs, but lives much on fish and large -marsh-snails; GEOFFROY'S CAT, an American species; the LEOPARD-CAT of Java -and Japan, which seems to have grey fur in Japan and a fulvous leopard-like -skin in India, where it is also called the TIGER-CAT; and the smallest of -all wild cats, the little RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT of India. This has rusty spots -on a grey ground. "I had a kitten brought to me," says Dr. Jerdon of the -species, "when very young. It became quite tame, and was the delight and -admiration of all who saw it. When it was about eight months old, I -introduced the fawn of a gazelle into the room where it was. The little -creature flew at it the moment it saw it, seized it by the nape of the -neck, and was with difficulty taken off." Of the whole-coloured wild -cats--which include the BAY CAT, the American PAMPAS-CAT, PALLAS' CAT of -Tibet and India--the most beautiful is the GOLDEN CAT of Sumatra, one of -which is now in the Zoological Gardens. It has a coat the colour of -gold-stone. The nose is pink, the eyes large and topaz-coloured, the cheeks -striped with white, and the under-parts and lower part of the tail pure -white. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -PAMPAS-CAT. - -Note the likeness of the thick tail and barred legs to our English wild -cat. "Inexpressibly savage in disposition" (Hudson).] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -EYRA CAT. - -The lowest and longest of the cats, shaped more like a civet; it is readily -tamed, and makes a charming pet.] - -Four kinds of wild cats are known in South Africa, of which the largest is -the SERVAL, a short-tailed, spotted animal, with rather more woolly fur -than the leopard's. The length is about 4 feet 2 inches, of which the tail -is only 12 inches. It is found from Algeria to the Cape; but its favourite -haunts, like those of all the wild cats of hot countries, are in the reeds -by rivers. It kills hares, rats, birds, and small mammals generally. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -BAY CAT. - -This is an example of the completely tawny small cats.] - -The BLACK-FOOTED WILD CAT is another African species. It is a beautiful -spotted-and-lined tabby, the size of a small domestic cat, and as likely as -any other to be the origin of our tabby variety, if tame cats came to -Europe from Africa. At present it is only found south in the Kalahari -Desert and Bechuanaland. - -The KAFFIR CAT is the common wild cat of the Cape Colony, and a very -interesting animal. It is a whole-coloured tawny, upstanding animal, with -all the indifference to man and generally independent character of the -domestic tom-cat. It is, however, much stronger than the tame cats, with -which it interbreeds freely. In the Colony it is often difficult to keep -male tame cats, for the wild Kaffir cats come down and fight them in the -breeding-season. The Egyptian cat is really the same animal, slightly -modified by climate. A very distinct species is the JUNGLE-CAT, ranging -from India, through Baluchistan, Syria, and East Africa, and called in -Hindustani the CHAUS. The European striped wild cat extends to the -Himalaya, where the range of the lion-coloured, yellow-eyed chaus begins. -The chaus has a few black bars inside the legs, which vary in different -regions. The Indian chaus has only one distinctly marked; the Kaffir cat -has four or five. The EGYPTIAN FETTERED CAT has been said to be the origin -of the domestic and sacred cats of Egypt. A male chaus is most formidable -when "cornered." General Hamilton chased one, which had prowled into the -cantonments on the look-out for fowls, into a fence. "After a long time I -spied the cat squatting in a hedge," he writes, "and called for the dogs. -When they came, I knelt down and began clapping my hands and cheering them -on. The cat suddenly made a clean spring at my face. I had just time to -catch it as one would a cricket-ball, and, giving its ribs a strong -squeeze, threw it to the dogs; but not before it had made its teeth meet in -my arm just above the wrist. For some weeks I had to carry my arm in a -sling, and I shall carry the marks of the bite to my grave." - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -KAFFIR CAT. - -The common wild cat of South Africa. It will interbreed with domestic -cats.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -AFRICAN CHAUS, OR JUNGLE-CAT. - -The chaus is the Indian and African equivalent of our wild cat. It is -equally strong and savage.] - -The chaus, as will be seen from the above, wanders boldly down into the -outskirts of large towns, cantonments, and bungalows, on the look-out for -chickens and pigeons. Its favourite plan is to lie up at dawn in some piece -of thick cover near to where the poultry wander out to scratch, feed, and -bask. It then pounces on the nearest unhappy hen and rushes off with it -into cover. An acquaintance of the writer once had a number of fine Indian -game fowl, of which he was not a little proud. He noticed that one was -missing every morning for three days, and, not being able to discover the -robber, shut them up in a hen-house. Next morning he heard a great -commotion outside, and one of his bearers came running in to say that a -leopard was in the hen-house. As this was only built of bamboo or some such -light material, it did not seem probable that a leopard would stay there. -Getting his rifle, he went out into the compound, and cautiously approached -the hen-house, in which the fowls were still making loud protests and cries -of alarm. The door was shut; but some creature--certainly not a -leopard--might have squeezed in through the small entrance used by the -hens. He opened the door, and saw at the back of the hen-house a chaus -sitting, with all its fur on end, looking almost as large as a small -leopard. On the floor was one dead fowl. The impudent jungle-cat rushed for -the door, but had the coolness to seize the hen as it passed, and with this -in its mouth rushed past the owner of the hens, his servants and retainers, -and reached a piece of thick scrub near with its prize. - -As the chaus is common both in India and Africa, a comparison of its habits -in both continents is somewhat interesting. Jerdon, the Indian naturalist, -writes: "It is the common wild cat from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and -from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8,000 feet elevation. It frequents -alike the jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long reeds, -and grass, sugarcane-fields, and corn-fields. It does much damage to all -game, especially to hares and partridges. Quite recently I shot a pea-fowl -at the edge of a sugarcane-field. One of these cats sprang out, seized the -pea-fowl, and after a short struggle--for the bird was not quite -dead--carried it off before my astonished eyes, and, in spite of my running -up, made his escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very -birds, so closely did its spring follow my shot. It is said to breed twice -a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I have very often had -the young brought to me, but always failed in rearing them; and they always -showed a savage and untamable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats -about villages in various parts of the country that must have been hybrids -between this cat and the tame ones." - -The late Sir Oliver St. John was more fortunate with his jungle-cat -kittens. He obtained three in Persia. These he reared till they were three -months old, by which time they became so tame that they would climb on to -his knees at breakfast-time, and behave like ordinary kittens. One was -killed by a greyhound, and another by a scorpion--a curious fate for a -kitten to meet. The survivor then became morose and ill-tempered, but grew -to be a large and strong animal. "Two English bull-terriers of mine, which -would make short work of the largest domestic cat, could do nothing against -my wild cat," says the same writer. "In their almost daily battles the dogs -always got the worst of it." - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -SERVAL. - -This is a spotted cat, with long ears, but no tufts on them, as in the true -lynxes.] - -In Africa the chaus haunts the thick cover bordering the rivers. There it -catches not only water-fowl, but also fish. According to Messrs. Nicolls -and Eglington, "its spoor may constantly be seen imprinted on the mud -surrounding such pools in the periodical watercourses as are constantly -being dried up, and in which fish may probably be imprisoned without chance -of escape." The chaus has for neighbour in Africa the beautiful SERVAL, a -larger wild cat. This species is reddish in colour, spotted on the body, -and striped on the legs. The ears are long, but not tufted, like those of -the lynx. The serval is more common in North and Central Africa than in the -South. But it is also found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Messrs. -Nicolls and Eglington say of it: "Northward through South Central Africa it -is fairly common. It frequents the thick bush in the vicinity of rivers. -The _karosses_, or mantles, made from its skins are only worn by the chiefs -and very high dignitaries amongst the native tribes, and are in consequence -eagerly sought after, on which account the species runs a risk of rapid -extermination. Its usual prey consists of the young of the smaller -antelopes, francolins, and wild guinea-fowls, to the latter of which it is -a most destructive enemy in the breeding-season. When obtained young, the -serval can be tamed with little trouble; but it is difficult to rear, and -always shows a singular and almost unaccountable aversion to black men. Its -otherwise even temper is always aroused at the sight of a native. When in -anger, it is by no means a despicable antagonist, and very few dogs would -like to engage in a combat with one single-handed." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -MALE SERVAL. - -The serval is a link between the leopards and tiger-cats, quite large -enough to kill the young of the smaller antelopes.] - - -THE COMMON WILD CAT. - -The WILD CAT was once fairly common all over England. A curious story, -obviously exaggerated, shows that traditions of its ferocity were common at -a very early date. The tale is told of the church of Barnborough, in -Yorkshire, between Doncaster and Barnsley. It is said that a man and a wild -cat met in a wood near and began to fight; that the cat drove the man out -of the wood as far as the church, where he took refuge in the porch; and -that both the man and cat were so injured that they died. According to Dr. -Pearce, the event was formerly commemorated by a rude painting in the -church. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -SERVAL CLIMBING. - -Note the active, cat-like method of climbing.] - -Mr. Charles St. John had an experience with a Scotch wild cat very like -that which General Douglas Hamilton tells of the jungle-cat. He heard many -stories of their attacking and wounding men when trapped or when their -escape was cut off, and before long found out that these were true. "I was -fishing in a river in Sutherland," he wrote, "and in passing from one pool -to another had to climb over some rocky ground. In doing so, I sank almost -up to my knees in some rotten heather and moss, almost upon a wild cat -which was concealed under it. I was quite as much startled as the cat -itself could be, when I saw the wild-looking beast rush so unexpectedly -from between my feet, with every hair on her body on end, making her look -twice as large as she really was. I had three small Skye terriers with me, -which immediately gave chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in a -corner of the rocks, where, perched in a kind of recess out of reach of her -enemies, she stood with her hair bristled out, spitting and growling like a -common cat. Having no weapon with me, I laid down my rod, cut a good-sized -stick, and proceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I was within six or seven -feet of the place, she sprang straight at my face over the dogs' heads. Had -I not struck her in mid-air as she leaped at me, I should probably have -received a severe wound. As it was, she fell with her back half broken -among the dogs, who with my assistance dispatched her. I never saw an -animal fight so desperately, or one which was so difficult to kill. If a -tame cat has nine lives, a wild cat must have a dozen. Sometimes one of -these animals will take up its residence at no great distance from a house, -and, entering the hen-roosts and outbuildings, will carry off fowls in the -most audacious manner, or even lambs. Like other vermin, the wild cat -haunts the shores of lakes and rivers, and it is therefore easy to know -where to set a trap for them. Having caught and killed one of the colony, -the rest of them are sure to be taken if the body of their slain relative -is left in the same place not far from their usual hunting-ground and -surrounded with traps, as every wild cat passing that way will to a -certainty come to it." - -The wild cat ranges from the far north of Scotland, across Europe and -Northern Asia, to the northern slopes of the Himalaya. It has always been -known as one of the fiercest and wildest of the cats, large or small. The -continual ill-temper of these creatures is remarkable. In the experience of -the keepers of menageries there is no other so intractably savage. One -presented to the Zoological Gardens by Lord Lilford some eight years ago -still snarls and spits at any one who comes near it, even the keeper. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._ - -EUROPEAN WILD CAT. - -The British representative of this species is rapidly becoming extinct. The -specimen whose portrait is given here was caught in Argyllshire.] - -The food of the wild cat is grouse, mountain-hares, rabbits, small birds, -and probably fish caught in the shallow waters when chance offers. It is -wholly nocturnal; consequently no one ever sees it hunting for prey. Though -it has long been confined to the north and north-west of Scotland, it is by -no means on the verge of extinction. The deer-forests are saving it to some -extent, as they did the golden eagle. Grouse and hares are rather in the -way when deer are being stalked; consequently the wild cat and the eagle -are not trapped or shot. The limits of its present fastnesses were recently -fixed by careful Scotch naturalists at the line of the Caledonian Canal. -Mr. Harvie Brown, in 1880, said that it only survived in Scotland north of -a line running from Oban to the junction of the three counties of Perth, -Forfar, and Aberdeen, and thence through Banffshire to Inverness. But the -conclusion of a writer in the _Edinburgh Review_ of July, 1898, in a very -interesting article on the survival of British mammals, has been happily -contradicted. He believed that it only survived in the deer-forests of -Inverness and Sutherlandshire. The wild cats shown in the illustrations of -these pages were caught a year later as far south as Argyllshire. The -father and two kittens were all secured, practically unhurt, and purchased -by Mr. Percy Leigh Pemberton for his collection of British mammals at -Ashford, in Kent. This gentleman has had great success in preserving his -wild cats. They, as well as others--martens, polecats, and other small -carnivora--are fed on fresh wild rabbits killed in a warren near; -consequently they are in splendid condition. The old "tom" wild cat, -snarling with characteristic ill-humour, was well supported by the wild and -savage little kittens, which exhibited all the family temper. Shortly -before the capture of these wild cats another family were trapped in -Aberdeenshire and brought to the Zoological Gardens. Four kittens, -beautiful little savages, with bright green eyes, and uninjured, were -safely taken to Regent's Park. But the quarters given them were very small -and cold, and they all died. Two other full-grown wild cats brought there a -few years earlier were so dreadfully injured by the abominable steel traps -in which they were caught that they both died of blood-poisoning. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._ - -SCOTCH WILD CATS. - -These wild cats, the property of Mr. P. Leigh Pemberton, though regularly -fed and well treated, show their natural bad-temper in their faces.] - -The real wild cats differ in their markings on the body, some being more -clearly striped, while others are only brindled. But they are all alike in -the squareness and thickness of head and body, and in the short tail, -ringed with black, and growing larger at the tip, which ends off like a -shaving-brush. - -It may well be asked, Which of the many species of wild cats mentioned -above is the ancestor of our domestic cats? Probably different species in -different countries. The African Kaffir cat, the Indian leopard-cat, the -rusty-spotted cat of India, and the European wild cat all breed with tame -cats. It is therefore probable that the spotted, striped, and brindled -varieties of tame cats are descended from wild species which had those -markings. The so-called red tame cats are doubtless descended from the -tiger-coloured wild cats. But it is a curious fact that, though the spotted -grey-tabby wild varieties are the least common, that colour is most -frequent in the tame species. - - -THE LYNXES. - -In the LYNXES we seem to have a less specially cat-like form. They are -short-tailed, high in the leg, and broad-faced. Less active than the -leopards and tiger-cats, and able to live either in very hot or very cold -countries, they are found from the Persian deserts to the far north of -Siberia and Canada. - -The CARACAL is a southern, hot-country lynx. It has a longer tail than the -others, but the same tufted ears. It seems a link between the lynxes and -the jungle-cats. It is found in India, Palestine, Persia, and Mesopotamia. -In India it was trained, like the cheeta, to catch birds, gazelles, and -hares. The COMMON LYNX is probably the same animal, whether found in -Norway, Russia, the Carpathians, Turkestan, China, or Tibet. The CANADIAN -LYNX is also very probably the same, with local differences of colour. The -NORTHERN LYNX is the largest feline animal left in Europe, and kills sheep -and goats equally with hares and squirrels. The beautiful fur, of pale -cinnamon and light grey, is much admired. In some southern districts of -America we have the RED LYNX, or so-called "wild cat," which is distinct -from the lynx of Canada. The MEDITERRANEAN or SPANISH LYNX seems likewise -entitled to rank as a distinct species. - -Of the lynxes the CARACALS are perhaps the most interesting, from their -capacity for domestication. They are found in Africa in the open desert -country, whereas the SERVAL is found in the thick bush. In Africa it is -believed to be the most savage and untamable of the Cats. That is probably -because the Negro and the Kaffir never possessed the art of training -animals, from the elephant downwards. In India the caracal's natural prey -are the fawns of deer and antelope, pea-fowl, hares, and floricans. The -caracal is the quickest with its feet of any of the Cats. One of its -best-known feats is to spring up and catch birds passing over on the wing -at a height of six or eight feet from the ground. A writer, in the -Naturalist's Library, notes that, besides being tamed to catch deer, -pea-fowl, and cranes, the caracal was used in "pigeon matches." Two -caracals were backed one against the other to kill pigeons. The birds were -fed on the ground, and the caracals suddenly let loose among them, to -strike down as many as each could before the birds escaped. Each would -sometimes strike down with its fore paws ten or a dozen pigeons. "Caracal" -means in Turkish "Black Ear," in allusion to the colour of the animal's -organ of hearing. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -LYNX. - -This animal is a uniformly coloured specie common to India and Africa.] - -The COMMON LYNX is a thick-set animal, high in the leg, with a square head -and very strong paws and forearms. It is found across the whole northern -region of Europe and Asia. Although never known in Britain in historic -times, it is still occasionally seen in parts of the Alps and in the -Carpathians; it is also common in the Caucasus. It is mainly a forest -animal, and very largely nocturnal; therefore it is seldom seen, and not -often hunted. If any enemy approaches, the lynx lies perfectly still on -some branch or rock, and generally succeeds in avoiding notice. The lynx is -extremely active; it can leap great distances, and makes its attack usually -in that way. When travelling, it trots or gallops in a very dog-like -fashion. Where sheep graze at large on mountains, as in the Balkans and in -Greece, the lynx is a great enemy of the flocks. In Norway, where the -animal is now very rare, there is a tradition that it is more mischievous -than the wolf, and a high price is set on its head. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -EUROPEAN LYNX. - -The largest of the cat tribe left in Europe.] - -In Siberia and North Russia most of the lynx-skins taken are sold to the -Chinese. The lynx-skins brought to London are mainly those of the Canadian -species. The fur is dyed, and used for the busbies of the officers in our -hussar regiments. These skins vary much in colour, and in length and -quality of fur. The price varies correspondingly. The Canadian lynx lives -mainly on the wood-hares and on the wood-grouse of the North American -forests. The flesh of the lynx is said to be good and tender. - -Brehm says of the Siberian lynx: "It is a forest animal in the strictest -sense of the word. But in Siberia it occurs only singly, and is rarely -captured. Its true home is in the thickest parts in the interior of the -woods, and these it probably never leaves except when scarcity of food or -the calls of love tempt it to wander to the outskirts. Both immigrants and -natives hold the hunting of the lynx in high esteem. This proud cat's -activity, caution and agility, and powers of defence arouse the enthusiasm -of every sportsman, and both skin and flesh are valued, the latter not only -by the Mongolian tribes, but also by the Russian hunters. The lynx is -seldom captured in fall-traps; he often renders them useless by walking -along the beam and stepping on the lever, and he usually leaps over the -spring-traps in his path. So only the rifle and dogs are left." - -[Illustration: _By permission of Mr. S. B. Gundy_] [_Toronto._ - -CANADIAN LYNX. - -Great numbers of these are trapped every year for the sake of their fur.] - -The RED LYNX is a small American variety, the coat of which turns tawny in -summer, when it much resembles a large cat. It is called in some parts of -the United States the Mountain-cat. This lynx is 30 inches long in the -body, with a tail 6 inches long. It is found on the eastern or Atlantic -side of the continent, and by no means shuns the neighbourhood of -settlements. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin._ - -WOLF FROM CENTRAL EUROPE. - -The last persons recorded as killed by these animals were an artist and his -wife travelling in Hungary.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -CHEETAS. - -Cheetas can be distinguished at a glance from ordinary leopards by the -solid black spots on the back instead of the "rosettes."] - - -THE CHEETA. - -THE NON-RETRACTILE-CLAWED CAT. - -The CHEETA, or Hunting-leopard, is the only example of this particular -group, though there was an extinct form, whose remains are found in the -Siwalik Hills, in the north of India. It is a very widely dispersed animal, -found in Persia, Turkestan, and the countries east of the Caspian, and in -India so far as the lower part of the centre of the peninsula. It is also -common in Africa, where until recent years it was found in Cape Colony and -Natal. Now it is banished to the Kalahari Desert, the Northern Transvaal, -and Bechuanaland. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -A CHEETA HOODED. - -The cheeta is not unhooded until fairly near his quarry, when he is given a -sight of the game, and a splendid race ensues.] - -The cheeta is more dog-like than any other cat. It stands high on the leg, -and has a short, rounded head. Its fur is short and rather woolly, its feet -rounded, and its claws, instead of slipping back into sheaths like a -lion's, are only partly retractile. - -Mr. Lockwood Kipling gives the following account of the cheeta and its -keepers: "The only point where real skill comes into play in dealing with -the hunting-leopard is in catching the adult animal when it has already -learnt the swift, bounding onset, its one accomplishment. The young cheeta -is not worth catching, for it has not yet learnt its trade, nor can it be -taught in captivity.... There are certain trees where these great dog-cats -(for they have some oddly canine characteristics) come to play and whet -their claws. The hunters find such a tree, and arrange nooses of deer-sinew -round it, and wait the event. The animal comes and is caught by the leg, -and it is at this point that the trouble begins. It is no small achievement -for two or three naked, ill-fed men to secure so fierce a capture and carry -it home tied on a cart. Then his training begins. He is tied in all -directions, principally from a thick rope round his loins, while a hood -fitted over his head effectually blinds him. He is fastened on a strong -cot-bedstead, and the keepers and their wives and families reduce him to -submission by starving him and keeping him awake. His head is made to face -the village street, and for an hour at a time, several times a day, his -keepers make pretended rushes at him, and wave clothes, staves, and other -articles in his face. He is talked to continually, and the women's tongues -are believed to be the most effective of things to keep him awake. No -created being could withstand the effects of hunger, want of sleep, and -feminine scolding; and the poor cheeta becomes piteously, abjectly tame. He -is taken out for a walk occasionally--if a slow crawl between four -attendants, all holding hard, can be called a walk--and his promenades are -always through the crowded streets and bazaars, where the keepers' friends -are to be found; but the people are rather pleased than otherwise to see -the raja's cheetas amongst them." Later, when the creature is tamed, "the -cheeta's bedstead is like that of the keeper, and leopard and man are often -curled up under the same blanket! When his bedfellow is restless, the -keeper lazily stretches out an arm from his end of the cot and dangles a -tassel over the animal's head, which seems to soothe him. In the early -morning I have seen a cheeta sitting up on his couch, a red blanket half -covering him, and his tasselled red hood awry, looking exactly like an -elderly gentleman in a nightcap, as he yawns with the irresolute air of one -who is in doubt whether to rise or to turn in for another nap." - -This charming and accurate description shows the cheeta at home. In the -field he is quite another creature. He is driven as near as possible to the -game, and then unhooded and given a sight of them. Sir Samuel Baker thus -describes a hunt in which a cheeta was used: "The chase began after the -right-hand buck, which had a start of about 110 yards. It was a magnificent -sight to see the extraordinary speed of pursuer and pursued. The buck flew -over the level surface, followed by the cheeta, which was laying out at -full stretch, with its long, thick tail brandishing in the air. They had -run 200 yards, when the keeper gave the word, and away we went as fast as -our horses could carry us. The horses could go over this clear ground, -where no danger of a fall seemed possible. I never saw anything to equal -the speed of the buck and the cheeta; we were literally nowhere, although -we were going as hard as horseflesh could carry us; but we had a glorious -view. The cheeta was gaining in the course, while the buck was exerting -every muscle for life or death in its last race. Presently, after a course -of about a quarter of a mile, the buck doubled like a hare, and the cheeta -lost ground as it shot ahead, instead of turning quickly, being only about -thirty yards in rear of the buck. Recovering itself, it turned on extra -steam, and the race appeared to recommence at increased speed. The cheeta -was determined to win, and at this moment the buck made another double in -the hope of shaking off its terrible pursuer; but this time the cheeta ran -cunning, and was aware of the former game. It turned as sharply as the -buck. Gathering itself together for a final effort, it shot forward like an -arrow, picked up the distance which remained between them, and in a cloud -of dust we could for one moment distinguish two forms. The next instant the -buck was on its back, and the cheeta's fangs were fixed like an iron vice -in its throat. The course run was about 600 yards, and it was worth a -special voyage to India to see that hunt." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -A CHEETA ON THE LOOK-OUT. - -Cheetas are common to Africa and India. By the native princes of the latter -country they are much used for taking antelope and other game.] - - -THE DOMESTIC CAT. - -BY LOUIS WAIN. - -Of the domestication of the cat we know very little, but it is recorded -that a tribe of cats was trained to retrieve--_i.e._ to fetch and carry -game. In our own time I have seen many cats fetch and carry corks and -newspapers, and on one occasion pounce upon a small roach at the end of a -line and place it at its owner's feet. Gamekeepers whom I have known agree -that, for cunning, craftiness, and tenacity in attaining an object, the -semi-wild cat of the woods shows far superior intelligence to the rest of -the woodland denizens. It is quite a usual thing to hear of farm cats -entering upon a snake-hunting expedition with the greatest glee, and -showing remarkable readiness in pitching upon their quarry and pinning it -down until secured. These farm cats are quite a race by themselves. Of -decided sporting proclivities, they roam the countryside with considerable -fierceness, and yet revert to the domesticity of the farmhouse fireside as -though innocent of roving instincts. They are spasmodic to a degree in -their mode of life, and apparently work out one mood before entering upon -another. It will be remembered that this spasmodic tendency--the true -feline independence, by-the-bye--is and has been characteristic of the cat -throughout its history, and any one who has tried to overcome it has met -with failure. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -WHITE SHORT-HAIRED. - -Most white cats are not albinoes--that is to say, they have ordinarily -coloured and not red eyes.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -LONG-HAIRED WHITE. - -White cats with blue eyes are generally deaf, or at all events hard of -hearing.] - -Watch your own cat, and you will see that he will change his -sleeping-quarters periodically; and if he can find a newspaper conveniently -placed, he will prefer it to lie upon, before anything perhaps, except a -cane-bottomed chair, to which all cats are very partial. If you keep a -number of cats, as I do, you will find that they are very imitative, and -what one gets in the habit of doing they will all do in time: for instance, -one of my cats took to sitting with his front paws inside my tall hat and -his body outside, and this has become a catty fashion in the family, -whether the object be a hat, cap, bonnet, small basket, box, or tin. If by -chance one of the cats is attacked by a dog, a peculiar cry from the -aggrieved animal will immediately awaken the others out of their lethargy -or sleep, and bring them fiercely to the rescue. They are, too, -particularly kind and nice to the old cat, and are tolerant only of strange -baby kittens and very old cats in the garden as long as they do not -interfere with the "catty" subject. The same quality obtains in Spain or -Portugal, where a race of scavenging cats exists, which go about in droves -or families, and are equal to climbing straight walls, big trees, chimneys, -and mountain-sides. Long, lanky, and thin, they are built more on the lines -of a greyhound than the ordinary cat, and are more easily trained in tricks -than home cats. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari, Florence._ - -MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY. - -Tabbies are probably the best known and the commonest cats in England.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -CAT CARRYING KITTEN. - -A unique photograph, showing the way in which the cat carries its young.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor, Ealing._ - -BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN. - -Persian or long-haired cats are of various colours; this is one of the -least common.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor, Ealing._ - -SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED. - -Two pretty and valuable Persian kittens.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Lady Alexander._ - -ORANGE TABBY. - -A champion winner of 90 first prizes.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor, Ealing._ - -LONG-HAIRED TABBY. - -A pretty pose.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor, Ealing._ - -SILVER PERSIAN. - -A handsome specimen.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor, Ealing._ - -SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN. - -A new breed.] - -The TORTOISESHELL has long been looked upon as the national cat of Spain, -and in fact that country is overrun with the breed, ranging from a dense -black and brown to lighter shades of orange-brown and white. The pure -tortoiseshell might be called a black and tan, with no white, streaked like -a tortoiseshell comb if possible, and with wonderful amber eyes. It is -characteristic of their intelligence that they will invariably find their -way home, and will even bring that mysterious instinct to bear which guides -them back long distances to the place of their birth; and, with regard to -this cat, the stories of almost impossible journeys made are not one bit -exaggerated. The tom-cats of this breed are very rare in England; I myself -have only known of the existence of six in fifteen years, and of these but -three are recorded in the catalogues of our cat shows. - -[Illustration: SHORT-HAIRED BLUE. - -This champion cat belongs to Lady Alexander, by whose kind permission it is -here reproduced.] - -The BLACK CAT has many of the characteristics of the tortoiseshell, but is -essentially a town cat, and is wont to dream his life away in shady -corners, in underground cellars, in theatres, and in all places where he -can, in fact, retire to monastic quiet. The black cat of St. Clement Danes -Church was one of the remarkable cats of London. It was his wont to climb -on to the top of the organ-pipes and enjoy an occasional musical concert -alone. A christening or a wedding was his pride; and many people can vouch -for a lucky wedding who had the good-fortune to be patronised by the black -cat of St. Clement Danes, which walked solemnly down the aisle of the -church in front of the happy couples. - -My old pet Peter was a black-and-white cat, and, like most of his kind, was -one of the most remarkable cats for intelligence I have ever known. A -recital of his accomplishments would, however, have very few believers--a -fact I find existing in regard to all really intelligent cats. There are so -many cats of an opposite character, and people will rarely take more than a -momentary trouble to win the finer nature of an animal into existence. -Suffice it to say, that Peter would lie and die, sit up with spectacles on -his nose and with a post-card between his paws--a trick I have taught many -people's cats to do. He would also mew silent meows when bid, and wait at -the door for my home-coming. For a long time, too, it was customary to hear -weird footfalls at night outside the bedroom doors, and visitors to the -house were a little more superstitious as to their cause than we were -ourselves. We set a watch upon the supposed ghost, but sudden opening of -the doors discovered only the mystic form of Peter sitting purring on the -stairs. He was, however, ultimately caught in the act of lifting the corner -of the door-rug and letting it fall back in its place, and he had grown -quite expert in his method of raising and dropping it at regular intervals -until he heard that his signals had produced the required effect, and the -door was opened to admit him. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -SILVER TABBY. - -A beautiful variety of the typical British cat.] - -WHITE CATS I might call musical cats, for it is quite characteristic of the -albinoes that noises rarely startle them out of their simpering, loving -moods. The scraping of a violin, which will scare an ordinary cat out of -its senses, or the thumping of a piano, which would terrorise even -strong-nerved cats, would only incite a white cat to a happier mood. -Certainly all white cats are somewhat deaf, or lack acute quality of -senses; but this failing rather softens the feline nature than becomes -dominant as a weakness. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -SHORT-HAIRED TABBY. - -This is perhaps the most famous cat now living. It has won no less than 200 -prizes. Lady Decies is its owner.] - -The nearest to perfection perhaps, and yet at the same time extremely soft -and finely made, is the BLUE CAT, rare in England as an English cat, but -common in most other countries, and called in America the Maltese Cat--for -fashion's sake probably, since it is too widely distributed there to be -localised as of foreign origin. It is out in the mining districts and -agricultural quarters, right away from the beaten tracks of humanity, where -the most wonderful breeds of cats develop in America; and caravan showmen -have told me that at one time it was quite a business for them to carry -cats into these wildernesses, and sell them to rough, hardy miners, who -dealt out death to each other without hesitation in a quarrel, but who -softened to the appeal of an animal which reminded them of homelier times. - -One man told me that upon one occasion he sold eight cats at an isolated -mining township in Colorado, and some six days' journey farther on he was -caught up by a man on horseback from the township, who had ridden hard to -overtake the menagerie caravan, with the news that one of the cats had -climbed a monster pine-tree, and that all the other cats had followed in -his wake; food and drink had been placed in plenty at the foot of the tree, -but that the cats had been starving, frightened out of their senses, for -three days, and despite all attempts to reach them they had only climbed -higher and higher out of reach into the uppermost and most dangerous -branches of the pine. The showman hastened with his guide across country to -the township, only to find that in the interval one bright specimen of a -man belonging to the village had suggested felling the tree, and so -rescuing the cats from the pangs of absolute starvation, should they -survive the ordeal. A dynamite cartridge had been used to blast the roots -of the pine, and a rope attached to its trunk had done the rest and brought -the monster tree to earth, only, however, at the expense of all the cats, -for not one survived the tremendous fall and shaking. A sad and tearful -procession followed the remains of the cats to their hastily dug grave, and -thereafter a bull mastiff took the place of the cats in the township, an -animal more in character with the lives of its inhabitants. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -LONG-HAIRED ORANGE. - -A good specimen of this variety is always large and finely furred.] - -Analogous to this case of the travelling menageries, we have the great -variety of blues, silvers, and whites which are characteristic of Russia. -There is a vast tableland of many thousands of miles in extent, intersected -by caravan routes to all the old countries of the ancients, and it is not -astonishing to hear of attempts being made to steal the wonderful cats of -Persia, China, and Northern India, as well as those of the many dependent -and independent tribes which bound the Russian kingdom. But it is a -remarkable fact that none but the blues can live in the attenuated -atmosphere of the higher mountainous districts through which they are taken -before arriving in Russian territory. It is no uncommon thing to find a -wonderful complexity of blue cats shading to silver and white in most -Russian villages, or blue cats of remarkable beauty, but with a dash of -tabby-marking running through their coats. Their life, too, is lived at the -two extremes. In the short Russian summer they roam the woodlands, pestered -by a hundred poisonous insects; in the winter they are imprisoned within -the four walls of a snow-covered cottage, and are bound down prisoners to -domesticity till the thaw sets in again. Many of the beautiful furs which -come to us from Russia are really the skins of these cats, the preparation -of which for market has grown into a large and thriving industry. The -country about Kronstadt, in the Southern Carpathian Mountains of Austria, -is famous for its finely developed animals; and here, too, has grown up a -colony of sable-coloured cats, said to be of Turkish origin, where the -pariahs take the place of cats. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -MANX. - -These tailless cats are well known; they were formerly called "Cornwall -cats." Note the length of the hind legs, which is one of the -characteristics of this variety of the domestic cat.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -SIAMESE. - -These strikingly coloured cats are now fairly numerous in England, but -command high prices. They have white kittens, which subsequently become -coloured.] - -[Illustration: BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN. - -This cat belonged to Queen Victoria.] - -[Illustration: SILVER PERSIANS. - -Three of Mrs. Champion's celebrated cats.] - -The TABBY is remarkable to us in that it is characteristic of our own -country, and no other colour seems to have been popular until our own -times. If you ask any one which breed of cat is the real domestic cat, you -will be told the tabby, probably because it is so well known to all. The -complexity of the tabby is really remarkable, and for shape and variety of -colouring it has no equal in any other tribe of cat. It has comprised in -its nature all the really great qualities of the feline, and all its worst -attributes. You can truthfully say of one of its specimens that it attaches -itself to the individual, while of another in the same litter you will get -an element of wildness. A third of the same parents will sober down to the -house, but take only a passing notice of people. You can teach it anything -if it is tractable, make it follow like a dog, come to whistle, but it will -have its independence. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -LONG-HAIRED CHINCHILLA. - -Note the beautiful "fluffiness" of this cat's fur.] - -The SAND-COLOURED CAT, with a whole-coloured coat like the rabbit, which we -know as the ABYSSINIAN or BUNNY CAT, is a strong African type. On the Gold -Coast it comes down from the inland country with its ears all bitten and -torn away in its fights with rivals. It has been acclimatised in England, -and Devonshire and Cornwall have both established a new and distinct tribe -out of its parentage. The MANX CAT is nearly allied to it, and a hundred -years ago the tailless cat was called the Cornwall Cat, not the Manx. - -Siam sends us a regal animal in the SIAMESE ROYAL CAT; it has a brown face, -legs, and tail, a cream-coloured body, and mauve or blue eyes. The Siamese -take great care of their cats, for it is believed that the souls of the -departed are transmitted into the bodies of animals, and the cat is a -favourite of their creed; consequently the cats are highly cultivated and -intelligent, and can think out ways and means to attain an end. - -I have tried for years to trace the origin of the LONG-HAIRED or PERSIAN -CATS, but I cannot find that they were known to antiquity, and even the -records of later times only mention the SHORT-HAIRED. European literature -does not give us an insight into the subject; and unless Chinese history -holds some hidden lights in its records, we are thrown back upon the myths -of Persia to account for the wonderful modern distribution of the -long-haired cat, which is gradually breeding out into as many varieties as -the short-haired, with this difference--that greater care and trouble are -taken over the long-haired, and they will, as a breed, probably soon -surpass the short-haired for intelligence and culture. - -[Illustration: _Photo by H. Trevor Jessop._ - -THE "BUN" OR "TICKED" SHORT-HAIRED CAT. - -This is one of the rarest cats in England. It belongs to Miss K. Maud -Bennett who has kindly had it photographed for this work.] - -One variety is quite new and distinctive--the SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, whose dark -brown or black surface-coat, blown aside, shows an under-coat of blue and -silver, with a light brown frill round its neck. All the other long-haired -cats can pair with the short-haired for colouring and marking, but I have -not yet seen a BUNNY LONG-HAIRED. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER III. - -_THE FOSSA, CIVETS, AND ICHNEUMONS._ - ----- - -THE FOSSA. - -In the FOSSA Madagascar possesses an altogether peculiar animal. It is a -very slender, active creature, with all its proportions much elongated. It -is of a bright bay uniform colour, with thick fur, and has sharp retractile -claws. It has been described as the natural connecting-link between the -Civets and the Cats, anatomically speaking. Thus it has retractile claws, -but does not walk on its toes, like cats, but on the soles of its feet (the -hind pair of which is quite naked), like a civet. Very few have been -brought to England; indeed, the first time that one was exhibited in our -Zoological Gardens was only ten years ago. Formerly stories were told of -its ferocity, which was compared to that of the tiger. These tales were -naturally the subject of ridicule. The fossa usually attains a length of -about 5 feet from snout to tail, and is the largest of the carnivora of -Madagascar. A fine young specimen lately brought to London, and in the -Zoological Gardens at the time of writing, is now probably full grown. It -is about the same length and height as a large ocelot, but with a far -longer tail, and is more slenderly built. The extreme activity of the fossa -no doubt renders it a very formidable foe to other and weaker creatures. It -has been described by a recent writer as being entirely nocturnal, and -preying mainly on the lemurs and birds which haunt the forests of -Madagascar. The animal kept at the Zoological Gardens has become fairly -tame. It is fed mainly on chickens' heads and other refuse from poulterers' -shops. Apparently it has no voice of any kind. It neither growls, roars, -nor mews, though, when irritated or frightened, it gives a kind of hiss -like a cat. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -FOSSA. - -The only feline animal of Madagascar.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -LARGE INDIAN CIVET. - -Civets are nocturnal in their habits. That shown here has just awakened in -broad daylight.] - - -THE CIVETS AND GENETS. - -The CIVETS are the first marked deviation from the Cat Family. Their bodies -are elongated, their legs short, their claws only partially retractile. -Some of them have glands holding a strong scent, much esteemed in old days -in Europe, when "The Civet Cat" was a common inn-sign even in England. The -civets are generally beautifully marked with black stripes and bands on -grey. But none of them grow to any large size, and the family has never had -the importance of those which contain the large carnivora, like the true -cats or bears. Many of the tribe and its connections are domesticated. Some -scholars have maintained that the cat of the ancient Greeks was one of -them--the common genet. The fact is that both this and the domestic cat -were kept by the ancients; and the genet is still used as a cat by the -peasants of Greece and Southern Italy. - -The AFRICAN CIVET and INDIAN CIVET are large species. The former is common -almost throughout Africa. Neither of them seems to climb trees, but they -find abundance of food by catching small ground-dwelling animals and birds. -They are good swimmers. The Indian civet has a handsome skin, of a -beautiful grey ground-colour, with black collar and markings. It is from -these civets that the civet-scent is obtained. They are kept in cages for -this purpose, and the secretion is scooped from the glands with a wooden -spoon. They produce three or four kittens in May or June. Several other -species very little differing from these are known as the MALABAR, JAVAN, -and BURMESE CIVETS. - -The RASSE is smaller, has no erectile crest, and its geographical -distribution extends from Africa to the Far East. It is commonly kept as a -domestic pet. Like all the civets, it will eat fruit and vegetables. - -The GENETS, though resembling the civets, have no scent-pouch. They are -African creatures, but are found in Italy, Spain, and Greece, and in -Palestine, and even in the south of France. Beautifully spotted or striped, -they are even longer and lower than the civet-cats, and steal through the -grass like weasels. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -AFRICAN CIVET. - -This is one of the largest of the Civet Tribe. The perfume known as "civet" -is obtained from it.] - -The COMMON GENET is black and grey, the latter being the ground-colour. The -tail is very long, the length being about 15 inches, while that of the body -and head is only 19 inches. Small rodents, snakes, eggs, and birds are its -principal food. It is kept in Southern Europe for killing rats. Several -other very similar forms are found in Africa. The presence of such a very -Oriental-looking animal in Europe is something of a surprise, though many -persons forget that our South European animals are very like those of -Africa and the East. The porcupine, which is common in Italy and Spain, and -the lynx and Barbary ape are instances. A tame genet kept by an -acquaintance of the writer in Italy was absolutely domesticated like a tame -mongoose. It had very pretty fur, grey, marbled and spotted with black, and -no disagreeable odour, except a scent of musk. It was a most active little -creature, full of curiosity, and always anxious to explore not only every -room, but every cupboard and drawer in the house. Perhaps this was due to -its keenness in hunting mice, a sport of which it never tired. It did not -play with the mice when caught as a cat does, but ate them at once. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -AFRICAN CIVET. - -This photograph shows the finely marked fur of the species and the front -view of the head.] - -The LINSANGS, an allied group, are met with in the East, from India to -Borneo and Java. They are more slender than the genets, and more arboreal. -Of the NEPALESE LINSANG Hodgson writes: "This animal is equally at home on -trees and on the ground. It breeds and dwells in the hollows of decaying -trees. It is not gregarious, and preys mainly on living animals." A tame -female owned by him is stated to have been wonderfully docile and -tractable, very sensitive to cold, and very fond of being petted. There is -an allied West African species. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -SUMATRAN CIVET. - -A small and very beautiful member of the Civet Family. It feeds largely on -fish.] - -The PALM-CIVETS and HEMIGALES still further increase this numerous tribe. -Slight differences of skull, of the markings on the tail, which may only -have rings on the base, and of the foot and tail, are the naturalist's -guide to their separation from the other civets; HARDWICKE'S HEMIGALE has -more zebra-like markings. Borneo, Africa, India, and the Himalaya all -produce these active little carnivora; but the typical palm-civets are -Oriental. They are sometimes known as Toddy-cats, because they drink the -toddy from the jars fastened to catch the juice. The groves of -cocoanut-palm are their favourite haunts; but they will make a home in -holes in the thatched roofs of houses, and even in the midst of cities. -There are many species in the group. - -The BINTURONG is another omnivorous, tree-haunting animal allied to the -civets; but it has a prehensile tail, which few other mammals of the Old -World possess. It is a blunt-nosed, heavy animal, sometimes called the -Bear-cat. Very little is known of its habits. It is found from the Eastern -Himalaya to Java. - -The last of the Civet Family is BENNETT'S CIVET, the only instance of a -cat-like animal with partly webbed feet. Found in the Malay Peninsula and -in Sumatra and Borneo, it is very rare, but is known to feed on fish and -crustacea, and to be semi-aquatic. The author of the chapter on the civets -in the Naturalist's Library says, "It may be likened to a climbing otter." - - -THE MONGOOSE AND ICHNEUMON FAMILY. - -These are a numerous and useful race of small mammals, feeding mainly on -the creatures most annoying to man within tropical countries. Snakes, the -eggs of the crocodile, large lizards, rats, mice, and other creatures known -generally as "vermin," are their favourite food. It must be added that, -though they are most useful in destroying these, they also kill all kinds -of birds, and that their introduction into some of the West India Islands, -for the purpose of killing rats, has been fatal to the indigenous bird -life. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -GENET. - -The genets are smaller than some civets, but allied to them. One was -anciently domesticated like a cat.] - - -THE INDIAN MONGOOSE. - -This universal favourite is one of the largest, the head and body being -from 15 to 18 inches long, and the tail 14 inches. The fur is loose and -long, and capable of being erected. As in all the tribe, the tint is a -"pepper and salt," the "pepper" colour being sometimes blackish and -sometimes red, but a speckled appearance characterises the whole group. -This is the animal supposed to be immune from snake-bite. It is possibly so -to some extent, for it kills and eats the poisonous snakes, and it is now -known that the _eating_ of snake-poison tends to give the same protection -as inoculation does against certain diseases. But it is certain that in -most cases the mongoose, by its activity, and by setting up the hair on its -body, which makes the snake "strike short," saves itself from being bitten. - -Many descriptions of the encounters between these brave little animals and -the cobra have been written. Here is one of the less known: "One of our -officers had a tame mongoose, a charming little pet. Whenever we could -procure a cobra--and we had many opportunities--we used to turn it out in -an empty storeroom, which had a window at some height from the ground, so -that it was perfectly safe to stand there and look on. The cobra, when -dropped from the bag or basket, would wriggle into one of the corners of -the room and there coil himself up. The mongoose showed the greatest -excitement on being brought to the window, and the moment he was let loose -would eagerly jump down into the room, when his behaviour became very -curious and interesting. He would instantly see where the snake was, and -rounding his back, and making every hair on his body stand out at right -angles, which made his body appear twice as large as it really was, he -would approach the cobra on tip-toe, making a peculiar humming noise. The -snake, in the meantime, would show signs of great anxiety, and I fancy of -fear, erecting his head and hood ready to strike when his enemy came near -enough. The mongoose kept running backwards and forwards in front of the -snake, gradually getting to within what appeared to us to be striking -distance. The snake would strike at him repeatedly, and _appeared_ to hit -him, but the mongoose continued his comic dance, apparently unconcerned. -Suddenly, and with a movement so rapid that the eye could not follow it, he -would pin the cobra by the back of the head. One could hear the sharp teeth -crunch into the skull, and, when all was over, see the mongoose eating the -snake's head and part of his body with great gusto. Our little favourite -killed a great many cobras, and, so far as I could see, never was bitten." - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -TWO-SPOTTED PALM-CIVET. - -This is a West African species, which, with an allied form from East -Africa, represents the palm-civets in the Dark Continent.] - -The EGYPTIAN MONGOOSE, or ICHNEUMON, has an equally great reputation for -eating the eggs of the crocodile; and the KAFFIR MONGOOSE, a rather larger -South African species, is kept as a domestic animal to kill rats, mice, and -snakes, of which, like the Indian kind, it is a deadly foe. There are more -than twenty other species, most of much the same appearance and habits. - -The smooth-nosed mongoose tribe are closely allied creatures in South -Africa, mainly burrowing animals, feeding both on flesh and fruit. The -CUSIMANSES of Abyssinia and West Africa are also allied to them. Their -habits are identical with the above. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -MASKED PALM-CIVET. - -A whole-coloured species of the group.] - - -THE MEERKATS, OR SURICATES. - -Most people who have read Frank Buckland's Life will remember the suricate -which was his chief pet in Albany Street. The SURICATES, or MEERKATS, -burrow all over the South African veldt, especially in the sandy parts, -where they sit up outside their holes like prairie-dogs, and are seen by -day. They are sociable animals, and make most amusing pets. A full-grown -one is not much larger than a hedgehog, but more slender. It barks like a -prairie-dog, and has many other noises of pleasure or anger. A lady, the -owner of one, writes in _Country Life_: "It gets on well with the dogs and -cats, especially the latter, as they are more friendly to her, and allow -her to sleep by their side and on the top of them. One old cat brings small -birds to her (her favourite is a sparrow), and makes her usual cry, and -Janet runs to her and carries off the bird, which she eats, feathers and -all, in a very few minutes, if she is hungry." When near a farm, the -meerkats will devour eggs and young chickens. They are also said to eat the -eggs of the large leopard-tortoise. The commonest is the SLENDER-TAILED -MEERKAT. It is found all over South Africa, and is very common in the -Karroo. It eats insects and grubs as well as small animals, and is commonly -kept as a pet throughout the Colony. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Robert D. Carson_] [_Philadelphia._ - -BINTURONG. - -The binturong is placed with the civets. It has a prehensile tail like the -kinkajou (see page 127).] - - - -We have now traced the long line of the Carnivora from the lordly Lion, the -slayer of man and his flocks and herds, and the Tiger, equally formidable -and no less specially developed for a life of rapine on a great scale, to -creatures as small and insignificant as the Meerkat, which is at least as -much an insect-feeder as a devourer of flesh, and the Ichneumons and -Civets. The highest form of specialisation in the group is the delicate -mechanism by which the chief weapons of offence, the claws, are enabled to -keep their razor edge by being drawn up into sheaths when the animal walks, -but can be instantly thrust out at pleasure, rigid and sharp as -sword-blades. The gradual process by which this equipment deteriorates in -the Civets and disappears in the Mongoose should be noted. There are many -other carnivora, but none so formidable as those possessing the retractile -claws. Thus the Bears, though often larger in bulk than the Lion, are far -inferior in the power of inflicting violent injury. At the same time such -delicate mechanism is clearly not necessary for the well-being of a -species. The members of the Weasel Tribe are quite as well able to take -care of themselves as the small cats, though they have non-retractile and -not very formidable claws. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -MONGOOSE. - -The Indian mongoose is the great enemy of snakes. Another species eats the -eggs of the crocodile.] - -Such a very abnormal animal as the BINTURONG--of which we are able to give -an excellent photograph--is doubtless rightly assigned to the place in -which modern science has placed it. But it will be found that there are -several very anomalous forms quite as detached from any general type as is -the binturong. Nature does not make species on any strictly graduated -scale. Many of these nondescript animals are so unlike any other group or -family that they seem almost freaks of nature. The binturong is certainly -one of these. - -The next group with which we deal is that of the Hyænas. In these the -equipment for catching living prey is very weak. Speed and pursuit are not -their _métier_, but the eating of dead and decaying animal matter, and the -consumption of bones. Hence the jaws and teeth are highly developed, while -the rest of the body is degenerate. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -MEERKAT. - -A small, mainly insectivorous animal, found in South Africa; also called -the Suricate.] - -The question of the comparative intelligence of the Apes and Monkeys, and -the carnivorous animals subsequently described in these pages, is an -interesting one. It would seem at first as if the Cat Tribe and their -relations, which have to obtain their prey by constant hunting, and often -to make use of considerable reflection and thought to bring their -enterprises against other animals to a successful issue, would be more -likely to develop intelligence and to improve in brain-power than the great -Apes, which find an easy living in the tropical forests, and only seek -fruits and vegetables for their food. Yet it is quite certain that this is -not the case. The Cat Tribe, with the exception of the domesticated cats, -does not show high intelligence. Even the latter are seldom trained to obey -man, though they learn to accommodate themselves to his ways of life. There -is no evidence that cats have any sense of number, or that any of them in a -wild state make any effort to provide shelter for themselves or construct a -refuge from their enemies, though the Leopard will make use of a cave as a -lair. In matters requiring intelligence and co-operation, such rodents as -the Beaver, or even the Squirrel, are far beyond the feline carnivora in -sagacity and acquired or inherited ingenuity. Except the Stoat, which -sometimes hunts in packs, no species of the carnivora yet dealt with in -this work combines to hunt its prey, or for defence against enemies. Each -for itself is the rule, and even among the less-specialised flesh-eating -animals of the other groups it is only the Dog Tribe which seems to -understand the principles of association for a common object. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -_THE HYÆNAS AND AARD-WOLF._ - -If every animal has its place in nature, we must suppose that the hyæna's -business is to clear up the bones and such parts of the animal dead as the -vultures and other natural "undertakers" cannot devour. Hyænas have very -strong jaws, capable of crushing almost any bone. In prehistoric times they -were common in England, and lived in the caves of Derbyshire and Devon. In -these caves many bones were found quite smashed up, as if by some very -large wild animal. It was supposed that this was done by bears--Dean -Buckland said "by hyænas." He procured a hyæna, kept it at his house, and -fed it on bones. The smashed fragments he laid on the table at a scientific -lecture beside the fragments from the caverns. The resemblance was -identical, and the Dean triumphed. - -The hyænas are carnivorous animals, with the front limbs longer than the -hind. The tail is short, the colour spotted or brindled, the teeth and jaws -of great strength. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SPOTTED HYÆNA. - -The largest of the carrion-feeding animals. A South African species.] - -The BROWN HYÆNA, or STRAND-WOLF, is an African species, with very long, -coarse hair, reaching a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not found -north of the Zambesi; and it is nocturnal, and fond of wandering along the -shore, where it picks up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle, sheep, and -lambs are also killed by it, and offal of all kinds devoured. - -The SPOTTED HYÆNA is a large and massive animal, the head and body being 4 -feet 6 inches long without the tail. It is found all over Africa from -Abyssinia and Senegal southwards. A few are left in Natal. It is believed -to be the same as the cave-hyæna of Europe. By day it lives much in the -holes of the aard-vark (ant-bear); by night it goes out, sometimes in small -bands, to seek food. It has a loud and mournful howl, beginning low and -ending high. It also utters a horrible maniacal laugh when excited, which -gives it the name of Laughing-hyæna. "Its appetite," says Mr. W. L. Sclater -in his "South African Mammals," "is boundless. It is entirely carnivorous, -but seems to prefer putrid and decaying matter, and never kills an animal -unless driven to do so by hunger. Sheep and donkeys are generally attacked -at the belly, and the bowels torn out by its sharp teeth. Horses are also -frequent objects of attack; but in this case shackling is useful, as the -horse, unable to escape, faces the hyæna, which instantly bolts. It is an -excellent scavenger, and it has been known to kill and carry off young -children, though the least attempt at pursuit will cause it to drop them. -Many stories are told, too, of its attacking sleeping natives; in this case -it invariably goes for the man's face. Drummond states that he has seen -many men who had been thus mutilated, wanting noses, or with the whole -mouth and lips torn away. This is confirmed by other authors." Drummond -gives an instance of seven cows being mortally injured in a single night by -two hyænas, which attacked them and bit off the udders. Poisoned meat is -the only means to get rid of this abominable animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SPOTTED HYÆNA. - -The jaws of the hyæna are specially made for cracking hones. They will -smash the thigh-bone of a buffalo.] - -Sir Samuel Baker says: "I can safely assert that the bone-cracking power of -this animal is extraordinary. I cannot say that it exceeds the lion or -tiger in the strength of its jaws; but they will leave bones unbroken which -a hyæna will crack in halves. Its powers of digestion are unlimited. It -will swallow and digest a knuckle-bone without giving it a crunch, and will -crack the thigh-bone of a buffalo to obtain the marrow, and swallow either -end immediately after.... I remember that once a hyæna came into our tent -at night. But this was merely a friendly reconnaissance, to see if any -delicacy, such as our shoes, or a saddle, or anything that smelt of -leather, were lying about. It was bright moonlight, and the air was calm. -There was nothing to disturb the stillness. I was awakened from sleep by a -light touch on my sleeve, and my attention was directed by my wife to some -object that had just quitted our tent. I took my rifle from beneath the mat -on which I lay, and, after waiting for a few minutes sitting up in bed, saw -a large form standing in the doorway preparatory to entering. Presently it -walked in cautiously, and immediately fell dead, with a bullet between its -eyes. It proved to be a very large hyæna, an old and experienced -depredator, as it bore countless scars of encounters with other strong -biters of its race." - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -STRIPED HYÆNA. - -This is the Hyæna of Northern Africa, Palestine, and India.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -AARD-WOLF. - -The aard-wolf stands in a family by itself. It is allied to the hyænas, but -is a far feebler animal.] - -The STRIPED HYÆNA is found in India as well as in Africa. In portions of -Abyssinia these animals are so numerous that on the Nile tributaries Sir -Samuel Baker used to hear them cracking the bones after supper every night -just as they had been thrown by the Arabs within a few feet of the deserted -table. In this way they are useful scavengers. - - -THE AARD-WOLF. - -This small African hyæna-like creature stands in a family by itself. The -animal is like a small striped hyæna, with a pointed muzzle, longer ears, -and a kind of mane. It is common all through South and East Africa, where -it lives on carrion, white ants, and lambs and kids. It has not the strong -jaws and teeth of the dog or hyæna family. The colonists commonly hunt and -kill it with fox-terriers. - -[Illustration: _Photo by New York Zoological Society._ - -YOUNG GREY WOLF. - -The grey wolf of North America, which once preyed mainly on young bison -calves, is now a formidable enemy to the increasing flocks of sheep and -herds of cattle in the north and west.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER V. - -_THE DOG FAMILY._ - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green._ - -A GROWING CUB. - -Note how the wolf cub develops the long pasterns, large feet, and long jaw -before its body grows in proportion] - -The tribe now treated is called the Dog Family, and rightly so, for our -domestic dogs are included in the group, which comprises the Wolves, Dogs, -Jackals, Wild Dogs, and Foxes. Their general characters are too familiar to -need description, but it should be noted that the foxes differ from the -dogs in having contracting pupils to the eye (which in bright sun closes -like a cat's to a mere slit) and some power of climbing. The origin of the -domestic dog is still unsettled. - - -THE WOLF. - -This great enemy of man and his dependants--the creature against the -ravages of which almost all the early races of Europe had to combine, -either in tribes, villages, or principalities, to protect their children, -themselves, and their cattle--was formerly found all over the northern -hemisphere, both in the Old and New Worlds. In India it is rather smaller, -but equally fierce and cunning, though, as there are no long winters, it -does not gather in packs. It is still so common in parts of the Rocky -Mountains that the cattle and sheep of the ranch-holders and wild game of -the National Yellowstone Park suffer severely. In Switzerland the ancient -organisations of wolf clubs in the cantons are still maintained. In -Brittany the Grand Louvetier is a government official. Every very hard -winter wolves from the Carpathians and Russia move across the frozen rivers -of Europe even to the forests of the Ardennes and of Fontainebleau. In -Norway they ravage the reindeer herds of the Lapps. Only a few years ago an -artist, his wife, and servant were all attacked on their way to Budapest, -in Hungary, and the man and his wife killed. The last British wolf was -killed in 1680 by Cameron of Lochiel. Wolves are common in Palestine, -Persia, and India. - -Without going back over the well-known history of the species, we will give -some anecdotes of the less commonly known exploits of these fierce and -dangerous brutes. Mr. Kipling's "Jungle Book" has given us an "heroic" -picture of the life of the Indian wolves. There is a great deal of truth in -it. Even the child-stealing by wolves is very probably a fact, for native -opinion is unanimous in crediting it. Babies laid down by their mothers -when working in the fields are constantly carried off and devoured by them, -and stories of their being spared and suckled by the she-wolves are very -numerous. - -Indian wolves hunt in combination, without assembling in large packs. The -following is a remarkable instance, recorded by General Douglas Hamilton: -"When returning with a friend from a trip to the mountain caves of Ellora, -we saw a herd of antelope near a range of low rocky hills; and as there was -a dry nullah, or watercourse, we decided on having a stalk. While creeping -up the nullah, we noticed two animals coming across the plain on our left. -We took them at first for leopards, but then saw that they were wolves. -When they were about 500 yards from the antelope, they lay down quietly. -After about ten minutes or so, the smaller of the two got up and trotted -off to the rocky hills, and suddenly appeared on the ridge, running -backwards and forwards like a Scotch collie dog. The larger wolf, as soon -as he saw that the antelope were fully occupied in watching his companion, -got up and came as hard as he could gallop to the nullah. Unfortunately he -saw us and bolted; and his companion, seeing there was something wrong, did -the same. Now, it is evident that these wolves had regularly planned this -attack. One was to occupy the attention of the antelope, the other to steal -up the watercourse and dash into the midst of them. At another time a -brother-officer of mine was stalking a herd of antelope which were feeding -down a grassy valley, when suddenly a wolf got up before him, and then -another and then another, until fourteen wolves rose out of the grass. They -were extended right across the valley in the shape of a fishing-net or -jelly-bag, so that as soon as the herd had got well into the jelly-bag they -would have rushed on the antelope, and some must have fallen victims to -their attack." They have been known to join in the chase of antelopes by -dogs. Captain Jackson, of the Nizam's service, let his dogs course an -antelope fawn. A wolf jumped up, joined the dogs, and all three seized the -fawn together. He then came up, whipped off the dogs and the wolf, and -secured the fawn, which did not seem hurt. The wolf immediately sat down -and began to howl at the loss of his prey, and in a few moments made a dash -at the officer, but when within a few yards thought better of it, and -recommenced howling. This brought another wolf to his assistance. Both -howled and looked very savage, and seemed inclined to make another dash at -the antelope. But the horse-keepers came up, and the wolves retired. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -WOLF CUBS. - -These are evidently the foster-brothers of Romulus and Remus.] - -The Indian wolf, if a male, stands about 26 inches high at the shoulder. -The length of head and body is 37 inches; tail, 17 inches. - -The same species practically haunts the whole of the world north of the -Himalaya. It varies in colour from almost black to nearly pure white. In -the Hudson Bay fur-sales every variety of colour between these may be seen, -but most are of a tawny brindle. The male grows to a very great size. One -of the largest ever seen in Europe was for years at the London Zoo. It -stood 6 feet high when on its hind legs, and its immense head and jaws -seemed to occupy one-third of the space from nose to tail. Horses are the -main prey of the Northern Wolf. It will kill any living creature, but -horseflesh is irresistible. It either attacks by seizing the flank and -throwing the animal, or bites the hocks. The biting power is immense. It -will tear a solid mass of flesh at one grip from the buttock of a cow or -horse. In the early days of the United States, when Audubon was making his -first trip up the head-waters of the Missouri, flesh of all kinds was -astonishingly abundant on the prairies. Buffalo swarmed, and the Indians -had any quantity of buffalo-meat for the killing. Wolves of very large size -used to haunt the forts and villages, and were almost tame, being well fed -and comfortable. Far different was the case even near St. Petersburg at the -same period. A traveller in 1840 was chased by a pack of wolves so closely -that when the sledge-horses reached the post-house and rushed into the -stable, the doors of which were open, seven of the wolves rushed in after -them. The driver and traveller leaped from the sledge just as it reached -the building, and horses and wolves rushed past them into it. The men then -ran up and closed the doors. Having obtained guns, they opened the roof, -expecting to see that the horses had been killed. Instead all seven wolves -were slinking about beside the terrified horses. All were killed without -resistance. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -WHITE WOLF. - -White wolves are quite common in North America. Recently two white wolves -were brought to the Zoological Gardens from Russia.] - -In Siberia and Russia the wolves in winter are literally starving. -Gathering in packs, they haunt the roads, and chase the sledges with their -unfaltering gallop. Seldom in these days does a human life fall victim; but -in very hard winters sledge-horses are often killed, and now and then a -peasant. Rabies is very common among wolves. They then enter the villages, -biting and snapping at every one. Numbers of patients are sent yearly from -Russia and Hungary to the Pasteur Institutes, after being bitten by rabid -wolves. In Livonia, in 1823, it was stated that the following animals had -been killed by wolves: 15,182 sheep, 1,807 oxen, 1,841 horses, 3,270 goats, -4,190 pigs, 703 dogs, and numbers of geese and fowls. They followed the -Grand Army from Russia to Germany in 1812, and restocked the forests of -Europe with particularly savage wolves. It is said that in the retreat from -Moscow twenty-four French soldiers, with their arms in their hands, were -attacked, killed, and eaten by a pack of wolves. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -PRAIRIE-WOLF, OR COYOTE. - -This is the small, grey, thickly furred species found on the prairies.] - -From very early times special breeds of dogs have been trained to guard -sheep against the attacks of wolves. Some of these were intended to defend -the flock on the spot, others to run down the wolves in the open. The -former are naturally bred to be very large and heavy; the latter, though -they must be strong, are light and speedy. Of the dogs which guard the -flocks several races still survive. Among the most celebrated are those of -Albania and the mountainous parts of Turkey, and the wolf-dogs of Tibet, -generally called Tibetan Bloodhounds. The Tartar shepherds on the steppes -near the Caucasus also keep a very large and ferocious breed of dog. All -these are of the mastiff type, but have long, thick hair. When the -shepherds of Albania or Mount Rhodope are driving their flocks along the -mountains to the summer pastures, they sometimes travel a distance of 200 -miles. During this march the dogs act as flankers and scouts by day and -night, and do battle with the wolves, which know quite well the routes -along which the sheep usually pass, and are on the look-out to pick up -stragglers or raid the flock. The Spanish shepherds employ a large white -shaggy breed of dog as guards against wolves. These dogs both lead the -sheep and bring up the rear in the annual migration of the flocks to and -from the summer pastures. In the west of America, now that sheep-ranching -on a large scale has been introduced, wolf-dogs are bred to live entirely -with the sheep. They are suckled when puppies by the ewes instead of by -their own mothers, and become as it were a part of the flock. - -Colonel Theodore Roosevelt gives an interesting account of wolf-coursing in -Russia, in an article contributed to "The Encyclopædia of Sport" (Lawrence -& Bullen). "In Russia the sport is a science," he writes. "The princes and -great landowners who take part in it have their hunting-equipages equipped -perfectly to the smallest detail. Not only do they follow wolves in the -open, but they capture them and let them out before dogs, like hares in a -closed coursing-meeting. The huntsman follows his hounds on horseback. -(These hounds are the Borzoi, white giant greyhounds, now often seen in -England.) Those in Russia show signs of reversion to the type of the Irish -wolf-hound, dogs weighing something like 100 lbs., of remarkable power, and -of reckless and savage temper. Now three or four dogs are run together. -They are not expected to kill the wolf, but merely to hold him.... The -Borzois can readily overtake and master partly grown wolves, but a -full-grown dog-wolf, in good trim, will usually gallop away from them." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -"THE WOLF WITH PRIVY PAW." - -The photograph shows admirably the slinking gait and long stride of the -wolf.] - -A number of these Borzoi dogs have been imported into America, and are used -to course wolves in the Western States. But there professional wolf-hunters -are employed to kill off the creatures near the ranches. One such hunter -lives near Colonel Roosevelt's ranche on the Little Missouri. His pack of -large dogs will tear in pieces the biggest wolf without aid from the -hunter. Of his own efforts in wolf-coursing he writes: "We generally -started for the hunting-ground very early, riding across the open country -in a widely spread line of dogs and men. If we put up a wolf, we simply -went at him as hard as we knew how. Young wolves, or those which had not -attained their full strength, were readily overtaken, and the pack would -handle a she-wolf quite readily. A big dog-wolf, or even a full-grown and -powerful she-wolf, offered an altogether different problem. Frequently we -came upon one after it had gorged itself on a colt or a calf. Under such -conditions, if the dogs had a good start, they ran into the wolf and held -him.... Packs composed of nothing but specially bred and trained greyhounds -of great size and power made a better showing. Under favourable -circumstances three or four of these dogs readily overtook and killed the -largest wolf.... Their dashing courage and ferocious fighting capacity were -marvellous, and in this respect I was never able to see much difference -between the smooth and rough--the Scotch deerhound or the greyhound type." - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -RUSSIAN WOLF. - -This is a most characteristic photograph of one of the so-called "greyhound -wolves" of the Russian forests.] - -Wolf cubs are born in April or May. The litter is from four to nine. There -was one of six a few years ago at the Zoological Gardens at the Hague, -pretty little creatures like collie puppies, but quarrelsome and rough even -in their play. When born, they were covered with reddish-white down; later -the coat became woolly and dark. - -The European wolf's method of hunting when in chase of deer is by steady -pursuit. Its speed is such and its endurance so great that it can overtake -any animal. But there is no doubt that the favourite food of the wolf is -mutton, which it can always obtain without risk on the wild mountains of -the Near East, if once the guardian dogs are avoided. M. Tschudi, the -naturalist of the Alps, gives a curious account of the assemblage of wolves -in Switzerland in 1799. They had, as is mentioned above, followed the -armies from Russia. Having tasted human flesh, they preferred it to all -other, and even dug up the corpses. The Austrian, French, and Russian -troops penetrated in 1799 into the highest mountain valleys of Switzerland, -and fought sanguinary battles there. Hundreds of corpses were left on the -mountains and in the forests, which acted as bait to the wolves, which were -not destroyed for some years. - -Wolves will interbreed with dogs readily, which the red fox will not. The -progeny do not bark, but howl. The Eskimo cross their dogs with wolves to -give them strength. - - -THE COYOTE, OR PRAIRIE-WOLF. - -Besides the large grey wolf, a smaller and less formidable animal is common -on the prairies and mountains of the northern half of the continent of -America. This is the Coyote. It takes the place of the hyæna as a -scavenger, but has some of the habits of the fox. It catches birds and -buck-rabbits, and feeds on insects, as well as small rodents like -prairie-dogs and mice. Its melancholy howls make night hideous on the -northern prairies, and it is the steady foe of all young creatures, such as -the fawns of prong-horned antelope and deer. Its skin, like that of most -northern carnivora, is thick and valuable for fur wraps. The coyotes -assemble in packs like jackals. - -In the National Park in the Yellowstone Valley grey wolves and coyotes are -the only animals which it is absolutely necessary to destroy. As the deer -and antelope and other game increased under State protection, the wolves -and coyotes drew towards a quarter where there were no hunters and a good -supply of food. It was soon found that the increase of the game was -checked. The coyotes used to watch the hinds when about to drop their -calves, and usually succeeded in killing them. The large grey wolves killed -the hinds themselves, and generally made life most unpleasant for the -dwellers in this paradise. Orders were issued to kill off all the wolves by -any means. Poison was found to be the best remedy; but in the winter, when -all the game descended into the valleys, the wolves found so much fresh -food in the carcases of the animals they killed for themselves that they -would not eat very eagerly of the poisoned baits. The coyotes were killed -off fairly closely, as they are less able to obtain living prey; but the -grey wolves are constantly reinforced from the mountains, and are a -permanent enemy to be coped with. - -A curious instance of change of habit in wolves on the American prairies -was recently noted in the _Spectator_. Formerly they followed the caravans; -now they come down to the great transcontinental railways, and haunt the -line to obtain food. Each train which crosses the prairie is, like a ship, -full of provisions. Three meals a day take place regularly, and these are -not stinted. The black cooks throw all the waste portions--beef-bones, -other bones, stale bread, and trimmings--overboard. The wolves have learnt -that the passing of a train means food, and when they hear one they gallop -down to the line, and wait like expectant dogs in the hope of picking up a -trifle. The coyotes come close to the metals, and sit like terriers, with -their sharp noses pricked up. The big grey wolves also appear in the early -morning, standing on the snow, over which the chill wind of winter blows, -gaunt and hungry images of winter and famine. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -A WOLF OF THE CARPATHIANS. - -This wolf is a shorter and more heavily built specimen than the Russian -wolf on the previous page.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -INDIAN WOLF. - -This photograph shows the Indian wolf alarmed. It has a reputation for -stealing children as well as killing cattle.] - -Some years ago experiments were made at the Regent's Park Zoological -Gardens to ascertain if there were any foundation for the old legends that -wolves feared the sound of stringed instruments such as the violin. Every -one will remember the story of the fiddler pursued by wolves. It is said -that as the pack overtook him he broke a string of his instrument, and that -the sudden noise of the parting cord caused the pack to stand still for a -minute, and so enabled him to reach a tree, which he climbed. Further, that -when he improved on the hint so given, and played his fiddle, the wolves -all sat still; when he left off, they leapt up and tried to reach him. -Experiments with the Zoo wolves showed that there was no doubt whatever -that the low minor chords played on a violin cause the greatest fear and -agitation in wolves, both European and Indian. The instrument was first -played behind the den of an Indian wolf, and out of sight. At the first -sound the wolf began to tremble, erected its fur, dropped its tail between -its legs, and crept uneasily across its den. As the sounds grew louder and -more intense, the wolf trembled so violently, and showed such physical -evidence of being dominated by excessive fright, that the keeper begged -that the experiment might be discontinued, or the creature would have a -fit. A large European wolf is described in "Life at the Zoo" as having -exhibited its dislike of the music in a different way. It set up all its -fur till it looked much larger than its ordinary size, and drew back its -lips until all the white teeth protruding from the red gums were shown. It -kept silent till the violin-player approached it; then it flew at him with -a ferocious growl, and tried to seize him. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -WOLF'S HEAD. - -A very fine study of the head, jaws, and teeth of a female wolf. The head -of the male is much larger.] - -There are instances of wolves having been quite successfully tamed, and -developing great affection for their owners. They are certainly more -dog-like than any fox; yet even the fox has been tamed so far as to become -a domesticated animal for the lifetime of one particular individual. An -extraordinary instance of this was lately given in _Country Life_, with a -photograph of the fox. It was taken when a cub, and brought up at a large -country house with a number of dogs. Among these were three terriers, with -which it made friends. There were plenty of wild foxes near, some of which -occasionally laid up in the laurels in a shrubbery not far from the house. -These laurels were, in fact, a fairly safe find for a fox. It was the -particular sport of the terriers to be taken to "draw" this bit of cover, -and to chase out any fox in it. On these expeditions the tame fox -invariably accompanied them, and took an active part in the chase, pursuing -the wild fox as far as the terriers were able to maintain the hunt. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -RUSSIAN WOLF. - -Note the expression of fear and ferocity on the face of this wolf; also the -enormously powerful jaws.] - -In Central Asia the wolves lie out singly on the steppes during the summer, -and feed on the young antelopes and the lambs and kids of the Tartars' -flocks. The Kirghiz organise wolf-killing parties, to which as many mounted -men and dogs come as can be brought together. In order to aid the dogs, the -Tartars often employ eagles trained to act like falcons, which sit on the -arm of the owner. As the eagle is too heavy to be carried for any time in -this way, a crutch is fastened to the left side of the saddle, on which the -bearer of the falcon rests his arm. When a wolf is sighted, the eagle is -loosed, and at once flies after the wolf, and overtakes it in a short time, -striking at its head and eyes with its talons, and buffeting it with its -wings. This attack so disconcerts the wolf that it gives time for the dogs -to come up and seize it. - -The habits of the Siberian wolf are rather different from those in West -Russia, and the settlers and nomad Tartars of Siberia are far more -adventurous and energetic in defending themselves against its ravages than -the peasants of European Russia. Being mounted, they also have a great -advantage in the pursuit. The result is that Siberian wolves seldom appear -in large packs, and very rarely venture to attack man. Yet the damage they -do to the flocks and herds which constitute almost the only property of the -nomad tribes is very severe. - -Both the Russians and Siberians believe that when a she-wolf is suckling -her young she carefully avoids attacking flocks in the neighbourhood of the -place where the cubs lie, but that if she be robbed of her whelps she -revenges herself by attacking the nearest flock. On this account the -Siberian peasants rarely destroy a litter, but hamstring the young wolves -and then catch them when partly grown, and kill them for the sake of their -fur. Among the ingenious methods used for shooting wolves in Siberia is -that of killing them from sledges. A steady horse is harnessed to a sledge, -and the driver takes his seat in front as usual. Behind sit two men armed -with guns, and provided with a small pig, which is induced to squeak often -and loudly. In the rear of the sledge a bag of hay is trailed on a long -rope. Any wolf in the forest near which hears the pig concludes that it is -a young wild one separated from its mother. Seeing the hay-bag trailing -behind the sledge in the dusk, it leaps out to seize it, and is shot by the -passengers sitting on the back seat of the sledge. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -NORTH AFRICAN JACKAL. - -This is the common jackal of Cairo and Lower Egypt.] - - -THE JACKAL. - -Of the Wild Canine Family, the JACKAL is the next in numbers and importance -to the wolves. Probably in the East it is the most numerous of any. In -India, Egypt, and Syria it regularly haunts the outskirts of cities, and -lives on refuse. In the Indian plains wounded animals are also killed by -the jackals. At night the creatures assemble in packs, and scour the -outskirts of the cities. Horrible are the howlings and weird the cries of -these hungry packs. In Ceylon they live in the hills and open country like -foxes, and kill the hares. When taken young jackals can be tamed, and have -all the manners of a dog. They wag their tails, fawn on their master, roll -over and stick up their paws, and could probably be domesticated in a few -generations, were it worth while. They eat fruits and vegetables, such as -melons and pumpkins, eagerly. - -In Africa two species are found--the BLACK-BACKED JACKAL and the STRIPED -JACKAL; the former is the size of a large English fox. The young jackals -are born in holes or earths; six seems to be the usual number of puppies. -They have nearly always a back door by which they can escape; this is just -large enough for the puppies to squeeze through, whatever their size. When -fox-terriers are put into the earth, the jackal puppies fly out of their -back doors, through which, as a rule, the terriers are unable to follow -them. Should there be no one outside, the puppies race out on to the veldt -as hard as they can go. This jackal is terribly destructive to sheep and -lambs in the Colony. A reward of 7s. 6d. per tail is paid to the Kaffirs -for killing them. The SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL is a Central African species, -said to hunt in packs, to interbreed with domestic dogs, and to be most -easily tamed. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -INDIAN JACKAL. - -This Indian Jackal might be sitting for his portrait in Mr. Rudyard -Kipling's tale of the "undertakers"--the jackal, alligator, and adjutant.] - -Both in India and South Africa the jackal has been found to be of some -service to the white man by providing him with a substitute for the fox to -hunt. It has quite as remarkable powers of endurance as the fox, though it -does not fight in the same determined way when the hounds overtake it. But -it is not easy to estimate the courage of a fox when in difficulties. The -writer has known one, when coursed by two large greyhounds, to disable both -almost instantaneously. One was bitten across the muzzle, the other through -the foot. The fox escaped without a bite from either. In India the hounds -used are drafts from English packs. The hot weather does not suit them, and -they are seldom long-lived; but while they are in health they will run a -jackal across the Indian plains as gaily as they would a fox over the -Hampshire Downs. The meet is very early in the morning, as the scent then -lies, and riding is not too great an exertion. The ground drawn is not the -familiar English covert, but fields, watercourses, and old buildings. A -strong dog-jackal goes away at a great pace, and as the ground is open the -animal is often in view for the greater part of the run; but it keeps well -ahead of the hounds often for three or four miles, and if it does not -escape into a hole or ruin is usually pulled down by them. Major-General R. -S. S. Baden-Powell has written and illustrated an amusing account of his -days with the fox-hounds of South Africa hunting jackals. The local Boer -farmers, rough, unkempt, and in ragged trousers, used to turn up smoking -their pipes to enjoy the sport with the smartly got-up English officers. -When once the game was found, they were just as excited as the Englishmen, -and on their Boer ponies rode just as hard, and with perhaps more judgment. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -MANED WOLF. - -A South American animal; its coat is a chestnut-red.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -TURKISH JACKAL. - -This jackal is common in both Turkey in Europe and in Asia. Near -Constantinople it feeds largely on the bodies buried in the cemeteries at -Scutari.] - -Jackals are said to be much increasing in South Africa since the outbreak -of the war. The fighting has so far arrested farming operations that the -war usually maintained on all beasts which destroy cattle or sheep has been -allowed to drop. In parts of the more hilly districts both the jackal and -the leopard are reappearing where they have not been common for years, and -it will take some time before these enemies of the farmer are destroyed. - - -THE MANED WOLF. - -This is by far the largest of several peculiar South American species of -the Dog Family which we have not room to mention. It occurs in Paraguay and -adjoining regions, and is easily distinguishable by its long limbs and -large ears. It is chestnut-red in colour, with the lower part of the legs -black, and is solitary in its habits. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -WILD DOG. - -These animals range from the plains of India and Burma to the Tibetan -Plateau and Siberia. They hunt in small packs, usually by day, and are very -destructive to game, but seldom attack domestic animals.] - - -THE WILD DOG OF AFRICA, OR CAPE HUNTING-DOG. - -This is a most interesting creature, differing from the true dogs in having -only four toes on both fore and hind feet, and in being spotted like a -hyæna. These dogs are the scourge of African game, hunting in packs. Long -of limb and swift of foot, incessantly restless, with an overpowering -desire to snap and bite from mere animal spirits, the Cape wild dog, even -when in captivity and attached to its master, is an intractable beast. In -its native state it kills the farmers' cattle and sheep and the largest -antelopes. A pack has been seen to kill and devour to the last morsel a -large buck in fifteen minutes. Drummond says: "It is a marvellous sight to -see a pack of them hunting, drawing cover after cover, their sharp -bell-like note ringing through the air, while a few of the fastest of their -number take up their places along the expected line of the run, the wind, -the nature of the ground, and the habits of the game being all taken into -consideration with wonderful skill." The same writer says that he has seen -them dash into a herd of cattle feeding not a hundred yards from the house, -drive out a beast, disappear over a rising ground, kill it, and pick its -bones before a horse could be saddled and ridden to the place. - - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -DINGO. - -The wild dog of Australia. It was found there by the first discoverers, but -was probably introduced from elsewhere.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Kerry & Co._] [_Sydney._ - -DINGOES. - -The destruction done to the flocks of the settlers by the dingoes caused -the latter to combine and almost to destroy these wild dogs.] - - -THE INDIAN WILD DOGS. - -Mr. Rudyard Kipling's stories of the "Dhole," the red dogs of the Indian -jungle, have made the world familiar with these ferocious and wonderfully -bold wild dogs. There is very little doubt that they were found in historic -times in Asia Minor. Possibly the surviving stories of the "Gabriel hounds" -and other ghostly packs driving deer alone in the German and Russian -forests, tales which remain even in remote parts of England, are a survival -of the days when the wild dogs lived in Europe. At present there is one -species of long-haired wild dog in West Central Siberia. These dogs killed -nearly all the deer in the large forests near Omsk some years ago. Across -the Himalaya there are several species, one of them as far east as Burma; -but the most famous are the RED DOGS OF THE DECCAN. They frequent both the -jungles and the hills; but their favourite haunt is the uplands of the -Indian Ghats. They are larger than a jackal, much stronger, and hunt in -packs. They have only ten teeth on each side, instead of eleven, as in the -other dogs and foxes. There is no doubt that these fierce hunting-dogs -actually take prey from the tiger's jaws, and probably attack the tiger -itself. They will beset a tiger at any time, and the latter seems to have -learnt from them an instinctive fear of dogs. Not so the leopard, which, -being able to climb, has nothing to fear even from the "dhole." A -coffee-planter, inspecting his grounds, heard a curious noise in the forest -bordering his estate. On going round the corner of a thick bush, he almost -trod on the tail of a tiger standing with his back towards him. He silently -retreated, but as he did so he saw that there was a pack of wild dogs a few -paces in front of the tiger, yelping at him, and making the peculiar noise -which had previously attracted his attention. Having procured a rifle, he -returned with some of his men to the spot. The tiger was gone, but they -disturbed a large pack of wild dogs feeding on the body of a stag. This, on -examination, proved to have been killed by the tiger, for there were the -marks of the teeth in its neck. The dogs had clearly driven the tiger from -his prey and appropriated it. The dread of the tiger for these wild dogs -was discovered by the sportsmen of the Nilgiri Hills, and put to a good -use. They used to collect scratch packs and hunt up tigers in the woods. -The tiger, thinking they were the dreaded wild pack, would either leave -altogether or scramble into a tree. As tigers never do this ordinarily, it -shows how wild dogs get on their nerves. - -Several South American wild dogs and foxes are included in the series with -the wolves and jackals. Among these are AZARA'S DOG and the RACCOON-DOG. -These are commonly called foxes, though they have wolf-like skulls. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -CAPE HUNTING-DOG. - -This animal hunts in packs. It is very active and most destructive to large -game of many kinds.] - - -THE DINGO. - -The only non-marsupial animal of Australia when the continent was -discovered was the WILD DOG, or DINGO. Its origin is not known; but as soon -as the settlers' flocks and herds began to increase its ravages were most -serious, though doubtless some of the havoc with which it was accredited -was due in a great measure to runaways from domestication. Anyhow, in the -dingo the settlers found the most formidable enemy with which they had to -contend, and vigorous measures were taken to reduce their numbers and -minimise their ravages, so that by now they are nearly exterminated in Van -Diemen's Land and rare on the mainland of Australia. - -It is a fine, bold dog, of considerable size, generally long-coated, of a -light tan colour, and with pricked-up ears. It is easily tamed, and some of -those kept in this country have made affectionate pets. Puppies are -regularly bred and sold at the Zoological Gardens. The animal has an -elongated, flat head which is carried high; the fur is soft, and the tail -bushy. In the wild state it is very muscular and fierce. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin._ - -HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. - -This photograph shows the most active climber of the two Himalayan bears.] - -THE FOXES. - -FOXES form a very well-marked group. They have very pointed muzzles, strong -though slightly built bodies, very fine thick fur, often beautifully -coloured and very valuable, bushy tails, pricked-up ears, and eyes with -pupils which contract by day into a mere slit. They are quite distinct from -dogs (although wolves are not), and will not interbreed, though stories are -told to the contrary. The smell of a fox is disgusting to a dog, and quite -sufficient to distinguish it. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -FOX CUBS. - -Fox cubs are born from March 25 till three weeks later, the time when young -rabbits, their best food, are most numerous.] - -If the present writer takes a simpler view of the kinds and species of -foxes than that adopted by many naturalists, he must plead to a study of -the subject on slightly different lines than those usually followed. The -skins of all foxes are valuable, some more than others. But they are sent -in hundreds of thousands, and from all parts of the northern hemisphere, to -London to the great fur-sales. There these differences can be studied as -they can be studied nowhere else. As the habits and structure of foxes are -much alike, allowing for differences of climate, and the discrepancies in -size, not more than can be accounted for by abundance or scarcity of food, -it seems pretty certain that these animals are some of the few, almost -alone among mammals, showing almost every variety of colouring, from black -to white, from splendid chameleon-red to salmon-pink, and many exquisite -shades of brown, grey, and silver. At the Hudson Bay Company's sales you -may see them all, and trace the differences and gradations over whole -continents. The most important are those of North America. There the RED -CANADIAN FOX, of a ruddier hue than brown, shades off into the yellow and -grey CROSS FOX of farther north. But of these there are many varieties. -Then farther north still comes an area where red foxes, cross foxes, and -black foxes are found. The black fox, when the fur is slightly sprinkled -with white, is the famous SILVER FOX. This and the black fox are also found -in North Siberia and Manchuria. Farthest north we find the little stunted -ARCTIC FOXES. In the Caucasus and Central Asia large yellowish-red foxes -live, and in Japan and China a very bright red variety. A small grey fox -lives in Virginia, and is hunted with hounds descended from packs taken out -before the American Revolution. India has its small DESERT-FOXES ("the -little foxes that eat the grapes") and the BENGAL FOX. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -MOUNTAIN-FOX. - -In hilly countries the fox becomes a powerful and destructive animal, -killing not only game but lambs.] - -The value of the foxes as fur-bearing animals is immense. Only white, blue, -and black skins seem to be appreciated in England. The black fox has been -known to fetch 150 guineas a skin. But in the East, from Asia Minor to -China, red, grey, and yellow fox-skins are the lining of every rich man's -winter wraps. Splendid mixed robes are made by the Chinese by inserting -portions of cross fox-skins into coats of cut sable, giving the idea that -it is the fur of a new animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -LEICESTERSHIRE FOX. - -Leicestershire is the best fox-hunting county in England. The foxes are -famous for their speed and endurance.] - -The COMMON FOX, the foundation or type of all the above, is the best-known -carnivorous animal in this country. Abroad its habits do not greatly -differ, except that, not being hunted much with hounds, it is less -completely nocturnal. It drops its young in an earth early in April. -Thither the vixen carries food till late in June, when the cubs come out, -and often move to a wood or a corn-field. There they are still fed, but -learn to do a little on their own account by catching mice and moles. By -late September the hounds come cub-hunting, partly to kill off superfluous -foxes, partly to educate the young hounds, and to teach the foxes to fear -them and to make them leave cover easily. Four or five cubs in a litter are -commonly seen. The distance which a fox will run is extraordinary. The -following is a true account of one of the most remarkable runs ever known. -The hounds were those of Mr. Tom Smith, master of the Hambledon Hunt. He -was the man of whom another famous sportsman said that if he were a fox he -should prefer to be hunted by a pack of hounds rather than by Tom Smith -with a stick in his hand. The fox was found in a cover called Markwells, at -one o'clock in the afternoon in December, near Petersfield. It crossed into -Sussex, and ran into an earth in Grafham Hill a little before dark. The fox -had gone twenty-seven miles. The hounds had forty miles to go back to -kennel that night, and three only found their way home four days -afterwards. Dog-foxes assemble in considerable numbers when a vixen is -about in spring, and at all times common foxes are sociable creatures, -though not actually living in societies. Sometimes as many as five or six -are found in a single earth. Two years ago five foxes and a badger were -found in one near Romford. They eat mice, beetles, rats, birds, game, -poultry, and frogs. Their favourite food is rabbits. If there are plenty of -these, they will not touch other game. They hunt along the railway-lines -for dead birds killed by the telegraph-wires. In the New Forest they also -go down to the shore and pick up dead fish. One in the writer's possession -was shot when carrying away a lamb from a sheepfold near the cliffs of -Sidmouth, in Devon. The shepherd thought it was a marauding dog, and lay in -wait with a gun. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -TOO DIFFICULT! - -Foxes can easily climb trees with small projecting branches. One was found -87 feet up a tree in Savernake Forest; but a branchless stump such as that -here shown no fox could climb.] - - -THE ARCTIC FOX. - -[Illustration: _Photos by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -ARCTIC FOX. - -_In summer._ _Changing his coat._ _In winter._ - -The Arctic Fox is one of the few animals showing different phases of -colour, some being blue at all seasons, while others are white in winter -and mottled brownish in summer.] - -The ARCTIC FOX is somewhat different in habits from others. It is also much -smaller than the red foxes. Its fur is almost as soft as eiderdown, and so -thick that the cold does not penetrate. In winter the whole coat changes -colour, not gradually, but in patches. At the same time a dense growth of -under-fur comes up on the body. In summer this is shed in patches, almost -like loose felt. The foxes live in colonies, but are so hard put to it for -food in the winter that they desert their homes to gather round -whaling-ships or encampments. There they steal everything edible, from -snowshoe-thongs to seal-flesh. Blue foxes are bred and kept for the sake of -their fur on some of the islands in Bering Sea. They are fed on the flesh -of the seals killed on the neighbouring islands, and are, like them, killed -when their coat is in condition. - - -THE FENNECS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -FENNEC-FOX. - -Remarkable for the great size of the ears. An African species. Its sense of -hearing is probably very acute.] - -Africa has a group of small foxes of its own. They have very large ears and -dark eyes. Some of them remind us of the Maholis and other large-eyed -lemuroids. Several are not more than 9 or 10 inches long; they are a -whitish-khaki colour, but the eyes are very dark and brilliant. - -The COMMON FENNEC is found over the whole of Africa. Its favourite food is -dates and any sweet fruit, but it is also fond of eggs, and will eat mice -and insects. It is probably the original hero of the story of the fox and -the grapes. The large-eared fennec, which is sometimes called the SILVER -FOX, is found from the Cape to as far north as Abyssinia. It is 23 inches -long, and lives mainly on insects and fruit. - - -DOMESTIC DOGS. - -BY C. H. LANE. - -The DOG, almost without exception, shows a marked liking for the society of -human beings, and adapts itself to their ways more than any other animal. - -Fox-, Stag-, and Hare-hounds--the latter better known as Hariers and -Beagles--have many points in common, much beauty of shape and colour, and -great suitability for their work, though differing in some other -particulars. - -Another group--Greyhounds, Whippets, Irish Wolf-hounds, Scottish -Deer-hounds, all of which come under the category of Gaze-hounds, or those -which hunt by sight--are built for great speed, to enable them to cope with -the fleet game they pursue. In the same group should be included the -BORZOI, or Russian Wolf-hound, now very popular in this country, with -something of the appearance of the Scottish deer-hound about it as to -shape, but with a finer, longer head, deeper body, more muscular limbs, and -shaggier in the hair on body and tail. - -The OTTER-HOUND is one of the most picturesque of all the hound tribe. This -variety somewhat reminds one of a large and leggy Dandie Dinmont terrier, -with a touch of the blood-hound, and is thought to have been originally -produced from a cross between these or similar varieties. - -The BLOOD-HOUND is another, with much style and beauty of shape, colour, -and character about it which cannot fail to favourably impress any -beholder. The matches or trials which have of late years been held in -different localities have been most interesting in proving its ability for -tracking footsteps for long distances, merely following them by scent, some -time after the person hunted started on the trail. By the kindness of my -friend Mr. E. Brough, I am able to give as an illustration a portrait of -what he considers the best blood-hound ever bred. - -[Illustration: _Photo by F. H. Dembrey_] [_Bristol._ - -STAG-HOUND PUPPIES. - -This gives an interesting group of hounds in kennel.] - -Much valued by sportsmen with the gun are POINTERS, so called from their -habit of remaining in a fixed position when their quarry is discovered, -eagerly pointing in its direction until the arrival of the guns. They are -most often white, with liver, lemon, or black markings; but occasionally -self colours, such as liver or black, are met with. They have been largely -bred in the west of England. I have been fortunate in obtaining one of Mr. -E. C. Norrish's celebrated strain as a typical specimen for illustration. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -GREYHOUND. - -A typical specimen of this elegant variety.] - -The SETTER group, which comprises three varieties, are all useful and -beautiful in their way. The English are usually white, with markings or -tickings of blue, lemon, or black; they are rather long and narrow in the -head, with bodies and sterns well feathered, and are graceful and active -movers. Gordon setters, which are always black and tan in colour, and -preferred without any white, are generally larger and stronger in build -than the last-named. Irish setters are more on the lines of the English, -being a rich tawny red in colour, rather higher on the leg, with narrow -skulls, glossy coats, feathered legs and stern, ears set low and lying -back, and lustrous, expressive eyes. - -RETRIEVERS may be divided into flat-coated and curly-coated. Both are -usually black, but other colours are occasionally seen. The coats of the -first-named are full, but without curl in them; while the latter have their -bodies, heads, legs, thighs, and even tails covered with small close curls. -The eyes of both should be dark, and the ears carried closely to the sides -of the head. In an article dealing with retrievers, which appeared in the -_Cornhill Magazine_ under the title of "Dogs which Earn their Living," the -author writes: "There is not the slightest doubt that in the modern -retrievers acquired habits, certainly one acquired habit, that of fetching -dead and wounded game, are transmitted directly. The puppies sometimes -retrieve without being taught, though with this they also combine a greatly -improved capacity for further teaching. Recently a retriever was sent after -a winged partridge which had run into a ditch. The dog followed it some way -down the ditch, and presently came out with an old rusty tea-kettle, held -in its mouth by the handle. The kettle was taken from the dog, amid much -laughter; then it was found that inside the kettle was the partridge! The -explanation was that the bird, when wounded, ran into the ditch, which was -narrow. In the ditch was the old kettle, with no lid on. Into this the bird -crept; and as the dog could not get the bird out, it very properly brought -out the kettle with the bird in it. Among dogs which earn their living, -these good retrievers deserve a place in the front rank." The illustration -shows a good flat-coated retriever at work. - -The SPANIEL group is rather large, including the English and Irish -water-spaniels, the former an old-fashioned, useful sort, often liver or -roan, with some white or other markings, and a good deal of curl in the -coat and on the ears. His Irish brother is always some shade of liver in -colour, larger in the body and higher on the leg, covered with a curly -coat, except on the tail, which is nearly bare of hair, with a profusion of -hair on the top of the head, often hanging down over the eyes, giving a -comical appearance, and increasing his Hibernian expression. They make -lively, affectionate companions and grand assistants at waterfowl-shooting. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -RETRIEVER. - -This represents a flat-coated retriever at work, and is remarkably true to -life.] - -[Illustration: BLOOD-HOUND. - -This photograph shows what an almost perfect blood-hound should be like.] - -CLUMBER SPANIELS are always a creamy white, with lemon or light tan -markings, and are rather slow and deliberate in their movements, but have a -stylish, high-class look about them. - -SUSSEX SPANIELS are also rather heavy in build and of muscular frame, but -can do a day's work with most others. They are a rich copper-red in colour, -with low short bodies, long feathered ears, full eyes of deep colour, and -are very handsome. - -BLACK SPANIELS should be glossy raven-black in colour, with strong muscular -bodies on strong short legs, long pendulous ears, and expressive eyes. Good -specimens are in high favour, and command long prices. I regret I cannot -find room for an illustration of this breed, so deservedly popular. - -COCKERS, which are shorter in the back, higher on the leg, and lighter in -weight, being usually under 25 lbs., are very popular, full of life, and -very attractive in appearance. - -BASSET-HOUNDS, both rough- and smooth-coated, are probably the most -muscular dogs in existence of their height, with much dignity about them. -In the Sporting Teams at the Royal Agricultural Hall there were some -thirteen or fifteen teams of all kinds of sporting dogs, and of these a -team each of rough and smooth bassets was in the first four. - -DACHSHUNDS are often erroneously treated as Sporting Dogs. There are -certainly not so many supporters of the breed as formerly. Their lean -heads, with long hanging ears, long low bodies, and crooked fore legs, give -them a quaint appearance. The colours are usually shades of chestnut-red or -black and tan; but some are seen chocolate and "dappled," which is one -shade of reddish brown, with spots and blotches of a darker shade all over -it. - -[Illustration: ENGLISH SETTER. - -A typical but rather coarse specimen of a beautiful variety.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -SMOOTH-COATED SAINT BERNARD. - -The illustration gives a capital idea of these handsome dogs.] - -GREAT DANES, though mostly classed amongst Non-sporting Dogs, have much of -the hound in their bearing and appearance. The whole-coloured are not so -popular as the various shades of brindle and harlequin, but I have seen -many beautiful fawns, blues, and other whole colours. They are being bred -with small natural drooping ears. One of the first I remember seeing -exhibited was a large harlequin belonging to the late Mr. Frank Adcock, -with the appropriate name of "Satan," as, although always shown muzzled, he -required the attentions of three or four keepers to deal with him; and at -one show I attended he overpowered his keepers, got one of them on the -ground, tore his jacket off, and gave him a rough handling. - - -NON-SPORTING VARIETIES. - -SAINT BERNARDS, although sometimes exceeding 3 feet at the shoulder, are as -a rule very docile and good-tempered, and many are owned by ladies. The -coat may be rough or smooth, according to taste; but either are splendid -animals. They are sometimes seen self-coloured, but those with -markings--shades of rich red, with white and black, for preference--are the -handsomest. They are still used as "first aids" in the snow on the Swiss -mountains. So far as I remember, this is the only breed of dog used for -stud and exhibition for which as much as £1,500 has been paid; and this has -occurred on more than one occasion. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -GREAT DANE. - -This shows a typical specimen of this breed, with cropped ears, which will -be discontinued in show dogs.] - -NEWFOUNDLANDS have regained their place in popularity, and many good blacks -and black-and-whites can now be seen. Numerous cases are on record of their -rendering aid to persons in danger of drowning, and establishing -communication with wrecked vessels and the shore. - -MASTIFFS are looked on as one of the national breeds. Their commanding -presence and stately manner make them highly suitable as guards, and they -are credited with much attachment and devotion to their owners. The colours -are mostly shades of fawn with black muzzle, or shades of brindle. I am -able to give the portrait of one of the best specimens living, belonging to -Mr. R. Leadbetter. - -BULL-DOGS are also regarded as a national breed. They are at present in -high favour. The sizes and colours are so various that all tastes can be -satisfied. Recently there has been a fancy for toy bull-dogs, limited to 22 -lbs. in weight, mostly with upright ears of tulip shape. In spite of the -many aspersions on their character, bull-dogs are usually easy-going and -good-tempered, and are often very fastidious feeders--what fanciers call -"bad doers." - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -DACHSHUND. - -The photograph conveys a fair idea of those quaint dogs.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Kitchener Portrait Co._ - -DALMATIANS. - -All are typical, but the first is the best in quality and markings.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -NEWFOUNDLAND. - -The dog shown here gives a good idea of size and character, but is not in -best coat.] - -ROUGH COLLIES are very graceful, interesting creatures, and stand first in -intelligence amongst canines. They are highly popular. Several have been -sold for over £1,000, and the amounts in prize-money and fees obtained by -some of the "cracks" would surprise persons not in "the fancy." A high-bred -specimen "in coat" is most beautiful. The colours most favoured are sables -with white markings; but black, white, and tans, known as "tricolors," are -pleasing and effective. I quite hoped to give a portrait of one of the most -perfect of present-day champions, belonging to H.H. the Princess de -Montglyon, but could not find room. - -SMOOTH COLLIES are a handsome breed, full of grace, beauty, and -intelligence, and very active and lively. A favourite colour is merle, a -sort of lavender, with black markings and tan and white in parts, usually -associated with one or both eyes china-coloured. Specimens often win in -sheep-dog trials; a bitch of mine won many such, and was more intelligent -in other ways than many human beings. - -OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOGS are a most fascinating breed, remarkably active, -possessed of much endurance and resource, and very faithful and -affectionate. I have often made long journeys through cross-country roads -accompanied by one or more of them, and never knew them miss me, even on -the darkest night or in the crowded streets of a large town. The favourite -colour is pigeon-blue, with white collar and markings. The coat should be -straight and hard in texture. The illustration is from a portrait of one of -the best bitches ever shown, belonging to Sir H. de Trafford. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -BULL-DOGS. - -The photograph is remarkably good and characteristic of this variety.] - -DALMATIANS are always white, with black, liver, or lemon spots, the size of -a shilling or less, evenly distributed over the body, head, ears, and even -tail, and pure, without mixture of white. There is much of the pointer -about this variety, which has long been used for sporting purposes on the -continent of Europe. I can testify to their many good qualities as -companions and house-dogs. To quote again from the article above mentioned: -"It is commonly believed that the spotted carriage-dogs once so frequently -kept in England were about the most useless creatures of the dog kind, -maintained only for show and fashion. This is a mistake. They were used at -a time when a travelling-carriage carried, besides its owners, a large -amount of valuable property, and the dog watched the carriage at night when -the owners were sleeping at country inns. We feel we owe an apology to the -race of carriage-dogs.... While this dog is becoming extinct, in spite of -his useful qualities, other breeds are invading spheres of work in which -they had formerly no part." There is only one point in which I differ from -the above, and that is contained in the last sentence. There are a number -of enthusiastic breeders very keen on reviving interest in this variety, -and I have during the last few years had large entries to judge, so that we -shall probably see more of them in the future. - -POODLES are of many sizes and colours. They are very intelligent, easily -taught tricks, and much used as performing dogs. They have various kinds of -coats: _corded_, in which the hair hangs in long strands or ringlets; -_curly_, with a profusion of short curls all over them, something like -retrievers; and _fluffy_, when the hair is combed out, to give much the -appearance of fleecy wool. A part of the body, legs, head, and tail is -usually shorn. - -[Illustration: OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG. - -This is a remarkably fine photograph of a well-known specimen of this -interesting variety.] - -BULL-TERRIERS are now bred with small natural drooping ears, and should -have long wedge-shaped heads, fine coats, and long tails. There is also a -toy variety, which hitherto has suffered from round skulls and tulip ears, -but is rapidly improving. I have bred many as small as 3 lbs. in weight. In -each variety the colour preferred is pure white, without any markings, and -with fine tapering tails. - -IRISH TERRIERS are very popular, and should be nearly wholly red in colour, -with long lean heads, small drooping ears, hard coats, not too much leg, -and without coarseness. They make good comrades. - -BEDLINGTON TERRIERS have long been popular in the extreme north of England, -and are another fighting breed. It is indeed often difficult to avoid a -difference of opinion between show competitors. Their lean long heads, -rather domed skulls, with top-knot of lighter hair, long pointed ears, and -small dark eyes, give them a peculiar appearance. The coats, which are -"linty" in texture, should be shades of blue or liver. - -Three breeds, all more or less hard in coat-texture, and grizzled in colour -on heads and bodies, while tanned on other parts, are AIREDALE, OLD -ENGLISH, and WELSH TERRIERS, which may be divided into large, medium, and -small. The first-named make very good all-round dogs; the Old English, less -in number, make useful dogs, and are hardy and companionable; while Welsh -terriers are much the size of a small wire-haired fox-terrier, but usually -shorter and somewhat thicker in the head. I intended one of Mr. W. S. -Glynn's best dogs to illustrate the last-named. - -FOX-TERRIERS are both smooth- and wire-haired. Their convenient size and -lively temperament make them very popular as pets and companions for both -sexes and all ages. The colour is invariably white, with or without -markings on head or body, or both. - -BLACK-AND-TAN and WHITE ENGLISH TERRIERS are built upon the same lines, -differing chiefly in colour, the former being raven-black, with tan -markings on face, legs, and some lower parts of the body, and the latter -pure white all over. Both should have small natural drooping ears, fine -glossy coats, and tapering sterns. The toy variety of the former should be -a miniature of the larger, and is very difficult to produce of first-class -quality. - -[Illustration: MASTIFF. - -The photograph gives almost an ideal picture of this national breed, the -colour being known as black-brindle.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Lambert Lambert_] [_Bath._ - -DEER-HOUND. - -This is a capital portrait of one of the best of this graceful variety.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by H. Cornish_] [_Crediton._ - -POINTER. - -This is a young dog not yet shown, but full of quality and type.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Villiers & Sons_] [_Newport._ - -SKYE TERRIER. - -The photograph is of a well-known winner in show form.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -CORDED POODLE. - -The length of the cords of which the coat is composed is clearly shown.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Mrs. Hall-Walker._ - -POMERANIAN. - -Probably about the best all-black Toy Pomeranian ever shown.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Kitchener & Salmon_] [_Bond Street._ - -SCOTTISH TERRIER. - -A smart picture of one of the best of these popular dogs.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. N. Taylor_] [_Cowley Road._ - -MALTESE TOY TERRIER. - -A very excellent representation of one of the best specimens of the present -day.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -BUTTERFLY-DOG. - -The photograph gives an excellent idea of this somewhat rare variety.] - -SCOTTISH TERRIERS are very interesting, often with much "character" about -them. The usual colours are black, shades of grey, or brindle, but some are -seen fawn, stone-colour, and white. The ears should be carried bolt -upright, the coat as hard as a badger's, teeth even, small dark expressive -eyes, fore legs straight, the back short. One I brought from Skye many -years since I took with me when driving some miles into the country; coming -back by a different route, he missed me; but on nearing my starting-point I -found him posted at a juncture of four roads, by one of which I must -return. He could not have selected a better position. The illustration is -that of a first-rate specimen of the variety, "Champion Balmacron Thistle." - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH CHOW AND JAPANESE SPANIELS. - -A group which will be studied with much interest by all.] - -DANDIE DINMONT TERRIERS have many quaint and charming ways. They are very -strongly built, being among the most muscular of the terriers, of high -courage, devotedly attached to their owners, and admirably adapted for -companions, being suitable for indoors or out, and at home anywhere. The -colours are pepper (a sort of darkish iron-grey) and mustard (a yellowish -red fawn), both with white silky hair on head, called the top-knot, and -lustrous dark eyes, very gipsy-like and independent in expression. - -SKYES, both PRICK- and DROP-EARED, are another Scottish breed which well -deserve their popularity, as they are thorough sporting animals. The -colours are chiefly shades of dark or light grey, but sometimes fawn with -dark points and whites are seen. The texture of coat should be hard and -weather-resisting; the eyes dark and keen in expression; bodies long, low, -and well knit; legs straight in front; even mouths; tails carried gaily, -but not curled over the back. - -SCHIPPERKES are of Belgian origin. To those who do not know them, they are -something like medium-sized Pomeranians, short of coat, but without tails. -They are nearly always pure black in colour, with coats of hardish texture, -fullest round the neck and shoulders, the ears standing straight up like -darts, short cobby bodies, and straight legs. They make smart guards and -companions. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -SAND-DOG. - -A quaint picture of a quaint variety, quite hairless, and much the colour -of Castille soap.] - -CHOWS originally came from China, but are now largely bred here. They are -square-built sturdy dogs, with dense coats, tails carried over the side, -blunt-pointed ears, and rather short thick heads. They have a little of a -large coarse Pomeranian, with something of an Eskimo about them, but are -different from either, with a type of their own. The colour is usually some -shade of red or black, often with a bluish tinge in it. One marked -peculiarity is that the tongues of chows are blue-black in colour. - -POMERANIANS can be procured of any weight from 3 to 30 lbs., and of almost -every shade of colour. At present brown of various shades is much in -favour, but there are many beautiful whites, blacks, blues, sables, and -others. They are very sharp and lively, and make charming pets and -companions. Really good specimens command high prices. The illustration is -of one of the best of his colour ever seen--"Champion Pippin." - -PUGS, both fawn and black, are old-fashioned favourites very quaint and -peculiar in appearance. They should have square heads and muzzles, with -small ears, large protruding eyes, short thick bodies, and tails tightly -curled over the back. The illustration, "Duchess of Connaught," is of a -well-known winner. - -MALTESE TERRIERS are very beautiful when pure bred. They have a long -straight coat of silky white hair nearly reaching the ground, black nose -and eyes, and the tail curled over the back of their short cobby body. -Their beauty well repays the trouble of keeping them in good condition. The -illustration, from a photograph taken for this article, is that of the -high-class dog "Santa Klaus." - -[Illustration: _Photo by County of Gloucester Studio, Cheltenham._ - -PUG AND PEKINESE SPANIEL. - -A typical portrait of two well-known winners in these popular varieties.] - -YORKSHIRE TOY TERRIERS, with their steel-blue bodies and golden-tanned -faces, legs, and lower parts, and long straight coats, require skilful -attention to keep in order, but are very attractive as pets. - -TOY SPANIELS are very old members of the toy division, dating from or -before the time of His Majesty King Charles: KING CHARLES SPANIELS being -black and tan; PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS black, white, and tan; another -strain, the BLENHEIM, white, with shades of reddish-tan markings on the -head and body, and a spot of same colour on forehead; and the RUBY, a rich -coppery red all over. They should be small and stout in size and shape, -without coarseness, long in the ear, with large full protruding eyes of -dark colour, a short face, a straight coat, and not leggy. - -JAPANESE SPANIELS carry heavy coats, usually black, or yellow, and white in -colour, shorter in the ears, which are carried more forward than in the -last-named, broader in the muzzle, with nearly flat faces, dark eyes, and -bushy tails carried over the back. They have very short legs, and their -hair nearly reaches the ground as they walk. When I kept them they were -much larger in size, but they are often now produced under 6 lbs. in -weight. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -FOX-TERRIER. - -A picture full of life and go--at present odds in favour of our friend with -the prickly coat.] - -PEKIN SPANIELS, the last of the toy spaniels I need mention, come from -China. They should have soft fluffy coats, tails inclined to turn over the -back, short faces, broad muzzles, large lustrous eyes, and a grave, -dignified expression. The colour is usually some shade of tawny fawn or -drab, but I have seen them black and dark brown; whatever colour, it should -be without white. The illustration, Mrs. Lindsay's "Tartan Plaid," was one -of the early importations. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -BLENHEIM AND PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS. - -This little group will serve to show the appearance of these charming -little pets.] - -ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS, another old-fashioned variety of toy dog, should not -exceed 12 lbs. in weight, but in my opinion are better if they are some -pounds less. Much like miniature greyhounds in shape and build, they are -elegant, graceful little creatures, very sensitive to cold. Shades of fawn, -cream, or French grey are most common; but some are slate-blue, -chestnut-red, and other tints. Of late years the breed has met with more -encouragement, and there is less fear of its being allowed to die out. - -GRIFFONS BRUSSELOIS have been greatly taken up the last few years. They are -something like Yorkshire toy terriers in size and shape, but with a -shortish harsh coat, generally of some shade of reddish brown, very short -face, small shining dark eyes, heavy under-jaw, short thick body, and an -altogether comical appearance. Imported specimens, particularly before -reaching maturity, are often difficult to rear. - -The AFRICAN SAND-DOG occasionally seen in this country (mostly at shows) is -remarkable for being entirely hairless, except a few hairs of a bristly -character on the top of the head and a slight tuft at the end of the tail; -it is chiefly blue-black or mottled in colour, something in shape and size -like a coarse black-and-tan terrier, and very susceptible to cold. - -Having been supplied with an illustration of PARIAH PUPPIES, I will say a -few words about this variety, which is seen in large numbers at -Constantinople and other Eastern cities, where they roam about unclaimed, -and act as amateur scavengers; they are said to divide the places they -inhabit into districts or beats, each with its own leader, and resent any -interference with their authority. I have known cases where they have made -a determined attack on travellers out late at night; but they are rather a -cowardly race, and easily repulsed with a little firmness on the part of -the attacked. Probably these are the descendants of the dogs so often -mentioned in Scripture with opprobrium; and, among Eastern peoples, to call -a man "a dog" is even now the most insulting epithet that can be used. By -the Jews, in ancient times, the dog never seems to have been used, as with -us, in hunting and pursuing game and wild animals, but merely as a guardian -of their flocks, herds, and sometimes dwellings. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford. Woburn Abbey._ - -PARIAH PUPPIES. - -This capital photograph of a variety seldom seen in this country will be -very interesting.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -COMMON BROWN BEAR. - -In Scandinavia a few still haunt the highest mountain-ridges, as here -shown.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -_THE BEARS._ - -Except the great cats, no creatures have longer held a place in human -interest than the BEARS. Their size and formidable equipment of claws and -teeth give the touch of fear which goes with admiration. On the other hand, -they do not, as a rule, molest human beings, who see them employing their -great strength on apparently insignificant objects with some amusement. -Except one species, most bears are largely fruit and vegetable feeders. The -sloth-bear of India sucks up ants and grubs with its funnel-like lips; the -Malayan bear is a honey-eater by profession, scarcely touching other food -when it can get the bees' store; and only the great polar bear is entirely -carnivorous. The grizzly bear of the Northern Rocky Mountains is largely a -flesh-eater, consuming great quantities of putrid salmon in the Columbian -rivers. But the ice-bear is ever on the quest for living or dead flesh; it -catches seals, devours young sea-fowl and eggs, and can actually kill and -eat the gigantic walrus. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin._ - -AN INVITING ATTITUDE. - -The upright position is not natural to the brown bear. It prefers to sit on -its hams, and not to stand.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -THREE PERFORMING BEARS. - -Those on the right and left are Himalayan black bears. The white collar is -plainly seen.] - -Every one will have noticed the deliberate flat-footed walk of the bears. -This is due partly to the formation of the feet themselves. The whole sole -is set flat upon the ground, and the impressions in a bear's track are not -unlike those of a man's footsteps. The claws are not capable of being -retracted, like those of the Cats; consequently they are worn at the tips -where the curve brings them in contact with the ground. Yet it is -surprising what wounds these blunt but hard weapons will inflict on -man--wounds resembling what might be caused by the use of a very large -garden-rake. Against other animals protected by hair bears' claws are of -little use. Dogs would never attack them so readily as they do were they -armed with the talons of a leopard or tiger. The flesh-teeth in both jaws -of the bear are unlike those of other carnivora. The teeth generally show -that bears have a mixed diet. Bears appear to have descended from some -dog-like ancestor, but to have been much modified. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -EUROPEAN BROWN BEAR. - -The specimen of the brown bear of Europe from which this picture was taken -was an unusually light and active bear. Its flanks are almost flat.] - -Except the ice-bear, all the species are short and very bulky. It is said -that a polar bear has been killed which weighed 1,000 lbs. It is far the -largest, and most formidable in some respects, of all the Carnivora. The -claws of the grizzly bear are sometimes 5 inches long over the outer curve. -All bears can sit upright on their hams, and stand upright against a -support like a tree. Some can stand upright with no aid at all. Except the -grizzly bear, they can all climb, many of them very well. In the winter, if -it be cold, they hibernate. In the spring, when the shoots of the early -plants come up, they emerge, hungry and thin, to seek their food. Bears -were formerly common in Britain, and were exported for the Roman -amphitheatres. The prehistoric cave-bears were very large. Their remains -have been found in Devon, Derbyshire, and other counties. The species -inhabiting Britain during the Roman period was the common brown bear of -Europe. - - -THE COMMON BROWN BEAR. - -Only one species of bear is found in Europe south of the ice-line, though -above it the white ice-bear inhabits Spitzbergen and the islands off the -White Sea. This is the BROWN BEAR, the emblem of Russia in all European -caricature, and the hero of innumerable fragments of folklore and fable, -from the tents of the Lapps to the nurseries of English children. Except -the ice-bear, it is far the largest of European carnivora, but varies much -in size. Russia is the main home of the brown bear, but it is found in -Sweden and Norway, and right across Northern Asia. It is also common in the -Carpathian Mountains, in the Caucasus, and in Mount Pindus in Greece. In -the south it is found in Spain and the Pyrenees, and a few are left in the -Alps. The dancing-bears commonly brought to England are caught in the -Pyrenees. The "Queen's bear," so called because its owner was allowed to -exhibit it at Windsor, was one of these. But lately dancing-bears from -Servia and Wallachia have also been seen about our roads and streets. In -Russia the bear grows to a great size. Some have been killed of 800 lbs. in -weight. The fur is magnificent in winter, and in great demand for rich -Russians' sledge-rugs. The finest bear-skins of all are bought for the caps -of our own Grenadier and Coldstream Guards. In the Alps the bears -occasionally visit a cow-shed in winter and kill a cow; but as a rule the -only damage done by those in Europe is to the sheep on the hills in the far -north of Norway. Tame brown bears are amusing creatures, but should never -be trusted. They are always liable to turn savage, and the bite is almost -as severe as that of a tiger. Men have had their heads completely crushed -in by the bite of one of these animals. In Russia bears are shot in the -following manner. When the snow falls, the bears retire into the densest -thickets, and there make a half-hut, half-burrow in the most tangled part -to hibernate in. The bear is tracked, and then a ring made round the cover -by beaters and peasants. The shooters follow the track and rouse the bear, -which often charges them, and is forthwith shot. If it escapes, it is -driven in by the beaters outside. High fees are paid to peasants who send -information that a bear is harboured in this way. Sportsmen in St. -Petersburg will go 300 or 400 miles to shoot one on receipt of a telegram. - -The brown bear, like the reindeer and red deer, is found very little -modified all across Northern Asia, and again in the forests of North -America. There, however, it undergoes a change. Just as the red deer is -found represented by a much larger creature, the wapiti, so the brown bear -is found exaggerated into the great bear of Alaska. The species attains its -largest, possibly, in Kamchatka, on the Asiatic side of Bering Sea; but the -Alaskan bear has the credit with sportsmen of being the largest. A skin of -one of the former, brought to the sale-rooms of Sir Charles Lampson & Co., -needed two men to carry it. Last spring, in the sale-rooms of the same -great firm, some persons present measured the skin of an Alaskan bear which -was 9 feet across the shoulders from paw to paw. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -SYRIAN BEAR. - -This is the bear generally alluded to in the Old Testament.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -LARGE RUSSIAN BROWN BEAR. - -The picture shows to what a size and strength the brown bear attains.] - - -THE GRIZZLY BEAR. - -This is a very distinct race of brown bear. It has a flat profile, like the -polar bear; in addition it grows to a great size, is barely able to climb -trees, and has the largest claws of any--they have been known to measure 5 -inches along the curve. The true grizzly, which used to be found as far -north as 61° latitude and south as far as Mexico, is a rare animal now. Its -turn for cattle-killing made the ranchmen poison it, and rendered the task -an easy one. It is now only found in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and -perhaps in North California and Nevada. Formerly encounters with "Old -Ephraim," as the trappers called this bear, were numerous and deadly. It -attacked men if attacked by them, and often without provocation. The horse, -perhaps more than its rider, was the object of the bear. Lewis and Clarke -measured a grizzly which was 9 feet long from nose to tail. The weight -sometimes reaches 800 lbs. Measurements of much larger grizzly bears have -been recorded, but it is difficult to credit them. On a ranche near the -upper waters of the Colorado River several colts were taken by grizzly -bears. One of them was found buried according to the custom of this bear, -and the owner sat up to shoot the animal. Having only the old-fashioned -small-bored rifle of the day, excellent for shooting deer or Indians, but -useless against so massive a beast as this bear, unless hit in the head or -heart, he only wounded it. The bear rushed in, struck him a blow with its -paw (the paw measures a foot across), smashed the rifle which he held up as -a protection, and struck the barrel on to his head. The man fell -insensible, when the bear, having satisfied himself that he was dead, -picked him up, carried him off, and buried him in another hole which it -scratched near the dead colt. It then dug up the colt and ate part of it, -and went off. Some time later the man came to his senses, and awoke to find -himself "dead and buried." As the earth was only roughly thrown over him, -he scrambled out, and saw close by the half-eaten remains of the colt. -Thinking that it might be about the bear's dinner-time, and remembering -that he was probably put by in the larder for the next meal, he hurried -home at once, and did not trouble the bear again. Not so a Siberian -peasant, who had much the same adventure. He had been laughed at for -wishing to shoot a bear, and went out into the woods to do so. The bear had -the best of it, knocked him down, and so frightfully mangled his arm that -he fainted. Bruin then buried him in orthodox bear fashion; and the man, -when he came to, which he fortunately did before the bear came back, got -up, and made his way to the village. There he was for a long time ill, and -all through his sickness and delirium talked of nothing but shooting the -bear. When he got well, he disappeared into the forest with his gun, and -after a short absence returned with the bear's skin! - -[Illustration: _Photo by New York Zoological Society._ - -AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. - -The black bear was the species first encountered by the early settlers on -the Atlantic side of America. The grizzly belongs to the Rocky Mountain -region.] - - -THE AMERICAN BROWN BEAR. - -The brown bear of America is closely allied to that of Europe; it was first -described by Sir John Richardson, who called it the Barrenlands Bear, and -noted, quite rightly, that it differed from the grizzly in the smallness of -its claws. The difference in the profile is very marked--the brown bear -having a profile like that of the European bear, while that of the grizzly -is flat. The brown bear of North America lives largely on the fruits and -berries of the northern plants, on dead deer, and on putrid fish, of which -quantities are left on the banks of the northern rivers. Whether the large -brown bear of the Rocky Mountains is always a grizzly or often this less -formidable race is doubtful. The writer inclines to think that it is only -the counterpart of the North European and the North Asiatic brown bear. The -following is Sir Samuel Baker's account of these bears. He says: "When I -was in California, experienced informants told me that no true grizzly bear -was to be found east of the Pacific slope, and that Lord Coke was the only -Britisher who had ever killed a real grizzly in California. There are -numerous bears of three if not four kinds in the Rocky Mountains. These are -frequently termed grizzlies; but it is a misnomer. The true grizzly is far -superior in size, but of similar habits, and its weight is from 1,200 lbs. -to 1,400 lbs." After giving various reasons for believing this to be a fair -weight, Sir Samuel Baker adds that this weight is equivalent to that of an -English cart-horse. There are certainly three Rocky Mountain bears--the -Grizzly, the Brown, and the small Black Bear. There is probably also -another--a cross between the black and the brown. It is ridiculous to say -that the brown bears which come to eat the refuse on the dust-heaps of the -hotels in the Yellowstone Park, and let ladies photograph them, are savage -grizzly bears. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -YOUNG SYRIAN BEAR FROM THE CAUCASUS. - -This is, properly speaking, a Syrian bear, but the species is found in the -Caucasus and in the Taurus Range.] - - -THE SYRIAN BEAR. - -This bear, which figures in the story of Elisha, is a variety of the brown -bear. It is found from the Caucasus to the mountains of Palestine, and is a -smaller animal than the true brown bear, weighing about 300 lbs. The fur in -summer is of a mixed rusty colour, with a whitish collar on the chest. It -steals the grapes on Mount Horeb, and feeds upon ripe fruits, apples, -chestnuts, corn, and the like. It is then ready to face the long winter -sleep. - - -THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR. - -This is the smallest North American species, and perhaps the most harmless. -It seldom weighs more than 400 lbs. Its coat is short and glossy, and its -flesh, especially in autumn, is esteemed for food. The early backwoodsmen -found it a troublesome neighbour. The bears liked Indian corn, and were not -averse to a young pig. "Like the deer," says Audubon, "it changes its -haunts with the seasons, and for the same reason--viz. the desire of -obtaining food. During the spring months it searches for food in the low -alluvial lands that border the rivers, or by the margins of the inland -lakes. There it procures abundance of succulent roots, and of the tender, -juicy stems of plants, upon which it chiefly feeds at that season. During -the summer heat it enters the gloomy swamps, and passes much of its time in -wallowing in the mud like a hog, and contents itself with crayfish, roots, -and nettles; now and then, when hard pressed by hunger, it seizes a young -pig, or perhaps a sow or calf. As soon as the different kinds of berries -ripen, the bears betake themselves to the high grounds, followed by their -cubs. In much-retired parts of the country, where there are no hilly -grounds, it pays visits to the maize-fields, which it ravages for a while. -After this the various kinds of nuts and grapes, acorns and other forest -fruits, attract its attention. The black bear is then seen wandering -through the woods to gather this harvest, not forgetting to rob every tree -which it comes across." - - -THE INDIAN SLOTH-BEAR. - -Few people would believe that this awkward and ugly beast is so formidable -as it is. It is the commonest Indian species, seldom eats flesh, prefers -sucking up the contents of a white ants' nest to any other meal, and is not -very large; from 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. is the weight of a male. But the -skull and jaws are very strong, and the claws long and curved. As they are -used almost like a pickaxe when the bear wishes to dig in the hardest soil, -their effect upon the human body can be imagined. - -Sir Samuel Baker says that there are more accidents to natives of India and -Ceylon from this species than from any other animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A BROWN BEAR IN SEARCH OF INSECTS. - -The photograph shows a bear feeding on insects, possibly large ants, which -he licks up from the ground, after scratching them out with his claws.] - -Mr. Watts Jones writes an interesting account of his sensations while being -bitten by one of these bears: "I was following up a bear which I had -wounded, and rashly went to the mouth of a cave to which it had got. It -charged. I shot, but failed to stop it. I do not know exactly what happened -next, neither does my hunter who was with me; but I believe, from the marks -in the snow, that in his rush the bear knocked me over backwards--in fact, -knocked me three or four feet away. When next I remember anything, the -bear's weight was on me, and he was biting my leg. He bit, two or three -times. I felt the flesh crush, but I felt no pain at all. It was rather -like having a tooth out with gas. I felt no particular terror, though I -thought the bear had got me; but in a hazy sort of way I wondered when he -would kill me, and thought what a fool I was to get killed by a stupid -beast like a bear. The shikari then very pluckily came up and fired a shot -into the bear, and he left me. I felt the weight lift off me, and got up. I -did not think I was much hurt.... The main wound was a flap of flesh torn -out of the inside of my left thigh and left hanging. It was fairly deep, -and I could see all the muscles working underneath when I lifted it up to -clean the wound." This anecdote was sent to Mr. J. Crowther Hirst to -illustrate a theory of his, that the killing of wild animals by other -animals is not a painful one. - -Rustem Pasha, once Turkish Ambassador in England, had an accident when -brown bear shooting in Russia, and writes of it in the same sense: "When I -met the accident alluded to, the bear injured both my hands, but did not -tear off part of the arm or shoulder. In the moment of desperate struggle, -the intense excitement and anger did, in fact, render me insensible to the -feeling of actual pain as the bear gnawed my left hand, which was badly -torn and perforated with holes, most of the bones being broken." - -There is good reason to believe that when large carnivora, or beasts large -in proportion to the size of their victims, strike and kill them with a -great previous shock, the sense of pain is deadened. Not so if the person -or animal is seized quietly. Then the pain is intense, though sometimes -only momentary. A tigress seized Mr. J. Hansard, a forest officer in -Ceylon, by the neck. In describing his sensations afterwards, he said: "The -agony I felt was something frightful. My whole skull seemed as if it were -being crushed to atoms in the jaws of the great brute. I certainly felt the -most awful pain as she was biting my neck; but not afterwards, if I can -remember." Sir Samuel Baker says he has twice seen the sloth-bear attack a -howdah-elephant. Lord Edward St. Maur, son of the Duke of Somerset, was -killed by one. Mr. Sanderson, the head of the Government Elephant-catching -Department, used to hunt bears in the jungle with bull-terriers. Against -these the bear was unable to make a good fight. They seized it by the nose; -and as its claws were not sharp like those of the leopard, the bear could -not get them off. - -This bear seldom produces more than two or three young at a birth. The -young cub is very ugly, but very strong, especially in the claws and legs. -A six weeks' old cub has been turned upside-down in a basket, which was -shaken violently, without dislodging the little animal clinging inside. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -POLAR BEARS. - -Though Arctic animals, polar bears can endure great heat. During a "heat -wave" at Hamburg, Herr C. Hagenbeck found two of his leopards suffering -from heat apoplexy, but the polar bears were enjoying the sun.] - - -THE ISABELLINE BEAR AND HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR. - -The former animal is a medium-sized variety of the brown bear. The coat in -winter is of a beautiful silver-tipped cinnamon colour. The HIMALAYAN BLACK -BEAR has a half-moon of white on its throat. The habits of both do not -differ markedly from those of the brown bear of Europe. - -Recently black bears have been most troublesome in Kashmir, attacking and -killing and wounding the woodcutters with no provocation. Dr. E. T. Vere, -writing from Srinagar, says: "Every year we have about half a dozen -patients who have been mauled by bears. Most of our people who are hurt are -villagers or shepherds. Bears have been so shot at in Kashmir that, -although not naturally very fierce, they have become truculent. When they -attack men, they usually sit up and knock the victim over with a paw. They -then make one or two bites at the arm or leg, and often finish up with a -snap at the head. This is the most dangerous part of the attack. One of our -fatal cases this year was a boy, the vault of whose skull was torn off and -lacerated. Another man received a compound fracture of the cranium. A third -had the bones of his face smashed and lacerated. He had an axe, but said, -'When the bear sat up, my courage failed me.'" - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -TWO POLAR BEARS AND A BROWN BEAR. - -Although this is a photograph from life, it is scarcely a very natural -scene; as a matter of fact, all three animals belong to Herr Carl -Hagenbeck's remarkable menagerie.] - - -THE MALAYAN SUN-BEAR. - -These small, smooth-coated bears have a yellow throat-patch like a mustard -plaster, and are altogether the most amusing and comical of all the tribe. -They are almost as smooth as a pointer dog, and are devoted to all sweet -substances which can be a substitute for honey, their main delicacy when -wild. There are always a number of these bears at the Zoo incessantly -begging for food. When one gets a piece of sugar, he cracks it into small -pieces, sticks them on the back of his paw, and licks the mess until the -paw is covered with sticky syrup, which he eats with great gusto. This bear -is found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. It is only 4 -feet high, or sometimes half a foot taller. It is more in the habit of -walking upright than any other species. - - -THE POLAR BEAR. - -ICE-BEAR is the better name for this, the most interesting in its habits of -all the bears. It is an inhabitant of the lands of polar darkness and -intense cold, and one of the very few land animals which never try to avoid -the terrible ordeal of the long Arctic night, which rolls on from month to -month. It can swim and dive nearly as well as a seal, climbs the icebergs, -and goes voyages on the drifting ice, floating hundreds of miles on the -polar currents, and feeding on the seals which surround it. Of the limits -of size of the ice-bear it is impossible to speak with certainty. From the -skins brought to this country the size of some of them must be enormous. -One which lived for more than thirty years at the Zoo was of immense length -and bulk. When the first discoverers went to the Arctic Seas, dressed in -thick clothes and skins, the polar bears took them for seals. On Bear -Island, below Spitzbergen, a Dutch sailor sat down on the snow to rest. A -bear walked up behind him, and seized and crushed his head, evidently not -in the least aware of what kind of animal it had got hold of. When the -Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition was wintering in Franz-Josef Land, the bears -were a positive nuisance. They were not afraid of man, and used to come -round the huts at all hours. The men shot so many that they formed a -valuable article of food for the dogs. The flesh is said to be unwholesome -for men. The power of these bears in the water is wonderful; though so -bulky, they are as light as a cork when swimming, and their strong, broad -feet are first-class paddles. Whenever a dead whale is found near the -shore, the polar bears assemble to feed upon it. In the various searches -for the Franklin Expedition they pulled to pieces nearly all the cabins -erected to hold provisions for the sledge-parties. In one case it was found -that the bears had amused themselves by mounting the roof of a half-buried -hut, and sliding down the snowy, frozen slope. Cubs are often brought home -in whaling- and sealing-ships, after the mothers have been shot. There is a -ready sale of them for Continental menageries. Herr Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, -by purchasing them quite young, has induced bears to live on good terms -with tigers, boar-hounds, and leopards. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -POLAR BEAR. - -This bear is the most formidable of all aquatic mammals. It is almost as -much at home in the water as a seal.] - -The manoeuvres of an ice-bear in the water are marvellous to watch. Though -so bulky a beast, it swims, dives, rolls over and over, catches seals or -fish, or plays both on and under the water with an ease and evident -enjoyment which show that it is in its favourite element. One favourite -game of the ice-bear is to lie on its back in the water, and then to catch -hold of its hind toes with its fore feet, when it resembles a half-rolled -hedgehog of gigantic size. It then rolls over and over in the water like a -revolving cask. Its footsteps are absolutely noiseless, as the claws are -shorter than in the land-bear's, and more muffled in fur. This noiseless -power of approach is very necessary when it has to catch such wary -creatures as basking seals. A very large proportion of the food formerly -eaten by ice-bears in summer was probably putrid, as they were always -supplied with a quantity of the refuse carcases of whales and seals left by -the whaling-ships. This may account for the bad results to the sailors who -ate the bears' flesh. Now the whaling industry is so little pursued that -the bears have to catch their dinners for themselves, and eat fresh food. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the New York Zoological Society._ - -HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS. - -When young polar bears are brought to England or New York on board ship, -they arrive with coats almost as yellow as a sponge. It takes a week's -bathing to restore the pure white colour.] - -The Arctic explorer Nordenskiöld saw much of the ice-bears on his voyages, -and left us what is perhaps the best description of their attempts to stalk -men, mistaking them for other animals. "When the polar bear observes a -man," he writes in his "Voyage of the Vega," "he commonly approaches him as -a possible prey, with supple movements and a hundred zigzag bends, in order -to conceal the direction he means to take, and to prevent the man feeling -frightened. During his approach he often climbs up on to blocks of ice, or -raises himself on his hind legs, in order to get a more extensive view. If -he thinks he has to do with a seal, he creeps or trails himself forward on -the ice, and is then said to conceal with his fore paws the only part of -his body that contrasts with the white colour of the snow--his large black -nose. If the man keeps quite still, the bear comes in this way so near that -it can be shot at the distance of two gun-lengths, or killed with a lance, -which the hunters consider safer." - -When a vessel lies at anchor, a polar bear sometimes swims out to it, to -inspect the visiting ship; it has also a special fancy for breaking open -and searching stores of provisions, boats abandoned and covered over, and -cabins of wrecked ships. One bear which had looted a provision depôt was -found to have swallowed a quantity of sticking-plaster. The ice-bear has -been met swimming at a distance of eighty miles from land, and with no ice -in sight. This shows how thoroughly aquatic its habits and powers are. -Polar bears do not hug their victims, like the brown bear, but bite, and -use their immense feet and sharp claws. It has been said that when one -catches a seal on the ice it will play with it as a cat does with a mouse. -The size of these bears varies very much. Seven or eight feet from the tip -of the nose to the tail is the usual length; yet they have been known to -exceed even 13 feet in length. This would correspond to an immense -difference in bulk and weight. An ice-bear was once found feeding on the -body of a white whale, 15 feet in length, and weighing three or four tons. -The whale could not have got on to the ice by itself, and it is difficult -to imagine that any other creature except the bear could have dragged it -there from the sea, where it was found floating. When hunting seals, polar -bears will chase them in the water as an otter does a fish, but with what -result is not known. Besides stalking them in the manner described above, -they will mark the place at which seals are basking on the rim of an -ice-floe, and then dive, and come up just at the spot where the seal would -naturally drop into the water. Those shot for the sake of their skins are -nearly all killed when swimming in the sea. The hunters mark a bear on an -ice-floe, and approach it. The bear always tries to escape by swimming, and -is pursued and shot through the head from the boat. When the females have a -cub or cubs with them, they will often attack persons or boats which molest -them; otherwise they do not willingly interfere with man, except, as has -been said above, when they mistake men for seals or other natural prey. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -THE ICE-BEAR'S COUCH. - -A favourite attitude of the polar bear is to lie stretched on its stomach, -with the hind and fore legs extended flat. The head often lies between the -fore paws. Notice the hair on the feet, which keeps the animal from -slipping when on the ice.] - -The instances recorded of the affection shown by these animals for their -young are somewhat pathetic. When the _Carcase_ frigate, which was engaged -on a voyage of Arctic discovery, was locked in the ice, a she-bear and two -cubs made their way to the ship, attracted by the scent of the blubber of a -walrus which the crew had killed a few days before. They ran to the fire, -and pulled off some of the walrus-flesh which remained unconsumed. The crew -then threw them large lumps of the flesh which were lying on the ice, which -the old bear fetched away singly, and laid before her cubs as she brought -it, dividing it, and giving each a share, and reserving but a small portion -for herself. As she was fetching away the last piece, the sailors shot both -the cubs dead, and wounded the dam. Although she could only just crawl to -the place where the cubs lay, she carried the lump of flesh which she had -last fetched away, and laid it before them; and when she saw that they -refused to eat, laid her paws on them, and tried to raise them up, moaning -pitifully. When she found she could not stir them, she went to some -distance, and looked back, and then returned, pawing them all over and -moaning. Finding at last that they were lifeless, she raised her head -towards the ship and uttered a growl, when the sailors killed her with a -volley of musket-balls. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -_THE SMALLER CARNIVORA._ - ----- - -THE RACCOON FAMILY. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -COMMON RACCOON. - -This is the typical representative of the Raccoon Family. It is found in -most parts of the United States, and also in South America.] - -A link between the Bears and the Weasel Tribe is made by the RACCOONS and -their allies. They are bear-like in having a short, thick body, and in -their flat-footed manner of walking; also in their habit of sitting up on -end, and using their paws as hands, to some extent, in aiding them to -climb. But they are also much like the Civets; and the pretty little -CACOMIXLE, or RING-TAILED CAT of Mexico, was formerly classed with the -civets. They are all very active, enterprising, and quick-witted creatures -of no great size, very different in temperament from the bears. - - -THE RACCOON. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -RACCOON. - -This animal has the habit of always washing its food, if possible, before -it eats it.] - -The type of the family is the AMERICAN RACCOON itself. Its scientific name -of "Letor," the "Washer," was given to it from an odd habit these creatures -have of wetting and washing their food in any water which is near. One kept -at the Zoo washed her kittens so much when they were born that they all -died. - -The 'coon inhabits America from Canada to the south as far down as -Paraguay. In size it is equal to a common fox, but is short and stout. -Restless, inquisitive, and prying, it is a most mischievous beast where -farmyards and poultry are within reach. It kills the fowls, eats the eggs, -samples the fruit, and if caught shams dead with all the doggedness of an -opossum. It is very fond of fish and shell-fish. Oysters are a special -dainty, as are mussels and clams. A gentleman who kept one says: "It opens -oysters with wonderful skill. It is sufficient for it to break the hinge -with its teeth; its paws complete the work of getting out the oyster. It -must have a delicate sense of touch. In this operation it rarely avails -itself of sight or smell. It passes the oyster under its hind paws; then, -without looking, it seeks with its hands the weakest place. It there digs -in its claws, forces asunder the valves, and tears out the flesh in -fragments, leaving nothing behind." Its favourite haunt is in the -cane-brakes of the south. There the planters follow it by night with dogs, -and shoot it in the trees in which it takes refuge. The skins, with -handsome alternations of yellow and brown, make fine carriage-rugs. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -GREAT PANDA. - -This very rare animal is found on the high plateau of Tibet.] - - -THE COATIS. - -The COATIS are small arboreal creatures, with the habits of a raccoon and -squirrel fairly proportioned. They are flesh-eaters, but active and -playful. Their long pig-like snouts give them an unpleasant appearance. -They inhabit Mexico and Central and South America as far as Paraguay. -Several specimens are generally to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. Their -habits are much the same as those of the small tree-climbing cats, but with -something of the badger added. Insects and worms, as well as birds and -small animals, form their food. - - -THE PANDAS AND KINKAJOU. - -Among the small carnivorous mammals the BEAR-CAT, or PANDA, is a very -interesting creature. Its colour is striking--a beautiful red-chestnut -above, the lower surface jet-black, the tail long and ringed. The quality -of the fur is fine also. It is found in the Eastern Himalaya, and is as -large as a badger. The GREAT PANDA, from Eastern Tibet, is a much larger, -short-tailed, black-and-white animal, once thought to be a bear. The -KINKAJOU has a prehensile tail, and uses its paws as hands so readily that -it was formerly placed among the lemurs. It is a native of Southern and -intertropical America. Nocturnal, and living in the great forests, it is -seldom seen by man. Its head is round and cat-like, its feet are the same, -but with non-retractile claws, and it has a long, full tail. It has a long -tongue, with which it can lick out insects from the crevices and holes of -trees. Baron von Humboldt says that it attacks the nests of wild bees. It -uses its tongue to draw objects of food towards it, even if they are not -living. A pleasant description of this animal appeared in Charles Knight's -"Museum of Animated Nature," published many years ago: "In its aspect there -is something of gentleness and good-nature. In captivity it is extremely -playful, familiar, and fond of being noticed. One lived in the gardens of -the Zoological Society for seven years. During the greater part of the -morning it was asleep, rolled up in a ball in its cage. In the afternoon it -would come out, traverse its cage, take food, and play with those to whom -it was accustomed. Clinging to the top wires of its cage with its tail and -hind paws, it would thus swing itself backwards and forwards. When thus -hanging, it would bring its fore paws to the bars, as well as the hind -pair, and in this manner would travel up and down its cage with the utmost -address, every now and then thrusting out its long tongue between the -wires, as if in quest of food, which, when offered to it, it would -endeavour to draw in between the wires with this organ. It was very fond of -being gently stroked and scratched, and when at play with any one it knew -it would pretend to bite, seizing the hand or fingers with its teeth, as a -dog will do when playing with its master. As the evening came on, it was -full of animation, and exhibited in every movement the most surprising -energy." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo, Co., Parson's Green._ - -KINKAJOU. - -The kinkajou eats birds and eggs as well as honey and fruit. One kept in -South America killed a whole brood of turkeys, and was partial to birds' -eggs.] - - -THE OTTERS. - -As the badgers and ratels seem specially adapted to an underground and -cave-making existence, so the Otters all conform in structure to an aquatic -life; yet, except the webbing of the space between the toes and the -shortening and flattening of the head, there is very little obvious change -in their structure to meet the very great difference in the conditions -under which they live. - -The SHORT-TOED OTTER is a small Indian species. It has nails on its hands -in place of claws. One kept at the Zoo was a most amusing and friendly -little pet, which let itself be nursed like a kitten. - -The NORTH AMERICAN OTTER has the same habits as the English kind, but is -somewhat larger, and has a far finer coat. It is trapped in thousands, and -the fur sent over to this country to the Hudson Bay Company's and Sir -Charles Lampson's fur-sales. These otters, like all their family, are very -fond of playing. One of their regular games is to make a snow-slide or an -ice-slide down a frozen waterfall. The alighting-place from this chute is, -if possible, in the water. There the trapper sets his traps, and the poor -otters are caught. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._ - -YOUNG OTTERS. - -Otters, when taken young, can be trained to catch fish for their owners. In -India several tribes employ them for this purpose.] - -The COMMON OTTER is far the most attractive of the British carnivora. It is -still fairly common all over Britain where fish exist. It is found on the -Norfolk broads and rivers, all up the Thames, in Scotland, Devonshire, -Wales, Cumberland, and Northumberland. It travels considerable distances -from river to river, and sometimes gets into a preserved trout-pool or -breeding-pond, and does much mischief. The beautiful young otters here -figured are in Mr. Percy Leigh Pemberton's collection of British mammals at -Ashford, Kent. Their owner made a large brick tank for them, where they -were allowed to catch live fish. Once one of them seized a 4-lb. pike by -the tail. The pike wriggled round and seized the otter's paw, but was soon -placed _hors de combat_. The largest otter which the writer has seen was -bolted by a ferret from a rabbit-warren on the edge of the Norfolk fen at -Hockwold, and shot by the keeper, who was rabbiting. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -TWO TAME OTTERS. - -These two little otters were photographed by the Duchess of Bedford. -Alluding to the old signs of the zodiac and their fondness for the -watering-pot, their portrait was called "Aquarius" and "The Twins."] - -English dog otters sometimes weigh as much as 26 lbs. They regularly hunt -down the rivers by night, returning before morning to their holt, where -they sleep by day. No fish stands a chance with them. They swim after the -fish in the open river, chase it under the bank, and then corner it, or -seize it with a rush, just as the penguins catch gudgeon at the Zoo. -Captain Salvin owned a famous tame otter which used to go for walks with -him, and amuse itself by catching fish in the roadside ponds. - - -THE SEA-OTTER. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SEA-OTTER. - -The sea-otter has the most valuable fur of any animal.] - -Common otters killed on the coast are often confounded with the SEA-OTTER. -This is a great mistake. The sea-otter is as much a marine animal as the -seal or the sea-lion. It swims out in the open ocean, and is even more of a -pelagic creature than the seal, for it either produces its young when in -the water, or at any rate carries and suckles them on the open sea. The -sea-otter is much larger than the common otter. Unfortunately the fish and -other marine creatures which form the food of the sea-otters are found -mainly near the coast. Following them, the otters come near the Aleutian -Islands, where the hunters are ever on the watch for them. If a single -otter is seen, five or six boats, with a rifleman in each, at once put out, -and the otter stands little chance of escape. It never was a common animal, -and the prices given for the fur, up to £200 for a first-class skin, have -caused its destruction. The skin, when stretched and cured, is sometimes 5 -feet long, and is of an exquisite natural rich brown, like long plush, -sprinkled all over with whitish hairs like hoarfrost. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington._ - -RACCOON. - -This animal is found from Alaska, through the United States, to Central -America.] - -THE SKUNKS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -A SKUNK. - -An American animal, noted chiefly for the scent-gland it possesses, from -which it emits a most obnoxious-smelling fluid.] - -Of all the strange equipments given by nature to animals for their -protection that possessed by the various species of SKUNK is the most -effective. These animals are able to emit a fluid so vile in odour that it -seems equally hateful to all animals. Dogs, pumas, men, alike shun them, -and the animals seem to know this and to presume on their immunity. An -ordinary skunk is about the size of a cat, black, with bright white stripes -down the sides and back. The fur is thick and handsome, and, if the animal -be killed before it discharges its fluid, is not too strongly odorous to -make trimmings for jackets. Mr. Hudson, in his "Naturalist in La Plata," -says: "In talking to strangers from abroad, I have never thought it -necessary to speak of the dangers of sunstroke, jaguars, or the assassin's -knife. But I have never omitted to warn them of the skunk, minutely -describing its habits and personal appearance. I knew an Englishman who, on -taking a first gallop across the Pampas, saw one, and, quickly dismounting, -hurled himself bodily on to it to effect its capture. Poor man! He did not -know that the animal is never unwilling to be caught. Men have been blinded -by them for ever by a discharge of the fiery liquid in their faces. The -smell pervades the whole system of any one subjected to it, like a -pestilent ether, nauseating the victim till sea-sickness seems pleasant in -comparison." Dogs can be taught to kill skunks; but they show the greatest -disgust and horror when the fluid of the animal falls upon them, and -sometimes roll in mud or dust in the endeavour to get rid of it. - - -THE BADGERS. - -The BADGERS include several genera. The SAND-BADGERS of the East have a -naked snout, small ears, and rough fur, with softer fur underneath. The -INDIAN BADGER is larger than that of Europe, while that of Java, Sumatra, -and Borneo is smaller, and has a very short tail. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A BADGER IN THE WATER. - -Badgers are increasing in many parts of England. They are nocturnal -animals.] - -The FERRET-BADGERS from the East have elongated bodies and short tails. -They are tree-climbers, and as omnivorous as the badger itself. The CAPE -ZORILLA, with another species found in Egypt, is more nearly allied to the -polecats, but is striped like a skunk. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -EUROPEAN BADGER. - -Badgers can be readily kept in confinement, and are not difficult to tame -thoroughly.] - -The EUROPEAN BADGER is still fairly numerous. There is not a county in -England where it is not found. A large colony has been established in -Epping Forest, some fifty yards square of hillside being honeycombed with -badger-earths. The European badger is found all over temperate Northern -Europe and Asia; but being shy, wary, and mainly nocturnal, is seldom seen. -At night it wanders about, and in August gets into the corn-fields, whence -it is chased and caught by dogs. A Somersetshire farmer had a pointer and -sheep-dog which were adepts at this night-catching of badgers. They would -accompany their master along the roads, and the pointer instantly winded -any badger which had crossed. Both dogs then bounded off, and soon their -loud barking showed that they had found and "held up" the badger. The dogs' -owner then came up, picked the badger up by its tail, and dropped it in a -sack. The badger's "earth" is wonderfully deep and winding; in it the -badger sleeps during the winter, and gives birth to its young, three or -four of which are produced at a time. The end of March is the period of -birth, but the cubs do not come out until June. In October they are -full-grown. The badger carries in a great quantity of fern and grass as a -bed for its cubs. Mr. Trevor-Battye writes: "I had a pair which were -probably about six weeks old. They were called Gripper and Nancy. They -would rest on my lap when feeding, and sit up and beg like dogs. Their -hearing and power of scent were remarkable. The badgers were in a closed -yard; but if any of the dogs came near, even following a path which ran at -a distance of six or seven yards, they would instantly jump off my lap and -disappear into a corner. The animals could walk and trot _backwards_ with -the greatest ease." I have never seen this noticed elsewhere, yet it is -worth mentioning, because it is characteristic of the Weasel Family, not -being shared, to my knowledge, by any other mammal--not, for instance, by -the Bears. - -Mr. A. E. Pease says of the badger: "It is easily domesticated, and if -brought up by hand is found an interesting and charming companion. I had at -one time two that I could do anything with, and which followed me so -closely that they would bump against my boots each step I took, and come -and snuggle in under my coat when I sat down." - - -THE RATELS. - -As the mink is adapted for an aquatic diet, so the RATELS, a link between -the Weasels and the Badgers, seem to have been specialised to live upon -insects and honey as well as flesh. They are quaint creatures, with rounded -iron-grey backs, and black bellies, noses, and feet. The African kind is -found in Cape Colony and East Africa, and is believed to live largely on -honey and bee-brood. The habits of the ratel are almost identical with -those of the badger, except that it is less shy and very restless. A nearly -similar species of ratel is found in Southern Asia from the Caspian to -India. - -The ratels are strictly nocturnal, and make their lair by day in hollow -trees, though they are said not to climb. The skin is protected by thick, -close hair, so that bees cannot sting through the fur. The skin is also -very loose. If a dog bites it, the ratel can generally twist round and bite -back. The African ratel is omnivorous. It eats snakes and birds. The body -of a cobra has been found in the stomach of one. - - -THE WEASEL TRIBE. - -No animals are more bloodthirsty and carnivorous than most of the Weasel -Tribe. They are also well equipped both in actual weapons and in activity -of body, and have powers quite out of proportion to their size. They are -also gifted with magnificent coats, and constitute the most valuable source -of choice furs. Sable, Marten, Mink, Wolverine, Ermine, Otters, and several -others are among the most highly prized. Their claws are sharp, but not -retractile. It is indeed fortunate that these creatures are so small in -size, otherwise they would be among the greatest enemies of animal life. As -things are, they are useful in keeping down the numbers of creatures which, -like field-mice, moles, rabbits, and rats, might, and occasionally do, -become a pest. - - -THE MARTENS. - -There are two species of marten in Europe--the BEECH--and the PINE-MARTEN. -The latter has a yellow throat, the former a white one. The fur is almost -as fine as sable. All so-called Canadian sables are really martens. These -animals are found throughout Northern Europe and Northern Asia, in Japan, -and all over Northern America. In Scotland the pine-marten survives in the -pine forests; also in Ireland, where it is occasionally killed on the -Wicklow Mountains, near Dublin, and on the Mourne Mountains. It is believed -to remain in Cumberland, Devonshire, and possibly in parts of Wales. It is -a tree-loving animal, and feeds mainly on squirrels, which it pursues -through the branches. It is also fond of fruit. Mr. Charles St. John -discovered this in a curious way. He noticed that his raspberries were -being stolen, so set a trap among the canes. Next day all he could see was -a heap of newly gathered raspberry leaves where the trap was. Stooping down -to move them, a marten sprang up and tried to defend itself. The poor beast -had come to gather more raspberries, and had been caught. Unable to escape, -it gathered the leaves near and concealed itself. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -RATEL. - -Ratels are curiously restless little animals, with a peculiar trot-like -walk.] - - -THE SABLE. - -This is so little different from the marten that some have thought it only -a northern variety. That is not the case, as both are found in the same -area, and no one who knows anything of form and colour could mistake the -true sable's fur. This fur is so fine and even that each single hair tapers -gradually to a point: that is why sable brushes for painting are so -valuable; they always form a point when wet. The price of these brushes, -which are of genuine sable fur, though made up from fragments of the -worst-coloured or damaged skins, varies yearly with the price of sable in -the market. - - -THE MINK. - -Ladies are very familiar with the fur of the MINK, which is one of the best -of the less expensive varieties; it is not glossy as marten or sable, and -of a lighter and more uniform brown. The mink is a water-haunting polecat, -found in Siberia, North America, and Japan. Its main home is in North -America, where the immense system of lakes and rivers gives scope for its -aquatic habits. The under-fur is particularly warm and thick, to keep out -the cold of the water, in which the animal spends more time than on land. -It is not stated to catch fish, as does the otter, in the water; but it -lives on frogs, crayfish, mussels, and dead or stranded fish. Minks have -been kept in confinement and regularly bred in "minkeries," as is the blue -fox, and in Manchuria the chow dog, for the sake of its fur. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._ - -PINE-MARTEN. - -Pine-martens have most beautiful fur, and for that reason are much hunted -in America.] - - -THE POLECAT. - -This is now probably the rarest of the British weasels. It is almost -identically the same as the polecat-ferret, a cross-breed between it and -the domesticated variety. It survives in a few of the great woodlands of -the Midlands and of Oxfordshire, in Scotland, and Wales. It is found in -Cumberland, near Bowness, and on Exmoor and Dartmoor where rabbits abound. -It is an expert swimmer. Its habits are the same as those of the stoat, but -it is slower in its movements. It catches fish, and can pick up food from -the bottom of the water. Wild ones can be trained to work like ferrets. -"They do not delay in the hole, but follow the rat out and catch it in a -couple of bounds" (Trevor-Battye). The FERRET is a domesticated breed of -polecat. It is identical in shape and habits, but unable to stand the cold -of our climate in the open. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq._ - -POLECAT. - -In England this animal in becoming very scarce.] - - -THE WEASEL. - -The smallest, fiercest, and commonest of its race, the little WEASEL is by -no means the least formidable to other animals of the carnivora of England. -It is cinnamon-coloured, with a white throat and belly, and climbs as -neatly as a cat, running up vertical boughs with almost greater facility. A -weasel in a high hedge will run the whole length of the fence, from twig to -twig, without descending; it threads the galleries of the field-mice, sucks -the eggs of small birds in their nests, and attacks rats, mice, rabbits, -and even such large birds as grouse without fear or hesitation. During a -great plague of field-voles in the Lowlands of Scotland in the years 1890 -and 1891 the weasels increased enormously. A shepherd took the trouble to -follow a weasel down a hollow drain in the vole-infested hillside; he found -the bodies of no less than thirteen field-mice, which the weasel had amused -itself by killing. In winter weasels hunt the corn-stacks for mice, and -often make a home among the sheaves. One was seen chasing a vole by Mr. -Trevor-Battye, who picked up the vole, which the weasel was just about to -jump up for, when he threw it into the hedge. There the weasel pounced on -it and carried it off! - -The main food of the weasel is the field-mouse and small voles. Weasels are -very devoted to their young; they will pick them up and carry them off as a -cat does a kitten, if the nest is in danger. Their hunting shows great -marks of cunning. One was seen in a field in which a number of -corn-buntings were flying about, alighting on thistles. The weasel went and -hid under one of the tallest thistles, on which a bunting soon alighted; an -instant after it sprang up and caught and killed the bird. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -HIMALAYAN WEASEL. - -Weasels are still common in England. They are fierce, and absolutely -fearless when in pursuit of game.] - - -THE STOAT, OR ERMINE. - -This is the commonest and most widely distributed of all the Weasel Tribe. -In winter the fur turns to pure white in the northern countries, and -occasionally in Southern England. It is then known as the ERMINE, and -yields the ermine fur. In every country where it is found it is the deadly -foe of all small animals, from the hare to the smallest field-mice. It has -the same passion for killing for killing's sake shared by the ferret. If a -stoat finds a rabbit's nest, for instance, it always murders all the young -ones. These creatures sometimes contrive to hunt in packs, or to migrate in -society. They are very fond of their young, which they lay up in old crows' -nests, holes in banks, or straw-stacks. They have often been seen to carry -them out of danger in their mouths. The length of the head and body is 10¾ -inches, and of the tail 6½ inches. The young are usually from five to eight -in number, and are born in April or May. They soon move into the long -standing-grass, and remain there till it is cut. After that they move to -the woods and covers, and great numbers are trapped. If not, they attack -the young pheasants, and do great damage. They can climb well, and are -known, as is the polecat, to ascend trees and kill birds on their nests. -They also suck eggs. Forty-two pheasants' eggs were taken by Mr. de Winton -from one stoat's hole. - -[Illustration: _Photos by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -COMMON STOAT. - -_In summer coat._ _In -winter coat._ - -These photographs show the stoat (or ermine, as it is often called) in its -summer and winter coats. This animal gives us the well-known ermine fur.] - - -THE GLUTTON, OR WOLVERINE. - -This largest and most destructive of all the Weasel Tribe is found all -round the northern edge of the Arctic Circle, from Norway to Hudson Bay. It -is a large heavy animal, with a short head, sharp claws, long thick fur, -and a clumsy gait. Its tusks are very long and sharp; and its appetite, if -not so insatiable as the old travellers were told, is sharp enough to keep -it always hunting. It follows the fur-trappers in the woods, and, being -very cunning, breaks in at the back of their fall-traps, and robs the baits -or the prey caught. When Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle made the North-west -Passage by land, they lost nearly all their furs in this way. Once, having -trapped a valuable silver fox, the only one caught by them, they found -nothing but shreds of fur left by the glutton. As the marten-hunters' line -of traps is perhaps fifty or sixty miles long, the loss and damage caused -by the glutton is most mortifying. This animal can only be caught in steel -traps, and that with great difficulty. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -GLUTTON. - -A cunning, destructive animal, which follows the trappers and robs them of -the animals taken in the traps.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -CALIFORNIAN SEA-LIONS, OR EARED SEALS. - -Seal-herds form "rookeries" when on land at the breeding-season, during -which time they undergo a complete fast.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -_MARINE CARNIVORA: THE SEALS, SEA-LIONS, AND WALRUS._ - -There are three families of the Sea Carnivora,--the Fur-seals, or Eared -Seals; the Walrus; and the True or Earless Seals. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -STELLER'S SEA-LION. - -The eared seal, or sea-lion, has the hind flippers divided, and is thus -able to move with comparative ease on land.] - -The first group, which are called EARED SEALS, and occasionally SEA-LIONS -and SEA-BEARS, have a small outer ear, and when on land the hind flippers -are folded forwards beneath the body. There is a distinct neck, and on the -flippers are rudimentary claws. Some of the eared seals have the close and -fine under-fur which makes their capture so remunerative. Under the skin -there is often a thick layer of blubber, which is also turned to commercial -uses by the sealers. - -The WALRUS stands by itself. It is a purely Arctic species, whereas -fur-seals are found from Bering Sea to the Antarctic; and forms in some -degree a connecting-link between the eared seals and the true seals. Like -the former, it turns the front flippers forwards and inwards when on land; -but it resembles the true seals in having no external ears. The upper -canine teeth are developed into enormous tusks of hard ivory. - -The COMMON SEALS are the most thoroughly aquatic. The hind flippers seem -almost to have coalesced with the tail, and are always directed backwards -in line with it. They have no under-fur. On land they can only use the -front flippers to aid their progress. - -Most seals are marine, though some are found in the land-locked sea of Lake -Baikal, in Central Asia, and the true seals often come up rivers. - - -THE EARED SEALS, OR SEA-LIONS. - -These and the walrus have their hind limbs so far free that they can crawl -on land and use their flippers for other purposes than swimming; they can -comb their hair with them, and walk in an awkward way. They are divided -into the fur-seals and hair-seals in the language of trade. The fur-seals -are those from which ladies' seal-skin jackets are made; the hair-seals are -sought for their hides and oil. A demand has sprung up for the latter to -make coats for automobilists to wear when riding at high speed in cold -weather. The "porpoise-hide" boots are really made from the skin of the -hair-seal. - -Both hair-seals and fur-seals have in common the remarkable habit of -assembling in large herds during the breeding-season, and of spending a -long period on land after the young are born. The male seals reach the -islands, or "rookeries," first, followed by the females. The latter give -birth to their young almost as soon as they reach the rocks, and are then -seized and gathered into harems by the strongest and oldest males. The -sea-lions of Patagonia, equally with the fur-seals of Bering Sea and the -Pribyloff Islands, never feed during the whole time which they spend on the -rocks, often for a period of two months. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -SEA-LION. - -This photograph shows the dry mane of the sea-lion, a rather uncommon -sight, as it rarely remains long enough out of the water for its fur to -become absolutely dry.] - - -THE FUR-SEALS. - -The NORTHERN FUR-SEAL is the only member of this group surviving in any -number. These animals still annually resort to the Aleutian Islands, in the -territory of Alaska, in great herds to produce their young, and to certain -other islets off the coast of Japan. This northern fur-seal, from the fur -of which the seal-skin jackets are obtained, is, when full grown, between 6 -and 7 feet long. The females are only 4 feet or 4½ feet in length. The -shoulder of the male is grey, the rest of the body varying between reddish -grey and deep black. The female is lighter in colour. Males of this species -are not full grown till six years of age, but breed when four years old. -The females produce young at three years of age. The male seals take -possession of the females almost immediately after reaching the -breeding-grounds, each male collecting as many females as it can round it. -The pups keep with their mothers. This assemblage is surrounded by great -numbers of young male or bachelor seals, which the old males prevent from -annexing any of the females. The greatest of all these gathering-places are -on the Pribyloff Islands and certain other islets in Bering Sea. By the end -of May both male and female seals swim in flocks through Bering Straits, -making for the islands. The islands themselves are leased to American -merchants. But as those seals killed on the way are all just about to bring -forth young, the waste and cruelty of this "pelagic sealing" will be easily -understood. On the islands, or "rookeries," the males, mothers, and pups -remain till August, when the pups take to the water. The male seals have -remained for at least two months, incessantly fighting and watching, -without taking any food. By that time they are quite exhausted, the fat -which they laid up previously being all absorbed. The fur has not naturally -either the colour or texture which art gives it. The outer fur is long and -coarse, and only the inner fur of the exquisite texture of the "made" skin. -The former is removed, and the latter dyed to the rich brown colour which -we see. The fur-seals are steadily diminishing, and each year's catch is -smaller than that of the year before. - -The CAPE FUR-SEAL, SOUTHERN FUR-SEAL, and NEW ZEALAND FUR-SEAL are -practically extinct for commercial purposes. - - -THE HAIR-SEALS. - -Among these are the large so-called "sea-lions" of Patagonia and the North -Pacific. We are familiar with their appearance, because for many years -specimens have been kept at the Zoological Gardens. Their habits are much -the same as those of the fur-seals. The principal species are, in the -north, STELLER'S SEA-LION, and the PATAGONIAN SEA-LION in the south. Those -kept at the Zoological Gardens are usually of the latter species. - -STELLER'S SEA-LION is already on the road to extinction. When the annual -catch of fur-seals reached 100,000 a year, the total number of these -northern sea-lions was estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000. They repair -every year to the Pribyloff Islands to breed, as the fur-seals do, but are -shier and more entirely aquatic. The fur of the old males is tawny, and -makes a kind of mane over the shoulders, whence its name. Off San Francisco -there is a small rocky island, one of the ancient "rookeries" of these -sea-lions, where they are carefully preserved by the United States -Government as one of the sights of the bay. Another favourite haunt in old -days was on the Farralone Islands, thirty miles from the bay. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._ - -SEA-LION. - -All sea-lions are polygamous. The males guard their harems very jealously, -and fight determinedly with any intruder.] - -Southwards, towards the Antarctic, on the desolate and uninhabited coasts -and islets of the Far Southern Ocean, the most characteristic of the fauna -still remaining are the sea-lions. Formerly they swarmed in great packs, -crowding at the breeding-season the seaweed-covered rocks with their huge -and unwieldy forms, and at other times cruising in uncouth and noisy -companies in search of the fishes and squids, which they pursued like packs -of ocean-wolves. In spring the sea-lions used to struggle on to the flat -shore, where the equally aquatic tribes of penguins, which had lost the use -of their wings, covered acre after acre of rock with their eggs and young. -These the sea-lions devoured. When the men of the first exploring-ships -visited the penguins' nurseries, all the ungainly birds began to hop -inland, evidently taking the men for seals, and thinking it best to draw -them as far from their native element as possible. But the eared seals can -make good progress of a kind on land. When Captain Musgrave and his crew -were cast away for twenty months on the Auckland Islands, they found their -tracks on the top of a hill four miles from the water. Captain Musgrave -also saw the mother seals teaching their puppies to swim; they were by no -means inclined to do this, and were afraid of the water--fairly clear -presumptive evidence that seals have only recently, so far as natural time -is counted, taken to the aquatic life, and modified their form so -profoundly as they have. - -The PATAGONIAN SEA-LION is perhaps the most numerous species, though its -numbers have been greatly reduced by whalers in search of skins and oil. -The first sea-lion ever brought to England was one of these. The Zoological -Society did not import it; they found it in the possession of a Frenchman -called Lecomte, who had taken it on the Patagonian coast, trained it, and -brought it home, where he showed it in a caravan. Its training was long and -difficult; it bit like a bull-dog, and Lecomte's limbs were scarred all -over with its bites. In spite of this it was the cleverest performing -animal ever seen up to that time in England. This sea-lion died from -swallowing a fish-hook concealed in some fish with which it was fed. -Lecomte was then sent out by the Zoological Society to obtain some more. -With the greatest difficulty several were secured, but all died on the -voyage to New York. Lecomte returned and obtained others, one of which he -succeeded in bringing to England. The cleverness of these animals--or -rather their power of understanding what they are required to do, and their -willingness to do it--probably exceeds that of any other animal, except the -elephant and the dog. Why this is so is not easy to conjecture, except that -the brain is more developed. They have been taught to fetch and carry on -dry land like a retriever, in addition to the well-known tricks exhibited -by those at the Zoo. One belonging to Barnum's Show caught -strawberry-punnets on its nose when they were thrown to it, and waved a -torch, which it held in its teeth and caught after tossing it into the air. - -The sea-lions are much more powerful animals than the fur-seals. The male -of Steller's sea-lion attains a length of 10 feet and a weight of 1,000 -lbs. The AUSTRALIAN SEA-LION is even larger than that of the North Pacific. -Some specimens are said to attain 12 feet in length. Captain Cook mentions -seeing male Patagonian sea-lions 14 feet long and from 8 to 10 feet in -circumference. Though none are now seen of such dimensions, skulls found on -the beach show that anciently some of the sea-lions were larger than any -now known. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -FEMALE WALRUS. - -This is a photograph of the only walrus which has ever been tamed and -taught to perform tricks. It was taken when she was two years old and -weighed 380 lbs. At that time she consumed 70 lbs. of boneless fish a day; -a year later not less than 100 lbs. satisfied her. She is now an inmate of -the Roumanian Zoological Gardens.] - -It should be noted that all these creatures are carnivorous, yet the supply -of food for them never seems to fail, as undoubtedly it would were the -animals dependent for their food on land. - - -THE WALRUS. - -The distinguishing features of the walrus have been mentioned in the -introductory remarks to this chapter. It should be added that it has an -external ear-passage, though no external ears, and very thick and bristly -whiskers. It is practically confined to the Arctic Circle, though once its -range extended to the British coasts (where its bones are found in the -Suffolk Crag) and to Virginia. The skull of one was found in the peat at -Ely--evidence that it once ascended rivers. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild_] [_Tring._ - -MALE WALRUS. - -The "tusks" of the walrus are put to many practical uses during life, and -after death are much valued for the ivory.] - -The walrus stands alone; it is a real monster of the deep. Strange and -awful stories were told of it by some of the early voyagers to the Arctic -Seas; but Captain Cook gave a very different account of his impressions of -the walruses which he saw on the north coast of America: "They lie in herds -of many hundreds on the ice, huddling over one another like swine. (They -lie just like a lot of pigs in a yard.) They roar and bray so very loud, -that in the night, or in foggy weather, they gave us notice of the vicinity -of the ice before we could see it. We never found the whole herd asleep, -some being always on the watch. These, on the approach of the boat, would -awaken those next to them; and the alarm being thus gradually communicated, -the whole herd would awake presently. But they were seldom in a hurry to -get away, till after they had been once fired at; they then would tumble -over one another into the sea in the utmost confusion. They did not appear -to us to be that dangerous animal which authors have described, not even -when attacked. Vast numbers of them would follow us, and come close up to -the boats; but the flash of the musket in the pan, or the bare pointing of -it, would send them down in an instant. The female will defend her young to -the last, and at the expense of her own life, whether in the water or upon -the ice; nor will the young one quit the dam, though she be dead; so that -if one be killed the other is certain prey." The long pendent tusks, -bristly whiskers, small bloodshot eyes, and great size lent colour to the -terrifying tales of the walrus. But more ancient voyagers than Captain Cook -told the truth--that the "morses," as they called them, were harmless -creatures, which often followed the ships from sheer curiosity. They sleep -on the ice like elephantine pigs, and dive and rout on the sea-bottom for -clams, cuttle-fish, and seaweeds. Probably the long tusks are used to rake -up mussels and clams; they also help the walrus to climb on to the ice. A -young walrus was kept for some time by the members of the -Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, and was found to be an amusing pet. One kept -on board a Dundee whaler used to sleep with an Eskimo dog, and got into the -same kennel with it. It ate blubber and salt pork, but liked the sailors' -pea-soup better than anything else; it was most sociable, and could not -bear to be alone--would tumble down the hatchway to seek the society of its -beloved sailors, and scramble into the cabin if the door were open. When it -fell ill and before it died, it seemed most grateful for any attention -shown to it. The parent walrus shows the greatest courage in trying to -defend the young one. Walruses are now scarce; but as the ivory is the only -part of them of much present value, there is a chance that they may not be -killed off entirely. - - -THE TRUE SEALS. - -The TRUE SEALS, with their greatly modified forms, heads set almost on to -their shoulders, with no neck visible, have well-developed claws on all the -toes, and in the typical species have double-rooted and small cheek-teeth. -The number of the incisors is variable. The GREY SEAL of the North Atlantic -is a large species which visits the North British coasts and the Hebrides. -One old male shot off the coast of Connemara weighed nearly 400 lbs., and -was 8 feet long. It is found off Scandinavia and eastwards to the coast of -Greenland, and breeds off our coasts in October and November. This is the -large seal occasionally shot up Scotch lochs. Its colour is yellowish grey, -varied with blots and patches of dirty black and brown. - - -THE COMMON SEAL. - -This seal is smaller than the preceding. It breeds on parts of the Welsh -and Cornish coasts, and is found on both sides of the Atlantic and in the -North Pacific. It assembles in small herds, and frequents lochs, estuaries, -and river-mouths. In the summer it is fond of following flounders and -sea-trout up rivers. A few years ago one came up the Thames and was shot at -Richmond. The young are born in June, and are greyish white. The adults are -variously mottled with grey, brown, and black. The fondness of seals for -music is proverbial. Macgillivray, the Scotch naturalist, said that in the -Hebrides he could bring half a score of them within forty yards of him by a -few notes on his flute, when they would swim about with their heads above -water like so many black dogs. A seal was captured by the servants of a -landowner near Clew Bay, on the west coast of Ireland, and kept tame for -four years. It became so attached to the house that, after being carried -out to sea three times, it returned on each occasion. The cruel wretches -who owned it then blinded it, out of curiosity to see whether it could find -its way back sightless. The poor animal did so after eight days. - -The common seal is still fairly numerous on the rocky western coasts of the -British Islands, though a few old seals, unable to forget their early -habits, appear now and then in Morecambe Bay and in the Solway. It is not -uncommon off the coasts of Caithness and Sutherland. It also frequents a -sandbank in the Dornoch Firth, though it has been much persecuted there. -The common seal is gregarious, while the grey seal usually lives only in -pairs, or at most in small companies. Two or three dozen like to lie -closely packed on shore with all their heads turning seawards. The white -hair of the young seals--which, as already said, are born in June--is shed -in a day or two, when the young take to the water. With regard to their -reputed musical proclivities, some experiments made at the Zoological -Gardens did not bear out this belief; but there is much evidence that in a -state of nature they will approach and listen to music. The common seal has -a large brain-capacity, and is a very intelligent creature. The upper parts -of this seal are yellowish grey, spotted with black and brown, the under -parts being silver-grey. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -WALRUS AND SEA-LION. - -Another photograph of the walrus tamed by Herr Carl Hagenbeck. Notice the -sea-lion in the right-hand corner, which also formed one of the same -performing troupe.] - -The HARP-SEAL is an Arctic or ice-seal which sometimes finds its way to -Britain. The young are born on ice-floes. It is found in great herds in -Davis Straits, on the coasts of Greenland, and in the greater part of the -frozen Arctic Ocean. It is the animal which the sealing-vessels which hunt -seals for oil and "hair"--that is, the leather of the skins, not the -fur--seek and destroy. In the old days they could be seen in tens of -thousands blackening square miles of ice. They are still so numerous that -in Danish Greenland more than 30,000 are taken each year. The RINGED SEAL -is a small variety, not more than 3 or 4 feet in length, found in great -numbers in the Far North. Its flesh is the main food of the Eskimo, and its -skin the clothing of the Greenlanders. The seals make breathing-holes in -the ice. There the Eskimo waits with uplifted spear for hours at a time, -until the seal comes up to breathe, when it is harpooned. The BLADDER-NOSED -SEAL is a large spotted variety, with a curious bladder-like crest on the -head and nose of the male. Unlike all other seals, it sometimes resists the -hunters and attacks the Eskimo in their kayaks. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -GREY SEAL. - -Seals are not so well adapted as sea-lions for getting about on the dry -land, and, except for their habit of coming ashore to bask in the sun, are -thoroughly aquatic.] - -If any evidence were needed of the great destruction which the sealing and -whaling industry causes, and has caused, among the large marine animals, -the case of the ELEPHANT-SEALS ought to carry conviction. These are very -large seals, the male of which has a projecting nose like a proboscis. They -were formerly found both north and south of the Equator, their main haunts -being on the coast of California, and on the islands of the South Pacific -and Antarctic Ocean. They are gigantic compared with the common seals, some -of the males being from 16 to 20 feet long. Cuttle-fish and seaweed are the -principal food of this seal, which was formerly seen in astonishing -numbers. The whaling-ships which hunted both these seals and sperm-whales -at the same time almost destroyed those which bred on the more accessible -coasts, just as the earlier whalers entirely destroyed Steller's sea-cow, -and their modern descendants destroyed the southern right-whales. The -elephant-seal is now very scarce, and when one is killed the skin is -regarded as something of a curiosity. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -GREY SEAL. - -Note the difference between the seal's and the sea-lion's hind flippers. -When on land, the seal advances by a jumping movement, produced by the -muscles of the body, assisted forward by the front flippers.] - -In the records of the voyage of the _Challenger_ it is stated that there -were still great numbers of the elephant-seals surviving near Heard Island, -and not a few round the shores of Kerguelen Island. Professor Moseley -states that on the windward shore of Heard Island "there is an extensive -beach, called Long Beach. This was covered with thousands of sea-elephants -in the breeding-season; but it is only accessible by land, and then only by -crossing two glaciers. No boat can safely land on this shore; consequently -men are stationed on the beach, and live there in huts. Their duty is -constantly to drive the sea-elephants from this beach into the sea, which -they do with whips made out of the hides of the seals themselves. The -beasts thus ousted swim off, and often 'haul up,' as the term is, upon the -accessible beach beyond. In very stormy weather, when they are driven into -the sea, they are forced to betake themselves to the sheltered side of the -island. Two or three old males, which are called 'beach-masters,' hold a -beach for themselves and cover it with cows, but allow no other males to -haul up. They fight furiously, and one man told me that he had seen an old -male take a young one up in his teeth and throw him over, lifting him in -the air. The males show fight when whipped, and are with great difficulty -driven into the sea. The females give birth to their young soon after their -arrival. The new-born young ones are almost black, unlike the adults, which -are of a light slate-brown. They are suckled by the female for some time, -and then left to themselves, lying on the beach, where they seem to grow -fat without further feeding. They are always allowed by the sealers to lie -like this, 'in order to make more oil.' This account was corroborated by -all the sealers I met, but I do not understand it. Probably the cows visit -their offspring unobserved from time to time. Péron says that both parent -elephant-seals stay with the young without taking any food at all till the -latter are about six or seven weeks' old, and that the old ones conduct the -young to the water and carefully keep them company. The rapid increase in -weight is in accordance with Péron's account. Goodridge gives a somewhat -different story--namely, that after the females leave the young the old -males and the pups proceed inland, as far as two miles sometimes, and stop -without food for more than a month, during which time they lose fat. The -male sea-elephants come ashore for the purpose of breeding about the middle -of August, the females a little later." - -Formerly the elephant-seals were found as far north as the Californian -coast, where their capture was the main business of the sealing-traders. -This species also formed the mainstay of the far southern sealers. As the -elephant-seals were killed off, so the business became less and less -profitable. It is to be hoped that the voyages of exploration to the -Antarctic ice-fringe will not lead to the discovery of fresh -sealing-grounds, for if this is the case there is little chance that any of -the southern seals will escape entire destruction. Some form of close time -has already been enforced in the pursuit of the hair-seals of Northern -Europe; but it is very desirable that the species still found on our own -coasts should also receive protection. Except when they paid visits to the -fixed salmon-nets, they never did any harm; and fixed nets are now illegal. -When a seal learned the use of the stake-nets, which these animals were -very quick to understand, it would wait quietly till it saw a fish caught, -and then swim up and carry it off before the fishermen could take it. - -Two species--namely, the COMMON SEAL and GREY SEAL--still regularly visit -our shores. The common seal breeds on our south-western coasts, and the -grey seal off the Hebrides. If the common seal were accorded a close time, -its numbers would probably increase; and the spectacle of such interesting -creatures visible on our coast could not fail to be of great interest. All -the old legends of mermaids and wild men of the sea are based on the -capture of seals. Perhaps the most ancient is one which records such a -capture in the river near Orford Castle, in Suffolk, in the reign of Henry -II. The ignorant soldiers were persuaded that it was a man, and tortured it -to make it speak. They then took it to the church, and showed it the sacred -emblems. As it "showed no reverence," they took it back to the castle, and -fed it on fish. It was allowed to go into the river, but returned to its -captors of its own accord. Later it swam away to the sea. The monk who -recorded the story stated his conviction that this seal was an evil spirit -which had got into the body of a drowned sailor. A grey seal was taken not -many years ago in the creek leading up to the little town of Wells, in -Norfolk. It was so tame that the fishermen caught it by throwing coats over -it as it lay on the mud. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild_] [_Tring._ - -HARP-SEAL. - -The harp-seal comes from Greenland.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild_] [_Tring._ - -SEA-ELEPHANT. - -These enormous seals (about 20 feet in length) are becoming very scarce. -When they come ashore, they are easily approached, though not so easily -killed. They are much valued for their oil. Note the trunk-like -prolongation of the nose, which, when the animal is excited, becomes -distended.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -_THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS._ - -The Rodents, or Gnawing Mammals, have all the same general type of teeth, -from which the order receives its distinctive name. There are a very large -number of families and of genera among the rodents, more than in any other -order of mammals. All the rodents possess a pair of long chisel-shaped -incisor teeth in each jaw. The ends of these teeth are worn into a sharp -edge which cuts like a steel tool. In most rodents these are the only teeth -in that part of the jaw, a wide gap intervening between them and the other -teeth. The hares, rabbits, and calling-hares have a minute pair of teeth -set just behind the large pair in the upper jaw. The grinding-teeth are set -far back, and are never more than six in number, these being sometimes -reduced to four. Rodents generally have five toes on the fore feet; in the -hind feet there are in some cases only four, or even three. None of the -species are of great size; the largest, the CAPYBARA, a water-living animal -of South America, is about the dimensions of a small pig. But the number of -species of small rodents is prodigious, and their fecundity so great that -they constantly increase in favourable seasons until they become a plague. -Voles, lemmings, field-mice, and rabbits are constant sources of loss to -agriculture in their seasons of extraordinary increase. Most rodents feed -on vegetables, though rats and mice have developed carnivorous tastes. No -rodents have canine teeth. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -CAPYBARA. - -This, the largest of the Rodents, is found by the rivers of South America.] - - -THE SQUIRRELS. - -Those of the order of Gnawing Animals which have only two incisors in each -jaw, and no rudimentary teeth like those possessed by the hares, are called -"Simple-toothed Rodents." Of those the family usually placed first in order -is that of the SQUIRRELS and their allies. The True Squirrels and Marmots -have five molar teeth on each side of the upper jaw. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus, New York._ - -FLYING-SQUIRREL. - -One of the small species of the group.] - -Squirrels are found in nearly every temperate part of the globe, from -Norway to Japan, and in very great numbers in India and the tropics. -Everywhere they are favourites; and though they do some mischief in highly -cultivated countries, they are among the most harmless of creatures. Most -of them live on wild nuts and the kernels of fruit; they suck eggs -occasionally, and in Canada will come to the traps in extreme cold and eat -the meat with which they are baited. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -FLYING-SQUIRREL. - -The large flying-squirrels are mainly nocturnal. They can leap a distance -of 40 feet with the aid of the parachutes of skin stretching from the fore -to the hind limbs.] - - -THE RED SQUIRREL. - -This, the common squirrel of England, is representative of the whole order. -In old Scandinavian legends the squirrel is represented as the messenger of -the gods, who carried the news of what was going on in the world to the -other animals. Together with its close relations, it is the most graceful -of all climbers of trees. With its long tail waving behind it, it races up -or down the trunks and across the forest from branch to branch as easily as -a horse gallops across a plain. It will descend the trunk head downwards as -fast as it runs up. Squirrels pair for life, and are most affectionate -little creatures, always playing or doing gymnastics together. The squirrel -builds a very good house, in which he shows himself far more sensible than -the monkeys and apes; it is made of leaves, moss, and sticks. The sticks -come first as a platform; then this is carpeted, and a roof put on. No one -who has seen English squirrels at work house-building has ever described -exactly how they do it; it is the best nest made by any mammal, thoroughly -well fitted together and waterproof. In this nest the young squirrels are -born in the month of June; that year they keep with the parents, and do not -"set up for themselves" till the next spring. The red colour is very -persistent in squirrels. One Chinese variety, black and red, has even -bright red teeth. In cold countries the red squirrels make stores of food, -but spend much of the winter asleep. - -It is a great pity that in England no one tries to tame the squirrels as -they do in America; there they are the greatest ornament of the parks of -cities, coming down to be fed as tamely as our sparrows. The writer has -known one instance in which a lady induced wild squirrels to pay daily -visits to her bedroom for food; they used to climb up the ivy and jump in -at the open window. The great enemies of squirrels near houses are the -cats, which kill all the young ones when they first come down from the -trees. In a garden in Berkshire a pair of squirrels had a family every -summer for five years, but none ever survived the cats' persistent attacks. -These squirrels were most amusing and improvident. They used to hide -horse-chestnuts, small potatoes, kernels of stone fruit, bulbs of crocuses, -and other treasures in all kinds of places, and then forget them. After -deep snows they might be seen scampering about looking into every hole and -crevice to see whether that happened to be the place where they had hidden -something useful. Much of the store was buried among the roots of trees and -bushes, and quite hidden when the snow fell. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -DORSAL SQUIRREL FROM CENTRAL AMERICA. - -A most beautiful species. The main colour is red, but the back is French -grey, and the tail French grey and red mingled.] - - -THE GREY SQUIRREL. - -In Northern Europe, and across Northern Asia and America, a large grey -squirrel is found. From its fur the "squirrel-cloaks" are made. These -squirrels live mainly on the seeds of pines in winter, and on wild fruits, -shoots, and berries in summer. It has been noticed that they will entirely -forsake some great area of forest for a year or two, and as suddenly return -to it. The marten and the sable are the great enemies of the grey squirrel, -but the eagle-owl and goshawk also kill numbers of them. In many countries -the flesh of the squirrel is eaten. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -ASIATIC CHIPMUNKS. - -Small ground-squirrels which store food for the winter.] - -The grey-and-black squirrel of the United States was thus described some -sixty years ago: "It rises with the sun, and continues industriously -engaged in the search for food for four or five hours every morning. During -the warm weather of spring it prepares its nest on the branch of a tree, -constructing it first of dried sticks, which it breaks off, or, if these -are not at hand, of green twigs as thick as a finger, which it gnaws off -from the boughs. These it lays in the fork of a tree, so as to make a -framework. It lines this framework with leaves, and over these again it -spreads moss. In making the nest, the pair is usually engaged for several -days, spending an hour in the morning hard at work. The noise they make in -cutting the sticks and carrying material is heard at some distance." In -winter they reside entirely in the holes of trees, where their young are in -most cases born. Green corn and young wheat suffered greatly from their -depredations, and a wholesale war of destruction used to be waged against -them everywhere. In Pennsylvania an old law offered threepence a head from -the public treasury for every squirrel destroyed, and in 1749 the enormous -sum of £8,000 was paid out of the public funds for this purpose. In those -days vast migrations of these squirrels used to take place, exciting not -only the wonder but the fear of the old settlers. In the Far North-west -multitudes of squirrels used to congregate in different districts, forming -scattered bands, which all moved in an easterly direction, gathering into -larger bodies as they went. Neither mountains nor rivers stopped them. On -they came, a devouring army, laying waste the corn- and wheat-fields, until -guns, cats, hawks, foxes, and owls destroyed them. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -RED-FOOTED GROUND-SQUIRREL. - -This species has some of the characteristics of the tree-squirrels, among -them the bushy tail.] - - -THE FLYING-SQUIRRELS. - -One of the finest squirrels is the TAGUAN, a large squirrel of India, -Ceylon, and the Malacca forests. It is a "flying-squirrel," with a body 2 -feet long, and a bushy tail of the same length. Being nocturnal, it is not -often seen; but when it leaps it unfolds a flap of skin on either side, -which is stretched (like a sail) when the fore and hind limbs are extended -in the act of leaping; it then forms a parachute. The colour of this -squirrel is grey, brown, and pale chestnut. There are a number of different -flying-squirrels in China, Formosa, and Japan, and in the forests of -Central America. One small flying-squirrel, the POLATOUCHE, is found in -North-east Russia and Siberia. It flies from tree to tree with immense -bounds, assisted by the "floats" on its sides. Though only 6 inches long, -it can cover distances of 30 feet and more without difficulty. Wherever -there are birch forests this little squirrel is found. One nearly as small -is a native of the Southern States of America, ranging as far south as -Guatemala. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._ - -BLACK FOX-SQUIRREL. - -The fur of this species is as valuable as that of the grey squirrel.] - -In Africa, south of the Sahara, the place of the Oriental flying-squirrel -is taken by a separate family. They have a different arrangement of the -parachute from that of the flying-squirrels of India. This wide fold of -skin is supported in the Asiatic squirrels by a cartilage extending from -the wrist. In the South African flying-squirrels this support springs from -the elbow, not from the wrist; they have also horny plates on the -under-surface of the tail. Many of the tropical flying-squirrels are quite -large animals, some being as large as a small cat. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -LONG-TAILED MARMOT. - -The marmots live by preference on high and cold mountains just below the -line of eternal snow in Europe. In Asia, where the snow-line is higher, -they are found at altitudes of 12,000 feet.] - -Mr. W. H. Adams says of PEL'S FLYING-SQUIRREL, a West African species: -"These squirrels come out of their holes in the trees some hours after -sunset, and return long before daybreak. They are only visible on bright -moonlight nights. The natives say that they do not come out of their holes -at all in stormy weather, or on very dark nights; they live on berries and -fruits, being especially fond of the palm-oil nut, which they take to their -nests to peel and eat. They pass from tree to tree with great rapidity, -usually choosing to jump from a higher branch to a lower one, and then -climbing up again to make a fresh start.... They litter about twice in a -year, once in September. The young remain in the nest for about nine weeks, -during which they are fed by the old ones on such food as shoots and -kernels. They do not attempt to jump or 'fly' till the end of that period, -extending the length of their jumps with their growth." - -The ETHIOPIAN SPINY SQUIRRELS have coarse spiny fur; the little INDIAN -PALM-SQUIRREL is marked with longitudinal dark and light stripes on the -back; others have light bands on their flanks. - - -THE GROUND-SQUIRRELS. - -Many tree-living squirrels pass a good deal of their time on the ground; -but there are others which burrow like mice, and, though they climb -admirably, prefer to make their nest, and the regular squirrel's store of -nuts, in the earth, and not in the branches. The best known is the little -CHIPMUNK of the United States, the favourite pet of all American children. -There are many kinds of chipmunks, all of which have pouches in their -cheeks for carrying food. The commonest is the STRIPED CHIPMUNK. It is from -8 to 10 inches long, with white stripes, bordered with dark brown on each -side. The chipmunks' hoards of grain and nuts are so large that the Indians -used to rob them in times of scarcity. There is also a ground-squirrel in -Northern Europe and Northern Asia with much the same habits as the -chipmunk. - -The burrows of the chipmunks are deep and extensive, and into them these -rodents convey such quantities of grain and maize as to inflict -considerable loss on the farmer. The SIBERIAN GROUND-SQUIRREL has been -known to conceal over 8 lbs. weight of corn in its hole. This has a -sleeping-chamber at the end, filled with moss and leaves, on which the -family sleep. From this side passages are dug, all leading to chambers -stocked with food, often far in excess of the wants of these provident -little creatures. The surplus stores are said to be eaten in the spring by -wild boars and bears. - - -THE PRAIRIE-DOGS AND MARMOTS. - -Between squirrels which live in holes in the ground and the marmots and -their relations no great gap is found. These creatures drop the climbing -habit and increase that of burrowing. In disposition most of them are still -very squirrel-like, though they gain something in solemnity of demeanour by -never going far from their holes. A prairie-dog or marmot is like a -squirrel which has left society and settled down in a suburb. The little -creatures known in America as PRAIRIE-DOGS have in Northern Europe and the -steppes of Asia some first cousins, called SUSLIKS. Both live in colonies, -burrow quickly and well, feed on grass, and have a habit of sitting bolt -upright outside their holes, keeping a look-out for enemies. The -prairie-dogs also bark like a little dog when alarmed. Before going to -sleep, the latter always carry the dry grass on which they slept out of -their burrow, and carefully bite up into short lengths a fresh supply to -make their beds. The susliks and prairie-dogs are of a khaki colour, like -the sand in which they delight to burrow. Every one has heard that the -little burrowing-owls live in the same holes in company with the -prairie-dogs, and that the rattlesnake sometimes eats both the young -prairie-dogs and the young owls. An acquaintance of the writer who had -killed a rattlesnake actually took a young prairie-dog from its mouth. The -snake had not struck it with the poison, but had begun to swallow it -uninjured. It was still alive, and recovered. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -PRAIRIE-DOGS, OR MARMOTS. - -A most characteristic picture. It shows the prairie-dogs' method of holding -their food while they eat, or cutting up grass to make their beds.] - -The suslik was once found in England; its remains, with those of other -steppe animals, are found in the river gravels and brick earth in the -London basin. The prairie-dogs form a kind of connecting-link between the -susliks and the true marmots. They have short ears, short tails, rounded -bodies, and possess great powers of digging. When a prairie-dog has nothing -better to do, it usually spends its time either in digging holes or in -cutting up grass or anything handy to make its bed with. Young prairie-dogs -are not so large as a mouse when born. The adult animals feed almost -entirely on grass and weeds in their wild state; they seem quite -independent of water, and able to live in the driest places. - -The ALPINE MARMOT is a much larger species than the prairie-dog. It lives -on the Alps just below the line of perpetual snow. From five to fifteen -marmots combine in colonies, dig very deep holes, and, like the -prairie-dogs, carefully line them with grass; they also store up dry grass -for food. In autumn they grow very fat, and are then dug out of the burrows -by the mountaineers for food. Young marmots used to be tamed and carried -about by the Savoyard boys, but this practice is now rare. The monkey is -probably more attractive to the public than the fat and sleepy marmot. -Marmots are about the size of a rabbit, and have close iron-grey fur. - -Tschudi, the naturalist of the Alps, says of the marmots that they are the -only mammal which inhabits the region of the snows. No other warm-blooded -quadrupeds live at such an altitude. In spring, when the lower snows melt, -there are generally small pieces of short turf near their holes, as well as -great rocks, precipices, and stones. Here they make their burrows, outside -which they feed, with a sentinel always posted to warn them of the approach -of the eagle or lammergeir. The young marmots, from four to six in number, -are born in June. When they first appear at the mouth of the holes, they -are bluish grey; later the fur gains a brownish tint. The burrows are -usually at a height of not less than 7,000 or 8,000 feet. Winter comes on -apace. By the end of autumn the ground is already covered with snow, and -the marmots retire to sleep through the long winter. As they do not become -torpid for some time, they require food when there is none accessible; this -they store up in the form of dried grass, which they cut in August, and -leave outside their burrows for a time to be turned into hay. - -The ALPINE MARMOT is also found in the Carpathians and the Pyrenees. -Another species, the BOBAC, ranges eastward from the German frontier across -Poland, Russia, and the steppes of Asia to Kamchatka. In Ladak and Western -Tibet a short-tailed species, the HIMALAYAN MARMOT, is found, sometimes -living at a height of nearly 17,000 feet. The GOLDEN MARMOT is found in the -Pamirs. - - -THE BEAVERS. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -AMERICAN BEAVER. - -The engineering feats of the beavers, in damming streams and forming pools, -are the most remarkable achievements performed by living animals.] - -The BEAVERS are classed as the last family of the squirrel-like group of -the Rodents, and the largest creatures of that order in the northern -hemisphere. The value of their fur has caused their destruction in great -measure where they were once numerous, and has led to their total -extirpation where there is evidence that they existed as a not uncommon -animal. They were formerly distributed over the greater part of Europe. In -England semi-fossilised remains show that they were not uncommon. In Wales -beavers' skins were mentioned in the year 940 in the laws of Howel Dha, and -in 1188 Giraldus stated that they were living on the river Teify, in -Cardiganshire. Beavers were formerly found in France, especially on the -Rhone, where a few are still said to survive, in Germany, Austria, Russia, -Poland, and in Sweden and Norway, on the rivers Dwina and Petchora, and on -the great rivers of Siberia. A few still remain in two districts of Norway, -and some were known to frequent the Elbe in 1878. The Moldau, in Bohemia, -is also credited with a colony; but parts of the Danube are believed to be -the chief haunt of the European beaver at the present time. The American -beaver, though its range has greatly contracted, is still sufficiently -numerous for its fur to be a valuable item in the winter fur-sales. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -BEAVER. - -The beaver here shown was kept as a pet. It was photographed upon a stream -in Scotland. The long upper fur is removed when the skin is prepared by the -furrier.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -BEAVER. - -This is a photograph of a swimming beaver. Note the advantage which it has -taken of the eddy in the stream.] - -The beaver's tail is flattened like a paddle and covered with scales; its -hind feet are webbed between the toes; it has sharp claws, which aid it in -scratching up mud, and a thick, close fur, with long brown hair above, and -a most beautiful and close under-fur, which, when the long hairs have all -been removed, forms the beaver-fur of which hats were once made, and -trimmings for ladies' jackets and men's fur coats are now manufactured. -There are two separate lines of interest in connection with the -animal--political and zoological. The value of the fur was anciently such -that, when the first French explorers began to search the Canadian lakes, -and later when the Hudson Bay Company succeeded to the French dominion, the -history of Canada was largely bound up with beaver-catching and the sale of -the skins. In the early days of the Company the "standard of trade" of the -North-west was a beaver-skin. For nearly a century the northern territories -were organised, both under French and English rule, with a view to the -beaver trade. The beaver was, and is, the crest of the Canadian Dominion. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._ - -MUSK-RAT. - -A small water rodent, a native of the North American rivers. Immense -numbers are killed for the sake of their fur.] - -The beavers' engineering feats have for their object to keep up a uniform -depth of water in the streams where they live. On large rivers there is -always enough water for the beaver to swim in safety from its enemies, and -to cover the mouth of the hole which it makes in the bank, just as a -water-rat does. But on small streams, especially in Canada, where during -the winter the frost prevents the springs from running, there is always the -danger that the water may fall so low that the beavers would be left in -shallow water, a prey to the wolverine, wolf, lynx, or human enemies. To -keep up the water, the beavers make a dyke or dam across the stream. This -they go on building up and strengthening until they have ponded back a -large pool. In time, as they never seem to stop adding to their dam, the -pool floods the ground on either side of the stream and makes a small lake. -It flows over the parts of the bank where their holes are; these also -become filled up, because the beavers carry into them every day fresh -quantities of wood-chips to make their beds. The beavers then scrape out -the earth on the top, pile sticks over this, plaster the sticks with mud, -and so build a dome over their bedroom. In time this is raised higher and -higher, the artificial lake rises too, and the complete "beaver-lodge" -surrounded with water is seen. The old trappers who found these _in situ_ -imagined they were built at once and outright in the water. The experiments -and observations at Leonardslee, in Sussex, where Sir E. G. Loder has kept -beavers in a stream for ten years, show that the "evolution" of the lodge -is gradual and only incidental. But the building of the dyke, the cutting -of the trees, and the making of the pool are done with a purpose and -definite aim. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT. - -These rats are able to carry food in their cheek-pouches, which are used as -pockets.] - -What this is, and how done, is explained in the following description of -the beaver colony at Leonardslee: "Their first object was to form in the -brook a pool, with water maintained at a constant height, to keep the mouth -of their burrow in the bank submerged during the droughts of summer. To -this end they built a dam, as good a specimen of their work as can be seen -even in Canada. Its situation was carefully chosen. A small oak, growing on -what appears to have been a projection in the bank, gives support to the -work. It may be concluded that this was part of their intention; for though -they have cut down every other tree in their enclosure to which they had -access, except two or three very large ones, they have left this small tree -which supports the dam untouched. (Later, when the dyke was stronger, they -cut it down.) Above this stretches the dam, some 12 yards wide, and rising -5½ feet from the base to the crest. The beavers built it solidly of battens -of alder, willow, larch, and other straight-limbed trees, cut into lengths -of from 2 to 3 feet. The bark of each was carefully gnawed off for food; -and the whole work, constructed of these cut and peeled logs, has a very -regular and artificial appearance. Smaller twigs and sticks are jammed in -between the battens, and the interstices are stuffed with mud, which the -beavers bring up from the bottom of the pool in their mouths, and push in -with their feet, making the whole structure as watertight as a wall." This -dam converted what was a narrow brook into a long lake, some 50 yards by 15 -or 20 yards broad. Later the beavers made another larger dam below this, -cutting down some more trees. One tree gave them a great deal of trouble; -it was a beech, 40 feet high, and hard to gnaw; so they waited till the -water rose round it, and then _dug it up_. When the large dam was made, -quite a considerable lake was formed below the first. They then neglected -their first dam, and let the water run out of the top lake into the lower -one. At the time of writing there are five old beavers and a family of -young ones at Leonardslee. The work done by these beavers, so few in -numbers, shows how large colonies may alter the course of rivers. - - -THE DORMICE. - -There are a considerable number of animals, even in England, which -hibernate. Most of these feed largely on insect food, which in winter is -unobtainable in any great quantity. Consequently the hedgehog and the -badger, which live largely on snails and worms, go to sleep in the famine -months. So does the sleepiest of all--the DORMOUSE. This alone would show -that this little rodent probably feeds on insects very largely, for if it -only ate nuts and berries it could easily store these, and find a good -supply also in the winter woods. It has been recently proved that dormice -are insectivorous, and will eat aphides, weevils, and caterpillars. But a -dormouse hibernates for so long a time that one might imagine its vitality -entirely lost; it sleeps for six months at a time, and becomes almost as -cold as a dead animal, and breathes very slowly and almost imperceptibly. -Mr. Trevor-Battye says that if warmed and made to awaken suddenly in the -winter it would die in a minute or two, its heart beating very fast, "like -a clock running down." Before their hibernation dormice grow very fat. -There is a large species, found in Southern Europe, which the Romans used -to eat when in this fat stage. In winter dormice usually seek the nest of -some small bird, and use it as a sleeping-place. They pull out and renew -the lining, or add a roof themselves. Into the interior they carry a fresh -supply of moss, and sleep there in great comfort. Their great enemy at this -time is the weasel. There are two main groups of the dormice, divided by -naturalists in reference to the structure of their stomach. The South -African GRAPHIURES have short tufted tails. The hibernating habit is -confined to the more northern species. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -POCKET-GOPHER. - -The pocket-gophers are almost entirely subterranean. Their burrowing powers -are remarkable. The teeth as well as claws are used to aid them.] - - -THE MOUSE TRIBE. - -This family, which includes the MICE, RATS, and VOLES, contains more than a -third of the number of the whole order of Rodents. Some are arboreal, -others aquatic; but most are ground-living animals and burrowers. The -number of known species has been estimated at 330. Among the most marked -types are the WATER-MICE of Australia and New Guinea, and of the island of -Luzon in the Philippines. The feet of the Australian species are webbed, -though those of the Philippine form are not. The GERBILS form another -group, mainly inhabitants of desert districts. They have very large eyes, -soft fur, and tails of various length and form in different species. They -have greatly developed hind legs, and leap like jerboas, and are found in -Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The PHILIPPINE RATS, large and -long-haired, and the TREE-MICE of Africa south of the Sahara, form other -groups. A very mischievous race of rodents is represented in Europe by the -HAMSTERS, and in the New World by a closely allied group, the WHITE-FOOTED -MICE. - - -THE HAMSTERS. - -The HAMSTER is a well-known European species, and represents the group of -pouched rats. These creatures have cheek-pouches to aid them in carrying -food. In addition they are most voracious and inquisitive, so that the -hamster is a type throughout Central Europe of selfishness and greed. We -are sorry to add that John Bull occasionally appears in German cartoons as -the "Land-hamster," or land-grabber. Hamsters are numerous from the Elbe to -the Obi. They burrow and make cellars in the corn- and bean-fields, and -convey thither as much as a bushel of grain. As soon as the young hamsters -can shift for themselves, each moves off, makes a separate burrow, and -begins to hoard beans and corn. As the litter sometimes contains eighteen -young, the mischief done by the hamster is great. Its coloration is -peculiar. The fur, which is so thick as to be used for the linings of -coats, is a light yellowish brown above. A yellow spot marks each cheek. -The lower surface of the body, the legs, and a band on the forehead are -black, and the feet white. Thus the hamster reverses the usual natural -order of colour in mammals, which tends to be dark on the back and light -below. The animal is 10 inches long, and very courageous. Hamsters have -been known to seize a horse by the nose which stepped on their burrow, and -at all times they are ready to defend their home. Besides vegetables and -corn, they destroy smaller animals. They spend the winter in a more or less -torpid state in their burrows, but emerge early in spring. They then make -their summer burrows and produce their young, which in a fortnight after -birth are able to begin to make a burrow for themselves. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -LONG-EARED JERBOA. - -These curious little animals are mainly desert creatures. They move by a -series of leaps.] - -Among the South American members of the group to which the hamster belongs -are the FISH-EATING RATS, with webbed hind feet. The RICE-RAT, which is -found from the United States to Ecuador, lives on the Texas prairies much -as do the prairie-marmots, though its burrows are not so extensive, and -often quite shallow. In these the rats make beds of dry grass. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -CAPE JUMPING-HARE. - -This animal is very common in South Africa. The Boers call it the -"Springhaas."] - - -THE VOLES. - -The VOLES are allied to the preceding groups, but are marked externally by -a shorter and heavier form than the typical rats and mice. Their ears are -shorter, their noses blunter, their eyes smaller, and the tail generally -shorter. They are found in great numbers at certain seasons, when they -often develop into a pest. The SHORT-TAILED FIELD-VOLE is responsible for -much destruction of crops in Europe. One of the latest plagues of these -animals took place in the Lowlands of Scotland, where these voles devoured -all the higher pastures on the hills. Nearly at the same time a similar -plague occurred in Turkish Epirus. When an English commissioner was sent to -enquire into the remedies (if any existed) there in use, he found that the -Turks were importing holy water from Mecca to sprinkle on the fields -affected. The BANK-VOLE is a small English species, replaced on the -Continent by the SOUTHERN FIELD-VOLE. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -OCTODONT. - -The octodonts, so called because they have four molar teeth on each side of -the jaw, are a group of rodents found mainly in South America.] - -The WATER-RAT belongs to the vole group. It is one of the most commonly -seen of all our English mammals--probably, except the rabbit, the most -familiar. Although not entirely nocturnal, it prefers the darkness of -twilight; but whenever the visitor to the waterside keeps still, the -water-rats will allow him to watch them. The writer has had rather an -extensive acquaintance with these cousins of the beavers, and, while -watching them, has never ceased to be struck with their close resemblance -to those creatures. At Holkham Lake, in Norfolk, he noticed a willow-bush, -in which a number of twigs had been gnawed off; and then saw the missing -sticks lying neatly peeled, just like "beaver-wood," in the water below. -Waiting quietly, he noticed a water-rat climb into the bush, gnaw off a -willow twig, descend with it to the edge of the water, and there, sitting -on some crossed boughs, peel and eat the bark, just as a beaver does. By -the Thames a sound is often heard in the round reeds as of something -tearing or biting them; it is made by the water-rats getting their supper. -The rat cuts off three or four sedges and makes a rough platform. It then -cuts down a piece of one of the large round reeds full of pith, and, -holding it in its hands, seizes the bark with its teeth, and shreds it up -the stem, peeling it from end to end. This exposes the white pith, which -the rat then eats. Water-rats have been seen to swim out and pick up acacia -blossoms floating on the water. When swimming under water, each hair is -tipped by a little bubble, which makes the rat look like quicksilver. When -it comes out, the rat shakes itself with a kind of shiver, throwing all the -water off its coat. Though so good a swimmer, its feet are not webbed. It -is found from Scotland to the Bering Sea, but not in Ireland. - -In the Far North the LEMMING takes the place of the voles. It is a very -small, short-tailed creature, like a diminutive prairie-dog. Like the -voles, lemmings have seasons of immoderate increase. They then migrate in -enormous flocks, and are said never to stop till they reach the sea, into -which they plunge. It is believed that they are following an inherited -instinct, and that where there is now sea there once was land, over which -they passed onwards. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -COYPU. - -This is a large aquatic rodent, found on the South American rivers. Its -fur, called "nutria," forms a valuable export from Argentina.] - -The MUSK-RAT inhabits the same waters as the beaver of North America. It -makes a house, generally of reeds piled in a mound, in the lakes and -swamps. The body is only 12 inches long, but the fur is thick and close, -and much used for lining coats and cloaks. The vast chains of rivers and -lakes in Canada make that country the favourite home of the musk-rat. This -creature lives upon roots of aquatic plants, freshwater-mussels, and stems -of juicy herbs. Besides making the domed houses of grass, reeds, and mud, -it also burrows in the banks of streams. There it makes rather an elaborate -home, with numerous passages leading to the water. The odour of musk is -very strong even in the skin. The tail is narrow and almost naked. This -species is the largest of the vole group. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SHORT-TAILED HUTIA. - -The hutias are another group of octodonts, found in the West India -Islands.] - - -THE TYPICAL RATS AND MICE. - -These animals were originally an Old World group. Though the brown rat is -now common in America, it is believed to have come originally from China. - -A very large number of animals are now almost dependent on man and his -belongings. Such creatures are said to be "commensalistic," or eaters at -the same table. They are often very unwelcome guests, whether they are -flies, sparrows, or cockroaches; but probably the least welcome of all are -the rats and mice. The BROWN RAT is the best known of any. It has come into -worse repute than usual of late, because it is now certain that it harbours -the plague-bacillus, and communicates the disease to man. Its habits and -appearance need no description. The BLACK RAT is the older and smaller -species indigenous in Europe, which the brown rat has almost extirpated -from England. A few old houses still hold the black rat, and there are -always a few wild ones at the Zoological Gardens which feed in the animals' -houses. The BLACK-AND-WHITE RAT (not the albino white rat) kept tame in -this country is probably a domesticated form of the ALEXANDRINE RAT of -Egypt. - -The HOUSE-MOUSE is now found in all parts of the world to which Europeans -have access. In England its main home is in the corn-ricks. Were the -farmers to thresh the grain, as is done in the United States, as soon as it -is cut, mice would be far less common. Besides these parasitic mice, there -are a host of field- and forest-mice in this and other countries. One of -the best-known English species is the HARVEST-MOUSE, which makes a globular -nest of grass in the wheat-fields, attached to stems of corn or weeds. In -this the young are born. In winter the mouse lives in holes in banks, and -lays up a store of kernels and grain. The WOOD-MOUSE is larger than the -former, or than the HOUSE-MOUSE. It is yellowish brown in colour, lays up a -great store of winter food, and is itself the favourite prey of the weasel. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild, Tring._ - -PORCUPINE. - -The common porcupine is found in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. This one -was kept by Mr. Rothschild, who had it photographed by Mr. S. G. Payne, of -Aylesbury.] - - -THE BANDICOOTS. - -A very mischievous class of rats is represented by the various species of -BANDICOOT. They are found throughout Southern Asia as far as Ceylon, and in -Kashmir and Turkestan. The BANDICOOT-RAT of India is a large and -destructive species which is sometimes brought to the London docks in -ships, but has not spread into the country. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -PORCUPINE. - -This photograph shows the arrangement of the porcupine's defence of spines; -but when frightened it erects these, so as to form a complete protection to -the body.] - - -OTHER MURINE RODENTS. - -Among the numerous other rodents allied to the rat group are the MOLE-RATS, -with short mole-like bodies. The largest is the GREAT MOLE-RAT, found in -South-eastern Europe, South-western Asia, and North-eastern Africa. It is a -subterranean creature, burrowing for food like a mole. The BAMBOO-RATS have -minute eyes, small external ears, and a short tail partly covered with -hair. In Somaliland a small, almost naked SAND-RAT is found, which burrows -in the sand of the desert, throwing up little heaps like mole-hills. - - -THE GOPHERS. - -In North and Central America the POCKET-GOPHERS form a curious group of -small rodents with cheek-pouches opening on the outside. They spend their -entire existence underground, and are said to use their incisor teeth as -picks to open the hard earth in their tunnels. They push the loosened soil -out by pressing it with their chests and fore feet. When a gopher has eaten -enough to satisfy the immediate calls of hunger, it stores all spare food -away in the large cheek-pouches. When gophers desire to empty the pouches, -they pass their feet along their cheeks from behind, and press the food -forwards on to the ground. - - -THE JERBOAS, SPRINGHAAS, AND JUMPING-MICE. - -The hopping rodents have an immense range, from Southern Europe, through -Africa, Arabia, India, and Ceylon, and even in the New World, where the -AMERICAN JUMPING-MOUSE is found throughout the northern part of the -continent. The latter is only 3 inches long. The true JERBOAS are mainly -found in Africa. All these, when excited, move like kangaroos. Their main -home is the Central Asian steppe region, but they are found in Egypt, -India, Syria, and Arabia. The hind legs are much elongated, the fore legs -very small, and the body usually of a sandy colour. The American -jumping-mouse, though a very small creature, can cover from 3 to 5 feet at -each leap. It inhabits the beech and hard-wood forests. In winter it makes -a globular nest about 6 inches under the surface of the ground. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -VISCACHA. - -The viscacha form colonies like those of the prairie-dogs. It is found on -the pampas north of the La Plata.] - -The CAPE JUMPING-HARE forms a family by itself, with no near allies. It is -of a tawny brown colour, becoming almost pure white below. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._ - -CHAPMAN'S ZEBRAS. - -These zebra have for some years been running loose in the park at Woburn -Abbey.] - -The tail is long, and carried upright as the animal leaps. The head and -body are nearly 2 feet long, and the tail 20 inches. It is found both in -the plains and mountains of South Africa, where it makes deep burrows, in -which several families live. It is mainly nocturnal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -CHINCHILLA. - -A small rodent of the Andes, possessing very soft and valuable grey fur.] - - -THE OCTODONT FAMILY. - -America is the main home of this family of rodents, though there are -several representatives in Africa. Their name is due to the fact that they -have four molar teeth on each side of the jaw. The best-known species is -the COYPU, or NUTRIA, of South America, an aquatic, fur-bearing animal. It -is very plentiful in the large rivers of that continent, where its fur is a -valuable commodity for export. When swimming, the female coypu carries its -young on its back. The coypu is usually 20 inches long, with a tail -two-thirds of the length of its head and body. The general colour is brown -above and brownish yellow below. Coypus live in pairs in holes in the -river-banks. In the Chonos Archipelago they frequent the seashore, and -burrow near the beach. - -The HUTIA, another large octodont, is found in the West Indies. There are -two species, both partly arboreal. The TUCO-TUCOS, burrowing octodonts of -the pampas and the far south of the American Continent, are rat-like -animals, with large claws and very small eyes and ears. - - -THE PORCUPINES. - -These animals are either tree-climbers or ground-dwellers. The former are -found in South America, though one, the CANADIAN PORCUPINE, is found in the -North; the latter are European and Asiatic. In Africa they are also common. -The Canadian porcupine passes nearly all its life in trees, feeding on the -leaves; but it has not a prehensile tail. The COMMON PORCUPINE is abundant -in Italy (where it is eaten by man), Greece, Spain, and Africa. It lives in -burrows or among rocks. In India a very similar species is found. The head -and shoulders of these ground-porcupines are not protected by the larger -sharp spines which guard the rest of their bodies. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -AGUTIS. - -The agutis are also a South American group, found both in the forests and -on the plains.] - -The tree-porcupines of the forests of Central America have long prehensile -tails, and are very lightly built. The quills are short, the head rounded, -and the appearance very different from that of the European or African -species. The common porcupine of Europe and North Africa measures about 28 -inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail. The head, neck, and -shoulders are covered with short spines and hairs, and the shoulders and -back by a crest of long spines, varying from 12 to 15 inches in length. The -tail also carries spines. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY. - -The pacas are among the larger rodents, found mainly in the northern part -of the South American region.] - - -VISCACHAS AND CHINCHILLAS. - -On the plains of La Plata the commonest large rodent is the VISCACHA. It -assembles in societies like the prairie-dogs, but is a much larger animal, -from 18 inches to 2 feet long. Viscachas always set a sentinel to give -warning of danger. They cut every kind of vegetable near and drag them to -their holes; they also have a habit of picking up and collecting round the -burrows any object which strikes them as curious. Articles lost by -travellers, even whips or boots, may generally be found there. The viscacha -belongs to the chinchilla family, but differs much from the beautiful -creature of the high Andes from which chinchilla fur is taken. The COMMON -CHINCHILLA is about 10 inches long, and the SHORT-TAILED CHINCHILLA rather -smaller. The exquisite fur is well known. Two other chinchillas are more -like hares in appearance. All four creatures are found on the Andes. - - -THE AGUTIS AND PACAS. - -South America also produces a family of rodents not unlike small pigs, but -nearer to the mouse-deer in general appearance; they are called AGUTIS. -Mainly forest animals, but living also in the plains, they feed on grass, -leaves, and plants of all kinds; they are very swift in their movements, -and have much the habits of the small South African bucks. The fur is long, -olive- or chestnut-coloured, and thick. - -The PACAS are allied to the agutis, but are stouter; they live either in -burrows made by themselves, or in holes in the banks of rivers, or in old -tree-roots. The pacas are spotted and rather ornamentally marked; they are -found from Ecuador to Brazil and Paraguay. - - -THE CAVIES. - -The DINOMYS, a spotted rodent known by one example from Peru, has been -thought to form a link between the pacas and the cavies, of which the -guinea-pig is the most familiar and the aquatic capybara the largest. The -original of our guinea-pig is believed to be the RESTLESS CAVY, a small -rodent common on the plains of La Plata. It is dark blackish, with -yellowish-grey and white hairs of the domesticated species; and it is -suggested that the original of the present name was "Guiana pig." This cavy -lives in thickets rather than in forests or plains. - -The PATAGONIAN CAVY is a larger form, about twice the size of our hare. It -burrows in the ground, and has a grey coat, with yellowish markings on the -sides. It has been acclimatised successfully in France and England. The -flesh is like that of the rabbit. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -PACAS, OR SPOTTED CAVIES. - -This photograph, which represents young animals, shows in great perfection -the linear arrangement of the stripes.] - -The CAPYBARA is the largest of all rodents. This species is, in fact, a -gigantic water-guinea-pig. It is found in all the great rivers of South -America, from the Orinoco to the La Plata. It swims as well as a water-rat, -though it is as large as a small pig. It feeds on reeds, water-plants, and -grass. A capital photograph of this animal appears on page 146. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -PATAGONIAN CAVY. - -This large species of cavy has been acclimatised successfully both in -England and in France.] - - -PIKAS, HARES, AND RABBITS. - -The last two families of the Rodents have a small pair of rudimentary -incisor teeth behind the large ones in the upper jaw. The PIKAS, or -CALLING-HARES, resemble the marmot tribe in general appearance. Their heads -are short, their ears rounded, and, being tailless, they still less -resemble the common hare; but their dentition marks them as allied. One -species, about 9 inches long, is found in Siberia; and another, only 7 -inches long, in the Rocky Mountains. The former has a habit of cutting -grass and storing it in small stacks outside its hole for winter use; the -Rocky Mountain species carries its hay into its burrows. - -The HARES are a widely distributed group. They are found from the north of -Scotland (where the grey mountain species turns white in winter) to the -south of India, in South Africa, and across the continent of Asia to Japan. -The MOUNTAIN-HARE takes the place of the brown species in Scandinavia, -Northern Russia, and Ireland; it is rather smaller, and has shorter ears -and hind legs. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._ - -WOOD-HARE. - -This is one of the forms intermediate between the hares and rabbits.] - -As early as 54 B.C., Cæsar, in his account of Britain, writes that the -COMMON HARE was kept by the ancient Britons as a pet, but not eaten by -them. It was protected by the Normans in the second list, or schedule, of -animals reserved for sport. The first list included the _Beasts of the -Forest_, the second the _Beasts of the Chase_, of which the hare was one of -the first. The word "chase" has here a technical meaning, by which was -understood an open park, or preserved area, midway in dignity between a -forest and an enclosed park. "Hare parks" were also made, perhaps the most -recent being that made at Bushey for the amusement of the sovereign when at -Hampton Court Palace. The name is often found surviving elsewhere. At -Hokham, the Earl of Leicester's seat in Norfolk, a walled park of 1,500 -acres holds almost all the hares on the estate. If these parks and forest -laws had not existed at an early date, it is probable that the hare would -have become very scarce in this country. - -Hares produce their leverets about the middle of April, though in mild -seasons they are born much earlier. The number of the litter is from two to -five. They are placed in a small hollow scraped out by the doe hare, but -not in a burrow of any kind. - -The instinct of concealment by remaining still is very highly developed in -the hares and rabbits. They will often "squat" on the ground until picked -up rather than take to flight. This seems almost a perverted instinct; yet -hares often exhibit considerable courage and resource when escaping from -their enemies. The following is an instance:--A hare was coursed by two -young greyhounds on some marshes intersected by wide ditches of water. It -first ran to the side of one of these ditches, and doubled at right angles -on the brink. This caused the outer dog to lose its balance and to fall -heavily into the deep and cold water. The hare then made straight for the -line of walkers, and passed through them, with the other greyhound close -behind it. The dog reached out and seized the hare by the fur of the back, -throwing it down. The hare escaped, leaving a large patch of fur in the -dog's jaws, doubled twice, and was again seized by the second dog, which -had come up. It escaped from the jaws of the second pursuer, leapt two -ditches 12 feet wide, and then sat for a moment behind a gate on a small -bridge. This use of the only cover near caused the dogs to lose sight of -it; they refused to jump the second drain, and the hare escaped. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -WILD RABBITS. - -The wild rabbit has now spread to the north of Scotland, where this picture -was taken. It is also common in the Hebrides.] - -The RABBIT is too well known to need description either of its habits or -appearance. It originally came from the countries south of the -Mediterranean, but is now common in Northern Europe, and has become a pest -in Australia and New Zealand. The rabbit breeds when six months old, and -has several litters in each year. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER X. - -_THE BATS AND INSECT-EATING MAMMALS._ - -BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - -These two groups are really closely allied; but the bats are generally -considered apart, on account of their totally different mode of life. -Originally, like their more commonplace relatives, they were dwellers upon -the earth, or, more correctly, among the trees. By gradual modification of -the fore limbs, and a corresponding development of folds of skin attached -thereto, and to the body, they have acquired the power of flight. The -cobego, to be mentioned presently, gives us a hint of how this may have -come about. - -The bats are the only members of the Mammalia which possess the power of -true flight. The so-called flying-squirrels do not rightly deserve this -title, for they have no wings. The wings of the bat have been formed by -modification of the fore limbs, the finger-bones having become excessively -lengthened, so as to serve as a support to a thin web of skin extending -outwards from the body, much as the ribs of an umbrella support the -covering. The hand of the bat is therefore a quite unique organ. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BAT, OR "FLYING-FOX." - -This photograph shows the "flying-fox" in its customary resting position. A -photograph of it flying is shown on page v of Introduction.] - -The wing-membrane serves yet another purpose, for its sense of touch is -exceedingly delicate, enabling even blind bats (for bats are not blind -usually, as is popularly supposed) to avoid objects placed in their path. -Some bats, however, appear to depend also in some slight degree upon -hearing. The sense of touch is still further increased by the development -of frills or leaf-like expansions of skin round the nose and mouth, and by -the excessive development of the external ears. Delicate hairs fringing -these membranes probably act like the "whiskers" of the cat. - -Insect-eating bats inhabiting regions with a temperate climate must in -winter, when food-supplies cease, either hibernate or migrate to warmer -regions. The majority hibernate; but two species at least of Canadian bats -perform extensive migrations, it is supposed to escape the intense cold. - -The power of flight has made the bats independent of the barriers which -restrict the movements of terrestrial animals, and accordingly we find them -all over the world, even as far north as the Arctic Circle. But certain -groups of bats have an extremely restricted range. Thus the Fruit-bats -occur only in the warmer regions of the Old World, the Vampires in America, -whilst some of the more common insect-eating forms are found everywhere. -Those forms with a restricted distribution are, it should be noticed, all -highly specialised--that is to say, they have all become in some way -adapted to peculiar local conditions, and cannot subsist apart therefrom. -It is the more lowly--less specialised--forms which have the widest -geographical range. There are some spots, however, on the world's surface -from which no bat has yet been recorded--such are Iceland, St. Helena, -Kerguelen, and the Galapagos Islands. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Henry King_] [_Sydney._ - -AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BATS. - -In their roosting-places these bats hang all over the trees in enormous -numbers, looking like great black fruits. Although shot in thousands, on -account of the damage they do to fruit orchards, their numbers do not -appear to be reduced.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT. - -The tubular nostrils distinguish this and a species of insect-eating bat -from all other living mammals.] - - -THE FRUIT-BATS. - -These represent the giants of the bat world, the largest of them, the -KALONG, or MALAY FOX-BAT, measuring no less than 5 feet from tip to tip of -the wing. The best known of the fruit-bats is the INDIAN FOX-BAT. Sir J. E. -Tennent tells us that a favourite resort of theirs near Kandy, in Ceylon, -was some indiarubber-trees, "where they used to assemble in such prodigious -numbers that large boughs would not infrequently give way beneath the -accumulated weight of the flock." An observer in Calcutta relates that they -occasionally travel in vast hordes, so great as to darken the sky. Whether -they are performing some preconcerted migration or bent only on a foray to -some distant feeding-ground is a matter for speculation. These hordes are -quite distinct from the "long strings" which may be seen every evening in -Calcutta on their way to neighbouring fruit-trees. - -One of the most remarkable of this group is the TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT, in -which the nostrils are prolonged into a pair of relatively long tubes. -Strangely enough, a group of insect-eating bats has developed similar -though smaller tubes. Except in these bats, such tubes are unknown among -mammals. Their function is not known. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -PIPISTRELLE BAT. - -This is one of the commonest of the British bats. It is the first to appear -in the spring, and the last to retire at the fall of the year.] - - -INSECT-EATING BATS. - -The vast majority of the bats comprising this group feed exclusively on -insects. Some, however, have acquired the habit of fruit-eating, like the -true fruit-bats; and a few have developed quite ogre-like habits, for they -drink blood--indeed, they subsist upon nothing else. This they obtain from -animals larger than themselves. - -Many of the bats of this group have developed curious leaf-like expansions -of skin around the nose and mouth, which are supposed to be endowed with a -very delicate sense of touch. In some, as in the FLOWER-NOSED BAT, the -nose-leaf is excessively developed, forming a large rosette. The upper -border of this rosette is furnished with three stalked balls, the function -of which it is surmised is probably ornamental--from the bat's point of -view. To our more æsthetic taste the whole effect is hideous. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -LEAF-NOSED BAT. - -The leaf-nosed are the most highly organised of all the bats. The -remarkable leaf-like folds of skin around the nose or chin, as the case may -be, serve as delicate organs of perception. There are numerous species of -leaf-nosed bats.] - -Limited as is our space, we cannot pass over the SUCKER-FOOTED BATS. These -are met with, strangely enough, in countries so far apart as Brazil and -Madagascar. The suckers from which they derive their name, in the Brazilian -species, are small circular, hollow disks, attached to the thumb and the -sole of the foot, recalling the suckers of the cuttle-fish and brown -water-beetle. By their means the animal is enabled to climb over smooth -vertical surfaces. - -A white bat is a rarity in the bat world. We cannot therefore afford to -pass without mention the fact that Central and South America possess two -species of WHITE BATS. This colour is probably developed for protection's -sake, the bats being found nestling between the silvery leaves of a -cocoanut-palm. Brilliant coloration, on the other hand, is by no means so -rare. WELWITSCH'S BAT, for instance--a West African species--is remarkable -for its gorgeous coloration, the colours being orange and black. An Indian -species, known as the PAINTED BAT, is said to be so brilliantly coloured as -to resemble a gorgeous butterfly rather than a bat. - -[Illustration: _Photo W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -COBEGO. - -Back view of the cobego, with the limbs extended, showing the great size of -the flying-membranes, or parachute.] - -Ugliness is more common than beauty amongst the bats, and perhaps the -ugliest of all the tribe is the NAKED BAT of the Malayan region. It is -absolutely repulsive. The skin is naked, save for a collar of hair round -the neck; whilst on the throat it gives rise to an enormous throat-pouch, -which discharges an oily fluid of a peculiarly nauseating smell. On either -side of the body is a deep pouch, in which the young are carried--a very -necessary provision, for they would be quite unable to cling to the body of -the parent, as do the young of fur-bearing bats, on account of the naked -skin. - -Of the great group of the VAMPIRE-BATS we can only make mention of the -blood-sucking species. These are natives of South America. It is to Dr. -Darwin that we owe our first absolutely reliable information about these -little animals. Before the account in his Journal, it was uncertain to -which of the vampires belonged the unenviable distinction of being the -blood-sucker. During the stay of the great naturalist in Chili one was -actually caught by one of his servants, as evening was drawing on, biting -the withers of a horse. In the morning the spot where the bite had been -inflicted was plainly visible, from its swollen condition. These two -species, it has been stated, "are the only bats which subsist entirely on a -diet of blood, yet it is possible that ... some of the JAVELIN-BATS or -their allies may on occasion vary their ordinary food with it." - - -THE INSECTIVORA, OR FLIGHTLESS INSECT-EATERS. - -Some members of this group have departed from the traditional insect diet. -Thus the cobego feeds upon leaves, a curious aquatic shrew--the Potamogale -of West Africa--upon fish, and the moles upon worms. - -The group has a very wide geographical distribution, but there are -nevertheless large portions of the globe in which they are conspicuous by -their absence. They are never found in Australia or South America. -Madagascar, Africa, and the West India Islands produce the most remarkable -forms. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -COBEGO. - -Vertical (front) view of the cobego, with newly born and naked young -attached. Note the extension of the membrane between the toes of the fore -feet of the adult.] - - -THE COBEGO. - -This is a peculiarly interesting animal, which lives in the forests of -Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippine Islands. It dwells -among the trees, moving from one to another by taking flying leaps through -the air, covering as much as seventy yards at a jump. Prodigious leaps like -this would be quite impossible but for the fact that the animal, which is -almost as large as a cat, is provided with a sort of parachute, formed by a -broad web of skin stretched between the body on either side and the fore -and hind limbs, and between the hind limbs and the tail. - - -SHREWS, HEDGEHOGS, AND TENRECS. - -The variation in form presented by the members of this group is -considerable. The most noteworthy examples of this variation are furnished -by the pretty little squirrel-like TREE-SHREWS of India and Borneo and -neighbouring lands, the mouse-like JUMPING-SHREWS of Africa, the HEDGEHOGS, -the TENRECS, the elegant little MOUSE-LIKE SHREWS of almost world-wide -distribution, and the WATER-SHREWS. Of these, hedgehogs and tenrecs have -undergone the greatest transformation. By a curious modification of their -original hairy covering they have developed a formidable armour of sharp -spines. When alarmed, the former roll themselves up into a ball by the -contraction of powerful muscles, and so present an almost impregnable -armour to an enemy. Stoats and foxes, however, appear at least occasionally -to succeed in overcoming this defence and making a meal of the vanquished. - -Tenrecs are found in Madagascar. The COMMON TENREC is the largest of all -insect-eaters, and one of the most prolific, as many as twenty-one having -been produced at birth. Of all living mammals it is the one most nearly -allied to the Marsupials. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -COBEGO ASLEEP. - -All four limbs are used in suspending itself when asleep, as in the sloths. -In this position the cobego closely resembles, and is mistaken by its -enemies for, the fruits of one of the native trees. It is a nocturnal -animal.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Melland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS. - -Young hedgehogs are born blind and naked. The spines on their first -appearance are quite soft; they soon harden, and at the same time the power -to roll the body up into a ball is acquired.] - - -THE MOLES. - -The COMMON MOLE shows a most perfect adaptation to its underground mode of -life. The general form of the animal is long, cylindrical, and pointed in -front, whilst the legs are exceedingly short, the foot only in the fore -limb projecting from the body. This foot is very broad and spade-like and -immensely powerful, its use being to force a way--often with incredible -speed--through the soft, yielding soil, and not to support the body, as in -running or walking. The hind feet are weak, but resemble those of its -allies the shrews, for instance. The eyes have become reduced to mere -vestiges, very difficult to find. The fur has become so altered in -structure that it will lie equally smooth whether brushed towards head or -tail, so that it should not be damaged when the animal travels backwards in -its burrow. External ears have been dispensed with. - -Worms form the staple diet of the mole, but besides underground insects of -all kinds are greedily devoured. This animal is one of the most voracious -feeders, falling ravenously upon its prey. It has been said with truth that -so great is the ferocity displayed by the mole that if it could be -magnified to the size of the lion it would be one of the most terrible of -living creatures. That a constant supply of food is necessary to satiate -its enormous appetite is shown by the fact that a mole will succumb to an -abstinence of from ten to twelve hours. Moles fight among themselves -furiously; and if two are confined together, the weaker will be attacked -and devoured. They take readily to the water, and instances of moles -observed in the act of crossing streams are numerous. - -It is a curious fact, but the mole is unknown in Ireland; yet it ranges -from England in the west through Asia to Japan. - -Careful observation seems to have shown that with the common mole males are -more numerous than females. Whether this is true of other species remains -to be seen. The moles of North America form a group distinct from those of -the Old World, though closely allied thereto. The WEB-FOOTED and the -STAR-NOSED MOLES are the most interesting of the American forms. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -COMMON MOLE. - -Note that this mole is changing its coat.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -COMMON MOLE. - -The skeleton is here revealed by the Röntgen rays.] - -Speaking of the prodigious speed with which these animals burrow their way -through the ground, Dr. Hart Merriam remarks that in a single night, after -rain, they have been known to make a gallery several yards in length, and -that he had himself traced a fresh tunnel for nearly a hundred yards. As he -says, we can only appreciate the magnitude of this labour by comparison, -and "computation shows that, in order to perform equivalent work, a man -would have to excavate in a single night a tunnel thirty-seven miles long, -and of sufficient size to easily admit of the passage of his body." - -The star-nosed mole is peculiar in that its nose is surrounded by a ring of -finger-like processes, forming a kind of rosette, which probably acts as a -highly sensitive organ of touch; furthermore, it differs from other moles -in the great length of its tail, which is nearly as long as its body. Like -the mole, this species makes its way through the ground with great speed. - -Beneficial as moles undoubtedly are in destroying worms and obnoxious -insects, yet they are regarded as a pest both by the farmer and gardener. -That there is some justification for this dislike must be admitted; for the -farmer suffers in that, in the search for food, crops are damaged by -cutting through the roots of plants--the gardener not only for the same -reason, but also because the ridges and hillocks which they make in their -course disfigure the paths and beds of a well-kept garden. - -The nearest allies of the moles are the curious aquatic DESMANS of Russia, -and the SHREWS, some of which are quite mole-like in form, owing to their -having adopted a similar mode of life. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -GOLDEN MOLE. - -This is found only in South Africa. The name is derived from the wonderful -metallic lustre of the fur: the brilliancy of the hues is intensified by -immersion in spirit.] - -The BURROWING SHREWS are not the only forms in the great group which have -assumed a mole-like shape, for allied to the hedgehog-like TENRECS is a -remarkable animal known as the GOLDEN MOLE. The mole-like shape of the body -of this animal is another instance of adaptation to a similar mode of life. -The fore limb of the golden mole is provided with huge claws, which are -used for digging purposes; the hand is not broadened out spade-like, as in -the common mole, the claws rendering this unnecessary. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -_THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND RHINOCEROS._ - ----- - -THE ELEPHANT. - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._ - -A FINE TUSKER. - -The male Indian elephant has smaller tusks than the African species.] - -At once the mightiest and most majestic of all terrestrial mammals, the -elephant appeals to the imagination more forcibly than any other living -animal, not only on account of its great sagacity and the strangeness and -singularity of its outward appearance, but also because it is such an -obvious link between the world of to-day and the dim and distant past of -Pleiocene and Miocene times. - -There are two existing species of elephant, the AFRICAN and the ASIATIC, -the latter, from the structure of its molar teeth and the shape of its -skull, appearing to be very nearly related to the MAMMOTH, which lived upon -the earth in comparatively recent times--geologically speaking--and was -undoubtedly contemporary with man in Europe during the Stone Age. - -There are very considerable differences both in the external appearance and -also in the habits of the two existing forms of elephant. In the African -species the forehead is more convex and the eye relatively larger than in -its Asiatic cousin; and whilst the ears of the latter are only of moderate -size, those of the former are so large that they at once arrest the -attention, and are one of that animal's most remarkable external -characteristics. Both sexes of the African species, with few exceptions, -carry well-developed tusks, but in the Asiatic form the tusks of the -females are so small as scarcely to protrude beyond the jaws. In Asia, too, -tuskless bull elephants are common, whilst males of the African species -without tusks are extremely rare. The latter species has but three nails on -the hind foot, the Asiatic elephant four. In the African species the middle -of the back is hollowed, the shoulder being the highest point, whilst in -the Asiatic elephant the back is arched, and the top of the shoulder lower -than the highest part of the back. The extremity of the proboscis is also -different, in the two species, the African elephant being furnished with -two nearly equal-sized prolongations, the one on the front, the other on -the hinder margin, with which small objects can be grasped as with the -finger and thumb of the human hand, whilst in the Asiatic species the -finger-like process on the upper margin of the end of the trunk is -considerably longer than that on the under-side. In external appearance the -skin of the African elephant is darker in colour and rougher in texture -than that of the Asiatic form. The molar teeth of the former animal are, -too, of much coarser construction, with fewer and larger plates and thicker -enamel than in the latter, which would naturally lead one to suppose that -the African elephant is accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the -Asiatic species. This supposition is borne out by fact; for whilst the -Asiatic elephant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves and fruit of the wild -plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves, -twigs, and bark of certain trees, the African species never eats grass, -and, although very fond of certain kinds of soft and succulent food, such -as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, is constantly engaged -in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for -the sake of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after -having been reduced to pulp. The Asiatic elephant appears to be far less -tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun than the African; and whilst -the latter may often be found standing at rest or sleeping throughout the -hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not -sufficient to afford any protection from the sun to the whole of the upper -portion of the head and body, the former, when in a wild state, is said to -always seek the shade of the densest forests it can find during hot -weather. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT. - -This animal has been trained to "salute" by raising its trunk and foot. It -has lost the end of its tail.] - -The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in -marked contrast to the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at -all, except to roll in mud or rub itself against an ant-heap, can only do -so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I have seen some -thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the -day, I have never yet seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the -impress in the ground where one had been so lying. - -When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and -cock their ears, which in the African animal stand out at such a time like -two sails, and, being each upwards of 3½ feet in breadth, cover, together -with the animal's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The Asiatic elephant -is said to remain mute whilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly -curled up between its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand, -usually accompanies a charge with a constant succession of short, sharp -trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely, however, animals of this -species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil their -trunks up under their throats. Often an African elephant will swing round -for a charge with a loud scream and trunk held high in the air; but in my -experience, when settling down to a chase, it drops its trunk and holds it -pointing straight down in front of its chest. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._ - -THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI'S CARRIAGE. - -This victoria was drawn by a young Indian elephant.] - -In the southern portions of the African Continent the average standing -height at the shoulder of full-grown bull elephants ranges from 10 feet to -10 feet 6 inches, though individuals have doubtless been met with in those -districts which have much exceeded these dimensions. In North Central -Africa the average standing height appears to be some inches higher, -approaching 11 feet, and in those districts it is quite possible that -individuals exist which exceed 12 feet in height. African cow elephants -stand from 8 feet to 8 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic species -is considerably smaller than the African, the average height of full-grown -males not exceeding 9 feet, though certain individuals now and then attain -to a much greater size, as is indicated by the fact that there is a mounted -skeleton of an Indian elephant in the Museum at Calcutta which stands 11 -feet 3 inches at the shoulder. In the size of its tusks the African -elephant far surpasses the Asiatic species. In India a pair of tusks -measuring 5 feet in length and weighing 70 lbs. the pair would, I think, be -considered large, though an elephant was killed by Sir Victor Brooke in the -Garo Hills with a single tusk measuring 8 feet in length, 17 inches in -circumference, and weighing 90 lbs., and a few tusks even exceeding these -dimensions have been recorded. In Southern Africa the tusks of full-grown -bull elephants usually weigh from 80 to 120 lbs. the pair, and measure -about 6 feet in length, with a circumference of from 16 to 18 inches; but -these weights and measurements have often been much exceeded, and in my own -experience I have known of two pairs of elephants' tusks having been -obtained south of the Zambesi, each of which weighed slightly over 300 -lbs., each tusk measuring upwards of 9 feet in length, whilst a single tusk -brought from the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami in 1873 weighed 174 lbs. The -average weight of cow-elephant tusks in Southern Africa is from 20 to 30 -lbs. the pair, but I have seen the tusk of a cow elephant killed in -Matabililand which weighed 39 lbs. and measured over 6 feet in length, -whilst its fellow almost equalled it in size and weight. In North Central -Africa, according to Sir Samuel Baker, the tusks of full-grown elephants -average about 140 lbs. the pair, and tusks weighing upwards of 100 lbs. -each are not at all uncommon, whilst many of a much greater size have been -obtained. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._ - -TIMBER-ELEPHANTS. - -This photograph was taken at Lakou, in Upper Siam. Notice the large teak -log in the foreground.] - -Until quite recently a tusk in the possession of Sir E. G. Loder, which -weighs 184 lbs. and measures 9 feet 5 inches in length, with a -circumference of 22½ inches, was supposed to be the largest in existence; -but in 1899 two tusks were obtained near Kilimanjaro, in East Central -Africa, both of which much exceed this weight. These enormous tusks were at -first stated to be a pair taken from a single elephant; but though nearly -equal in weight they are said to be differently shaped, and as their -history is not yet fully known it is possible, though not probable, that -they originally belonged to two different elephants. The larger of these -two tusks has recently been purchased for the collection of the British -Museum (Natural History), where it may now be seen. It weighs 228 lbs., -measures 10 feet 2½ inches on the outside curve, and 24¼ in girth at the -thickest part. The tusks of cow elephants are also considerably larger and -heavier on the average in East Central and North Central Africa than in the -southern portions of the continent. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq._ - -FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK. - -The teak logs are floated down the Burmese rivers and dragged out by -elephants.] - -At the present time the Asiatic elephant is found in a wild state in most -of the forest-covered tracts of India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, Siam, -Cochin-China, Sumatra, and Borneo; whilst the African species, although it -has been hunted out of large tracts of country in South and South-western -Africa, still inhabits the greater part of the continent south of the -Sahara, and in many districts of Central Africa appears to be -extraordinarily abundant. In the Cape Colony two herds still exist under -the protection of the Government. - -As might be expected from the greater length of its legs, and consequent -longer stride, the African elephant is admitted by those who have had -experience of both species to be a more active animal than its Asiatic -cousin. Speaking of the walking and running powers of the Indian elephant, -that great authority Mr. Sanderson says that "the only pace of the elephant -is the walk, capable of being increased to a fast shuffle of about fifteen -miles an hour for very short distances. It can neither trot, canter, nor -gallop. It does not move with the legs on the same side, but nearly so. A -very good runner might keep out of an elephant's way on a smooth piece of -turf, but on the ground in which they are generally met with any attempt to -escape by flight, unless supplemented by concealment, would be unavailing." -This description exactly coincides with my own experience of the African -elephant, except that I think that animals of the latter species, -especially cows and young bulls, are capable of getting up a pace of at -least twenty miles an hour, and keeping it up for from 100 to 200 yards, -when charging. - -[Illustration: _Photo by M. E. F. Baird Esq._ - -INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING. - -These animals love a bath, and will walk on the bottom of a deep river with -only their trunks raised above the water.] - -In disposition both African and Asiatic elephants are as a rule timid -animals, and, excepting in the case of males of the latter species when -suffering from sexual excitement, are always inclined to shun danger. I -have never heard of male elephants of the African species becoming savage -and aggressive at any season of the year; indeed, old bulls always appeared -to me to be less inclined to charge than cows or young bulls. The eyesight -of the elephant--of the African species at least--is bad, and his hearing -not particularly acute; but his olfactory nerves are probably more highly -developed than in any other animal, and, aided by this exquisite sense of -smell, he will avoid a human being if possible. But if elephants are -attacked and wounded, they become savage and dangerous animals; and the -charge of an African elephant, coming on with the great ears outspread, to -the accompaniment of a quick succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams, -besides being very sudden and rapid, is very disconcerting to the nerves of -a man unaccustomed to such experiences. I remember the case of a young -Englishman who was killed in Matabililand many years ago by the first -elephant he had ever seen. This animal--an old bull--had retired, after -having been wounded, into a small but dense patch of thorn-bush, into which -its pursuer thought it unadvisable to follow on horseback. He therefore -left his horse, and advanced on foot towards the cluster of trees amongst -which the elephant was concealed. The latter, having either seen or smelt -the approaching enemy, at once charged out, screaming loudly; and the young -hunter, instead of standing his ground and firing at the advancing monster, -lost his presence of mind, and, turning, ran for his horse; but before he -reached it he was overtaken and killed. It seemed to the friend who found -his body (he was close at hand shooting another elephant at the time, and -pieced the story together from the tracks of man, horse, and elephant) that -the victim had first been struck in the back of the head by one of his -pursuer's tusks--at any rate his skull had been smashed to pieces and -emptied of its brains. Then the elephant had rushed upon him where he fell, -and, after first having driven a tusk right through his chest and deep into -the ground, had stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon -was brought the same night, and the mangled body carried to the hunter's -camp on the banks of the Ramokwebani, where it was buried. - -The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Burma, where -this animal has for ages past been trained in the service of man, this -power is habitually made use of in moving and stacking large baulks of -timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy ground or up steep ascents. -In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees which have -been uprooted and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no -taproot, and have not therefore a very firm hold in the ground, especially -during the rainy season, when the ground is soft. At this time of year -large trees are butted down by elephants, which push against their stems -with the thick part of their trunks, and get them on the swing, until the -roots become loosened and the trees are at last overturned. Small trees of -2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off with their -trunks. In 1878 a tuskless bull elephant--I met the same animal again in -1885, and he is the only African bull elephant without tusks I have ever -seen--killed a native hunter in Mashonaland. This man, a big powerful Zulu -and a great friend of my own, was torn into three pieces. I imagine that, -after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with -his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his body, tore him -asunder--surely a terrible exhibition of strength. - -The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at -maturity until upwards of thirty years of age; and since cases are on -record of elephants having lived for upwards of 130 years in captivity in -India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals, both in Asia and -Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces, -as a rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from -eighteen to nearly twenty-two months. The mammæ of the cow elephant are -placed between the fore legs, and the new-born calf sucks with its mouth, -holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have seen elephant calves so -engaged. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -AFRICAN ELEPHANT. - -The difference in profile between this and the Indian species is -noticeable. The forehead is receding and the ears much larger in the -African species.] - -Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as -intelligent as the Asiatic species, its domestication has never been -attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of Africa. It is believed, however, -that the African elephant was in ancient times domesticated by the -Carthaginians, and used by them in their wars with the Romans. The opinion, -too, is generally held that the elephants with which Hannibal crossed the -Alps were of the African species, as well as those which, after the -conquest of Carthage, were used in the Roman amphitheatres and military -pageants. On the other hand, it is well to remember that the late Mr. W. -Cotton Oswell, who had had great experience both with African and Asiatic -elephants, wrote as follows on this subject: "I believe some people suppose -the Carthaginians tamed and used the African elephant; they could hardly -have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is no marked depression in the -nape of the neck for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when erected would -have half smothered them. My knowledge does not allow me to raise any -argument on this point; but might not the same market have been open to the -dwellers at Carthage as was afterwards to Mithridates, who, I suppose, drew -his supply from India? I know in the representations of elephants on the -medals of Faustina and of Septimus Severus the ears are African, though the -bodies and heads are Indian; but these were struck nearly 400 years after -Carthaginian times, when the whole known world had been ransacked by the -Romans for beasts for their public shows; and I still think it possible -that the Carthaginians--the great traders and colonisers of old--may have -obtained elephants through some of their colonies from India." - -An interesting example of the intelligence of these animals can be seen any -day at the London Zoological Gardens. A large African elephant restores to -his would-be entertainers all the biscuits, whole or broken, which strike -the bars and fall alike out of his reach and theirs in the space between -the barrier and his cage. He points his trunk at the biscuits, and blows -them hard along the floor to the feet of the persons who have thrown them. -He clearly knows what he is doing, because, if the biscuits do not travel -far enough, he gives them a harder blow. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING. - -Note the great size of the tusks and base of the trunk.] - - -TAPIRS AND HYRAX. - -BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - -TAPIRS are odd-looking creatures, and, strange as it may seem, are -nevertheless related on the one hand to the rhinoceroses, and on the other -to the horses. They are furthermore extremely interesting animals, because -they have undergone less modification of form than any other members of the -group to which they belong. This we know because fossil tapirs, belonging -to a very remote period of the world's history, are practically -indistinguishable from those now living. - -The general form of the body may perhaps be described as pig-like; the -head, too, suggests that animal. But the pig's snout is here produced into -a short proboscis, or trunk. The feet are quite unlike those of the pig, -and resemble those of the rhinoceros. The fore feet have each four and the -hind feet three toes; these are all encased in large horse-like hoofs. The -tail is reduced to a mere stump. - -Tapirs are shy and inoffensive animals, living in the seclusion of dense -forests in the neighbourhood of water, in which element they are quite at -home; indeed, it is said that they will frequently dive and walk along the -bed of the river. They are also fond of wallowing in mud, partly, it is -believed, that they may encase themselves with it as a protection against -the annoyance of flies. They feed on shoots of trees, bushes, leaves, and -fallen fruits, foraging during the evening, and possibly far into the -night. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -MALAYAN TAPIR. - -The largest of all the tapirs. Is easily distinguished from the American -tapirs by the patch of white on the middle of its body.] - -Tapirs are hunted by the natives for the sake of their thick hides, which -are cut into thongs for reins and bridles. The flesh also is esteemed by -some. There are three methods of capture. In South America the lasso is -used with occasional success. But when not foiled by undergrowth, the -hunter often loses his victim by reason of the violence and force of its -rush, which snaps the thong. The Gauchos intercept it with dogs on its way -to the water, when it will fight furiously, and many dogs may be killed -before its dispatch is accomplished. Others imitate its peculiar, shrill -call, and shoot it on its approach in answer thereto. Captives are easily -tamed, and may be seen walking about the streets in many South American -towns. They wander into the forest by day, returning in the evening to be -fed, and are said to display great affection. On account of their great -strength, it has been suggested that such captives should be used as beasts -of burden. - -Except the MALAYAN TAPIR, which is black and white, tapirs are black or -dark brown in colour, and but scantily clothed with hair; but the young, it -is interesting to note, are spotted and striped with white or fawn-colour -on a dark ground, a coloration recalling that of the wild pig. - -There are five different species of tapir. Their geographical distribution -is remarkable, four species being South American, and one belonging to the -Malayan region. But far back in the world's history, as we know from -fossils, tapirs roamed over the warm and temperate regions of Europe, and -their remains have been found in China and the United States. Thus the -intervening gaps existing to-day have been made by the extinction of these -intermediate species. - -By nature the tapir appears to be a harmless and inoffensive animal, flying -even before the smallest dog. Occasionally, however, it displays great -courage and ferocity, and this appears to be especially the case with -females deprived of their young. At such times they will charge with great -spirit, and knock down, trample on, and bite their victim after the fashion -of wild swine. - -Man alone excepted, the most deadly foe of the AMERICAN TAPIR is the -jaguar, as is the tiger of the Malay species. The American tapir often gets -rid of the jaguar by rushing at full speed into the dense jungle, thus -sweeping its assailant from its back, the jaguar's claws finding but an -insecure hold on its victim's thick hide. Tapirs are often found bearing -scars all over the back, witnessing the terrible nature of the wounds -received at such times. - -That the tapir is a comparatively unknown animal is partly accounted for by -the fact that it is but little sought after by the big-game hunter--who -finds more excitement in pursuit of its larger relative the rhinoceros--and -partly, perhaps, owing to its inhabiting regions comparatively little -visited by Europeans. Nevertheless, the tapir is an animal of quite -peculiar interest, having undergone but little change during long ages, -whilst its ally the horse has effected in the same time a complete -transformation, not only in its general shape, but more especially in its -teeth and feet. The gradual steps by which this transformation has been -brought about we can trace through certain fossil forms, of which we can -say little here. - -Amongst these fossils occur remains of an animal bearing a very strong -resemblance to the living tapir, but which, strangely enough, is not really -so closely related thereto as to the horses. It does not, however, stand in -the direct line of descent of these latter, but must be regarded as -representing a collateral branch thereof. The occurrence of this distinct -tapir-like animal is of great scientific interest. - -The short, stout legs and spreading toes of the living tapirs, -rhinoceroses, and ancestral horse are admirably adapted for plodding -deliberately over soft and yielding ground, such as is afforded by -reed-beds and banks of rivers, or the shady depths of forests. Speed in -such surroundings is not necessary, food in plenty being always at hand, -and escape from enemies being sought by concealment in thick herbage rather -than flight. With a migration to drier and higher plains, the spreading -foot has undergone a change. The short legs and numerous toes have given -place to long ones, and of the several toes growth has taken place in one -only--the third; whilst the others have slowly dwindled, till eventually -only traces of the second and fourth remain, as in the modern horse. Thus -has a firmer support over hard, unyielding ground been brought about, and -great speed gained. The animals with this type of foot (in which the third -is the largest toe) are known as the Odd-toed Hoofed Animals. The pigs, -sheep, deer, and oxen have gained an equally efficient foot, yet retaining -four toes. Of these, the third and fourth are equal in size, and serve as a -support to the body, whilst the second and fifth have now become -functionless, and do not reach the ground. This type of foot characterises -that group of the hoofed animals known as the Even-toed. - - -THE HYRAX. - -This is one of the most remarkable of living mammals, and one of the -greatest puzzles to zoologists, having no near living relatives. Though -bearing some resemblance to an earless rabbit, it really belongs to the -hoofed animals, and amongst them comes perhaps somewhat nearer the -rhinoceros than to any other animal. It is the CONEY of the Bible. It -inhabits the rocky districts of Syria and parts of Africa. It is a -vegetable-feeder, and very wary. About a dozen species are known. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR. - -This tapir inhabits tropical America. It is a nocturnal animal, frequenting -the depths of shady forests in the neighbourhood of water, to which it -frequently resorts for the purpose of bathing, or as a refuge from -pursuit.] - - -THE RHINOCEROS. - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - -Of the five existing species of RHINOCEROS, three are found in Asia, whilst -two are inhabitants of Africa. - -Of the three Asiatic species, two, the INDIAN and the JAVAN, are -one-horned, and have a single pair of broad incisor teeth in the upper jaw, -and a pair of sharp-edged and pointed tusks in the lower, the nasal bones -being long and narrow, and terminating in a point. In both these species -the skin is hairless (except for tufts or fringes at the extremity of the -tail and on the edges of the ears), and is arranged in shield-like folds -over the body. The arrangement of these folds, however, differs somewhat in -the two species, and the large round tubercles with which the skin of the -great Indian rhinoceros is profusely studded are wanting in the Javan -species. - -The INDIAN RHINOCEROS inhabits the Terai at the foot of the Himalaya from -Bhutan to Nepal, and is said to be very abundant in Assam and the Bhutan -Dooars. It frequents swampy ground, and lives amongst jungles and dense -growths of reeds and grass, which attain a height sometimes of 20 feet, and -cover vast areas of ground in the valley of the Brahmaputra and other -rivers. - -Owing to the nature of the country in which it lives, the Indian rhinoceros -cannot often be hunted with much prospect of success, except with the aid -of elephants, which sagacious animals are not only employed to carry the -hunters, but are also used to beat the great grass jungles in which the -rhinoceroses lie hidden, and drive them towards the guns. - -Despite its great size and strength, the Indian rhinoceros seems to be -regarded as, in general, a timid and inoffensive animal, and even when -wounded it seldom charges home. Elephants, however, appear to be as a rule -nervous when in the near proximity of rhinoceroses, perhaps objecting to -the smell of those animals. When the Indian rhinoceros does make good its -charge against either man or elephant, it cuts and rips its enemy with its -teeth, and makes little use of its horn as an offensive weapon. - -The Indian rhinoceros is said to live principally, if not entirely, on -grass and reeds. As a rule it is a solitary animal, but sometimes several -are found living in a comparatively small extent of grass-covered plain. - -Large males of this species will stand from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet at -the shoulder, and they are enormously bulky. Both sexes carry -well-developed horns, which, however, do not usually attain a length of -upwards of 12 inches. There is a specimen in the British Museum measuring -19 inches, and it is believed that in very exceptional instances a length -of 2 feet has been attained. - -The JAVAN RHINOCEROS, though it has been called the Lesser Indian -Rhinoceros, is said by a late authority--Mr. C. E. M. Russell--to stand -about the same height at the shoulder as the Indian species. It is found in -the Sunderbunds of Eastern Bengal, and has been met with in the Sikhim -Terai and in Assam, ranging eastwards through Burma and the Malay Peninsula -to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS. - -This species is found in Eastern Bengal and in the Malay Peninsula and -adjacent large islands.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS. - -The largest land mammal of the East after the elephant.] - -But little appears to be known of the habits of this species of rhinoceros. -Although it is found in the swampy grass-covered plains of the Sunderbunds, -its more usual habitat seems to be hilly forest-covered country, and both -in Burma and Java it ascends to a height of several thousand feet above -sea-level. It feeds principally upon leaves and the young shoots of trees -and bushes. In disposition it is timid and inoffensive. Only the male -carries a horn, which, being very short, is a very poor trophy for a -sportsman. - -The third Asiatic species of rhinoceros, known as the SUMATRAN, is the -smallest of all living rhinoceroses. This species carries two horns, and -its skin, which is very rough, is usually thinly covered with hair of a -dark brown colour and of considerable length. The folds in the skin of the -Sumatran rhinoceros are not nearly so well developed as in its -single-horned relatives, and the one behind the shoulders is alone -continued over the back. Although furnished with tusks in the lower jaw, -the small pair of incisor teeth, which in the other two Asiatic -rhinoceroses are always present in front of these tusks, are wanting in the -Sumatran species. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS. - -This species inhabits the grass jungles of North-eastern India.] - -The Sumatran rhinoceros is rare in Assam, but is found in Burma and the -Malay Peninsula, as well as in Siam, Sumatra, and Borneo. The two horns of -this species are placed at some distance apart. Although they are as a rule -very short, the front horn occasionally grows to a considerable length, -sweeping backwards in a graceful curve. - -In height adult males of the Sumatran species stand on the average from 4 -feet to 4½ feet at the shoulder, and females sometimes not more than 3 feet -8 inches. - -Like the Javan rhinoceros, the Sumatran species is by preference an -inhabitant of hilly, forest-covered country, and browses on the leaves and -shoots of trees and bushes. It is a timid and inoffensive animal, soon -becoming tame in captivity. Its flesh is said to be much appreciated by the -Dyaks of Borneo; and as its horns are of value for export to China, where -they are used for medicinal purposes, it has of late years very much -decreased in numbers in the province of Sarawak, but is more plentiful in -Central and North Borneo. Living as it does in dense jungle, it is an -animal which is seldom seen by European sportsmen, and its habits in a wild -state have never been yet very closely studied. - -Turning to the two species of rhinoceros which inhabit the continent of -Africa, both are double-horned, and neither furnished with incisor teeth, -the nasal bones being thick, rounded, and truncated in front. Both, too, -are smooth-skinned and entirely hairless, except on the edge of the ears -and extremity of the tail, which are fringed or tufted. - -Of the two African species, the WHITE or SQUARE-MOUTHED RHINOCEROS is the -larger and the rarer. Until quite recently the range of this huge -ungainly-looking animal, the biggest of all terrestrial mammals after the -elephant, was supposed to be entirely confined to the southern portions of -the African Continent; for although from time to time horns had found their -way to Zanzibar which seemed referable to the square-mouthed rhinoceros, -the fact of the existence of the white rhinoceros in any part of Africa -north of the Zambesi remained in doubt until a female was shot in the year -1900, in the neighbourhood of Lado, on the Upper Nile, by Captain A. St. H. -Gibbons, who brought its skin, skull, and horns to England. The fact, -however, that the white rhinoceros has never been encountered by any other -traveller in Central Africa seems to show that the animal is either very -rare in those districts, or that it has an exceedingly limited range. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq._ - -BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES. - -A splendid snapshot of two black African rhinoceroses taken on the open -veldt. They were afterwards shot by the party.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq._ - -ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD. - -This picture gives some idea of the size of the commonest surviving -species.] - -In the early years of the nineteenth century the square-mouthed or white -rhinoceros was found in large numbers over the whole of South Africa from -the Orange River to the Zambesi, except in the waterless portions of the -Kalahari Desert, or those parts of the country which are covered with -rugged stony hills or dense jungle. - -Speaking of his journey in 1837 through the western part of what is now the -Transvaal Colony, Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote: "On our -way from the waggons to a hill not half a mile distant, we counted no less -than twenty-two of the white species of rhinoceros, and were compelled in -self-defence to slaughter four. On one occasion I was besieged in a bush by -three at once, and had no little difficulty in beating off the assailants." -Even so lately as thirty years ago the white rhinoceros was still to be met -with in fair numbers in Ovampoland and other districts of Western South -Africa, whilst it was quite plentiful in all the uninhabited parts of -Eastern South Africa from Zululand to the Zambesi. In 1872 and 1873, whilst -elephant-hunting in the uninhabited parts of Matabililand, I encountered -white rhinoceroses almost daily, and often saw several in one day. At the -present time, however, unless it should prove to be numerous in some as yet -unexplored districts of North Central Africa, this strange and interesting -animal must be counted one of the rarest of existing mammals, and in -Southern Africa I fear it must soon become extinct. A few still exist -amongst the wild loquat groves of Northern Mashonaland, and there are also -a few surviving in Zululand; but I fear that even with the most rigid -protection they are too few in number to restock the country. They have a -better chance, I think, of increasing in numbers in Zululand than in -Mashonaland, in which latter country it is at present impossible to afford -them any protection either from natives or Europeans. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -RHINOCEROS BATHING. - -All the Asiatic species of rhinoceros are fond of bathing and wallowing in -mud.] - -A full-grown bull white rhinoceros stands from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9 -inches at the shoulder, and is very massively built, with short, stout -legs. The head is very much elongated, and the mouth square, like that of -an ox. When white rhinoceroses were still plentiful, very considerable -differences were observable in the length and shape of their horns. The -anterior horns of full-grown bulls might measure from 18 inches to 40 -inches in length; those of cows from 24 inches to 60 inches. The longest -horn known--that of a cow--which was brought from South Africa by the -well-known hunter the late Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, measures 62½ inches -over the curve. As a rule, the front horn of the white rhinoceros curved -slightly backwards, but was often straight or bent slightly forwards, and -sometimes curved strongly backwards. The posterior horn varied from a few -inches to 2 feet in length. - -The white rhinoceros lived in families, usually a bull, cow, and calf being -found together; but there might be two or even three calves of different -ages, and of which the youngest alone would be suckling, living with the -father and mother. In the early South African spring (September and -October), when the young green herbage was just sprouting after the first -rains, two or three families of white rhinoceroses might be seen feeding in -close proximity, presenting the appearance of a herd; but I fancy the -several families of these animals had only been brought together for the -sake of the young green grass. In Southern Africa the white rhinoceros -lived entirely on grass, and I have never seen any evidence of their having -eaten anything else. When either walking, trotting, or galloping, the white -rhinoceros always carried its nose close to the ground. A calf always -preceded its mother, and she appeared to guide it by holding the point of -her horn on the little creature's rump; and in all changes of pace, no -matter how sudden, this position was always maintained. The white -rhinoceros was easily killed by a shot through the heart or through both -lungs, but would travel very long distances, and probably, as a rule, -ultimately recover from wounds in other parts of the body. They could -travel at a great rate and for a considerable distance with a broken fore -leg or shoulder, but if a hind leg were broken they were rendered almost -immediately helpless. In disposition they were sluggish and inoffensive -animals, lying asleep in the shade of trees or bushes during the heat of -the day, and coming to the water to drink at night or often before sundown -in parts of the country where they had not been much molested. When -disturbed, white rhinoceroses would go off at a swift trot, but if chased -on horseback would break into a gallop, which they were capable of -maintaining for a considerable distance, and at a wonderful pace for so -large and heavy an animal. The meat of the white rhinoceros was most -excellent, the part in greatest favour amongst hunters being the hump on -the back of the neck in front of the shoulder, which was cut off whole and -roasted in the skin in a hole dug in the ground. - -The colour of the so-called white rhinoceros is dark grey. The second -species of African rhinoceros, which is also dark grey in colour, is known -as the BLACK or PREHENSILE-LIPPED RHINOCEROS. - -Less than a hundred years ago the range of this fast-disappearing species -extended from the north-western districts of the Cape Colony to Abyssinia, -and at that time it must have been plentiful over almost the whole of the -intervening country. It never seems to have penetrated into the equatorial -forest regions of West Central Africa, where the climate is probably too -damp to suit its requirements; for both species of African rhinoceros -appear to like a dry climate, and not to object to very arid surroundings. -At the same time they never wander many miles from a river or pool, and -drink regularly every night, and in hot weather probably very often a -second time in the early morning. - -In Southern Africa the black rhinoceros appears to attain to a larger size -than in the countries farther north. To the south of the Zambesi large -bulls of this species will stand 5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder; whilst -the height of an adult bull, as taken by Mr. F. Jackson at Naivasha, in -East Africa, was 5 feet 5 inches; and Mr. A. H. Neumann gives the standing -height of another adult bull shot by himself still farther north, near Lake -Rudolph, as only 4 feet 9 inches. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq._ - -BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS. - -This photograph, taken by a sportsman in Africa, shows a charging -rhinoceros just before it was shot.] - -It is now generally recognised that there is but one species of -prehensile-lipped rhinoceros in Africa, though the horns, and especially -the hinder one, differ in length and shape to such an extent that it was -long thought that there were at least two distinct species, those with both -horns of equal or nearly equal length having been distinguished from the -more common form, with a comparatively short second horn, as the KEITLOA, -this being the name in the Sechuana dialect for a prehensile-lipped -rhinoceros with horns of equal length. Speaking on this subject, Mr. A. H. -Neumann, who has had great experience with the black rhinoceros in East -Africa, writes: "Length of horn is a purely fortuitous individual trait; -and the extremely long horns (mostly of females) which have occasionally -been obtained from traders on the east coast, and brought home, are merely -exceptionally fine specimens, selected from among large numbers brought to -the coast (the bulk of which, I am told, go to China to be ground up into -medicine), and do not belong to any distinct species, nor come from any -particular region. In proof of this contention I may mention that I have a -40-inch horn, the owner of which I myself shot at the northern base of the -Jambeni Range (near Kenia), in a neighbourhood where I hunted a great deal -and saw great numbers of rhinos, and shot a good many. The vast majority -have quite short horns--under a foot--and anything over 18 inches is -uncommon, while a length of 30 inches or upwards is extremely rare." The -black rhinoceros, I believe, never eats grass, but browses on the young -shoots of trees and bushes, which are often quite leafless and seem -excessively dry. In this way it chews up and swallows great quantities of -dry-looking twigs, much of which passes through its stomach undigested. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS. - -This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the three Oriental forms. It -has two horns.] - -There has been a good deal of controversy as to the character and -disposition of the black rhinoceros, some hunters and travellers regarding -it as most dangerous and aggressive, whilst others are inclined to take an -almost opposite view. That some black rhinoceroses are certainly aggressive -and therefore dangerous animals, the experiences of C. J. Anderson and W. -Cotton Oswell in South Africa many years ago, and of many travellers and -hunters in East Africa during the last few years, certainly prove beyond a -doubt; and as one never knows that any particular rhinoceros, when -encountered, may not prove to be a vicious brute, a certain amount of -caution should be employed in approaching one of these animals. In my own -experience I always found that black rhinoceroses ran off at once on -getting the wind of a human being; whilst, on the other hand, if they only -heard one approaching, they would come towards the noise, and I have often -known them to trot up to within twenty yards of where I was standing, -snorting and puffing loudly; but as these animals always turned round and -went off eventually without charging, I came to the conclusion that they -were inquisitive and very short-sighted rather than vicious. When fired -into, a black rhinoceros goes off at a gallop--his usual pace, when -alarmed, being a very fast trot--puffing and snorting loudly. He can gallop -at a very great pace, considering his size and weight; but a South African -shooting-pony can easily come up with him, or get away from him if pursued. -In death a black rhinoceros will often sink down on its knees, and remain -in that position, looking as if it were simply resting. When dying, it -often gives vent to a pitiful squeal, the sound seeming very small and thin -for so large a beast. The meat of the black rhinoceros is not -ill-flavoured, and, if fat, very palatable; but as a rule these animals are -very lean, and their flesh tough and coarse. The tongue, however, if well -cooked, is always good; and the liver, if first roasted under the ashes, -and then, after being beaten up in a native wooden mortar, cooked with rice -and fat, makes a dish which is good enough for a hungry man. - -During the making of the Uganda Railway the engineers came upon something -like a preserve of this species of rhinoceros, especially in the thick and -waterless thorn jungle near the coast. The rhinoceros was almost the only -animal, except the lion, which was able to penetrate the bush. As many as -five of these animals were seen in one day when the line was being made; -they did no injury to the coolies, other than by frightening them, and -appeared to be stupid and by no means vigilant animals, perhaps because no -other creature attacked them. The lion never meddles with a grown-up -rhinoceros, though it might and probably does kill a calf occasionally, -when the latter is no larger than a full-grown pig. The horns of some of -these East African black rhinoceroses were of unusual length and thinness. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -_THE HORSE TRIBE._ - ----- - -ZEBRAS AND WILD ASSES. - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - ----- - -ZEBRAS. - -The Zebras have many points in common with the asses, from which latter -group of animals they are principally distinguished by their beautifully -striped skins. Both asses and zebras carry short, erect manes, and in both -the upper portion of the tail is free from long hair. In both groups there -are naked callosities on the fore legs only, whilst the head is larger in -proportion to the size of the animal, and the ears longer than in the -horse. In BURCHELL'S and GREVY'S ZEBRAS the hoof is intermediate between -that of the horse and the ass; for although narrower than the hoof of the -horse, it is broader and more rounded than that of the ass. In the TRUE -ZEBRA, however, the hoof is thoroughly asinine in character, and the ears -very long. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA. - -The true or mountain zebra is now becoming scarcer than formerly. At one -time it was to be seen in great numbers on the mountains of Cape Colony.] - -The TRUE or MOUNTAIN ZEBRA appears never to have had a very extended range. -It was once an inhabitant of all the mountainous regions of the Cape Colony -as well as of the great Drakensberg Range, and fifty years ago was also -found amongst the rugged hills of Great Namaqualand. The mountain-zebra is -the smallest of the group, standing only from 12 to 12½ hands at the -shoulder. It is a most beautiful animal, the whole of the head, body, and -limbs, with the exception of the under-parts and the insides of the thighs, -being striped. The ground-colour of the body is white, the stripes being -black and the muzzle bright brown. Both hind and fore legs are banded down -to the hoofs. The stripes on the neck and body are narrower and more -numerous than in Burchell's zebra, and on the hindquarters the median -stripe, which runs down the centre of the back from the mane to the tail, -is connected with the uppermost of the oblique longitudinal stripes by a -series of short horizontal bars. The ears in this species are much larger -than in Burchell's zebra. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -GREVY'S ZEBRA. - -This species of zebra comes from the Galla country, and has narrower and -more numerous stripes than the mountain-zebra.] - -The true zebra seems never to have been an inhabitant of the plains, like -all its congeners, but to have confined its range entirely to mountainous -districts. Speaking on this point, Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis -Harris wrote upwards of sixty years ago: "This beautiful and wary animal -never of its own free will descends into the plain, as erroneously asserted -by all naturalists, and it therefore never herds with either of its -congeners, the quagga and Burchell's zebra, whose habitat is equally -limited to the open and level lowlands. Seeking the wildest and most -sequestered spots, the haughty troops are exceedingly difficult of -approach, as well on account of their watchful habits and extreme agility -and fleetness of foot, as from the abrupt and inaccessible nature of their -highland abode." - -An allied species, of which examples have been obtained by Mr. G. W. -Penrice, occurs in Benguela, Portuguese West Africa. - -I once saw the carcase of a zebra stallion which had been sent by rail to -the Cape Town Museum by a farmer living in the neighbourhood of the village -of Worcester. This animal had come down from the mountains, and joined a -troop of donkeys running on the farm. Its intrusion was, however, resented -by a male donkey, which fought with and overpowered it, and, having seized -it with its teeth by the back of the neck, held it fast until it was -secured by the farmer and his men. The captured animal, however, refused -food, and soon died, when its carcase was sent to the Cape Museum for -preservation. - -GREVY'S ZEBRA is the largest and perhaps the handsomest of all the zebras. -This fine animal is an inhabitant of Eastern Africa, its range extending -from the central portion of Somaliland southwards to the Tana River. It -appears to be plentiful in the country between Mount Kenia and Lake -Rudolph, but has not, I believe, been met with to the west of that lake. -Full-grown specimens of Grevy's zebra will stand from 14½ to 15 hands at -the shoulder, with a girth of body immediately behind the shoulders of -nearly 5 feet. The arrangement of the stripes in this species differs -considerably both from that of the mountain-zebra of the Cape Colony and -also from Burchell's zebra. The body-stripes are very narrow, numerous, and -deep black in colour, and are separated by equally narrow white bands. The -longitudinal stripes on the haunches are also shorter and finer than in any -other species of zebra, and on the top of the quarters there is a white -unstriped space on each side of the median line which runs down the centre -of the back from the neck to the tail. The belly and insides of the thighs -are white, and the legs banded right down to the hoofs as in the -mountain-zebra, and the ears are as large as in that species. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Percy Ashenden._ - -BURCHELL'S ZEBRA AT HOME. - -This excellent photograph was taken in South Africa, and shows these -animals in their native state.] - -Grevy's zebra is, as a rule, an inhabitant of open or thinly wooded -country, and it appears to avoid anything in the nature of thick cover. In -Central Somaliland Major Swayne met with it on low plateaux some 2,500 feet -above sea-level, the sides of which fell in broken ravines to the -river-valleys. This country is described as broken and hilly, and here -Grevy's zebras were met with in small droves of about half a dozen. In the -country between Mount Kenia and Lake Rudolph, Mr. A. H. Neumann frequently -met with herds of Grevy's and Burchell's zebras consorting together. The -contrast between the two species when thus seen side by side was very -marked, the former animals looking like horses among a flock of ponies. Mr. -Neumann never observed stallions of the two species fighting together, but -on the other hand he states that the stallions of the larger species fight -viciously amongst themselves for possession of the mares. Grevy's zebras -seem never to collect in large herds, more than twenty, or at the outside -thirty, being very seldom seen together. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -THE HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD'S TEAM OF ZEBRAS. - -Mr. Rothschild was practically the first Englishman to break in zebras to -harness. At one time these animals were thought to be quite untamable.] - -Although this species is an inhabitant of arid plains and bare stony hills -where the herbage is short, it requires to drink daily, and is never -therefore found at any great distance from water. - -The cry of Grevy's zebra is stated to be quite different from that of -Burchell's. Mr. Neumann describes it as a very hoarse kind of grunt, varied -by something approaching to a whistle, the grunts being long drawn out, and -divided by the shrill whistling sound, as if the latter were made by -drawing in the breath which had been expelled during the sustained grunt. - -Like all other species of the genus to which they belong, Grevy's zebras, -especially the mares when in foal, become very fat at certain seasons of -the year, and their flesh is much appreciated both by natives and lions, -the latter preying on them and their smaller congeners, Burchell's zebras, -in preference to any other animal, now that the rinderpest has almost -exterminated the great herds of buffalo which once roamed in countless -numbers all over East Central Africa. - -BURCHELL'S ZEBRA once inhabited the whole of South-western, South-eastern, -Central, and Eastern Africa from the Orange River to Lake Rudolph; and -though it has long ceased to exist in the more southerly portions of its -range, it is still the most numerous and the best known of all the species -of zebra. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Reid, Wishaw, N.B._ - -HIGHLAND CATTLE. - -These magnificent cattle are bred in large numbers in the Scottish -Highlands, whence they are brought to the richer pastures of England to -fatten for the market.] - -The typical form of this species was first met with early last century by -Dr. Burchell in Southern Bechuanaland. In this form the legs are white -below the knees and hocks, and the body-stripes do not join the median -stripe of the belly. In examples met with farther north the legs are -striped down to the hoofs and the body-stripes join the belly-stripe. South -of the Zambesi all forms of Burchell's zebra seem to have faint markings, -known as shadow-stripes, on the pale yellow ground-colour of the spaces -between the broad black stripes. North of the Zambesi varieties are met -with in which these shadow-stripes are wanting. As, however, the -differences between all the various sub-species of Burchell's zebra are -superficial and not structural, and as, moreover, the habits of these -animals seem to be the same in every part of their widely extended range, I -shall henceforth speak of them as one species. - -Burchell's zebra is without the small horizontal bars on the hindquarters, -which in the mountain-zebra connect the dorsal stripe with the uppermost of -the broad longitudinal bands running across the flanks. Its ears, too, are -smaller than in the latter species, and its mane fuller. In size Burchell's -zebra is intermediate between the mountain-zebra and Grevy's zebra, -standing from thirteen to thirteen and a half hands at the shoulder. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Mr. William Cross_] [_Liverpool._ - -BURCHELL'S ZEBRA, CHAPMAN'S VARIETY. - -This zebra is one of several trained in Mr. Cross's well-known -establishment at Liverpool. Mr. Cross has been very successful in breaking -in zebras, and is frequently to be seen driving a pair about Liverpool.] - -Where they have not been shot down, Burchell's zebras often live in large -herds of from fifty to over a hundred together. I have met with them almost -at the level of the sea, as in the Pungwe district of South-east Africa, -and all over the high plateaux of the interior up to a height of 5,000 feet -above sea-level. They are partial to sparsely forested country intersected -by open glades, but also frequent open plains entirely devoid of trees or -bush, having been once numerous on the open downs of the Western Transvaal -and Orange River Colony. They never live in dense jungle, but I have met -with them frequently amongst broken rugged hills. Burchell's zebras are -both fleet and enduring, but I have often galloped right amongst a herd of -them when mounted on a fast horse, and in good ground. In broken, hilly, -and stony ground, however, no horse can live with a Burchell's zebra. The -hoofs of this species seem made for running in rocky ground, being deeply -hollowed and as hard as iron. - -I have always found the presence of Burchell's zebras a sure indication -that water was not far distant, and it is my experience that these animals -require to drink daily, and never wander more than a few miles away from -the pool or river they frequent. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -MARE AND FOAL OF BURCHELL'S ZEBRA. - -These animals breed regularly in captivity.] - -This species of zebra may often be seen in Southern Africa in company with -other animals, such as buffaloes, blue wildebeests, elands, gemsbucks, roan -and sassaby antelopes, and ostriches, and I have upon several occasions -seen them come up to domestic cattle and horses. They are naturally not -very wary, and in parts of the country where they have not been much -molested are often very inquisitive, and will come trotting quite close up -to a caravan, provided they do not get the scent of human beings. Foals of -this species are easily caught, and become at once very tame and confiding; -nor do I believe that adult Burchell's zebras are such vicious animals as -is generally supposed, since I have seen several which were very quiet and -well broken, whilst even the half-broken animals, which were at one time -used on one of the coach-lines in the Transvaal, did not appear very -vicious. - -As with Grevy's zebra, the flesh of the species under consideration is much -appreciated both by natives and lions. I have often seen the fat on the -quarters of the mares quite an inch thick. It is of a dark yellow colour, -and too rich to suit the stomach of a European. The meat is rather sweet in -taste, but if fried with bacon not at all unpalatable. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq._ - -BURCHELL'S ZEBRA. - -This species is occasionally domesticated and driven in South Africa, as it -is not injured by the tsetse fly.] - -Professor Ewart has lately carried out a very interesting series of -experiments on the hybridising of zebras and horses. The results were very -satisfactory. The zebra cross proved to be very hardy creatures, capable of -wintering in the open on the hills of Scotland. The scientific data -obtained were of singular value, as showing the effect of crossbreeding on -subsequent generations of foals of the same mother. It has long been -believed that the influence of the first sire was seen in foals of which -other animals were subsequently the fathers. Thus, if a white mare threw a -foal to a black stallion, it was considered that her subsequent progeny -would occasionally be black, and instances were freely quoted to support -this theory. The scientific name of "telegony" was given to this supposed -influence of previous sires on future offspring. Professor Ewart's -experiments, in which pony mares were first mated with a zebra and -afterwards with horses, show that this theory of telegony is erroneous. The -foals sired afterwards by ponies and horses showed no trace whatever of -zebra stripes, but were normal pony foals, and not altered either in shape -or disposition. - -The QUAGGA, which became extinct about thirty years ago, never had a very -extended range, but in the early part of the last century it existed in -great numbers on all the upland plains of the Cape Colony to the west of -the Kei River, and in the open treeless country lying between the Orange -and Vaal Rivers. North of the Vaal it appears to have been unknown. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Percy Ashenden._ - -ZEBRAS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN. - -Another South African photograph. Notice Cape Town in the far distance.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -QUAGGA. - -This is, we believe, the only known photograph from life of this very rare -animal. There will probably never be another, for the quagga is generally -supposed to be extinct.] - -The quagga seems to have been nearly allied to Burchell's zebra--especially -to the most southerly form of that species--but was much darker in general -colour, being of a dark rufous brown on the neck and upper-parts of the -body, becoming lighter on the sides, and fading off to white beneath and -behind. Instead of being striped, too, over the whole body, it was only -strongly banded on the head and neck, the dark brown stripes becoming -fainter on the shoulders and dying away in spots and blotches. On the other -hand, in size and build, in the appearance of its mane, ears, and tail, and -in general habits, it seems to have nearly resembled its handsomer -relative. The barking neigh "qu[=a]-h[=a]-h[=a], qu[=a]-h[=a]-h[=a]" seems, -too, to have been the same in both species. The word "quagga" is pronounced -in South Africa "qu[=a]-h[=a]," and is of Hottentot origin, being an -imitation of the animal's neighing call. To-day Burchell's zebras are -invariably called Qu[=a]-h[=a]s by both Boers and British colonists. - - -WILD ASSES. - -The true asses are without stripes on the head, neck, and body, with the -exception of a dark streak down the back from the mane to the tail, which -is present in all members of the group, and in some cases a dark band -across the shoulders and irregular markings on the legs. - -In Africa the wild ass is only found in the desert regions of the -north-eastern portion of that continent, being an inhabitant of Abyssinia, -Somaliland, Gallaland, the Soudan, and the arid districts bordering the Red -Sea. The form of wild ass found in Somaliland differs in some respects from -its near relative of the Nubian Desert, in that it is of a paler colour, -has the dorsal stripe but faintly marked, and is without a cross stripe -over the shoulders, whilst on the other hand it has numerous markings both -on the front and hind legs. Naturalists are, however, agreed that, although -there may be certain small differences in the colour and markings of the -wild asses found in different localities of Northern Africa, such -variations are of no specific value, and only one species is recognised. - -The AFRICAN WILD ASS is a fine animal, standing between 13 and 14 hands at -the shoulder. It lives in small herds or families of four or five -individuals, and is not found in mountainous districts, but frequents low -stony hills and arid desert-wastes. It is as a general rule an alert animal -and difficult to approach, and so fleet and enduring that, excepting in the -case of foals and mares heavy in young, it cannot be overtaken even by a -well-mounted horseman. Notwithstanding the scanty nature of the herbage in -the districts they frequent, these desert-bred asses are always in good -condition. They travel long distances to water at night, but appear to -require to drink regularly. Their flesh is eaten by the natives of the -Soudan. The bray of the African wild ass is said to be indistinguishable -from that of the domesticated animal, which latter is undoubtedly descended -from the wild African breed. - -In Asia three varieties of the wild ass are found, which were formerly -believed to represent three distinct species; but since the points of -difference between these varying forms do not appear to be of specific -value, all the local races of the Asiatic wild ass are now considered to -belong to one species. - -These wild asses have a wide range, and are met with in the deserts of Asia -from Syria to Persia and Western India, and northwards throughout the more -arid portions of Central Asia. - -In Tibet and Mongolia the wild ass inhabits the high mountain-plateaux, and -lives at elevations of 14,000 feet and upwards above the sea. This local -race, known as the KIANG, approaches in size to the African wild ass, -standing 13 hands at the shoulder. It is dark reddish brown in colour, with -a very narrow dorsal stripe. The ONAGER of Western India and Baluchistan is -a smaller and lighter-coloured animal, with a broader stripe down the back. -In parts of its range it is found at sea-level. In Persia and Syria a third -local race of wild ass is found, which, however, differs from the two forms -already enumerated in no essential particular. - -Like their African congeners, the wild asses of Asia are inhabitants of the -waste places of the earth, frequenting desert plains and wind-swept -steppes. They are said to be so fleet and enduring that, except in the case -of a mare heavy with foal, they cannot be overtaken by a single horseman. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -BALUCHI WILD ASS. - -This is one of the three leading varieties of the Asiatic wild ass. It is -found in Western India and Baluchistan.] - -The wild asses of the desert plains of India and Persia are said to be very -wary and difficult to approach, but the kiang of Tibet is always spoken of -as a much more confiding animal, its curiosity being so great that it will -frequently approach to within a short distance of any unfamiliar object, -such as a sportsman engaged in stalking other game. - -Asiatic wild asses usually live in small families of four or five, but -sometimes congregate in herds. Their food consists of various grasses in -the low-lying portions of their range, but of woody plants on the high -mountain-plateaux, where little else is to be obtained. Of wild asses in -general the late Sir Samuel Baker once said: "Those who have seen donkeys -only in their civilised state can have no conception of the wild or -original animal; it is the perfection of activity and courage." - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -MALE KIANG. - -The kiang comes from the Tibetan highlands. It is the largest and most -horse-like of the wild asses of Asia.] - - -DOMESTICATED HORSE, ASSES, AND MULES. - -BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - ----- - -THE DOMESTICATED HORSE. - -Like the wild camels, genuine wild horses are very generally believed to be -extinct. The vast herds which occur to-day in a wild state in Europe, -America, and Australia are to be regarded, say those who believe in the -extinction theory, as descended from domesticated animals which have run -wild. So far as the American and Australian horses are concerned, this is -no doubt true; but of the European stocks it is by no means so certain. For -Dr. Nehring--and he speaks with authority--assures us that the wild horses -known as TARPANS, which occur on the steppes north of the Sea of Azoff, -between the river Dnieper and the Caspian, are veritable wild horses, the -last remaining members of enormous herds which occurred in Europe before -the dawn of civilisation. These horses formed no small part of the food of -the savage races of men then inhabiting this continent. This we know -because of the quantities of their remains found in the caves of the south -of France, for instance, associated with the remains of the men who hunted -them. Further evidence of this we have in the shape of crude engravings on -pieces of bone and deer horns, carved by the more artistic spirits amongst -these early hunters. From these drawings we gather that the horse they -hunted was small in size and heavy in build, with a large head and rough, -shaggy mane and tail--a horse, in fact, almost identical with the -above-mentioned tarpan. But long before historic records begin these horses -must have been domesticated; man discovered that they could be even more -useful alive than dead, and from that time forth the horse became his -inseparable companion. "Cæsar found the Ancient Britons and Germans using -war-chariots drawn by horses." - -But the stock of domestic horses drawn from this tarpan breed appears to -have died out almost entirely, the majority of horses now existing being -probably descendants of the native wild horses of Asia, the product of a -still earlier domestication. In Egypt the horse, as a domestic animal, -seems to have been preceded by the ass; but about 1900 B.C. it begins to -appear in the rôle of a war-horse, to draw chariots. Its use, indeed, until -the Middle Ages was almost universally as a war-horse. - -From the time of its domestication till to-day the history of the horse has -been one of progress. The care and forethought of the breeder have produced -many varieties, resulting in such extremes as the London Dray-horse, the -Racer, and the Shetland Pony. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -YEARLING ARAB COLTS. - -Note the colts examining the photographer's bag. They are very inquisitive -creatures, but easily frightened.] - -The coloration of our various breeds of horses is generally without any -definite marking, piebald and dappled being the nearest approach to a -pattern. Occasionally, however, horses are found with a dark stripe along -the back, and sometimes with dark stripes on the shoulders and legs. -Darwin, discovering a number of horses so marked belonging to different -breeds, came to the conclusion that probably all existing races of horses -were descended from a "single dun-coloured, more or less striped primitive -stock, to which [stock] our horses occasionally revert." - -"If we were not so habituated to the sight of the horse," says the late Sir -William Flower, "as hardly ever to consider its structure, we should -greatly marvel at being told of a mammal so strangely constructed that it -had but a single toe on each extremity, on the end of the nail of which it -walked or galloped. Such a conformation is without parallel in the -vertebrate series." By the aid of fossils we can trace out all the stages -through which this wonderful foot has passed in arriving at its present -state of perfection: we can see how it has become more and more beautifully -adapted to fulfil the requirement demanded--a firm support to enable its -owner to cover hard ground at great speed. The study of the structure of -this foot, and a comparison with the intermediate forms, make it clear that -this toe corresponds to the third finger or toe of the human hand or -foot--according as we compare the fore or hind limbs--and that its -development was at the expense of the remaining toes, which gradually -dwindled and disappeared, leaving in the living one-toed horse only traces -of the second and fourth toes in the shape of a pair of splint-bones, one -on either side of the excessively developed third toe. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -ARAB MARE. - -Nothing would induce this horse to stand still in order to be photographed; -so as a last resource Lady Anne Blunt put on her Arab costume. This acted -like magic, for under its spell the animal at once became quiet.] - -The horses, it must be remarked, may be distinguished from the asses by the -fact that the tail in the former is clothed with long hair throughout; in -the latter long hair springs only from the sides and end, forming a tuft. -Furthermore, the horses have a remarkable horny excrescence, resembling a -huge black and flattened wart, on each hind leg just below the "hock," or -heel-joint. This excrescence is commonly known as the "chestnut." Its -function is unknown. A similar pair of "chestnuts" occurs on the inner side -of the fore limb just above the wrist, or "knee," as it is generally -called. The "chestnuts" of the fore limb occur also in the asses, but not -those of the hind limb. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -ARAB MARES AND FOALS. - -A pretty group of some of Lady Anne Blunt's famous Arabs.] - - -THE ARAB HORSE. - -This magnificent and justly celebrated animal is chosen first for -consideration because it is probably a direct descendant of an original -wild breed--the Asiatic wild horse. How far back the domestication of this -breed began will probably never be exactly known. Till the third century -after Christ the Arabs were almost certainly camel-riders; but by the sixth -century of our era we find them in possession of a breed of horses which -they regarded with great reverence, and spoke of as an heritage from their -forefathers. They were probably introduced from the Caucasus or Asia Minor. -The Arab horse found its way into Europe, perhaps accompanied by an allied -breed--the Barb--with the Arab invasion of Spain in the eighth and ninth -centuries, leaving traces of its sojourn in the Andalusian and the French -Limousin. But the great value of Arab blood was not appreciated till armour -ceased to be used, the excessive weight of this demanding a horse of heavy -build. - -The Arab does not appear to have been introduced into England till the -seventeenth century; but the result of that introduction, as we shall see -presently, has been fraught with tremendous consequences. In its native -land it appears to have been bred chiefly for the purposes of warfare. The -success with which the breeders' judicious selection has been rewarded is -plainly seen in the wonderful powers of endurance on long marches; so that, -at the end of a raid, the animal is still fresh enough either for flight, -if necessary, or for a final rush on a retreating enemy. Besides, Arabs -possess great courage, and are frugal both in the matter of food and drink. - -As a race-horse, one enthusiast assures us, the Arab is superior to every -other natural breed; he is beaten only by his own half-breed offspring--the -English Race-horse. But this seems to be rather an over-estimate. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -PERCHERON HORSE. - -A Continental breed. This horse is believed to be the only one of its kind -in England.] - -The colour of the Arab varies; white is the most highly esteemed, but bay -and chestnut are common, black being rare. Strange as it may seem, the -white breed is never born white. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -HACKNEY AND FOAL. - -A specimen of the English carriage-horse.] - -The great affection of the Arab for his horse is proverbial. The following -story is certainly worth repeating: "The whole stock of an Arab of the -desert consisted of a mare. The French Consul offered to purchase her, in -order to send her to his sovereign, Louis XIV. The Arab would have rejected -the proposal; but being miserably poor, with scarcely a rag to cover him, -his wife and children starving, he was tempted greatly. At length he -yielded. He brought the mare to the consul's house, and stood leaning on -her neck, and looking, now at the gold, and now at the horse. The gold was -good to look upon; it would make him rich for life. Turning at last to his -favourite, he said: 'To whom is it I am going to yield thee up? To -Europeans, who will tie thee close, who will beat thee, who will make thee -miserable. Return with me, my beauty, my jewel, and rejoice the hearts of -my children.' At the last of these words he sprang upon her back, and was -in a few moments out of sight." - - -THE BARB. - -This is an African breed, which, like the generality of African horses, is -distinguished from those of Asia by its long limbs and small girth at the -loins, thus resembling the foals of other breeds. It displays great powers -of enduring hunger and thirst; and is fleet, with a high and graceful -action. The barb takes its name from its native land--Barbary. It is a -larger breed than the Arab. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -LADAS. - -A perfect English thoroughbred. With this racer Lord Rosebery won the Derby -in 1894.] - - -LEVANT AND PERSIAN HORSES. - -These are very closely allied to the Arab, but generally of larger size; -and in Southern Persia, at least, less delicately framed. The Turkoman -horses are related to those of Northern Persia. - - -THE ENGLISH RACE-HORSE. - -This animal is the product of very careful selection and gradual -improvement of an original native breed, extending over several centuries. -Long since, so long ago as the reign of James I., it had reached a high -degree of excellence. - -Upon this native stock there has been built up, by the infusion of Arab -blood, the swiftest horse which the world has ever known--the BRITISH -THOROUGHBRED. "Of this breed, it may be stated," says Mr. Allison, "that -every such animal in the stud-book of the present day, in this country or -any other, descends ... from one of three original Eastern sires--the -Darley Arabian, the Byerley Turk, or the Godolphin Arabian." This is an -extremely interesting fact, and constitutes a lasting monument to the -enterprise and acumen of the British horse-breeder. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -FLORIZEL II. - -One of the King's racing-stud.] - -The Byerley Turk hailed from the Levant, and was introduced by Captain -Byerley about 1689. From the Byerley Turk came Herod, the most celebrated -of his descendants, who has given rise to the Herod line, which to-day is -but feebly represented. - -The Godolphin Arabian, or the Godolphin Barb, was born about 1724. From his -grandson Matchem is derived the Matchem line, which is also to-day -bordering on extinction. - -The Darley Arabian carries us back to the reign of Queen Anne. Flying -Childers and Bartlett's Childers are directly descended from him; and from -the latter is descended Eclipse, the fastest horse which the turf has ever -known. It is interesting to note that the descendants in the Eclipse line -enormously outnumber those of the other two lines which we have considered. -Of his descendants, one of the most illustrious is Stockwell, who has been -described as the most extraordinary sire of all time, whose blood is coming -more than ever to the front. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -SHETLAND PONY AND FOAL. - -These ponies belong to Lady Mary Hope and her sister, who have been very -successful in breeding them.] - - -THE TROTTING-HORSE. - -This is an American breed. The trotting-horse is a combination of barb and -Arab on an English stock. Most of the trotting- and pacing-horses of -America may be traced to an English thoroughbred--Messenger--who was -imported into America in 1780. This horse became the founder of the -greatest trotting family in the world. The speed attained by some of the -fastest trotters is wonderful, a mile being covered in some three or four -seconds over two minutes. - -Russia is the only European country with a distinct breed of trotter--the -ORLOFF. This breed was made by crossing Arab and English horses with the -native races. The Orloff has not the speed of the American horse, but has -greater powers of endurance. The trotting-season in Russia is winter, the -races taking place on the ice. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -CHAMPION SHIRE STALLION. - -One of Sir Walter Gilbey's celebrated cart-horses.] - -The PACER is not a distinct breed, but so called on account of its curious -method of trotting. In trotting the left fore and right hind leg strike the -ground at the same moment; in pacing the fore and hind leg of the _same -side_ move in unison. Some wild animals--as the giraffe--are pacers. "Many -American horses," says Mr. Winans, "are able to move with either action, a -set of lighter shoes often sufficing to convert a trotter into a pacer." -Pacing is a swifter mode of motion than trotting. The record time stands at -one mile in 1 minute 39½ seconds, as again the trotting record of one mile -in 2 minutes 3¾ seconds. - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -SHIRE MARE AND FOAL. - -Another of Sir Walter Gilbey's champion cart-horses showing mother and -young.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -WELSH PONY. - -This photograph shows the Duchess of Newcastle with one of her white Welsh -ponies.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -POLO-PONY. - -Various breeds of ponies are used in this game, but the most esteemed at -the present day are the English-bred New Forest, Dartmoor, or Exmoor, or -Welsh ponies.] - - -THE HUNTER. - -This also is not a distinct breed, as some suppose. Any good riding-horse -may be used as a hunter. "Hunters" have been made by infusing the blood of -the race-horse with native breeds. The chief requirements are a muscular -neck and chest, with a rather short body, and shorter and stouter legs than -the race-horse. - -From the half-bred hunter we pass by insensible gradation to the ordinary -saddle- and carriage-horses. The ideal carriage-horse, however, is more of -a distinct breed than the hunter, and known as the CLEVELAND BAY. It has -been produced by mingling the blood of the thoroughbred with that of a -horse of stouter make than that of the hunter type. - -The record broad jump for the hunter, we might mention in passing, is -variously stated to be from 33 to 37 feet! - -[Illustration: _Photo by. T. Fall_] [_Baker Street._ - -DONKEY. - -This is a typical English coster's donkey, and won the first prize at the -Southwark Show.] - - -THE SHETLAND PONY. - -This is a native of the Shetland Islands, and remarkable for its small -size, docility, and hardihood. It is allowed to run nearly wild, and made -to forage almost entirely for itself. In the winter it grows a coat of -great length, which, soon becoming matted, forms a most effective -protection against cold and wet. The DARTMOOR, EXMOOR, and NEW FOREST are -likewise small breeds, but lack the symmetry and beauty of the Shetland. - - -CART-HORSES. - -Under this head are included all the large, heavily built draught-horses. -These are of European origin, and without intermixture of foreign--Asiatic -or African--blood. In England the most important breeds are the BLACK or -SHIRE HORSE, the CLYDESDALE, and the SUFFOLK PUNCH. These are wonderful -instances of the results of selective breeding towards a definite -end--large size, accompanied by great physical strength and powers of -endurance. To accomplish this, speed has had to be sacrificed. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -EGYPTIAN DONKEYS. - -The ass has long been known to the Egyptians, having been in use by them -before the introduction of the horse.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -MULES. - -A couple of fine mules belonging to Lord Arthur Cecil.] - - -ASSES AND MULES. - -ASSES. - -The DOMESTIC ASS, so common to-day in these islands, is of African origin, -and has, moreover, departed but little in either form or colour from the -wild race. This is probably due to the fact that the ass has not been -subjected in this country to that process of rigorous and careful selection -that the horse has undergone. - -We have no record of its first introduction to these islands, but it was -certainly known in the reign of Ethelred, though it was a rare animal. -Later it appears to have died out, and to have been reintroduced in the -reign of Elizabeth; but it has never become popular. This is unfortunate; -its sterling qualities have never been really appreciated by us. Spain, -Italy, and Malta have all succeeded in raising some fine breeds. The United -States has, however, produced the finest of all in animals standing some 15 -or 16 hands (5 feet or 5 feet 4 inches) high. - - -MULES. - -The term MULE, strictly speaking, should be reserved for the offspring of -the male ass and the mare: the offspring of the opposite cross is called -the HINNY. Mules are valued on account of their great powers of endurance -and their sure-footedness. The finest and handsomest are bred in Spain, the -United States, and North-west India. - -It is interesting to note that mules exhibit a strong tendency to revert to -the dun-coloured and striped coloration believed to belong to the primitive -horses. The spinal and shoulder stripes which sometimes appear in horses, -and more frequently in asses, occur yet more frequently in mules. The legs -of the mules appear particularly liable to revert to this striped -coloration in the United States, it is said nine out of ten being so -marked. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -_THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS: OXEN, BISON, BUFFALOES, AND MUSK-OX._ - -Cattle, Deer, Camels, Pigs, Horses, Tapirs, Rhinoceroses, and Elephants -differ greatly in structure from the orders already described. They are -classed as the Ungulates, or Hoofed Mammals. In most of these, such as the -Horse, Deer, and Oxen, the toes are contained within a solid hoof; in -others, such as the Rhinoceros, they are protected by broad nails. Great -differences exist in the feet of the various groups of Ungulates, caused by -the degree in which the digits, or "toes," remain in use or not. Except in -the Elephant, where there are five, the greatest number of "working" digits -found in existing forms is four. In the Horse and its surviving allies the -digits are reduced to one; in the Giraffes, to two. - -The general process, as it can be learnt from the remains of the horse-like -animals of the past, seems to have been as follows. One or more of the toes -were developed in length and strength at the expense of the others, until, -in the case of the Horse, only one toe remained, which was enclosed in a -large and solid hoof, little splints on either side of the cannon-bone -being left to hint where the second and fourth toes had once been. In the -Oxen and Deer the third and fourth toes developed equally, at the expense -of the others, and each gained a case or covering, which makes the two -parts of the "cloven hoof" of these groups. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE. - -This photograph represents two animals of different types. The bull (on the -right) is from Earl Ferrers' herd at Chartley Castle; the cow is a -cross-bred.] - -The first group of the order of Ungulates is represented by the -Hollow-horned Ruminants. These have horns set on a core of bone, the horns -themselves being hollow throughout. They "chew the cud," after receiving -the food eaten into the first of four divisions in the stomach, whence it -is brought up into the mouth, and then swallowed again for digestion. The -Oxen, Sheep, and Goats have no popular name by which they are collectively -distinguished, but their characteristics are sufficiently well known. The -horns are never shed annually, as is the case with the Deer; and the hoofs -are cloven. They have no incisor teeth in the upper jaw, a characteristic -also shared by the Giraffes, the Prongbuck (or American antelope), and the -Deer. The lower jaw has its full complement of incisor teeth. - -The Oxen and the allied Bison, Yak, and Buffaloes are the bulkiest and most -important to man of all ruminants. Some are found in nearly all inhabited -parts of the Old World, and there is one North American species, now -practically exterminated as a wild animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -ENGLISH PARK BULL. - -The similarity in shape to the best-bred modern shorthorns is obvious.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -CALF OF ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE. - -Though the stock is very old and inbred, the white park-cattle are still -fairly prolific.] - - -BRITISH PARK-CATTLE, AND THE AUROCHS. - -The so-called "WILD CATTLE" found in the parks of Chillingham and Chartley, -as well as in Lord Leigh's park at Lyme, and in that of the Duke of -Hamilton at Cadzow Castle, Scotland, are probably not the descendants of an -indigenous wild race. It is not without reluctance that the belief in their -wild descent has been abandoned. But the evidence seems fairly conclusive -as to the antiquity of these white cattle, regarded as a primitive breed, -and of the unlikelihood of their being survivors of a truly wild stock. -They are almost identical in many points with the best breeds of modern -cattle, and probably represent the finest type possessed by the ancient -inhabitants of these islands. But they are far smaller than the original -WILD OX, or AUROCHS, the ancestor of our domestic breeds. The skulls of -these large wild oxen, which still survived in the Black Forest in Cæsar's -time, have been dug up in many parts of England, especially in the Thames -Valley, and may be seen at the Natural History Museum. The remains of the -extinct wild ox, the _Bos urus_ of the Romans, show that, if not so large -as an elephant, as Cæsar heard, its size was gigantic, reckoned by any -modern cattle standard whatever. It probably stood 6 feet high at the -shoulder, and there is every reason to believe that it was the progenitor -of the modern race of domestic cattle in Europe. It seems certain that the -Chartley Park herd did once run wild in Needwood Forest; but so do the -Italian buffaloes in the Maremma, and the Spanish bulls on the plains of -Andalusia. Those at Chartley have been kept in the park, which is very wild -and remote, so long that they have gradually lost many of the attributes of -domestication. This is even more marked in the case of Lord Tankerville's -white cattle at Chillingham. An observant visitor to Chillingham lately -noted that the bulls fight for the possession of the cows, and that one is -occasionally killed in these combats. The cows still "stampede" with their -calves when alarmed, and hide them for a week or ten days after they are -born. The horns of the Chillingham cattle turn up; those of the bulls of -the Chartley herd are straight or slightly inclined downwards. Crossbreds -between the Chartley cattle and some other herds of reputed ancient descent -may generally be seen at the Zoological Gardens. They remain remarkably -true to type. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -JERSEY COW. - -The property of Lord Braybrooke. Though small in size, the Jersey cows -produce more butter than any English breed.] - -Formerly there were several other herds of ancient white cattle. One was at -Gisburne, in Yorkshire; another at Chatelherault Park, in Lanarkshire; and -records of herds at Bishop Auckland in Durham, Barnard Castle, Blair Athol, -Burton Constable, Naworth Castle, and other ancient parks are preserved. -Probably all were of a breed highly prized in ancient days, which was -allowed the run of the forests adjacent to the homes of their owners; then, -as the forests were cleared, they were gradually taken up and enclosed in -parks. Another theory is, that they were the white cattle of North-western -Italy, imported by the first settlements of Italian monks after the -conversion of the Saxons. - - -SOME DOMESTICATED CATTLE. - -The various species of European domestic cattle have in most cases been -brought to a degree of excellence even higher than that which might be -expected from the long period of time in which their improvement has been -an object of solicitude to man. Of the foreign races, the dark red cattle -of the Spanish Peninsula--animals which have been exported to the Canary -Islands and Madeira with great success--are justly famous. The white oxen -of North-east Italy have been famous since the days of the Romans. The tall -long-horned cattle of Hungary are excellent alike as beasts of draught and -for beef. The black-and-white Dutch cows are, and have been, the mainstay -of the dairy industry of Holland, and later of Denmark; while the small -Brittany cows are perhaps the best butter-producers on the continent of -Europe. But England and the Channel Islands may justly claim to rear the -finest cattle of the temperate parts of the world. The diminutive Jersey -cows, now reared in all parts of the kingdom, surpass all the animals of -Europe or America in the richness of their milk, while stock from the -pedigree herds of various English breeds is eagerly sought by foreign and -continental buyers on both sides of the Atlantic, and in New Zealand and -Australia. These foreign strains need constant replenishing from the -English herds, and the result is a golden harvest to the breeders in these -islands. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -SPANISH CATTLE. - -These belong to the long-horned race of Southern and Eastern Europe. In the -bulls the horns are shorter, and often turn downwards.] - -The SHORTHORN was the first breed to be brought to perfection. Two main -stocks--one for producing beef, the other for the dairy--are recognised; -they are the "all-round breed" most in favour, and it is said that the -improvement in this race alone has raised the value of average Irish store -cattle £2 per head during the last twenty years. The shorthorns are -level-backed, large animals, maturing very quickly. The commonest colours -are roan, white, red, and red-and-white. HEREFORD CATTLE are red, with -white faces and long, upturned horns; they fatten quickly on good grass, -and are in most demand for summer beef. HIGHLAND CATTLE have long horns, -rough, shaggy coats, and bodies of moderate size and great symmetry; they -are grazed on the mountains of the West Highlands mainly, and fattened in -the south. The beef is of the finest quality. SUSSEX CATTLE are an "all -red" variety, large, and formerly much used for draught and farm work. The -DEVONS are another red variety very like the Sussex, yielding excellent and -rich milk, and, when fattened, being little inferior to any breed as beef. -The long-horned black WELSH CATTLE grow to a great size, as do the polled -ANGUS breed of Scotland. The polled or hornless cattle include the red -SUFFOLKS, a most valuable breed, hardy, and wonderful producers of milk. -The cows often give milk every day of the year. The LONGHORN breed is -almost disappearing, as the horns are a disadvantage both in the fields and -when the animals are carried on board ship or in the train. The HUMPED -CATTLE of India and East Africa belong to a race different from European -cattle, of which the parent stock is not known. They have a hump upon the -withers, drooping ears (a sign of ancient domestication), and a very large -dewlap. The coat is always exquisitely fine. They are of all sizes, from -the tall Brahminee bull to dwarf breeds not larger than a Newfoundland dog. -The commonest colours are cream, grey, mouse-colour, and white. They do not -low, but grunt, and are by no means so fond of shade and water as European -cattle. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -YOUNG GAUR. - -The largest and handsomest of the wild oxen.] - - -WILD OXEN. - -This group consists of the GAUR of India; the GAYAL of Assam, which is -possibly a domesticated form of the gaur, but rather smaller in size, with -skull and horns different in character; and the BANTING, a lighter and more -slender wild ox, of which different varieties are found in Burma, in Java -(where it is kept in a half-domesticated condition), and in Manipur. - - -THE GAUR. - -The GAUR, the so-called INDIAN BISON, is probably the largest of all the -wild bovine animals. It is found at the foot of the North-eastern Himalaya, -in the Central Provinces of India, the forests of Madras and Mysore, and in -parts of Burma and the Malay Peninsula, but not in Ceylon. Its range -eastward is not accurately known. In habits the gaur is mainly a forest -animal, retiring always at daybreak into the depths of the jungle. It -sometimes attains a height of over 6 feet at the shoulder, and a length of -9 feet 6 inches from the nose to the tail. The colour of the full-grown -gaur is dark brown, turning to black; the legs from above the knees and -hocks to the hoofs are white, the hair being short and fine. Its horns are -upturned, and tipped with black, with white hair covering the junction on -the top of the skull. The cows are much smaller than the bulls, standing -about 5 feet high at the shoulder. This species feeds both on grass and on -the young shoots of trees and of bamboos. The calves are dropped in August -and September. The pure-bred animal does not appear capable of -domestication. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -COW GAYAL. - -This animal is not at all dissimilar to the gaur. Its chief points of -difference are in the horns and in the colour of its skin.] - -Hunting gaur by tracking in the jungle has long been a favourite sport of -Anglo-Indians. General Douglas Hamilton says: "I have killed bulls -measuring 6 feet at the shoulder, and the average height of the male is -from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. An old bull gaur is a magnificent -animal. The normal colour is a brownish black, sometimes in very old -specimens almost quite black. The white stockings reach from the hoof to -above the knee, and are very conspicuous. When on the Anamalies, I had a -grand fight with a big bull. I was out early, and came on the spoor of -bison, and soon saw two, one a very large bull. To my disgust he lay down, -and was completely covered by creepers and bushes. After a bit I attempted -to move to get a better view; but there to my left was a cow bison staring -at me. She at once gave the alarm, and I waited for the large bull to rise. -This he did so quickly, and disappeared so suddenly, that I only got a -snapshot. As I stopped to load, I saw a young calf squatting at the foot of -a tree like a hare, intently watching me. I put the rifle down, crept up -behind the tree, and suddenly threw myself on the little calf, and managed -to get hold of its hind legs, but it got from under me. I managed, however, -to tie its fore legs securely by means of some slender stems from the -creepers. All this time it continued to bellow and to make a great row, and -I fully expected to see the mother come charging down. I went back to the -bungalow, and got some men to bring my little captive home. After breakfast -I started again, and got on the track of the bison.... I saw some branches -move, and on looking carefully perceived a large bull bison; but he was -among the thick bushes, and I could not see his outline. I guessed as -nearly as possible the position of the shoulder, and fired the big rifle at -him. He gave a bound forward, and then stopped long enough for me to give -him a shot with the other barrel.... The next moment I saw the bull -standing on the high ground above us. I fired again, and hit him well -behind the shoulder. He dashed off, but only went fifty yards, and then -stopped. I walked up, thinking to finish him, when he made a fearful rush -at me. My man put the double rifle into my hands and then bolted, and I -thought it prudent to retire and await my opportunity. But he only moved a -few paces forward, and then stopped. Then began a regular siege of his -position." The result of the siege was that the bison received four more -bullets, charged and routed the hunter twice, and then walked off. It was -shot twice more, charged again, and was finally killed by General Hamilton -with his hunting-knife tied to a bamboo spear-pole. - -Considering the size and tenacity of life of the gaur, it is rather -wonderful that more accidents do not occur in the pursuit of this animal; -but as it lives mainly in thick jungle, where large trees grow, the -sportsman has more chance of getting out of sight of a wounded animal than -when attacked by the Indian buffalo, which generally haunts jungles of high -grass. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Curt Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -INDIAN HUMPED BULL. - -The hump and dewlap mark the Oriental cattle. The ears are often more -drooping than in this specimen.] - - -THE GAYAL. - -The doubt whether this animal is found in a wild state has recently been -considerably increased. It is well known in a semi-domesticated condition, -in which it is kept by the tribes in and around the Assam Valley, where the -wild gaur is also found. These herds roam during the day freely in the -jungle, and return to be fed at the villages. It has been stated that wild -gayal are enticed to join the tame herds by feeding them with balls of meal -and salt; but these "wild" specimens may be only those which have belonged -to or have descended from the domesticated herd. Gayal have been kept in -England not only in the Zoological Gardens but in some parks, and crossed -with English cattle. The offspring furnished excellent beef, but were -rather wild and intractable. The horns of the gayal are thicker and flatter -than those of the gaur, and placed lower on the skull and farther apart. -The domesticated gayal stands lower than the gaur, but is a very massive -animal. - - -THE BANTING. - -The common wild ox of the Malay countries of Borneo, Java, Eastern Burma, -and northwards, in Manipur resembles the European oxen rather more than -does the gaur. In size the bulls sometimes reach 5 feet 9½ inches. The old -bulls are black, the younger bulls chocolate-red, and the cows a bright -reddish brown. The rump is marked with a large white patch, and all have -white stockings from above the knees and hocks down to the hoofs. The tail -is considerably longer than in the gaur, coming well below the hocks. As -might be expected from its distribution, the size of this animal and the -shape of the horns vary considerably in the different districts which it -inhabits. In Borneo the horns often curve forwards; in Java they spread -outwards. In the latter island large herds of this species are kept in a -state of domestication. When wild, banting live in small herds, and in -Burma feed from early morning until ten o'clock, when they retire into the -jungle for shelter. The Manipur race is smaller than that of Burma (of -which the males are not black), and the bulls have not the white rump. - - -THE YAK. - -The YAK is naturally an inhabitant of the very high plateaux and mountains -of Tibet, where the climate is cold and the air excessively dry. Lower down -on the Indian side of the Himalaya a smaller race is found domesticated, -which is the only one able to stand the climate of India, or of Europe, -where it is now kept in some parks as a curiosity. The tamed yaks are -usually much smaller than the wild; these sometimes reach a weight of -between 1,100 and 1,200 lbs. In form they are long and low, very massive, -and with hair almost entirely black; this falls off along the sides into a -long sweeping fringe. The tail is thickly tasselled with fine hair, and is -employed by Indian princes for fly-flaps. The wild yak has large, massive -black horns, curved upwards and forwards in the male. In Ladak and Chinese -Tibet the yaks inhabit a desolate and barren country, in which their main -food is a dry, coarse grass, on which they nevertheless contrive to keep -themselves in condition, feeding in the mornings and evenings, and lying -down by day to rest among the rocks. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park_ - -INDIAN HUMPED CATTLE. - -These are often called Zebu in Europe, but the origin of the name in -unknown.] - - -THE BISON. - -The BISON form a marked group, differing from others of the Ox Tribe. They -possess fourteen pairs of ribs, while the oxen have only thirteen (the yak -has fourteen); and have very heavy, massive heads, broader and more convex -foreheads than the oxen, longer spinal processes on the vertebrae of the -front part of the back, and larger muscles to hold the ponderous head, -causing a hump, which in the American bison is very marked. There are two -living species of bison, one of which is found in Europe, the other in -North America. - - -THE EUROPEAN BISON. - -This is the most interesting survival of the primitive fauna of the Old -World. It is still found wild, though protected, in a large forest in -Lithuania, the property of the Czar of Russia, called the Forest of -Bielowitza. A few are also left of the purely wild stock in the Caucasus. -Those in Lithuania have been protected for several centuries, and the herd -is numbered from time to time. In 1857 there were 1,898 of these bison -left; in 1882 there were only 600; in 1889 the herd had sunk to 380, but in -1892 it had risen to 491. The presence of the bison in the Caucasus had -been almost forgotten till Mr. Littledale and Prince Demidoff gave accounts -of hunting it there quite recently. The ZUBR, as it is called, only -survives in some very inaccessible parts of the mountains, preserved by the -Grand Duke Sergius Michaelovitch, in the Kouban district. There it exists -as a really wild animal. The dimensions of one recently shot were 10 feet -from the muzzle to the end of the last vertebra of the tail. The Grand Duke -has to obtain special permission from the Czar to shoot one whenever he -goes to the Caucasus. - -This bison seems to have been an inhabitant of most of the forests of -Europe and Northern Asia; its remains show that it existed in Britain, and -it was plentiful in the Black Forest in the time of Cæsar. It is the -largest of all European quadrupeds, measuring as much as 10 feet 1 inch -from the nose to the root of the tail, and standing nearly 6 feet high at -the shoulder. Prince Demidoff states his belief that it is found on the -southern slopes of the Caucasus Range between the hills and the Black Sea. -The weight of this bison reaches 1,700 lbs. It is now rare to see more than -five or six together. Though the animal is so massive, its horns are rather -small and slender, and curve upwards. The mane--which, like the rest of the -coat, is of a uniform rich brown--is thick and curly, but not developed -like that of the American bison. - - -THE AMERICAN BISON. - -The American bison is the western representative of the bison of Europe. -The almost complete disappearance of this species is one of the warnings -against reckless destruction of animal life. It was formerly found in -millions on the prairies, and its meat formed the staple food of the Red -Indians, who lived on the flesh and used the "robes" of those killed in -winter for great coats and bedding. When Audubon went up the Upper -Missouri, bison were in sight almost throughout the voyage; they were even -carried down on ice-flows on the river. The bulls were very large, and were -occasionally savage, especially when attacked and wounded; but usually they -were harmless animals. Every winter and spring they made migrations along -regular routes to fresh pastures. These lines of travel were then black -with bison. The females had their calves by their sides, and all travelled -in herds, feeding as they went. At the present time the only remains of the -bison are the paths they left on the prairies, and their bones and skulls. -The paths are still distinctly seen, worn by the "treks" of the great -beasts which have now perished. The bones were collected in stacks and sold -to make manure. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -DOMESTICATED YAK. - -The wild bovine animal of the Central Asian plateau, tamed and -domesticated.] - -Colonel Roosevelt, in an article contributed to "The Encyclopædia of -Sport," thus describes the destruction of the bison: "Pursuit by sportsmen -had nothing to do with the extermination of the bison. It was killed by the -hide-hunters, redskin, white, and half-breed. The railways, as they were -built, hastened its destruction, for they gave means of transporting the -heavy robes to market. But it would have been killed out anyhow, even were -there no railroads in existence. Once the demand for the robes became known -to the Indians, they were certain to exterminate it. Originally the bison -ranged from the Rocky Mountains to the Alleghanies, and from Mexico to the -Peace River. But its centre of abundance was the vast extent of grass-land -stretching from the Saskatchewan to the Rio Grande. All the earlier -explorers who crossed these great plains, from Lewis and Clarke onwards, -spoke of the astonishing multitudes of the bison, which formed the sole -food of the Horse Indians. The herds were pressed steadily back, but the -slaughter did not begin till after the Civil War; then the commercial value -of the robes became fully recognised, and the transcontinental railways -rendered the herds more accessible. The slaughter was almost incredible, -for the bison were slain literally by millions every year. They were first -exterminated in Canada and the southern plains. It was not till 1883 that -the last herd was killed off from the great north-western prairies." - -The height of a fine bull American bison at the shoulder is 6 feet. The -horns are short, blunt, and curved, and set farther back on the forehead -than in the European species. The hindquarters are low and weak, and the -mane develops in winter into a thick robe, covering the neck, shoulders, -and chest. An adult bull bison was found to weigh 1,727 lbs. The -woodland-bison of Athabasca, now nearly exterminated, are larger than the -prairie-bison, and have finer coats. In 1897 there were said to be between -280 and 300 head remaining in two herds. - - -THE BUFFALOES. - -The BUFFALOES are so far distinct from other wild cattle that they will not -interbreed with them; yet one species, the INDIAN BUFFALO, has been -domesticated for a long, though unknown period, and is among the most -valuable of tame beasts of draught, as well as for dairy purposes. The -various buffaloes usually have little hair, especially when old, and have -flatter shoulders than the gaur, gayal, or bison. The pairs of ribs number -thirteen. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -AMERICAN BULL BISON. - -The American bison (locally called "buffalo") is lower behind than its -European brother; but the withers, as will be seen from the photograph, are -stronger and more massive, and its mane considerably longer.] - - -THE AFRICAN BUFFALO. - -Great differences in size and colour exist in the AFRICAN BUFFALOES. -Whether they are separate species or not may be doubtful; but the small -yellow CONGO BUFFALO, with upturned short horns, is a vastly different -creature from the large black CAPE BUFFALO. There is also an Abyssinian or -brown race of African buffalo, and another in Senegambia smaller than the -former, and a reputed grey race near Lake Tchad. The Cape buffalo is a -heavy, thickset animal, all black in colour, with large massive horns -covering the skull, and nearly meeting in the middle line of the forehead. -In height it varies from 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet at the shoulder. This -species ranges from South Africa to the Congo on the west, and to the -region of the Equator on the east of the continent. Firearms, and lately -rinderpest, have greatly reduced the number of these creatures. They live -and feed in herds, and, like the Indian species, are fond of the -neighbourhood of water, in which they bathe, but are not so dependent on -bathing and wallowing as the former. - -Fully as formidable as the Indian buffalo, and much like it in habits, the -African species is quite distinct. It has different horns, broad at the -base and curled and tapering at the ends. Among the extreme measurements of -the Indian buffalo's horns recorded is one of 12 feet 2 inches from tip to -tip along the curve. Those of the African buffalo are seldom more than 6 -feet, measured in the same way. By far the greatest number of hunting -accidents in Africa are caused by the buffalo. Sir Samuel Baker shot a -buffalo bull one evening near the White Nile. His men actually danced upon -the body, when the animal rose to its feet, and sent them flying into the -river like so many frogs. It then disappeared in the thick vegetation. On -the following day, supposing that it must have died during the night, -thirty or forty men, armed with double-barrelled guns, went to look for it. -The result was thus recorded by Sir Samuel Baker: "They had not been ashore -for many minutes when I first heard a shot and then a regular volley. My -people returned with the head of the buffalo and a large quantity of meat, -but they also carried the body of my best man, who, when leading the way -through the high reeds, following the traces of blood, actually stumbled -upon the buffalo lying in the swamp, and the light guns failed to stop its -charge. The crooked horn had caught him behind the ear, and, penetrating -completely through the neck, had torn out the throat as though it had been -cut. The savage beast had then knelt upon the body, and stamped it into the -muddy ground, until it fell beneath the fire of thirty men." - -The head and body of a male Cape buffalo are 9 feet long. It is stated that -the parasite conveyed by the tsetse fly remains in the blood of the buffalo -(which is not affected by it), and that this forms a reserve whence the -fly, after sucking the blood of the buffalo, poisons other animals. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -EUROPEAN BISON. - -These wild animals of the Caucasus are very much scarcer than formerly, and -are in danger of becoming extinct.] - - -THE CONGO BUFFALO. - -This is a very small race, the height at the shoulder being about 3 feet 6 -inches. The shape of the horns varies, but they are wrinkled at the bases -and flattened, and turn upwards, ending in thin, sharp tips. The hair is -bright reddish yellow. It is entirely a West African species. Sir Samuel -Baker records an instance in which his brother was nearly killed by a small -West African buffalo, probably one of the species in question. It is said -to be less gregarious than the Cape buffalo, and usually found in pairs. - - -THE INDIAN OR WATER-BUFFALO. - -Very great interest attaches to this animal, if only from the fact that it -is evidently a species domesticated directly from the wild stock. It -therefore deserves consideration both as a wild and as a domesticated -animal. It is found wild in the swampy jungles at the foot of the Himalaya, -in the Ganges Delta, and in the jungles of the Central Provinces; also, it -is believed, in the jungles of West Assam. Like the African species, it is -an animal of great size and strength, with short brown hair, white -fetlocks, and immense long, narrow, flattened horns. It is almost aquatic -by preference, passing many hours of each day wallowing in the water, or -standing in any deep pool with only the tips of its nostrils and its horns -out of the water. By general consent it is the most dangerous of Indian -animals after the tiger. A buffalo bull when wounded will hunt for its -enemy by scent as persistently as a dog hunting for a rabbit. A writer in -_Country Life_ lately gave an account of a duel between himself, armed with -a small and light rifle, and a buffalo bull, in which the latter hunted him -for more than an hour, each time being driven off by a shot from the light -rifle, and each time returning to the search, until it was killed. Sir -Samuel Baker, when he first went to Ceylon, found the buffaloes practically -in possession of the meadows round a lake in the neighbourhood of his -quarters, and waged a war of extermination against the bulls, which were -very dangerous. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -AMERICAN BISON. - -Notice the difference in the fore and hind quarters of this animal and the -European representative of the same group. (See page 216.)] - -The buffaloes of Ceylon are the same as those of India, but the horns are -inferior in size. "The charge of a buffalo is a serious matter." says Sir -Samuel Baker. "Many animals charge when infuriated, but they can generally -be turned aside by the stunning blow of a rifle-shot, even if they be not -mortally wounded. But a buffalo is a devil incarnate when it has once -decided on the offensive; nothing will turn it. It must be actually stopped -by death, sudden and instantaneous, as nothing else will stop it. If not -killed, it will assuredly destroy its adversary. There is no creature in -existence so determined to stamp the life out of its opponents, and the -intensity of its fury is unsurpassed when a wounded bull rushes forward -upon its last desperate charge. Should it succeed in overthrowing its -antagonist, it will not only gore the body with its horns, but will kneel -upon the lifeless form, and stamp it with its hoofs till the mutilated -remains are beyond recognition." - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -CAPE BUFFALO. - -Notice the striking difference depicted on this page between the two -species of buffalo--the Indian and the Cape.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -DOMESTICATED INDIAN BUFFALO. - -This animal is found as a wild and domesticated species in India. It is -valuable as a beast of draught and for the dairy.] - -The true Indian buffalo is usually shot from the back of an elephant. -Hunting it on foot is dangerous in the extreme, for the buffalo can crash -through obstacles which would prevent any man from making his way through -them when escaping. When domesticated, the Indian buffalo loses most traces -of its savageness; it is habitually managed by the children, who take the -herds out to graze in the jungle, and drive them back, often riding on one -of the bulls, at night. They dislike Europeans, and often show this by -attacking them; but otherwise they are quite tame, and are docile when in -harness or carrying burdens. The buffalo's milk is very rich, and makes a -much larger percentage of butter than ordinary cow's milk. So useful is -this mud- and water-loving animal in all swampy districts, that wherever -rice is cultivated it is almost indispensable. The result is that the -Indian buffalo has been transported, probably in comparatively modern -times, to many distant quarters of the globe. When this was done is not -known; but it is probable, for instance, that it was not known in Egypt in -the days of the Pharaohs, for its form never appears in the paintings and -sculptures. Now it is seen very far up the Nile, and plays an important -part in Egyptian agriculture; it is also the general beast of burden and -for the dairy in the Pontine Marshes of Italy. In Spain it was probably -introduced by the Arabs, and is used to cultivate the marshy plains near -the mouths of the rivers of Andalusia; it is also in use in the marshes of -Hungary, in the Crimea, and across Western Asia to Afghanistan. We have -thus the curious fact that a wild animal once confined to the jungles of -the Indian Peninsula is now domesticated on two other continents. It has -not been introduced into America yet, though it would be useful in the -Mississippi swamps; but the Chinese have taken it to the Far East, and -established it as their favourite beast of burden. - - -THE TAMARAU AND ANOA. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -A PAIR OF ANOAS. - -The anoa is the smallest and most antelope-like member of the Ox Tribe.] - -In the island of Mindoro, in the Philippines, a small black buffalo, with -upright, slightly incurved horns, is found in the dense forests. The height -at the shoulder is about 3 feet 6 inches; a few irregular marks of white -are found on the fore legs, face, and occasionally the throat. It is called -the TAMARAU by the natives, most of whom fear to attack it. Its habits are -said to be much the same as those of the other buffaloes; but it is reputed -to fight with the Indian buffaloes which have escaped and become semi-wild -in the forests. - -In Celebes a still smaller wild forest-buffalo is found, called the ANOA. -It is only 3 feet 3 inches high at the shoulder, and has upright, almost -straight horns. The general colour is brownish, tinged with yellow, that of -the adults being very dark brown or black. Scarcely anything is known of -its habits. - - -THE MUSK-OX. - -The MUSK-OX was formerly found in immense numbers on the barren lands and -other regions bordering on the Arctic ice. The hair of this animal reaches -almost to the ground, and the horns are large and massive. At present it is -only common in the corner of North America north and east of a line drawn -from Fort Churchill, on Hudson Bay, to the mouth of the Mackenzie, and on -the adjacent islands of the Arctic Sea. In former Arctic expeditions the -flesh of the musk-oxen was a great and reliable source of food. Now some -parts of the herds seem to have retired inland, and in the winter to become -mainly forest-dwellers; but large numbers seem to endure the coldest parts -of the Arctic winter in the open country of the Far North, in the snows of -Grinnell Land and of Northern Greenland. The remains of musk-oxen have been -found in the river gravels of the Thames Valley, with those of the reindeer -and other northern species. The musk-ox gallops at a great rate of speed -when disturbed in the open, and makes as little of a steep mountain-side as -does the wild sheep. When fat, the flesh is very tolerable food; but if the -animals grow thin, the taste of musk is very unpleasant. The colour of the -coat is dark brown; it is now in great demand for sledge-rugs in Canada. -This remarkable animal appears to be a form standing apart both from the -oxen and the sheep. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -YOUNG BULL MUSK-OX. - -The musk-ox is nearly allied to the sheep. It is about the size of Highland -cattle, and inhabits Arctic America and Northern Greenland.] - - - -It will be seen from the above accounts of the whole wild bovine race that -they all exhibit in a high degree many of the traits which are seen in -domesticated animals of the same tribe. The chief differences made by man's -selection and breeding affect the form of the body and the development of -the udder, otherwise there is no great modification, except the production -of the drooping ear in some of the Indian species of domesticated oxen. No -wild cattle have the level, flat back and rectangular body which mark all -the best shorthorns and other breeds intended for beef. In the Asiatic and -Galla humped breeds, the races which first domesticated the original wild -species seem to have used the long processes of the vertebræ which cause -the back of many wild cattle to form a hump as the basis of a valuable -feature, the hump becoming as it were another joint of meat. The -development of the udder has for untold centuries been the object of the -breeders of cows; consequently we find that in the domesticated races this -has become abnormally large. There is at present a very general tendency to -get rid of the horns among all breeds of high quality, as these appendages -cause much loss by wounds inflicted by cattle upon each other; but even in -this respect sentiment rather tends to preserve the horns as an ornament in -some of the best milking breeds, such as the Jerseys. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -_THE SHEEP AND GOATS._ - ----- - -THE SHEEP. - -The sheep are represented at the present time by several wild species, one -of which is found in Northern India east of the Indus, in the Punjab, and -in Sind; one in North America; and another in North Africa. The rest -inhabit the high ground of Europe and Asia as far south as the Himalaya. -These mountains, with the adjacent plateaux of the Pamirs and the great -ranges of Central Asia, form the main home of the group. Wild sheep are of -various types, some so much like the goats that it is difficult to draw a -hard-and-fast line between them; while others, especially the Curly-horned -Argalis, Bighorns, Oorial, and Kamchatka Wild Sheep, are unmistakably ovine -in type. The wild original of the domesticated breeds of sheep is unknown; -but the extreme differences between various breeds of tame sheep--as, for -instance, between the smooth-coated, drooping-eared breed of Nubia and the -curly-horned, woolly sheep of Dorsetshire--must not be allowed to divert -the attention from the considerable likeness of habit which still remains -between other breeds and the wild species. Domesticated sheep which live on -hills and mountains are still inclined to seek the highest ground at night. -The rams fight as the wild rams do, and many of them display activity and -powers of climbing and of finding a living on barren ground scarcely less -remarkable than in the wild races. The apparent absence of wool in the -latter does not indicate so great a difference as might be thought. The -domesticated sheep have been bred by artificial selection for unnumbered -ages in order to produce wool. It is said that in some of the wild breeds -there is an under-fur which will "felt" like wool. Most of the species are -short-tailed animals, but this is not the case with the Barbary wild sheep. - -Wild sheep are mainly mountain-living animals or frequenters of high -ground. They generally, although not always, frequent less rugged country -than that affected by the wild goats, and some are found at quite low -levels. The altitude at which other wild sheep are found is, however, very -great; on the Pamirs it reaches 20,000 feet. Here the country is quite -open. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -YOUNG BARBARY SHEEP. - -Note the length of the tail as compared with other wild sheep.] - - -THE EUROPEAN MOUFFLON. - -The only wild sheep of Europe is the MOUFFLON, found in the mountains of -Corsica and Sardinia. Its height at the shoulder is about 27 inches. In the -rams the horns are strong, and curved into a spiral, forming almost a -complete circle. The hair is close, and in winter has a woolly under-fur. -In summer and autumn the coat is a bright red-brown on the neck, shoulders, -and legs; the rump and under-parts are whitish, and the back and flanks -marked with a white saddle. In winter the brown becomes darker and the -white saddle broader. A rather larger moufflon is found on Mount Elburz in -Persia, in Armenia, and in the Taurus Mountains. A smaller variety exists -in Cyprus, where it has been preserved since the British occupation. The -moufflon is a typical wild sheep. In Sardinia and Corsica are dense scrubby -forests of tall heather, some 5 feet high. This _maquia_ is practically -impenetrable to hunters. When alarmed, the moufflon dash into it, and are -safe. The _maquia_ has preserved two very interesting survivals of -antiquity--the moufflon, and the Corsican or Sardinian bandit. The Corsican -bandit, like the moufflon of the same island, is nearly extinct. In -Sardinia both flourish. Many English sportsmen have had their first taste -of big-game shooting in the difficult pursuit of the moufflon on the -Sardinian mountains. Some declare that the sport is so fascinating that -they have seldom found much to equal it since. Mr. S. H. Whitbread, whose -notes in "The Encyclopædia of Sport" are very full on this subject, deems -that the best season to stalk moufflon is in October or November. The -animals are then less disturbed by shepherds and dogs, and the moufflon are -on the move and more easily seen during the day than in summer, when they -feed at night and rest or sleep by day. - -Sir E. G. Loder has a small herd of moufflon running wild in his park at -Leonardslee, near Horsham. They have a specially built "mountain-top" of -stone to make a home of, but are free to feed where they like in the park. -They produce lambs yearly. It is an interesting sight to see the quick rush -of the little flock, when frightened, to their sheltering-place, led by an -old white-saddled ram. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -SIBERIAN ARGALI. - -One of the large wild sheep of Central Asia.] - - -THE ARGALIS. - -The ARGALIS are the largest of all living wild sheep. Some measure from 3 -feet 9 inches to 4 feet at the shoulder. The horns are broad, corrugated, -and curling in the male, and in the female short, erect, and curving -backwards. The male TIBETAN ARGALI has a ruff on the throat. The usual -colour is a stony grey, mingled with white in the summer in the case of the -old males. The name is applied collectively to several wild sheep found in -Northern and Central Asia. Whether these are only varieties or separate -species it is difficult to say; but the following are some of the most -marked forms. - -The SIBERIAN ARGALI is the characteristic wild sheep of the rocky hills and -mountains of Southern Siberia, the Altai Mountains, and Northern Mongolia. -The horns curve so as to form more than a complete circle; the upper parts -are tinged with grey, and the lower are white. - -The TIBETAN ARGALI is a little smaller in size, and has slightly smaller -horns. The rams have also a large white ruff on the throat. These sheep -descend in winter to the lower valleys of the Tibetan plateau, returning to -the higher ground in spring. The lambs are born in May or June. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -BARBARY SHEEP. - -These fine wild sheep are found in the Atlas and Aures Mountains of North -Africa.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -BARBARY SHEEP. - -This shows a fine ram, with a mane reaching almost to its hoofs.] - -LITTLEDALE'S SHEEP is a smaller animal, found on the Sair Mountains in the -Great Altai, on the north-western border of Mongolia. It is darker in -colour than the argali or Marco Polo's sheep, and has dark under-parts. - -Writing of the argali of Southern Siberia, the naturalist Brehm says that -when the Tartars want mutton an argali hunt is organised. The Tartar -hunters advance on their horses at intervals of 200 or 300 yards, and when -the sheep are started generally manage, by riding, shooting, coursing them -with dogs, and shouting, to bewilder, shoot, or capture several. - -On the high plateau of the Pamirs and the adjacent districts MARCO POLO'S -SHEEP is found. The rams are only slightly less in size than the Siberian -argali; the hair is longer than in that species, and the horns are thinner -and more slender and extend farther in an outward direction. An adult ram -may weigh 22 stone. The first description of this sheep was given by the -old traveller whose name it now bears. He said that on the Pamir plateau -wild animals are met with in large numbers, particularly a sheep of great -size, having horns three, four, and even six palms in length. The shepherds -(? hunters) form ladles and vessels from them. In the Pamirs, Marco Polo's -sheep is seldom found at less than 11,000 or 12,000 feet above the sea. In -the Thian-shan Mountains it is said to descend to 2,000 or 3,000 feet. They -prefer the hilly, grassy plains, and only seek the hills for safety. On the -Pamirs they are said to be very numerous in places, one hunter stating that -he saw in one day not less than 600 head. - - -THE BIGHORN SHEEP OF AMERICA AND KAMCHATKA. - -North America has its parallel to the argalis in the famous BIGHORN. It is -now very rare even in Northern Canada, and becoming scarce in the United -States, though a few are found here and there at various points on the -Rocky Mountains as far south as Mexico. In habits it is much the same as -other wild sheep--that is to say, it haunts the rock-hills and "bad lands" -near the mountains, feeding on the scanty herbage of the high ground, and -not descending unless driven down by snow. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -BURHAL WILD SHEEP. - -Sometimes called the Blue Sheep. They have a wide range both on the -Himalaya and north of those mountains.] - -The bighorn sheep are very partial to salt. Mr. Turner Turner, who hunted -them in East Kooteney, says: "Wild sheep make periodical excursions to the -mountain-tops to gorge themselves with salty clay. They may remain from an -hour to two days, and when killed their stomachs will be found full of -nothing but the clay formed from denuded limestone, which they lick and -gnaw until sometimes deep tunnels are formed in the cliffs, large enough to -hide six or seven sheep. The hunter, standing over one of these warrens, -may bolt them within two yards of him. In the dead of winter sheep often -come to the woods to feed on fir-trees. At such times they may be seen -mixed with black-and-white-tailed deer, low on a river-bank. I have known -them come within forty yards of an inhabited hut." - -While on the subject of the fondness of sheep and deer for salt, we may -mention an anecdote told by Mr. H. C. Nelson in _Country Life_. He was -sleeping with two other friends in a hut in the mountains where some miners -had lived for a time. These men, when they washed up their pots and pans, -threw the slops away at a certain place close by the hut. As all water used -for cooking meat has salt put into it, a little salt remained on the -surface. This the wild deer had found out, and were in the habit of coming -to lick it at night. Mr. Nelson had a shot at one some twenty yards from -the hut. - -The bighorn sheep stands from 3 feet 2 inches to 3 feet 6 inches at the -shoulder. The horns are of the general type of the argalis, but smoother. -Another bighorn is found in Kamchatka. There is also a beautiful white race -of bighorn inhabiting Alaska. The typical Rocky Mountain race is browner -than the Asiatic argalis, and in winter is dark even beneath the front -parts of the body. It is not found on the high peaks of the great ranges, -but on difficult though lower ground on the minor hills. - - -THE OORIAL. - -The vast range of the Himalaya affords feeding-ground to other species of -wild sheep and wild goat, so different in the shape of the horns that the -variations of the ovine race under domestication need not be matter for -wonder when so much variety is seen in nature. - -The OORIAL, or SHA, is found in North-west India, on the Trans-Indus -Mountains, and in Ladak, Northern Tibet, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, -Turkestan, and Southern Persia. The horns make a half-curve backwards, and -are flattened. The angle with the horizontal line across the ears is about -half a right angle. The coat is of a reddish-brown colour, with white on -the belly, legs, and throat. This species has a very wide geographical -distribution, and is the only wild sheep found in India proper. - -[Illustration: _Photo by The Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._ - -FEMALE KUDU. - -The Kudu is one of the handsomest of the African Antelopes, the -corkscrew-like horns of the bucks forming some of the most striking of all -sporting trophies.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -PUNJAB SHEEP. - -This is an example of one of the breeds which carry no wool whatever.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -FAT-TAILED SHEEP. - -The fat tail of this sheep was considered by Charles Darwin as due to -degeneration.] - - -THE BARBARY SHEEP, AOUDAD, OR ARUI. - -This is a large wild sheep of the North African highlands. The old rams -have a very fine appearance, with a long flowing beard or mane, and large -horns. These wild sheep, though somewhat goat-like in appearance, are -typical of their race in general habits. They live in the Atlas Range, and -in the splendid heights of the Aures Mountains, which lie at the back of -Algeria and fringe the great Sahara Desert. In the isolated and burning -rocks which jut up in the desert itself into single mountains they are also -found, living on ground which seems absolutely destitute of water, grass, -or vegetation. They live singly or in small families; but the rams keep -mainly alone. Sometimes they lie in shallow caves during the heat of the -day. These caves smell like a sheep-fold. More generally the sheep repose -on some shelf of rock, where they exactly match the colour of the stone, -and are invisible. The ground is among the most difficult in which any -hunting is attempted, except perhaps in chamois-stalking; but the pursuit -seems to fascinate sportsmen. Mr. A. E. Pease recently gave some charming -descriptions of the silence, the rugged rocks, and the astonishing views -over the great orange Sahara Desert seen from the tops of these haunts of -the Barbary sheep--mountains on the summits of which his Arab guides would -prostrate themselves in evening prayer as the sun sank over the desert, and -then, rising, once more resume the chase. The young lambs of the Barbary -sheep are charming little creatures, more like reddish kids. They can -follow the mother over the steepest ground at a great pace. When caught, as -they sometimes are by the Arabs, they soon become tame. The tail is longer -than in other wild sheep, and in the males a large mane covers the chest. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -FOUR-HORNED SHEEP. - -There are several breeds of these sheep, some from China, some from -Iceland, and others from South Africa.] - - -THE BURHAL, OR BLUE SHEEP. - -This species possibly indicates the transition-point from the sheep to the -goats. It was pointed out by Mr. Brian Hodgson that it had certain features -more like the goats than the sheep, and later other writers laid stress on -structural differences of the same kind, both in skull and horns. It has -not the disagreeable odour of the goats; but the black markings which -separate the white of the belly from the brown of the flanks, and run down -the front of the legs, are like those seen on some goats. The horns rise in -a curve outwards and downwards. The largest are only some 30 inches long. - -Burhal are perhaps the commonest of all Asiatic wild sheep. They inhabit -the whole length of the higher Himalayan Range, and are found over and -round the Central Asian plateau as far north as Yarkand. The horns make two -half-moons at right angles to the skull. Unlike some of the other wild -sheep, burhal often climb the very highest ground of all. Much of the best -burhal ground is above 17,000 feet high, and, as Mr. Whitbread remarks, -this alone makes the chase of such an animal difficult. As in the moufflon, -the mutton is excellent. There is no difficulty whatever in taming these -wild Himalayan sheep; those in the Zoological Gardens are practically -domesticated. - - -DOMESTICATED SHEEP. - -Under domestication sheep exhibit a wide variety of coat, shape, and size, -very striking to the eye, and very important in regard to the produce of -wool or mutton. The introduction of a particular breed, with long wool or -short wool as the case may be, has often saved or altered for a time the -economic condition of a colony or province. It was the introduction of the -sheep which gave Australia first rank among the rich colonies of the world; -and the discovery that the Cheviot breed would thrive on the Scotch hills -made millions of acres remunerative which might otherwise have been very -unproductive. But the only important change in the structure of the sheep -in domestication is the lengthening of the tail. The carcase may be fat -mutton or thin mutton, the wool long or short, fine or coarse; but the -sheep itself remains true to type, and of much the same docile habits, -under all the changes of the breeders. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted_. - -SOUTH DOWN SHEEP. - -The finest breed of down-sheep.] - -We may first say a word or two as to foreign breeds of sheep, especially -those of the East. Some of these resemble the wild breeds in having smooth -coats and almost no wool. The SOMALI SHEEP, for instance, yield no wool -useful for felting or spinning. They have drooping ears and black heads. -Some of the finest natural wool is developed by a white sheep in Tibet. The -fur is usually sold as Tibetan lamb. The wool is exactly like white -floss-silk. When cured by the Chinese, the leather is like white kid, with -this flossy wool attached. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -MERINO RAMS. - -The best wool-producing sheep. Imported from Spain to Australia.] - -In India and Persia the sheep is sometimes used as a beast of burden. Mr. -Lockwood Kipling, in his "Beast and Man in India," says: "Borax, -asafoetida, and other commodities are brought into India on the backs of -sheep in bags. The flocks are driven in large numbers from Tibet into -British territory. One of the sensations of journeying in the hills of the -'interior,' as the farther recesses of the mountains are called by -Anglo-Indians, is to come suddenly on such a drove, as it winds, with the -multitudinous click of little feet, round the shoulder of some Himalayan -spur. The coarse hair bags scrape the cliffside from which the narrow path -is built out or hollowed, and allow but scant room for your pony, startled -by the hurry and the quick-breathing rush of the creatures as they crowd -and scuffle past. Only the picturesque shepherds return from these -journeys. The carriers of the caravan (_i.e._ the sheep), feeding as they -go, gather flesh in spite of their burdens, and provide most excellent -mutton.... In the towns of the plains rams are kept as fighting animals. A -Mohammedan swell going out for a stroll with his fighting-ram makes a -picture of foppery not easily surpassed by the sporting 'fancy' of the -West. The ram is neatly clipped, with a judicious reservation of the -salient tufts, tipped with saffron and mauve dye, and besides a large -collar of blue beads it wears a necklace of hawk-bells." - -The FAT-TAILED SHEEP of Persia and Tartary exhibits a curious provision of -nature. When food is plentiful, a quantity of fat accumulates on the tail -and croup. As the pasture dries up and the animal finds little food, this -store of fat is gradually absorbed. Another fat-tailed sheep is found from -Syria and Egypt to the Cape. This has a long tail reaching to the ground. -In the Egyptian breed the tail is broad throughout; in the Syrian it -narrows to a point. The ordinary weight of the Syrian sheep's tail is 15 -lbs.; but in some well-fattened examples it reaches 70 or 80 lbs. Ludolph -saw in Egypt a sheep's tail of 80 lbs. weight. This overgrown tail is a -great encumbrance to the animal. In order to lighten the burden, the -shepherds fasten under it a small board, sometimes with wheels attached, to -make it easy to draw over the ground. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP. - -The sheep of the high mountains and heather-moors.] - -In Greece, Wallachia, and Western Asia a fine breed of sheep, quite -different from the English forms, is seen. It is called the WALLACHIAN -SHEEP. When the Zoological Gardens were first founded here, some of these -sheep were introduced and crossed with English breeds. The horns are tall -spirals, as in the great kudu antelope. The body is large, and the fleece -long and straight, and more like that of the long-haired goats than curly -wool. - -There are now few countries in the world to which sheep have not been -introduced. They were probably among the earliest animals to be -domesticated. Certainly they are the first to be mentioned; for we learn -that "Abel was a keeper of sheep," while Cain tilled the earth. The feud -between the keeper of flocks and the grower of crops typified in this -ancient quarrel still goes on wherever the wild mountain breeds of sheep -are kept, for there is of necessity always danger that the wandering sheep -may raid the plots of corn. In Spain a curious and ancient set of laws -regulates the passage of the flocks to and from the mountain pastures -through the corn-lands. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -LEICESTER EWE. - -A heavy, long-woolled breed.] - -It is said that the name of the famous breed of Spanish sheep known as -MERINOS recalls their foreign origin from across the sea, and that they -were originally imported into Spain from England. Whether that be so or -not, it is certain that no one could recognise them now. The finest merino -sheep, especially those bred in Australia, into which country they were -imported some forty years ago, look as if covered with a dense growth of -moss. The close wool grows not only on their backs, sides, and bellies, but -on legs, forehead, and nose. There are believed to be ten millions of -merino sheep in Spain, most of which are migratory. They are called -"transhumantes," and are taken from the plains to the mountains and from -the mountains to the plains yearly. These "transhumantes" are divided into -flocks, each under a head shepherd, or "majoral." The flocks follow the -shepherds, who lead the way, and direct the length and speed of the -journey. A few wethers, trained to the business, follow the shepherds, and -the rest come in due order. Powerful dogs accompany them as guards. This -system of sheep migration is controlled by a tribunal termed the Mesta. It -can be traced back to the middle of the fourteenth century. By it persons -are prohibited from travelling along the course of the route pursued by the -flocks so long as they are on the road. It also maintains the right for the -flocks to graze on all the open or common land that lies in the way. -Moreover, it claims a path ninety yards wide through all enclosed and -cultivated country. The length of the journey is over 400 miles, which is -accomplished in six or seven weeks. The system works greatly to the injury -of local cultivators and stationary flocks, whose fields are injured by the -migratory sheep. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -CROSS-BRED SHEEP. - -The class of sheep kept mainly on cultivated land in the North Midlands.] - - -ENGLISH BREEDS OF SHEEP. - -In England are reared the finest and most valuable sheep. This is evident -from the prices paid for them by foreigners and breeders in our colonies. -Except for merinos, no one comes to any other country but this when about -to seek new blood for their flocks or to stock new lands. Recently 1,000 -guineas were paid by a firm in Argentina for a single Lincoln ram. - -Differences, well marked and of great importance, exist between our -different breeds. Each suits its own district, and each is carefully -improved and kept pure by herd-books, in which all pedigree animals are -entered. - -The "general utility sheep" in England is the SOUTH DOWN; in Scotland, the -BORDER LEICESTER. The former is a small, fine sheep, with close wool, and -yielding excellent mutton. It provides the meat sold in our best shops, and -has largely stocked New Zealand. The original breed of England was possibly -the COTSWOLD; it is a tall, long-woolled, white-fleeced sheep. Later a -large heavy sheep, with long wool and a massive body, was bred in the -Midlands, and called the LEICESTER LONG-WOOL. This sheep gives a great cut -of wool, and much coarse mutton. The CHEVIOT SHEEP, originally bred on the -hills of that name, is now one of the mainstays of the Scotch mountain -farmer. The Cheviots eat the grass on the high hillsides, while the -BLACK-FACED HIGHLAND SHEEP live on the heather higher up. The SUFFOLK, -OXFORD, HAMPSHIRE, and other "Down" sheep are larger breeds than the South -Down. The ROMNEY MARSH SHEEP are a heavy long-woolled breed. The EXMOORS -are small heather-sheep like those of Wales, and the SOA and ST. KILDA -SHEEP, which are often four-horned, the smallest of all. - -The maintenance of flocks is now almost an essential part of English -agriculture on all chalk lands, which comprise a very large percentage of -the southern counties. On the chalk downs the flocks are the great -fertilisers of the soil. Every night the sheep are folded on the fields -which are destined to produce corn in the following year. The manure so -left on the soil ensures a good crop, with no expense for carting the -fertiliser from the farmyard, as is the case with manure made by oxen kept -in straw-yards. - -On the South Downs, Oxfordshire Downs or Chiltern Hills, Salisbury Plain, -and the Berkshire Downs the farms have been mainly carried on by the aid of -the flocks. Where these are no longer kept the land reverts to grass, and -the growing of corn ceases. On the coarse, new-sown grasses cattle take the -place of sheep, and an inferior style of farming, like the ranches of South -America, replaces the careful and highly skilled agriculture of Old -England. In the far north of Scotland cross-bred sheep are now reared and -fed in winter on turnips, which will grow luxuriantly where the climate is -too bleak and wet for wheat. - -Formerly cattle were the main source of wealth to the owners of Highland -estates. The sheep was only introduced after the Highlands were subdued -subsequently to the rebellion in 1745. It was found that the rough-coated -heather-sheep throve on the wet and elevated hills. This led to their -substitution for cattle, as wool was then dear. Sheep are now in their turn -giving way to grouse and deer over much of the Central Highlands, as the -price of wool has fallen. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -LONK RAM. - -This is a photograph of the largest sheep on record.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -WELSH EWES. - -A small breed of hill-sheep.] - - -THE GOATS. - -Though the dividing-line between the Sheep and Goats is very indistinct, -some differences are of general application. The goats are distinguished by -the unpleasant "hircine" odour of the males, and by beards on the chins of -the same sex, by the absence of glands in the hind feet, which sheep -possess, and by certain variations in the formation of the skull. The -difference between the temperament of the sheep and goats is very curious -and persistent, showing itself in a marked way, which affects their use in -domestication to such a degree that the keeping of one or the other often -marks the owners as possessors of different degrees of civilisation. Goats -are restless, curious, adventurous, and so active that they cannot be kept -in enclosed fields. For this reason they are not bred in any numbers in -lands where agriculture is practised on modern principles; they are too -enterprising and too destructive. Consequently the goat is usually only -seen in large flocks on mountain pastures and rocky, uncultivated ground, -where the flocks are taken out to feed by the children. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -FEMALE ANGORA GOAT. - -The breed from which mohair is obtained.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -ANGORA RAM. - -These goats were originally obtained from Turkey in Asia, and exported to -South Africa.] - -On the high Alps, in Greece, on the Apennines, and in Palestine the goat is -a valuable domestic animal. The milk, butter, and cheese, and also the -flesh of the kids, are in great esteem. But wherever the land is enclosed, -and high cultivation attempted, the goat is banished, and the more docile -and controllable sheep takes its place. In Syria the goat is perhaps more -docile and better understood as a dairy animal than elsewhere in the East. -The flocks are driven into Damascus in the morning; and instead of a -milk-cart calling, the flock itself goes round the city, and particular -goats are milked before the doors of regular customers. - -The EUROPEAN GOAT is a very useful animal for providing milk to poor -families in large towns. The following account of its present uses was -recently published: "The sheep, while preserving its hardy habits in some -districts, as on Exmoor, in Wales, and the Highlands, adapts itself to -richer food, and acquires the habits as well as the digestion of -domestication. The goat remains, as in old days, the enemy of trees, -inquisitive, omnivorous, pugnacious. It is unsuited for the settled life of -the English farm. Rich pasture makes it ill, and a good clay soil, on which -cattle grow fat, kills it. But it is far from being disqualified for the -service of some forms of modern civilisation by the survival of primitive -habits. Though it cannot live comfortably in the smiling pastures of the -low country, it is perfectly willing to exchange the rocks of the mountain -for a stable-yard in town. Its love for stony places is amply satisfied by -the granite pavement of a 'mews,' and it has been ascertained that goats -fed in stalls and allowed to wander in paved courts and yards live longer -and enjoy better health than those tethered even on light pastures. In -parts of New York the city goats are said to flourish on the paste-daubed -paper of the advertisements, which they nibble from the hoardings. It is -beyond doubt that these hardy creatures are exactly suited for living in -large towns; an environment of bricks and mortar and paving-stones suits -them. Their spirits rise in proportion to what we should deem the -depressing nature of their surroundings. They love to be tethered on a -common, with scanty grass and a stock of furze-bushes to nibble. A deserted -brick-field, with plenty of broken drain-tiles, rubbish-heaps, and weeds, -pleases them still better. Almost any kind of food seems to suit them. Not -even the pig has so varied a diet as the goat; it consumes and converts -into milk not only great quantities of garden-stuff which would otherwise -be wasted, but also, thanks to its love for eating twigs and shoots, it -enjoys the prunings and loppings of bushes and trees. In the Mont d'Or -district of France the goats are fed on oatmeal porridge. With this diet, -and plenty of salt, the animals are scarcely ever ill, and never suffer -from tuberculosis; they will often give ten times their own weight of milk -in a year." - -The Kashmir shawls are made of the finest goats' hair. Most of this very -soft hair is obtained from the under-fur of goats kept in Tibet, and by the -Kirghiz in Central Asia. Only a small quantity, averaging 3 ozs., is -produced yearly by each animal. The wool is purchased by middlemen, and -taken to Kashmir for manufacture. - -In India the goat reaches perhaps the highest point of domestication. The -flocks are in charge of herd-boys, but the animals are so docile that they -are regarded with no hostility by the cultivators of corn and cereals. Tame -goats are also kept throughout Africa. The valuable ANGORA breed, from -which "mohair" is obtained, is now domesticated in South Africa and in -Australia. In the former country it is a great commercial success. The -animals were obtained with great difficulty, as the Turkish owners did not -wish to sell their best-bred goats; but when once established at the Cape, -it was found that they proved better producers of mohair than when in their -native province of Angora. The "clip" from their descendants steadily -improves. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -BRITISH GOAT. - -A much-neglected breed in this country. Note the shape of this animal.] - - -WILD GOATS - -THE TUR. - -In the Caucasus, both east and west, in the Pyrenees, and on the South -Spanish sierras three fine wild goats, with some features not unlike the -burhal sheep, are found. They are called TUR by the Caucasian mountaineers. -The species found in the East Caucasus differs from that of the west of the -range, and both from that of Spain. The EAST CAUCASIAN TUR is a massive, -heavy animal, all brown in colour (except on the fronts of the legs, which -are blackish), and with horns springing from each side of the skull like -half-circles. The males are 38 inches high at the shoulder. The short beard -and tail are blackish, and there is no white on the coat. The WEST -CAUCASIAN TUR is much lighter in colour than that of the East Caucasus, and -the horns point backwards, more like those of the ibex, though set on the -skull at a different angle. The SPANISH TUR has the belly and inner sides -of the legs white, and a blackish line along the flank, dividing the white -from the brown; also a blackish chest, and some grey on the flank. - -In the Caucasus the tur are found on the high crags above the snow-line in -summer, whence they descend at night to feed on patches of upland grass; -but the main home of the tur by day is above the snowline. The Spanish -species modifies its habits according to the ground on which it lives. Mr. -E. N. Buxton found it in dense scrub, while on the Andalusian sierras it -frequents bare peaks 10,000 feet high. In Spain tur are sometimes seen in -flocks of from 100 to 150 each. - -[Illustration: _By permission of P. Thomas, Esq._ - -FEMALE TOGGENBURG GOAT. - -These goats are milk-goats _par excellence_; they remain in profit for at -least ten months in the year. Each goat produces on an average from 110 to -120 gallons of milk during the year.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of P. Thomas, Esq._ - -STUD TOGGENBURG GOAT. - -This breed originally came from Switzerland, but is now well known in -England. The animals are fine in bone, have a long, thin neck, with two -tassel-like appendages.] - - -THE PERSIAN WILD GOAT. - -The original of our domesticated goat is thought by some to be the PASANG, -or PERSIAN WILD GOAT. It is a fine animal, with large scimitar-shaped -horns, curving backwards, flattened laterally, and with knobs on the front -edge at irregular intervals. It is more slender in build than the tur, -light brown in general colour, marked with a black line along the nape and -back, black tail, white belly, blackish shoulder-stripe, and a black line -dividing the hinder part of the flank from the white belly. Formerly found -in the islands of South-eastern Europe, it now inhabits parts of the -Caucasus, the Armenian Highlands, Mount Ararat, and the Persian mountains -as far east as Baluchistan. A smaller race is found in Sind. It lives in -herds, sometimes of considerable size, and frequents not only the high -ground, but the mountain forests and scrub, where such cover exists. The -domesticated goat of Sweden is said to be certainly a descendant of this -species. - -[Illustration: _By permission of P. Thomas, Esq._ - -SCHWARTZALS GOAT. - -A large, long-haired breed, which derives its name from its peculiar -colour, the fore part of the body being black and the hinder part white. -These goats are good milkers.] - - -THE IBEX. - -Of the IBEX, perhaps the best known of all the wild goats, several species, -differing somewhat in size and in the form of their horns, are found in -various parts of the Old World. Of these, the ARABIAN IBEX inhabits the -mountains of Southern Arabia, Palestine, and Sinai, Upper Egypt, and -perhaps Morocco. The ABYSSINIAN IBEX is found in the high mountains of the -country from which it takes its name. The ALPINE IBEX is now extinct in the -Swiss Alps and Tyrol, but survives on the Piedmontese side of Monte Rosa. -The ASIATIC IBEX is the finest of the group; its horns have been found to -measure 54¾ inches along the curve. This ibex inhabits the mountain-ranges -of Central Asia, from the Altai to the Himalaya, and the Himalaya as far as -the source of the Ganges. - -The King of Italy is the great preserver of the ALPINE IBEX, and has -succeeded where the nobles of the Tyrol have failed. The animals are shot -by driving them, the drivers being expert mountaineers. The way in which -the ibex come down the passes and over the precipices is simply -astonishing. One writer lately saw them springing down perpendicular -heights of 40 feet, or descending "chimneys" in the mountain-face by simply -cannoning off with their feet from side to side. Young ibex can be tamed -with ease, the only drawback to their maintenance being the impossibility -of confining them. They will spring on to the roof of a house, and spend -the day there by preference, though allowed the run of all the premises. -The kids are generally two in number; they are born in June. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -MALE ALPINE IBEX. - -The finest wild goat of Europe, formerly common on the Swiss Alps, now only -on a limited area on the Italian side.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aytenbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -YOUNG MALE ALPINE IBEX - -The photograph shows the corrugated horns of the male.] - -The ibex was long one of the chief objects of the Alpine hunter. The -Emperor Maximilian had a preserve of them in the Tyrol mountains near the -Aachen Sea; these he shot with a cross-bow when they were driven down the -mountains. Sometimes they were forced across the lake. A picture in his -private hunting-book shows the Emperor assisting to catch one in a net from -a boat. He notes that he once shot an ibex at a distance of 200 yards with -a cross-bow, after one of his companions had missed it with a gun, or -"fire-tube." When away on an expedition in Holland, he wrote a letter to -the wife of one of the most noted ibex-poachers on his domain, promising -her a silk dress if she could induce her husband to let the animals alone. -In the Himalaya the chief foes of the ibex are the snow-leopard and wild -dog. - - -THE MARKHOR. - -The very fine Himalayan goat of this name differs from all other wild -species. The horns are spiral, like those of the kudu antelope and -Wallachian sheep. It may well be called the king of the wild goats. A buck -stands as much as 41 inches at the shoulder, and the maximum measurement of -the horns is 63 inches, or over 5 feet! It has a long beard and mane, and -stands very upright on its feet. Besides the Himalaya, it haunts the -mountains on the Afghan frontier. The markhor keep along the line between -the forest and snow, some of the most difficult ground in the hills. The -horns are a much-prized trophy. - - -THE TAHR. - -The TAHR of the Himalaya is a very different-looking animal to the true -goats, from which, among other characters, it is distinguished by the form -and small size of the horns. The horns, which are black, spring in a high -backward arch, but the creature has no beard. A buck stands sometimes as -much as 38 inches high at the shoulder. It has a long, rough coat, mainly -dark stone-colour in tint. - -[Illustration: _By permission of P. Thomas, Esq._ - -NUBIAN GOAT. - -These goats come from Nubia and Upper Egypt. They are generally hornless -and short-haired; the colour varies, being sometimes black, and sometimes -tan and spotted.] - -Tahr live in the forest districts of the Middle Himalaya, where they are -found on very high and difficult ground. General Donald Macintyre shot one -standing on the brink of an almost sheer precipice. Down this it fell, and -the distance in sheer depth was such that it was difficult to see the body -even with glasses. The tahr is fairly common all along the higher Himalayan -Range. Its bones are believed to be a sovereign cure for rheumatism, and -are exported to India for that object. A smaller kind is found in the -mountains of Eastern Arabia, where very few English sportsmen have yet -cared to attempt to shoot them. - - -THE NILGIRI TAHR, OR NILGIRI IBEX. - -Though not an ibex, the sportsmen of India early gave this name to the tahr -of the Nilgiri and Anamalai Hills. The Himalayan species is covered with -long, shaggy hair; the South Indian has short, smooth brown hair. - -"The ibex," says Hawkeye, the Indian sportsman, of this animal, "is -massively formed, with short legs, remarkably strong fetlocks, and a heavy -carcase, short and well ribbed up, combining strength and agility wonderful -to behold. Its habits are gregarious, and the does are seldom met with -separate from the flock or herd, though males often are. The latter assume, -as they grow old, a distinctive appearance. The hair on the back becomes -lighter, almost white in some cases, causing a kind of saddle to appear; -and from that time they become known to the shikaries as the saddle-backs -of the herd, an object of ambition to the eyes of the true sportsman. It is -a pleasant sight to watch a herd of ibex feeding undisturbed, the kids -frisking here and there on pinnacles or ledges of rock and beetling cliffs -where there seems scarcely safe hold for anything much larger than a -grasshopper, the old mother looking calmly on. Then again, see the caution -observed in taking up their resting- or abiding-places for the day, where -they may be warmed by the sun, listening to the war of many waters, chewing -the cud of contentment, and giving themselves up to the full enjoyment of -their nomadic life and its romantic haunts. Usually, before reposing, one -of their number, generally an old doe, may be observed gazing intently -below, apparently scanning every spot in the range of her vision, sometimes -for half an hour or more, before she is satisfied that all is well, but, -strange to say, seldom or never looking up to the rocks above. Then, being -satisfied on the one side, she follows the same process on the other, and -eventually lies down calmly, contented with the precautions she has taken. -Should the sentinel be joined by another, or her kid come and lie by her, -they always lie back to back, in such a manner as to keep a good look-out -to either side. A solitary male goes through all this by himself, and -wonderfully careful he is; but when with the herd he reposes in security, -leaving it to the female to take precautions for their joint safety." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Fratelli Alinari_] [_Florence._ - -ITALIAN GOAT. - -From the earliest Roman days these goats have been the main form of -livestock kept by the mountaineers of the Apennines.] - - -ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. - -America possesses only one species of wild goat, the place of this genus -being taken in the southern part of the continent by the camel-like -guanacos. The ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT, the North American representative of the -group, is a somewhat anomalous creature. It has very few of the -characteristics of the European and Asiatic species. In place of being -active in body and vivacious in temperament, it is a quiet, lethargic -creature, able, it is true, to scale the high mountains of the North-west -and to live among the snows, but with none of the energetic habits of the -ibex or the tahr. In form it is heavy and badly built. It is heavy in front -and weak behind, like a bison. The eye is small, the head large, and the -shoulders humped. It feeds usually on very high ground; but hunters who -take the trouble to ascend to these altitudes find little difficulty in -killing as many wild goats as they wish. These goats are most numerous in -the ranges of British Columbia, where they are found in small flocks of -from three or four to twenty. Several may be killed before the herd is -thoroughly alarmed, possibly because at the high altitudes at which they -are found man has seldom disturbed them. None of the domesticated sheep or -goats of the New World are indigenous to the continent of America. It is a -curious fact, well worth studying from the point of view of the history of -man, that, with the exception of the llama, the dog, and perhaps the -guinea-pig, every domesticated animal in use from Cape Horn to the Arctic -Ocean has been imported. The last of these importations is the reindeer, -which, though the native species abounds in the Canadian woods, was -obtained from Lapland and Eastern Asia. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT. - -This is one of the few animals which are white at all seasons of the year. -The horns and hoofs are jet-black, forming a striking contrast to the -beautiful coat.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -HIMALAYAN TAHR AND YOUNG. - -The typical representative of the short-horned wild goats.] - -The history of this effort at acclimatisation is curious, and may be quoted -in this connection. When the first rush to Klondike was made, the miners -were imprisoned and inaccessible during the late winter. The coming of -spring was the earliest period at which communication could be expected to -be restored, and even then the problem of feeding the transport animals was -a difficult one. The United States Government decided to try to open up a -road from Alaska by means of sledges drawn by reindeer, and the Canadian -Government devised a similar scheme. Agents were sent to Lapland and to the -tribes on the western side of Bering Sea, and deer, drivers, and harness -obtained from both. The deer were not used for the Klondike relief -expeditions by the Americans; but the animals and their drivers were kept -in Alaska, native reindeer were caught, and the latest news of the -experiment is that the deer were found very useful for carrying the mails -in winter. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -_THE ANTELOPES._ - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - -The TRUE ANTELOPES (including the Gazelles) are strictly confined to the -Old World, the Prongbuck of North America differing so much from all other -living ruminants, in its horn growth and other particulars, that it is -considered to be the sole representative of a distinct family. - - -THE HARTEBEESTS. - -With the exception of one species--the Bubal--which is found both in North -Africa and Arabia, the HARTEBEESTS are entirely confined to the African -Continent. They are animals of large size, standing from 43 to 48 inches at -the shoulder, and are characterised by their long, narrow faces, high -withers, and doubly curved horns, which are present in both sexes. Nine -different species of this group are known to exist. - -Although the ranges of these various species of hartebeest cover the -greater part of the African Continent, it is noteworthy that each species -keeps to its own ground, their several ranges but rarely overlapping. - -All the hartebeests have a strong family resemblance, and are very similar -in their habits. They are never found either in dense forests or in swampy -or mountainous country, but are inhabitants of the arid deserts of Northern -and South-western Africa, and of the open grassy plains and thinly forested -regions of the high plateaux of the interior of that continent. They are -extraordinarily fleet and enduring, and in my own experience I have never -heard of one of these animals, of whatever species, having been overtaken -or ridden to a standstill by a man on horseback. They are very inquisitive, -and where they have not been molested will allow any unaccustomed -object--such as a European in clothes--to walk to within easy shot of them -before running off. They soon gain experience, however; and in countries -where they have been most persecuted hartebeests are the keenest-sighted -and the most wary of all African game. They are very fond of climbing to -the top of the large ant-heaps with which the plains of Africa are -profusely studded, and from this point of vantage surveying the surrounding -country. They live, I believe, entirely upon grass, and in the desert areas -of their range seem able to subsist for long periods without drinking -water. Their meat I have always thought very palatable. They are generally -in fairly good condition, though they seldom carry much fat. Their fat, -after being melted, becomes solid again immediately on cooling, and clogs -on the teeth whilst being eaten. But very few African species, except the -eland, ever become really fat; their life is too active, and the -food-supply too uncertain, for them to put on flesh like European deer. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -BUBALINE HARTEBEEST. - -A small species, found in Syria as well as in North Africa.] - - -BONTEBOK AND BLESBOK GROUP. - -Nearly allied to the hartebeests are certain other antelopes, of which it -will be sufficient to mention but two species--_viz._ the BONTEBOK and the -BLESBOK. These two antelopes, though doubtless distinct, since their points -of difference are constant and unvarying, are nevertheless so much alike, -and evidently so closely allied, that I look upon the former as a highly -coloured and specialised race of the latter. The blesbok once had a far -wider range than the bontebok, and ran in countless herds on the plains of -the northern districts of the Cape Colony, the Orange River Colony, the -Transvaal, Griqualand West, and British Bechuanaland, whilst the latter -animal has always been confined to the sandy wastes in the neighbourhood of -Cape Agulhas, the extreme southern point of Africa. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Percy Ashenden_] [_Cape Town._ - -BLESBOK. - -A species formerly very numerous in South Africa, but now well-nigh -exterminated.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF. - -This "Wildebeest" is now believed to be practically exterminated as a wild -animal.] - -I think it, however, not improbable that ages ago the blesbok ranged right -through Cape Colony to the sea-shore, and that subsequently the gradual -desiccation of the south-western portions of the country--which is still -continuing--or several years of continuous drought, caused the withdrawal -of the species northwards from the waterless parts of the country. Those, -however, which had reached the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, where there -is plenty of water, would have remained behind and formed an isolated race, -which, being influenced by local conditions, would naturally in course of -time have become differentiated from the parent stock. Be this as it may, -the bontebok of to-day is nothing but a glorified blesbok, being slightly -larger and more richly coloured than the latter animal. Its horns, too, are -always black, whilst those of the blesbok are of a greenish hue. When they -are in good condition, the coats of both these species of antelope, as well -as of the Sassaby, another member of this group, show a beautiful satiny -sheen, which plays over their purple-brown hides like shadows on sunlit -water. - -The few bonteboks which still survive are now all preserved on large -enclosed farms; but their numbers are very small--less than 300, it is -believed. The farmers of Dutch descent now do their best to preserve rare -species on their land. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -A COW BRINDLED GNU. - -This gnu, which is still found in great numbers in East Central Africa, -indulges in the same curious antics as the white-tailed species.] - - -THE GNUS. - -These remarkable animals were once distributed throughout the greater part -of Africa from the Cape to Abyssinia, and their range is even now very -extensive, though what was once the most numerous and the most -eccentric-looking species of the group has almost ceased to exist. - -The gnus are of large size, and at first sight appear to have the head of a -buffalo, the tail of a horse, and the limbs and hoofs of an antelope. Their -heads are very massive, with broad muzzles and widely separated, hairy -nostrils; their necks are maned, tails long and bushy, and both sexes carry -horns. They are known as "wilde beeste," or "wild cattle," to the Dutch -colonists of South Africa. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -RED-FLANKED DUIKER. - -The duikers are for the most part diminutive and graceful antelopes, with -simple, spike-like horns.] - -The WHITE-TAILED GNU, or BLACK WILDEBEEST, as it is more commonly called, -was once found in great numbers on the karroos of Northern Cape Colony, and -throughout the vast plains of the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, -Griqualand West, and British Bechuanaland. Its range, in fact, was coequal -with that of the blesbok. Even as lately as in 1875 and 1876 I personally -saw very considerable herds of these quaint animals in the Orange River -Colony and the Western Transvaal. When the present war broke out in 1899, -there were only two herds of black wildebeest left alive. These animals -numbered some 500 head altogether, and were protected by Dutch farmers. -There are probably very few of them left to-day, and it is scarcely -possible that this most interesting animal will long escape complete -extinction. - -Black wildebeests, before they had been much persecuted, were so -inquisitive that, in the words of Gordon Cumming, they would "caper and -gambol" round a hunter's waggon or any other unusual object, and sometimes -approach to within a couple of hundred yards, when, whisking their long -white tails, they would gallop off with loud snorts. They were always, -however, very keen-sighted, and soon became extremely wary and almost -impossible to approach on foot in the open plains they frequented, whilst -their powers of endurance and fleetness of foot were such that they could -only be overtaken by a well-mounted hunter. In spite of these advantages, -however, the value of their skins, and the ever-increasing number of -hunters, armed with long-range rifles, practically brought about the -extermination of this species of gnu in a few decades. - -The BRINDLED GNU is a larger animal than the last-named species, standing -4½ feet and upwards at the shoulder. This animal once ranged from the Vaal -River northwards, throughout Eastern and Central Africa, to the north of -Kilimanjaro, where its range overlaps that of a closely allied form, the -WHITE-BEARDED GNU, which is only found in certain districts of Eastern -Africa. In general habits these two varieties seem to be identical. - -In the interior of Southern Africa, both north and south of the Zambesi, I -have met with very large numbers of BLUE WILDEBEESTS. They usually run in -herds of from ten to twenty individuals, but towards the end of the dry -season collect in droves of 200 or 300. They are often found in company -with zebras and sassaby antelopes. Their flesh resembles coarse beef, and, -to my thinking, is not ill-flavoured. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -KLIPSPRINGER. - -The "cliff-jumper" is as active in its habits as a chamois, and is found in -most of the mountain-ranges of Africa.] - - -THE SMALLER BUCKS. - -In addition to the great number of antelopes of large size which inhabit -the African Continent, there are also very many small species, the life -history and habits of some of which are as yet but imperfectly known, since -they are denizens of dense forests, and feed principally at night. - -All these small African antelopes are divided into two sub-families. The -first comprises the African DUIKERS and the Indian FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE, -and the second the DIK-DIKS, ORIBIS, KLIPSPRINGER, and certain other small -bush-antelopes. - -The African duikers are distributed throughout Africa south of the Sahara, -and are represented by some twenty different species, the largest of which -approaches a small donkey in size, whilst the smallest is not much larger -than a hare. - -The majority of these dainty little antelopes are inhabitants of the dense -tangled forests of the coast-belts of Africa, and are therefore but seldom -seen by travellers and sportsmen. One species of the group, however, the -COMMON DUIKER of South Africa, is a very well-known animal. This little -antelope inhabits much more open country than most of its congeners, and -has an enormous range, extending from Cape Agulhas to Somaliland, whilst -two very nearly allied forms are found in Senegal and Abyssinia -respectively. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -SING-SING WATERBUCK. - -The sing-sing and its relatives differ from the true waterbuck by the -absence of the white elliptical ring on the rump] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK. - -One of a group of small antelopes still common in many parts of Africa.] - -In most species of duikers both sexes are horned, but in the case of the -common duiker it is very exceptional to find a female with horns, and in -all my experience I have only known of three such cases. - -The FOUR-HORNED ANTELOPE is the Indian representative of the African -duikers, and is found along the foot of the Himalaya from the Punjab to -Nepal, and in suitable localities throughout the peninsula of India. It -frequents wooded hills, but avoids dense jungle. Like its nearest allies, -the duikers, it is solitary in its habits, more than two of these antelopes -seldom being seen together. The growth of four horns on the skull of this -antelope and on certain breeds of domesticated sheep is a curious fact -which has not roused as much comment as it deserves. - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -MALE IMPALA, OR PALLA. - -The beautifully curved horns of the male palla form some of the most -graceful of trophies.] - - -THE KLIPSPRINGER. - -Turning to the second sub-family, we may select the KLIPSPRINGER as the -most characteristic species to describe. This beautiful little animal, -which is often called the African Chamois, is found in suitable localities -from the Cape to Abyssinia. In the southern and northern portions of its -range the klipspringer is an inhabitant only of rugged mountain-ranges, and -ascends to a height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet above sea-level. In the more -central regions of its habitat, however, although it always lives amongst -rocks, and thoroughly justifies its name of "rock-jumper," it is often -found in regions where there are no high mountain-ranges. It used to be -very common in Matabililand, both in the Matopo Hills and on the isolated -granite kopjes which are so numerous in that country, and usually are not -more than 200 or 300 feet in height. In Mashonaland I have found it living -amongst granite rocks in the beds of the larger rivers, and actually on the -same level as the surrounding country; whereas on Wedza, a great -mountain-mass of slate and ironstone, which rises to a height of about -2,000 feet above the surrounding country, and to the top of which I once -climbed, I did not see any klipspringers. The hoofs of this little animal -are curiously different from those of any other African antelope, being -remarkably short and small, with very deep hollows. This adaptation to its -requirements enables the klipspringer to obtain a foothold on any small -projecting piece of rock, and to climb in a series of little jumps up the -faces of cliffs which seem almost perpendicular. - -In height the klipspringer stands about 1 foot 9 inches at the shoulder. -The males alone carry horns, which are straight and ringed at the base, and -vary from 3 to 5 inches in length. The coat is of a greeny yellow-brown -colour, with the hairs hollow and brittle. These little animals are usually -met with singly, or in twos and threes together. When caught young, they -become wonderfully tame, and make the most charming pets, being very -playful and fond of jumping, with surprising ease and grace, from the floor -of a room on to any elevated position, such as a table, mantelpiece, or -window-sill. - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -MALE SAIGA ANTELOPES. - -These antelopes inhabit the East Russian steppes. The thick woolly coat -turns nearly white in winter.] - - -THE WATERBUCKS. - -The largest animals in the first of three groups now to be considered are -the WATERBUCKS, antelopes of stout and sturdy build, standing from 45 to 50 -inches at the shoulder, and covered with long, coarse hair, especially on -the neck, in both sexes. The males alone carry horns, which vary from 20 to -36 inches in length, and are strongly ringed in front for three-fourths of -their length. They are sublyrate in shape, being first inclined backwards -and then forwards at the tips. There are three well-marked species of -waterbuck--_viz._ the COMMON WATERBUCK of South Africa, whose range extends -from the Limpopo northwards, through Nyasaland to German and British East -Africa, and to the Shebeyli River, in Somaliland; the SING-SING of Senegal -and Gambia; and the DEFASSA WATERBUCK of Western Abyssinia and the Nile -Valley, south to Uganda and British and German East Africa. In habits all -species of waterbuck are very similar. They live generally, though not -invariably, in herds of from ten to twenty individuals, and in such small -herds there is seldom more than one full-grown male present. In the -interior of South Africa the waterbuck is often met with amongst steep -stony hills and at a distance of more than a mile from the nearest river. -Speaking generally, however, this antelope may be said to frequent the near -neighbourhood of water, but to prefer dry to swampy ground. When chased by -dogs it always makes for water, and will plunge fearlessly into broad, deep -rivers, regardless of crocodiles, to which ravenous reptiles it sometimes -falls a victim. In South Africa waterbuck vary much in colour even in the -same district, some being reddish brown, whilst others are of a very dark -grey. The flesh of the waterbuck is coarse, and sometimes rather strongly -tasted, and when in good condition the fat is very hard. - -The REEDBUCKS are similar in essential characters to the waterbucks, but -are of smaller size, and have more bushy tails, and naked spots on the -sides of the head beneath the ears. - -Of this group the COMMON REEDBUCK of South Africa is the best known. This -animal stands 3 feet at the withers, and is of a soft greyish fawn-colour, -with a large fluffy tail, which is always thrown up when the animal runs, -exposing the white under-surface. The males alone carry horns, which curve -backwards and then forwards, and attain a length of from 12 to 16 inches. -Reedbucks are met with singly or in twos and threes, and never congregate -in herds, though I have seen us many as eight, belonging probably to three -or four families, feeding in close proximity to one another on young green -grass. - -Another member of the reedbuck group is the ROOI RHEBUCK of South Africa. -This latter species, though a much smaller animal, is very similar to the -common reedbuck in colour, shape, and general appearance; it is quite -distinct in its habits and mode of life, as it lives in small herds of from -four or five to fifteen head, amongst rugged stony hills, often far from -water. - - -THE BLACKBUCK OF INDIA. - -This handsome species is found throughout India wherever there are open -cultivated plains. The male stands about 32 inches at the shoulder, and -when full grown is of a glossy black colour, with the exception of a -chestnut-coloured patch at the back of the neck, and some markings of the -same colour about the face. The belly and insides of the limbs are pure -white, the line between the black and white being very clearly defined. The -whole body and frame are very compact, strong, and beautifully -proportioned, and the head is carried high. The males alone carry horns, -which are spiral in shape, annulated almost to the tips, and vary in length -from 18 to 28 inches. Young bucks and does are fawn-coloured instead of -black. These antelopes are usually met with in considerable herds on open -plains in which cultivated tracts alternate with waste land, and they often -do much damage to the natives' crops. When alarmed, they first execute a -series of prodigious bounds into the air before finally settling down to a -steady run. They are surprisingly fleet, and can seldom be overtaken by the -fastest greyhounds, although they can be caught and pulled down without -difficulty by trained cheetas, or, as they are often called, -hunting-leopards. - -The PALLA, which is found in Southern and Eastern Africa from Bechuanaland -to Kordofan, is one of the most graceful of animals. It is a forest-loving -species, and is never found far from water. Both sexes are of a general -bright reddish brown, with white bellies. The males alone carry horns, -which are very graceful in shape, and vary from 14 to upwards of 20 inches -in length. The finest specimens of the palla are met with in the extreme -southerly and most northerly portions of its range, the animals inhabiting -the intermediate districts being smaller and carrying shorter horns. Pallas -are gregarious, living in herds of from twenty to over one hundred. When -alarmed, they bound over bushes or any other obstacles with the utmost ease -and grace, and appear to get over the ground at a high rate of speed. They -are, however, very commonly run down and torn to pieces by wild dogs, which -hunt in packs, and are very destructive to African game. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -ARABIAN GAZELLE - -Gazelles are some of the most slenderly built of all antelopes.] - -Of far less graceful appearance than the two preceding species is the -SAIGA, which, though structurally closely allied to the gazelles, has been -placed by naturalists in a genus by itself. - -This curious-looking animal, which is chiefly remarkable for its large -swollen-looking nose and light-coloured horns, is an inhabitant of the -steppes of South-eastern Europe and Western Asia. In height it stands about -30 inches at the withers, and is of a dull yellowish colour in summer, -turning to nearly white in winter. The males alone carry horns, which are -sometimes 13 or 14 inches long, and of a peculiar colour which has been -likened to pale amber. - -At the present day the saiga is only found in Europe on the plains between -the Don and the Volga, but to the east of the Ural River its range extends -over the Kirghiz Steppes and the high plains of all Western Siberia. Living -in open country, and having the senses of hearing, sight, and scent all -highly developed, the saiga is a difficult animal to approach, and can only -be successfully stalked by an expert hunter. In summer it is usually met -with in small, scattered bands, which, when driven southwards by snow and -cold, are collected into considerable herds in the more southerly portions -of its range. In very severe winters whole herds have been known to perish -in snow-drifts, and in such inclement seasons large numbers are also killed -by the natives. The flesh of the saiga is said to resemble mutton, and is -held in much esteem. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hugenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -GOITRED GAZELLES FROM MESOPOTAMIA. - -These animals are inhabitants of rocky and desert ground. They are often -kept tame by the wandering Arabs.] - - -THE GAZELLES. - -We now come to the Gazelles, among which are comprised many of the best -known and most beautiful of the small or medium-sized antelopes. In the -true gazelles both sexes generally carry horns. Indeed, this rule is -universal in those of Africa and Arabia; and there are only four species -known--all Asiatic--in which the females are hornless: _viz._ the TIBETAN -GAZELLE, PREJEVALSKI'S GAZELLE, the MONGOLIAN GAZELLE, and the PERSIAN -GAZELLE. - -The range of the various species belonging to this large group is very -extensive, comprising the whole of Northern and Eastern Africa, Arabia, and -Western and Central Asia, as well as Mongolia and India. The gazelles are -inhabitants of the open plains and arid desert regions of the Old World, -and, although sometimes met with in tracts of country where there is a -certain amount of scattered bush or open stunted forest, are never found in -any kind of jungle or thick cover. - -On the sandy plains of North-western Africa are found the RED-FRONTED -GAZELLE of Senegal and Gambia; the little-known MHORR GAZELLE of -South-western Morocco; and the DAMA GAZELLE, a species which has been known -to naturalists ever since the time of Buffon. A near ally of the last-named -animal is the RED-NECKED GAZELLE of Dongola and Senaar. In North-eastern -Africa are found the large and handsome SOEMMERRING'S GAZELLE; the ISABELLA -GAZELLE, of the coastlands of the Red Sea; HEUGLIN'S GAZELLE; PELZELN'S -GAZELLE, of the maritime plains of Northern Somaliland; and SPEKE'S -GAZELLE, of the interior of the same country; whilst, farther south the -group is represented by the large and beautiful GRANT'S GAZELLE, with its -allies PETERS'S GAZELLE and THOMSON'S GAZELLE. The well-known DORCAS -GAZELLE is an inhabitant of Morocco and Algeria, ranging through Egypt into -Palestine and Syria; the MARICA GAZELLE, the MUSCAT GAZELLE, and the -ARABIAN GAZELLE inhabit the deserts of Arabia; the EDMI GAZELLE is found in -the mountain-ranges of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis; while LODER'S GAZELLE -inhabits the sandy tracts of the interior of Algeria and Tunis. In Asia, -besides the four species of gazelle already enumerated in which the females -are hornless, one other member of the group is met with. This is the INDIAN -GAZELLE, a species very closely allied to the Arabian form. - -Of the whole genus GRANT'S GAZELLE is the most beautiful. This handsome -animal, which was first discovered by the explorers Speke and Grant in -1860, is an inhabitant of Eastern Africa, from the neighbourhood of Lake -Rudolph southwards to Ugogo. In size the average height at the shoulder of -males of this species is about 34 inches. The coat is close and short and -of a general fawn colour, the rump and belly pure white, and the face -marked with a rufous band from the horns to the nose and with streaks of -white on each side. The upper surface of the tail is white, with a black -and tufted tip. The horns, which are very elegant in shape, being first -curved slightly forwards and then backwards, are much longer and more -powerful than in any other gazelle, and attain a length of 30 inches in the -males and 17 inches in the females. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -SPEKE'S GAZELLE. - -Found in the interior of Northern Somaliland.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -GAZELLES FROM EGYPT. - -Seen in great numbers when our troops crossed the Bayuda Desert.] - -Grant's gazelles, though they undoubtedly find their most congenial home in -open country, have also been met with by recent travellers in -bush-sprinkled wastes and stony, rugged hills. They are, however, never -found in dense jungles or high mountains. They live in herds of from half a -dozen to twenty or thirty individuals, though in certain localities as many -as 200 have been seen together. They are fond of consorting with other -game, such as Burchell's and Grevy's zebras, Coke's hartebeest, and the -beisa oryx, and are often met with at long distances from the nearest -water. They are keen-sighted and wary, and from the open character of the -country in which they are usually encountered are often difficult to stalk. -When in good condition, the meat of this gazelle is said to be excellent. - -The nearest ally of the true gazelles is undoubtedly the SPRINGBUCK of -South Africa. Owing to the protection which it has received of late years, -this graceful antelope is now a common animal in many parts of South -Africa, and in the north-western portions of the Cape Colony still -sometimes collects into prodigious herds, which travel through the country -in dense masses, destroying every vestige of grass on the line of their -advance, and causing considerable anxiety to farmers, whose flocks of sheep -and goats are sometimes swept away by the migrating springbucks. In former -years the migration of these antelopes in countless thousands from the -deserts of Namaqualand to the countries farther south was a common -occurrence, an unerring instinct guiding the wandering herds to districts -where rain had lately fallen and caused a new growth of green grass. The -animals composing these migrating herds were called by the Dutch settlers -of the Cape Colony "Trekbokken," or "travelling-bucks." - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -RED-FRONTED GAZELLE. - -Inhabits Dongola and Senaar.] - -Two other antelopes, the DIBATAG and the GERENUK, are included in the -present group; but both, whilst typically gazelline in certain respects, -differ so much in other ways from all members of that group that each has -been placed in a separate genus. - -The DIBATAG is a very remarkable-looking antelope, only found in certain -districts of Central Somaliland, where it was first discovered by Mr. T. W. -H. Clarke in 1890. This species shows the face-markings of the gazelles, -whilst the horns, which are only present in the males, much resemble in -shape those of a reedbuck. They are rather short, attaining a length of -only 11 or 12 inches, and their basal halves are strongly ringed in front. -The neck of this antelope is singularly long and thin, and the tail, which -is held curved forwards over the back when the animal is in motion, is also -much elongated, and only tufted at the tip. The dibatag frequents sandy -ground sparsely covered with low thorn-bushes, and lives in small families, -being usually met with in twos or threes, whilst it is rare to find more -than four or five consorting together. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -RED-FRONTED GAZELLE. - -Another view of the specimen shown above.] - -The GERENUK, like the last-named animal, is an East African species, but -has a more extended range, being found all over Somaliland, and thence -southwards to the Tana Valley and the Kilimanjaro district of British East -Africa. The most remarkable external characteristic of this species is the -excessively long neck. The males alone carry horns, which attain an average -length of 12 or 13 inches, and, though somewhat gazelle-like in shape, are -more strongly crooked forwards at the points. The skull of this species is -more dense and solid in structure than in the true gazelles, and the -cheek-teeth are smaller in size. - -Coming now to the Sable Antelope group, we find an assemblage of antelopes -which are all of large size and handsome appearance, and in all of which -both the males and females are horned. With the single exception of the -BEATRIX ORYX, which inhabits Arabia, all these antelopes are denizens of -Africa. One species of the group, the BLUEBUCK, which appears to have been -entirely confined to the mountainous districts of the Cape Peninsula, -became extinct during the first decade of the last century. Little is known -as to the life history of this animal, but it was undoubtedly nearly allied -to the larger and more handsomely marked ROAN ANTELOPE. This latter animal -once had a more extensive range than any other antelope, as it was found in -almost every part of Africa south of the Sahara, with the exception of the -Congo forest region. It has now been exterminated in the more southerly -portions of the country, but from the Limpopo to the Upper Nile, and thence -to the Niger, it is still to be found wherever the surroundings are -suitable to its requirements. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Percy Ashenden_] [_Cape Town._ - -MALE SPRINGBUCK. - -Once the most numerous species in South Africa, where it is still not -uncommon. Its migrations, or "treks," at certain seasons were one of the -sights of the veldt.] - -A large bull roan antelope will stand 4 feet 9 inches at the withers. The -general colour of the body differs in individuals, even in the same -district, varying from a very light shade of brown to dark grey or -red-roan. The front and sides of the face are jet-black in the adult male, -and dark reddish brown in the female, with two long white tufts of hair -under the eyes. The muzzle and extremity of the lower jaw are white. The -hair on the under side of the neck is long and coarse, and a stiff mane -about 3 inches in length runs from behind the ears to the withers. The ears -are very long, and in the females and young males tufted. The horns are -curved backwards, and in the male are very stout and strong, attaining a -length of from 26 to 34 inches. In the female the horns are shorter and -slighter, and not so strongly ringed. - -Roan antelope are usually met with in small herds of from six to a dozen -members, and never congregate in large numbers. I do not think I have ever -counted as many as thirty together. I have found them fairly common in -certain districts, but nowhere very plentiful. They frequent open plains -and thinly forested country, and are never found far away from water. Bucks -often become savage when wounded, and will sometimes charge viciously if -approached incautiously. They can use their horns with great dexterity, and -play havoc with a pack of dogs. - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -SABLE ANTELOPE. - -A near ally of the Roan Antelope, from which it is broadly distinguished by -its striking coloration--black and white.] - -The SABLE ANTELOPE, though considerably smaller than the roan, is yet a -handsomer animal. In colour the adult male, when in high condition, is -jet-black all over with the exception of the white face-markings and the -snow-white of the belly and insides of the thighs. The mane is longer and -more bushy than in the roan antelope, and often hangs down on either side -over the withers. The horns, too, are much finer, and, sweeping backwards -in a bold curve, are commonly upwards of 42 inches long, and have been -known to reach 50 inches. The striking colour, large size, and horns of -this creature make it one of the most-prized trophies of the sportsman. The -skin, when prepared and laid down as a rug in halls or dwelling-rooms, is -far more handsome than that of any deer. The female of this species is -usually of a rich red-brown in colour instead of black as in the male. -South of the Zambesi, however, old cows become almost absolutely black. -North of the Zambesi both male and female sable antelopes are dark red in -colour rather than black. The horns in the female are slighter and less -curved than in the male, and are also considerably shorter, as a rule not -measuring over 30 inches in length. - -The range of the sable antelope extends from the northern districts of the -Transvaal to German East Africa. In the country between the Limpopo and the -Central Zambesi it used to be a very common animal, especially in the -northern districts of Mashonaland. It is partial to open forests -intersected by grassy, well-watered glades, and is never found on open -plains entirely devoid of bush. It is usually met with in herds of from -twelve to twenty individuals, but I have often seen as many as fifty, and -once counted between seventy and eighty together. However large a herd of -sable antelopes may be, it is very exceptional to find with it more than -one fully adult male, from which fact I should judge that these animals are -of a very jealous and pugnacious disposition. When wounded and brought to -bay by dogs, a sable antelope defends itself with the utmost fury, using -its long scimitar-shaped horns with most wonderful quickness and dexterity. -If badly wounded it will lie down, otherwise it fights standing. Keeping -its face to some of its foes, with a sideways twist of its head it will -transfix and throw into the air any dog which attempts to attack it from -behind. I have seen a wounded sable antelope, when lying down, drive one of -its horns clean through a large dog deep into its own haunch, and I have -had four valuable hounds killed and four others grievously wounded by one -of these animals in less than a minute. I once knew a native hunter who was -stabbed through the kidneys and killed by a sable antelope cow. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -ROAN ANTELOPE. - -In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this -species carry horns.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq._ - -MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE. - -This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.] - -The nearest allies of the sable and roan antelopes are the various species -of the genus Oryx. In this group are included the WHITE ORYX, which -inhabits the desert regions of the interior of Northern Africa from Dongola -to Senegal; the BEATRIX ORYX of Southern Arabia; the GEMSBUCK of -South-western Africa; the BEISA, which is found in North-east Africa from -Suakim southwards to the river Tana; and the TUFTED BEISA, which is very -nearly related to the last-named species, whose place it takes south of the -Tana River in certain districts of British and German East Africa. In -general appearance there is a strong family resemblance between the -different species of oryx. In all of them both sexes carry horns, which are -considerably longer, though somewhat slighter, in the females than in the -males. In the white oryx the horns are curved backwards; but in the other -four species they are straight, or nearly so. In all the faces are -conspicuously banded with black and white, and the tails long, with large -dark terminal brushes. The two most desert-loving species, the white and -the Beatrix oryx, are paler in general body-colour than the other three, -and the latter animal is considerably smaller than any other member of the -group, standing not more than 35 inches at the withers. The gemsbuck is the -largest and undoubtedly the handsomest of the group, standing 4 feet at the -shoulders; the horns of the females are often upwards of 40 inches long, -and have been known to attain a length of 48 inches. - -[Illustration: GROUP OF BEISA ORYX. - -This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of -these fine antelopes on the East African plains.] - -In habits all species of oryx seem to be very similar. They are denizens of -the arid sun-scorched plains of Africa, which are not necessarily devoid of -all kind of vegetation, but are often covered with stunted bush, and carry -a plentiful crop of coarse grass after rain. Oryx usually run in herds of -from four or five to fifteen or twenty, though the beisa, the most abundant -of the group, has been met with in troops numbering 400 or 500 head. All -the oryx are shy and wary, and in the open country they usually frequent -are difficult to approach on foot. If pursued on horseback, they run at a -steady gallop, which they can maintain for long distances, swinging their -bushy black tails from side to side, and holding their heads in such a way -that their long straight horns are only sloped slightly backwards. Fleet -and enduring, however, as oryx undoubtedly are, I am of opinion that in -these respects the gemsbuck of South Africa, at any rate, is inferior to -all other large antelopes living in the same country, with the single -exception of the eland. I have often, when mounted on a fast horse, -galloped right up to herds of gemsbuck, and on two occasions have run -antelopes of this species to an absolute standstill. Oryx of all species -should be approached with caution when badly wounded, as they are liable to -make short rushes, and can use their horns with great effect. - -Nearly related to the antelopes of the Oryx group in many essential -characteristics, yet at once distinguishable by its spiral horns and broad -reindeer-like feet, the desert-haunting ADDAX has been placed in a separate -genus, of which it is the sole representative. - -This remarkable animal stands about 38 inches in height at the withers, and -varies in general colour at different seasons of the year, from brownish -grey to a reddish hue. The forehead is covered with a thick growth of bushy -black hair, beneath which there is a patch of white extending across the -nose to under the eyes. The hindquarters, tail, and legs are white. The -horns are spiral, and are present in both sexes. In the male they attain a -length of about 28 inches in a straight line, and almost 36 inches -following the spiral. In the female they are thinner and less spirally -curved. The addax is confined to the desert regions of Northern Africa from -Dongola to Senegal, and the broad, rounded hoofs, so unlike those of any -other antelope, would seem to show that it inhabits countries where the -soil is deep, soft sand. - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -WHITE ORYX. - -Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -BEISA ORYX. - -The beisa is found in North-east Africa; by some it is believed to have -suggested the original idea of the unicorn.] - -Very little is known of the life history or habits of this antelope. It is -said to associate in pairs or small herds, and to be entirely independent -of water, though it travels great distances over the desert in the track of -thunder-storms for the sake of the young herbage which grows so quickly -wherever rain falls in those thirsty regions. It is killed in considerable -numbers by the Arabs for the sake of its flesh and hide, and is either -stalked or hunted on horseback, with the help of greyhounds, by Europeans. - -The last of the sub-families into which modern naturalists have divided the -antelopes of the world comprises some of the handsomest species of the -whole group, and includes the largest of all antelopes, the Eland, as well -as such small and beautifully marked creatures as the Harnessed Bushbucks. - -With one exception--the Nilgai--all the members of this sub-family are -denizens of the great African Continent. - -The NILGAI, or BLUE BULL, is an inhabitant of India, and is found -throughout the greater portion of the peninsula, from the base of the -Himalaya to the south of Mysore. It is an animal of large size, standing -about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. In general colour the male is of a -dark iron-grey, the female tawny fawn. White spots on the cheeks and just -above the hoofs on the fore and hind feet are the outward signs of its -affinity to the African harnessed antelopes. The male alone carries horns, -which are nearly straight and very small for the size of the animal, rarely -exceeding 9 inches in length. - -Passing now to the Harnessed Antelopes of Africa, our attention is first -claimed by the BUSHBUCKS. Excluding the Inyala and the Broad-horned -Antelope, we find several forms of the smaller bushbucks recognised by -naturalists: _viz._ the HARNESSED ANTELOPE of the forest regions of Western -Africa; the CAPE BUSHBUCK of South Africa; CUMMING'S BUSHBUCK of Eastern -Africa; and the DECULA BUSHBUCK of Abyssinia. The various forms of bushbuck -vary in general colour from very dark brown to various shades of -grey-brown, yellow-brown, and rich red. In all species the young are more -or less striped and spotted; but whereas in some forms the adult animals -lose their stripes and spots almost entirely, in others the adults are more -richly marked than immature specimens. For my part, I am inclined to -believe that, if large series of bushbuck-skins were collected from every -district throughout Africa, it would be found that all the varieties of -this animal at present accepted as distinct species would be found to grade -into one another in such a way that only one true species could be -recognised. - -[Illustration: _Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. -Walter Rothschild._ - -GERENUK. - -A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east -Africa.] - -The bushbucks vary in height at the shoulder from 28 inches to 33 inches, -and only the males carry horns, which are nearly straight, with a close -spiral twist, and measure in adult animals from 10 inches to 18 inches in -length. - -Bushbucks are not found in open country, but live in forest or thick bush -near the bank of a river, stream, or lake, and are never met with far from -water. They are very partial to wooded ravines amongst broken, mountainous -country, provided such districts are well watered; and are very solitary in -their habits, both males and females being usually found alone, though the -latter are often accompanied by a kid or half-grown animal. They are shy -and retiring, and should be looked for between daylight and sunrise, or -late in the evening, as they are very nocturnal in their habits, and lie -concealed in long grass or thick bush during the heat of the day. Their -call resembles the bark of a dog, and may often be heard at nights. - -The BROAD-HORNED ANTELOPE is only found in the forests of the West African -coast range, from Liberia to Gaboon. The male of this species is a very -handsome animal, standing about 43 inches at the withers, and is a bright -chestnut-red in general colour, with a white spinal stripe extending from -the withers to the root of the tail, and fourteen or fifteen white stripes -on the shoulders, flanks, and hindquarters. The ears are large and rounded, -and the horns very massive, and about 30 inches in length, measured over -the single spiral twist. There are two or three large white spots on the -cheeks, and a broad white arrow-shaped mark across the nose below the eyes. -The female is similar in coloration to the male, but smaller and hornless. - -Little or nothing is known as to the habits of this very beautiful -antelope. Du Chaillu, who met with it in the interior of Gaboon between -1856 and 1859, says that it is "very shy, swift of foot, and exceedingly -graceful in its motions"; but he does not tell us whether it lives in pairs -like the bushbucks, or in small herds like some of its other near allies. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -FEMALE NILGAI. - -The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -ADDAX. - -Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken had lost -its splendid spiral horns.] - -The INYALA is another bush-loving antelope closely allied to the bushbucks. -In this species the general colour of the adult male is a deep dark grey, -that of the female and young male bright yellow-red, and both sexes are -beautifully striped with narrow white bands on the body and haunches. In -the male long dark hair hangs from the throat, chest, and each side of the -belly, and fringes the front of the thigh almost to the hock, and the back -of it up to the root of the tail. The ears are large and rounded; and the -horns, which are only present in the male, attain a length of about 2 feet -in a straight line, and 30 inches along their spiral curve. The standing -height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 42 inches. - -This most beautiful antelope has a very restricted range, being only found -in a narrow belt of coastland extending from St. Lucia Bay to the Sabi -River, in South-east Africa, and in a still smaller area in the -neighbourhood of the Upper Shiri River, in British Central Africa. - -Before the acquisition of firearms by the natives in South-east Africa, the -inyala was very plentiful in Northern Zululand and Amatongaland, and was -then to be met with in herds of from ten to twenty individuals; whilst the -males, which at certain seasons of the year separated from the females, -were in the habit of consorting together in bands of from five to eight. -Constant persecution by the natives in Amatongaland and the countries -farther north very much reduced the numbers of inyalas in those districts a -long time ago; but in Zululand, where this animal has been strictly -protected by the British authorities for the last twenty years, it was -still plentiful up to 1896, when the rinderpest swept over the country, and -committed such sad ravages amongst all the tragelaphine antelopes that it -is to be feared the inyala can now no longer be found anywhere in any -considerable numbers. Where I met with these antelopes some years ago, in -the country to the south of Delagoa Bay, I found them living either alone -or in pairs like bushbucks. They frequented dense thickets in the immediate -neighbourhood of a river or lagoon, and I never saw one in anything like -open country or far away from water. Their tracks showed me that at night -they were accustomed to feed in open spaces in the bush, but they always -retired to the jungle again at daylight, as they had become very wary and -cunning through constant persecution at the hands of the natives. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill._ - -NORTHERN GIRAFFE. - -Two distinct types of Giraffe exist: the northern form, which has a large -third horn, may be described as a chocolate-coloured animal marked with a -network of fine buff lines; the southern form, in which the third horn is -small, is fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.] - -Closely allied to the bush-antelopes of the present group are the -swamp-haunting SITATUNGAS. Three species of these have been described,--one -from East Africa, named after Captain Speke; another from tropical West -Africa; and a third from Lake Ngami and the Chobi River, named after the -present writer. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Mr. W. Rau_] [_Philadelphia._ - -A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS. - -From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck -is assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.] - -There is very little difference between the adult males of these three -species, except that in the West African form the coat is of a darker -colour than in the other two. The main difference consists in the fact -that, whereas the female of Selous' sitatunga is light brown in colour like -the male, and the newly born young are very dark blackish brown (the colour -of a mole), beautifully striped and spotted with pale yellow, the female -and young of the other two forms are red in ground-colour, with white spots -and stripes. However, personally I am of opinion that there is only one -true species of sitatunga in all Africa, and that the differences between -the various forms are superficial, and would be found to grade one into the -other, if a sufficiently large series of skins of all ages and both sexes -could be gathered together from all parts of the continent. In the Barotse -Valley, on the Upper Zambesi, my friend Major R. T. Coryndon informs me -that both red and brown female sitatungas are met with. On the Lower Chobi -and Lake Ngami region the females are never red, but always of the same -brown colour as the males, whilst on the Congo all the females are red. - -The male sitatunga stands about 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, and varies -in general colour in different localities from light to dark brown. The -adult females are either red with a few faint stripes and spots, or light -brown, only retaining very faint traces of any stripes or spots. The young -are, both in tropical West and Central East Africa, red, striped, and -spotted with white; but in South-west Africa dark blackish brown, with -spots and stripes of yellowish white. The hoofs are excessively long, and -the skin which covers the back of the pastern is hairless, and of a very -thick and horny consistency. The males alone carry horns, which are of the -same character as in the inyala, but more spiral and longer, having been -known to attain a length of 28 inches in a straight line and 35 inches over -the curve. - -The sitatunga is an inhabitant of the extensive swamps which exist in many -parts of the interior of Africa. It may be said to live in the water, as it -passes its life in flooded beds of reeds and papyrus, into the muddy -bottoms of which its long hoofs, when splayed out, prevent it from sinking. -When forced out into dry ground by heavy floods, the formation of its feet -so hinders it in running that it can be overtaken and speared by a native -on foot. I was informed by the natives on the Chobi River that, when the -floods enabled them to paddle their canoes through the reed-beds, they -often killed considerable numbers of the sitatungas. These animals, they -said, when they saw a canoe approaching, would often not attempt to seek -safety by flight, but would sink down in the water, submerging their whole -bodies, and leaving only their nostrils above the surface, and in this -position were easily speared. - -The sitatunga is not gregarious, but is met with singly or in pairs. The -hair is long, but soft and silky; and the skins are much sought after by -the natives for blankets. - -In addition to the bushbucks and sitatungas, two more very notable -spiral-horned African antelopes remain to be mentioned--namely, the GREATER -KUDU and the LESSER KUDU. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -FEMALE GORAL. - -The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -HARNESSED ANTELOPE. - -A very beautiful species, in which the ground-colour of the coat is a rich -chestnut, while the spots and stripes are pure white.] - -The GREATER KUDU is one of the most magnificent-looking of the whole family -of antelopes, and is an animal of large size, an adult male standing 4 feet -9 inches and upwards at the withers. The general colour of this species is -light brown to dark grey, the old males looking much darker than females or -younger animals, because the scantiness of their coats shows the dark -colour of the skin beneath. On each side of the body and hind-quarters -there are several white stripes, which vary in number from four to eight or -nine. As in all this group of antelopes, there are two or three -cheek-spots, as well as an arrow-shaped white mark across the nose, below -the eyes. In the male there is a slight mane on the back of the neck, and a -fringe of long white and blackish-brown hair intermixed, extending from the -throat to the chest. The ears are very large and rounded, and the male is -adorned with magnificent spiral horns, which have been known to attain a -length of 48 inches in a straight line from base to tip, and 64 inches over -the curve. - -The greater kudu once had a very wide range, which extended from the -central portions of the Cape Colony to Angola on the west, and on the east -throughout East Africa up to Abyssinia; but, with the single exception of -the buffalo, no species of wild animal suffered more from the terrible -scourge of rinderpest which recently swept over the continent than this -lordly antelope, and it has almost ceased to exist in many districts of -South and South Central Africa, where up to 1896 it was still very -numerous. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Percy Ashenden_] [_Cape Town._ - -MALE KUDU. - -A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in -size only inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.] - -The greater kudu is a bush-loving antelope, and very partial to wooded -hills, though it is also plentiful in the neighbourhood of rivers which -flow through level tracts of country covered with forest and bush. In my -own experience it is never found at any great distance from water. It eats -leaves and wild fruits as well as grass, and lives in small herds or -families, never, I believe, congregating in large numbers. In Southern -Africa, at any rate, it was always exceptional to see more than twenty -greater kudus together, and I have never seen more than thirty. At certain -seasons of the year the males leave the females, and live alone or several -together. I once saw nine magnificently horned kudus standing on the bank -of the Chobi, and I have often seen four or five males of this species -consorting together. As a rule the greater kudu is met with in hilly -country or in bush so dense that a horse cannot gallop through it at full -speed; but if met with in open ground, a good horse can overtake an old -male without much difficulty. The females are much lighter and faster, and -cannot be overtaken in any kind of ground. - -The greater kudu is one of the most timid and inoffensive of animals, and -when attacked by dogs will not make the slightest attempt to defend itself -either with its horns or by kicking. - -The LESSER KUDU in general colour nearly resembles its larger relative, but -is much smaller, the males only standing about 40 inches at the withers, -and it lacks the long fringe of hair under the throat. The white stripes on -the body and hindquarters are, however, more numerous--from eleven to -fourteen; and the horns, which are only present in the males, are less -divergent, and with the spiral curvature much closer than in the greater -kudu. - -The lesser kudu is an inhabitant of Somaliland and the maritime districts -of British East, Africa. It frequents thick scrubby jungle, and is said to -be exceedingly watchful and wary. It lives either in pairs or in small -families, but never congregates in large herds. Like all the tragelaphine -antelopes, this species is a leaf-eater, and feeds principally during the -night, lying up in thick bush during the heat of the day. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -ELAND. - -A feature of the eland is the large "dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes -are horned.] - -There remains to be mentioned but one other group of antelopes, the ELANDS, -large, heavily built animals, which belong to the present group, but differ -from all species of kudu, sitatunga, and bushbuck, inasmuch as both sexes -are horned. There are two forms of the COMMON ELAND--namely, the grey -variety of South-western Africa, and the striped animal, which is found in -the countries farther north and east. The two forms grade one into the -other, and are absolutely identical in their habits and mode of life, the -differences between them being merely superficial. To the south of the -twenty-third parallel of south latitude all elands are of a uniform fawn -colour, except the old animals, which look dark grey, from the fact that -the scantiness of their coats allows the dark colour of the skin to show -through the hair. Old males, when standing in the shade of a tree, appear -to be of a deep blue-grey in colour, and are known to the colonists of -South Africa as "blue bulls." In Rhodesia, South-east Africa, and the -countries to the north of the Zambesi, all the elands are bright -chestnut-red when young, with a black line down the centre of the back from -the withers to the tail, broad black patches on the backs of the fore legs -above the knees, and eight or nine white stripes on each side. When they -grow old, the ruddiness of the ground-colour gradually fades, the black -markings on the fore legs die out, and the white stripes become -indistinguishable at a short distance, the old bulls looking deep blue-grey -in general colour. Every intermediate stage of colouring between the -unstriped and the highly coloured forms of eland is to be found in the -district lying between the central portions of the Kalahari Desert and the -Zambesi River. Old male elands south of the Zambesi develop a growth of -long, bristly black hair on the forehead, which often hangs over their eyes -and extends half-way down their noses. North of the Zambesi this growth of -hair is not nearly so luxuriant. - -I have carefully measured the standing height at the withers of many old -male elands in the interior of South Africa, and found that it varied from -5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. The horns of bulls in their prime -measure from 26 inches to 33 inches in length, but old bulls wear their -horns down very much. The cows carry longer, though thinner horns than the -bulls. - -The range of the eland once extended from Cape Agulhas to the White Nile, -but it has become extinct in many districts of Southern Africa, and in -almost every other portion of its range has, like all other tragelaphine -antelopes, suffered so cruelly from the recent visitation of rinderpest -that it has now become a scarce animal all over Africa. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -ELAND COWS. - -Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.] - -During the rainy season elands are usually met with in small herds of from -four or five to ten individuals; but towards the end of the dry season they -collect into large herds, and at such times I have often seen from fifty to -over two hundred of these animals in one troop. - -In my experience elands live for two-thirds of the year in forest or -bush-covered country, or amongst rugged hills; and in such localities they -are difficult to overtake on horseback; but in the middle of the dry -season, as soon as they smell the smoke of the grass fires lighted by the -natives on the open plateaux, they leave their retreats, and, collecting in -herds, wander out on to the treeless plains in search of young grass. They -then fall an easy prey to a mounted hunter, especially the heavy old bulls, -which can be run to a standstill with ease by a very moderate horse. - -The flesh of the eland is excellent when the animal is in good condition, -as at such a time these animals become very fat, especially the old bulls, -whose hearts become encased in a mass of fat which will often weigh 20 lbs. -It is a mistake, however, to think that eland-meat is always good; for -towards the end of the dry season, when there is little grass to be got, -they feed extensively on the leaves of certain bushes, and their meat at -such times becomes very poor and tasteless. - -Besides the common eland of Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa, another -distinct species is met with in Senegal and the Gambia Colony. This is the -DERBIAN ELAND, about which animal our knowledge is still very slight, as I -believe that it has never yet been shot nor its habits studied by a -European traveller. A good many skulls and horns and a few skins have been -obtained from natives, from which it appears that in general colour this -species is of a rich reddish-fawn colour, becoming nearly white below, the -middle of the belly being black. The neck is covered with long hair of a -dark brown or black colour, blacker towards the shoulder than in front. A -broad black stripe extends all down the centre of the back from the neck to -the root of the tail, and there are large black patches on the backs and -inner sides of the fore legs above the knees. On each side of the body and -haunches there are thirteen or fourteen narrow white stripes. The horns are -larger and more massive and divergent than in the common eland. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -BULL ELAND. - -The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large -game. If sheltered in winter, the species will thrive in English parks.] - -The Derbian eland is said to be a forest-loving animal, never of its own -accord coming out into the plains. It lives in small herds, is very shy and -not at all abundant, and browses on the leaves and young shoots of various -trees and bushes. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE. - -The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -_THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI._ - ----- - -THE GIRAFFE. - -BY H. A. BRYDEN. - -Giraffes, which are found only in the continent of Africa, are the tallest -of all living creatures. They belong to the Ruminants, or Cud-chewers, and -naturalists are inclined to place them somewhere between the Deer Family -and the Hollow-horned Ruminants, in which latter are to be found oxen, -buffaloes, and antelopes. Rütimeyer, the Swiss naturalist, once defined -them as "a most fantastic form of deer," which is, perhaps, as good a -definition of them as one is likely to hit upon. Fossil discoveries show -that, in ages long remote, great giraffe-like creatures, some of them -bearing horns or antlers, roamed widely in the south of Europe, Persia, -India and even China. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN. - -This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria; it only lived fourteen days -after its arrival.] - -Of living giraffes, two species have thus far been identified,--the -SOUTHERN or CAPE GIRAFFE, with a range extending from Bechuanaland and the -Transvaal to British East Africa and the Soudan; and the NUBIAN or NORTHERN -GIRAFFE, found chiefly in East Africa, Somaliland, and the country between -Abyssinia and the Nile. The southern giraffe, which, from its recent -appearance in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, is now the more -familiar of the two animals, has a creamy or yellowish-white ground-colour, -marked by irregular blotches, which vary in colour, in animals of different -ages, from lemon-fawn to orange-tawny, and in older specimens to a very -dark chestnut. Old bulls and occasionally old cows grow extremely dark with -age, and at a distance appear almost black upon the back and shoulders. The -northern giraffe is widely different, the coloration being usually a rich -red-chestnut, darker with age, separated by a fine network of white lines, -symmetrically arranged in polygonal patterns. At no great distance this -giraffe, instead of having the blotchy or dappled appearance of the -southern giraffe, looks almost entirely chestnut in colour. Again, the -southern giraffe has only two horns, while the northern species usually -develops a third, growing from the centre of the forehead. These horns, -which are covered with hair in both species, and tufted black at the tips, -are, in the youthful days of the animal, actually separable from the bones -of the head. As the animal arrives at maturity, they become firmly united -to the skull. A third race or sub-species of giraffe has been identified in -Western Africa, mainly from the skull and cannon-bones of a specimen shot -in 1897 at the junction of the Binue and Niger Rivers; but very little is -known about this form. Other varieties or sub-species may yet be discovered -in other parts of the Dark Continent. It is lacking in the giraffe's long -neck. - -The towering height of the giraffe is entirely attributable to the great -length of the neck and limbs. A full-grown bull giraffe will certainly -measure occasionally as much as 19 feet in height. I measured very -carefully a specimen shot by my hunting friend, Mr. W. Dove, in the forests -of the North Kalahari, South Africa, which taped 18 feet 11½ inches. A fine -cow, shot by myself in the same country, measured 16 feet 10 inches, and -there is no reason to suppose that cow giraffes do not easily reach fully -17 feet in height. These animals feed almost entirely upon the leaves of -acacia-trees, the foliage of the _kameel-doorn_, or giraffe-acacia, -affording their most favourite food-supply. It is a most beautiful -spectacle to see, as I have seen, a large troop of these dappled -giants--creatures which, somehow, viewed in the wild state, always seem to -me to belong to another epoch--quietly browsing, with upstretched necks and -delicate heads, among the branches of the spreading _mokala_, as the -Bechuanas call this tree. - -The giraffe's upper lip is long and prehensile, and covered, no doubt as a -protection against thorns, with a thick velvety coating of short hair. The -tongue is long--some 18 inches in length--and is employed for plucking down -the tender leafage on which the giraffe feeds. The eyes of the giraffe are -most beautiful--dark brown, shaded by long lashes, and peculiarly tender -and melting in expression. Singularly enough, the animal is absolutely -mute, and never, even in its death-agonies, utters a sound. The hoofs are -large, elongate, nearly 12 inches in length in the case of old bulls, and -look like those of gigantic cattle. There are no false hoofs, and the -fetlock is round and smooth. The skin of a full-grown giraffe is -extraordinarily tough and solid, attaining in the case of old males as much -as an inch in thickness. From these animals most of the _sjamboks_, or -colonial whips, in use all over South Africa, are now made; and it is a -miserable fact to record that giraffes are now slaughtered by native and -Boer hunters almost solely for the value of the hide, which is worth from -£3 to £5 in the case of full-grown beasts. So perishes the giraffe from -South Africa. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE. - -The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark and light -splashes of their surroundings.] - -Giraffes live mainly in forest country, or country partially open and -partially clothed with thin, park-like stretches of low acacia-trees. When -pursued, they betake themselves to the densest parts of the bush and -timber, and, their thick hides being absolutely impervious to the frightful -thorns with which all African jungle and forest seem to be provided, burst -through every bushy obstacle with the greatest ease. They steer also in the -most wonderful manner through the timber, ducking branches and evading -tree-boles with marvellous facility. I shall never forget seeing my hunting -comrade after his first chase in thick bush. We had ridden, as we always -rode hunting, in our flannel shirts, coatless. Attracted by his firing, I -came up with my friend, who was sitting on the body of a huge old bull -giraffe, which had fallen dead in a grassy clearing. He was looking -ruefully at the remains of his shirt, which hung about him, literally in -rags and ribbons. Blood was streaming from innumerable wounds upon his -chest, neck, and arms. Always after that we donned cord coats, when running -giraffes in bush and forest country. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rutland & Sons._ - -A GIRAFFE GRAZING. - -Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, -which are essentially browsers.] - -In regions where they have been little disturbed, giraffes no doubt wander -across open plains, and are to be seen well away from the denser forests, -feeding among scattered islets of acacias, easily exposed to the human eye. -But in South Africa they are now seldom to be met with out of the forest -region. Once, and once only, have I seen giraffes in the open. This was on -the outskirts of the forest, and the great creatures had been tempted to a -little knoll of _mokala_ trees, rising like an islet from the sea of grass. - -One's first impression of these creatures in the wild state is very -deceptive. I well remember first setting eyes upon a troop of five or six. -As they swung away from the leafage on which they were feeding, my friend -and I cantered easily, thinking that we should soon come up with them. We -were completely deceived. With those immense legs of theirs, the great -creatures, going with their easy, shuffling, but marvellously swift walk, -were simply striding away from us. Discovering our mistake, we rode hard, -and the giraffes then broke into their strange, rocking gallop, and a -headlong, desperate chase began, to be terminated by the death of a fine -cow. Like the camel, the giraffe progresses by moving the two legs upon -either side of the body simultaneously. At this strange, rocking gallop -these animals move at a great pace, and a good Cape horse is needed to run -into them. By far the best plan, if you are bent on shooting these animals, -is to press your pony, so soon as you sight giraffes, to the top of its -speed, and force the game beyond its natural paces in one desperate gallop -of a couple of miles or so. If well mounted, your nag will take you right -up to the heels of the tall beasts, and, firing from the saddle, you can, -without great difficulty, bring down the game. The giraffe, unlike the -antelopes of Africa, is not very tenacious of life, and a bullet planted -near the root of the tail will, penetrating the short body, pierce a vital -spot, and bring down the tall beast crashing to earth. Having tasted the -delights of fox-hunting and many other forms of sport, I can testify that -the run up to a good troop of giraffes is one of the most thrilling and -exciting of all human experiences. There is nothing else quite like it in -the wide range of sporting emotions. Having enjoyed this thrilling pleasure -a few times, however, the humane hunter will stay his hand, and shoot only -when meat, or perhaps an exceptionally fine specimen, is absolutely needed. -Giraffes are, of course, utterly defenceless, and, save for their shy, wary -habits and remote, waterless habitat, have nothing to shield them from the -mounted hunter. - -Giraffe-hunting on foot is a very different matter. In that case the -giraffe has the better of it, and the stalker is placed at great -disadvantage. These animals are in many places found in extremely waterless -country, where even the mounted hunter has much trouble to reach them. Like -elands and gemsbok and other desert-loving antelopes, they can exist for -long periods--months together--without drinking. In the northern portions -of the Kalahari Desert, where I have carefully observed their habits, as -well as hunted them, it is an undoubted fact that giraffes never touch -water during the whole of the dry winter season--for several months on end. -Gemsbok and elands in the same waterless tract of country are complete -abstainers for the same period. The flesh of a giraffe cow, if fairly -young, is excellent, tender, and well tasted, with a flavour of game-like -veal. The marrow-bones also, roasted over a gentle wood fire, and sawn in -half, afford delicious eating, quite one of the supreme delicacies of the -African wilderness. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Knight_] [_Aldershot._ - -A GIRAFFE BROWSING. - -Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.] - - -THE OKAPI. - -BY SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, K.C.B., F.Z.S. - -Readers of "The Living Animals of the World" are in all probability readers -of newspapers, and it would therefore be affectation on the part of the -writer of these lines to assume that they have not heard more or less of -the discovery which he was privileged to make of an entirely new ruminant -of large size, dwelling in the forests bordering the Semliki River, in -Central Africa, on the borderland between the Uganda Protectorate and the -Congo Free State. The history of this discovery, stated briefly, is as -follows:--In 1882-83 I was the guest of Mr. (now Sir Henry) Stanley on the -River Congo at Stanley Pool. I was visiting the Congo at that time as an -explorer in a very small way and a naturalist. Mr. Stanley, conversing with -me on the possibility of African discoveries, told me then that he believed -that all that was most wonderful in tropical Africa would be found to be -concentrated in the region of the Blue Mountains, south of the Albert -Nyanza. This feeling on Stanley's part doubtless was one of the reasons -which urged him to go to the relief of Emin Pasha. His journey through the -great Congo Forest towards the Blue Mountains of the Albert Nyanza resulted -in his discovery of the greatest snow mountain-range of Africa, Ruwenzori, -and the river Semliki, which is the Upper Albertine Nile; of Lake Albert -Edward, from which it flows round the flanks of Ruwenzori; and, amongst -other things, in more detailed information regarding the dwarf races of the -Northern Congo forests than we had yet received. Stanley also was the first -to draw the attention of the world to the dense and awful character of -these mighty woods, and to hint at the mysteries and wonders in natural -history which they possibly contained. The stress and trouble of his -expedition prevented him and his companions from bestowing much attention -on natural history; moreover, in these forests it is extremely difficult -for persons who are passing hurriedly through the tangle to come into -actual contact with the beasts that inhabit them. Sir Henry Stanley, -discussing this subject with me since my return from Uganda, tells me that -he believes that the okapi is only one amongst several strange new beasts -which will be eventually discovered in these remarkable forests. He -describes having seen a creature like a gigantic pig 6 feet in length, and -certain antelopes unlike any known type. In regard to the okapi, the only -hint of its existence which he obtained was the announcement that the -dwarfs knew of the existence of a creature in their forests which greatly -resembled an ass in appearance, and which they caught in pits. This tiny -sentence in an appendix to his book "In Darkest Africa" attracted my -attention some time before I went to Uganda. It seemed to me so -extraordinary that any creature like a horse should inhabit a dense forest, -that I determined, if ever fate should lead me in that direction, I would -make enquiries. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES. - -Giraffes are said to be very affectionate animals.] - -Soon after reaching the Uganda Protectorate at the end of 1899, I came in -contact with a large party of dwarfs who had been kidnapped by a too -enterprising German impresario, who had decided to show them at the Paris -Exhibition. As the Belgians objected to this procedure, I released the -dwarfs from their kidnapper, and retained them with me for some months in -Uganda, until I was able personally to escort them back to their homes in -the Congo Forest. I had other reasons connected with my Government business -for visiting the north-western part of the Congo Free State. As soon as I -could make the dwarfs understand me by means of an interpreter, I -questioned them regarding the existence of this horse-like creature in -their forests. They at once understood what I meant; and pointing to a -zebra-skin and a live mule, they informed me that the creature in question, -which was called OKAPI, was like a mule with zebra stripes on it. When I -reached Fort Mbeni, in the Congo Free State, on the west bank of the river -Semliki, I put questions to the Belgian officers stationed there. They all -knew the okapi, at any rate, when dead. As a living animal they had none of -them seen it, but their native soldiers were in the habit of hunting the -animal in the forest and killing it with spears, and then bringing in the -skin and the flesh for use in the fort. One of the officers declared there -was even then a freshly obtained skin lying about in the precincts of the -fort. On searching for this, however, it was discovered that the greater -part of it had been thrown away, only the gaudier portions having been cut -into strips by the soldiers to be made into bandoliers. These strips, -together with similar ones obtained from natives in the forest, I sent to -England, to Dr. P. L. Sclater, for his consideration. Furnished by the -Belgian officers with guides, and taking with me all the dwarfs whom I had -brought from Uganda, I entered the forest, and remained there for some days -searching for the okapi. All this time I was convinced that I was on the -track of a species of horse; and therefore when the natives showed the -tracks of a cloven-footed animal like the eland, and told us these were the -foot-prints of the okapi, I disbelieved them, and imagined that we were -merely following a forest-eland. We never saw the okapi; and as the life in -the forest made the whole expedition extremely ill, and my time was -required for official work elsewhere, I was obliged to give up this search. -Meantime, I had elicited from the natives, whom I questioned closely, that -the okapi was a creature without horns or any means of offence, the size of -a large antelope or mule, which inhabited only the densest parts of the -forest, and generally went about in pairs, male and female. It lived -chiefly on leaves. The Belgian officers, seeing that I was disappointed at -not obtaining a complete skin, offered to use their best efforts to obtain -one for me, and send it on to Uganda after my departure. - -[Illustration: _Copyright to "The Sphere."_ - -THE OKAPI OF THE CONGO FOREST. - -Previous to the discovery of this ruminant the giraffe stood alone among -the mammals of the world. It has now at least one living relative.] - -This promise was eventually redeemed by Mr. Karl Eriksson, a Swedish -officer in the Belgian service. Mr. Eriksson sent me a complete skin and -two skulls. The skin and the bigger of the two skulls belonged to a young -male. This is the skin which is now set up in the Natural History Museum at -South Kensington, and of which a photographic illustration accompanies this -notice. Upon receiving this skin, I saw at once what the okapi was--namely, -a close relation of the giraffe. From the very small development of the -horn-bosses, I believed that it was nearer allied to the helladotherium -than to the living giraffe. In forwarding the specimens to Professor Ray -Lankester, I therefore proposed that it should be called _Helladotherium -tigrinum_. Professor Ray Lankester, having examined the specimens with a -greater knowledge than I possessed, decided that the animal was rather more -closely allied to the giraffe than to the helladotherium, but that it -possessed sufficient peculiarities of its own to oblige him to create for -its reception a new genus, which he proposed to call _Ocapia_. - -[Illustration: _Copyright photograph by Hutchinson & Co._ - -HEAD OF OKAPI. - -The enormous size of the ears is very noteworthy.] - -Meantime, the original strips of the skin (which apparently belonged to an -older and larger animal than the specimen mounted at South Kensington) had -been pronounced by experts to whom they were submitted to be the skin of an -undiscovered species of horse, and this supposed new horse had been -tentatively named by Dr. P. L. Sclater _Equus johnstoni_. The full -discovery obliged Professor Ray Lankester to set aside any idea of the -okapi being allied to the horse, but he was good enough to attach Mr. -Sclater's specific name of _johnstoni_ to his newly founded genus of -_Ocapia_. - -Up to the time of writing this is all that is known of this extraordinary -survival in the Congo Forest of the only living relation of the giraffe. We -know by palæontological discoveries in Europe and in Asia that there -existed a large family of ruminants which in their development and features -were neither of the Ox group nor of the Deer, but in some respects occupied -a position midway between these two branches of cloven-hoofed, horned, -ruminating Ungulates. To this family the Giraffe, the Okapi, the -Helladotherium, the Samotherium, the Sivatherium, and the Bramatherium -belong. In all probability bony projections arose from the skulls of these -creatures similar in some measure to the prominent bony cores of the horns -of oxen. From the top, however, of these bony cores there would seem to -have arisen anciently antlers, possibly deciduous like those of the -prongbuck. In time creatures like the giraffe lost any need for such -weapons of offence, and ceased to grow antlers; but the bony cores from -which these antlers once proceeded still remained, and in the case of the -giraffe remain to the present day. In the helladotherium and in the okapi -these bony cores have dwindled to mere bumps. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -_THE DEER TRIBE._ - -BY H. A. BRYDEN. - -Deer represent as a family the non-domesticated class of ruminants. -Generally speaking, the males are distinguished by antlers, which are shed -periodically, usually once a year, and again renewed. Comprising as it does -some of the noblest mammals to be found on the face of the earth, this -large and important tribe is to be found distributed over a large portion -of the world's surface, from the Arctic North, the home of the wild -reindeer, to Patagonia, in Southern South America. Deer are, however, not -found in the continent of Africa south of the Sahara, nor in Madagascar or -Australia. They are not indigenous to New Zealand; but the red deer, -introduced there some years ago for purposes of sport, have thriven -wonderfully well, and are now completely acclimatised. - -From the earliest times deer, especially those species known as the true or -typical deer, of which red deer may be said to be a type, have been animals -of considerable importance to mankind. Their flesh has been always eagerly -sought after; deer-skin is still, even in these days of high civilisation, -useful for many purposes; and the antlers are almost equally in request. - -It is more than probable that, in the vast and still little-explored -regions of Central, East, and Northern Asia, new species of deer remain to -be discovered. At the present time there are known to exist, in various -parts of the world, close on a hundred species and varieties. - -Within the space allotted to these animals it is, of course, manifestly -impossible to notice all these in anything like detail. Many of the -varieties or sub-species closely resemble one another, so much so that the -differences between them are only apparent to the eyes of naturalists or -acute observers. - - -THE REINDEER. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd._] [_Dundee._ - -SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER. - -The spreading hoofs enable the reindeer to traverse snow and swamps without -sinking.] - -REINDEER are distinguished from all other kinds of deer by the fact that -antlers are borne by both males and females. The antlers, as may be seen by -the illustration, differ materially from those of the red deer, elk, and -other species; the brow-tines, especially, are often much palmated. These -animals are heavily built, short-legged, and, as beseems dwellers in a -snowy habitat, provided with round, short, and spreading hoofs. For ages -reindeer have been domesticated by the Lapps of Scandinavia, the Samoyeds, -and other primitive races of Northern Europe and Asia. Trained to harness, -and drawing a sledge, they traverse long distances, while their milk, -flesh, and hides are of great importance to the people who keep them. The -Common or SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER ranges from Norway through Northern Europe -into Asia, though how far eastward is not yet accurately determined. It is -interesting to note that these animals were once denizens of Britain, and -so lately as the twelfth century the Jarls of Orkney are believed to have -been in the habit of crossing to the mainland for the purpose of hunting -them in the wilds of Caithness. Wild reindeer are still to be found in the -remoter parts of Norway, though, from much persecution, they are becoming -comparatively scarce in most parts of the country. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -WOODLAND CARIBOU. - -This specimen has shed its horns, which are of the general type of those of -the Scandinavian race.] - -Mr. Abel Chapman, in his "Wild Norway," gives some excellent accounts of -sport with these fine deer. Speaking of a good herd of twenty-one, -discovered in Ryfylke, he says: "Most of the deer were lying down, but both -the big stags stood upright in dreamy, inert postures.... I now fully -realised what a truly magnificent animal I had before me. Both in body and -horn he was a giant, and his coat was no less remarkable; the neck was pure -white, and beneath it a shaggy mane hung down a foot in length. This white -neck was set off by the dark head in front and the rich glossy brown of his -robe behind. Besides this the contrasting black and white bars on flanks -and stern were conspicuously clean-cut and defined, and the long and -massive antlers showed a splendid recurved sweep, surmounted by branch-like -tines, all clean." For three long, agonising hours the stalker watched this -noble prize, and then one of those lucky chances which occasionally gladden -the hunter's heart occurred, and the reindeer approached within a hundred -yards. "Half-a-dozen forward steps, and his white neck and dark shoulder -were beautifully exposed. Already, ere his head had appeared, the rifle had -been shifted over, and now the foresight dwelt lovingly on a thrice-refined -aim. The .450 bullet struck to an inch, just where the shaggy mane joined -the brown shoulder. The beast winced all over, but neither moved nor fell. -A moment's survey, and I knew by the swaying of his head that he was mine." -The weight of this big reindeer stag was estimated at 450 lbs., or 32 -stone. He carried twenty-five points to his antlers, which measured 51 -inches in extreme length. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK. - -The largest of all the Deer Tribe, and has antlers of an altogether -abnormal type.] - -In addition to the common or Scandinavian reindeer, there are closely -allied races, showing, however, slightly varying characteristics, found in -Spitzbergen and Greenland. In North America, where only wild reindeer are -found, these animals are known as CARIBOU. Here several sub-species are -known: among them, the NEWFOUNDLAND CARIBOU; the WOODLAND CARIBOU of the -mainland; and the BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU, found in the arctic wastes of the -Far North-west, towards the Polar Ocean. - - -THE ELK, OR MOOSE. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE. - -The elk of the two hemispheres are so alike that they cannot be regarded as -anything more than races of a single species.] - -This gigantic creature, the largest of all the numerous tribe of deer, is -found, in the Old World, in Northern Europe, Siberia, and Northern China. -Its range extends--for there is no real distinction between the elk of the -Old and the New Worlds--to Northern America, where it is always known as -the MOOSE. Its transatlantic habitat runs from the mouth of the Mackenzie -River to the St. Lawrence. Wherever its abiding-place may be, it will be -found that the elk is essentially a forest-loving creature, partial to the -loneliest stretches of the woods and dreary marshes. Its fleshy, bulbous, -prehensile muzzle shows plainly that the elk is a browsing beast, and not a -grazing animal, like most other deer. The male carries vast palmated horns, -measuring sometimes as much as 6 feet 1¼ inch in span from tip to tip; this -measurement is from an American specimen in the possession of the Duke of -Westminster. A fine Scandinavian bull will measure 18 hands at the withers -and weigh as much as 90 stone, while the North American elk is said to -attain as much as 1,400 lbs. In colour the elk is a dark brownish grey; the -neck, body, and tail are short; while the animal stands very high upon the -legs. Under the throat of the male hangs a singular appendage, a sort of -tassel of hair and skin, known to American hunters as the "bell." The build -of the elk is clumsy, and the mighty beast entirely lacks the grace -characteristic of so many others of the deer kind. It has in truth a -strangely primeval, old-world aspect, and seems rather to belong to -prehistoric ages than to modern times. - -In Scandinavia elk are hunted usually in two ways--by driving, or with a -trained dog held in leash. In the royal forests of Sweden great bags are -made at these drives; and in the year 1885, when a great hunt was got up -for the present King of England, forty-nine elk were slain. Except during -the rutting-season these titanic deer are extremely shy and suspicious -creatures, and the greatest precautions have to be taken in hunting them. - -In Canada moose are often shot during the rutting-season by "calling," a -rude horn of birch-bark being used, with which the hunter simulates the -weird, hoarse roar of the animals, as they call to one another, or -challenge in the primeval woodlands and morasses of the wild North. -Still-hunting or tracking--spooring, as it would be called in South -Africa--is another and extremely fatiguing method; while yet another mode -of hunting is that practised by Indian and half-breed hunters in winter, -when, the sportsman being mounted on snow-shoes, the moose is followed, run -into and shot in deep snow. In this sport the hunter has much the better of -it. The moose, with its vast weight and sharp hoofs, plunges through the -frozen snow-crust, over which the snow-shoes carry the biped easily enough, -and, becoming presently exhausted, is shot without much difficulty. Elk -usually run at a steady, slinging trot, and traverse extraordinary -distances, apparently with little fatigue. - - -RED DEER. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -PARK RED DEER. - -The typical representative of the entire Deer Tribe.] - -We come now to a group of what are called typical deer, the RED DEER, found -in various parts of the world. The red deer, which once roamed over much of -Britain, is now in the wild state confined chiefly to the Highlands of -Scotland, Exmoor, part of County Kerry in Ireland, and various islands on -the west coast of Scotland. A good male specimen will stand about 4 feet or -a little less at the shoulder, carry antlers bearing twelve or fourteen -points, and weigh from 10 to 20 stone clean--that is, with the heart, -liver, and lungs taken out. The woodland stags of Perthshire, however, not -infrequently reach 25 stone, while Mr. J. G. Millais mentions a stag, -killed by Colonel the Hon. Alastair Fraser at Beaufort, Inverness-shire, -which scaled 30 stone 2 lbs. clean. This seems to be the heaviest British -wild stag of modern times. The summer coat is short, shining, and reddish -brown in hue; in winter the pelage is thicker and rougher and greyish brown -in colour. Stalking the red deer stag in its native fastnesses is beyond -all doubt the finest wild sport now left to the inhabitants of these -islands. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -AN ASIATIC WAPITI. - -All the races of the wapiti are easily recognisable by the large fourth -tine of the antlers and the short tail.] - -Mr. J. G. Millais, author of "British Deer and their Horns" and other -works, himself a first-rate sportsman in many parts of the world, compares -the style of shooting red deer in vogue forty or fifty years ago with that -obtaining in the Highlands at the present day. "A stalker in Black Mount, -Argyllshire," he says, "told me of a typical day's sport in which he took -part some forty years ago. Fox Maule and Sir Edwin Landseer were the two -rifles (they frequently stalked in pairs at that time), and, on the side of -Clashven, Peter Robertson, the head forester, brought them within eighty -yards of two exceptionally fine stags. Maule fired and missed, as did also -Sir Edwin as the stags moved away; then, on a signal from Robertson. Peter -McColl, the gillie, slipped the hounds--the two best ever owned by the late -Marquis of Breadalbane, and whose portraits are still preserved in the -famous picture of 'The Deer Drive'--and away they went in hot pursuit of -the deer. An end-on chase now ensued, the line taken being due east down -the great glen towards Loch Dochart, and at last the stalkers were brought -to a standstill, being fairly exhausted both in wind and limb. At this -moment, however, four dark spots, like small rocks, standing out at the -point of a little promontory in the lake, attracted their attention, and, -on drawing nearer, they saw, to their surprise, each of the big stags being -held at bay by a gallant hound. A couple of shots then settled the -business, and so ended what was then considered a grand day's sport. No -doubt it was most exciting to see the struggle of bone and sinew between -two such noble quadrupeds, but it was not rifle-shooting. To-day the -gallant but disturbing deer-hound has given place to the cunning and -obedient collie, and the success of the stalker depends, for the most part, -on the accuracy of his rifle and his skill in using it." - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -AMERICAN WAPITI. - -The giant deer of the Rocky Mountains, formerly very plentiful, now -scarce.] - -Here are a couple of sketches of modern stalking taken from Mr. Millais' -own diary:-- - -"_Wednesday, October 4th._--Started for the big corrie with McColl, and saw -nothing till we got to the Eagle Hill. On this were three stags and about -twenty hinds, the property of a magnificent fellow carrying one of the best -heads I have ever seen on Black Mount. For some time McColl thought he was -just a bit too good to shoot, for the very best in this forest are -generally left for stock purposes. Finding, however, that, he was not Royal -[a twelve-pointer], my companion agreed to a shot--that is, if he got -within shooting distance, which was not too likely, the Eagle Hill being -one of those queer places where back eddies are carried down from almost -every 'airt' from which the wind is blowing. Luck is apparently entirely my -way this week, so far at any rate. The big stag was very 'kittle,' -frequently roaring and keeping his hinds moving before him along the -hillside, in the direction of another corrie running at right angles, the -entrance to which, if reached, would checkmate us. A quick, stiff climb, -and a clashing piece of stalking on the part of McColl, brought us in front -of the herd only just in time, for I had hardly got into position when the -first few hinds moved past a hundred yards below us. They were very uneasy -and highly suspicious, but fortunately did not stop; and in another moment, -to my joy, the big stag came slowly behind them, and offered a fair -broadside in the very spot where I should have wished him to stand. The -bullet took him through the ribs, certainly a trifle too far back, but he -gave in at once, and rolled 150 yards down the hill, fortunately without -hurting his horns. A really fine Highland stag in his prime; weight, 16 -stone 2 lbs., with a good wild head of ten points, and good cups on the -top." - -"_Thursday, October 5th._--We negotiated the stiff climb, and McLeish, -leaving me behind a rock on the summit, returned some distance to signal -directions to the pony-man. He came back just as the stag returned roaring -down the pass he had ascended; and as the mist was blotting out the -landscape, I feared he would come right on to us without being seen, but, -as luck would have it, he stopped and recommenced bellowing within seventy -yards. I never heard a stag make such a row, but nothing of him could we -see. It was most exciting, lying flat on a slab of rock, hoping devoutly -that the mist would rise, if only for a few seconds. The tension had grown -extreme, when there was a momentary lift in the gloom, and I made out the -dim forms of the deer just as a big hind, which I had not noticed, -'bruached' loudly within twenty yards of us. The outline of the stag was -barely visible when, after carefully aiming, I pressed the trigger, knowing -that a moment later there would be no second chance. At the shot the deer -at once disappeared, but I felt sure I had hit him, and, on following the -tracks for some fifty yards, there he lay as dead as a door-nail. Weight, -13 stone 6 lbs.; a wild head of ten points; thin, and evidently that of a -deer on the decline." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Mr. W. Rau_] [_Philadelphia._ - -AMERICAN WAPITI. - -The dark head, fore-quarters, and under-parts, so distinctive of the -wapiti, are here well displayed.] - -In England the wild red deer are hunted with stag-hounds on Exmoor, and -first-rate sport is obtained on the great moorlands of Somerset and Devon. -During the last fifty years the deer have much increased in numbers, and no -less than three packs--the Devon and Somerset, Sir John Heathcoat-Amory's, -and Mr. Peter Ormrod's--are now engaged in hunting them. In the five years -ending in 1892, 276 deer were killed by the Devon and Somerset hounds. - -The young of the red deer are in Europe usually dropped in June. The fawn -is dexterously concealed by the hind amid the heather, and is left in -concealment during the day. Scrope, a great authority on these animals, -states that the hind induces her fawn to lie down by pressure of the nose: -"It will never stir or lift up its head the whole of the day, unless you -come right upon it, as I have often done; it lies like a dog, with its nose -to its tail. The hind, however, although she often separates herself from -the young fawn, does not lose sight of its welfare, but remains at a -distance to windward, and goes to its succour in case of an attack of the -wild cat or fox, or any other powerful vermin." - -On the Continent far finer examples of red deer are to be found than in the -British Isles, and the antlers and records of weights preserved at the -Castle of Moritzburg in Saxony, and elsewhere, show that two hundred years -ago the stags of Germany were far superior even to those of the present -day, which are much heavier and afford finer trophies than do the Highland -red deer. Even in Germany, however, marked deterioration has taken place -during the last two centuries. A stag, for example, killed by the Elector -of Saxony in 1646 weighed not less than 61 stone 11 lbs.; while from the -Elector's records between 1611 and 1656 it appears that 59 stags exceeded -56 stone, 651 exceeded 48 stone, 2,679 exceeded 40 stone, and 4,139 -exceeded 32 stone. These figures are given by Mr. W. A. Baillie-Grohman, a -distinguished sportsman, in a very interesting chapter contributed to the -"Big Game Shooting" volumes of the Badminton Library. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -AMERICAN WAPITI. - -In the United States this species is universally miscalled the Elk.] - -This deterioration among the red deer of the forests of Central and -Northern Europe is, however, not traceable among the red deer of the wild -mountainous regions of Austria-Hungary and South-eastern Europe. Here, at -the present day, stags of enormous size and weight are still to be found. -In the Carpathian Alps, for example, red deer stags are still to be shot -scaling more than 40 stone (clean) in weight. Climate and feeding have, of -course, much to do with the weight of stags and the size and beauty of -their antlers. The Carpathian stags have enormous range, rich food, and, as -Mr. Baillie-Grohman points out, are suffered during the summer to "make -undisturbed raids upon the rich agricultural valleys ... the feudal sway -exercised by the great territorial magnates permitting the deer to trespass -upon the crops with impunity, and thus grow to be the lustiest of their -race." - -In addition to the British Islands, the red deer of Europe is found on the -island of Hitteren on the western coast of Norway, in the south of Sweden, -and in Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Greece. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -ALTAI WAPITI. - -This is one of several Asiatic forms of the wapiti.] - -In Corsica and Sardinia a local and smaller race is found, probably closely -allied to the stag of North Africa. The BARBARY STAG is somewhat smaller -than its first cousin of Europe, and carries antlers which usually lack the -second, or bez, tine. The colour of this stag is "a dark sepia-brown, a -little lighter and greyer on the back. Faint yellowish spots can -occasionally be distinguished on the fur in the adults," says Sir Harry -Johnston. The hinds are of the same colour as the stags, but lack the grey -tint on the back. These fine deer are found in Algeria and Tunis, their -habitat being chiefly in pine and cork forests. They are found also in -parts of Morocco, near the frontiers of Algeria and Tunis, where their -range extends from near the Mediterranean to the verge of the Sahara -Desert. Formerly the Barbary stag was hunted by the Arabs on horseback by -the aid of greyhounds. In Tunis, where it is protected by the French, it is -now fairly abundant. - - -THE MARAL AND KASHMIR STAG. - -The CASPIAN RED DEER, or MARAL, is a magnificent sub-species, incomparably -the finest representative of the red deer species. Standing about 4 feet 6 -inches at the shoulder, a good stag will weigh as much as 40 stone clean, -in exceptional specimens probably a good deal more. The range of this noble -beast includes the Caspian provinces of North Persia, Transcaucasia, the -Caucasus, and the Crimea. There can be little doubt that the great stags -shot in the Galician Carpathians are Caspian red deer, and not the ordinary -red deer of Western Europe. The red deer of Turkey is, too, no doubt -referable to this sub-species. - -Continuing our survey of typical deer, we come to the KASHMIR STAG, which -is a magnificent beast, standing as much as 4 feet 4 inches at the -shoulder, and carrying antlers approaching the red deer type, which measure -in fine specimens from 45 to 48 inches. The Kashmir stag, often miscalled -Barasingh by Indian sportsmen, makes its home in the forest regions of the -north side of the Kashmir Valley, ranging chiefly on altitudes of from -5,000 to 12,000 feet. The summer coat is rufous; in winter the pelage is of -a darkish brown. The Yarkand stag is an apparently allied species, found in -the forests bordering on the Yarkand or Tarim River. - -Two more stags close the list of those Asiatic deer which approximate more -or less closely to the red deer type. These are the SHOU, or SIKHIM STAG, -and THOROLD'S DEER, concerning neither of which animals is much known at -present. The shou, of which only the head has yet been brought to England, -appears to be a very large stag, in size approximating to the gigantic -wapiti. The antlers are very large, extending to as much as 55 inches over -the outer curve. So far as is at present known, this great deer is found in -the country "north of Bhutan and the valley eastward of Chumbi, which -drains northward into the Sangpo." No European hunter, it is believed, has -ever yet levelled a rifle or even set eyes on this noble deer. - -In England Thorold's deer is known from two specimens shot by Dr. W. G. -Thorold, during a journey across Tibet, at an elevation of about 13,500 -feet. The high Tibetan plateau and other adjacent parts of Central Asia -form the habitat of this species. In size Thorold's deer is about on a -level with the Kashmir stag: the coat is dark brown; the antlers are -distinctive in their backward curve, in the lack of the bez tine, and their -flattened appearance. The muzzle and chin are pure white, as is the inner -surface of the ears. - - -WAPITI. - -Wapiti are the giants of the red deer group, carrying enormous antlers, and -attaining as much as 1,000 lbs. in weight. The true wapiti of North -America, known in that country chiefly by the local name of Elk, carry by -far the finest and the heaviest heads of any of the typical deer kind. Mr. -Rowland Ward, in his book "Records of Big Game," gives the length of -antlers of a twelve-pointer shot in the Olympic Mountains, Washington -State, as 70 inches over the outer curve; while another specimen, also a -twelve-pointer, taken from a wapiti shot in Wyoming, measures 66 inches. -Occasional heads bear as many as 17, 19, and even 20 tines, or points, but -from 12 to 14 points are more usual in fine average heads. A good stag will -stand from 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 8 inches at the shoulder. -Magnificently shaped, splendid in form and bearing, as in the size of its -antlers, a more lordly creature than the stag wapiti does not pace the -earth. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING. - -The great size of the fourth tine, characteristic of the species, is very -noticeable.] - -"The wapiti," says Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in "The Encyclopedia of -Sport," "is highly polygamous, and during the rut the master bulls gather -great harems about them and do fierce battle with one another, while the -weaker bulls are driven off by themselves. At this time the bulls are -comparatively easy to approach, because they are very noisy, incessantly -challenging one another by night and day. Settlers and hunters usually -speak of their challenge as 'whistling,' but this is a very inadequate -description. The challenge consists of several notes, first rising and then -falling. Heard near by, especially among unattractive surroundings, it is -not particularly impressive, varying in tone from a squeal to a roar, and -ending with grunts; but at a little distance it is one of the most musical -sounds in nature, sounding like some beautiful wind instrument. Nothing -makes the heart of a hunter leap and thrill like the challenge of a wapiti -bull, as it comes pealing down under the great archways of the mountain -pines, through the still, frosty, fall weather; all the more if it be at -night, under the full moon, and if there is light snow on the ground." - -Wapiti in North America have suffered much from persecution, and it is now -difficult indeed to secure fine heads like those that fell to hunters -twenty or thirty years since. Twelve or fifteen years ago, during -winter-time, bands of wapiti in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana were to be -seen gathered together to the number of thousands; now a score or two is -the rule, where these animals are to be found at all. However, by those who -know where to go for their game, and can hold a rifle straight, wapiti are -still to be obtained. - -Mr. Selous, in his "Sport and Travel, East and West," thus describes a -recent experience: "After a few seconds of agonising suspense a -noble-looking monarch of the mountains walked slowly from the shelter of -the pine-trees and followed the ladies of his household, who had now halted -about fifty yards down the slope, passing in quite open ground not more -than sixty or seventy yards below me; and as the stag followed them, I -waited until he came past, though he had been well within shot ever since -he came out from among the trees. As he did not know where I was, and -probably had not the least idea why the hinds had trotted off, he came -along very leisurely, looking magnificent; for although his antlers were -but moderate in size, there were no others of larger proportions near to -dwarf them, and even a very ordinary wapiti stag, seen at short range in -its native wilds, is a glorious sight to look upon. I let him get a little -past me, and then put one of Holland's peg-bullets just behind his -shoulder, low down. I saw by the convulsive rush forwards that he made that -he was struck through the heart, but I did not expect so large an animal to -collapse so quickly. He had not gone twenty paces after being hit, when he -fell suddenly right on to the prostrate stem of a large tree, which did -not, however, stop him, as the impetus of his fall carried him over it, and -he then went sliding at a terrific pace down the steep snow-slope below, -and disappeared from sight almost immediately." The dead wapiti was -ultimately found 500 feet below, with the antlers, strangely enough, -scarcely injured, but the body and quarters much bruised by the fall. He -was "a very pretty fourteen-pointer of moderate size." - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -AN AXIS HIND. - -A species spotted at all seasons.] - -A fight between two wapiti stags is a terrific encounter. "With heads -lowered between their fore feet," says Mr. Perry, "the two adversaries walk -around, waiting for an opening; and when one is thrown off his guard, the -other makes a savage rush; but his opponent instantly recovers, counters -the charge, and as they rush together the antlers strike each other with -such terrific force that the report can be heard for a long distance. -Slowly retreating, bellowing, grumbling, and grinding their teeth in a -paroxysm of rage, they again circle round.... The challenging wapiti -usually does most of the offensive fighting until he finds (if such be the -case) that he is the weaker; then he suddenly retires, bellowing as he -goes." In the old days the Indians of North America were in the habit of -organising great wapiti drives. Entire herds were surrounded by a ring of -mounted men, and forced over precipices. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER. - -One of the most common animals in an Indian jungle scene.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._ - -A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEER. - -One of the numerous Philippine species.] - -In recent years it has been discovered that wapiti are also denizens of -certain parts of Asia. At least two sub-species--the ALTAI WAPITI and the -MANCHURIAN WAPITI--have thus far been identified. The former, sometimes -known as the Thian-shan Stag, is found in the forests of the Altai and -Thian-shan Mountains, west of the Mongolian Desert. Compared with its -American congener, it is inferior in stature, has shorter legs, a longer -body, and proportionately larger antlers, though none have yet approached -those of the longest American specimens. These splendid stags, of which -living specimens have been maintained by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn, are -captured alive by the Altai natives, and kept in domestication for the sake -of their antlers, which are sold in China for purposes of medicine at as -much as the value of £10 apiece. - -The MANCHURIAN WAPITI, or LUEHDORF'S STAG, is a well-marked local race of -the wapiti, which turns reddish in summer. It has received several names, -and is well characterised by the form of its antlers. It has been kept -alive in the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn Abbey. It seems probable that -the Siberian stags will eventually be referred to the wapiti group. - - -BOKHARA DEER. - -A fine deer from Russian Turkestan is at present known as the BOKHARA DEER. -It is said to resemble the shou of Northern Bhutan more than any other -species, and, standing about 4 feet at the shoulder, is of an ashen-grey -colour, tinged with yellow. A living specimen has been exhibited at Moscow, -and it is believed that specimens in the collection of the Duke of Bedford -belong to this form. - - -SIKAS. - -The SIKAS, as typified by the JAPANESE DEER, are a group of deer of -moderate size, distinguished from the preceding assemblage by antlers of -simpler type, each antler having usually four points, and lacking the -second, or bez tine. The coat is spotted with white, and white markings -appear about the tail. The tail is much longer than in the red deer group. -The Japanese deer, found in Japan and North China, is a beautiful creature, -somewhat smaller than the fallow deer of Europe, having a coat of brilliant -chestnut, thickly spotted with white in curious longitudinal markings. This -is the summer pelage; in winter the colour changes to dark brown, and the -spots mostly disappear. When in the velvet, the antlers are of a bright, -chestnut-red, with black tips, and at this season the bucks look their -handsomest. A good head measures from 26 to 31 inches, and carries usually -eight points. - -The MANCHURIAN SIKA may be looked upon as a larger variety of the Japanese -deer, with a somewhat darker coat. - -Another closely allied form is the FORMOSAN SIKA, which bears a rather -paler summer coat, and carries spots in its winter pelage. This deer is -found on the mountains of the island from which it takes its name. The few -antlers which have reached this country seem to indicate that in this -respect this deer is inferior to the other sikas. The longest pair yet -recorded measure not more than 19¾ inches. - -The PEKIN SIKA, sometimes known as Dybowski's Deer, is considerably larger -in size than the rest of the group, standing well over 3 feet at the -shoulder. The horns are large and rugged, and measure as much as 27 inches -in length. The coat is thick and shaggy, and well adapted for life in a -harsh climate. The habitat of this species is North-eastern Manchuria and -the borders of Korea. - - -FALLOW DEER. - -FALLOW DEER are, perhaps, to English people, the most familiar of all the -cervine race, forming as they do, in the semi-domesticated state, the -adornments of most of our parks. The flesh of this handsome deer furnishes -the well-known venison of this country, and is perhaps the best-tasted of -all deer-meat. A good fallow buck stands about 3 feet at the shoulder, and -weighs (clean) about 150 lbs., though specimens have been shot weighing as -much as 204 lbs., but this is exceptional. The horns are strongly palmated. -Originally this deer was not indigenous to Britain, but is often said to -have been introduced by the Romans from Eastern Europe. - -[Illustration: _Photo by C. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OF THE BROWN BREED. - -The favourite park-deer of England.] - -The COMMON FALLOW DEER is found in the wild state in Spain, Portugal, -Greece, Austria, Rhodes, Sardinia, Asia Minor, and North Palestine. It is -doubtful whether, as has been stated, this deer ever existed in modern -times in the wild state in North Africa. This is a highly gregarious -species, delighting to move in considerable herds. In some parts of -Scotland fallow deer have reverted completely to the wild state, and afford -excellent sport. And even park-deer, once they are shot at, exhibit -extraordinary wariness and cunning, so much so that curious tricks and -disguises have often to be resorted to when a fat buck has to be shot for -venison. - -The beautiful MESOPOTAMIAN FALLOW DEER, found in the mountains of Luristan, -in Mesopotamian Persia, is somewhat larger than the common species, while -its coat is much more brightly coloured. The antlers bear little -resemblance to those seen in the park-deer of this country, being far less -palmated and spreading, and more vertical. - -The enormous horns of the extinct deer once known as IRISH ELK are now -considered by naturalists to be those of a gigantic species of fallow deer. -By the kindness of Mr. J. G. Millais, I am enabled to give the dimensions -of a pair of antlers of one of these wonderful beasts from his museum. -These antlers measure in spread, from tip to tip, 9 feet 4 inches; length -round inside of right horn, 6 feet; round left horn, 5 feet 8 inches,--a -marvellous trophy, truly. This specimen was dug up in County Waterford. -These colossal fallow deer, which roamed the wastes of Ireland in -prehistoric times, must have afforded fairly exciting sport to the feebly -armed human beings who then existed. - - -THE SAMBAR, OR RUSINE DEER. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -A SAMBAR STAG. - -The only Indian deer of which the fawns are unspotted.] - -SAMBAR may be shortly described as large deer, having rough, shaggy coats, -and big, rugged antlers of simple type, usually displaying but three tines. -They belong to the group known as Typical Deer, although they are but -distantly connected with the red deer. The colour of the coat is usually -dark umber-brown, marked with chestnut about the rump and under-parts. The -well-known sambar of India stands as much as 5 feet 4 inches at the -withers, and weighs, before being cleaned, some 600 lbs. The longest pair -of antlers yet recorded (Rowland Ward's "Records of Big Game") measure 48 -inches in length over the outer curve. Usually to be found among jungly, -wooded hills and mountains in many parts of India and Ceylon, this fine -stag affords first-rate sport, and is much sought after by shikaris. It is -to be met with in small troops of from four to a dozen, or singly, while -during the rutting-season the animals rove in more considerable herds. In -jungle and thickly forested regions it is a hard matter to come up with the -sambar on foot, and it is there usually shot from elephant-back, by the aid -of beaters. In more open hill country it affords good stalking. In Ceylon -it is hunted with hounds, and yields in this way also capital sport. These -animals seem to revel in heat, and love to shelter themselves in hot, -stifling valleys; they drink only once in two or three days. It is a -noticeable feature in connection with the antlers of the sambar that they -are not invariably shed annually, as with most of the deer kind. In Ceylon, -according to Sir Samuel Baker, they are shed "with great irregularity every -third or fourth year." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -FORMOSAN SIKA STAG. - -Like its Japanese kindred, this deer is spotted only in summer.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -JAVAN RUSA STAG. - -This deer is a near relative of sambur, but has a somewhat different type -of antler.] - -Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Heber Percy thus writes concerning the sambar, -or sambur: "Compared with the Kashmir stag, red deer, or wapiti, he looks -an ugly, coarse, underbred brute.... As the sambur is almost entirely -nocturnal in its habits, it is most commonly shot in drives, and in many -places it is almost impossible to obtain sambur otherwise; but where it can -be managed, stalking is, of course, far better fun. The sportsman should be -on his ground just before daylight, and work slowly through the forest at -the edge of the feeding-grounds, taking the bottom of the hill if there are -crops on the plain below, or, failing these, the edges of the open glades -in the forest. Presently, if there are any sambur about, he will hear their -trumpet-like call, and, creeping on, see two or three dark forms moving -among the trees. In the grey of the morning it is often very hard to -distinguish a stag from a hind, and the writer has on several occasions had -to wait, after viewing the herd, till there was light enough to pick his -stag. Even in broad daylight it is difficult to judge the size of a stag's -horns as he stands motionless in the deep gloom of the forest, and what -little can be seen of them makes them look three times their real size--the -beam is so massive and the tines so long. The stag, too, is such a big -beast, standing nearly a hand taller than a barasingh, that if seen in the -open he looks as big as our Irish elk.... All driving should be done during -the heat of the day, when the animals are lying down; trying to drive when -beasts are naturally on the move generally results in the game leaving the -beat before the men are in their places. It may sound ridiculous for a man -to get up a tree in a sambur drive, but he is far more likely to get an -easy shot in this position, as the deer will neither see nor wind him; he -commands more ground, and he runs no risk of heading back the wary old hind -which often leads the herd, the chances being that if he is rightly posted -the herd will come right under his tree. Another advantage is that, his -fire being plunging, he can shoot all round without danger to the beaters. -In some parts of the Himalaya native shikaris declare that they often shoot -sambur by selecting a likely path and improvising a salt-lick, after the -fashion of Laplanders when they want to catch their tame reindeer." The -flesh of this deer is coarse and only moderately good eating. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -HOG-DEER. - -The smallest Indian representative of the sambar group.] - -The MALAYAN SAMBAR, found from Assam, through Burma, to the Malay -Peninsula, and in Siam, Hainan, Borneo, and perhaps Sumatra, is slightly -less in size than its Indian prototype; the antlers vary somewhat, and are -shorter and stouter. The longest antlers yet recorded measure 30-7/8 inches -over the outer curve; these come from Borneo. - -The FORMOSAN SAMBAR, sometimes called Swinhoe's Deer, is, again, closely -connected with the Malayan sambar, and may be looked upon as purely a local -race. The antlers appear to run smaller, the best recorded examples only -extending to 19¾ inches. - -The LUZON SAMBAR (Philippines), a small sub-species, and the SZECHUAN -SAMBAR (North-west China), are also local races of the same species. This -last seems thus far to occupy the most northerly habitat of this group. - -The BASILAN SAMBAR (Philippines) is, like its congener of Luzon, a small -sub-species, standing no more than from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, of -slender build, and with the hindquarters higher than the withers. The best -antlers yet recorded measure no more than 15½ inches. It is interesting to -note that as the island of Basilan is the smallest of the Philippines, so -is this sambar by far the smallest of its group. Its restricted habitat has -no doubt conduced, during long ages, to bring about this result. - -The JAVAN SAMBAR, or RUSA, is a distinct species, found, as its name -implies, in the island of Java. The antlers are somewhat slender, but are, -next to those of the sambar of India, the longest of the group. The best -recorded pair measure 35½ inches, while another pair from Mauritius, where -this animal has been introduced, measure half an inch longer. This sambar -is smaller than the great sambar of India, and is about on a par with a -good red deer. - -[Illustration: _Photo by The Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._ - -FALLOW DEER. - -There are two breeds of these beautiful deer in the British Isles; in the -one the summer coat is fawn dappled with white; in the other the colour is -dark brown at all seasons.] - -The MOLUCCAN RUSA, a sub-species somewhat smaller than the Javan deer, is -found in Celebes and certain islands--Boru, Batchian, and Amboina--in the -Moluccan group; while the TIMOR RUSA, a closely allied congener, is found -on the islands of Timor, Semao, and Kambing. It is possible--nay, even -probable--that the Malays may, in times gone by, have introduced certain of -these rusine deer from one habitat to another. Such, at least, seems to be -the presumption among naturalists. - -Dr. Guillemard, in that charming book "The Cruise of the Marchesa" (p. -357), gives some interesting information concerning Moluccan sambar in the -little-known island of Batchian. The inhabitants, "living for the most part -in the hills, kill and smoke the deer, and bring the meat into the villages -for sale. We were fortunate enough to assist at one of their hunts, in -which no other weapon than the spear is used. The side of a large ravine, -which had been partially cleared, and presented a confused jumble of fallen -trees and low brushwood, was assigned to us as our post, and, from the -extensive view it commanded, we were able later in the day to watch one run -almost from start to finish, although at first the sport appeared to be -successful in every direction but our own. At length a stag broke covert -about five hundred yards above us, and descended the slopes of the ravine, -but shortly afterwards turned and made for the forest again. He was met by -some of the hunters and driven back; but the dogs were now in full cry, and -pressed him hard, the hunters meanwhile racing at their utmost speed above, -in order to prevent his regaining the jungle. He now altered his direction, -and turned down once more towards us; but the fallen trees were so thick -that the dogs gained rapidly on him. He made one more effort for his life -by doubling, but it was too late, and in another minute the dogs and -hunters had fairly run him down." - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER. - -This species is the Barasingh of the natives of India. It is by no means -addicted to swampy localities.] - -Deer were probably the earliest animals of the chase. Their bones are found -in the cave-dwellings of prehistoric man, and some of the earliest efforts -at drawing represent these animals. - - -OTHER TYPICAL DEER. - -So numerous are the typical deer that they are not concluded even by the -long list of animals already enumerated. We proceed now to glance briefly -at the remainder of this important group. - -The PHILIPPINE SPOTTED DEER, or PRINCE ALFRED'S DEER, is a small but -extremely handsome species, found in the islands of Samar and Leyte. The -height is under 30 inches; the colour very dark brown, spotted with white, -the under-parts, chin, and upper portion of the legs also white. - -Another small cervine from the Philippine group is the CALAMIANES DEER, a -darkish brown beast, found in the island of that name. - -The little BAVIAN DEER, another island-deer, from the Bavian group, between -Borneo and Java, should also be mentioned. Very little is known of the -habits of these three deer, and few specimens even of their skins and horns -have reached Europe. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -INDIAN MUNTJAC. - -Sometimes called the Barking-deer. The Indian species stands only 2 feet -high.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey._ - -YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER. - -One of the few deer which have no antlers.] - -The HOG-DEER, allied to the last-named species, is an animal much better -known, found as it is in many parts of India and Burma. This handsome -little deer stands from 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder, and carries -antlers which average from 10 to 15 inches, and reach occasionally as much -as 21 or 22 inches--one specimen is recorded measuring 23¼ inches. It has a -yellowish or reddish-brown coat, minutely speckled with white. The summer -coat is paler and marked with white or palish-brown spots. This sturdy -little deer is found usually in long grass, and affords excellent -snap-shooting; it is also run into with dogs and speared by mounted -sportsmen. Major Fitz-Herbert thus describes a chase of this kind: "He [the -little stag] stood at bay, with head down and bristles raised like a -miniature red deer of Landseer's, but broke away when I came up. Once he -charged the bitch and knocked her over. He stood at bay two or three times, -but I could never get a spear into him for fear of hurting the dogs. At -last one time, as he was breaking bay, I came up, and he charged me with -such force as to break one of his horns clean off against the spear. -However, I struck him in the spine, and rolled him over." These little deer -have quite extraordinary pluck, and have been known even to charge and -wound a horse. - -The CHITAL, or INDIAN SPOTTED DEER, often called the Axis Deer, a very -beautiful species, is the common jungle-stag of India. Standing about 3 -feet or a little over, its lovely coat of bright reddish fawn is thickly -spotted with white at all seasons of the year. The horns are somewhat of -the sambar type, and measure as much as 36 or 38 inches in length in fine -specimens. These exquisite deer are often found in considerable herds, and -are a forest-loving species. - -The SWAMP-DEER, the true Barasingh of India, as distinguished from the -Kashmir stag, which is often loosely called Barasingh, is a plain-loving -species, found in various parts of India, and characterised by handsome -antlers, bearing as many as from 10 to 16 points. This is a big, heavy -deer, standing nearly 4 feet at the withers, and weighing as much as 40 -stone. The summer coat is light rufous, more or less spotted with white. -The winter coat is yellowish brown. A near relative to this deer is -SCHOMBURGK'S DEER, found in Northern Siam. The antlers of this stag are -most curiously forked and bifurcated. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -MALE SIBERIAN ROE. - -A very huge species of roebuck, with more rugged antlers than the -European-roe.] - -The THAMIN, or ELD'S DEER, sometimes called the Brow-antlered Deer, is -another plains-deer, found chiefly from Manipur, through Burma, to the -Malay Peninsula. It is a good-sized species, standing about 3 feet 9 inches -at the shoulder, and weighing as much as 17 stone. The large antlers are -simple in type, the brow-tines curving down curiously over the forehead; -the tail is sharp, and the neck provided with a mane, the young being -spotted. A Siamese race of Eld's deer, found in Siam and Hainan, differs -somewhat from the Burmese type. - - -THE MUNTJACS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE. - -The absence of a tail, characteristic of all roes, is well shown.] - -The MUNTJACS, or BARKING-DEER, are a group of small deer found in India, -Burma, and the Malay region. The INDIAN MUNTJAC stands about 2 feet in -height, and weighs some 28 lbs. The antlers, which average 5 or 6 inches in -length, bear two points--brow-tine and beam; the lower portions, or -pedicles, are curiously covered with hair, and the front of the face is -ribbed or ridged in V fashion. The general colour is a golden bay, the face -and limbs brown, and the lower parts white. The buck has sharp tusks in the -upper jaw, and, at a pinch, knows how to make use of them. A shy, stealthy -little creature, the muntjac loves dense cover, and the sportsman usually -obtains but a quick snapshot at this active and wary little deer as it -flashes across him much as does a bolting rabbit scuttling across a narrow -drive. Local Indian names for the barking-deer are Jungle-sheep, Red -Hog-deer, and Rib-faced Deer. Other muntjacs, varying somewhat from the -Indian form, are the HAIRY-FRONTED, the TENASSERIM, the TIBETAN, and the -CHINESE MUNTJACS. - - -TUFTED DEER. - -Near relatives of the odd little muntjacs are the TUFTED DEER, of which two -species, the TIBETAN and MICHIE'S, are known to naturalists. The former, -found in Eastern Tibet, is about the size of the Indian muntjac, and has a -coat of dark chocolate-brown, curiously speckled on the face, neck, and -fore parts; the frontal tuft is nearly black. The antlers of the bucks of -both this and Michie's deer are extremely small, scarcely observable at a -first glance. Both species have long curving tusks projecting from the -upper jaw. Michie's tufted deer is of a greyish-black or iron-grey colour, -the face and neck dark grey. This animal is found in the reed-beds -bordering the Ningpo and other rivers in Eastern China. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -SIBERIAN ROEBUCK. - -Shows a magnificent pair of antlers.] - - -WATER-DEER. - -The CHINESE WATER-DEER is another diminutive deer, standing no more than 20 -inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is pale rufous yellow, the head -and the back of the ears being darker in hue than the rest of the body. The -males carry no antlers. This tiny deer is found in North-east China, and is -well known on the islands of the Yangtse-kiang River. It loves thick cover, -especially reeds and long grass. So apt is it at concealment, that at -Woburn Abbey, where specimens are kept in a paddock of long tussocky grass, -hours may be spent without catching a glimpse of it. When disturbed, it -scurries off with short, quick leaps, very much after the manner of the -hare. The males of the Chinese deer, like the muntjacs, carry long curved -tusks in the upper jaw. - - -ROE DEER. - -The EUROPEAN ROE, one of the handsomest of all the smaller deer, is still -happily found in many parts of Scotland. In England, where it had at one -time become well-nigh extinct, it has been here and there reintroduced with -some success. In Ireland it seems never to have been found. On the -Continent its range is wide, extending from the south of Sweden, through -France and Germany, to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Spain. -Found in Southern Russia and the Caucasus, it makes its way eastward as far -as North Palestine and Persia. The roe stands, in good adult specimens, 26 -inches at the shoulder, and weighs about 60 lbs. The handsome and very -characteristic horns measure in good specimens from 10 to 13 inches over -the outer curve. The summer coat of this beautiful little deer is a bright -rufous brown; in winter a darker and duller brown, with a notable white -patch about the tail. The roe is always more or less a wood-loving -creature. In winter, especially, it seldom cares to quit the shelter of the -forest; in summer, however, the deer wander into more open localities. The -fawns are born generally towards the end of May, and two young are usually -produced. In the rutting-season the males fight savagely with one another. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER. - -Though common in the Scotch woods, these deer are rarely seen, keeping -close in cover all day.] - -Mr. J. G. Millais gives an instance of a buck killed in one of these -desperate battles, in which one antler of the victor, having penetrated the -brain of the vanquished buck, had been broken clean off and remained -embedded in the skull, firmly wedged between the ears and the antlers. -"When wounded and brought to bay by a dog," says Mr. Millais, "a roebuck -brings into play both head and fore legs in his defence, using his horns as -described, and striking out with his legs, more as if to push off his -antagonist than to cause a forcible blow, for he gives no shock, as a hind -can. A doe, too, uses her fore legs and boxes with her head; and Mr. Steel, -who has had wide experience in roe-shooting, tells me that he has seen a -doe use her hind legs as well. The bark of the buck is loud, sharp, and -deep in tone, not unlike what a single call might be from an old collie. At -this season, too, the female gives an amorous call when she wishes the male -to come to her. If he is within hearing, he puts his neck out straight and -comes full speed to her. In Germany many roebucks are shot by alluring them -in this manner, and calls exactly imitating her voice are made for the -sportsman's use. One who has shot roe in this manner tells me it is most -exciting sport, for the buck comes straight for the sound at full speed, -and will only stop startled for a second when he discovers the fraud, and -as often as not he passes right on without giving a chance." - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -PÈRE DAVID'S DEER. - -Nineteen of these deer are at Woburn Abbey; three are at Berlin. It is -believed that these are the only deer of this species in existence.] - -Roe have a curious trick of chasing one another in play, and certain -roe-rings in the woods near Cawdor Castle, according to Mr. Millais, -demonstrate the fact that for ages the deer have been in the habit of -disporting themselves in these strange circles over the same pieces of -ground. The fact is very singular. "These curious circles are most used in -early summer; and Sutherland, the head keeper, tells me," says Mr. Millais, -"that hardly a morning passes without there being one or two roe playing in -the rings, and sometimes there is quite a party of them." Roe feed chiefly -on grass; they will eat also rowan (mountain-ash) berries, of which they -are especially fond, as well as turnips, grain, heather tops, and various -other roots and plants. Certain fungi, to which they are partial, they take -much pains to dig out with their sharp hoofs. "A roebuck that I once kept," -says Mr. Millais, "was a good Scotchman, though he had a beastly temper, -for he liked nothing so much as oatmeal porridge." Roe make delightful -pets, but the bucks are not to be trusted after the third year. One of -these animals, supposed to be tame, has been known to kill a lad. In -Scotland and on the Continent roe deer are usually killed by driving, and -large bags are often made. Even within recent times, as many as sixty-five -roebucks and thirteen hinds have been shot at Beaufort, Lord Lovat's place -in Inverness-shire, during a day's driving. Shot-guns are employed for this -kind of sport. Stalking the roe is not so much pursued in Scotland as it -might be. It is a first-rate and most interesting form of sport, and in -certain districts the rifle might very well be substituted for the -shot-gun. "Roe-stalking," says Mr. Millais, "possesses many charms of its -own. In the first place, you can enjoy it at a season when there is no -other shooting going on; secondly, it takes you out in the early morning, -when all nature is full of life and beauty, and before the heat of the day -commences; and, thirdly, where the chase of the animal is systematically -conducted, as with red deer, the nature of the sport is everything that can -be desired. I would therefore put forward a plea that tenants and owners of -part-wood, part-forest lands in Argyll, Inverness, Ross, and Aberdeen -should turn their attention to stalking the roe in preference to killing -them during the usual winter wood-shoots." Roe deer are exceedingly -abundant in the great forest regions of Germany and Austria-Hungary. In -Austria alone, not including Hungary, during the year 1892, no less than -68,110 of these beautiful little deer were shot on various estates. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -GROUP OF VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR DOES). - -These are the common deer of the Eastern United States.] - -The SIBERIAN ROE, found from the mountains of the Altai and Turkestan to -Siberia, is a somewhat larger species than its European cousin, measuring -from 28 to 34 inches at the shoulder. The antlers are also larger, -extending to as much as 16 and even 18 inches in measurement. As beseems -its habitat, the coat of this species is also thicker and rougher than is -the case with the European roe. Mr. Lydekker gives some interesting -particulars regarding this animal: "When the snows of November fall, the -roe themselves commence to collect in herds, which may number from 300 to -500 head, and soon after migrate southwards into Manchuria, whence they -return about the end of March or beginning of April. On the Ussuri, which -they must cross, they are at this season slaughtered in thousands by the -hunters, without regard to age or sex." - -One other species, the MANCHURIAN ROE, found chiefly in mountainous -habitats, whence it never descends, should be noted. This is a smaller deer -than the Siberian roe, and approximates in size and length of horn to the -European race. - - -PÈRE DAVID'S DEER. - -This remarkable animal, which apparently bears little or no resemblance to -any of the other deer of the Old World, has been placed by some naturalists -between the roe deer and the American deer. Its habitat is North China, -and, strangely enough, it seems to be unrecognised in the wild state, being -apparently only known in China in the Imperial Park at Pekin. This deer -approaches in size the red deer of Europe. The general colouring is greyish -brown, white about the eyes, ears, rump, and under-parts; the horns, which -lack the brow-tine, are very singular in shape, and measure as much as 32 -inches in length; the tail is long, reaching to the hocks; the gait is -"lolloping" and mule-like. This is a marsh-loving species, and at Woburn -Abbey, where specimens are kept, "they may be seen wading far into the -lakes and even swimming in the deeper water." - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._ - -A MULE-DEER FAWN. - -The large ears, from which the American species takes its name, are -noticeable even in the young.] - - -THE AMERICAN DEER. - -Excepting always the elk, wapiti, and reindeer, which have been already -described, the deer of North and South America stand quite apart from those -of the Old World, and are placed in a genus of their own. Usually the tail -is long, and the brow-tine is always wanting. The most familiar species is -the common AMERICAN DEER, of which the VIRGINIAN or WHITE-TAILED DEER is -the type. This deer is found in varying forms in both continents, and was -regularly hunted by the ancient Mexicans with trained pumas. - -The well-known VIRGINIAN DEER, found in Eastern North America, and believed -to range as far south as Louisiana, stands a trifle over 3 feet in height, -and weighs, clean, about 12 stone 7 lbs. The coloration is chestnut in -summer, bluish grey in winter. The antlers are of good size, and measure as -much as 27½ inches in length. As a sporting animal the white-tailed deer is -not popular. Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley describes him as "an exasperating -little beast." possessing every quality which a deer ought not to, from the -sportsman's point of view. "His haunts are river-bottoms, in choking, -blinding bush, and his habits are beastly. No one could ever expect to -stalk a white-tail; if you want to get one, you must crawl." Mr. Selous, in -1897, bagged one of these deer somewhat curiously. "He was coming," he -writes, "through the scrubby, rather open bush straight towards me in a -series of great leaps, rising, I think, quite four feet from the ground at -every bound. I stood absolutely still, thinking to fire at him just as he -jumped the stream and passed me. However, he came so straight to me that, -had he held his course, he must have jumped on to or over me. But when -little more than the width of the stream separated us--when he was -certainly not more than ten yards from me--he either saw or winded me, and, -without a moment's halt, made a prodigious leap sideways. I fired at him -when he was in the air, and I believe quite six feet above the ground." The -deer, an old buck with a good head, was afterwards picked up dead. In -different parts of America, as far south as Peru and Bolivia, various local -races of this deer are to be found. - -TRUE'S DEER is a small species, not unlike the Virginian deer, found from -South Mexico to Costa Rica. The antlers are "in the form of simple spikes -directed backwards," and the body-colouring is in summer light chestnut, in -winter brownish grey. Little is at present known of this species. - -The MULE-DEER, found in most parts of North America west of the Missouri, -as far south as Southern California, stands about 3 feet 3 inches at the -shoulder, and weighs over 17 stone clean. It carries good antlers, -measuring as much as 30 inches, and in colour is tawny red in summer, -brownish grey in winter. It is a far better sporting animal than the -sneaking white-tailed deer, and affords excellent stalking. These deer are -still abundant in many localities. Mr. Phillipps-Wolley writes thus of them -in "Big Game Shooting": "Some idea of the number of these deer in British -Columbia may be gathered from the fact that in one district I have had a -chance of killing seventeen separate stags in an hour's still hunt, whilst -one settler in the Similkameen country fed his hogs on deer-meat through a -whole winter." Four races of mule-deer--the TYPICAL, the CALIFORNIAN, the -LA PAZ, and the WESTERN DESERT race--have been identified by naturalists. - -The BLACK-TAILED DEER is another well-known cervine of Western North -America, closely allied to the mule-deer, but distinguished from that -species by its inferior size and its much blacker tail. The antlers, as a -rule, run somewhat smaller than in the case of the mule-deer. This, too, is -a very abundant species, affording fairly good sport (considering its -liking for timber and dense bush) and excellent venison. - -In South America are to be found several kinds of marsh-deer, of which the -best known is the handsome MARSH-DEER, having its range from Brazil to the -forest country of the Argentine Republic. Little is known of this and other -South American deer by British sportsmen. The marsh-deer is almost equal in -size to the red deer of Scotland, but somewhat less stout of build; the -colouring is bright chestnut in summer, brown in winter; the coat is long -and coarse, as befits a swamp-loving creature; the antlers usually display -ten points, and measure in fine specimens as much as 23 or 24 inches. - -The PAMPAS-DEER, a species closely allied to the marsh-deer, is of small -size, standing about 2 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The antlers, usually -three-pointed, measure no more than from 12 to 14 inches in fine specimens. -This deer is found from Brazil to Northern Patagonia. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Professor Bumpus_] [_New York._ - -VIRGINIAN DEER. - -This deer is the best-known representative of a species displaying -extraordinary local variation in size and colour.] - -The PERUVIAN and CHILIAN GUEMALS are small deer, found on the high Andes, -and are somewhat inferior in size to the Virginian deer. The males carry -simple antlers forming a single fork, and measuring about 9 inches. The -coat, yellowish brown in hue, is coarse, thick, and brittle. The Chilian -guemal is found also in most parts of Patagonia; unlike its congener of -Peru, which delights in altitudes of from 14,000 to 16,000 feet, its -habitat lies chiefly in deep valleys, thick forest, and even the adjacent -plains, to which it resorts in winter. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the New York Zoological Society._ - -MULE-DEER STAG. - -Shows the large blackish-brown patch on the forehead, so distinctive of the -species.] - -The BROCKETS, of which seven species are found in South and Central America -and Trinidad, are small deer, having spike-like antlers and tufted crowns. -The largest is the RED BROCKET, found in Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay, -which stands 27 inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is brownish red. -Like most of the group, this brocket is extremely shy; although fond of -dense covert, it is found also on open campos. The PYGMY BROCKET, a tiny -dark brown deerlet, less than 19 inches in height, found in Central Brazil, -is the smallest of these very small deer. - -Two other diminutive deer, known as PUDUS, closely allied to the brockets, -are found in South America. These are the CHILIAN and ECUADOR PUDUS, of -which the former is no more than 13½ inches in height, the latter about 14 -or 15 inches. Little is known of the history and life habits of these -charming little creatures, one of which, the Chilian species, has -occasionally been seen in the Zoological Society's Gardens. - - -THE MUSK-DEER. - -This brief account of the deer of the world closes with the MUSK-DEER, -which differ from almost all others of their kind--the Chinese water-deer -being the sole exception--in the absence of antlers. In place of these -defensive and offensive weapons, nature has provided the musk-deer with -long canine tusks, projecting downwards from the upper jaw. The musk, from -which these curious deer take their name, is secreted during the -rutting-season--in the male only--in a pouch or gland contained in the skin -of the stomach. - -The well-known HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER is a stout, heavily made deer for its -size, measuring 20 inches at the shoulder, about 2 inches higher at the -rump, and having a coat of coarse, brittle hair of a dark brown colour. -This musk-deer, which is nowadays by no means common, is found in the -forests of the Himalaya, Tibet, Siberia, and Western China, often at -altitudes of about 8,000 feet. These animals are extraordinary -mountaineers, active, daring, and apparently quite unconscious of or -indifferent to danger. - -Another species, the KANSU MUSK-DEER, found in the province of Kansu, -China, has only been discovered within the last ten years. Concerning this -deer very little is at present known. In general characteristics it -resembles its more familiar congener of the Himalaya. - -A WORD should be said upon the subject of the acclimatisation of various -members of the Deer Tribe in countries which are distant from their native -ground, but in which they are found to thrive and breed, some with greater -and some with less success. It will be seen that several of the -illustrations in this chapter are taken from deer living in natural -conditions at Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bedford. Others were -photographed out of doors in zoological parks or private menageries. There -is a considerable degree of transferability among deer, not only among -those found in temperate or northern regions, but also those which inhabit -the tropical jungles of Southern India. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -YOUNG MARSH-DEER. - -A very elegant South American species. The main colour is a bright -chestnut, with the lower part of the legs black. The insides of the ears -are filled with white hair, looking like silver filigree.] - -The Axis, or Chital Deer of India, is the most striking example. It lives -in the hot jungles, where it is the usual food of the tiger. Yet it has -been transferred to the forests of France and to English parks, and not -only lives, but breeds and increases in numbers. It is kept in this country -mainly at Woburn Abbey, and at Haggerston Castle, in Northumberland. In -France and Germany herds of axis deer have been maintained long enough to -observe a curious and noteworthy incident in acclimatisation. The axis deer -breeds naturally in October, after the Indian rainy season. This habit, if -persisted in in Europe, would expose the fawn to the rigours of the French -or English winter. Gradually and after some time the herds become irregular -in the time of reproduction, and later produce the fawns in June, at the -time which is best suited to their survival. This is a real instance of -acclimatisation. - -The Japanese Deer, or Sika, was introduced into the park at Powerscourt by -Viscount Powerscourt some thirty years ago. Now it is one of the commonest -of recently introduced park-deer both in this country and in France. The -venison is excellent, and the herds are prolific. The stags are small, but -very strong, and at Powerscourt always get the better of the red deer -stags, and sometimes carry off their hinds. Wapiti Deer are kept in several -English parks, but so far the Sambar has proved a failure. Hog-deer and -Chinese Water-deer do very well both in England and France. - -But it is in New Zealand that the best results have been obtained with -imported deer. The English Red Deer, some of which were originally sent out -by the Prince Consort, reinforced by some of the same species bred in -Australia, have become indigenous. They grow far faster and to a larger -size than those on the Scotch moors, and rival the great stags of the -Carpathians. The antlers also increase in size at an abnormal rate. -Licences are regularly issued to stalk and shoot these deer, which, like -the brown trout and the pheasant, are now among the stock of established -wild fauna. Moose and a few Sambar stags and herds have also been turned -out in New Zealand. The latter are said to be doing well. - -There is no particular reason why the deer of cold countries should not be -interchanged; they seem to have the natural adaptability of oxen. But it is -not a little surprising that the species from warm climates should flourish -in damp and cold ones. The axis deer would be a real addition to the fauna -of the great European forests, if it is found that it survives the winter -snows without some form of artificial shelter. No one seems to have -considered the advisability of introducing the mule-deer into the Central -European woods. It is a much finer animal than the fallow buck, and the -venison is excellent. In those woods where fallow deer are preserved in a -wild state, as on many of the German Emperor's sporting-estates, the -mule-deer would be a far more ornamental animal. Few people know what -immense herds of red and fallow deer, as well as of wild boars, still -exist, under careful preservation, in the forests of the great German, -Austrian, and Russian princes, and in the royal forests of their respective -countries. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER. - -The male carries a pouch on the abdomen, from which the musk is obtained. -There are no antlers.] - -When the Kaiser holds his great Court hunting-parties, to which the guests -all come dressed in the uniform of the Order of St. Hubert, as many as 200 -deer are shot in a day. They are driven past the guns by beaters. After the -day's sport is over all the antlers are wreathed with boughs of spruce fir, -and the stags laid out like rabbits after an English battue. - -It is rather surprising that only one species of deer has been entirely -domesticated--viz. the Reindeer. Deer's meat is as highly prized as that of -any other game, perhaps even more so. There is almost no part of the animal -which is not useful. The horns are valuable for knife-handles, and always -command a good price; they were prized even by prehistoric man, who -converted them into pick-axes, and made spear-heads and daggers of them. -The leather of the hide makes the softest and best of all hunting-garments: -the American Indian or trapper always wears, or used to wear, a deer-skin -shirt and deer-skin leggings, made as exquisitely soft as chamois leather -by a process known to the squaws. At the present time all the best gloves -are made of doe-skin; they are far the most costly of any gloves. Doe-skin -breeches are also a luxurious garment to ride in. For ornamental rugs few -skins beat those of the Dappled Deer, laid on the floor of some finely -furnished hall or room. - -Thus we have the curious spectacle of the wild men of the Far North, the -Lapps and Ostiaks, taming and keeping in domestication great herds of deer, -milking them, using them as beasts of draught, and feeding on their flesh, -while far more civilised races in the South have not taken the trouble to -do so. The reason is not easy to surmise, unless it be that the idea of -making use of the Deer Tribe solely as beasts of the chase was so rooted in -the European ruling races, and their kings and nobles, that the -agriculturist never had a chance of trying to tame and use them for other -purposes. It is certain that during the Middle Ages law and custom made any -such attempt quite impossible. The deer were a valuable sporting asset, so -hedged round with an atmosphere of feudal privilege, that to convert them -into something useful to the common people would have been regarded as an -insult to the powers that were. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Neurdein Frères_] [_Paris._ - -THE CAMEL-PLOUGH, USED IN ALGIERS. - -Camels are often used for agricultural purposes in North Africa, Syria, and -India. In this particular case a special kind of plough is employed.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -_THE CAMEL TRIBE AND THE CHEVROTAINS._ - -BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - -The Camels and Llamas, constituting the present group, form a very distinct -section of the great assemblage of animals known as the Ruminants, or -Cud-chewers. The Camel Tribe are peculiar amongst the Ruminants in that -they never possess horns, and in that the stomach is only divided into -three instead of four compartments--this division into compartments being -intimately connected with the ruminating habit. Furthermore, the upper jaw -bears cutting-teeth, or "front teeth," as they are popularly called: though -the full set (three pairs) is only complete in the young, in the adult but -one pair remains, the others being shed. The canine or "eye" teeth are also -peculiar in their position, those of the lower jaw being separated from the -cutting-teeth by a very considerable gap. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -A WHITE CAMEL. - -A light sandy is the common colour, though white, grey, brown, and black -occur; but black camels are held by the Arabs to be worthless.] - -In the structure of the feet the Camel Tribe are no less peculiar; indeed, -it is on this character that the scientific name of the group is founded. -Only two toes are present; these are of equal size, and, instead of being -protected by hoofs, are provided with a hardened skin, covering a -cushion-like pad, which expands when the weight of the body is thrown upon -the foot, as in walking. This is an admirable adaptation for walking on -soft and yielding sands. Hoofs are represented only by a pair of broad -nails. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Knight_] [_Aldershot._ - -ARABIAN CAMEL. - -This individual belongs to the heavy breed employed for carrying -merchandise and baggage.] - -The three-chambered stomach is remarkable because the chamber known as the -"paunch" lodges in its walls a large collection of "water-cells," in which -can be stored as much as a gallon and a half of water. This faculty of -storing water is invaluable to an animal which has often to subsist for -days on absolutely waterless deserts. - -Note the slit-like nostrils in the illustration of the Bactrian Camel on -page 306. These can be closed at the will of the animal, a useful -precaution against the entrance of sand during the violent sand-storms -which often arise in the desert. - -The True Camels are distinguished by the possession of a hump or humps: -there are never more than two. It is in these humps that the camel was -popularly supposed to store water; in reality they are huge masses of fat, -serving as a reserve store of food. The accumulation of fat for this -purpose is a common feature amongst the Mammalia. Most animals which -hibernate, or lay up and sleep during the winter, store up fat; but, except -in the camel, it is distributed more or less evenly over the body. With -hard work or bad feeding the camel's hump dwindles almost to nothing. When -on the eve of a long journey, the Arab looks anxiously to the state of this -hump, for on the size of this depends the animal's condition and ability to -undertake the march. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -A CAMEL. - -A half-breed between the Arabian and Bactrian species.] - -The Arabian camel as a wild animal has long since been extinct. Of the -hordes of so-called wild camels which abound in the desert regions of -Central Asia (Gobi Steppe), some are probably descendants of domesticated -animals which have escaped from captivity, but others may be aboriginally -wild. From the evidence of fossil camels, there seems little doubt that -this animal originated in North America--one branch of the family (the -Llamas) migrating into South America, and the other (the Camels) crossing -Bering Sea into the Old World. - - -THE TRUE CAMEL. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A STRING OF CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID. - -These are the typical desert-camels of the East.] - -Before proceeding further, it may be well to refer to the confusion which -exists in the use of the names Camel and Dromedary. The latter name seems -popularly to be applied to the two-humped species, the name Camel being -reserved for the one with a single hump. This is a mistake. The DROMEDARY -is a swift breed of riding-camel of the one-humped species, and is so -called to distinguish it from its slower brother, the Pack-camel, or -Baggage-camel. The pack-camel, it is interesting to note, has been -introduced into Australia, where it has proved invaluable in crossing the -vast waterless deserts, on account of its power to exist for long periods -without drinking. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -HEAD OF BACTRIAN CAMEL. - -The hair of this species is used to felt into material for tents. It is -longest on the top of the head, neck, humps, and parts of the fore limbs.] - -The TRUE or ARABIAN CAMEL is found in a domesticated state in Africa and -Asia, and, as we have just indicated, belongs to the one-humped species. It -is a long-limbed, short-haired animal, standing as much as 7 feet high. As -a wild animal it is extinct. Much mystery, indeed, surrounds the question -of its origin. It has been suggested that the Arabian camel, or its -immediate parent, may have sprung from an Indian ancestor, and thence made -its way through Arabia and Syria into Northern Africa. - -Not only is the camel indispensable as a beast of burden, but it is -esteemed also for its hair, its flesh, bones, and milk. The hair is woven -into cloth. In some parts of India the bones are used instead of ivory for -inlaid work. The milk is unusually thick and rich, so much so that it -cannot be used for tea or coffee, as it curdles when mixed with either. - -The camel is popularly supposed to be a very docile animal; but those who -speak from experience declare it to be stupid, surly, and vicious to the -last degree. It is, however, not entirely void of understanding, and -apparently cherishes feelings of revenge, as the following story shows: "A -camel, working in an oil-mill, was severely beaten by its driver. -Perceiving that the camel had treasured up the injury, and was only waiting -a favourable opportunity for revenge, he kept a strict watch upon the -animal. Time passed away; the camel, perceiving it was watched, was quiet -and obedient, and the driver began to think the beating was forgotten, when -one night, after the lapse of several months, the man was sleeping on a -raised platform in the mill, whilst the camel, as is customary, was stabled -in a corner. Happening to awake, the driver observed by the bright -moonlight that, when all was quiet, the animal looked cautiously round, -rose softly, and, stealing towards a spot where a bundle of clothes and a -bernous, thrown carelessly on the ground, resembled a sleeping figure, cast -itself with violence upon them, rolling with all its weight, and tearing -them most viciously with its teeth. Satisfied that revenge was complete, -the camel was returning to its corner, when the driver sat up and spoke. At -the sound of his voice, perceiving the mistake it had made, the animal was -so mortified at the failure and discovery of its scheme, that it dashed its -head against the wall and died on the spot." - -It is said that when camels pass a mounted man in a narrow path they will -turn their heads suddenly round and endeavour to inflict a bite on the -rider's arm or shoulder. This is naturally much dreaded, as a camel's bite -is particularly severe. - -Much care has been spent in the breeding of the camel. "In the Sahara -Desert," says Canon Tristram, "the Tourareg is as careful in the selection -of his breeding mahari (a fine race of the dromedary) as the Arab is in -that of his horse. The pedigrees are handed down, and many a dromedary can -boast a genealogy far longer than the descendants of the Darley Arabian" -(page 202). - - -THE BACTRIAN CAMEL. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -AN OLD MALE BACTRIAN CAMEL. - -This animal is a magnificent representative of the two-humped species, so -widely distributed in Central Asia.] - -This species is often called the Dromedary; but, as we have already -remarked, this is an error. The dromedary is a swift breed of the Arabian -camel. The BACTRIAN CAMEL may be distinguished from its Arabian relative by -the fact that it has two humps, is shorter in the leg and heavier, and has -longer hair and stouter and harder feet. The shorter legs are distinctly -advantageous, enabling the animal to get about with ease and safety over -rocky and hilly ground. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Charles Knight_] [_Aldershot._ - -BACTRIAN CAMEL. - -The most useful transport animal of Central Asia.] - -The hordes of wild camels found in Turkestan, in the neighbourhood of -Kashgar, are believed by Major C. S. Cumberland to be descended from camels -which escaped when the district known as Takla Makan was buried in a great -sand-storm 200 years ago. From the fury of that storm it is said no human -being escaped alive. Some camels apparently did, perhaps owing their -survival to the power they possess of closing the nostrils, and thereby -keeping out the sand. - -The Bactrian camel lives upon the salt and bitter plants of the steppes, -which are rejected by almost all other animals. It is further able to drink -brackish water from the salt lakes by which it is surrounded. When pressed -by hunger, it will even eat felt blankets, bones and skins of other -animals, and fish! - - -THE LLAMAS. - -THE LLAMAS are humpless camels, and confined to the western and -southernmost parts of South America. Two wild and two domesticated species -are known. The name Llama, it should be mentioned, properly belongs to the -domesticated animal of that name. - - -THE VICUÑA. - -This is the smaller of the two wild species. Vicuñas live in herds in the -mountain-ranges of Peru, dwelling during the wet season high up amid rocks -and precipices, near the region of perpetual snow. In the dry season they -descend to the higher valleys. Their capture is a matter of great -difficulty; for, apart from the inaccessible nature of their haunts, they -are exceedingly shy and vigilant. They are clothed in a woolly coat of -extremely delicate texture, much in demand for weaving purposes. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -YOUNG BACTRIAN CAMEL. - -The two humps are just beginning to grow.] - -The baby vicuña, it is interesting to note, is able to run swiftly directly -after its birth, and possesses great powers of endurance. This is the more -noteworthy since the young of the camel are exceedingly helpless. - -Vicuñas are hunted by the Indians and captured by driving them into an -enclosure of perhaps half a mile in diameter. This is hung round with bits -of coloured rag, which, fluttering in the wind, appear to deter the -captives from breaking through. - - -THE GUANACO. - -This is larger than the vicuña, and is described as an elegant animal, -being possessed of a long, slender, gracefully curved neck and fine legs. -It ranges from the highlands of the Andes to the plains of Patagonia and -the islands of Tierra del Fuego. As Mr. Darwin points out, the behaviour of -guanaco when alarmed is very contradictory. At one time they will sound the -danger-signal, and put themselves out of harm's way long before the enemy -has perceived them; at another they exhibit the most extraordinary -curiosity, and pay the death-penalty in consequence. "That they are curious -is certain; for if a person lies on the ground and plays strange antics, -such as throwing up his feet in the air, they will almost always approach -by degrees to reconnoitre him. It was an artifice that was repeatedly -practised by our sportsmen with success, and it had, moreover, the -advantage of allowing several shots to be fired, which were all taken as -part of the performance. On the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, I have more -than once seen a guanaco, on being approached, not only neigh and squeal, -but prance and leap about in the most ridiculous manner, apparently in -defiance, as a challenge. These animals are very easily domesticated, and I -have seen some thus kept in Northern Patagonia near a house, though not -under any restraint. They are in this state very bold, and readily attack a -man by striking him from behind with both knees. The wild guanacos, -however, have no idea of defence; even a single dog will secure one of -these large animals till the huntsmen can come up. In many of their habits -they are like sheep in a flock. Thus, when they see men approaching in -several directions on horseback, they soon become bewildered, and know not -which way to run. This greatly facilitates the Indian method of hunting, -for they are thus easily driven to a central point, and are encompassed." - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -GUANACO. - -The wild original of the llama and alpaca.] - -Guanacos readily take to the water, and have been frequently seen swimming -from one island to another. Here again the llamas differ from the camels, -for these can swim but little, if at all. Like the Bactrian camel, the -guanaco can drink salt water with impunity. - -One of the most remarkable traits of the guanaco is that which induces it, -when it feels its end to be near, to seek out the dying-place of the tribe, -and there breathe out its last. "The guanacos," says Mr. Darwin, "appear to -have favourite spots for lying down to die. On the banks of the St. Cruz, -in certain circumscribed places, which were generally bushy and all near -the river, the ground was actually white with bones. On one such spot I -counted between ten and twenty heads.... The animals in most cases must -have crawled, before dying, beneath and amongst the bushes." - - -THE LLAMA. - -This is the first of the two domesticated offshoots of the guanaco, the -other being the Alpaca. The LLAMA is a larger beast than the guanaco, and -variable in colour. The ancient Peruvians bred it as a beast of burden or -for riding, and before the Spanish conquest kept it in enormous numbers. -Soon after the Spanish conquest "it was not uncommon to meet droves of from -300 to 500, or even 1,000 llamas, each laden with silver ingots, and the -whole in charge of a single native.... Only the male llamas were used as -beasts of burden, while the smaller females were kept for their milk and -flesh. In travelling along the roads, the droves marched in single file, -under the guidance of a leader; and such a line would traverse the highest -passes of the Cordillera, and skirt the most stupendous precipices with -perfect safety.... The Spanish conquerors of Peru spoke of llama-flesh as -being fully equal to the best mutton, and they established shops in the -towns for its regular sale. At the time of the conquest it is estimated -that upwards of 300,000 llamas were employed in the transport of the -product of the mines of Potosi alone." - - -THE ALPACA. - -This animal is bred solely for the sake of its wool, which is of great -length and fineness. From it is made the well-known fabric which bears, in -consequence, the name "alpaca." - -The alpaca is kept in herds on the high grounds of Bolivia and South Peru, -whence it is annually driven down to be sheared. The Incas dyed the -wool--which is of two qualities, a fine and a coarse--with bright colours, -and made it up into cloth or blankets, as the occasion served. - -[Illustration: _Photo by the Duchess of Bedford_] [_Woburn Abbey._ - -LLAMAS. - -Largely used as beasts of burden in Peru, where these and the alpaca were -formerly the only domesticated ruminants.] - -The earliest account of this animal is by Augustin de Zarate, the -Treasurer-General of Peru in 1544. He speaks of the beast as a sheep; but -since he describes it as camel-like in shape, though devoid of a hump, -there can be no doubt that it is the llama he is describing. He says: "In -places where there is no snow the natives want water, and to supply this -they fill the skins of sheep with water, and make other living sheep carry -them; for, it must be remarked, these sheep of Peru are large enough to -serve as beasts of burden. They can carry about 100 lbs. or more, and the -Spaniards used to ride them, and they would go four or five leagues a day. -When they are weary, they lie down on the ground; and as there are no means -of making them get up, either by beating or assisting them, the load must -of necessity be taken off. When there is a man on one of them, if the beast -be tired and urged to go on, he turns his head round and discharges his -saliva, which has an unpleasant odour, into the rider's face. These animals -are of great use and profit to their masters, for their wool is very good -and fine ... and the expense of their food is trifling, as a handful of -maize suffices them, and they can go four or five days without water. Their -flesh is as good as that of the fat sheep of Castile. There are now public -shambles for the sale of their flesh in all parts of Peru, which was not -the case when the Spaniards came first." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck._ - -LLAMA. - -The larger of the two domesticated forms descended from the guanaco.] - -The particularly offensive habit of spitting in the face of people who may -be obnoxious to it is well known to those who are in the habit of seeing -much of this animal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -ALPACA. - -A domesticated form, bred solely for its wool, which is of a dark brown or -black colour.] - - -THE CHEVROTAINS. - -Mention must be made, before passing to the Pig Tribe, of the smallest of -hoofed mammals, the Royal Antelope excepted--the CHEVROTAINS. These little -animals are hornless, and intermediate in character between the Deer, -Camels, and Pigs. The males have large canine teeth, like those of the -Musk-deer, with which the Chevrotains have long been confounded. The range -of these animals, of which there are five species known, extends from India -and Ceylon, through the Malayan countries, as far east as the island of -Palawan, in the Philippine group. One species, the largest of the group, -occurs on the west coast of Africa. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -_THE PIG AND HIPPOPOTAMUS._ - ----- - -THE PIG TRIBE. - -BY H. A. BRYDEN. - -Many species and varieties of swine are found in different parts of the -world, most of them exhibiting strong traces of a general family -resemblance, although widely sundered as to habitats and often markedly -differing in outward appearance. All are omnivorous; all have the stomach -simpler in type than in the Ruminants; and all have front or incisor teeth -in the upper jaw. The two great families of swine proper are the Pigs and -Peccaries. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -A DOMESTICATED SOW AND HER PROGENY. - -The absence of stripes and spots on the young is a feature in which they -differ from those of nearly all wild swine.] - -There has been much discussion among scientists as to the early origin of -the various breeds of domestic swine found in different parts of the world. -There can be little doubt that, although selective breeding has produced -extraordinary differences in outward appearance, even among the domestic -pigs of our own islands, the origin of the numerous tame races is to be -sought in the ancestry of the wild breeds of the countries in which they -are found. Darwin has some very apposite remarks on the differences to be -observed in domesticated swine. "The peculiar form of the skull and body in -the most highly cultivated races is," he observes, "not characteristic of -any one race, but is common to all when improved up to the same standard. -Thus the large-bodied, long-eared English breed, with a convex back, and -the small-bodied, short-eared Chinese breeds, with a concave back, when -bred to the same state of perfection, nearly resemble each other in the -form of the head and body. This result, it appears, is partly due to -similar causes of change acting on the several races, and partly to man -breeding the pig for one sole purpose--namely, for the greatest amount of -flesh and fat; so that selection has always tended towards one and the same -end. With most domestic animals the result of selection has been divergence -of character; here it has been convergence." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz_] [_Berlin._ - -WILD BOAR. - -In its long, bristly hair and powerful lower tusks, the wild boar is a very -different animal from its domesticated descendants.] - - -THE TRUE PIGS. - -True pigs are found only in the Old World, and even there in very widely -different forms. Typical of these quadrupeds is the well-known WILD BOAR, -found abundantly in many parts of Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and -Central Asia. In the British Islands the wild boar must once have been -extraordinarily plentiful, especially in Ireland, where its tame -descendants still so greatly flourish. In the days of the Plantagenets wild -swine fed and sheltered in the woodlands close to London. James I. hunted -them near Windsor in 1617, and even down to the year 1683 these animals -still had their haunts in the more secluded parts of England. Although now -extinct in these Islands, the wild boar is to be found plentifully at the -present day in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Spain, Greece, -Albania, and other countries of the Mediterranean. In most parts of Europe -the wild boar is shot during forest drives, but in the Caucasus and round -the Black Sea the hardy peasants lie in wait for these animals by the -fruit-trees on autumn nights or waylay them going to the water and shoot -them single-handed. Many an old Cossack, writes Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley, -bears the scars of some desperate encounter with these formidable foes. In -Spain, where in the old days the boar was pursued by cavaliers with spear -and pike, it is still, in the forests of Estremadura, followed with horse -and hound, usually, says Mr. Abel Chapman, "during the stillness of a -moonlight night, when the acorns are falling from the oaks in the -magnificent Estremenian woods." - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. Turner-Turner, Esq._ - -DIVING-PIGS. - -Half-wild pigs, found in Florida, where they live on refuse fish. (See next -page)] - -In India the wild boar of Europe and North Africa is replaced by a closely -allied species (distinguished by a crest of long black bristles upon the -neck and back), which furnishes some of the finest and most exciting sport -in the world to mounted hunters armed with a sharp spear. There is not a -pluckier or more fearless beast living than the boar; and as he carries -long and extremely sharp tusks, and never scruples to use them, he is an -exceedingly dangerous opponent when wounded and enraged. Severe and even -fatal accidents have happened in the pursuit of this determined beast of -chase. When at bay, the boar is absolutely reckless of life; and although -pierced and mortally wounded by the spear, will yet force himself up the -shaft, and with his dying effort inflict gaping wounds on the horse bearing -his attacker. Indian shikaris, to illustrate the courage of the wild boar, -say that he has the hardihood to drink at a river between two tigers; and -Colonel R. Heber Percy mentions, in the Badminton volumes on "Big Game -Shooting," that "several cases are on record in which an old boar has -beaten off a tiger, and some in which the latter has been killed by a boar. -The boar's extraordinary activity and sharp tusks make him no mean -adversary, and his short neck makes it difficult for a tiger to seize it -and give it that fatal wrench with which he likes to polish off his -victims." A wild boar will stand as much as 3 feet at the shoulder--some -sportsmen affirm considerably more--and weigh more than 300 lbs. The finest -boar's tusk known is one mentioned in Rowland Ward's "Records of Big Game." -This measures 11½ inches over the curve. It came from the Caucasus, and is -in the possession of Colonel Veernhof. - -It is worthy of note that, while the full-grown individuals of the various -species of wild swine are uniformly coloured, their young are -longitudinally striped and spotted. In India, besides the common boar, a -tiny wild swine, known as the PYGMY HOG, is found in the Bhutan Terai and -the forests of Nepal and Sikhim. This pig, which is little bigger than a -fox-terrier, runs in considerable troops, or sounders, and is said to -attack intruders into its domain much in the same fearless way in which the -peccary of America defends its sanctuaries. The height of this diminutive -species is given as from 8 to 10 inches--the weight at 10 lbs. - -Wild swine are nocturnal in their habits, frequenting moist and marshy -country, loving the shade of forests, and making their lairs in tall grass, -reed-beds, and similar covert. They go far afield for their food-supplies, -and do a great deal of damage to crops in cultivated districts. The -European wild sow produces from six to ten young, and at least two litters -are usually brought forth in the year. - -It is remarkable how quickly pigs, as well as other domesticated animals, -revert to a semi-feral state of existence, and develop habits suited to a -fresh environment. Mr. J. Turner-Turner sends us the following interesting -note in connection with this trait: "DIVING-PIGS.--These pigs live in an -almost wild condition on certain of the islands off Florida, and subsist -chiefly upon the refuse fish cast away by the netsmen. To obtain this, the -pigs dive under water, walking on the land at a depth of 5 feet below the -surface." - -Among other Asiatic wild swine are to be mentioned the COLLARED PIG, found -in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo; the WHITE-WHISKERED JAPANESE PIG; the PAPUAN -and FORMOSAN PIGS; the WARTY PIG of Java and Borneo; the CERAM PIG; the -CELEBES PIG; and the BEARDED PIG of Borneo, a species distinguished by a -quantity of long hair carried upon the cheeks. In the Andaman Islands a -small, shaggy wild pig, standing about 20 inches at the shoulder, is found -in the forests. Although distinguished from the well-known wild boar of -India by certain peculiarities, there is a strong family resemblance to -that well-known species in most of these various Asiatic species and races. - -Among the many kinds of domesticated swine found in Asia, perhaps the -strangest and most curious is the JAPANESE MASKED PIG. This animal is -described by Darwin as having "an extraordinary appearance, from its short -head, broad forehead and nose, great fleshy ears, and deeply furrowed skin. -Not only is the face furrowed, but thick folds of skin, which are harder -than the other parts, almost like the plates on the Indian rhinoceros, hang -about the shoulders and rump. It is coloured black, with white feet, and -breeds true. That it has long been domesticated there can be little doubt; -and this might have been inferred even from the circumstance that its young -are not longitudinally striped." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green._ - -JAVAN WILD PIG. - -One of several nearly allied species inhabiting the Malay Islands.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co_.] [_Parson's Green_. - -MALE AND FEMALE BABIRUSA. - -The chief characteristic of this pig is the peculiar and enormous -development of the tusks in the male, the upper pair of which grow through -the lips and curve backwards.] - -In Africa, besides the European wild boar, which there extends its range to -Algeria and Morocco, a little-known wild pig is the SENAAR BOAR, found in -Senaar, Kordofan, and the Soudan region. In the late Dr. Gray's "Catalogue -of Carnivora" this wild pig is described as having the fur dense and -bristly, and being in colour dull olive-black, varied with yellow. Possibly -this little known swine may prove to be merely a sub-species of the common -wild boar of Europe and North Africa. Now that the Soudan regions have once -more been opened up to Europeans, we may expect shortly to hear more of -this wild swine, as well as of other rare and interesting animals. - -Still dealing with the true pigs, we come now to the Bush-pigs of Africa -and Madagascar. These differ somewhat from the typical wild boars of Europe -and India in the structure of the teeth, the long pencilled ear-tufts, the -elongated snout, and other characteristics. The tusks are considerably -smaller, and seldom exceed 6 or 7 inches in length. The RED RIVER-HOG, or -WEST AFRICAN BUSH-PIG, is decidedly the most striking of this group. -Smaller than the bush-pig of South Africa, and seldom exceeding 2 feet in -height at the shoulder, the colour of this animal is a brilliant reddish -brown, with tints of yellow. Noticeable streaks of white are found round -the eyes and on the cheeks. The ear-tufts, forehead, and limbs are -blackish; more white markings are seen at the tips of the ear-tufts, along -the thick mane, and round the margins of the ears. The under-parts are -whitish grey in colour. This very handsome pig runs in considerable herds, -and is found chiefly in forest and jungle near the banks of the various -rivers in West Africa. Its range extends from Angola to Senegambia, and -eastwards into the continent as far as Monbuttu. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Miss E. J. Beck_. - -WART-HOG. - -Shows the great size of the head in proportion to the body.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co_.] [_Parson's Green_. - -ÆLIAN'S WART-HOG. - -Displays the broad muzzle and huge tusks, which are nearly as large in the -sows as in the boars.] - -The well-known BUSH-PIG OF SOUTH AFRICA, the BOSCH-VARK of the Boers, is a -fine species, having a wide range over much of the southern and -south-eastern parts of the continent, extending as far north as Central -Africa. In the Eastern Transvaal and Swaziland these animals attain their -greatest size, an adult boar standing from 2 feet 4 inches to 2 feet 7 -inches in height, and weighing as much as from 150 to 170 lbs. The usual -colour is brownish red, the face and mane greyish; but in different -specimens and at different ages great variations are to be noticed. Pale -greyish brown or mottled brown are colours often to be found. These -bush-pigs are formidable-looking creatures, with thick bristling manes, -small deep-set eyes, and sharp if somewhat short tusks, which they know -well how to use. Among the old-fashioned Boers cured hams from these -animals were, when they were more plentiful in Cape Colony, often to be -found in up-country farmhouses. The bosch-vark is a beast of shy, nocturnal -habit, and, loving as it does the shade and protection of dense covert and -bush, is, unless carefully sought for, not often seen by sportsmen. The -herds range usually from half a dozen to as many as twenty in number. When -once encountered and set up at bay, this wild swine will be found a most -tough and courageous adversary, capable and willing to defend itself -stoutly against all foes. "They are," says Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby, who has -had much experience in hunting these animals, "expert swimmers and swift of -foot, and can get over the roughest ground at a great pace. There is no -pluckier beast in Africa than a bush-pig, and even a leopard will hesitate -before attacking a full-grown boar. Like all wild creatures, they have an -instinctive dread of man, and will always make their escape from him if -possible; but if surrounded or wounded and brought to bay, they appear to -accept the situation with stolid imperturbability, and die fighting with -rare pluck, against all odds, grim and silent to the last.... Face to face -in the middle of a 'fast' bush, and only a Swazi 'stabbing-assegai' with -which to kill him, ... I have seen an old boar, after receiving nine -thrusts from those terrible weapons, two of which were still fast in him, -make a charge that scattered us like chaff, and in three consecutive lunges -lame one of our number for life, and disembowel two of the finest -'pig-dogs' I ever hunted with. In such encounters a boar inflicts terrible -wounds with his teeth, as well as with his tusks." Few men care to face a -wart-hog on foot. - -Another bush-pig is found in Madagascar, and is known as EDWARDS' BUSH-PIG. -Its habits are very similar to those of its brethren in the neighbouring -continent of Africa. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co_.] [_Parson's Green_. - -HEAD OF MALE WART-HOG. - -Profile showing the large conical warty growths on the side of the face so -characteristic of these animals.] - - -THE BABIRUSA. - -Quitting the true pigs, we come now to perhaps the very strangest and most -singular of all the great tribe of swine. This is the Babirusa, that -curious and grotesque creature found in the island of Celebes, in the Malay -Archipelago. The name Babirusa signifies "pig-deer." It is of course a -misnomer, and the animal has no kinship whatever with the cervine race. The -babirusa is a wild swine, having a dark slate-grey skin, very sparsely -covered with hair along the ridge of the spine. This skin is very -extraordinarily wrinkled. The ears are much smaller than is the case with -other members of the swine group, while the tail is short, straight, and -lacks any semblance of tuft. The females have small tusks. In the boars the -tusks are most singularly and abnormally developed. From the upper jaw, -instead of curving from the side of the lips, the tusks grow from the -centre of the muzzle, penetrate right through the skin, and curve backwards -often till they touch the forehead. The lower tusks have also a strong -curve, but are not so long as those of the upper jaw. Although thus -superabundantly provided with tushes, the babirusa is, as regards the rest -of its teeth, less well off, having only thirty-four, as against the -forty-four of the European wild boar. In their habits these singular pigs -much resemble other wild swine, going in herds and frequenting forest, -jungle, and the banks of rivers. They are excellent swimmers. The young -are, unlike other wild swine in the infant state, unstriped. These animals -are often found domesticated about the dwellings of native chiefs in -Celebes. The weight of a good male is as much as 128 lbs.; height at -shoulder, 27½ inches. The longest tusk recorded measures 17 inches over the -curve. These animals are driven into nets and speared by the natives of -Celebes, and afford excellent sport, the boars especially charging -viciously at their assailants. - - -THE WART-HOGS. - -If the babirusa of the Malay Archipelago is a sufficiently bizarre-looking -creature, the wart-hog of Africa yields to none of the wild pigs in sheer, -downright hideousness of aspect. THE WART-HOG OF SOUTH AFRICA, the -VLAKTE-VARK (Pig of the Plains) of the Boers, has long been familiar to -hunters and naturalists. Standing some 30 inches in height, this wild swine -is distinguished by the disproportionate size of the head, extreme length, -breadth, and flatness of the front of the face and muzzle, smallish ears, -huge tusks, and the strange wart-like protuberances from which it takes its -name. Three of these wen-like growths are found on each side of the face. -The tusks of the upper jaw, unlike the teeth of the true pigs, are much -larger than those protruding from the lower jaw. The lower tusks seldom -exceed 6 inches in length; those of the upper jaw occasionally reach as -much as 20 inches over the curve. A pair from North-east Africa (Annesley -Bay, on the Abyssinian littoral) measure respectively 27 and 26 -inches--truly gigantic trophies. The skin of this wild hog is nearly naked, -except upon the neck and back, where a long, coarse main of dark bristly -hair is to be observed. Wart-hogs, as their Dutch name implies, in the days -when game was plentiful, were often found in open country, on the broad -grass-plains and karroos. At the present day they are less often seen in -the open. They run in small family parties, usually two or three sows and -their litters. The old boars, throughout a great part of the year, prefer a -more solitary existence. These animals, when pursued, usually betake -themselves to an open earth, not of their own making, and, slewing round -sharply just as they enter, make their way in hind end first. They afford -no great sport to the hunter, and are usually secured with a rifle-bullet. -The flesh is fairly good eating, especially that of a young and tender -specimen. Speaking generally, wart-hogs are nothing like such fierce and -determined opponents as the wild boars of Europe and India, or even the -bush-pig. They will, however, charge occasionally, and have been known to -attack and rip up a horse. A northern species--ÆLIAN'S WART-HOG--is found -in Abyssinia, Somaliland, and other parts of East Africa, where--especially -in Abyssinia--it roams the mountains and their vicinity, occasionally to a -height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet. There is little difference between this and -the southern form. Wart-hogs produce usually three or four young, and the -sow makes her litter in a disused burrow. Unlike those of the majority of -wild swine, the young of the wart-hog are uniformly coloured, having no -white stripes or spots. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. P. Dando_] [_Regent's Park._ - -COLLARED PECCARY. - -Peccaries are the New World representatives of the Swine, and are -characterised by a large gland on the back.] - - -THE PECCARIES. - -Peculiar to the American Continent, the PECCARIES differ considerably from -the wild swine of the Old World. They are of small size; the dentition is -not the same, the stomach is more complicated in structure, and the hind -feet have three instead of four toes. In general appearance peccaries are -not unlike small dark-coloured pig, well covered with bristles, and having, -as well as a prominent mane, a deep fringe of hair beneath the throat. They -are essentially forest-loving animals, roaming over large tracts of country -and making considerable migrations in search of food. Two species have been -distinctly identified by naturalists--the COLLARED PECCARY, and the -WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY. Of these, the former species is found from Texas, in -North America, as far south as the Rio Negro, in Patagonia. The habitat of -the white-lipped peccary is more circumscribed, and the animal is seldom -found except in that part of South and Central America lying between -British Honduras and Paraguay. No members of the Pig Family are fiercer or -more tenacious of their sanctuaries than the white-lipped peccary, which -roams the dense forests of Brazil and Paraguay in large herds. A human -being, attacked and surrounded by a herd of these savage little creatures, -would indeed stand but a poor chance of his life, and many a hunter and -traveller has been compelled to seek refuge in a tree and sustain some -hours of siege. Of the two species, the white-lipped peccary is somewhat -the larger, standing from 15 to 17½ inches in height. The collared peccary -averages from 13½ to 15½ inches. The flesh of these wild swine is not in -much repute, and unless the back-gland is at once cut out a freshly killed -specimen will become quickly spoiled as a human food-supply. Young -peccaries appear to be easily tamed, fierce as is their nature in the wild -state. In contrast with the abundant litters of other pigs, wild and -domesticated, only one offspring is ordinarily produced at birth. In -fighting, the peccary does not rip like the wild boar, but inflicts savage -and severe bites. - -"Untrained dogs," says President Roosevelt, "even those of a large size, -will speedily be killed by a single peccary, and if they venture to attack -a herd will be literally torn into shreds. A big trained dog, however, can, -single-handed, kill a peccary, and I have known the feat performed several -times." - -Azara, the eminent Spanish naturalist of the end of the eighteenth century, -had considerable experience of the peccaries of Central and Southern -America, where the Indians are much addicted to taming wild animals, and -keep both the peccary and the tapir in a state of semi-domestication. The -peccary he found to be domesticated more easily than might be expected. -Though so fierce in its wild state, it soon becomes troublesome from its -familiarity. - -Mr. Schomburgk, the explorer of Central America, whose travels were so -constantly quoted during the Venezuelan arbitration, saw much of the -white-lipped species in the forests. He found the animals in large troops -under the leadership of an old boar. When attacked, they were ready to -surround man, dog, or jaguar; and if there were no means of escape, the -enemy was certain to be cut to pieces. He himself had a narrow escape from -an infuriated herd, the leader of which he shot in the act of rushing at -him. As the herd approached the sound was like that of a whirlwind through -the bushes. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -A YOUNG COLLARED PECCARY. - -In this specimen the white collar from which the species takes its name is -very clearly displayed.] - - -THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. - -BY F. C. SELOUS. - -Two species of the Hippopotamus Family exist on the earth to-day, both of -which are inhabitants of Africa, and are not found in any other country; -but the remains of many extinct forms of this genus which have been -discovered in various parts of Europe and Asia show that in Pleistocene and -Pliocene times these strange and uncouth animals must have been widely -distributed throughout the greater part of the Old World. The fossil -remains of the large form of hippopotamus which once frequented the lakes -and rivers of England and Western Europe cannot be distinguished from the -bones of the common African species of to-day, which latter is possibly the -only animal in the world which has undergone no change in form or structure -since the prehistoric savages of the Thames Valley threw stone-headed -spears at their enemies. - -The COMMON HIPPOPOTAMUS, though it has long been banished from the Lower -Nile, and has more recently been practically exterminated in the British -colonies south of the Limpopo, was once an inhabitant of every lake and -river throughout the entire African Continent from the delta of the Nile to -the neighbourhood of Cape Town. Now it is not found below Khartum, on the -Nile; but in Southern Africa a few hippopotamuses are said still to exist -in the lower reaches of the Orange River. When Van Riebeck first landed at -the Cape, in 1652, he found some of these animals in the swamp now occupied -by Church Square, in the centre of Cape Town, and the last in the district -was only killed in the Berg River, about seventy miles north of that city, -as recently as 1874. This animal, which had been protected for some years, -was at last shot, as it had become very savage, and was in the habit of -attacking any one who approached it. In my own experience I have met with -the hippopotamus in all the large rivers of Africa where I have travelled, -such as the Zambesi, Kafukwe, Chobi, Sabi, Limpopo, and Usutu, and also in -most of the many large streams which take their rise on the plateau of -Matabililand and Mashonaland, and flow north, south, and east into the -Zambesi, the Limpopo, or the Sabi. I have also seen them in the sea, at the -mouth of the Quillimani River, and have heard from natives that they will -travel by sea from the mouth of one river to another. - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck, Hamburg._ - -A THREE-YEAR-OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS. - -In this specimen the great lower tusks are not yet developed.] - -Hippopotamuses live either in families of a few individuals or in herds -that may number from twenty to thirty members. Old bulls are often met with -alone, and cows when about to calve will sometimes leave their companions -and live for a time in seclusion, returning, however, to the herd soon -after the birth of their calves. Although, owing to the shortness of its -legs, a hippopotamus bull does not stand very high at the shoulder--about 4 -feet 8 inches being the average height--yet its body is of enormous bulk. A -male which died some years ago in the Zoological Gardens of London measured -12 feet in length from the nose to the root of the tail, and weighed 4 -tons; and these dimensions are probably often exceeded in a wild state. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan_] [_Highbury._ - -HIPPOPOTAMUS DRINKING. - -The enormous breadth of the muzzle, as well as the small nostrils, which -can be closed at will, are clearly displayed in this posture.] - -The huge mouth of the hippopotamus (see Coloured Plate), which the animal -is fond of opening to its widest extent, is furnished with very large -canine and incisor teeth, which are kept sharp by constantly grinding one -against another, and thus enable their possessor to rapidly cut down great -quantities of the coarse grass and reeds upon which these animals -exclusively feed when living in uninhabited countries. When, however, their -haunts are in the neighbourhood of native villages, they often commit great -havoc in the corn-fields of the inhabitants, trampling down as much as they -eat; and it was their fondness for sugar-cane which brought about the -destruction of the last herd of hippopotamuses surviving in Natal. - -The lower canine teeth or tusks of the hippopotamus grow to a great size, -and in bulls may weigh from 4 lbs. to 7 lbs. each. They are curved in -shape, and when extracted from the jaw form a complete half-circle, and -have been known to measure upwards of 30 inches over the curve. In life, -however, not more than a third of their length protrudes beyond the gums. - -During the daytime hippopotamuses are seldom met with out of the water. -They lie and doze all day long in the deep pools of the rivers they -frequent, with only their eyes, ears, and nostrils above the surface, or -else bask in the sun on the tail of a sandbank, looking like so many -gigantic pigs with their bodies only partially submerged. Sometimes they -will lie and sleep entirely out of water amongst reeds. I have seen them -feeding in the reed-beds of the great swamps of the Chobi just at sundown, -but as a rule, they do not leave the water until after dark. At night they -often wander far afield, especially in the rainy season, in search of -suitable food; and after having been fired at and frightened, I have known -a herd of hippopotamuses to travel at least five-and-twenty miles along the -course of a river during the ensuing night, in order to reach a larger and -deeper pool than the one in which they had been molested. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Lord Delamere_] [_Northwich._ - -HIPPOPOTAMUSES BATHING. - -A hippopotamus stays under water for about 2½ minutes at a time, and then -just shows part of its head above water while it draws a fresh breath.] - -Although the hippopotamus is thoroughly at home in the hottest parts of -Africa, and appears to thrive in the tepid waters of all the rivers which -flow through the malarious coast regions of the tropical portions of that -continent, it is also found at a considerable altitude above the sea, and -in quite small streams where the temperature of the water during the winter -months cannot be many degrees above freezing-point. I have personally met -with hippopotamuses in the Manyami River, not far from the present town of -Salisbury, in Mashonaland. The country there has an altitude of about 5,000 -feet above sea-level; and the water was so cold on the last occasion on -which I came across the animals in question--July, 1887--that, if a -basinful was left out during the night, ice quite an eighth of an inch in -thickness would be formed over it before morning. There was, however, never -any ice on the river itself. During the rainy season, when the grass and -reeds are green and succulent, hippopotamuses become enormously fat, -especially in the higher and colder portions of their range, and retain a -good deal of their fat right through the driest season of the year. Old -bulls are usually very lean; but I have seen cows the greater part of whose -carcases, after the skin had been stripped off, was covered with a layer of -fat from 1 inch to 2 inches in thickness. The meat of these animals is dark -red in colour, and more like beef than pork. To my mind, that of a young -animal is most excellent in flavour, and far preferable to that of a lean -antelope. The fat, when prepared, is as good as the best lard, from which, -indeed, it is hardly distinguishable. The skin of the hippopotamus is -smooth and hairless, and in adult animals quite 1½ inch in thickness on the -upper parts of the body. - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. W. McLellan, Highbury._ - -A HIPPOPOTAMUS GAPING. - -The position of the animal displays the enormous capacity, and likewise the -powerful lower tusks; the shortness of the limbs is also well exhibited.] - -[Illustration: _By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck_] [_Hamburg._ - -BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, AGED SIX MONTHS. - -The flesh of a young hippopotamus is said to have an excellent flavour. -Natives often follow shooting expeditions in order to secure some of its -meat.] - -Hippopotamuses are said to be capable of remaining under water for ten or -twelve minutes. Should, however, a herd of these animals be watched but not -fired at from the bank of a river in which they are passing the day, they -will all sink below the surface of the water as soon as they become aware -of and more or less alarmed by the presence of the intruder, but each -member of the herd will come up to breathe at intervals of from one to two -minutes. I have seen hippopotamuses so tame and unsuspicious of danger that -they allowed me--the first human being probably with any kind of hat or -clothes on him that they had ever seen--to take up a position within fifty -yards of them on the edge of the deep rock-bound pool in which they were -resting without showing any signs of alarm. They simply stared at me in an -inquisitive sort of way, raising their heads higher out of the water, and -constantly twitching their little rounded ears; and it was not until a -number of natives came up and began to talk loudly that they took alarm, -and, sinking out of sight, retreated to the farther end of the pool. I once -took the length of time with my watch for more than an hour that a -hippopotamus which I was trying to shoot remained under water. This animal, -a cow with a new-born calf, had made an attack upon one of my canoes. It -first came up under the canoe, tilting one end of it into the air and -almost filling it with water. Then it made a rush at the half-swamped -craft, and, laying its huge head over it, pressed it down under the water -and sank it. There were four natives in the canoe at the time of the -attack, all of whom swam safely to an island in the river--the Zambesi. -After the accident--which caused me a good deal of loss and -inconvenience--I tried to shoot this unprovoked aggressor, but -unsuccessfully, as the river was too broad to allow me to get anything but -a long shot at her. The shortest time she remained under water during the -seventy minutes I was paying attention to her was forty seconds, and the -longest four minutes and twenty seconds--the usual time being from two to -two and a half minutes. She always remained a long time under water after -having been fired at. - -The capsizing of canoes by these animals is quite a common occurrence on -most African rivers, and the great pains the natives will take in certain -districts to give these animals a wide berth seem to prove that they have -good reason to dread them. Solitary bulls and cows with young calves are -the most feared. Such animals will sometimes, I have been assured by the -natives, tear out the side of a canoe with their teeth, and even crunch up -some of its occupants whilst they are trying to save themselves by -swimming. Sipopo, a chief of the Barotse tribe, who was deposed by his -nephew Mona Wena in 1876, was said to have been attacked and killed by a -hippopotamus whilst lying wounded amongst the reeds on the southern bank of -the Zambesi, but I cannot vouch for the truth of the story. - -Bull hippopotamuses must be rather quarrelsome, as I have shot several -whose hides were deeply scored with wounds, no doubt inflicted by the tusks -of their rivals. Once I killed a hippopotamus in a shallow lagoon amongst -the swamps of the Chobi, whose enormously thick hide had been literally cut -to pieces from head to tail. The entire body of this animal was covered -with deep white scores, and we were unable to cut a single sjambok from its -skin. We found, on examination, that this poor beast had been wounded by -natives, and then in its distress most cruelly set upon by its fellows, and -finally expelled from their society. It was in the last stage of -emaciation, and a bullet through the brain must have been a welcome relief. -On another occasion a hippopotamus bull, which I had wounded in the nose, -became so furious that it dived down and attacked one of its fellows which -had already been killed and was lying dead at the bottom of the pool. -Seizing this latter animal by the hind leg, it brought it to the surface of -the water with such a furious rush that not only half the body of the dead -animal it had attacked was exposed, but the whole of its own head and -shoulders came above the water. A bullet through the brain killed it -instantly, and it sank to the bottom of the pool, still holding its -companion's hind leg fast in its jaws. - -[Illustration: DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS--NO. I. - -This and the next two photographs probably constitute the most remarkable -series of animal photographs ever seen. No 1 shows a hippopotamus about to -be trapped, preparatory to having its teeth attended to.] - -When a hippopotamus is killed in the water, the carcase sinks to the -bottom, and in the cold water of the rivers of Mashonaland will not rise to -the surface till six hours after death. In the warmer water of the Lower -Zambesi a dead hippopotamus will come up in about half that time. When it -rises, the carcase comes up like a submerged cork, with a rush as it were, -and then settles down, only a small piece of the side showing above the -surface. As decomposition sets in, it becomes more and more swollen, and -shows higher and higher above the water. When the body of a dead -hippopotamus has been taken by the wind or current to the wrong side of a -river, I have often climbed on to it and paddled it with a stout stick -right across the river to a spot nearer camp. A dead hippopotamus is not -the easiest or the pleasantest thing to sit on in deep water with -crocodiles about, especially in a wind, as it is very much like sitting on -a floating barrel, and unless the balance is exactly maintained one is -bound to roll off. - -[Illustration: DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS--NO. II. - -This shows the process of filing one of the lower tusks.] - -[Illustration: DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS--NO. III. - -Sawing off one of the lower tusks.] - -Although it is often necessary for an African traveller to shoot one or -more of them in order to obtain a supply of meat for his native followers, -there is not much sport attached to the killing of these animals. The -modern small-bore rifles, with their low trajectory and great penetration, -render their destruction very easy when they are encountered in small lakes -or narrow rivers, though in larger sheets of water, where they must be -approached and shot from rickety canoes, it is by no means a simple matter -to kill hippopotamuses, especially after they have grown shy and wary -through persecution. As these animals are almost invariably killed by -Europeans in the daytime, and are therefore encountered in the water, they -are usually shot through the brain as they raise their heads above the -surface to breathe. By the natives hippopotamuses are killed in various -ways. They are sometimes attacked first with harpoons, to which long lines -are attached, with a float at the end to mark the position of the wounded -animal, and then followed up in canoes and finally speared to death. -Sometimes they are caught in huge pitfalls, or killed by the fall of a -spear-head fixed in a heavy block of wood, which is released from its -position when a line, attached to the weight and then pegged across a -hippopotamus's path a few inches above the ground, is suddenly pulled by -the feet of one of these animals striking against it. A friend of mine once -had a horse killed under him by a similar trap set for buffaloes. His -horse's feet struck the line attached to the heavily weighted spear-head, -and down it came, just missing his head and entering his horse's back close -behind the saddle. Where the natives have guns--mostly old muzzle-loading -weapons of large bore--they often shoot hippopotamuses at close quarters -when they are feeding at night. The most destructive native method, -however, of killing these monsters with which I am acquainted is one which -used to be practised by the natives of Northern Mashonaland--namely, -fencing in a herd of these animals and starving them to death. As there is -a very rapid fall in the country through which all the rivers run to the -Zambesi from the northern slope of Mashonaland, these streams consist of a -series of deep, still pools (called "sea-cow holes" by the old hunters), -from a hundred yards to more than a mile in length, connected with one -another by shallow, swift-flowing water, often running in several small -streams over the bed of the river. A herd of hippopotamuses having been -found resting for the day in one of the smaller pools, all the natives in -the district, men, women, and children, would collect and build strong -fences across the shallows at each end. At night large fires would be kept -blazing all round the pool and tom-toms beaten incessantly, in order to -prevent the imprisoned animals from escaping. Day after day the fences -would be strengthened, and platforms sometimes built to command naturally -weak places, and from these points of vantage the poor animals were speared -when in their desperation they tried to leave the pool. Gradually the whole -herd would be speared or starved to death. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES. - -Exhibits a very characteristic attitude of the animal.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -A HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY--FATHER, MOTHER, AND YOUNG. - -Hippopotamuses are very sociable animals, and are often to be met with in -large herds.] - -Once, in August, 1880, I came upon a native tribe engaged in starving to -death a herd of hippopotamuses in a pool of the Umniati River, in Northern -Mashonaland. When I came on the scene, there were ten hippopotamuses still -alive in the pool. Eight of these appeared to be standing on a sandbank in -the middle of the river, as more than half their bodies were above the -water. They were all huddled up together, their heads resting on each -other's bodies. Two others were swimming about, each with a heavily shafted -assegai sticking in its back. Besides these ten still living hippopotamuses -two dead ones were being cut up on the side of the pool, and many more must -already have been killed, as all round the pool festoons of meat were -hanging on poles to dry, and a large number of natives had been living for -some time on nothing but hippopotamus-meat. Altogether I imagine that a -herd of at least twenty animals must have been destroyed. Much as one must -regret such a wholesale slaughter, it must be remembered that this great -killing was the work of hungry savages, who at any rate utilised every -scrap of the meat thus obtained, and much of the skin as well, for food; -and such an incident is far less reprehensible--indeed, stands on quite a -different plane as regards moral guilt--to the wanton destruction of a -large number of hippopotamuses in the Umzingwani River, near Bulawayo, -within a few months of the conquest of Matabililand by the Chartered -Company's forces in 1893. These animals had been protected for many years -by Lo Bengula and his father Umziligazi before him; but no sooner were the -Matabili conquered and their country thrown open to white men than certain -unscrupulous persons destroyed all but a very few of these half-tame -animals, for the sake of the few paltry pieces of money their hides were -worth! - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -HIPPOPOTAMUS. - -The skin of the hippopotamus is often as much as an inch and a half in -thickness on the upper parts of the body.] - -Gradually, as the world grows older, more civilised, and, to my thinking, -less and less interesting, the range of the hippopotamus, like that of all -other large animals, must become more and more circumscribed; but now that -all Africa has been parcelled out amongst the white races of Western -Europe, if the indiscriminate killing of hippopotamuses by either white men -or natives can be controlled, and the constant and cruel custom of firing -at the heads of these animals from the decks of river-steamers all over -Africa be put a stop to, I believe that this most interesting mammal, owing -to the nature of its habitat, and the vast extent of the rivers, swamps, -and lakes in which it still exists in considerable numbers, will long -outlive all other pachydermatous animals. Hideous, uncouth, and unnecessary -as the hippopotamus may seem when viewed from behind the bars of its den in -a zoological garden, it is nevertheless true that, when these animals have -been banished from an African river by the progress of civilisation, that -river has lost one of its highest charms and greatest ornaments. - -The PYGMY or LIBERIAN HIPPOPOTAMUS is confined to Upper Guinea, and, -compared with its only existing relative, is a very small animal, not -standing more than 2 feet 6 inches in height, and measuring less than 6 -feet in length. In weight a full-grown specimen will scale about 400 lbs. -But little is known of the habits of this rare animal, specimens of which, -I believe, have never been obtained, except by the German naturalists Herrn -Büttikofer and Jentink. When alive, the colour of the skin of the pygmy -hippopotamus is said to be of a greenish black, changing on the under-parts -to yellowish green. The surface of the skin is very shiny. This species, -unlike its giant relative, does not congregate in herds, nor pass its days -in rivers or lakes, but lives in pairs in marshes or shady forests. It -sleeps during the day, and at night wanders over a great extent of country, -eating grass, wild fruits, and the young shoots of trees. Its flesh is said -to be very succulent and much esteemed by the natives. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -MALE AND FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES. - -A hippopotamus is almost inseparable from the water; it never goes farther -away than possible from a river or lake.] - -A hippopotamus, apparently of the same species as that now found in Africa, -formerly inhabited the Thames Valley. Great quantities of fossil remains of -another species are also found in the island of Sicily. The bones found in -England are mainly in the river gravel and brick earth of the south and -midland districts of England. This seems to show that at the time when the -animal existed our rivers must have been open all the year, and not -ice-bound, for it is certain that no hippopotamus could live in a river -which froze in winter. Yet among the remains of these animals are also -found those of quite arctic species like the Musk-ox and the Reindeer, -together with those of the Saiga Antelope, an inhabitant of the cold -plateau of Tibet. The problem is: How could these creatures, one a dweller -in warm rivers and the others inhabitants of cold arctic or sub-arctic -regions, have existed together, apparently on the same area of ground? The -answer, which does not seem to have occurred to naturalists who have -discussed the question, seems to be plain enough. Any one who knows the -conditions of the great rift valleys of Central Africa has the key to the -solution of the puzzle. There was probably a very great difference in the -vertical plane. Deep in the rift was probably a warm river, while above it -may have been mountains from 10,000 to 20,000 feet high, with snow on the -summits and glaciers in their valleys. On these cold and arctic heights the -reindeer and the musk-ox would find congenial homes. Thousands of feet -below, in the hot and narrow valley, the hippopotamus would revel in a warm -and steamy climate. This is what actually occurs in the rift valleys of -Central Africa, where the hippopotamus swims in rivers that are at no great -distance from snow-covered and ice-capped mountains. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -_THE DUGONG, MANATEES, WHALES, PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS._ - -BY F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S. - ----- - -THE DUGONG AND MANATEES. - -These curious creatures, which seem to have been the basis of much of the -old mermaid legend, have puzzled many eminent naturalists. Before they were -placed in an order by themselves, Linnæus had classed them with the Walrus, -Cuvier with the Whales, and another French zoologist with the Elephants. -They are popularly regarded as the cows of the sea-pastures. Their habits -justify this. I have often watched dugongs on the Queensland coast browsing -on the long grasses, of which they tear up tussocks with sidelong twists of -the head, coming to the surface to breathe at short intervals. - -Omitting the extinct Rhytina, otherwise known as Steller's Sea-cow, which -was exterminated in the Bering Strait not very long after civilised man had -first learnt of its existence, we have to consider two distinct groups, or -genera, of these sirenians. The DUGONG is the representative of the first, -and the two MANATEES belong to the other. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -DUGONG. - -A vegetable-feeding sea-mammal from the Indian Ocean and North Australian -waters.] - -The dugong is found on the coasts of Northern Australia, in many parts of -the Indian Ocean (particularly off Ceylon), and in the Red Sea. It is -easily distinguished, by even superficial observation, from the manatees. -Its tail is slightly forked, somewhat like that of the whales: the tail of -manatees, on the other hand, is rounded. The dugong's flippers, to which we -also find a superficial resemblance in those of the whale, show no traces -of external nails: in those of the manatees, which show projecting nails, -there is a considerable power of free movement (the hands being, in fact, -used in manipulating the food), which is not the case in the limbs of the -whale. The body of the dugong is almost smooth, though there are bristles -in the region of the mouth: that of the manatees is studded with short -hairs. The male dugong has two large tusks: in neither sex of the manatees -are such tusks developed. Finally, a more detailed examination of the -skeletons would reveal the fact that, whereas the dugong has the usual -seven bones in the neck, that of the manatees has only six. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -AMERICAN MANATEE. - -Found in the Amazons River. The Manatees differ remarkably from the Dugong -in the number and structure of their teeth.] - -When we come to the Whales, we shall encounter that very characteristic -covering known as "blubber"; and, though it is present in smaller quantity, -these sirenians have blubber as well. Complex stomachs they also have, like -the whales, only in their case both the nature of the food and the -structure of the teeth point clearly to a ruminating habit, which, for -reasons that will be given in the right place, seems inadmissible in the -whales. In both dugong and manatees the mouth is furnished with singular -horny plates, the precise use of which does not appear to have been -satisfactorily determined; and the upper lip of the manatee is cleft in two -hairy pads that work laterally. This enables the animal to draw the grass -into its mouth without using the lower lip at all. - -In their mode of life the dugong and manatees differ as widely almost as in -their appearance; for the former is a creature of open coasts, whereas the -manatees hug river-estuaries and even travel many miles up the rivers. Of -both it has been said that they leave the water at night, and the manatees -have even been accused of plundering crops near the banks. The few, -however, which have been under observation in captivity have always been -manifestly uncomfortable whenever, by accident or otherwise, the water of -their tank was run off, so that there is not sufficient reason for -believing this assertion. - -This group of animals cannot be regarded as possessing any high commercial -value, though both natives and white men eat their flesh, and the -afore-mentioned rhytina was, in fact, exterminated solely for the sake of -its meat. There is also a limited use for the bones as ivory, and the -leather is employed on a small scale,--a German writer has, in fact, been -at great pains to prove that the Tabernacle, which was 300 cubits long, was -roofed with dugong-skin, and the Red Sea is certainly well within the -animal's range. - - -THE WHALES, PORPOISES, AND DOLPHINS. - -Although anatomists have good reason for suspecting that all the members of -the Whale Tribe are directly descended from river-dwelling forms, if not -indeed, more remotely, from some land animal, there is something -appropriate in the fact of the vast ocean, which covers something like -three-quarters of the earth's surface, producing the mightiest creatures -which have ever lived. There should also be some little satisfaction for -ourselves in the thought that, their fish-like form notwithstanding, these -enormous beings really belong to the highest, or mammalian, class of animal -life. - -One striking feature all these many-sized cetaceans have in common, and -that is their similarity of form. Though they may vary in length from 70 to -7 feet, their outline shows a remarkable uniformity. Important internal and -even external differences there may be. A whale may be toothed or -toothless; a dolphin may be beaked or round-headed; either may be with or -without a slight ridge on the back or a distinct dorsal fin; but no -cetacean could well be mistaken for an animal of any other order. It is as -well to appreciate as clearly as possible this close general resemblance -between the largest whale and the smallest dolphin, as the similarity is -one of some interest; and we may estimate it at its proper worth if we bear -in mind that two species of cetaceans, outwardly alike, may not, perhaps, -be more closely allied than such divergent ruminant types as the elephant, -the giraffe, and the gazelle. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -NARWHAL. - -An Arctic whale, with one or rarely two long spears of bone projecting from -the head.] - -Reference has already been made to the fact that the whales are true -mammals, and we must now clearly set before us the justification for -separating them from the Fishes--to which any one with a superficial -knowledge of their habits and appearance would unhesitatingly assign -them--and raising them to the company of other mammals. Let us first -separate them from the Fishes. The vast majority of fishes, with some -familiar exceptions like the conger-eel, are covered with scales: whales -have no scales. The tail of fishes, often forked like that of whales, is -set vertically: in whales the tail is set laterally, and for this a good -reason will presently be shown. Fishes have anal fins: whales not only have -no anal fins, but their so-called pectoral fins differ radically from the -fins of fishes. Fishes breathe with the aid of gills: whales have no gills. -Fishes, in the vast majority of cases, reproduce their young by spawning, -the eggs being left to hatch out either in gravel-beds or among the -water-plants, lying on the bottom (as in the case of the herring), or -floating near the surface (as in that of the plaice): whales do not lay -eggs, but bear the young alive. This brings us to the simple points of -resemblance between them and other mammals. When the young whale is born, -it is nourished on its mother's milk. This alone would constitute its claim -to a place among the highest class. Whales breathe atmospheric air by means -of lungs. Hair is peculiarly the covering of mammals, just as scales are -characteristic of fishes and feathers of birds. Many whales, it is true, -have no hair; but others, if only in the embryonic stage, have traces of -this characteristic mammalian covering. It must, moreover, be remembered -that in some other orders of mammals the amount of hair varies -considerably--as, for instance, between the camel and rhinoceros. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -GRAMPUS, OR KILLER. - -A carnivorous cetacean with large teeth, often found in British seas.] - -Having, then, shown that whales are mammals, we must now determine the -chief features of the more typical members of the order. The extremities of -whales are characteristic: a large head, occupying in some species as much -as one-third of the total length; and the afore-mentioned forked, or lobed, -tail set laterally. The flippers, which bear only a slight resemblance to -the pectoral fins in fishes, are in reality hands encased in -swimming-gloves. In some whales these hands are five-fingered, in others -the fingers number only four, but many of the fingers contain more bones -than the fingers of man. In some whales we find a dorsal fin, and this, as -also the flippers, acts as a balancer. In no whale or porpoise is there any -external trace of hind limbs, but the skeleton of some kinds shows in -varying stages of degradation a rudimentary bone answering to this -description. Perhaps however, the most distinctive feature of whales is the -blow-hole, situated, like the nostrils of the hippopotamus, on the upper -surface of the head, and similarly enabling the animal to breathe the air -without exposing much of its head above the surface of the water. The -blow-hole (or blow-holes, for whalebone-whales have two) may be said to -take the place of nostrils as regards the breathing, though perhaps no -sense of smell is included in its functions. In the Sperm-whale, or -Cachalot, there is a single S-shaped blow-hole near the end of the snout. -The well-known spouting of whales is merely the breathing out of warm -vapour, which, on coming in contact with the colder air--and it should be -remembered that most whaling is carried on in the neighbourhood of -icebergs--condenses in a cloud above the animal's head. I have seen many a -sperm-whale spout, and the cloud of spray, often mixed with a varying -volume of water if the whale commences to blow before its blow-hole is -clear of the surface, drifts forward over the forehead. This is due to the -forward position of the blow-hole. I never to my knowledge saw a -whalebone-whale spouting, but its double jet is said to ascend vertically -over its back, and this would in like manner be accounted for by the more -posterior position of the blow-holes. Having filled its lungs, which are -long and of simple structure, with fresh air, in enormous draughts that -fill the great cavities of its chest, the whale sinks to the depths. There, -in ordinary circumstances, it will lie for a quarter of an hour or more, -but the pain of the harpoon and the knowledge that there is danger at the -surface may keep it below for as much as an hour. When it has to breathe -again, a few powerful strokes from the laterally set tail suffice to bring -it quickly to the surface. This is not the place for a detailed anatomy of -the whale, but no one can fail to notice with admiration such parts of its -equipment for the battle of life as the structure of its windpipe, which -enables it to breathe with comfort with its mouth full of water, the -complicated network of blood-vessels that ensures the slow and thorough -utilising of all the oxygen in its lungs while it remains at the bottom, -and the elastic cushion of blubber that makes this gigantic animal -indifferent to extremes of pressure and temperature. Thanks mainly to its -coat of blubber, the whale exists with equal comfort at the surface or -hundreds of fathoms below it; in the arctic or in tropical seas. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SHORT-BEAKED RIVER-DOLPHIN. - -In this type the head is produced into a beak, supported in the upper jaw -by a mass of ivory-like bone.] - -It is not perhaps in keeping with the plan of this work that we should -consider in detail the soft parts of the whale's inside. One or two parts -of its feeding and digestive mechanism may, however, offer some points of -passing interest. The complex stomach, which is divided into chambers, like -that of the ruminants already described, has suggested that the latter -function may in a modified process be performed by whales. It is, however, -evident that the teeth of toothed whales are in no way adapted to the act -of mastication, which is inseparable from any conception of ruminating, -while the toothless whales have as complicated a stomach as the rest. Mr. -Beddard, writing on the subject in his interesting "Book of Whales," takes -the more reasonable view that the first chamber of the stomach of whales -should be regarded rather as a storehouse in which the food is crushed and -softened. The teeth of whales, the survival of which in the adult animal -offers the simplest basis of its classification under one or other of the -two existing groups, or sub-orders, are essentially different from the -teeth of many other kinds of mammals. It cannot, perhaps, be insisted that -the distinctive terms employed for these two categories of whales are -wholly satisfactory. For instance, the so-called "toothless" whales have -distinct teeth before birth, thus claiming descent from toothed kinds. On -the other hand, the so-called "toothed" whales are by no means uniformly -equipped in this respect, some of the porpoises having as many as -twenty-six teeth, distributed over both jaws, while the bottlenoses have no -more than two, or at most four, and these in the lower jaw only. Only the -lower jaw, in fact, of the great sperm-whale bears teeth that are of any -use, though there are smaller and functionless teeth in the gums of the -upper. The teeth of whales, by the way, are not differentiated like our -canines and molars, but are all of one character. Although, in "toothless" -whales, the foetal teeth disappear with the coming of the baleen, or -whalebone, the latter must not, in either structure or uses, be thought to -take their place. The plates of whalebone act rather as a hairy strainer. -Unless we seek a possible analogy at the other end of the mammalian scale, -in the Australian duckbill, the feeding of the whalebone-whales is unique. -They gulp in the water, full of _plankton_, swimming open-mouthed through -the streaks of that substance. Then the huge jaws are closed, and the -massive tongue is moved slowly, so as to drive the water from the angles of -the mouth through the straining-plates of baleen, the food remaining -stranded on these and on the tongue. The size and number of the -baleen-plates appear to vary in a degree not yet definitely established; -but there may, in a large whale, be as many as between 300 and 400 on -either side of the cavernous mouth, and they may measure as much as 10 or -12 feet in length and 7 or 8 feet in width. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -SOWERBY'S BEAKED WHALE. - -One of the rarest of British whales, and very scarce elsewhere. It probably -inhabits the open seas.] - -An enumeration of such whales and porpoises and dolphins as have at one -time or other been stranded on the shores of the British Isles may serve as -an epitome of the whole order. Only one interesting group, in fact--the -River-dolphins of the Ganges and Amazons--is unrepresented in the British -list. Whales, either exhausted or dead, are periodically thrown up on our -coasts, even on the less-exposed portions--one of the most recent examples -in the writer's memory being that of a large specimen, over 60 feet long, -stranded on the sands near Boscombe, in Hampshire, and the skeleton of -which at present adorns Boscombe Pier. It was one of the rorquals, or -finbacks, probably of the species called after Rudolphi; but the skeleton -is imperfect, though its owner, Dr. Spencer Simpson, appears to have -preserved some details of its earlier appearance. It should be remembered -that many of the following can only be regarded as "British" with -considerable latitude, the records of their visits being in some cases as -rare as those of the rustic bunting and red-necked nightjar among birds, or -of the derbio and spotted dragonet among fishes. - -British zoologists, however, usually include the -following:--WHALEBONE-WHALES: Southern Right-whale; Humpback; Finbacks, or -Rorquals. TOOTHED WHALES: Sperm-whale, or Cachalot; Narwhal; Beluga, or -White Whale; Grampuses; Beaked Whale; Broad-fronted Whale; Cuvier's Whale; -Sowerby's Whale; Pilot-whale; Porpoise; Dolphin; White-sided Dolphin; -White-beaked Dolphin; Bottlenose. - -A selection may therefore be made of five of the most representative of -these species--the SOUTHERN WHALE, the CACHALOT, the NARWHAL, the PORPOISE, -and the DOLPHIN. - -The SOUTHERN WHALE, which, in common with the closely allied polar species, -whaling-crews call "right," seeing that all other kinds are, from their -point of view, "wrong," is probably the only right-whale which has ever -found its way to our shores. Some writers include the Greenland -Right-whale, but their authority for this is doubtful. It is said to grow -to a length of at any rate 70 feet, though 55 feet would perhaps be more -common for even large specimens. In colour it is said to be dark above, -with a varying amount of white or grey on the flippers and under-surface. -The head and mouth are very large, occupying in some cases one-third of the -total length, and the baleen-plates measure as much as 8 or 10 feet in -length and 5 or 6 feet in width. The species has no back-fin, but there is -a protuberance on the snout, known technically as the "bonnet." This whale -appears to give birth to its single calf some time in the spring months, -and the mother shows great affection for her offspring. The HUMPBACK is -distinguished from the right-whales externally by its longer flippers and -the prominence on its back, and internally by the fluted skin of the -throat. The FINNERS, or RORQUALS, have a distinct back-fin. They feed on -fishes and cuttles, and I have more than once known a rorqual, which looked -fully 50 feet long (comparing it roughly with my 24-foot boat), to swim -slowly round and round my lugger, down on the Cornish coast, puffing and -hissing like a torpedo-boat on its trial trip, rounding up the pilchards in -a mass, and every now and then dashing through them open-mouthed with a -terrific roar, after several of which helpings it would sink out of sight -and not again put in an appearance. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -COMMON PORPOISE. - -From 4 to 5 feet long. It lives in "schools," or companies, and pursues the -herrings and mackerel.] - -The SPERM-WHALE, or CACHALOT, may serve as our type of the toothed whales. -It attains to the same great dimensions as the largest of the whalebone -group. A more active animal for its size could scarcely be conceived; and I -have seen one, in the Indian Ocean, fling itself three or four times in -succession out of water like a salmon, striking the surface each time as it -fell back with a report like that of a gun. No one appears to have -explained whether performances of this sort are due to mere playfulness, -or, as seems more probable, to the attacks of parasites or such larger -enemies as sharks or "killers." I have also seen four thresher-sharks -leaping out of water, and falling with a loud blow on the whale's back; but -the victim lay quite still in this case, and may in fact have been worn out -before we came upon the scene. I wish to add that I took the word of the -skipper, himself an old whaling-captain, for their identity as threshers. -The dazzling sun shone full on them, and on the sea between, and it was -impossible, even with the ship's telescope, to recognise them with any -accuracy. The cachalot has a very different profile from what any one who -had seen only its skull in a museum would be led to expect, for the -sperm-cavity in the forehead is not indicated in the bones. The structure -of the head enables the animal to drop the lower jaw almost at right angles -to the upper; and Mr. Frank Bullen quotes, in his fascinating "Cruise of -the Cachalot," the current belief that it does so to attract its prey by -the whiteness of its teeth and palate. Although both fishes and cephalopods -are very curious, even to their own destruction, it is doubtful whether the -whale could not catch its food more rapidly by swimming open-mouthed -through the acres of floating squid encountered all over the warmer waters -of the ocean. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN. - -One of the commoner Indian species.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -RISSO'S DOLPHIN. - -About 13 feet in length, found in almost all oceans.] - -The NARWHAL, an arctic type, may be distinguished from all other cetaceans -by the single spiral tusk in the left side of the head of the male. -Sometimes the right tusk grows as well, and either may attain a length of -as much as 8 feet; but in the female both teeth remain undeveloped. - -The COMMON PORPOISE of our own seas, distinguished by its rounded head from -the equally common beaked dolphin, is too familiar to need much -description. It grows to a length of 5 or 6 feet, and is dark in colour on -the back and white beneath. Its conspicuous back-fin is always recognisable -when it gambols with a herd of its fellows; and a line of these sea-pigs, a -mile or so in length, is no uncommon sight, their presence inshore being -indicative on some parts of the coast of the coming of east wind. The -porpoise, which has, like many of its group, teeth in either jaw, is a -voracious feeder, preying in estuaries on salmon and flounders, and on more -open parts of the coast on pilchards and mackerel. It is occasionally a -serious nuisance in the Mediterranean sardine-fisheries, and I have known -of the fishermen of Collioure, in the Gulf of Lyons, appealing to the -French Government to send a gunboat from Toulon that might steam after the -marauders and frighten them away. One of the most remarkable cases of a -feeding porpoise that I can recall was that of one which played with a -conger-eel in a Cornish harbour as a cat might play with a mouse, blowing -the fish 20 or 30 feet through the air, and swimming after it so rapidly as -to catch it again almost as it touched the water. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN. - -From 8 to 9 feet long, found from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.] - -The DOLPHIN, which is in some seasons as common in the British Channel as -the more familiar porpoise, is distinguished by its small head and long -beak, the lower jaw always carrying more teeth than the upper. It feeds on -pilchards and mackerel, and, like the porpoises, gambols, particularly -after an east wind, with its fellows close inshore. There are many other -marine mammals somewhat loosely bracketed as dolphins. RISSO'S DOLPHIN, for -instance, a rare visitor to our coasts, has a striped skin, and its jaws -are without teeth, which distinguish it from the common dolphin and most of -the others. It cannot therefore feed on fishes, and most probably eats -squid and cuttle-fish. The BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN, a species occurring in the -greatest numbers on the Atlantic coast of North America, is regularly -hunted for its oil. HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN, which hails from South African -waters, is a smaller kind, chiefly remarkable for the curious distribution -of black and white on its back and sides. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN. - -A small, peculiarly coloured species from the Cape.] - -A word must, in conclusion, be said on the economic value of the whales. -Fortunately, as they are getting rarer, substitutes for their once -invaluable products are being from time to time discovered, and much of the -regret at their extermination by wasteful slaughter is sentimental and not -economic. For whalebone it is not probable that a perfect substitute will -ever be found. It therefore maintains a high price, though the former -highest market value of over £2,000 per ton has fallen to something nearer -the half. The sperm-oil from the sperm-whale, and the train-oil from that -of the right-whales, the spermaceti out of the cachalot's forehead and the -ambergris secreted in its stomach, are the other valuable products. -Ambergris is a greyish, fatty secretion, caused by the irritation set up in -the whale's inside by the undigested beaks of cuttle-fish. Its market price -is about £5 per ounce. A lump of 240 lbs. sold for nearly £20,000. - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -_THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND ARMADILLOS._ - -BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S. - -The very remarkable assemblage of animals we are now about to consider -includes many diverse forms, bracketed together to constitute one great -group; and this on account of the peculiarities of the structure and -distribution of the teeth, which are never present in the front of the jaw, -and may be absent altogether. Of the five groups recognised, three occur in -the New and two in the Old World. All have undergone very considerable -modification of form and structure, and in every case this modification has -tended to render them more perfectly adapted to an arboreal or terrestrial -existence. Flying or aquatic types are wanting. Whilst one great group--the -Sloths--is entirely vegetarian, the others feed either on flesh or insects. - - -THE SLOTHS. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -NORTHERN TWO-TOED SLOTH (COSTA RICA). - -This is also known as Hoffmann's Sloth. The appellation "two-toed" refers -to the fore limb only. The hind foot has three toes.] - -In the matter of personal appearance Nature has not been kind to the SLOTH, -though it is certainly true that there are many uglier animals--not -including those, such as some of the Monkey Tribe and certain of the Swine, -which are positively hideous. The mode of life of the sloth is certainly -remarkable, for almost its whole existence is passed among the highest -trees of the densest South American forests, and passed, too, in a -perfectly topsy-turvy manner, inasmuch as it moves from bough to bough with -its legs up in the air and its back towards the ground. It walks and sleeps -suspended beneath the boughs instead of balanced above them, securely -holding itself by means of powerful hooked claws on the fore and hind feet. -This method of locomotion, so remarkable in a mammal, coupled with the -deliberate fashion in which it moves, and the air of sadness expressed in -its quaint physiognomy--large-eyed, snub-nosed, and earless--on which there -seems to dwell an ever-present air of resignation, led the great Buffon to -believe that the sloth was a creature afflicted of God for some hidden -reason man could not fathom! His sympathy was as certainly wasted as his -hasty conclusion was unjustified. There can be no doubt but that the life -led by the sloth is at least as blissful as that of its more lively -neighbours--the spider monkeys, for instance. Walking beneath the boughs -comes as natural to the sloth as walking on the ceiling to the fly. - -The sloth sleeps, as we have already remarked, suspended from a bough. -During this time the feet are drawn close together, and the head raised up -and placed between the fore legs, as in the cobego, which we depicted -asleep on page 170, as our readers will remember. In the sleeping position -the sloth bears a striking resemblance to the stump of a lichen-covered -bough, just as the cobego resembles a fruit. Thus is protection from -enemies gained. The resemblance to lichen is further aided by the fact that -the long, coarse hair with which the sloth is clothed becomes encrusted -with a peculiar green alga--a lowly form of vegetable growth--which lodges -in certain grooves or flutings peculiar to the hair of this animal. Such a -method of protection is unique amongst the Mammalia. As the sloths sleep by -day and feed by night, the usefulness of such a method of concealment is -beyond question. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -THREE-TOED SLOTH. - -A remarkable peculiarity about the three-toed sloths is the fact that they -have no less than nine vertebræ in the neck, instead of seven, as is usual -among mammals.] - -The strange form of locomotion of the sloths renders separate fingers and -toes unnecessary, and so the fingers and toes have come to be enclosed in a -common fold of skin, extending down to the base of the claws. - -The sloths stand out in strong contrast to the volatile spider monkeys, -with whom they share the forest; these have added a fifth limb in the shape -of a prehensile tail, by which they may suspend themselves at will. The -sloths, on the contrary, have no tail; they move deliberately, and do not -require it. The monkeys move by prodigious leaps, taken not seldom by -gathering impetus by swinging on their tails. - -The great naturalist Bates writes of the sloth: "It is a strange sight to -watch this uncouth creature, fit production of these silent shades, lazily -moving from branch to branch. Every movement betrays, not indolence -exactly, but extreme caution. He never loses his hold from one branch -without first securing himself to the next.... After watching the animal -for about half an hour, I gave him a charge of shot; he fell with a -terrific crash, but caught a bough in his descent with his powerful claws, -and remained suspended. Our Indian lad tried to climb the tree, but was -driven back by swarms of stinging ants; the poor little fellow slid down in -a sad predicament, and plunged headlong into the brook to free himself." - -On another occasion the same writer tells us he "saw a sloth swimming -across a river at a place where it was 300 yards broad. I believe it is not -generally known that this animal takes to the water. Our men caught the -beast, cooked and ate him." - -In past ages gigantic ground-sloths roamed over South America. The largest -of these, the Megatherium, rivalled the elephant in size. Descendants of -these giants appear to have lingered on till comparatively recent times, as -witness the wonderful discovery by Moreno, made during last year (1900) in -a cave in Patagonia. This was nothing less than a skull and a large piece -of the hide of one of these monsters in a wonderful state of preservation, -showing indeed undoubted traces of blood and sinew. That the hide was -removed by human hands there can be no doubt, for it was _rolled up_ and -turned inside-out. Immediately after this discovery was announced, an -expedition was dispatched from England to hunt, not so much for more -remains, but for the animal itself. Time will show whether these efforts -will prove successful. - - -THE ANT-EATERS. - -Unlike as the ant-eaters are to the sloths, they are nevertheless very -closely related thereto. This unlikeness at the present day is so great -that, were it not for "missing-links" in the shape of fossils, we should -probably never have discovered the relationship. The head of the typical -ant-eaters has been drawn out into a long tubular muzzle, at the end of -which is a tiny mouth just big enough to permit the exit of a long -worm-like tongue, covered with a sticky saliva. This tongue is thrust out -with great rapidity amongst the hosts of ants and termites and their larvæ, -on which they prey. These victims are captured by breaking open their -nests. At once all the active inhabitants swarm up to the breach, and are -instantaneously swept away by the remorseless tongue. The jaws of the -ant-eaters are entirely toothless, and the eyes and ears are very small. - -The largest species of ant-eater is about 4 feet long. It lives entirely -upon the ground. Generally speaking, it is a harmless creature; but at -times, when cornered, it will fight furiously, sitting up on its hind legs -and hugging its foe in its powerful arms. Bates, the traveller-naturalist, -relates an instance in which a dog used in hunting the GREAT ANT-EATER was -caught in its grip and killed. The tail of this large species is covered -with very long hair, forming an immense brush. The claw on the third toe of -each fore limb is of great size, and used for breaking open ants' and other -insects' nests. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co._] [_Parson's Green._ - -THE GREAT ANT-EATER. - -In walking the ant-eater turns its toes inwards, so that the claws turn -upwards and inwards, the weight of the body being borne by a horny pad on -the fifth toe, and the balls of the third and fourth toes.] - -But besides the great ground ant-eater there are some tree-haunting -species. These have a shorter muzzle, and short hair on the tail, which is -used, as with the spider monkeys, as a fifth limb. Curled round the bough -of a tree, its owner is free to swing himself out on to another branch. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -TAMANDUA ANT-EATER. - -This species, which is a smaller animal than the Great Ant-eater, lives -almost entirely in the trees, instead of on the ground.] - -The smallest of the tree-dwelling species is not larger than a rat, and is -a native of the hottest parts of the forests of South and Central America. -The muzzle in this species is quite short, not long and tubular, as in the -larger species. It is a very rare animal, or is at least very seldom seen, -a fact perhaps due to its small size. It is known as the TWO-TOED -ANT-EATER, only the second and third fingers of the fore feet bearing -claws. - -Von Sack, in his "Narrative of a Voyage to Surinam," tells us that the -natives of Surinam call this little animal "Kissing-hand"--"as the -inhabitants pretend that it will never eat, at least when caught, but that -it only licks its paws, in the same manner as the bear; that all trials to -make it eat have proved in vain, and that it soon dies in confinement. When -I got the first, I sent to the forest for a nest of ants; and during the -interim I put into its cage some eggs, honey, milk, and meat; but it -refused to touch any of them. At last the ants' nest arrived, but the -animal did not pay the slightest attention to it either. By the shape of -its fore paws, which resemble nippers, I thought that this little creature -might perhaps live on the nymphæ of wasps, etc. I therefore brought it a -wasps' nest, and then it pulled out with its nippers the nymphæ from the -nest, and began to eat them with the greatest eagerness, sitting in the -posture of a squirrel. I showed this phenomenon to many of the inhabitants, -who all assured me that it was the first time they had ever known that -species of animal take any nourishment." - - -THE ARMADILLOS. - -Readers of this book will doubtless have noticed long ere this how manifold -are the devices for the purpose of defence adopted by the Mammalia. The -ARMADILLOS have certainly selected the most complete, having encased -themselves in an impenetrable bony armour as perfect as the coat of mail of -the warrior of the Middle Ages. Concerning this and the variations thereon -adopted by the different members of the group we shall speak presently. - -Armadillos are mostly confined to South America, and occur both in the open -pampas and the shady depths of the forest. They live in burrows, which they -dig with incredible speed. These burrows are generally found in the -vicinity of the nests of ants and termites, which form their staple diet. -One species, however, at least feeds apparently with equal relish upon -vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, mice, snakes, and carrion. - -The bony armour is disposed over the crown of the head, back, and flanks. -It is made up of numerous small, bony plates, buried deep in the skin, and -each overlaid by a horny scale. The tail is protected by bony rings. The -plates covering the shoulders and those directly over the hindquarters fuse -into a solid mass, thus forming chambers into which the limbs can be -withdrawn. In the region of the body, between these two shields, the plates -are arranged in rows encircling the body, thus permitting the animal to -roll itself up as occasion may require. Hairs grow out between the plates, -and in some cases give the animal quite a furry appearance. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -TWO-TOED ANT-EATER. - -Although the fore feet have four toes, only the second and third bear -claws; hence the name "Two-toed" Ant-eater.] - -Speaking of the burrowing powers of the armadillo, Darwin, in his most -fascinating "Voyage of the Beagle," tells us that "the instant one was -perceived, it was necessary, in order to catch it, almost to tumble off -one's horse; for in soft soil the animal burrowed so quickly that its -hinder quarters would almost disappear before one could alight. It seems -almost a pity to kill such nice little animals; for as a Gaucho said, while -sharpening his knife on the back of one, 'Son tan mansos' (They are so -quiet)." As a rule, armadillos are regarded as animals loving dry, sandy -wastes; nevertheless, they are said to be able to swim both well and -swiftly. The flesh of the armadillo is apparently by no means unpalatable. - - -THE PICHICIAGO. - -One of the most remarkable of the armadillos is the PICHICIAGO, or FAIRY -ARMADILLO. It is a tiny creature of some 5 inches long, found in the sandy -wastes of the western part of the Argentine Republic. The horny covering of -the bony plates is pinkish colour, and the hair is silky in texture and -snow-white. But it is not on this account that the fairy armadillo is -remarkable: its claim to notoriety rests on the peculiar arrangement of the -bony plates constituting the armour. These bony plates are small and thin, -and covered, as in other species, with a horny coat; but instead of being -embedded in the skin, they are attached only along the middle of the back, -and project freely over the body on either side, leaving a space between -the shield and the body. The hinder end of the body is specially protected -by a nearly circular vertical shield, firmly fixed to the hip-girdle. This -shield, it is said, is used as a plug to fill up its burrow with. - - -THE PELUDO. - -Armadillos of the normal type, wherein the body armour is embedded in the -skin, are represented by numerous species. Of one, known as the PELUDO, Mr. -Hudson has given us some interesting details. "It feeds," he tells us, "not -only upon insects, but also upon vegetable matter, eggs, young birds, and -carrion. Its method of capturing mice was certainly ingenious. It hunted by -smell, and when nearing its prey became greatly agitated. The exact spot -discovered, the body was raised slowly to a sitting posture, and then flung -suddenly forwards, so that the mouse or nest of mice was imprisoned -beneath, and promptly dispatched." "Still more remarkable," says Mr. -Lydekker, "is the manner in which a peludo has been observed to kill a -snake, by rushing upon it and proceeding to saw the unfortunate reptile in -pieces by pressing upon it closely with the jagged edges of its armour, and -at the same time moving its body backwards and forwards. The struggles of -the snake were all in vain, as its fangs could make no impression upon the -panoply of its assailant, and eventually the reptile slowly dropped and -died, to be soon afterwards devoured by the armadillo, which commenced the -meal by seizing the snake's tail in its mouth, and gradually eating -forwards." - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -WEASEL-HEADED ARMADILLO. - -The weasel-headed armadillos have from six to eight movable bands in the -bony armour in which they are encased.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -HAIRY-RUMPED ARMADILLO. - -This species, like the Peba Armadillo, varies its diet with carrion.] - - -THE PANGOLINS. - -The PANGOLINS, or SCALY ANT-EATERS, are perhaps even more curious creatures -than the armadillos. They have been likened in appearance to animated -spruce fir-cones, to which indeed they bear a strange resemblance. This -resemblance is due to the wonderful armature of the skin, which takes the -form of large overlapping, pointed, horny plates or scales. The pangolins -are confined to the Old World, occurring in South Africa and South-eastern -Asia. Like the American Ant-eaters, teeth are wanting, and the tongue is -long and worm-like, being employed in the capture of insects, as in the New -World ant-eaters. - -The scales of the MANIS are formed by the fusion together of fine hairs. -Like the spines of the hedgehog and porcupine, they serve the purpose of -offensive defence; for when the manis rolls itself up, these pointed scales -project at right angles to the body, and offer a formidable resistance to -any enemy whatsoever. They also serve to break the force of a fall, which, -indeed, is often voluntary; for should the animal wish to descend from the -branch of a tree, it will often take a short cut to the ground by -deliberately dropping, the force of the fall being entirely broken by the -elastic scales. - -In climbing, the tail is of the greatest service, its under-surface being -clothed with pointed scales, which serve as so many climbing-hooks. The -grasp of a tree-trunk gained by the hind legs and tail is so secure that -the body can be moved to a horizontal position with ease. In a specimen -kept in captivity by Mr. Fraser, this horizontal movement was a form of -exercise which appeared to afford the greatest pleasure. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -PEBA ARMADILLO. - -This species lives largely upon carrion, which it buries in its burrow till -wanted.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -KAPPLERS' ARMADILLO. - -This is a variety of the Peba Armadillo, inhabiting Surinam.] - - -THE AARD-VARK. - -The custom of naming newly discovered animals after well-known forms to -which they are supposed to bear some resemblance, physically or otherwise, -is a common one. The animal now under consideration shows this once more, -having originally received the name of AARD-VARK (Earth-pig) from the Boers -of the Cape. The aard-vark is a most decidedly ugly animal, and justifies -its name in several particulars. It is hunted for the sake of its hide, -which is of great thickness and resembles that of the pig, but is sparsely -covered with hairs, the general shape of its body being not unlike that of -a long-headed, short-legged, heavy-tailed pig. The whole animal is about 6 -feet long. In a wild state, or even in captivity, it is but rarely seen, -since it is a night-feeder, and passes the day in sleep deep down in a -burrow. This burrow it digs for itself with the aid of powerful claws borne -on the fore feet. It lives principally on ants and termites, breaking down -their nests, and remorselessly sweeping up the frightened occupants with a -long, sticky tongue, as soon as they rush to the seat of the disturbance -which has broken up the harmony and order of their community. At one time -it was believed that the aard-vark was a close ally of the pangolin, but -later researches have disproved this, and have furthermore thrown doubt -upon the probability of its relationship with any of the members of this -group of mammals at all. - -There are two species of this animal--the CAPE AARD-VARK of South and -South-east Africa, and the ETHIOPIAN AARD-VARK of North-east Africa. - -[Illustration: _By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild_] [_Tring._ - -CAPE AARD-VARK. - -The ants upon which the aard-vark largely subsists appear to be very -fattening, and impart a delicate flavour to the flesh, especially to the -hams, which are greatly esteemed.] - -Where the nest-building ants are most common, there will the aard-vark--or -Innagus, as the Boers sometimes call it--be most plentiful. The nests of -these ants are huge structures of from 3 to 7 feet high, and often occupy -vast areas of ground, extending as far as the eye can reach. They are -substantially built, and swarm with occupants, and consequently are quite -worth raiding. But the aard-vark has become much less common since a price -has been set upon its skin. The powers of digging of these animals are so -great that they can completely bury their large bodies in a few minutes, -even when the ground has been baked by the sun into something like -adamantine hardness. In excavating their burrows, the ground is thrown out -by the fore feet, in huge lumps, through or rather between the hind legs. -Shy and suspicious, the least unusual sound will send them scuttling to -earth, for their sense of hearing is very keen. They seem to change their -minds somewhat frequently, when engaged in digging out a new burrow; for -half-excavated burrows in the side of ant-hills are very commonly met with. -A fully grown aard-vark is about 6 feet long--generally rather more. -Although this animal is frequently kept in captivity, it is but rarely seen -by visitors, owing to its nocturnal habits, of which we have already -spoken. - -The teeth of the aard-vark are sufficiently remarkable to justify notice -here. Only the crushing teeth are represented--that is to say, the front or -cutting teeth are conspicuous by their absence. These crushing teeth number -from eight to ten in the upper and eight in the lower jaw, on each side; -but in the adult fewer would be found, the number being reduced to five in -each side of the jaws--that is to say, there are but twenty all told. In -structure these teeth are quite remarkable, differing entirely from those -of all other mammals, and resembling those of some fishes; furthermore, -they have no "roots," but instead grow continually throughout life, which -"rooted" teeth do not. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Billington_] [_Queensland._ - -THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO. - -The massive hind limbs and tail of the animal constitute, in its -characteristic resting pose, a most efficient supporting tripod.] - ----- - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -_MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES._ - -BY W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S. - ----- - -MARSUPIALS. - -With the order of the Pouched Mammals we arrive--with the exception of the -Echidna and Platypus, next described--at the most simply organised -representatives of the Mammalian Class. In the two forms above named, -egg-production, after the manner of birds and reptiles, constitutes the -only method of propagation. Although among marsupials so rudimentary a -method of reproduction is not met with, the young are brought into the -world in a far more embryonic condition than occurs among any of the -mammalian groups previously enumerated. There is, as a matter of fact, an -entire absence of that vascular or blood connection betwixt the parent and -young previous to birth, known as placentation, common to all the higher -mammals, though certain of the more generalised forms have been recently -found to possess a rudiment of such development. In correlation with their -abnormally premature birth, it may be observed that a special provision -commonly exists for the early nurture of the infant marsupials. In such a -form as the Kangaroo, for example, the young one is placed, through the -instrumentality of its parent's lips, in contact with the food-supplying -teat, and to which for some considerable period it then becomes inseparably -attached. Special muscles exist in connection with the parent's mammary -glands for controlling the supply of milk to the young animal, while the -respiratory organs of the little creature are temporarily modified in order -to ensure unimpeded respiration. The fact of the young in their early life -being commonly found thus inseparably adhering to the parent's nipple has -given rise to the falacious but still very widely prevalent idea among the -Australian settlers that the embryo marsupial is ushered into the world as -a direct outgrowth from the mammary region. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Billington_] [_Queensland._ - -SILVER-GREY KANGAROO. - -In general form the kangaroos are so like one another that one figure would -almost serve for all.] - -At the present day, with the exception of the small group of the American -Opossums and the Selvas, the entire assemblage of marsupials, comprising -some 36 genera and 150 species, are, singularly to relate, exclusively -found in Australia, New Guinea, and the few neighbouring islands recognised -by systematic zoologists as pertaining to the Australasian region. What is -more, this region of Australasia produces, with some few insignificant -exceptions, chiefly rodents, no other indigenous mammals. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY. - -Female with half-grown young in her pouch.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by J. T. Newman_] [_Berkhamsted._ - -BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO. - -This photograph illustrates the relative sizes of these two species.] - -It is interesting to note that within the limits of this isolated and -anciently founded marsupial order we have an epitome, as it were, of many -of the more important groups of an equivalent classificatory value that are -included among the higher mammalia previously described. In this -relationship we find in the so-called Tasmanian Wolf, the Tasmanian Devil, -and the "Native Cats" carnivorous and eminently predatory forms whose -habits and general conformation are immediately comparable to those of the -typical Carnivora. The Bandicoots, Banded Ant-eater, and Phascogales recall -in a similar manner the higher Insectivora. In the tree-frequenting -Opossums and Phalangers the external likeness and conformity in habits to -the arboreal rodents is notably apparent, several of the species, moreover, -possessing a parachute-like flying-membrane essentially identical with that -which is found in the typical Flying-squirrels. An example in which the -ground-frequenting or burrowing rodents are closely approached is furnished -by the Australian Wombat, an animal which may be appropriately likened to -an overgrown and lethargic Marmot. In this form, moreover, the rodent-like -character of the dentition is especially noteworthy. The higher -grass-eating mammals find their counterparts in the family group of the -Kangaroos, in which, in addition to their essentially herbivorous habits, -the contour of the head and neck, together with the expressive eyes and -large expanding ears, are wonderfully suggestive of the various members of -the Deer Family. The Cuscuses of New Guinea and the adjacent islands, both -in form and habits, somewhat resemble their geographical neighbours, the -Lorises, belonging to the Lemur Tribe, compared with which higher mammals, -however, they possess the advantage of an eminently serviceable prehensile -tail. The Australian Koala, or so-called "Native Bear," has been commonly -compared by zoologists with the Edentate Sloths; while in the most recently -discovered marsupial, the Pouched Mole, we have a counterpart, in both form -and habits, of the familiar European species. Finally, in the small -American section of the Marsupialia, we meet with a type--the so-called -Yapock, or Water-opossum--in which the resemblances to an Otter, in both -aspect and its aquatic habits, are so marked that the animal was originally -regarded as a species only of the Otter Tribe. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -ALBINO RED KANGAROOS. - -Albino kangaroos and other Australian animals have been observed to be the -product of special, narrowly limited locations.] - -The character of the _marsupium_, or pouch, differs materially among the -various members of their order. It presents its most conspicuous and normal -development in such animals as the Kangaroos, Wallabies, and the Australian -Opossums or Phalangers. In the Tasmanian Wolf and the Bandicoots the pouch -opens backwards. In such forms as the Phascogale, or Pouched Mouse, the -pouch is reduced to a few rudimentary skin-folds, while in the Banded -Ant-eater its position is occupied by a mere patch of longer hairs, to -which the helpless young ones cling. On the same _lucus a non lucendo_ -principle there is no trace of a pouch in the Koala, nor in those smaller -species of the American Opossums which habitually carry their young upon -their back. Even in these pouchless marsupials, however, the peculiar -marsupial bones are invariably present, and in all other essential details -their accord with the marsupial type of organisation and development is -fully maintained. - - -THE KANGAROOS. - -The typical and most familiar member of the Marsupial Order is the -KANGAROO--the heraldic mammal of that vast island-continent in the South -Seas, whose phenomenal advance by leaps and bounds, from what scarcely a -century since was represented by but a few isolated settlements, has been -aptly likened to the characteristic progression of this animal. Of -kangaroos proper there are some twenty-four known species distributed -throughout the length and breadth of Australia, extending southwards to -Tasmania, and to the north as far as New Guinea and a few other adjacent -islands. - -In point of size the GREAT GREY KANGAROO and the RED or WOOLLY species run -each other very closely. A full-grown male of either species will weigh as -much as 200 lbs., and measure a little over 5 feet from the tip of the nose -to the base of the tail, this latter important member monopolising another -4 or 4½ feet. The red or woolly species more especially affects the rocky -districts of South and East Australia, while the great grey kind is -essentially a plain-dweller and widely distributed throughout the grassy -plains of the entire Australian Continent and also Tasmania. It is to the -big males of this species that the titles of "Boomer," "Forester," and "Old -Man Kangaroos" are commonly applied by the settlers, and the species with -which the popular and exciting sport of a kangaroo hunt--the Antipodean -substitute for fox-hunting--is associated. The pace and staying power of an -old man kangaroo are something phenomenal. Our home country fox-hounds -would have no chance with it; consequently a breed of rough-haired -greyhounds, known as kangaroo-dogs, are specially trained for this sport. A -run of eighteen miles, with a swim of two in the sea at the finish, and all -within the space of two brief crowded hours, is one of the interesting -records chronicled. The quarry, when brought to bay, is, moreover, a by no -means despicable foe. Erect on its haunches, with its back against a tree, -the dogs approach it at their peril, as, with a stroke of its powerful -spur-armed hind foot, it will with facility disembowel or otherwise fatally -maim its assailant. Another favourite refuge of the hunted "boomer" is a -shallow water-hole, wherein, wading waist-deep, it calmly awaits its -pursuers' onslaught. On the dogs swimming out to the attack, it will seize -them with its hand-like fore paws, thrust them under water, and, if their -rescue is not speedily effected, literally drown them. Even man, without -the aid of firearms, is liable to be worsted in an encounter under these -conditions, as is evidenced in the following anecdote. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Reid_] [_Wishaw, N.B._ - -TASMANIAN WALLABY. - -Has softer and thicker fur than its relative of the Australian mainland.] - -A newly arrived settler from the old country, or more precisely from the -sister island, ignorant of the strength and prowess of the wily marsupial, -essayed his maiden kangaroo hunt with only a single dog as company. A fine -grey boomer was in due course started, and after an exciting chase was -cornered in a water-hole. The dog, rushing after it, was promptly seized -and ducked; and Pat, irate at the threatened drowning of his companion, -fired, but missed his quarry, and thereupon jumped into the water-hole, -with the intention, as he afterwards avowed, "to bate the brains out of the -baste" with the butt-end of his gun. The kangaroo, however, very soon -turned the tables upon Pat. Before he had time to realise the seriousness -of the situation he found himself lifted off his feet, and soused and -hustled with such vigour that both Pat and his dog most narrowly escaped a -watery grave. A couple of neighbours, by good luck passing that way, -observed the turmoil, and came to the rescue. Between them they beat off -and killed the kangaroo, and dragged Pat to land in a half-drowned and -almost insensible condition. Pat recovered, and vowed "niver to meddle with -such big bastes" again. - -The doe kangaroos, while of smaller size and possessing much less staying -power than their mates, can nevertheless afford a good run for horses and -dogs, and are commonly known as "flyers." When carrying a youngster, or -"Joey," in her pouch, and hard pressed by the dogs, it is a common thing -for the parent to abstract her offspring from the pouch with her fore paws, -and to throw it aside into the bush. The instinct of self-preservation -only, by the discharge of hampering impedimenta, is usually ascribed to -this act; but it is an open question whether the maternal one of securing a -chance of escape for her young, while feeling powerless to accomplish it -for herself, does not more often represent the actual condition of the -case. - -In proportion to the size of its body the kangaroo yields but a limited -amount of meat that is esteemed for food. The tail represents the most -highly appreciated portion, since from it can be compounded a soup not only -equal to ordinary ox-tail, but by gourmands considered so superior that its -conservation and export have proved a successful trade enterprise. The -loins also are much esteemed for the table, but the hind limbs are hard and -coarse, and only appreciated by the native when rations are abnormally -short. "Steamer," composed of kangaroo-flesh mixed with slices of ham, -represented a standing and very popular dish with the earlier Australian -settlers; but with the rapid disappearance of the animal before the advance -of colonisation this one time common concoction possesses at the present -day a greater traditional than actual reputation. - -The hunting of the kangaroo is conducted on several distinct lines, the -method of its pursuit being varied, according to whether the animal is -required for the primary object of food, for the commercial value of its -skin, as a matter of pure sport, or to accomplish its wholesale destruction -in consequence of its encroachments on the pasturage required for sheep- -and cattle-grazing. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -ALBINO RED-BELLIED WALLABY. - -Many of the Marsupials, including Kangaroos and the Opossum-like -Phalangers, exhibit a tendency to albinism.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by Billington_] [_Queensland._ - -ROCK-WALLABY. - -The Rock-Wallabies, in contradistinction to the Kangaroos, are for the most -part nocturnal in their habits.] - -The greatest measure of healthy excitement in hunting the kangaroo, from -the standpoint of pure sport, is no doubt to be obtained when running the -marsupial down with horse and hounds in congenial company, as referred to -on a previous page. The stalking of the animal single-handed on horseback -or on foot, much after the manner of the deer, has also its enthusiastic -votaries, and calls into play the greatest amount of patience and -_savoir-faire_ on the part of the sportsman. It has been affirmed by a -Queensland writer, "To kill kangaroos with a stalking-horse requires the -practice of a lifetime, and few 'new chums' have the patience to learn it. -It is, in fact, only stockmen, black-fellows, and natives of the bush who -can by this method expect to make kangaroo-shooting pay." The horse which -is successfully employed by experienced bushmen for stalking purposes is -specially trained to its work, and, walking apparently unconcernedly in the -direction of the selected quarry, brings the gunners, if they are experts -in the art of keeping themselves well concealed, within easy range. In this -manner two or three kangaroos are not infrequently shot in the same stalk, -the animals having a tendency, on hearing the report of the gun, but not -locating the direction from which it was discharged, to rush about in an -aimless manner, and, as frequently happens, in the immediate direction of -the hidden sportsman. In the good old times it is recorded that an -experienced hand might kill as many as seventy or eighty kangaroos in a day -by this stalking method. The marsupials are at the present date, however, -so severely decimated that even in the most favourable settled districts a -bag of from twelve to twenty head must be regarded as exceptional. Stalking -the kangaroo on foot without the horse's aid is more strongly recommended -to those to whom an occasional shot is considered sufficiently -remunerative. Taking full advantage of intervening bushes and other -indigenous cover, an approach to within a hundred yards or so of the quarry -may be usually accomplished, though not quite so easily, perhaps, as might -be at first anticipated. It is the habit of the kangaroo to sit up -waist-high in the midst of the sun-bleached grass, which corresponds so -closely in colour with its own hide that unless the animal is silhouetted -against the sky-line it readily escapes detection. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -PARRY'S WALLABY. - -In attitude of listening.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -PARRY'S WALLABY. - -Characteristic feeding attitude.] - -The conditions under which the kangaroo is obtained for the main purpose of -supplying the human commissariat is perhaps most aptly illustrated in -connection with its chase as prosecuted by the Australian aborigines. In -Tasmania and the Southern Australian States the primeval man is either -extinct or more rare than the kangaroo. In the extreme north and far -north-west, however, he still poses as "the lord of creation," and conducts -his hunting expeditions on a lordly scale. The food-supply of the -Australian native is essentially precarious. Long intervals of "short -commons" are interspersed with brief periods of over-abundance, in which he -indulges his appetite to its fullest bent. A kangaroo drive on native lines -represents to the Australian mind one of these last-named superlatively -memorable occasions. The entire tribe, men, women, and all capable youths, -participate in the sport. Fires are lit by one section of the tribe, -according to the direction of the wind, encircling a vast area of the -country, while the other section posts itself in detachments in -advantageous positions to intercept the terrified marsupials as they fly in -the presumed direction of safety to escape the devouring element. Spears -and waddies and boomerangs, in the hands of the expert natives, speedily -accomplish a scene of carnage, and the after feast that follows may perhaps -be best left to the imagination of the reader. The encroachments of -neighbouring natives on the happy hunting-grounds that time and custom have -conceded to be the sole monopoly of any one particular tribe is most -strenuously resented, and constitute one of the commonest sources of their -well-nigh perpetual inter-tribal battles. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef, Melbourne._ - -FOOT OF TREE-KANGAROO. - -Underside, showing peculiar skin-corrugations and the united second and -third toes.] - -A kangaroo battue, as carried into practice by European settlers in those -few remaining districts where the animal is sufficiently abundant to -constitute a pest by its wholesale consumption of the much-prized -pasturage, is far more deadly in its results to the unfortunate marsupials. -Existing sheep-fences, supplemented by a large suitably enclosed yard, are -first specially prepared for the reception of the expected victims. All the -settlers, stockmen, and farm hands from the country round are pressed into -service, and assemble on horseback or on foot at the appointed rendezvous -at break of day. A widely spreading cordon of beaters being told off, a -systematic drive is then commenced, which results in all the animals being -driven towards and collected within the enclosed yard. The culminating -scene is one of wholesale slaughter with club and gun. From these battues -none of the unfortunate animals escape, as they are so closely hemmed in. - -The first record of the existence of the kangaroo, coupled with its -characteristic name, is found associated, it is interesting to observe, -with the history of one of the earlier voyages of Captain Cook. The -neighbourhood of Cooktown, in Queensland, claims the honour of supplying -the first example of the animal which was brought to Europe and astonished -the zoologists of that time by the singularity of its form and reported -habits. Captain Cook happened--in July, 1770--to be laying up his ship, the -_Endeavour_, for repairs, after narrowly escaping total wreck on the -neighbouring Great Barrier Reef, in the estuary of the river subsequently -coupled with his ship's name. Foraging parties, dispatched with the object -of securing, if possible, fresh meat or game for the replenishment of the -ship's well-nigh exhausted larder, returned with reports of a strange -creature, of which they subsequently secured specimens. Skins were -preserved and brought to England, but it was some little time before the -zoological position and affinities of the creature were correctly -allocated. By some naturalists it was regarded as representing a huge -species of Jerboa, its near relationship to the previously known American -Opossums being, however, eventually substantiated. The closer -acquaintanceship with the peculiar fauna of Australia that followed upon -Captain Cook's memorable voyage of discovery along the coast-line of that -island-continent soon familiarised naturalists with many other of the -allied species of which the kangaroo constitutes the leading -representative. - -Some considerable amount of obscurity is associated with the prime origin -of the animal's almost world-wide title of "Kangaroo." It is most commonly -accepted as representing the native name for the creature in that -Queensland district from whence it was first reported by Captain Cook. No -later investigations and enquiries have, however, in any way established -the correctness of this hypothesis, those explorers who have made a special -study of the dialects and habits of the aboriginal inhabitants entirely -failing to elicit anything even remotely coinciding with the name in -question. It has, in fact, been reluctantly concluded by one of the most -experienced Queensland authorities on these matters that the name -originated as a mere miscomprehension of the information elicited from the -natives. Verbal communication with the native tribes under the most -favourable circumstances is liable to a vast amount of misunderstanding, -and where other than linguistic experts are present it frequently happens -that much mongrel or "pidgin English" gets mixed up with the native terms. -Assuming this to have been the case in the present instance, it has been -suggested that the name of Kangaroo, or "Kanguroo," as it was originally -spelt, implied some form of negation of the knowledge which the enquiring -white man was seeking to elicit, or, maybe, partly even a phonetic and -parrot-like repetition of the constantly recurring query that was doubtless -current among the "handy men" of the _Endeavour's_ commission, such as "Can -you" tell me this or that concerning the many unfamiliar objects that -greeted the eyes of the new arrivals in this strange land. The writer -retains a vivid recollection of a closely analogous manner in which the -rural inhabitants of Vigo Bay, on the Spanish coast, appropriated a common -phrase used by the crew of the yacht with whom he landed there. Having -evidently noted that the two words "I say" prefaced the majority of -Jack-tar's speeches, this catch-phrase was adopted and applied by them as a -greeting and as a reply to almost every interrogation in dumb-show or -otherwise that was addressed to them. An unknown animal submitted to these -rustic Solons would doubtless have been dubbed the "I say"; and had the -land been a new one--say, somewhere in the South Seas--that name would -probably have stuck to it. Applying this interpretation to the kangaroo, -and bearing in mind the fondness of the Australian native to duplicate his -name-words or syllables--e.g. _wagga-wagga_, _debil-debil_, and so -forth--the "Kang-you-you" or a closely resembling phonetic expression would -present itself to the native mind as a much more correct rendering of the -simpler "Can you" or "Kang you" which he had picked up as a catch-phrase -from the _Endeavour's_ crew. In the absence, at all events, of any more -rational interpretation of the mystery, this one would seem to merit -consideration. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -BROWN TREE-KANGAROO. - -This species represents the group in North Queensland.] - -While the kangaroo is being speedily dethroned from the dominant position -it originally occupied in the indigenous Australian fauna, praiseworthy and -highly successful attempts have been made to acclimatise this marsupial on -British soil. At Tring Park, Lord Rothschild's estate, Woburn Abbey, and -elsewhere, troops of these graceful creatures may be seen under conditions -of happiness and liberty scarcely inferior to those by which they are -environed in their native "bush." - -[Illustration: _Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin._ _Printed at Lyons, -France._ - -THE GREAT KANGAROO LEAPING. - -In the posture in which this animal is represented the extraordinary size -and strength of the hind limbs and tail are displayed to the best -advantage. Both features are connected with the animal's marvellous powers -of leaping.] - -Of smaller members of the Kangaroo Family, there are some thirty distinct -forms, popularly known in Australia as WALLABIES, WALLAROOS, PADDY-MELONS, -POTOROOS, KANGAROO-HARES, KANGAROO-RATS, etc. The wallabies, which -represent the most important group with regard to their larger size and -economic utility, number some fourteen or fifteen species, and are -distinguished, with relation more especially to their habitats or peculiar -structure, as ROCK-, BRUSH-TAIL, and SPUR-TAIL WALLABIES, etc. Among the -rock-wallabies the yellow-footed species from South Australia is -undoubtedly one of the handsomest as well as the largest member of its -group, the uniform grey characteristic of the majority of its members being -in this instance represented by an elegantly striped and banded form, in -which the several tints of brown, yellow, black, and white are pleasingly -interblended. A very fine example of this wallaby was included in the -valuable collection of animals, formerly at Windsor, recently presented to -the Zoological Society by His Majesty King Edward, and is now on view at -the Regent's Park. The successful stalking of rock-wallabies in their -native fastnesses entails no mean amount of patience and agility. Although -these animals are so abundant in favoured localities as to make hard-beaten -tracks to and fro betwixt their rock-dwellings and their pasture-grounds, -one may traverse the country in broad daylight without catching a glimpse -of a single individual. One species, about the size of a large rabbit, is -very plentiful among the rocky bastion-like hills that border the Ord -River, which flows into Cambridge Gulf, in Western Australia. Efforts to -stalk examples in broad daylight proved fruitless; but by sallying out a -little before daybreak, so as to arrive at their feeding-grounds while the -light was still dim, the writer succeeded in securing several specimens. -Many of these rock-wallabies are notable for the length, fine texture, and -pleasing tints of their fur, their skins on such account being highly -esteemed for the composition of carriage-rugs and other furry articles. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -TREE-KANGAROOS. - -Examples acclimatised in the Melbourne Zoological Gardens.] - -Of the larger brush or scrub varieties, the species known as the BLACK -WALLABY is the most familiar form. It is particularly abundant in the -Southern Australian States, and also in Tasmania. Its flesh is excellent -eating, and, dressed and served up in the orthodox manner of jugged hare, -can scarcely be distinguished from that toothsome dish. Some of the smaller -species, such as the hare- and rat-kangaroos or potoroos, are, as their -names denote, of no larger dimensions than the familiar rodents from which -they are popularly named. Several of these smaller species, including -notably the potoroo, or kangaroo-rat of New South Wales, are addicted to -paying marked attention to the settlers' gardens, and, being to a large -extent root-feeders, have acquired a special predilection for the newly -planted or more fully matured potato crops. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -GAIMARD'S RAT-KANGAROO. - -A species named after the French naturalist, Gaimard.] - -The most abnormal group of the Kangaroo Family is undoubtedly that of the -TREE-KANGAROOS, formerly supposed to have been limited in its distribution -to the island of New Guinea, but which has within recent years been found -to be represented by one or more species in Northern Queensland. At the -Melbourne Zoo they have been found, except in the coldest weather, to -thrive well in the open--a moderate-sized tree, with a small fenced-in -enclosure around it, being admirably suited to their requirements, at the -same time providing a most instructive exhibition of their peculiar forms -and idiosyncrasies. Seen at its best, however, the tree-kangaroo, or -"boongarry," as it is known amongst the Queensland natives, is a most -clumsy, melancholy-looking beast, which has apparently found itself "up a -tree," not as the outcome of its personal predilections, but owing to the -_force majeure_ of untoward pressure in the form either of relentlessly -persecuting enemies or the failure of its normal terrestrial commissariat. -Compared with the graceful and superlatively agile tree-frequenting -phalangers, between whom and the ordinary kangaroos it has been sometimes, -but erroneously, regarded as representing a connecting-link, the boongarry -presents a most ungainly contrast. Its climbing powers are of the slowest -and most awkward description, the whole of its energies being concentrated -on its endeavour to preserve its balance and to retain a tight hold upon -the branches of the trees it frequents, and to which it clings with such -tenacity with its long sharp claws that it can with difficulty be detached. -In its wild state, moreover, these claws can be very effectively used as -weapons of defence; and hence the natives, with whom the animal is highly -esteemed as an article of food, are careful to give it its quietus with -their clubs or waddies before venturing to handle it. The tree-kangaroos -inhabit the densest parts of the forests or "scrubs" of New Guinea and -tropical Queensland, and appear to confine their movements chiefly to the -trees of moderate size, or the lower branches only of the taller ones. - -The species which constitutes the most natural known connecting-link -between the typical Kangaroos and the family of the Phalangers, next -described, is the FIVE-TOED RAT-KANGAROO, or POTOROO. As its name implies, -it is a small creature of rat-like aspect and dimensions, and possesses, -like a rat, a long, cylindrical, naked, scaly tail. It is the structure of -the feet, however, that constitutes the important distinction. In place of -the four toes only to the hind limbs it possesses the full complement of -five, and the first toe, moreover, is set farther back, and is opposable -for grasping purposes. This animal is from Queensland. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea._ - -RAT-KANGAROO FROM NEW SOUTH WALES. - -One of the small jerboa-like species.] - - -THE PHALANGERS. - -The Phalanger Family of Marsupials, which next invites attention, is -constituted of animals especially adapted to lead an arboreal life, though -among themselves they exhibit very considerable structural variations. The -species usually placed at the head of this group is the essentially droll -and in many respects abnormal form known as the KOALA, or AUSTRALIAN NATIVE -BEAR. Its little podgy tailless body, short thick-set head, and round -tufted ears lend some countenance perhaps to the ursine analogy; but there -the likeness ends. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR AND CUB. - -An excellent illustration of the way in which the female koalas carry their -young securely perched on their backs.] - -The koala is limited in its distribution to the south-eastern region of the -Australian Continent, and is there found inhabiting the loftiest gum-trees, -on the leaves and flowers of which it almost exclusively feeds. Compared -with the opossum and squirrel-like phalangers, the koala is a very slow and -sedentary little animal, remaining stationary in and browsing upon the -leaves of the same gum-tree for days or even weeks at a stretch. Taking -advantage of this home-staying propensity, examples are established, with -full liberty to wander at will among the large gum-trees, in the Melbourne -Zoological Gardens, and have never abused the confidence reposed in them by -surreptitiously absconding. The young koalas in particular make the most -droll and delightful of household pets, speedily becoming attached to and -following their owners about the premises, or contentedly settling down to -the possession of an allotted corner of the verandah, in which an -improvised perch has been erected and a constant supply of its favourite -gum-leaves is daily assured. One such example, kept in Brisbane, -Queensland, furnished the writer with the material for the photograph on -this page; also of another one that illustrated in an interesting manner -the very singular attitude assumed by the animal when asleep. Instead of -creeping into the hollow trunk or spout of a gum or other tree, as the -opossums and other phalangers are wont to do, the little "bear" simply -sticks tight to his supporting branch, and, tucking in his head and ears -and limbs, converts himself into an apparently homogeneous rounded mass of -fur or moss, and, thus disguised, peacefully sleeps. Seen at some little -distance, in fact, none but a trained eye could distinguish this sleeping -bear from one of the round woody excrescences or bunches of misletoe-like -parasitic growths that are of common occurrence on the trees in every gum -forest. In this way the little creature secures immunity from the attacks -of enemies by mimicking the characteristic peculiarities of its -environment, as obtains so generally among insects and other of the lower -orders of animated nature. A closely analogous sleeping attitude, it may be -mentioned, is assumed by one of the African lemurs or pottos, which have -been dealt with in a previous chapter. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR. - -The koala has no tail, and is a stout, clumsily built animal, about 32 -inches in length, with thick woolly fur of a greyish colour.] - -Although in captivity the koala takes kindly to a mixed diet in which -bread-and-milk and fruit may form substantial elements, it can rarely be -induced to altogether dispense with its customary gum-leaf regimen, and it -is this circumstance that mainly accounts for its rarity in European -menageries. Time and again, however, this interesting animal has put in an -appearance at the Regent's Park; but in spite of Kew Gardens and other -sources being laid under contribution for a supply of gum-tree leaves, its -sojourn there has been but brief. As a matter of fact, the common or blue -gum-tree, which is alone cultivated and available in any quantity in this -country, and which is indigenous to Tasmania, is not the species on which -the koala is accustomed to feed. Of gum-trees there are some hundred -species, every one differing in the peculiarity of its aromatic scent and -flavour, and having its special clientèle among the ranks of leaf-browsing -animals. So far as the writer's observations extended, it was the big -Queensland "white" and "swamp" gums that were especially patronised by the -Australian bears, and these are not grown in England. - -Although at first sight, and normally so far as the younger individuals are -concerned, the koala would appear to represent the most perfect embodiment -of peace and goodwill among mammals, he is accredited at a maturer age, -when crossed in love or goaded to resentment by some other cause, to give -way to fits of ungovernable rage. These temporary lapses are, however, very -transient, and our little friend soon recovers his customary bland -placidity. While it is being threshed out, nevertheless, the "burden of -song" delivered by rival claimants for a partner's favours is a remarkable -phenomenon. The circumstance that the vocal duet is commonly executed high -up among the branches of the loftiest gums no doubt adds very considerably -to both the timbre of the "music" and the distance to which it is carried. -The old-time phrase of "making the welkin ring" would undoubtedly have been -applied with alacrity and singular appropriateness by the poets of the -departed century to the love-song of the koala, had they been privileged to -hear it. - -Among the examples of the koala which have been in residence at the Zoo, -one of them came to a pathetic end. As told to the writer by Mr. A. D. -Bartlett, the late superintendent, it appears that the little animal, on -exhibition in the gardens during the day, was brought into the house at -night, and allowed the run of a room which, among other furniture, included -a large swing looking-glass. One morning the little creature was found -crushed to death beneath the mirror, upon which it had apparently climbed -and over-balanced. The information that the animal was a female evoked the -suspicion that personal vanity and the admiration of its own image in the -glass had some share in compassing its untimely end. Possibly, however, it -hailed in the reflection the welcome advent of a companion to share its -lone banishment from the land of the gum-tree, and in its efforts to greet -it thus came to grief. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR. - -These animals make a peculiarly plaintive cry when molested in any way by -human beings.] - -The female koala produces but one cub at a time. At an early period after -its birth this is transferred to its mother's back, and is thus transported -until its dimensions are about one-half of those of its parent. The pair as -shown in the illustration on page 355 presents, under these conditions, an -essentially grotesque aspect. - -It is a noteworthy circumstance that, compared with the male, the female -koala is but rarely to be observed wandering abroad during broad daylight. -As with the typical phalangers food is consumed chiefly at night or during -the brief Australian twilight hours. While the male at certain periods, -more especially the months of March and April, is much in evidence in -daytime to both the senses of sight and hearing, as attested to on a -previous page, the female spends the whole or greater portion of the day -clinging as an inert sleeping mass to a convenient branch. "Bear"-shooting -in Australia, as might be anticipated from the description here given of -the animal's habits and temperament, affords but sorry sport. It may -further be remarked that those who have shot at and only disabled one of -these inoffensive little creatures are scarcely likely to repeat the -experiment. The cry of a wounded koala has been aptly compared to that of a -distressed child, but still more pathetic. When fatally shot, it also more -frequently than otherwise clings tenaciously back-downwards, like the South -American sloths, to the supporting tree-branch, and is thus frequently -irrecoverable. With the non-sentimental Australian furrier the koala's pelt -of soft, crisp, ashy-grey fur is unfortunately in considerable demand, -being made up mostly, with the quaint round head and tufted ears intact, -into, it must be confessed, singularly attractive and warm rugs. - -The correspondence of the koala in form and habits to the sloths among the -higher mammalia has been previously mentioned. The parallelism might be -pursued in yet another direction. In earlier times the small -tree-inhabiting South American sloths were supplemented by -ground-frequenting species, such as the Megatherium, which were of -comparatively titanic proportions. The epoch of the accredited existence of -these huge ground-sloths was so comparatively recent--the later -tertiaries--that it is even yet not regarded as altogether improbable that -some existing representative of the race may yet be discovered in the -fastnesses of the South American forests, and thus claim a niche in the -pages of a subsequent edition of "LIVING ANIMALS." In a like manner the -little sloth-like tree-frequenting "Australian Bear" had his primeval -ground-dwelling colossi, and there is yet a lurking hope among enthusiastic -zoologists that some surviving scion of the little koala's doughty -forebears may yet turn up in the practically unexplored Central Australian -wildernesses. Some such anticipations, as a matter of fact, stimulated the -hopes and aspirations of the participators in one of the latest of these -exploring expeditions, which, while not successful in this instance in -obtaining so great a prize, secured for science that most interesting and -previously unknown marsupial mammal the Pouched Mole. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING-PHALANGER OF VICTORIA. - -This animal has soft grey fur like that of the chinchilla.] - - -THE TYPICAL PHALANGERS. - -The typical PHALANGERS, or OPOSSUMS, as they are familiarly known -throughout Australia, include a very considerable number of -representatives, ranging in size from that of a small mouse to that of a -full-grown cat. All are essentially arboreal in their habits, feeding -principally on the leaves and flowers of the various gums. They are for the -most part strictly nocturnal in their habits, and make their homes and -retiring-places during the day in the hollow trunks and limbs that are of -such abundant occurrence in the periodically fire-swept Australian forests. -Almost all the larger species are notable for the length, thickness, and -exquisitely fine texture of their fur, a circumstance for which they are -consequently laid under heavy penalties for the sake of their pelts. The -island colony of Tasmania, in the extreme south, with its colder climate, -as might be anticipated, produces the finest qualities of these furs, that -of the BLACK or SOOTY OPOSSUM, which is peculiar to the island, being most -highly prized. The length and furry character of their in many instances -prehensile tails also form a conspicuous feature of this group. Nature, in -fact, apparently distributed caudal material so over-liberally among these -marsupials that the little koala had to make shift without. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -LARGER FLYING-PHALANGER. - -A nearly pure white example.] - -The group of the Phalanger Family popularly known as FLYING-SQUIRRELS, or -more correctly as FLYING-PHALANGERS, is almost universally admitted to -include some of the most beautiful of living mammals. In external -structure, so far as their peculiar so-called "flying" mechanism is -concerned, these animals coincide in a remarkable manner with the true -flying-squirrels, belonging to the Rodent Order, indigenous to the Asiatic -and American Continents. In neither instance is there flight, in the true -sense of the term, similar to that of birds and bats, but the fore and hind -limbs are connected by a parachute-like membrane, which, outstretched when -the animal leaps from tree to tree, buoys it up and enables its owner to -traverse, in a straight and gradually descending line only, very -considerable distances. - -The smaller squirrel-like form common to the south-eastern districts of -Australia, and on account of its predilection for sweets commonly known as -the SUGAR-SQUIRREL, makes a most charming little pet. For the most part -addicted to sleep, and impatient at being disturbed during the day, towards -sundown it wakes up, and is full of frolic. One such example was the -writer's travelling companion for a considerable interval in Western -Australia. While remaining packed conveniently away in a small box -throughout the day, it was accustomed to enjoy the liberty of whatever -apartment its owner occupied in the evening and throughout the night, -returning of its own accord to its sleeping-box with the approach of dawn. -On one exceptional occasion, however, Master Tiny, as this individual was -named, was missing in the morning from his accustomed crib, and a prolonged -search and examination of every corner and article of furniture that could -afford shelter failed to recover him. That the little creature was lost -through some one having unwittingly left the door of the apartment open, -permitting its escape, was the only and much-deplored conclusion that could -be arrived at. Towards evening, however, there was a slight rustle close at -hand, and Master Tiny was discovered emerging, like Minerva from the head -of Jupiter, from the top of one of the old-fashioned china dogs that -decorated the hotel-room mantelpiece. The ornament, seemingly intact from -the front, had the back of the head battered in. Through the resulting -crevice the little animal had managed to squeeze itself, having come to the -conclusion, doubtless, that this newly chosen retreat more nearly resembled -the cavernous shelter of its native tree-spout than its accustomed -artificially constructed box. This singular domicile Master Tiny was -permitted to monopolise for the remainder of his sojourn at that hostelry. -One of the favourite diversions of this little phalanger during the -evenings was to climb up the curtain and cornice of the room he occupied, -and thence hurl himself through the air with outspread parachute to the -writer at the opposite end. The apartment, happening to be the commercial -room of the hotel, some thirty feet in length, gave him good scope for -exercising his characteristic flying leaps. The attitude invariably -maintained during these flights is aptly illustrated in the accompanying -photograph; the body is never poised with the head inclined downwards, as -is commonly depicted in artists' fancy sketches of the animal contained in -popular natural histories. A friend of the writer's in Tasmania, who kept -one of these flying-phalangers as a household pet, was accustomed to leave -a crevice of the window open at night, so that the little fellow could go -in and out as it liked. After the manner of most pets, however, a day -arrived upon which its box was found vacant, a marauding cat or other -disaster having apparently compassed its untimely end. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -LESSER FLYING-PHALANGER. - -Illustrating position maintained during its remarkable flying leaps.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER. - -A life-size photograph. The hairs of the tail in this animal are arranged -in two parallel lines, like the vanes of a bird's feather.] - -The larger flying-phalanger, the dimensions of our domestic tabby, and with -fur as long and as soft as the Persian variety, is less frequently -domesticated. It has, in fact, an evil reputation for scratching, biting, -and general untamableness. One that was kept for some little time by the -late Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, and brought to England, never entirely lost -its innate savagery. On the voyage from Australia it became sufficiently -tame as to be allowed occasionally to run about on the deck, and was so far -amiable as to lay on its back and permit itself to be tickled. On -attempting to handle it, however, "it displayed its usual savage -disposition, digging its sharp claws and teeth into the bands of its -captor." The writer was fortunate in being the recipient in Queensland of a -couple of these large phalangers which were exceptions to the usual rule. -These specimens--a mother and its young male offspring--also varied in -colour from normal examples, which are usually dark slate or blackish brown -above and whitish underneath. The mother in this instance was a beautiful -cream-white throughout; and her young one, while dark chinchilla-grey upon -the back, limbs, and tail, had white ears and breast. Both were very -friendly, and would of their own accord climb over their owner's person, -seeking in his pockets for hidden lumps of sugar and other acceptable -dainties. As with the smaller squirrel-like forms, they slept throughout -the greater portion of the day, waking to activity and making excursions in -search of their food as soon as the sun went down. The tail of this species -of phalanger is abnormally long and furry, but not prehensile. It was -observed of them that when feeding leisurely on the gum-tree leaves this -appendage was permitted to hang or rest loosely, but that when walking -along the branches they would very frequently coil this member into a tight -spiral coil, like a watch-spring or the proboscis of a butterfly, against -their hindquarters. This phenomenon is apparently unique among mammals. -Although generally seeking the darker retreat of their box for their long -daylight sleep, the female, more particularly, would frequently simply curl -herself up into a furry white ball in one corner of the cage, the head, -limbs, or other features being at such times altogether indistinguishable. -The aid of the magnesium flash-light was successfully called into service -to secure the photographic likeness of this animal, here reproduced, which -was taken while it was enjoying its evening meal. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -COMMON GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER. - -The fur of this species is in great demand for the manufacture of -carriage-rugs.] - -As previously mentioned, some representatives of the flying-phalanger group -are no larger than mice, and are furnished in a similar manner with a -parachute-like membrane that enables them to take abnormally long flying -leaps, or as it were to sail horizontally through the air. The PYGMY -FLYING-PHALANGER, whose length of body does not exceed 2½ inches, is one of -the most interesting. The tail in this form is also adapted for aerial -flotation, the long hairs that grow upon this appendage being arranged in -two parallel lines like the vanes of a feather. Its distribution is limited -to the south and eastern districts of the Australian Continent. There are -also a number of mouse- and squirrel-like phalangers destitute of the -flying-membrane, which in this respect very closely resemble in external -aspect more typical members of the Rodent Order. One form in particular, -the STRIPED PHALANGER of New Guinea, decorated with broad longitudinal -black and white stripes, is singularly suggestive of some of the variously -striped American squirrels. This interesting island of New Guinea also -produces a little PYGMY PHALANGER with a feather-like tail which, except -for the absence of a parachute or flying-membrane, is the very counterpart -of the Australian kind. Another species, which in shape, size, and more -especially with reference to its long, pointed snout, closely resembles a -shrew-mouse, is found in Western Australia. The tail of this species, known -as the LONG-SNOUTED PHALANGER, is highly prehensile; and it is also -provided with a long, slender, protrusile tongue, with which it abstracts -the honey from Banksias and other flowers, upon which it customarily feeds. - -The two large phalangers known as the BLACK and GREY or VULPINE OPOSSUMS, -which are chiefly laid under contribution for the Australian fur supplies, -are provided with prehensile tails, the under side of the extremity of -which grasps the supporting fulcrum and is devoid of hair. The adaptation -of the tail for use as a fifth hand--as in the New World monkeys--is, -however, much more conspicuously manifested in what are known to the -colonists as the RING-TAILED OPOSSUMS, and to zoologists as -CRESCENT-TOOTHED PHALANGERS. In these the tail tapers to a fine point, and -the hair throughout the terminal third of this appendage is so fine and -short that it at first sight presents the appearance of being entirely -naked. This terminal third of the tail, moreover, in the greater number of -species, contrasts with the remaining portion by being white in hue. It -occasionally happens, however, that individuals occur which are entirely -white. One such which came into the writer's possession was obtained from -the Bruni Islands, in the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, and afterwards became -a great pet with the young people at Government House, Hobart. It is an -interesting circumstance that the Bruni Islands were noted for the -production of albino animals of various descriptions, white kangaroos and -white emus having also been obtained from this locality. Probably some -peculiarity of the soil, and its action on the vegetable food the animals -consumed, played an important part in the unusually frequent occurrence of -this phenomenon. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Henry King_] [_Sydney._ - -AUSTRALIAN GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER. - -On account of its "foxy" appearance, this species is also known as the -Vulpine Phalanger.] - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -FRONT VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER. - -Displays the bare under-surface of the prehensile tail.] - -The ring-tailed opossums differ essentially from the common opossum or -phalanger and its allies in their life habits. While these latter -habitually take up their abode and bring forth their young in hollow trees, -the ring-tailed species construct a regular nest of interlaced sticks, -leaves, grass, or any other available material for their domicile. The -structure much resembles the nest, or "drey," of our own familiar European -squirrel, and may be perched high up among the tree branches or within only -a few feet from the ground among the scrub thickets. In New Guinea a -variety of these ring-tailed phalangers occurs, not found in Australia, -which has no white tip to its tail, and the ears are very short and wide. -The group as represented by this species leads to the consideration of the -so-called CUSCUSES or typical phalangers indigenous to New Guinea and North -Queensland, though but rarely seen there, which, as an exception to the -Marsupial Tribe, are distributed among the Indo-Malay Islands as far -westward as Celebes. In the cuscuses the tail is altogether naked, and -pre-eminently prehensile throughout almost its entire terminal moiety; the -ears are round and, proportionately, exceedingly small; while the fur is -very short, thick, and woolly. Compared with the opossums or phalangers, -the cuscuses are very dull and sluggish in their movements, creeping slowly -among the branches of the trees to browse on the fruit and leaves which -constitute their principal diet. Like the opossums, however, or even to a -greater extent, they vary this vegetarian regimen with insects or an -occasionally captured bird. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -PROFILE VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER. - -The opossums are usually shot by moonlight, as seen silhouetted against the -sky.] - - -THE CUSCUSES. - -The familiar SPOTTED CUSCUS of New Guinea is the most ornate marsupial -mammal. The males, more especially, are as variegated in colour as a -tortoiseshell cat, their tints, moreover, closely corresponding in hue with -those of the feline. No two individuals, however, are precisely alike in -this respect. Usually the ground-colour of the back is a dirty or creamy -white, interspersed with various-shaped blotches of nut-brown or black; the -chin, breast, and under-parts are a purer white, and the limbs grey or -reddish brown, or, as shown in the photograph over-leaf, mottled like the -body. The BLACK CUSCUS of Celebes is, as its name denotes, a much more -sombre-looking animal, and is also the largest species, its dimensions -equalling or exceeding those of a large cat. The uniformly tinted GREY -CUSCUS of Timor, Amboina, and other of the Indo-Malay Islands is very -similar in size and aspect, excepting for the half-naked tail, to the -common ring-tailed phalanger. All the cuscuses are of rare occurrence in -even their most favoured habitats. On one occasion the writer came across -an example of the grey species in the scrub forest of Thursday Island, -Torres Straits. In this instance, however, it is doubtful if the animal was -not an escaped pet brought over from the neighbouring coast of New Guinea. - -[Illustration: _By permission of S. Sinclair, Esq._] [_Sydney._ - -RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER, AND NEST. - -This is the only Australian opossum which builds a regular nest.] - -Much interesting information concerning different varieties of the cuscus -is contained in Dr. Alfred Wallace's interesting work "The Malay -Archipelago." An anecdote of one which was brought to this naturalist -during his residence in the Aru Islands--the headquarters of the great bird -of paradise--is thus related: "Just as we had cleared away and packed up -for the night, a strange beast was brought, which had been shot by the -natives. It resembled in size and in its white woolly covering a small fat -lamb, but had short legs, hand-like feet with large claws, and a long -prehensile tail. It was a Spotted Cuscus, one of the curious marsupial -animals of the Papuan region, and I was very desirous to obtain the skin. -The owners, however, said they wanted to eat it; and though I offered them -a good price, and promised to give them all the meat, there was great -hesitation. Suspecting the reason, I offered, though it was night, to set -to work immediately, and get out the body for them, to which they agreed. -The creature was much hacked about, and the two hind feet almost cut off, -but it was the largest and finest specimen of the kind I had seen; and -after an hour's hard work I handed over the body to the owners, who -immediately cut it up and roasted it for supper." - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Croydon._ - -SPOTTED CUSCUS. - -The cuscuses are sleepy animals, with soft, woolly fur, which in this -species is curiously variegated in colour.] - -The remarkable tenacity of life possessed by the cuscus is fully attested -to by Dr. Wallace. He says: "They move about slowly, and are most difficult -to kill, owing to the thickness of their skins and tenacity of life. A -heavy charge of shot will often lodge in the skin and do them no harm, and -even breaking the spine or piercing the brain will not kill them for some -hours. The natives everywhere eat their flesh; and as their motions are so -slow, easily catch them by climbing; so that it is wonderful that they have -not been exterminated. It may be, however, that their dense woolly fur -protects them from birds of prey, and the islands they live in are too -thinly inhabited for man to be able to exterminate them." - -One of the most notable circumstances respecting the cuscus is the fact -that it is one of the few marsupials whose geographical distribution -extends so far east in the Malay Archipelago as to be found associated with -many of the higher mammalia which are altogether unrepresented in Australia -or New Guinea. The Moluccas, including notably the islands of Silolo, -Ceram, Boru, and many smaller ones, for example, produce no less than three -species of cuscus, and are also the home of a species of baboon, a -civet-cat, a deer, and that remarkable pig the babirusa. One other -marsupial, a little flying-phalanger, is likewise a denizen of these -islands. It has been suggested by Dr. Wallace that none of the foregoing -higher mammals are possibly indigenous to the Moluccas. The baboon, he -remarks, is only found in the island of Batchian, and seems to be much out -of place there. It probably originated from some individuals which escaped -from confinement, these and similar animals being often kept as pets by the -Malay inhabitants and carried about in their praus. The civet-cat, which is -more common in the Philippines and throughout the Indo-Malay region, is -also carried about in cages from one island to another, and not -infrequently liberated after the civet has been abstracted from them. The -deer, which is likewise tamed and petted, its flesh also being much -esteemed for food, might very naturally have been brought by the Malays -from Java with the express object of its acclimatisation. The babirusa, -whose headquarters are in the island of Celebes, is only found in Boru, its -nearest neighbour in the Moluccan group. Dr. Wallace anticipates that these -two islands were in former times more closely connected by land, and that -under such conditions the babirusa may have swum across the intervening -channel. Should these several hypotheses be correct, the Molucca Islands -must be regarded, from a zoological standpoint, as an essentially -Australasian or marsupial-producing region. - - -THE WOMBATS. - -The Wombat Family, claiming the next position in the marsupial galaxy, -constitutes the very antithesis to the light and graceful arboreal -phalangers. There are but three known species, one of these inhabiting -Tasmania and the adjacent islands, while the other two are peculiar to the -southern region of the Australian Continent. In forms and gait their -thick-set tailless bodies suggest a cross between a small bear and a -capybara, and as "bears" and "badgers" they are familiarly known by the -Australian colonists. The badger simile is perhaps the most pertinently -applied with reference to their habit of excavating huge earth-burrows as -dwelling-places, and out of which they customarily emerge only at night to -feed. The TASMANIAN WOMBAT, at all events, is essentially gregarious in its -habits; In the neighbourhood of Swansea, on the east coast, it is, or was, -particularly abundant, forming regular warrens among a light undergrowth of -vegetation, through which travelling on horseback is a distinctly risky -proceeding. The temperament of the wombat is peculiarly placid; and hence, -as it might be anticipated, they are essentially long-lived. One, Charlie -by name, which has been domiciled at the Zoo for the past thirty years, is -still hale and hearty, and evidently disinclined yet awhile to immolate -himself on the altar of fame as a much-needed successor to the antique -effigy which has for so long represented his species in the British Natural -History Museum. Waiting for dead men's shoes is a proverbially tedious -task, and for a coveted wombat's skin evidently more so. - -The tough hide, with its thick, harsh fur, of the Tasmanian wombat, or -"badger," as it is locally dubbed, is somewhat highly prized in the land of -its birth. For floor- and door-mats and rugs the pelt is practically -indestructible; and as such, though scarcely a thing of beauty, the special -pride of the thrifty housewife. This animal is also not infrequently made a -household pet, and will waddle as complacently as an over-fed poodle around -the premises after its owner. The wombat, like the large majority of the -marsupial animals, is for the most part nocturnal in habits, and a strict -vegetarian. - -The wombats present several interestingly distinct structural -peculiarities. In the first place, their teeth, which are twenty-four in -number, all grow uninterruptedly throughout life, and are consequently -devoid of roots. The incisor teeth are represented by but a single pair in -each jaw, and, having enamel only on their front surfaces, wear away in a -chisel-like form, as in the beavers and other rodents. Superficially in -both form and habits, as well as in the character of their dentition, the -wombats may in fact be aptly likened to some unwieldy representative of the -Rodent Order. Another structural peculiarity of the wombat is that it is -the proud possessor of two more pairs of ribs than any other marsupial. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -COMMON WOMBAT. - -A burrowing animal about the size of a small pig.] - -Of the three known species, the COMMON WOMBAT of the South and Eastern -Australian States is the largest, attaining to a length of as much as 3 -feet. The colour of this form is subject to considerable variation, being -sometimes yellow, yellow more or less mixed with black, or completely -black. Albinism, as in the kangaroos and phalangers, is of apparently rare -occurrence. The hair, while coarse, is less so than in the Tasmanian -species. What is known as the HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT, inhabiting South -Australia, is intermediate in size between the common and the Tasmanian -varieties; its most distinctive features are the soft and silky character -of its brownish hair, and its longer and more pointed ears. The coarseness -of the hair of the Tasmanian species has been previously referred to; in -colour it is most usually a dark greyish brown, while the ears are small -and rounded. - -The flesh of the wombat is somewhat esteemed for food, being regarded by -some as equal to pork, and much resembling it in flavour. The predilection -of tame specimens for milk is very strong, and it has been recorded of one -animal that it was not only in the habit of seeking out the milk-pans and -pushing off the covers in order to drink the contents, but afterwards of -taking a bath in what was left. - -[Illustration: _Photo by E. Landor_] [_Ealing._ - -HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT. - -A form peculiar to South Australia.] - -A remarkable habit has been accredited to the wombat which invites -scientific investigation. It is said to be capable of sustaining life for -an abnormally long period under water, and that when in the course of its -travels it meets with a pond or river it does not attempt to swim, but, -deliberately entering the water, walks along the bottom, and so emerges on -the opposite bank. - -The animals of Australia living in not very remote geological times -included a near ally of the wombat which equalled a tapir in dimensions. - - -THE BANDICOOTS. - -The Australian BANDICOOTS--not to be confounded with their namesake of -India, which is a big rat--constitute a very distinct little family group. -They number in all some eight or nine species, distributed throughout the -length and breadth of Australia and Tasmania, and found also in New Guinea. -The largest member is about the size of a rabbit; and as its general shape, -long ears, and soft silky hair impart some slight resemblance to that -rodent, it is commonly known as the RABBIT-BANDICOOT. With the -above-enumerated points, however, the likeness ceases--its possession of a -moderately long tail, pointed snout, and feet modified on a plan closely -resembling those of the kangaroo's indicating its essentially distinct -nature. In a second variety, having somewhat the same external contour, but -smaller in size, the fore limbs are very short, and the feet so modified -that only two toes are visible externally. With reference to this peculiar -feature, it is known as the PIG-FOOTED BANDICOOT. In a third kind of -similar dimensions, with harsh brown fur, the ears are comparatively short, -and the snout is so abnormally prolonged that, it has been appropriately -named the LONG-NOSED BANDICOOT. Superficially, in point of fact, this and -other allied species so closely resemble certain of the long-snouted -insectivorous mammals, such as the Tenrec and Solenodon, that they might be -excusably mistaken by the non-scientific for members of the same group. The -bandicoots are chiefly nocturnal, and at all events incorrigible -"sun-downers," turning up for their meals when the evening shadows fall, -and taking a heavy and unwelcome toll of the farmers' potatoes, beets, or -other root, crops. Like the wombat, already described, they are -earth-burrowers. Some of them, however, construct nests above-ground in -long coarse grass or low tangled shrubs, which are so ingeniously built in -accord with their environment as to readily escape detection. Insects and -worms, in addition to a main diet of vegetable matter, contribute to the -bandicoot's somewhat heterogeneous menu. - -[Illustration: _Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd._] [_Aberdeen._ - -COMMON WOMBAT. - -The Wombats may be said to hold the place occupied in other parts of the -world by the Badgers.] - -The wood- and root-boring larvæ of a moth which infests the Australian -wattle- or acacia-trees are a very favourite food with several of the -species, and it is worthy of remark that the bandicoots are not alone in -displaying a penchant for this delicacy. Under the title of "bardies" they -are collected and highly esteemed for food by the natives of Western -Australia, who eat them either cooked or raw. These larvæ are, moreover, -acceptable to many European palates, and the writer has witnessed little -faggot-like bundles of them brought round by the natives to the hotels at -Geraldton, Western Australia, for sale or barter to chance customers. It -may be observed in this connection that the analogous wood-boring larvæ of -the goat-moth, which were kept and specially fattened for the occasion, -constituted one of the dainty dishes of the luxurious Romans. - -One of the commonest species found in Tasmania is known as the BANDED or -STRIPED-BACKED BANDICOOT, being so named on account of the characteristic -markings of its fur. The general ground-colour of the coat is an almost -equal admixture of black and yellow hairs, the black tint, however, -prevailing on the back, and the lighter one on the sides. The hindquarters -are, however, variegated by the presence of some three or four broad -transverse stripes that are almost entirely black, while the intervening -spaces are a light whitish yellow. A few shorter stripes are sometimes -continued as far as the root of the tail, this appendage also having a dark -line running along its upper surface. The head is of a somewhat lighter -tint than the remainder of the body, while the breast, abdomen, and feet -are white, slightly tinged with grey. The transversely striped pattern of -ornamentation of the hindquarters of this bandicoot is of interest with -relation to the circumstance that a similarly located banded variegation of -the fur occurs also in the Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine, and in the banded -ant-eater, described in a following section. As a colour-pattern it would -appear to be quite peculiar to these marsupials, no such restriction of the -markings occurring among the higher or placental mammals. In the South -African suricate, a member of the Ichneumon Tribe, in which the nearest -approach to this dorsal banding is met with, the stripes are equally -developed as far forward as the base of the neck. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -LONG-NOSED AUSTRALIAN BANDICOOT. - -Bandicoots, although larger, have somewhat the appearance of shrews.] - -Both the banded and other species of bandicoots are extremely swift and -active in their movements, and are at the same time noted for the -singularity of their gait. This consists of a half-running and half-jumping -action, induced by the peculiar structure of their feet and greater length -of the hind legs, which are modified on a plan intermediate between that of -the kangaroos and the dasyures, or native cats. The back of the animal -while running being highly arched, adds to the grotesqueness of its -appearance. Like the native cats, the pouch in the bandicoots opens -backwards; it is furnished with eight teats, but not more than two young -are usually produced at a birth. - -The striped-backed bandicoot is not infrequently adopted as a household -pet, in spite of its notorious garden depredations. When thus domesticated, -it appears to be capable of developing a strong attachment for its owner. -One that was owned by friends of the writer especially attached itself to -the lady of the house. It was acquired when quite young, having escaped -from the pouch of an adult female which the dogs had killed, and being then -about the size of a mouse. It speedily learned to lap milk, and throve on a -diet of bread and raw potato. As it grew larger it was allowed the run of -the house, and also of the garden, but habitually returned to the -sleeping-quarters selected by itself, and represented by the woolly depths -of its mistress's work-basket. In this haven of rest it slept all day, -scolding and snapping at any intruding hand. Towards dusk it would waken up -and bustle about in a most energetic manner, with the air, in fact, of -having an immense amount of business to transact within the very shortest -limits of time. Its first dart was always towards a corner where a supper -of bread-and-milk and potato was usually placed. This meal discussed, its -evening's occupation commenced of scampering around the room and over every -accessible article of furniture. Nor was it shy of climbing up and resting -for a few seconds on the shoulders of its human friends, being always, -however, in too great a hurry to prolong the visit. Finally, as with all -pets, "Coota," as he was familiarly named, came to an untimely end--not a -cat, however, on this occasion, but, if rumour whispers true, through -over-indulgence in a too liberally furnished meal of custard pudding. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -RABBIT-BANDICOOT. - -The largest of the bandicoots; about the size of a rabbit.] - -The flesh of this and other species of bandicoots is esteemed for food both -by the natives and the white settlers in Australia. It is noteworthy of the -banded variety, more especially, that the skin adheres so tightly to the -flesh that its removal is a matter of some considerable difficulty. When -full grown, this species measures as much as 18 inches in total length, and -is little inferior to a rabbit with regard to the amount of good meat it -provides for the larder. - - -THE POUCHED MOLE. - -A still more essentially insectivorous marsupial is represented by the -little mammal discovered only a few years since in the wild sandy wastes of -Central Australia. In form and habits it so nearly resembles the familiar -European mole that the title of the POUCHED MOLE has been very suitably -given to it. At the same time, with regard to its remarkable organisation, -it constitutes the sole representative of its peculiar family group. The -first suspicions of the existence of this singular little animal were -raised by the observation of peculiar sinuous three-lined tracks at -irregular intervals on the surface of the sandy regions it inhabits. - -After a long quest, with the aid of the aborigines, the first specimen was -discovered reposing under a tuft of coarse porcupine-grass. A further -investigation elicited the fact that its burrowing proclivities were much -less pronounced than those of the ordinary moles, the little creature -progressing alternately over the surface of the sand, and then ploughing -its way, for several feet or yards, two or three inches only beneath the -surface. All efforts to preserve examples of this marsupial alive for -longer periods than three or four days proved abortive; for though the -remains of ants and other insects were found within its viscera, it refused -to feed upon the living supplies that were provided for it. In fact, the -animal itself apparently ran the greater risk of being eaten. - -[Illustration: _Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons._ - -POUCHED MOLE. - -This animal is of a pale golden-red colour, and about 5 inches long. It -spends most of its time burrowing, which it can do with great rapidity, in -the sand of the Australian deserts in search of insects.] - -The colour of the pouched mole is for the most part light fawn, varying in -parts to golden yellow. One of its most conspicuous features, as -illustrated in the accompanying photographs, is the abnormal size of the -third and fourth toes of the fore limbs, their peculiar scoop-like -character proving of eminent service to the animal in its customary -sand-burrowing habits. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea._ - -UNDER SURFACE OF POUCHED MOLE. - -Notice the abnormal size of the third and fourth toe of the fore limbs, and -their peculiar scoop-like shape.] - - -THE TASMANIAN WOLF. - -The remaining family of the Australian marsupials constitutes a parallel to -the carnivorous order of the higher mammalia, all its members being more or -less flesh-eaters, and having their dentition modified with relation to -such habits. One of these (the TASMANIAN WOLF, or TIGER of the colonists, -better known to zoologists as the THYLACINE) is an animal of considerable -size. Its dimensions equal those of a wolf or mastiff, with which the -contour of its body and more especially that of the head very nearly -correspond. In common with the true dogs, the thylacine hunts its prey by -scent. This is well attested to by the following incident, as related by -eye-witnesses. While camping out among the hills in Tasmania their -attention was attracted very early one morning by a brush-kangaroo hopping -past their fire in an evidently highly excited state. Some ten minutes -later up cantered a she thylacine with her nose down exactly on the track, -evidently following the scent, and in another quarter of an hour her two -cubs came by also in the precise track. While not very swift, the Tasmanian -"tigers" possess immense staying power, and will keep up a long, steady -canter for many hours on end. Accustomed in its primitive state to run down -and prey upon the kangaroos, wallabies, and other weaker marsupial mammals -indigenous to the regions it inhabits, the Tasmanian wolf speedily acquired -a predilection for the imported flocks of the settlers, and proved almost -as destructive to them as its Old World namesake. To check its ravages, a -price was put upon its head by the Tasmanian Government; and this measure, -in conjunction with the rapid advances towards the complete settlement of -the country which have been accomplished within later years, has compassed -this animal's extermination in all but the wildest and most inaccessible -mountain districts. The colour-markings of this animal are somewhat -striking, the grey-brown tints which characterise the ground-hues of the -body and limbs being varied by a series of dark bands traversing the -buttocks, these being widest in this region, and continued forwards to the -middle of the back. A somewhat similar cross-stripe pattern of -ornamentation occurs in the relatively small member of the same family -described later on as the Banded Ant-eater. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley._ - -TASMANIAN WOLF. - -This photograph shows the great width of gape of this ferocious animal.] - -Examples of the Tasmanian wolf have frequently been on view at the Regent's -Park Gardens, a very fine young male specimen being at present located in -the marsupial section. Within a few weeks of its arrival it was on -excellent terms with its keeper, though, owing to its somewhat imperfect -sense of vision during the daytime, it was apt to snap somewhat -promiscuously at those attempting to cultivate its close acquaintanceship. -That a bite from its formidable teeth is not to be lightly risked will be -made abundantly apparent by a glance at the successful yawning pose -photograph secured of this example by Mr. Medland, and here reproduced. -Although the thylacine is at the present time entirely limited in its -distribution to Tasmania, it occurs in the fossil state on the Australian -mainland; while, singularly to relate, the remains of a closely allied form -have within recent years been unearthed in Patagonia. This circumstance, -taken in conjunction with the fact that many other fossil types with -Australian and New Zealand affinities have been discovered in the same -South American strata, has strengthened the supposition maintained by many -zoologists that in bygone ages a vast Antarctic continent, spreading -through the areas now occupied by the Southern Indian and Pacific Oceans, -temporarily united the now distinct lands of South America and Australasia. - -[Illustration: _Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S._] [_North Finchley._ - -TASMANIAN WOLF. - -In this photograph are shown nearly all the chief characteristic points of -the Tasmanian wolf.] - - -THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. - -Next in size to the thylacine, but possessing a more unenviable notoriety -for the uncompromising sulkiness and savagery of its disposition, is the -animal which, in virtue of the aforesaid qualities, is known by the title -of the TASMANIAN DEVIL. In shape and dimensions this marsupial carnivore -somewhat resembles a badger; but the head is abnormally large, the masseter -muscles which control the action of the powerful jaws monopolising a very -considerable share of the face area. The limbs are short and also very -powerful, the front paws being well adapted to its burrowing habits. There -is some slight variation in the colours of this marsupial Apollyon; and, as -the aphorism runs concerning his sable namesake, he is not always so black -as he is painted. More or less or in fact mostly black he always is, but -there is usually a redeeming thread or patch of white upon his coat. This -may take the form of a small star-like spot only on the front of its chest, -which not infrequently extends to a narrow crescent-shaped band or line -continued round the neck almost to the shoulders. One or more supplementary -spots of white may also be developed upon the flanks and hindquarters. - -[Illustration: _Photo by York & Son_] [_Notting Hill._ - -TASMANIAN DEVIL. - -A small, but stout and powerful animal, very destructive, and absolutely -untamable.] - -The destructive propensities of the Tasmanian devil, wherein the farmers' -sheep and poultry are concerned, are in no way inferior to those of the -Tasmanian wolf, and in consequence of their former much greater abundance -the havoc these animals committed was the more serious. Placed, like the -last-named type, under Government ban, these native devils have, in -comparison with the earlier days of colonisation, very considerably ceased -from troubling, and with the ever-progressing march of settlement and -civilisation will probably be altogether exterminated at a no very distant -date. A bag of no less than 150 of these marauders, in the course of one -winter, was recorded from an upland sheep-station some twenty or thirty -years ago. In common with the thylacine, it has been observed that the -Tasmanian devil has a marked predilection for prowling along the seashore -in search apparently of crabs, fish, or any acceptable flotsam and jetsam -that may be cast up by the waves. - -Examples of this most unamiable of mammals were brought in alive on several -occasions to the Hobart Museum during the writer's residence in Tasmania, -but in all cases obstinately resisted every attempt towards the -establishment of a friendly footing. Their ultimate relegation to the -specimen-cases was, under the circumstances, unattended by any very -poignant manifestations of regret. A fact brought into prominent notice -during subsequent post-mortem investigations was the extraordinary extent -to which these animals are infested with vermin. Possibly this circumstance -is to a considerable extent accountable for the creature's unconquerable -irritability. The experiment as to whether a course of disinfecting -treatment, by baths or otherwise, would not conduce towards the taming of -this native devil, where all other applied methods have failed, would at -all events be worth the trial. The bath pure and simple is a wonderful -soporific for unruly tempers. As most schoolboys know, a pail of water, -from which the patient is withdrawn when a watery grave is apparently -inevitable, is an unfailing specific for the taming of mice and other -"small deer." The writer's experience with a villainously savage cat which -one night fell incontinently into an uncovered cistern, and was rescued by -him at almost the last gasp, will not be readily forgotten. That cat, -though still a vixen to the ordinary members of the household, forthwith -attached itself affectionately to its rescuer, and would sit for hours -awaiting his arrival on the doorstep when the business of the day was over. -Other fierce creatures, including the Tasmanian devil, would possibly prove -amenable to the judicious application of the "water cure." - - -THE NATIVE CATS. - -The animals common in Tasmania and throughout the greater portion of the -Australian Continent, and familiarly known as SPOTTED or NATIVE CATS, and -to zoologists as DASYURES, enjoy also an unenviable reputation for their -depredations among the settlers' hen-roosts. To look at, these native cats -are the most mild-mannered and inoffensive of creatures. Actually, however, -they possess the most bloodthirsty proclivities, and may be aptly compared -in their habits to the stoats, weasels, polecats, and other Old World -carnivora. There are some five known species, the largest being equal to an -ordinary cat in size, and the smaller ones about half these dimensions. All -of them are distinguished by their spotted pattern of ornamentation, such -spots being white or nearly so, and more or less abundantly sprinkled over -a darker background which varies from light grey to chocolate-brown. In the -commonest form, represented in the accompanying photograph, the ears and -the under surface of the body are also often white. No two individuals, -however, are to be found precisely alike in the pattern of their markings. -The dasyures differ from the two preceding types, the Tasmanian wolf and -the devil, in being essentially arboreal in their habits, living by day and -breeding, as the majority of the Australian opossums, in the hollow -gum-tree trunks, from which they emerge at nightfall to seek their food. -This, in their native state, when hen-roosts are not accessible, consists -mainly of birds and such smaller marsupial forms as they can readily -overpower. - -[Illustration: _By permission of S. Sinclair, Esq._] [_Sydney._ - -SPOTTED DASYURES, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE CATS. - -This species is rather smaller than an ordinary-sized cat. All the dasyures -are arboreal in their habits, and very destructive to birds.] - - -THE POUCHED MICE. - -The so-called POUCHED MICE represent a group of smaller-sized carnivorous -mammals which have much in common with the dasyures, but are devoid of -their spotted ornamentation. None of them exceed a rat in size. They number -about twelve or fourteen known species, and are distributed throughout the -greater part of Australia and New Guinea, and extend thence to the Aru -Islands. They are said not to occur in the extreme north of the Australian -Continent. The writer, however, obtained an example of the brush-tailed -species, here illustrated, from the neighbourhood of Broome, in the -farthest north or Kimberley district of Western Australia. This specimen, -which was caught alive in a rat-trap, exhibited astonishingly potent -gnawing powers, almost succeeding one night in eating its way through the -wooden box in which it was temporarily confined. The habits of this species -are omnivorous, and chiefly akin to those of the ordinary rats, it being -accustomed to prowl round the out-buildings at night, picking up any -unconsidered trifles in the way of food that may be left unprotected. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE, OR PHASCOGALE. - -A slender and graceful animal, the largest of the thirteen known species, -and about the size of an ordinary rat.] - -Many of the smaller members of this tribe are no larger than mice; and in -one form, known as the JERBOA POUCHED MOUSE, inhabiting Queensland and New -South Wales, the hind limbs are abnormally prolonged, and the animal -progresses by leaps and bounds, after the fashion of the true jerboas, or -its nearer relatives, the ordinary kangaroos and rat-kangaroos. - - -THE BANDED ANT-EATER. - -One of the most interesting from the zoologist's standpoint, and the last -on our list of the Australian marsupials, is the little creature, limited -in its habitat to Western Australia, locally known as the SQUIRREL. The -BANDED ANT-EATER, with reference to its striped ornamentation and -ant-eating habits, is the name by which it is usually chronicled in natural -history works. In size and shape, except for its more pointed snout, its -squirrel-like aspect is certainly somewhat striking. Like the true -ant-eaters of the Edentate Mammalian Order, it, however, possesses a long -protrusile tongue, with which it is accustomed in a similar manner to lick -up the ants which constitute its main food-supply. - -The most interesting biological peculiarity of this animal is the abnormal -development of its teeth. These number as many as from fifty-two to -fifty-six, and exceed the dental formula of any other known existing -marsupial. The usual colour of this interesting little animal is a warm -chestnut-brown, banded transversely over the back with white, these stripes -being widest and most conspicuous over the hindquarters. This somewhat -paradoxical marsupial possesses no pouch, the young, when first born and -attached to the nipples in the manner characteristic of ordinary -marsupials, being covered over and concealed among the longer hairs that -clothe the abdominal region. In the dasyures, or native cats, previously -described, the pouch exists only in a rudimentary condition, its function -being fulfilled by merely a few skin-folds; while in the "tiger" and native -devil the pouch, contrary to that of the kangaroos, opens backwards. - -In disposition the banded ant-eater presents a marked contrast to that of -many of the preceding types. Caught in its native habitat, it does not -attempt to bite, and soon becomes reconciled to captivity. The peculiar -nature of its diet, however, militates against its being easily transported -over-sea from the Antipodes. - - -THE AMERICAN OPOSSUMS. - -The little group of the American marsupials contains some three or four -generically distinct types whose relationship with the Australian members -of the order is in the direction of the dasyures and bandicoots rather than -with the kangaroos and phalangers. Included in one family, they are -popularly known as Opossums, but differ among themselves very considerably -both in aspect and habits. The most remarkable among them is undoubtedly -the so-called YAPOCK, or WATER-OPOSSUM, an inhabitant of South America, and -ranging in its distribution from Guatemala to Brazil. In both form and -habits this animal so closely resembles an otter that it was referred by -the earlier naturalists to the Otter Tribe. It tunnels holes in the banks -of the rivers it frequents, and feeds entirely upon fish, crustacea, and -aquatic insects. The feet, and more especially the hind ones, are -distinctly webbed; the tail is naked, scaly, and non-prehensile; and the -fur is short and thick, as in the ordinary otters. The ground-tint of the -fur is a light grey: this is diversified by a black or dark brown stripe -that runs down the centre of the back, and expands over the shoulders, -loins, and hindquarters into saddle-shaped patches or bands of the same -dark hue. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -BANDED ANT-EATER. - -From an anatomical point of view, this is one of the most remarkable of the -pouched mammals.] - -The COMMON or VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM, while the only representative of the -Marsupial Order found in the temperate latitudes of the North American -Continent, has a very considerable range of distribution, occurring in -equal abundance throughout the tropical regions of South America. In these -warmer latitudes it differs to such an extent in the character of its fur -and other minor points that it was for some time regarded as a distinct -species, and was distinguished by the title of the CRAB-EATING OPOSSUM. -Biologists are, however, now agreed that the supposed species is only a -local variety. As a matter of fact, a very considerable amount of variation -in the colour and markings is found to exist among the individuals of the -most familiarly known northern race. In form the animal may be suitably -compared to a huge rat, nearly equalling a cat in size, with an abnormally -large head and pointed snout. The tail is long, almost naked for the -greater portion of its length, and pre-eminently prehensile. The fur is of -a mixed character, consisting of an undergrowth of a fine, close, woolly -texture, through which protrudes a less dense series of long bristle-like -hairs. The colour of the fur ranges from black to white, and includes all -varieties of intermixture. The face, more especially in the northern race, -is usually much the lightest or altogether white, while in the tropical -South American examples it is more often darker, or it may be completely -black. - -The opossum, like the rat, is an omnivorous feeder; and being of so much -larger size, and possessing an insatiable appetite, constitutes itself a -veritable pest to the fruit-grower, the agriculturist, and the -poultry-farmer. In effecting its entrance to hen-roosts or other -food-yielding enclosures, it exhibits an amount of cunning and pertinacity -possessed by no other mammal. Caught red-handed in these depredations, it -has recourse to stratagems which have won for it a reputation that has long -since passed into a household word. Feigning death, or "playing 'possum," -is a game at which it is well known to be a past-master, but by which it -still frequently succeeds in hoodwinking the unwary, and so saves its skin. -Discovered thieving, and receiving perhaps a haphazard but by no means -disabling blow, it at once collapses, and with film-covered eyes and -protruding tongue is to all intents and purposes dead. It may be kicked -round the premises, and finally probably taken up by the tail and flung -ignominiously outside, without betraying vitality by even so much as a -wink. But no sooner is the coast thoroughly clear of the avenger than the -stiffened limbs relax, the eyes reopen, and Brer 'Possum trots off, as -fresh as ever. Maybe it is the ripening maize or the persimmon-patch that -next engages his attention, and in either case he walks in and feeds right -royally, laying up a goodly store of fat against the approaching winter -months of scarcity. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -YAPOCK, OR WATER-OPOSSUM. - -In habits, although not in size and colour, this marsupial may be compared -to a wolf.] - -Away from human habitations the opossum is an essentially arboreal animal, -living and breeding for the most part, like his Australian cousins, in -hollow trees, and making excursions therefrom in all directions in quest of -food. His much-mixed natural diet may consist of tender shoots and leaves, -and the wild grapes and the many other berries and fruits the forest -produces. He craves, however, after a due admixture of animal pabulum, and -birds and their eggs, insects, lizards, and the smaller mammals furnish -their quota to his menu. Crustacea, such as crabs and the crayfish which -abound in the American streams and marshes, have an irresistible attraction -for him; and it is on this account that, in the southern area of his -distribution, where these crustacea are so plentiful as to constitute his -main diet, and his face is browned by the more glowing sun, he is known by -the title of the Crab-eater. - -Although fattening up against the winter, he, even in his most northern -limits, does not hibernate, but may even be seen leisurely picking his way -over the snow, probably tracking some unfortunate squirrel to its lair, -which in due time is located, dragged out, and devoured. While assimilating -his meal of flesh or fruit, Brer 'Possum likes to have all four hands at -liberty, his hind feet being also graspers; and so he twists his tail round -a convenient branch, and, hanging _perdu_, leisurely enjoys his feast. The -opossum, like the rat--to which it has in aspect and many of its habits -been likened--is a most prolific breeder, as many as from six to sixteen -young being comprised in the litter. When born, they are immediately -transferred to the somewhat capacious pouch, and remain there without -venturing outside until they are about the size of an ordinary mouse. - -A third and very distinct type of American opossums is the one represented -on page 380, which, from its mouse-like size and aspect, is commonly known -as the MURINE OPOSSUM. The most distinct feature of this little animal is -that, though a genuine marsupial, it has no pouch, but carries its young on -its back, the little creatures twining their tails round that of their -mother, and so securing a stable anchorage. Although thus loaded up and -transformed for the time being into a sort of combination perambulator and -feeding-flask, the happy but anxious parent pursues the even tenor of her -way among the tree-branches and thicket-growths with almost unabated -agility. This species, in common with MERIAM'S OPOSSUM and the WOOLLY -OPOSSUM and several others which carry their young, to as many as a dozen -in number, on their backs, are denizens of tropical South America. One of -these, named the PHILANDER OPOSSUM, attains to the somewhat larger size of -about 2 feet in total length, the long prehensile tail representing, -however, the greater moiety of these dimensions. - - -THE SELVA. - -South America has one other marsupial--the SELVA--an animal which, while -possessing the dimensions and much of the aspect of an ordinary rat, is -remarkable as differing so materially in the character of its teeth and -other structural points that it cannot be referred to any existing -marsupial family. On the other hand, this type is found to coincide in the -above particulars with species hitherto only known in the fossil state, and -excavated from the same tertiary deposits in Patagonia which have been -productive of the distant ally of the Tasmanian wolf. It is yet hoped by -zoologists that the discovery of other interesting and possibly some -supposed extinct mammals may reward the thorough exploration of the vast -South American forests. The capture in the flesh of some form allied to the -huge ground-sloths, such as the Mylodon and Megatherium, is, however, now -considered to be quite beyond the pale of possibility. - -[Illustration: _Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt_] [_Washington._ - -YOUNG OPOSSUM (NATURAL SIZE). - -This is an interesting photograph, as it is reproduced life-size, and gives -an excellent idea of the animal in its native land.] - - -MONOTREMES, OR EGG-LAYING MAMMALS. - -With this group or order of the Mammalian Class we arrive, as it were, on -the borderland between the mere typical Mammals and Reptiles. In the last -group, that of the Marsupials, it was observed that the young were brought -into the world at an abnormally early and helpless phase of their -existence, and usually consigned, until able to see and walk, to a -variously modified protective pouch. With the Monotremes a yet lower rung -in the evolutional ladder is reached, and we find that the young are -brought into the outer world as eggs, these being in the one case deposited -in a nest or burrow, and in the other carried about by the parent in a -rudimentary sort of pouch until they are hatched. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -WOOLLY AMERICAN OPOSSUM. - -This animal is about the size of a large mouse. It carries its young on its -back, their tails being entwined round that of their parent.] - -The living representatives of this singular mammalian order are but few in -number, being restricted, in point of fact, to only two distinctly -differentiated family types--the Echidna or Porcupine Ant-eater, and the -Platypus. These monotremes, moreover, like the majority of the existing -marsupials, are limited in their distribution to the Australasian region. -The single species of the Platypus is only found in Tasmania and the -southern and eastern districts of the Australian Continent, while the -Echidna numbers some three recognised species, two of which belong to -Australia and Tasmania and the third to New Guinea. - - -THE ECHIDNA. - -The ECHIDNA, PORCUPINE ANT-EATER, or "PORCUPINE," as it is commonly called -by the Australian colonists, would seem at first sight to represent an -animal in which the characters of the hedgehog and the common porcupine are -interblended, the innumerable spines being longer than those of the former, -but less in length than those of the last-named animal. The head, with no -externally visible ears and remarkable elongated beak-like snout, however, -at once proclaims it to be altogether distinct from these. The animal has -no teeth, and the tiny mouth at the termination of the beak-like snout -simply constitutes an aperture for the extrusion of the worm-like glutinous -tongue, wherewith, after the manner of the true ant-eaters, it licks up the -inhabitants of the ants' nests upon which it feeds. For tearing down the -ants' nests and obtaining its customary food, as also for its inveterate -burrowing propensity, the feet, and more especially the front ones, are -provided with strong, blunt, and very powerful claws. The male animal is in -addition armed on the hind feet with a peculiar supplementary spur, which -is, however, still more conspicuously developed in the platypus. - -Three distinct species of the echidna are recognised by zoologists. The one -peculiar to the cooler climate of Tasmania is remarkable for its more -slender spines, the much greater abundance of the long bristle-like hairs, -and the thickness of the seal-brown under-fur, as compared with the typical -Australian form. In North-west New Guinea the largest and most aberrant -form is met with. Normally it has only three toes in place of five to each -foot, the spines are very long and thick, the body is deeper and more -compressed, and the animal stands comparatively high upon its feet. - -The writer, during his residence in Tasmania, had several examples of the -local species as domestic pets. For the first few days they were very shy -and untractable, burrowing into the earth and seeking to escape, or -presenting an impenetrable _cheval de frise_ of sharp-pointed spines to the -hands that sought to caress them. After a short interval, however, the -creatures became entirely reconciled to human society and the small amount -of restraint to which they were subjected. They would follow their owner -about the garden, or, flattening their bodies and spreading out their limbs -to the greatest extent, lie basking in the sun close to where he might be -seated. They also apparently appreciated being carried, slung across their -owner's arm after the manner of a lap-dog. Living in the near vicinity of -unreclaimed bush-land, it was found possible to keep these echidnas well -supplied with their customary food; they were, in fact, permitted to forage -on their own account. Liberated amidst their normal surroundings, they -would walk leisurely from one ant-hill to another, tearing down the side of -it with their powerful front claws, and appropriating its living contents -with the greatest relish. It was observed, however, in this connection that -the echidna paid attention entirely to the succulent white larvæ and pupal -phases of the insects with which the inner chambers of the ant-hills are -customarily crowded, and that adult ants, as they abounded in the tracts -near at hand or elsewhere, were altogether neglected. In addition to this -natural food these animals were supplied daily with a saucer of either -well-softened bread or porridge and milk, for which they evinced a decided -appreciation, assimilating this food dexterously, though somewhat slowly, -with the aid of their long protrusile tongues. Allowed to wander about the -house, they displayed a most inquisitive turn of mind, peering into every -crevice, and climbing upon every accessible article of furniture. - -The echidna usually produces only one egg at a time; it is relatively -small, not larger than a sparrow's egg, but equally and obtusely rounded at -both extremities, and with a white leathery shell like that of a reptile. -For some time previous to hatching, this egg is carried in a skin-fold or -rudimentary pouch in the parent's abdomen, much similar to that possessed -by many of the marsupials. The young one is also retained in this pouch for -some weeks after escaping from the egg. When finally leaving the pouch, it -is between three and four inches in length, and the spines are in an -altogether rudimentary condition. - -Examples of the Australian echidna have on several occasions been "in -residence" at the Zoo; while the Hon. Walter Rothschild has been fortunate -in keeping living specimens of both this and the very rare three-toed New -Guinea variety in his admirably appointed menagerie at Tring. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -COMMON OR VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM. - -The only marsupial animal found north of Mexico.] - - -THE PLATYPUS. - -The egg-laying mammal known as the DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS differs very -essentially from the echidna both in aspect and habits. It is adapted -especially for an amphibious life, and for feeding on molluscs, worms, and -insects, which it abstracts from the muddy bed or banks of the rivers that -it frequents. The somewhat depressed ovate body is covered with short dense -fur much resembling in colour and texture that of an otter. The tail is -short and flattened like that of a beaver, but in place of being naked and -scaly, as in that animal, is covered, on the upper surface more -particularly, with long, coarse, bristle-like hairs that intercross one -another in all directions. Neither is this tail used, as with the beaver, -as a mason's trowel, it being simply subservient as a steer-oar. The feet -are all four distinctly webbed, the membranes of the front feet in -particular projecting to some distance beyond the extremities of the claws, -and so communicating to these members a singular resemblance to the feet of -a duck. The head of the platypus tapers off from the body without any -conspicuous neck, and terminates in a most remarkable duck-like beak, -having at its base a supplementary membranous ferrule-like structure which -would seem to serve the purpose of limiting the distance into which the -beak of the animal is thrust into the mud during the quest for its -accustomed food, and at the same time protecting the creature's eyes. The -mouth of the adult platypus contains no teeth, simply a few horny plates; -but, singularly to relate, rudimentary teeth exist temporarily in the young -animals. These provisional teeth, moreover, correspond in a marked manner -with those of some ancient types of mammals which occur as fossils in the -tertiary deposits of North America. The platypus, with relation to the -obliteration of its teeth in the adult state, is regarded as a very -exceptionally modified form and not as the immediate prototype of the -ordinary mammals. - -The platypus is found in Tasmania and in the south and eastern districts of -Australia only, being altogether unknown in the west and north. Being -especially shy and retiring, and to a large extent nocturnal in its habits, -it is not frequently seen even in districts where it may be rather -abundant. The animal excavates burrows of so great a length as from thirty -to fifty feet in the river-banks that it frequents, and at the extreme end -of these burrows it constructs a loose nest of weeds and root-fibres, which -it uses as its retreat, and also for the production of its eggs and young. -There are invariably two entrances to these burrows, the one being under -water, and the other usually opening into a tangle of brushwood at some -little distance from the water's edge. As many as from one to four eggs and -young may be produced at a time, but two is the more general number. From -the first it would appear that the eggs and young are deposited and nursed -in the nest, not being retained or carried about in a pouch, as observed of -the echidna. - -[Illustration: _Photo by D. Le Souef_] [_Melbourne._ - -ECHIDNA, OR ANT-EATING PORCUPINE. - -The female echidna can carry two eggs in her pouch, which in due course are -hatched by the heat of her body.] - -The late Dr. George Bennett, of Sydney, New South Wales, has probably -placed on record the most detailed account of the ways and life-habits of -these remarkable animals, though it did not fall to him to solve the -much-vexed question as to whether or not they were oviparous. This -discovery, as applied also to the like phenomenon in the case of the -echidna, was the outcome within quite recent years of the researches of Mr. -Caldwell. After much indefatigable exploration, in which he was ably -assisted by the natives, Dr. Bennett obtained from the extremity of an -exceptionally long burrow a mother and pair of half-grown young. The young -ones survived several weeks, and proved most droll and interesting pets. In -playful habits they much resembled puppies, chasing and rolling one another -over, and pretending to bite with their toothless bills. They were also -much addicted to climbing every scalable article of furniture, including -even a tall book-case, which they would negotiate by "swarming" up behind -it as a sweep climbs a chimney, with their backs to the wall and their feet -against the back of the book-case. The sleeping and waking hours that both -these and other examples kept were observed to be very irregular; for while -usually most lively and disposed to ramble after it grew dusk, they would -at other times come out of their own accord in the daytime, or perhaps one -would ramble about while the other slept. When going to sleep, they would -roll themselves up in a perfect ball, the head, tail, and limbs being -closely folded over the abdomen. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER. - -This is the largest variety of the five-toed species; it grows to a length -of 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines.] - -The food question appears to have presented almost insurmountable -difficulties so far against the permanent acclimatisation of these -interesting animals in any of our European zoological gardens. At the -Melbourne Zoo some considerable success was obtained by fencing off a small -pond abounding with insects and well-established water-plants for their -reception, and in this instance they had also the advantage of being -brought speedily and within a few hours of their capture to their new home. -For their long voyage to Europe the provision of an adequate quantity of -living insects or other aquatic organisms is a by no means easy task. They -have, however, been known to thrive on broken-up river-mussels for the -space of two or three weeks, and would probably have done so for a longer -period. This material might easily be stored for their use on board ship. - -An incident concerning the natural predilections of the platypus that fell -within the writer's observation in Tasmania might also be utilised in their -experimental transportation. At the trout- and salmon-rearing establishment -on the river Plenty--of which the writer was at the time -superintendent--the platypuses proved to be most destructive to the spawn -both deposited in the hatching-boxes and upon the natural spawning-beds, or -"redds," and they had in consequence to be systematically destroyed. This -being the case, it is probable that they would be found to thrive well on a -diet consisting to a large extent of the preserved roes or spawn of any -easily procurable fish--such as the Murray perch and cod--and of which -adequate supplies might with facility be stored aboard ship. The admixture -in all cases of a certain amount of sand or mud with their provided pabulum -would appear to be essential for digestive purposes, such material being -always found in considerable quantities in their stomachs when dissected. - -A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the -echidna is the peculiar spur developed on its hind foot. It is in this -case, however, much larger and sharper, and has been accredited with -aggressive functions and poisonous properties. There can be little doubt, -however, that they are normally used by the animal only as clasping or -retaining instruments during intercourse with the female at the -breeding-season. At the same time, undoubted cases of persons receiving -severe wounds from these animals' spurs have been placed on record. One -such that fell within the writer's cognisance happened on the Murray River, -on the Victorian and New South Wales boundary. A young fisher-lad, on -taking up his nets, found a half-drowned platypus entangled in them, and, -whilst disengaging it, it convulsively gripped his hand between the two -spurs, the points penetrating deeply into the flesh on either side. The -result was a festering wound that refused to heal for many months, and for -such time entirely deprived the lad of his use of that hand. - -[Illustration: _Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S._] [_Milford-on-Sea._ - -DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS. - -This curious egg-laying mammal, the only representative of its family, is -mainly nocturnal in habits.] - -The fur of the platypus, dressed so as to remove the outer and longer -series of hairs, nearly resembles that of the fur-seal in both colour and -texture, and as a rare local product is highly prized for the manufacture -of carriage-rugs and other articles. - - - -With the egg-laying Echidna and Platypus we terminate the Mammalian Series, -and they pave the way to the typical egg-laying animals which follow. - - -END OF VOL. I. - - -Note - -[1] Since this was in type, Sir Harry Johnston has reported the existence - in the Congo forest, on the borders of Uganda, of a large unknown type - of ruminant, the Akapi of the natives. - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Living Animals of the World, -Volume 1 (of 2), by C. J. Cornish and F. C. 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Vol. 1 - </title> - - <style type="text/css"> - /*---------------------------------------- Default settings for tags -------------------------------------*/ - a:hover { color:red } - a:link { color:blue;text-decoration:none; } - a:visited { color:blue;text-decoration:none; } - body { margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align:justify; } - h2 { text-align:left; font-size:100%; font-weight:normal; margin-bottom:3ex; margin-top:0ex; } - img { border:0; margin-bottom:0ex; margin-top:0ex; } - hr { margin-bottom:3ex; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; display:block; } - p { margin-bottom:3ex; margin-top:0ex; } - sup { font-size:80%; } - table { border-collapse:collapse; } - td { padding:0 0.5em; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; border:0;} - /*------------------------------------------- Paragraph spacings -----------------------------------------*/ - .smaller>p { margin-bottom:1.5ex; } - p.sp0 { margin-bottom:0ex; } - .sp1>p { margin-bottom:1ex; } - .poem>p { margin-bottom:0ex; padding-left:3em; text-indent:-3em; text-align:left; } - .sp2, div.sp2, table.sp2 { margin-bottom:3ex; } - .sp3, div.sp3, table.sp3 { margin-bottom:4.5ex; } - .sp5, div.sp5, table.sp5 { margin-bottom:7.5ex; } - /*---------------------------------------------- Font sizing ---------------------------------------------*/ - .sc { font-variant:small-caps; } - .xx-smaller { font-size:58%; } - .x-smaller { font-size:69%; } - .fine { font-size:92%; } - .smaller { font-size:83%; } - .larger { font-size:120%; } - .x-larger { font-size:144%; } - .xx-larger { font-size:182%; } - .xxxx-larger { font-size:249%; } - /*-------------------------------------------- Text Decoration -------------------------------------------*/ - .gap { display:inline-block; width:2em; } - .wnw { white-space:nowrap; } - .sans { font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } - /*-------------------------------------- Non-Table Text Positioning --------------------------------------*/ - .bq1 { margin-left:3%; margin-right:3%; } - .fcenter { margin:auto; } - .flr { float:right; } - .fll { float:left; } - .m025 { margin-right:0.25em; margin-left:0.25em; } - .fnote { position:absolute; top:auto; right:88%; vertical-align:super; font-size:66%; text-align:right; } - .foot { margin-left:3%; } - .pagenum { position:absolute; right:5%; text-align:right; font-style:normal; } - .smaller .pagenum { font-size:120%; } - .fine .pagenum { font-size:109%; } - /*---------------------------------------- Table Text Positioning ----------------------------------------*/ - .it1p05 { padding-left:1.5em; text-indent:-1.0em; } - .ac, .ac>p { text-align:center;} - .ar { text-align:right;} - .mc { margin:0 auto; max-width:99%; } - .vbm { vertical-align:bottom; } - /*----------------------------------------------- Borders ------------------------------------------------*/ - .fwb { font-weight:bold; } - /*------------------------------------------- Padding and width ------------------------------------------*/ - .pl1 { padding-left: 1em; } - .pt05 { padding-top:0.5em; } - .pb05, .pb05>td { padding-bottom:0.5em; } - /*-------------------------------------- Media-selective formatting --------------------------------------*/ - @media screen,print { - a.pagenum { display:inline; } - .smaller .pagenum { font-size:120%; } - .fine .pagenum { font-size:109%; } - .poem { margin-left:8em; margin-right:8em; margin-bottom:3ex; text-align:left; } - .w20 { width:20%; } - .w25 { width:25%; } - .w30 { width:30%; } - .w35 { width:35%; } - .w40 { width:40%; } - .w45 { width:45%; } - .w50 { width:50%; } - .w55 { width:55%; } - .w60 { width:60%; } - div.poemc21 { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:21em; } - } - @media handheld { - body { margin-left:1%; margin-right:1%; } - .poem { margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:3ex; text-align:left; } - div.w20 { width:40%; } - div.w25 { width:50%; } - div.w30 { width:60%; } - div.w35 { width:70%; } - div.w40, table.w40 { width:80%; } - div.w45 { width:90%; } - div.w50, table.w50 { width:99%; } - div.w55 { width:99%; } - div.w60 { width:99%; } - div.poemc21 { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; width:26em; } - } - </style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Living Animals of the World, Volume 1 -(of 2), by C. J. Cornish and F. C. Selous and Harry Johnston and Louis Wain and and others - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Living Animals of the World, Volume 1 (of 2) - A Popular Natural History - -Author: C. J. Cornish - F. C. Selous - Harry Johnston - Louis Wain - and others - -Release Date: July 28, 2019 [EBook #60000] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Keith Edkins and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - <div id="fpi"></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp5"> - <a href="images/i_frontis.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_frontis.jpg" - alt="OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA." title="OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the most beautifully marked of all Mammals. The ornamental - colouring is seldom quite the same in any two specimens.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.8ex;"><span class="larger">THE . .<span class="gap" - style="width:28em"> </span></span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:3.6ex;"><span class="xxxx-larger"><span - style="font-size:200%"><span class="sc">Living Animals</span></span></span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:6ex;"><span class="xxxx-larger">OF THE WORLD</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:8.7ex;"><span class="x-larger">A POPULAR NATURAL - HISTORY</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:8.7ex;"><span class="larger">AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF - BEASTS, BIRDS, FISHES<br/> - REPTILES, INSECTS, <span class="sc">Etc.</span>, WITH AUTHENTIC ANECDOTES</span></p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_cover.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_cover.jpg" alt="lion" - title="lion"/></a> - <div class="smaller ac"> - <p class="sp0"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz. Berlin</i></p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:2.2ex;">VOL. I.</p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.8ex;"><span class="xx-larger">MAMMALS</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.2ex;"><span class="xx-smaller">BY</span></p> - - <div class="poem poemc21"> - <p>C. J. CORNISH, M.A., F.Z.S. (<i>Editor.</i>)</p> - <p>F. C. SELOUS</p> - <p>SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.</p> - <p>C. H. LANE, F.Z.S.</p> - <p>LOUIS WAIN</p> - <p>W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</p> - <p>H. A. BRYDEN</p> - <p>F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S.</p> - <p>W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S.</p> - </div> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.8ex;"><span class="xx-smaller">WITH</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.1ex;"><span class="larger">567 ILLUSTRATIONS</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:0.7ex;"><span class="fine">(INCLUDING 13 COLOURED - PLATES)</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:8.7ex;"><span class="larger">FROM PHOTOGRAPHS</span></p> - - <p class="sp5 ac" style="margin-bottom:8.7ex;"><span class="x-larger"><span - class="sc">London</span>: HUTCHINSON & CO., <span class="sc">Paternoster Row</span></span></p> - - <p class="sp5 ac" style="margin-bottom:8.7ex;"><span class="xx-smaller">PRINTED BY<br/> - HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,<br/> - LONDON AND AYLESBURY.</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:2.8ex;"><span class="xx-larger">VOL. I.</span></p> - - <h2 class="sp3 ac" title="Contents" style="margin-bottom:1.1ex;"><span - class="x-larger">CONTENTS.</span></h2> - - <table class="sp2 mc w50" title="Contents" summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td class="ar smaller">CHAP.</td> - <td></td> - <td class="ar smaller">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td></td> - <td><a href="#chapter"><span class="sc">Introduction</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">i</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="ac pb05 pt05" colspan="3"><i>BOOK I. MAMMALS.</i></td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">I.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterI."><span class="sc">Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">1</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">II.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterII."><span class="sc">The Cat Tribe</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">33</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">III.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterIII."><span class="sc">The Fossa, Civets, and Ichneumons</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">74</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">IV.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterIV."><span class="sc">The Hyænas and Aard-wolf</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">80</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">V.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterV."><span class="sc">The Dog Family</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">84</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">VI.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterVI."><span class="sc">The Bears</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">114</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">VII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterVII."><span class="sc">The Smaller Carnivora</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">125</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">VIII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterVIII."><span class="sc">Marine Carnivora: The Seals, Sea-lions, and - Walrus</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">136</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">IX.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterIX."><span class="sc">The Rodents, or Gnawing Animals</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">146</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">X.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterX."><span class="sc">The Bats and Insect-eating Mammals</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">165</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XI.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXI."><span class="sc">The Elephant, Tapir, Hyrax, and - Rhinoceros</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">172</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXII."><span class="sc">The Horse Tribe</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">189</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XIII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXIII."><span class="sc">The Hollow-horned Ruminants: Oxen, Bison, - Buffaloes, and Musk-ox</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">207</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XIV.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXIV."><span class="sc">The Sheep and Goats</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">221</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XV.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXV."><span class="sc">The Antelopes</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">239</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XVI.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXVI."><span class="sc">The Giraffe and Okapi</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">264</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XVII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXVII."><span class="sc">The Deer Tribe</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">271</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XVIII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXVIII."><span class="sc">The Camel Tribe and the - Chevrotains</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">302</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XIX.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXIX."><span class="sc">The Pig and Hippopotamus</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">310</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XX.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXX."><span class="sc">The Dugong, Manatees, Whales, Porpoises, and - Dolphins</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">327</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XXI.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXXI."><span class="sc">The Sloths, Ant-eaters, and - Armadillos</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">336</td> - </tr> - <tr class="pb05"> - <td class="ar">XXII.</td> - <td><a href="#chapterXXII."><span class="sc">Marsupials and Monotremes</span></a></td> - <td class="ar vbm">344</td> - </tr> - </table> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.1ex;"><span class="x-larger">COLOURED PLATES.</span></p> - - <table class="sp5 mc w40" title="Coloured plates" summary="Coloured plates"> - <tr> - <td>Ocelot from Central America</td> - <td class="ac"><i>Facing page</i></td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fpi">i</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The largest Gorilla ever captured</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp8">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Lion and Lioness</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolf from Central Europe</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp65">65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Himalayan Black Bear</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp97">97</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Raccoon</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chapman's Zebras</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Highland Cattle</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp193">193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Kudu</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp225">225</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Northern Giraffe</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp257">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fallow Deer</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp289">289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Hippopotamus gaping</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp321">321</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Great Kangaroo</td> - <td class="ac">"<span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>"</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#fp353">353</a></td> - </tr> - </table> - - <p class="sp3 ac" style="margin-bottom:1.1ex;"><span class="x-larger">ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE - TEXT.</span></p> - - <table class="sp3 mc w40" title="Illustrations in text" summary="Illustrations in text"> - <tr> - <td class="ar smaller" colspan="2">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pekin Deer in summer dress</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagei">i</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Negro Boy and Apes</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagei">i</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Skeletons of Man and Gorilla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageii">ii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sea-swallows</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageiii">iii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Leopard</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageiv">iv</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>East African Giraffe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageiv">iv</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Flying-fox</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagev">v</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dolphins</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagev">v</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Happy Family</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagevi">vi</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Elephants</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagevi">vi</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Giant Tortoise</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagevii">vii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A group of Crocodilians</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pagevii">vii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Somali Zebras</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageviii">viii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sun-fish</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#pageviii">viii</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">A young Chimpanzee (Anger, Pleasure, Fear)</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page1">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arabian Baboon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page1">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">"Jenny," the well-known Chimpanzee at the Zoo</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page2">2</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Chimpanzee</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page3">3</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of male Gorilla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page4">4</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A male Gorilla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Orang-utans</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page6">6</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baby Orang-utans at play</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page7">7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Two baby Orang-utans. The tug-of-war</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page8">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White-handed Gibbon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page9">9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hoolock Gibbon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page9">9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of Proboscis Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page10">10</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cross-bearing Langur and young</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page11">11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Himalayan Langur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page12">12</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gelada Baboons at home</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page13">13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mantled Guereza</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page14">14</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Diana Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page15">15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barbary Ape</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page15">15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rhesus Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page16">16</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rhesus Monkey and Sooty Mangabey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page16">16</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grey-cheeked Mangabey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page17">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chinese Macaque</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page17">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grivet Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page17">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bonnet Monkey and Arabian Baboon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page17">17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rhesus Monkeys</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page18">18</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Orange Snub-nosed Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page18">18</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pig-tailed Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page19">19</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chacma Baboon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page20">20</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">A young male Chacma Baboon</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page21">21</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of male Mandrill</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page22">22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brown Capuchin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page22">22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Drill</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page22">22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red Howler Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page23">23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Spider Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page23">23</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Patas Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page24">24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wanderoo Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page24">24</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Squirrel Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page25">25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black-eared Marmoset</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page26">26</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Humboldt's Woolly Monkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page26">26</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pig-tailed Monkey catching a fly</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page27">27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ringed-tailed Lemur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page28">28</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Dwarf Lemur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page28">28</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black Lemur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page29">29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coquerel's Lemur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page29">29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ruffed Lemur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page29">29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Garnett's Galago</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page30">30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Maholi Galago</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page30">30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Slender Loris</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page31">31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Slow Loris</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page31">31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tarsier</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page32">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of Aye-aye</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page32">32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An Unwilling Pupil</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lioness aroused</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page34">34</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Algerian Lioness</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page35">35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Foster-mother</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page36">36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A performing Lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page36">36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lioness and Cub</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page36">36</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Lioness</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page37">37</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Happy Family</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page38">38</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A cross between Lion and Tigress</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page38">38</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A hungry Lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page39">39</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lioness and Tiger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page40">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tigress</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page41">41</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tiger Cub</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page42">42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Royal Tiger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page42">42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Tiger before sleeping</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page43">43</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A half-grown Tiger Cub</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page44">44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tigers in Italy</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page45">45</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Leopard-puma Hybrid</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page46">46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leopards</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page46">46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Leopard</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page47">47</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Snow-leopard, or Ounce</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page48">48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cheeta</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page49">49</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jaguar</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page50">50</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">Puma</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page50">50</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Puma</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page51">51</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ocelot</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page52">52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ocelot from Central America</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page53">53</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Clouded Leopard</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fishing-cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Marbled Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Golden Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page55">55</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pampas-cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page56">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eyra Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page56">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bay Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page56">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kaffir Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page57">57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Chaus, or Jungle-cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page57">57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Serval</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page58">58</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Serval</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page59">59</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Serval climbing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page60">60</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>European Wild Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page61">61</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scotch Wild Cats</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page62">62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lynx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page63">63</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>European Lynx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page64">64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Canadian Lynx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page64">64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cheetas</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page65">65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Cheeta hooded</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page66">66</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Cheeta on the look-out</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page67">67</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Domestic Cats:</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">White Short-haired</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page68">68</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Long-haired White</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page68">68</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Mackerel-marked Tabby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Cat carrying Kitten</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Blue Long-haired, or Persian</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Smoke and Blue Long-haired</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Orange Tabby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Long-haired Tabby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Silver Persian</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Smoke Long-haired, or Persian</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page69">69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Short-haired Blue</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page70">70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Silver Tabby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page70">70</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Short-haired Tabby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page71">71</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Long-haired Orange</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page71">71</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Manx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page72">72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Siamese</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page72">72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Blue Long-haired, or Persian</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page72">72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Silver Persians</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page72">72</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Long-haired Chinchilla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page73">73</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">The "Bun" or "Ticked" Short-haired Cat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page73">73</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fossa</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page74">74</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">Large Indian Civet</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page74">74</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Civet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page75">75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Civet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page76">76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sumatran Civet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page76">76</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Genet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page77">77</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Two-spotted Palm-civet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page78">78</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Masked Palm-civet</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page78">78</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Binturong</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page79">79</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mongoose</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page79">79</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Meercat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page80">80</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spotted Hyæna</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page81">81</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spotted Hyæna</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page81">81</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Striped Hyæna</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page82">82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Aard-wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page82">82</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Grey Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page83">83</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A growing Cub</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page84">84</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolf Cubs</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page85">85</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page86">86</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Prairie-wolf, or Coyote</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page86">86</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Wolf with privy paw</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page87">87</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Russian Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page88">88</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Wolf of the Carpathians</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page89">89</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page90">90</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wolf's head</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page90">90</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Russian Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page91">91</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>North African Jackal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page92">92</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Jackal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page92">92</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Maned Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page93">93</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Turkish Jackal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page93">93</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wild Dog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page94">94</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dingo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page94">94</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dingoes</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page95">95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cape Hunting-dog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page96">96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fox Cubs</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page97">97</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mountain-fox</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page98">98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leicestershire Fox</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page98">98</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Too difficult!</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page99">99</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Arctic Fox (In summer; Changing his coat; In winter)</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page100">100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fennec-fox</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page100">100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Domestic Dogs:</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Stag-hound Puppies</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page101">101</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Greyhound</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page102">102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Retriever</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page103">103</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Blood-hound</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page104">104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">English Setter</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page104">104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Smooth-coated Saint Bernard</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page104">104</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1"> - <p class="sp0">Great Dane</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Dachshund</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page105">105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Dalmatians</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page106">106</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Newfoundland</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page106">106</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Bull-dogs</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page107">107</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Old English Sheep-dog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page108">108</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Mastiff</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page108">108</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Deer-hound</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Pointer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Skye Terrier</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Corded Poodle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Pomeranian</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Scottish Terrier</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Maltese Toy Terrier</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Butterfly-dog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page109">109</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05" style="padding-left:2em;">Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, with Chow and - Japanese Spaniels</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page110">110</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Sand-dog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page110">110</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Pug and Pekinese Spaniel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page111">111</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Fox-terrier</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page111">111</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05" style="padding-left:2em;">Blenheim and Prince Charles Spaniels</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page112">112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="pl1">Pariah Puppies</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page112">112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Brown Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page113">113</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An inviting attitude</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page114">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Three performing Bears</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page114">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>European Brown Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page115">115</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Syrian Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page116">116</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Large Russian Brown Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page116">116</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Black Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page117">117</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Syrian Bear from the Caucasus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page118">118</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Brown Bear in search of insects</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page119">119</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polar Bears</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page120">120</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Two Polar Bears and a Brown Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page121">121</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polar Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page122">122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Half-grown Polar Bears</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page123">123</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Ice-bear's couch</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page124">124</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Raccoon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page125">125</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Raccoon</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page125">125</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Great Panda</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page126">126</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kinkajou</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page127">127</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Otters</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page127">127</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Two tame Otters</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page128">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sea-otter</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page128">128</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Skunk</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Badger in the water</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page129">129</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>European Badger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page130">130</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ratel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page131">131</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pine-marten</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page132">132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polecat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page133">133</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Himalayan Weasel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page133">133</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Common Stoat (In summer and winter coats)</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page134">134</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Glutton</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page134">134</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Californian Sea-lions, or Eared Seals</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page135">135</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Steller's Sea-lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page136">136</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sea-lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page137">137</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sea-lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page138">138</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Walrus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page139">139</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Walrus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page140">140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Walrus and Sea-lion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page141">141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grey Seal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page142">142</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grey Seal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page143">143</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harp-seal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page144">144</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sea-elephant</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page145">145</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Capybara</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page146">146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Flying-squirrel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page146">146</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Flying-squirrel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page147">147</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dorsal Squirrel from Central America</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page148">148</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Asiatic Chipmunks</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page148">148</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red-footed Ground-squirrel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page149">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black Fox-squirrel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page149">149</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Long-tailed Marmot</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page150">150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Prairie-dogs, or Marmots</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page151">151</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Beaver</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page152">152</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beaver</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page153">153</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beaver</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page154">154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Musk-rat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page154">154</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gambian Pouched Rat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page155">155</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pocket-gopher</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page156">156</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Long-eared Jerboa</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page157">157</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cape Jumping-hare</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page157">157</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Octodont</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page158">158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Coypu</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page158">158</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Short-tailed Hutia</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page159">159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porcupine</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page159">159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Porcupine</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page160">160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Viscacha</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page160">160</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Chinchilla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Agutis</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page161">161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Paca, or Spotted Cavy</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page162">162</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pacas, or Spotted Cavies</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page162">162</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Patagonian Cavy</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page163">163</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wood-hare</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page163">163</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wild Rabbits</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page164">164</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">Australian Fruit-bat, or "Flying-fox"</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page165">165</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Australian Fruit-bat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page166">166</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tube-nosed Fruit-bat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page166">166</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pipistrelle Bat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page167">167</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leaf-nosed Bat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page167">167</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cobego</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page168">168</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cobego</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page169">169</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cobego asleep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page170">170</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Three baby Hedgehogs</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page170">170</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Mole</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page171">171</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Golden Mole</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page171">171</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A fine Tusker</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page172">172</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Indian Elephant</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page173">173</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Chief of Chiengmai's Carriage</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page174">174</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Timber-elephants</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page175">175</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Indian Elephant dragging teak</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page176">176</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Elephants bathing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page177">177</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>African Elephant</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page178">178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male African Elephant drinking</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page179">179</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Malayan Tapir</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page180">180</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common American Tapir</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page181">181</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hairy-eared Sumatran Rhinoceros</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page182">182</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Great Indian Rhinoceros</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page183">183</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Great Indian Rhinoceros</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page184">184</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black African Rhinoceroses</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page185">185</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>One of the same Rhinoceroses dead</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page185">185</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rhinoceros bathing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page186">186</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black African Rhinoceros</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page187">187</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sumatran Rhinoceros</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page188">188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mountain-zebra</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page189">189</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grevy's Zebra</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page190">190</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burchell's Zebra at home</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page191">191</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">The Hon. Walter Rothschild's team of Zebras</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page192">192</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burchell's Zebra, Chapman's variety</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page193">193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mare and Foal of Burchell's Zebra</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page194">194</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burchell's Zebra</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page194">194</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Zebras on Table Mountain</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page195">195</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Quagga</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page195">195</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baluchi Wild Ass</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page196">196</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Kiang</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page197">197</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Yearling Arab Colts</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page198">198</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arab Mare</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page199">199</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arab Mares and Foals</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page200">200</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Percheron Horse</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page201">201</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hackney and Foal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page201">201</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ladas</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page202">202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Florizel II.</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page202">202</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shetland Pony and Foal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page203">203</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Champion Shire Stallion</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page203">203</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Shire Mare and Foal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page204">204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Welsh Pony</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page204">204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Polo-pony</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page205">205</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Donkey</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page205">205</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Egyptian Donkeys</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page206">206</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mules</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page206">206</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>English Park-cattle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page207">207</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>English Park Bull</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page208">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Calf of English Park-cattle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page208">208</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Jersey Cow</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page209">209</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spanish Cattle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page209">209</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Gaur</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page210">210</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cow Gayal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page211">211</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Humped Bull</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page212">212</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Humped Cattle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page213">213</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Domesticated Yak</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page214">214</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American bull Bison</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page215">215</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>European Bison</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page216">216</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Bison</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page217">217</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cape Buffalo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page218">218</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Domesticated Indian Buffalo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page218">218</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A pair of Anoas</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page219">219</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young bull Musk-ox</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page220">220</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Barbary Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page221">221</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Siberian Argali</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page222">222</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barbary Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page223">223</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Barbary Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page223">223</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Burhal Wild Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page224">224</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Punjab Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page225">225</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fat-tailed Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page225">225</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Four-horned Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page226">226</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>South Down Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page226">226</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Merino Rams</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page227">227</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black-faced Mountain-sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page228">228</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Leicester Ewe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page228">228</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cross-bred Sheep</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page229">229</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lonk Ram</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page230">230</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Welsh Ewes</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page230">230</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Angora Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page231">231</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Angora Ram</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page231">231</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>British Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page232">232</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Toggenburg Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page233">233</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Stud Toggenburg Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page233">233</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Schwartzals Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page234">234</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Alpine Ibex</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page235">235</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">Young male Alpine Ibex</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page235">235</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Nubian Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page236">236</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Italian Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page237">237</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rocky Mountain Goat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page238">238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Himalayan Tahr and young</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page238">238</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bubalino Hartebeest</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page239">239</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Biesbok</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White-tailed Gnu and Calf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page240">240</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A cow Brindled Gnu</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page241">241</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red-flanked Duiker</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page241">241</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Klipspringer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page242">242</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sing-sing Waterbuck</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page243">243</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mountain Reedbuck</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page244">244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Impala, or Palla</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page244">244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Saiga Antelopes</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page245">245</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arabian Gazelle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page246">246</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Goitred Gazelles from Mesopotamia</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page247">247</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Speke's Gazelle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page248">248</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gazelles from Egypt</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page248">248</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red-fronted Gazelle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page249">249</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red-fronted Gazelle (another view)</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page249">249</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Springbuck</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page250">250</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sable Antelope</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page251">251</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Roan Antelope</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male of Grant's Gazelle</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Group of Beisa Oryx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page253">253</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>White Oryx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page254">254</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Beisa Oryx</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page254">254</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gerenuk</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page255">255</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Nilgai</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Addax</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page256">256</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A pair of young Prongbucks</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page257">257</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Goral</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page258">258</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Harnessed Antelope</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page258">258</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Kudu</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page259">259</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eland</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page260">260</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Eland Cows</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page261">261</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bull Eland</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page262">262</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Southern Giraffe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page263">263</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Southern Giraffe lying down</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page264">264</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Southern Giraffe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page265">265</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Giraffe grazing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page266">266</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Giraffe browsing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page267">267</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male and female Giraffes</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page268">268</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Okapi of the Congo Forest</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page269">269</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of Okapi</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page270">270</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scandinavian Reindeer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page271">271</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woodland Caribou</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page272">272</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Immature Scandinavian Elk</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page273">273</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female American Elk, or Moose</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page274">274</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Park Red Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page275">275</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An Asiatic Wapiti</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page276">276</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Wapiti</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page277">277</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Wapiti</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page278">278</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Wapiti</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page279">279</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Altai Wapiti</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page280">280</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Manchurian Wapiti calling</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page281">281</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An Axis Hind</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page282">282</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A stag Axis, or Indian Spotted Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page283">283</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Spotted Oriental Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page284">284</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Fallow Buck of the Brown Breed</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page285">285</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Sambar Stag</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page286">286</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Formosan Sika Stag</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page287">287</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Javan Rusa Stag</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page287">287</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hog-deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page288">288</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young male Swamp-deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page289">289</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Indian Muntjac</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page290">290</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young male Chinese Water-deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page290">290</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male Siberian Roe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page291">291</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Siberian Roe</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page291">291</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Siberian Roebuck</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page292">292</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female European Roe Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page293">293</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Père David's Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page294">294</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Group of Virginian Deer (two bucks, four does)</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page295">295</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Mule-deer Fawn</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page296">296</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Virginian Deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page297">297</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Mule-deer Stag</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page298">298</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Marsh-deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page299">299</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Himalayan Musk-deer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page300">300</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Camel-plough, used in Algiers</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page301">301</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A White Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page302">302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Arabian Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page302">302</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page303">303</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A string of Camels near Port Said</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page303">303</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of Bactrian Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page304">304</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>An old male Bactrian Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page305">305</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bactrian Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page306">306</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Bactrian Camel</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page306">306</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Guanaco</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page307">307</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Llamas</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page308">308</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Llama</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page309">309</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Alpaca</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page309">309</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A Domesticated Sow and her Progeny</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page310">310</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wild Boar</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page311">311</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Diving-pigs</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page312">312</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td> - <p class="sp0">Javan Wild Pig</p> - </td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page313">313</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male and female Babirusa</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page313">313</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Wart-hog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page314">314</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ælian's Wart-hog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page314">314</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head of male Wart-hog</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page315">315</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Collared Peccary</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page316">316</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A young Collared Peccary</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page317">317</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>A three-year-old Hippopotamus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page318">318</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hippopotamus drinking</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page319">319</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hippopotamus bathing</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page320">320</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Baby Hippopotamus, aged six months</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page321">321</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dental operations on a Hippopotamus</td> - <td class="ar wnw"><a href="#page322">322</a>, <a href="#page323">323</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Female Hippopotamuses</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page324">324</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">A Hippopotamus Family—father, mother, and young</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page324">324</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hippopotamus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page325">325</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Male and female Hippopotamuses</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page326">326</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dugong</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page327">327</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>American Manatee</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page328">328</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Narwhal</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page329">329</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Grampus, or Killer</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page330">330</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Short-beaked River-dolphin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page331">331</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sowerby's Beaked Whale</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page332">332</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Porpoise</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page333">333</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Elliott's Dolphin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page334">334</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Risso's Dolphin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page334">334</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bottle-nosed Dolphin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page335">335</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Heavyside's Dolphin</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page335">335</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Northern Two-toed Sloth</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page336">336</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Three-toed Sloth</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page337">337</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Great Ant-eater</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page338">338</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tamandua Ant-eater</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page339">339</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Two-toed Ant-eater</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page340">340</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Weasel-headed Armadillo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page341">341</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hairy-rumped Armadillo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page341">341</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Peba Armadillo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page341">341</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Kapplers' Armadillo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page341">341</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cape Aard-vark</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page342">342</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Great Grey Kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page343">343</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Silver-grey Kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page344">344</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Black-striped Wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page345">345</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Bennett's Wallaby and the Great Grey Kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page345">345</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Albino Red Kangaroos</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page346">346</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tasmanian Wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page347">347</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Albino Red-bellied Wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page348">348</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rock-wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page349">349</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parry's Wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page350">350</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Parry's Wallaby</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page350">350</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Foot of Tree-kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page351">351</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Brown Tree-kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page352">352</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tree-kangaroos</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page353">353</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gaimard's Rat-kangaroo</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page354">354</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rat-kangaroo from New South Wales</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page354">354</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Koala, or Australian Native Bear, and Cub</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page355">355</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Koala, or Australian Native Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page356">356</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Koala, or Australian Native Bear</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page357">357</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Squirrel-like Flying-phalanger of Victoria</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page358">358</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Larger Flying-phalanger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page359">359</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lesser Flying-phalanger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page360">360</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pygmy Flying-phalanger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page361">361</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Grey Opossum, or Phalanger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page362">362</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Australian Grey Opossum, or Phalanger</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page363">363</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Front view of Grey Opossum, or Phalanger</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page364">364</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Profile view of Grey Opossum, or Phalanger</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page364">364</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Ring-tailed Opossum, or Phalanger, and nest</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page365">365</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Spotted Cuscus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page366">366</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Wombat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page367">367</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hairy-nosed Wombat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page368">368</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common Wombat</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page369">369</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Long-nosed Australian Bandicoot</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page370">370</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Rabbit-bandicoot</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page371">371</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pouched Mole</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page372">372</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Under surface of Pouched Mole</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page372">372</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tasmanian Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page373">373</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tasmanian Wolf</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page373">373</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tasmanian Devil</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page374">374</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Spotted Dasyures, or Australian Native Cats</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page375">375</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Brush-tailed Pouched Mouse, or Phascogale</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page376">376</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Banded Ant-eater</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page377">377</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Yapock, or Water-opossum</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page378">378</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Young Opossum (natural size)</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page379">379</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Woolly American Opossum</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page380">380</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Common or Virginian Opossum</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page381">381</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Echidna, or Ant-eating Porcupine</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page382">382</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="it1p05">Tasmanian Echidna, or Porcupine Ant-eater</td> - <td class="ar vbm"><a href="#page383">383</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Duck-billed Platypus</td> - <td class="ar"><a href="#page384">384</a></td> - </tr> - </table> - - <p><i>N.B.—The photograph of dolphins on <a href="#ib005b">page v</a> was inadvertently - attributed to Mr. F. G. Aflalo. The name of the photographer should have been Mr. T. Limberg, who - kindly gave permission for his capital snap-shot to be reproduced in these pages.</i></p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="pagei"><span class="smaller">{i}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w55 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_b_001_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_001_t.jpg" - alt="PEKIN DEER IN SUMMER DRESS." title="PEKIN DEER IN SUMMER DRESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PEKIN DEER IN SUMMER DRESS.</p> - <p class="sp0">An example of the white-spotted type of coloration so common among herbivorous - mammals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div id="chapter"></div> - - <h2 class="sp3 ac" title="Introduction" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">INTRODUCTION.</span></h2> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_001_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_001_b.jpg" - alt="NEGRO BOY AND APES." title="NEGRO BOY AND APES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">NEGRO BOY AND APES.</p> - <p class="sp0">An interesting picture of a Negro boy, with a young Chimpanzee (left side of - figure) and young Orang-utan (right side of figure).</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The welcome accorded to "The Living Races of Mankind," of which the present work is the natural - extension, would be a practical encouragement, if such were needed, to treat of the Living Races - of Animals in like fashion. But the interest now taken in Natural History is of a kind and calibre - never previously known, and any work which presents the wonders of the Animal World in a new or - clearer form may make some claim to the approval of the public. The means at the disposal of those - responsible for the following pages are, by mere lapse of time, greater than those of their - predecessors. Every year not only adds to the stock of knowledge of the denizens of earth and - ocean, but increases the facilities for presenting their forms and <span class="pagenum" - id="pageii"><span class="smaller">{ii}</span></span>surroundings pictorially. Photography applied - to the illustration of the life of beasts, birds, fishes, insects, corals, and plants is at once - the most attractive and the most correct form of illustration. In the following pages it will be - used on a scale never equalled in any previous publication. Without straining words, it may be - said that the subjects photographed have been obtained from every part of the world, many of them - from the most distant islands of the Southern Ocean, the great barrier reef of Australia, the New - Zealand hills, the Indian jungle, the South African veldt, and the rivers of British Columbia. - Photographs of swimming fish, the flying bird, and of the leaping salmon will be reproduced as - accurately as those of the large carnivora or the giant ungulates. In accordance with the example - now being set by the Museum of Natural History, the living breeds of domesticated animals will - also find a place.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_002.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_002.jpg" - alt="SKELETONS OF MAN AND GORILLA." title="SKELETONS OF MAN AND GORILLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Umlauff</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>SKELETONS OF MAN AND GORILLA.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This photograph shows the remarkable similarity in - the structure of the human frame (left) and that of the gorilla (right). This gorilla happened - to be a particularly large specimen; the man was of ordinary height.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The time and expenditure employed in illustration will be equalled by the attention given to - the descriptive portion of the work. The Editor will have the assistance of specialists, eminent - alike in the world of science and practical discovery. Mr. F. C. Selous, for example, will deal - with the African Lion and the Elephants, and other sportsmen with the big game of the Dark - Continent. Mr. W. Saville-Kent, the author of "The Great Barrier Reef of Australia," will treat of - the Marsupials of Australia and the Reptilia; Sir Herbert Maxwell will write on the Salmonidæ, and - Mr. F. G. Aflalo on the Whales and other Cetacea of the deep seas; while Mr. R. Lydekker, Dr. - Bowdler Sharpe, Mr. W. F. Kirby, and other specialists have kindly agreed to supervise the work. - Where possible the illustrations will show the creatures in their natural surroundings, and in all - cases the <span class="pagenum" id="pageiii"><span class="smaller">{iii}</span></span>photographic - portraits of the animals will, by the nature of things, present true and living pictures, in place - of the often curiously incorrect and distorted objects, the product of illustrators' fancy rather - than the record of facts, not infrequently seen in previous illustrated natural histories.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_003.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_003.jpg" - alt="SEA-SWALLOWS." title="SEA-SWALLOWS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. Watmough Webster & Son</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Chester.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SEA-SWALLOWS.</p> - <p class="sp0">From their long wings, forked tail, and flight, the Terns are popularly called - Sea-swallows.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="pageiv"><span class="smaller">{iv}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_004_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_004_t.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN LEOPARD." title="AFRICAN LEOPARD."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN LEOPARD.</p> - <p class="sp0">An example of the black-spotted type of coloration so prevalent in - Carnivora.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is possible that while these pages are in the press discoveries of new animals may be made, - or living representatives of creatures supposed to be extinct may be discovered.<a id="NtA_1" - href="#Nt_1"><sup>[1]</sup></a> One band of explorers is engaged in seeking on the plains of South - America for recent remains and possible survivors of the giant ground-sloths. Another expedition - is engaged, in the island of Java, in an even more interesting quest. Great as is the difference - between even the lowest human intelligence and the mind of the man-like apes, the likeness both in - form and action of the latter to man has never failed to suggest that there may have existed, or - may even still exist, a higher anthropoid ape nearer to the human being than those now known. The - idea has taken shape in the term "the missing link." The phrase is misleading in itself. Such a - creature would be no more a link in the descent of man than one imperfectly developed limb of a - tree is a link between the other branches and the stem. But it was always possible that we might - find another branch which had attained a higher type than those terminating in the gorilla or - chimpanzee. Recent search seems to have discovered the remains of such a creature.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_004_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_004_b.jpg" - alt="EAST AFRICAN GIRAFFE." title="EAST AFRICAN GIRAFFE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p>EAST AFRICAN GIRAFFE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This photograph was taken in the wilds of Africa - by Lord Delamere, and shows the animal at home. The tree is a mimosa, on the top shoots of - which the giraffe habitually feeds.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="pagev"><span class="smaller">{v}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_005_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_005_t.jpg" - alt="FLYING-FOX." title="FLYING-FOX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FLYING-FOX.</p> - <p class="sp0">This bat, which is a native of Australia (where it was photographed), is - commonly called the Flying-fox. Great flocks set out at sunset from the forest to feed upon - the indigenous fruits, such as that of the native fig.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div id="ib005b"></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_005_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_005_b.jpg" - alt="DOLPHINS." title="DOLPHINS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by F. G. Aflalo, F.Z.S.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">DOLPHINS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph was taken in mid-ocean, and shows a couple of dolphins - following a ship across the Atlantic.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the island of Java, near one of the homes of the man-like apes of to-day, a naturalist, M. - Dubois, employed by the Dutch Government, excavated some fossil-bearing gravels on a river called - the Solo. These gravels belong to a period when civilised man, at any rate, did not exist. In them - he found a great quantity of bones of mammals and of prehistoric crocodiles. There were no perfect - skeletons, and it was fairly plain that the bodies of the creatures had been floated down the - river, and there pulled to pieces by the crocodiles, just as they are in India to-day. In this - place, lying within a distance of about fifteen yards from each other, he made an extraordinary - discovery of animal remains. This was no less than the top of the skull of a creature much higher - in development than the chimpanzee or gorilla, but lower than the lowest type of human skull. Near - it were also found two of the teeth and one of the bones of the thigh. The thigh <span - class="pagenum" id="pagevi"><span class="smaller">{vi}</span></span>bone resembles very nearly - that of a man, though Dr. Virchow, whom Englishmen remember in connection with the fatal illness - of the German Emperor Frederick, considered it did not differ from that of one of the gibbons. The - inference is that the creature <i>walked upright</i>; and this fact is recorded in its scientific - name.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_006_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_006_t.jpg" - alt="A HAPPY FAMILY." title="A HAPPY FAMILY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p>A HAPPY FAMILY.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Hyæna, tiger, and lions living in amity—a - remarkable proof of their tamer's power. In the same park at Hamburg, belonging to Herr - Hagenbeck, are also bears, dogs, leopards, and pumas, all loose together.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>As regards the skull, some specialists in anthropology said that it was that of a large ape, of - a kind of gibbon (a long-armed, upright-walking ape, described later), of a "higher anthropoid - ape," and of a low type of man. Finally, Dr. Cunningham, the able secretary of the Royal Irish - Zoological Society, said it resembled that of a "microcephalous idiot." It is rather strange if - the remains of the first and only man found in the Lower Pleistocene should happen to be those of - a microcephalous idiot, for out of many millions of men born there are perhaps only one or two of - this type. Compared with the head of any of the living apes, it is very large. Its brain-holding - power is about five to three compared with the skull of a gorilla, and two to one compared with - that of a chimpanzee.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_006_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_006_b.jpg" - alt="ELEPHANTS." title="ELEPHANTS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">ELEPHANTS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is another of Lord Delamere's East African photographs, and shows a couple - of wild elephants in the open.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="pagevii"><span class="smaller">{vii}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_007_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_007_t.jpg" - alt="GIANT TORTOISE." title="GIANT TORTOISE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Tring.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GIANT TORTOISE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph of Mr. Walter Rothschild riding on one of his huge tortoises - gives a good idea of the relative sizes of one of the "giant tortoises" and a human being.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_007_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_007_b.jpg" - alt="A GROUP OF CROCODILIANS." title="A GROUP OF CROCODILIANS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A GROUP OF CROCODILIANS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A wonder of modern animal-training. The photograph shows a number of living - crocodilians with their trainer. They have been on exhibition in Florence for some years past, - and are still to be seen there.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There is a tradition in Sumatra that man-like apes exist, of a higher character than the - orang-utan. Pending the discovery of more remains, the following extract is worth quoting, as - giving shape to current ideas about such creatures both here and among the Malays. They take form - in a very curious and interesting book, called "The Prison of Weltevreden," written by Walter M. - Gibson in the middle of the last century. His story is that he was kept in prison at Weltevreden, - in Java, by the Dutch, after leading a life of adventure and enquiry among the islands of the - South Atlantic and Indian Ocean; that he came in his own small vessel to the Malay Archipelago, - and spent some time in the interior of Sumatra, <i>where he saw apparent evidences of semi-human - beings</i>. He saw the orang-utans in their native forest, and noted that they were covered with - red hair, and was surprised at the slowness of their movements. Among some men engaged in building - a stable for the raja, he saw "a dark form, tall as a middle-sized man, covered with hair, that - looked soft and flowing; the arms, hands, legs, and feet seemed well formed, like the Malays'; the - body was straight, and easily bore, on the right shoulder, the yoke of two heavy panniers filled - with material for the building which was going on." Gibson says that "the eyes were clearer, the - nose fuller, and the lips thinner than those of the common <span class="pagenum" - id="pageviii"><span class="smaller">{viii}</span></span>Malay, but the mouth was wide, the lips - protruding, and a chin formed no part of its hairy face; yet it was pleasantly human in - expression," much more so than the dirty, mottle-faced coolies and lascars he had seen. We quote - the account, as showing, if true, that Gibson saw an anthropoid ape <i>taught to work</i>.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_008_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_008_t.jpg" - alt="SOMALI ZEBRAS." title="SOMALI ZEBRAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p>SOMALI ZEBRAS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is a photograph of a group of zebras taken in - Africa by Lord Delamere, and gives some idea of the surrounding country, where they live in - happy freedom.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It may be a mere coincidence, but it is nevertheless somewhat remarkable that the two great - black man-like apes, the chimpanzee and the gorilla, inhabit the same continent as some of the - blackest races of mankind, while the red orang-utan is found in countries where the yellow-skinned - Malay races of man are indigenous.</p> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div class="bq1 sp2"> - <p class="sp0"><i>The special thanks of the Editor and Publishers are due to a great many - naturalists and zoologists for the valuable help they have given to, and the interest they have - taken in, this work while it has been in preparation. No doubt, before the complete work is - published, a great many more names will be added to the list, but meanwhile grateful - acknowledgment should be made to the following:—Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford, who has - kindly allowed many of her fine photographs to be reproduced in these pages; the Hon. Walter - Rothschild, M.P., for the splendid collection of photographs taken especially for him in all - parts of the world; Lord Delamere, for several unique photographs taken with a telephoto lens - during his celebrated expedition to Africa; Major Nott, F.Z.S., for the use of his scientific - series of animal photographs; Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, of Washington, for many photographs of fish - and other animals in their natural surroundings; Mr. W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., F.L.S., for the - photographs taken by him while in Australia; Mr. Lewis Medland, F.Z.S., for the use of his - singularly complete set of animal photographs; Herr Carl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, for permission - to use his photographs of some extremely rare specimens of animals which from time to time have - found a temporary home at his wonderful Thierpark; the Trustees of the British Museum, for - permission to photograph some of their animals; Professor E. Ray Lankester, Director of the - Natural History Branch of the British Museum; and the Zoological Society, for permission to - photograph some of the animals. And also to Herr Ottomar Anschütz, of Berlin; Messrs. Bond & - Grover, of the Scholastic Photographic Co.; Signor Alinari, of Florence; Messrs. Kerry & Co. - and Mr. Henry King, of Sydney; Mr. Charles Knight; Mr. J. W. McLellan; Messrs. Charles and - William Reid; Messrs. A. S. Rudland & Sons; and Messrs. York & Sons, for permission to - reproduce their photographs.</i></p> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_b_008_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_b_008_b.jpg" - alt="SUN-FISH." title="SUN-FISH."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Washington.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SUN-FISH.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph was taken through the water by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, who has made - a speciality of this kind of photography.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page1"><span class="smaller">{1}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp5"> - <a href="images/i_c_001_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_001_t.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE." title="A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photos by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE.</p> - <p class="sp0"><i>Anger.</i><span class="gap" style="width:12em"> </span><i>Pleasure.</i><span - class="gap" style="width:12em"> </span><i>Fear.</i></p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp5 ac" style="margin-bottom:3.8ex;"><span class="x-larger">THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE - WORLD.</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:3.8ex;"><span class="larger"><i>BOOK I. MAMMALS.</i></span></p> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterI."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="I. Apes, monkeys, and lemurs." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER I.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>APES, MONKEYS, AND LEMURS.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac">THE MAN-LIKE APES.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_001_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_001_b.jpg" - alt="ARABIAN BABOON." title="ARABIAN BABOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari, Florence.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp0">ARABIAN BABOON.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Chimpanzee.</span></p> - - <p>Of all the great apes the <span class="sc">Chimpanzee</span> most closely approaches man in - bodily structure and appearance, although in height it is less near the human standard than the - gorilla, 5 feet being probably that of an adult male.</p> - - <p>Several races of this ape are known, among them the <span class="sc">True Chimpanzee</span> and - the <span class="sc">Bald Chimpanzee</span>. The varieties also include the Kulo-kamba, described - by Du Chaillu, and the Soko, discovered by Livingstone, who confounded it with the gorilla. But - the variations in neither of these are sufficiently important to justify their being ranked as - species.</p> - - <p>The first authentic mention of the chimpanzee is found in "The Strange Adventures of Andrew - Battell." an English sailor taken prisoner by the Portuguese in 1590, who lived eighteen years - near Angola. He speaks of two apes, the Pongo and the Enjocko, of which the former is the gorilla, - the latter the chimpanzee. The animal was first seen in Europe in 1641, and described - scientifically fifty-eight years later, but we are indebted <span class="pagenum" id="page2"><span - class="smaller">{2}</span></span>to Dr. Savage, a missionary, for our first account of its habits, - in 1847.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_002.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_002.jpg" - alt="JENNY, THE WELL-KNOWN CHIMPANZEE AT THE - ZOO" title="JENNY, THE WELL-KNOWN CHIMPANZEE AT THE - ZOO"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">"JENNY," THE WELL-KNOWN CHIMPANZEE AT THE ZOO.<br/> - A VERY CHARACTERISTIC POSE.</p> - <p class="sp0">In this picture the rounded ear, human-like wrinkles on the forehead, and - length of the toes should be noted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The chimpanzee, like the gorilla, is found only in Africa. The range includes West and Central - Equatorial Africa, from the Gambia in the north to near Angola in the south, while it occurs in - the Niam-Niam country to the north-west of the great lakes, and has been discovered recently in - Uganda. The new Uganda Railway, which will open out the great lakes to the east, will bring - English travellers well within reach of the nearest haunt of these great apes. It is on the - likeness and difference of their form and shape to those of man that the attention of the world - has been mainly fixed.</p> - - <p>The chimpanzee is a heavily built animal, with chest and arms of great power. The male is - slightly taller than the female. The crown is depressed, the chin receding, the ridges which - overhang the eye-sockets more prominent than in man, less so than in the gorilla. The nose has a - short bridge, and a flat extremity. The ear is large, and less human than that of the gorilla. The - hands and feet are comparatively long; the digits are, except the thumb and great toe, joined by a - web. The arms are short for an ape, reaching only to the knees. The teeth are similar to those of - man, and the canines of only moderate size. The chimpanzee has thirteen pairs of ribs, and, like - man, has a suggestion at the end of the vertebræ of a rudimentary tail. It walks on all-fours, - with the backs of its closed fingers on the ground, and can only stand upright by clasping its - hands above its head. The skin is of a reddish or brown flesh-colour, the hair black, with white - patches on the lower part of the face. The bald chimpanzee has the top front, and sides of the - face bare, exceedingly large ears, thick lips, and black or brown hands and feet.</p> - - <p>The chimpanzee's natural home is the thick forest, where tropical vegetation ensures almost - total gloom. But near Loango it frequents the mountains near the coast. It is a fruit-feeding - animal, said to do much damage to plantations, but the bald race, at all events in captivity, - takes readily to flesh, and the famous "Sally" which lived in the Zoo for over six years used to - kill and eat pigeons, and caught and killed rats. The male chimpanzee builds a nest in a tree for - his family, and sleeps under its shelter; when food becomes scarce in the vicinity, a move is - made, and a new nest built. This ape lives either in separate families or communities not - exceeding ten in number, and is monogamous.</p> - - <p>As to the animal's courage, it is difficult to get accurate information, as the sins of the - <span class="pagenum" id="page3"><span class="smaller">{3}</span></span>gorilla and baboon have - often been laid on its shoulders, and information derived from natives is usually untrustworthy. - Apparently the chimpanzee avoids coming into collision with man, although, when attacked, it is a - formidable antagonist. Tales of chimpanzees kidnapping women and children need stronger evidence - than they have yet obtained. The natives kill this ape by spearing it in the back, or by driving - it into nets, where it is entangled and easily dispatched. According to Livingstone, the soko, as - the chimpanzee is called in East Central Africa, kills the leopard by biting its paws, but falls - an easy prey to the lion.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_003.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_003.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE." title="A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p>A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This excellent photograph, by Major Nott, F.Z.S., - is particularly good, as showing the manner in which these animals use their hands and - feet.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In captivity it is docile and intelligent, but usually fails to stand a northern climate for - more than a few months. It is easily taught to wear clothes, to eat and drink in civilised - fashion, to understand what is said to it, and reply with a limited vocabulary of grunts. Sally - learnt to count perfectly up to six, and less perfectly to ten; she could also distinguish white - from any colour, but if other colours were presented her she failed, apparently from - colour-blindness. Of this ape the late Dr. G. J. Romanes wrote with something more than the - enthusiasm of a clever man pursuing a favourite theme: "Her intelligence was conspicuously - displayed by the remarkable degree in which she was able to understand the meaning of spoken - language—a degree fully equal to that presented by an infant a few months before emerging - from infancy, and therefore higher than that which is presented by any brute, so far at least as I - have evidence to show." Romanes here speaks <i>only</i>, be it noticed, of ability to understand - human speech—not to think and act. But this is in itself a great mark of intelligence <i>on - human lines</i>. "Having enlisted the co-operation of the keepers, I requested them to ask the ape - repeatedly for one straw, two straws, three straws. These she was to pick up and hand out from - among the litter of her cage. No constant order was to be observed in making these requests; but - whenever she handed a number not asked for her offer was to be refused, while if she gave the - proper number her offer was to be accepted, and she was to receive a piece of fruit in payment. In - this way the ape had learnt to associate these three numbers with the names. As soon as the animal - understood what was required, she never failed to give the number of straws asked for. Her - education was then completed in a similar manner from three to four, and from four to five straws. - Sally rarely made mistakes up to that number; but above five, and up to ten, to which one of the - keepers endeavoured to advance her education, the result is uncertain. It is evident that she - understands the words <span class="pagenum" id="page4"><span - class="smaller">{4}</span></span>seven, eight, nine, and ten to betoken numbers higher than those - below them. When she was asked for any number above six, she always gave some number over six and - under ten. She sometimes doubled over a straw to make it present two ends, and was supposed (thus) - to hasten the attainment of her task." By no means all the chimpanzees are so patient as Sally. - One kept in the Zoological Gardens for some time made an incessant noise by stamping on the back - of the box in which it was confined. It struck this with the flat of its foot while hanging to the - cross-bar or perch, and made a prodigious din. This seems to bear out the stories of chimpanzees - assembling and drumming on logs in the Central African forests.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_004.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_004.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF MALE GORILLA." title="HEAD OF MALE GORILLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>HEAD OF MALE GORILLA.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is a photograph of one of the first gorillas - ever brought to England. It was sent by the famous M. du Chaillu.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gorilla.</span></p> - - <p>The name of this enormous ape has been known since 450 <span class="smaller">B.C.</span> Hanno - the Carthaginian, when off Sierra Leone, met with wild men and women whom the interpreter called - <span class="sc">Gorillas</span>. The males escaped and flung stones from the rocks, but several - females were captured. These animals could not have been gorillas, but were probably baboons. - Andrew Battell, already mentioned, described the gorilla under the name of Pongo. He says it is - like a man, but without understanding even to put a log on a fire; it kills Negroes, and drives - off the elephant with clubs; it is never taken alive, but its young are killed with poisoned - arrows; it covers its dead with boughs. Dr. Savage described it in 1847. Later Du Chaillu visited - its haunts, and his well-known book relates how he met and killed several specimens. But Mr. - Winwood Reade, who also went in quest of it, declared that Du Chaillu, like himself, never saw a - live gorilla. Von Koppenfels, however, saw a family of four feeding, besides shooting others. The - late Miss Kingsley met several, one of which was killed by her elephant-men.</p> - - <p>The gorilla has a limited range, extending from 2° north to 5° south latitude in West Africa, a - moist overgrown region including the mouth of the Gaboon River. How far east it is found is - uncertain, but it is known in the Sierra del Cristal. In 1851-52 it was seen in considerable - numbers on the coast.</p> - - <p>The gorilla is the largest, strongest, and most formidable of the Primates. An adult male is - from 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet high, heavily built, with arms and chest of extraordinary power. - The arms reach to the middle of the legs. The hands are clumsy, the thumb short, and the fingers - joined by a web. The neck scarcely exists. The leg has a slight calf. The toes are stumpy and - thick; the great toe moves like a thumb. The head is large and receding, with enormous ridges - above the eyes, which give it a diabolical appearance. The canine teeth are developed into huge - tusks. The nose has a long bridge, and the nostrils look downwards. The ear is small and - man-like.</p> - - <p>In colour the gorilla varies from deep black to iron-grey, with a reddish tinge on the head; - old animals become grizzled. The outer hair is ringed grey and brown; beneath it is a woolly - growth. The female is smaller—not exceeding 4 feet 6 inches—and less hideous, as <span - class="pagenum" id="page5"><span class="smaller">{5}</span></span>the canines are much smaller, - and the ridges above the eyes are not noticeable, a feature common also to the young.</p> - - <p>Timid, superstitious natives and credulous or untrustworthy travellers have left still wrapped - in mystery many of the habits of this mighty ape, whose fever-stricken, forest-clad haunts render - investigation always difficult, often impossible. Many tales of its ferocity and strength are - obviously untrue, but we think that too much has been disbelieved. That a huge arm descends from a - tree, draws up and chokes the wayfarer, must be false, for intelligent natives have confessed to - knowing no instance of the gorilla attacking man. That it vanquishes the leopard is probable; that - it has driven the lion from its haunts requires proof. Nor can we accept tales of the carrying-off - of Negro women; and the defeat of the elephants, too, must be considered a fiction.</p> - - <p>But we must believe that this ape, if provoked or wounded, is a terrible foe, capable of - ripping open a man with one stroke of its paw, or of cracking the skull of a hunter as easily as a - squirrel cracks a nut. There is a tale of a tribe that kept an enormous gorilla as executioner, - which tore its victims to pieces, until an Englishman, doomed to meet it, noticing a large - swelling near its ribs, killed it with a heavy blow or two on the weak spot.</p> - - <p>Gorillas live mainly in the trees on whose fruit they subsist; they construct a shelter in the - lower boughs for the family, and as a lying-in place for the female. The male is said to sleep - below, with his back against the tree—a favourite attitude with both sexes—to keep off - leopards. On the ground it moves on all-fours, with a curious swinging action, caused by putting - its hands with fingers extended on the ground, and bringing its body forward by a half-jump. - Having a heel, it can stand better than other apes; but this attitude is not common, and Du - Chaillu appears to have been mistaken when he describes the gorilla as attacking upright.</p> - - <p>In captivity only immature specimens have been seen—Barnum's great ape being one of the - larger forms of chimpanzee. Accounts vary as to the temper of the gorilla, some describing it as - untamable, while others say it is docile and playful when young. There is an American tale that a - gorilla over 6 feet high was captured near Tanganyika, but nothing more has reached us about - it.</p> - - <p>When enraged, a gorilla beats its breast, as the writer was informed by a keeper, who thus - confirmed Du Chaillu's account. Its usual voice is a grunt, which, when the animal is excited, - becomes a roar.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_005.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_005.jpg" - alt="A MALE GORILLA." title="A MALE GORILLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Umlauff</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>A MALE GORILLA.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This photograph of the largest gorilla known was - taken immediately after death by Herr Paschen at Yaunde, and gives an excellent idea of the - size of these animals as compared with Negroes. The animal weighed 400 lbs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Orang-utan.</span></p> - - <p>This great red ape was mentioned by Linnæus in 1766, and at the beginning of the last century a - specimen living in the Prince of Orange's collection was described by Vosmaer.</p> - - <p>There are three varieties of the <span class="sc">Orang</span>, called by the Dyaks <span - class="pagenum" id="page6"><span class="smaller">{6}</span></span><span - class="sc">Mias-pappan</span>, <span class="sc">Mias-rambi</span>, and <span - class="sc">Mias-kassu</span>, the third of which is smaller, has no cheek-excrescences, and very - large teeth. Some naturalists recognise a pale and a dark race.</p> - - <p>Most of our information is due to Raja Brooke and Dr. Wallace. The species is confined to - Borneo and Sumatra, but fossils have been found in India of this genus, as well as of a - chimpanzee. The orang is less man-like than the chimpanzee and gorilla. In height the male varies - from 3 feet 10 inches to 4 feet 6 inches, the female being a few inches shorter. It is a heavy - creature, with large head—often a foot in breadth—thick neck, powerful arms, which - reach nearly to the ankles, and protuberant abdomen. Its legs are short and bowed. The forehead is - high, the nose fairly large, the ears very human. The throat is ornamented with large pouches, and - there are often callosities on the cheeks. The fingers are webbed, the thumb small, the foot long - and narrow, the great toe small and often without a nail. The brain is man-like, and the ribs - agree in number with those of man; but there are nine bones in the wrist, whereas man, the - gorilla, and the chimpanzee have but eight. The canine teeth are enormous in the male. The hair, a - foot or more long on the shoulders and thighs, is yellowish red: there is a slight beard. The skin - is grey or brown, and often, in adults, black.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_006.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_006.jpg" - alt="YOUNG ORANG-UTANS." title="YOUNG ORANG-UTANS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG ORANG-UTANS.</p> - <p class="sp0">It will be seen here, from the profile, that the young anthropoid ape has only - the upper part of the head at all approaching the human type.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The orang is entirely a tree-living animal, and is only found in moist districts where there is - much virgin forest. On the ground it progresses clumsily on all-fours, using its arms as crutches, - and with the side only of its feet on the ground. In trees it travels deliberately but with - perfect ease, swinging along underneath the branches, although it also walks along them - semi-erect. It lives alone with mate and young, and builds a sleeping-place sufficiently low to - avoid the wind. Its food is leaves and fruit, especially the durian; its feeding-time, midday.</p> - - <p>No animal molests the mias save—so say the Dyaks—the python and crocodile, both of - which it kills by tearing with its hands. It never attacks man, but has been known to bite - savagely when brought to bay, and it is very tenacious of life, one being found by Mr. Wallace - still alive after a fall from a tree, when "both legs had been broken, its hip-joint and the root - of the spine shattered, and two bullets flattened in neck and jaws."</p> - - <p>In captivity young orangs are playful and docile, but passionate. Less intelligent than - chimpanzees, they may be taught to eat and drink nicely, and to obey simple commands. One in the - Zoo at present has acquired the rudiments of drill. They will eat meat and eggs, and drink wine, - beer, spirits, and tea. An orang described years ago by Dr. Clarke Abel was allowed the run of the - ship on the voyage to England, and would play with the sailors in the rigging. When refused food - he pretended to commit suicide, and rushed over the side, only to be found under the chains.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page7"><span class="smaller">{7}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_007.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_007.jpg" - alt="BABY ORANG-UTANS AT PLAY." title="BABY ORANG-UTANS AT PLAY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp0">BABY ORANG-UTANS AT PLAY.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page8"><span class="smaller">{8}</span></span></div> - - <p>The orang is the least interesting of the three great apes; he lacks the power and brutality of - the gorilla and the intelligence of the chimpanzee. "The orang," said its keeper to the writer, - "is a buffoon; the chimpanzee, a gentleman."</p> - - <p>It is worth remark that, although all these apes soon die in our menageries, in Calcutta, where - they are kept in the open, orangs thrive well.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_008.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_008.jpg" - alt="TWO BABY ORANG-UTANS. THE TUG-OF-WAR." title="TWO BABY ORANG-UTANS. THE TUG-OF-WAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp0">TWO BABY ORANG-UTANS. THE TUG-OF-WAR.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gibbons.</span></p> - - <p>Next after the great apes in man-like characters come a few long-armed, tailless apes, known as - the <span class="sc">Gibbons</span>. Like the orang-utan, they live in the great tropical forests - of Asia, especially the Indian Archipelago; like the latter, they are gentle, affectionate - creatures; and they have also a natural affection for man. But it is in mind and temperament, - rather than in skeleton, that the links and differences between men and monkeys must be sought. It - will be found that these forest apes differ from other animals and from the true monkeys mainly in - this—that they are predisposed to be friendly to man and to obey him, and that they have no - bias towards mischief, or "monkey tricks." They are thoughtful, well behaved, and sedate.</p> - - <div id="fp8"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_008fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_008fp.jpg" - alt="THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER CAPTURED." title="THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER CAPTURED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Umlauff.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER CAPTURED.</p> - <p class="sp0">This huge ape, 5 feet 5 inches high, measures a distance of over 8 feet from - finger to finger.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page9"><span class="smaller">{9}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Siamang</span>, one of the largest of the long-armed, tailless gibbons, - lives in the Malay Archipelago. The arms of a specimen only 3 feet high measured 5 feet 6 inches - across. This, like all the gibbons, makes its way from tree to tree mainly by swinging itself by - its arms. But the siamang can <i>walk</i> upright and run. One kept on board ship would walk down - the cabin breakfast-table without upsetting the china. The <span class="sc">White-handed - Gibbon</span> is found in Tenasserim, south-west of Burma. This ape has a musical howl, which the - whole flock utters in the early mornings on the tree-tops. In Northern India, in the hills beyond - the Brahmaputra, lives another gibbon, the <span class="sc">Hulock</span>. One of these kept in - captivity soon learnt to eat properly at meals, and to drink out of a cup instead of dipping his - fingers in the tea and milk and then sucking them. The <span class="sc">Silvery Gibbon</span> kept - at the Zoological Gardens was a most amiable pet, and had all the agility of the other gibbons. It - is very seldom seen in this country, being a native of Java, where it is said to show the most - astonishing activity among the tall cane-groves. One of the first ever brought to England belonged - to the great Lord Clive. The <span class="sc">Agile Gibbon</span> is another and darker ape of - this group.</p> - - <p>The list of the man-like apes closes with this group. All the gibbons are highly specialised - for tree-climbing and an entirely arboreal life; but it is undeniable that, apart from the - modifications necessary for this, such as the abnormal length of the arms, the skeleton closely - resembles that of a human being. In their habits, when wild, none of these apes show any - remarkable degree of intelligence; but their living is gained in so simple a way, by plucking - fruits and leaves, that there is nothing in their surroundings to stimulate thought. They do not - need even to think of a time of famine or winter, or to lay up a stock of food for such a season, - because they live in the forests under the Equator.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_009_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_009_t.jpg" - alt="WHITE-HANDED GIBBON." title="WHITE-HANDED GIBBON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WHITE-HANDED GIBBON.</p> - <p class="sp0">This gibbon is found in the forests of the Malay Archipelago.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_009_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_009_b.jpg" - alt="HULOCK GIBBON." title="HULOCK GIBBON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HULOCK GIBBON.</p> - <p class="sp0">The great length of arm in comparison with the body and head should here be - noted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac">MONKEYS.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Dog-shaped Monkeys.</span></p> - - <p>After the gibbons come a vast number of monkeys of every conceivable size, shape, and variety, - which naturalists have arranged in consecutive order with fair success. Until we reach the - Baboons, and go on to the South American Monkeys and the Lemurs, it is not easy to give any idea - of what these monkeys do or look like merely by referring to their scientific groups. The usual - order of natural histories will here be <span class="pagenum" id="page10"><span - class="smaller">{10}</span></span>followed, and the descriptions will, so far as possible, present - the habits and appearance of the monkeys specially noticed.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_010.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_010.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF PROBOSCIS MONKEY." title="HEAD OF PROBOSCIS MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HEAD OF PROBOSCIS MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">A native of Borneo. Next to the orang-utan, the most striking monkey in the - Malay Archipelago.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This great family of true monkeys contains the Sacred Monkeys, or Langurs, of India, the - Guerezas and Guenons of Africa, the Mangabeys, Macaques, and Baboons. Most of them have naked, - hard patches of skin on the hindquarters, and the partition between the nostrils is narrow. Some - have tails, some none, and they exhibit the most astonishing differences of size and shape. - Perhaps the most grotesque and astonishing of them all is the <span class="sc">Proboscis - Monkey</span>. It is allied to the langurs, and is a native of the island of Borneo, to which it - is confined; its home is the west bank of the Sarawak River. It is an arboreal creature, living in - small companies. Mr. Hose, who saw them in their native haunts, says that the proboscis monkeys - kept in the trees overhanging the river, and were most difficult to shoot. "I saw altogether about - 150 of these monkeys, and without a single exception all were in trees over the water, either - lake, river, or in submerged forest. As long as they are in sight, they are very conspicuous - objects, choosing the most commanding positions on open tree-tops. Once I saw thirteen in one - tree, sitting lazily on the branches, as is their habit, sunning themselves, and enjoying the - scenery." They are very striking animals in colour, as well as in form. The face is - cinnamon-brown, the sides marked with reddish brown and white, the belly white, the back red-brown - and dark brown. Next to the orang-utan, these are the most striking monkeys in the Malay - Archipelago.</p> - - <p>The greater number of the species intermediate between the gibbons and the New World species - are called <span class="sc">"Dog-shaped" Monkeys</span>. We wonder why? Only the baboon and a few - others are in the least like dogs. The various <span class="sc">Sacred Monkeys</span> of India are - often seen in this country, and are quite representative of the "miscellaneous" monkeys in - general. Most of them have cheek-pouches, a useful monkey-pocket. They poke food into their - pouches, which unfold to be filled, or lie flat when not wanted; and with a pocketful of nuts or - rice on either side of their faces, they can scream, eat, bite, or scold quite comfortably, which - they could not do with their mouths full. The pouchless monkeys have only their big stomachs to - rely on.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Entellus Monkey</span> is the most sacred of all in India. It is grey - above and nutty brown below, long-legged and active, a thief and an impudent robber. In one of the - Indian cities they became such a nuisance that the faithful determined to catch and send away some - hundreds. This was done, and the holy monkeys were deported in covered carts, and released many - miles off. But the monkeys were too clever. Having thoroughly enjoyed their ride, they all refused - to part with the carts, and, hopping and grimacing, came leaping all the way back <span - class="pagenum" id="page11"><span class="smaller">{11}</span></span>beside them to the city, - grateful for their outing. One city obtained leave to kill the monkeys; but the next city then - sued them for "killing their deceased ancestors." In these monkey-infested cities, if one man - wishes to spite another, he throws a few handfuls of rice on to the roof of his house about the - rainy season. The monkeys come, find the rice, and quietly lift off many of the tiles and throw - them away, seeking more rice in the interstices.</p> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_011.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_011.jpg" - alt="CROSS-BEARING LANGUR AND YOUNG." title="CROSS-BEARING LANGUR AND YOUNG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CROSS-BEARING LANGUR AND YOUNG.</p> - <p class="sp0">A forest monkey of Borneo.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This is not the monkey commonly seen in the hills and at Simla. The large long-tailed monkey - there is the <span class="sc">Himalayan Langur</span>, one of the common animals of the hills. - "The langur," says Mr. Lockwood Kipling in his "Beast and Man in India," "is, in his way, a king - of the jungle, nor is he often met with in captivity. In some parts of India troops of langurs - come bounding with a mighty air of interest and curiosity to look at passing trains, their long - tails lifted like notes of interrogation; but frequently, when fairly perched on a wall or tree - alongside, they seem to forget all about it, and avert their heads with an affectation of languid - indifference."</p> - - <p>In India no distinction is made between monkeys. It is an abominable act of sacrilege to kill - one of any kind. In the streets holy bulls, calves, parrakeets, sparrows, and monkeys all rob the - shops. One monkey-ridden municipality sent off its inconvenient but holy guests by rail, advising - the stationmaster to let them loose at the place to which they were consigned. <span - class="pagenum" id="page12"><span class="smaller">{12}</span></span>The station, Saharanpur, was a - kind of Indian Crewe, and the monkeys got into the engine-sheds and workshops among the - driving-wheels and bands. One got in the double roof of an inspection-car, and thence stole - mutton, corkscrews, camp-glasses, and dusters. Among many other interesting and correct monkey - stories of Mr. Kipling's is the following: "The chief confectioner of Simla had prepared a most - splendid bride-cake, which was safely put by in a locked room, that, like most back rooms in - Simla, looked out on the mountain-side. It is little use locking the door when the window is left - open. When they came to fetch the bride-cake, the last piece of it was being handed out of the - window by a chain of monkeys, who whitened the hill-side with its fragments."</p> - - <p>From India to Ceylon is no great way, yet in the latter island different monkeys are found. The - two best known are the <span class="sc">White-bearded Wanderoo Monkey</span> and the <span - class="sc">Great Wanderoo</span>. Both are grave, well-behaved monkeys. The former has white - whiskers and a white beard, and looks so wise he is called in Latin <i>Nestor</i>, after the - ancient counsellor of the Greeks. Nice, clean little monkeys are these, and pretty pets. The great - wanderoo is rarer. It lives in the hills. "A flock of them," says Mr. Dallas, "will take - possession of a palm-grove, and so well can they conceal themselves in the leaves that the whole - party become invisible. The presence of a dog excites their irresistible curiosity, and in order - to watch his movements they never fail to betray themselves. They may be seen congregated on the - roof of a native hut. Some years ago the child of a European clergyman, having been left on the - ground by a nurse, was bitten and teased to death by them. These monkeys have only one wife." Near - relatives of the langurs are the two species of <span class="sc">Snub-nosed Monkeys</span>, one of - which (see figure on <a href="#ic018b">page 18</a>) inhabits Eastern Tibet and North-western - China, and the other the valley of the Mekong.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_012.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_012.jpg" - alt="MALE HIMALAYAN LANGUR." title="MALE HIMALAYAN LANGUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MALE HIMALAYAN LANGUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">A king of the Jungle, not often met with in captivity.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Guerezas and Guenons.</span></p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page13"><span class="smaller">{13}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_013.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_013.jpg" - alt="GELADA BABOONS AT HOME" title="GELADA BABOONS AT HOME"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p>GELADA BABOONS AT HOME</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This photograph is probably unique, as a gelada - baboon has been rarely seen. It shows them at home looking for food on the ground under the - bamboos and palms. It was taken by Lord Delamere in the East African jungle.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page14"><span class="smaller">{14}</span></span></div> - - <p>Among the ordinary monkeys of the Old World are some with very striking hair and colours. The - <span class="sc">Guereza</span> of Abyssinia has bright white-and-black fur, with long white - fringes on the sides. This is the black-and-white skin fastened by the Abyssinians to their - shields, and, if we are not wrong, by the Kaffirs also. Among the <span class="sc">Guenons</span>, - a large tribe of monkeys living in the African forests, many of which find their way here as - "organ monkeys," is the <span class="sc">Diana</span>, a most beautiful creature, living on the - Guinea Coast. It has a white crescent on its forehead, bluish-grey fur, a white beard, and a patch - of brilliant chestnut on the back, the belly white and orange. A lady, Mrs. Bowditch, gives the - following account of a Diana monkey on board ship. It jumped on to her shoulder, stared into her - face, and then made friends, seated itself on her knees, and carefully examined her hands. "He - then tried to pull off my rings, when I gave him some biscuits, and making a bed for him with my - handkerchief he then settled himself comfortably to sleep; and from that moment we were sworn - allies. When mischievous, he was often banished to a hen-coop. Much more effect was produced by - taking him in sight of the panther, who always seemed most willing to devour him. On these - occasions I held him by the tail before the cage; but long before I reached it, knowing where he - was going, he pretended to be dead. His eyes were closed quite fast, and every limb was as stiff - as though there were no life in him. When taken away, he would open one eye a little, to see - whereabouts he might be; but if he caught sight of the panther's cage it was instantly closed, and - he became as stiff as before." This monkey stole the men's knives, tools, and handkerchiefs, and - even their caps, which he threw into the sea. He would carefully feed the parrots, chewing up - biscuit and presenting them the bits; and he caught another small monkey and painted it black! - Altogether, he must have enlivened the voyage. The <span class="sc">Grivet Monkey</span>, the - <span class="sc">Green Monkey</span>, the <span class="sc">Mona Monkey</span>, and the <span - class="sc">Mangabey</span> are other commonly seen African species.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_014.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_014.jpg" - alt="MANTLED GUEREZA." title="MANTLED GUEREZA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>MANTLED GUEREZA.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This group of monkeys supplies the "monkey muffs" - once very fashionable. The species with white plumes is used to decorate the Kaffir - shields.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Macaques.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Macaques</span>, of which there are many kinds, from the Rock of Gibraltar - to far Japan, occupy the catalogue between the guenon and the baboon. The <span class="sc">Common - Macaque</span> and many others have tails. Those of Japan, and some of those of China, notably the - <span class="sc">Tcheli Monkey</span>, kept outside the monkey-house at the Zoo, and the <span - class="sc">Japanese Macaque</span>, at the other entrance, are tailless, and much more like - anthropoid apes. The Tcheli monkey is large and powerful, but other macaques are of all sizes down - to little creatures no bigger than a kitten. Some live in the hottest plains, others in the - mountains. The <span class="sc">Common Macaque</span>, found in the Malay Archipelago, is a - strong, medium-sized monkey. The <span class="sc">Formosan Macaque</span> is a rock-living - creature; those of Japan inhabit the pine-groves, and are fond of pelting any one who passes with - stones and fir-cones. The <span class="sc">Bonnet Macaque</span> is an amusing little beast, very - fond of hugging and nursing others in captivity. The <span class="sc">Bandar</span> or <span - class="sc">Rhesus Monkey</span>, a common species, also belongs to this group. But the most - interesting to Europeans is the <span class="sc">Magot</span>, or <span class="sc">Barbary - Ape</span>. It is the last monkey left in Europe. There it only lives on the Rock of Gibraltar. It - was the monkey which Galen is said to have dissected, because he was not permitted to dissect a - human body. These monkeys are carefully preserved upon the Rock. Formerly, when they were more - common, they were very mischievous. The following story was <span class="pagenum" - id="page15"><span class="smaller">{15}</span></span>told by Mr. Bidcup: "The apes of the Rock, led - by one particular monkey, were always stealing from the kit of a certain regiment encamped there. - At last the soldiers caught the leader, shaved his head and face, and turned him loose. His - friends, who had been watching, received him with a shower of sticks and stones. In these - desperate circumstances the ape sneaked back to his old enemies, the soldiers, with whom he - remained." Lord Heathfield, a former Governor of the Rock, would never let them be hurt; and on - one occasion, when the Spaniards were attempting a surprise, the noise made by the apes gave - notice of their attempt.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_015_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_015_t.jpg" - alt="DIANA MONKEY." title="DIANA MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DIANA MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the most gaily coloured monkeys of Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Baboons.</span></p> - - <p>Far the most interesting of the apes in the wild state are the <span class="sc">Baboons</span>. - Their dog-like heads (which in some are so large and hideous that they look like a cross between - an ill-tempered dog and a pig), short bodies, enormously strong arms, and loud barking cry - distinguish them from all other creatures. The greater number—for there are many - kinds—live in the hot, dry, stony parts of Africa. They are familiar figures from the cliffs - of Abyssinia to the Cape, where their bold and predatory bands still occupy Table Mountain. They - are almost the only animals which the high-contracting Powers of Africa have resolved not to - protect at any season, so mischievous are they to crops, and recently to the flocks. They kill the - suckling lambs, and tear them to pieces for the sake of the milk contained in their bodies.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_015_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_015_b.jpg" - alt="BARBARY APE." title="BARBARY APE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BARBARY APE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The last of the European monkeys; on this side of the Mediterranean it is only - found on the Rock of Gibraltar.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>One of the best-known baboons is the <span class="sc">Chacma</span> of South Africa. The old - males grow to a great size, and are most formidable creatures. Naturally, they are very seldom - caught; but one very large one is in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, at the time of - writing. The keeper declares he would rather go into a lion's cage than into the den of this beast - when angry. Its head is nearly one-third of its total length from nose to the root of the tail. - Its jaw-power is immense, and its forearm looks as strong as Sandow's. <span class="pagenum" - id="page16"><span class="smaller">{16}</span></span>Like all monkeys, this creature has the power - of springing instantaneously from a sitting position; and its bite would cripple anything from a - man to a leopard. The chacmas live in companies in the kopjes, whence they descend to forage the - mealie-grounds, river-beds, and bush. Thence they come down to steal fruit and pumpkins or corn, - turn over the stones and catch beetles, or eat locusts. Their robbing expeditions are organised. - Scouts keep a look-out, the females and young are put in the centre, and the retreat is protected - by the old males. Children in the Cape Colony are always warned not to go out when the baboons are - near. When irritated—and they are very touchy in their tempers—the whole of the males - will sometimes charge and attack. The possibility of this is very unpleasant, and renders people - cautious.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_016_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_016_t.jpg" - alt="RHESUS MONKEY." title="RHESUS MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RHESUS MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">A young specimen of the common Bengal monkey.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Not many years ago a well-known sportsman was shooting in Somaliland. On the other side of a - rocky ravine was a troop of baboons of a species of which no examples were in the British Museum. - Though he knew the danger, he was tempted to shoot and to secure a skin. At 200 yards he killed - one dead, which the rest did not notice. Then he hit another and wounded it. The baboon screamed, - and instantly the others sat up, saw the malefactor, and charged straight for him. Most - fortunately, they had to scramble down the ravine and up again, by which time the sportsman and - his servant had put such a distance between them, making "very good time over the flat," that the - baboons contented themselves by barking defiance at them when they reached the level ground.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_016_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_016_b.jpg" - alt="RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY." title="RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RHESUS MONKEY AND SOOTY MANGABEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The sooty mangabey (to the right of the picture) is gentle and companionable, - but petulant and active.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>They are the only mammals which <i>thoroughly</i> understand combination for defence as well as - attack. But Brehm, the German traveller, gives a charming story of genuine courage and - self-sacrifice shown by one. His hunting dogs gave chase to a troop which was retreating to some - cliffs, and cut off a very young one, which ran up on to a rock, only just out of reach of the - dogs. An old male baboon saw this, and came alone to the rescue. Slowly and deliberately he - descended, crossed the open space, and stamping his hands on the ground, showing his teeth, and - backed by the furious barks of the rest of the baboons, he disconcerted and cowed these savage - dogs, climbed on to the rock, picked up the baby, and carried him back safely. If the dogs had - attacked the old patriarch, his tribe would probably have helped him. Burchell, the naturalist - after whom Burchell's zebra is named, let his dogs chase a troop. The baboons turned on them, - killed one on the spot by biting through the great blood-vessels of the neck, and laid bare the - ribs of another. The Cape <span class="pagenum" id="page17"><span - class="smaller">{17}</span></span>Dutch in the Old Colony would rather let their dogs bait a lion - than a troop of baboons. The rescue of the infant chacma which Brehm saw himself is a remarkable, - and indeed the most incontestable, instance of the exhibition of courage and self-sacrifice by a - <i>male</i> animal.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_017_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_017_tl.jpg" - alt="GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY." title="GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GREY-CHEEKED MANGABEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the small African monkeys.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_017_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_017_tr.jpg" - alt="CHINESE MACAQUE." title="CHINESE MACAQUE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CHINESE MACAQUE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This monkey lives in a climate as cold as that of England.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>If the baboons were not generally liable to become bad-tempered when they grow old, they could - probably be trained to be among the most useful of animal helpers and servers; but they are so - formidable, and so uncertain in temper, that they are almost too dangerous for attempts at - semi-domestication. When experiments have been made, they have had remarkable results. Le - Vaillant, one of the early explorers in South Africa, had a chacma baboon which was a better watch - than any of his dogs. It gave warning of any creature approaching the camp at night long before - the dogs could hear or smell it. He took it out with him when he was shooting, and used to let it - collect edible roots for him. The latest example of a trained baboon only died a few years ago. It - belonged to a railway signalman at Uitenhage station, about 200 miles up-country from Port - Elizabeth, in Cape Colony. The man had the misfortune to undergo an operation in which both his - feet were amputated, after being crushed by the wheels of a train. Being an ingenious fellow, he - taught his baboon, which was a full-grown one, to pull him along the line on a trolly to the - "distant" signal. There the baboon stopped at the word of command, and the man would work the - lever himself. But in time he taught the baboon to do it, while he sat on the trolly, ready to - help if any mistake were made.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_017_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_017_bl.jpg" - alt="GRIVET MONKEY." title="GRIVET MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GRIVET MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the small monkey commonly taken about with street-organs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_017_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_017_br.jpg" - alt="BONNET MONKEY, AND ARABIAN BABOON (ON - THE RIGHT)." title="BONNET MONKEY, AND ARABIAN BABOON (ON - THE RIGHT)."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp0">BONNET MONKEY, AND ARABIAN BABOON (ON THE RIGHT).</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The chacmas have for relations a number of other baboons in the rocky parts of the African - Continent, most of which have almost the same habits, and are not very different in appearance. - Among them is the <span class="sc">Gelada Baboon</span>, a species very common in the rocky - highlands of Abyssinia; another is the <span class="sc">Anubis Baboon</span> of the West Coast of - Africa. The latter is numerous round the Portuguese settlement of Angola. Whether the so-called - <span class="pagenum" id="page18"><span class="smaller">{18}</span></span><span class="sc">Common - Baboon</span> of the menageries is a separate species or only the young of some one of the - above-mentioned is not very clear. But about another variety there can be no doubt. It has been - separated from the rest since the days of the Pharaohs. It does not differ in habits from the - other baboons, but inhabits the rocky parts of the Nile Valley. It appears in Egyptian mythology - under the name of Thoth, and is constantly seen in the sculptures and hieroglyphs.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_018_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_018_t.jpg" - alt="RHESUS MONKEYS." title="RHESUS MONKEYS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RHESUS MONKEYS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph is particularly interesting. It was actually taken by another - monkey, which pressed the button of Mr. Medland's camera.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Equally strong and far more repulsive are the two baboons of West Africa—the <span - class="sc">Drill</span> and the <span class="sc">Mandrill</span>. As young specimens of these - beasts are the only ones at all easily caught, and these nearly always die when cutting their - second teeth when in captivity, large adult mandrills are seldom seen in Europe. They grow to a - great size, and are probably the most hideous of all beasts. The frightful nose, high cheekbones, - and pig-like eyes are the basis of the horrible heads of devils and goblins which Albert Dürer and - other German or Dutch mediæval painters sometimes put on canvas. Add to the figure the misplaced - bright colours—cobalt-blue on the cheeks, which are scarred, as if by a rake, with scarlet - furrows, and scarlet on the buttocks—and it will be admitted that nature has invested this - massive, powerful, and ferocious baboon with a repulsiveness equalling in completeness the - extremes of grace and beauty manifested in the roe-deer or the bird of paradise.</p> - - <div id="ic018b"></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_018_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_018_b.jpg" - alt="ORANGE SNUB-NOSED MONKEY." title="ORANGE SNUB-NOSED MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ORANGE SNUB-NOSED MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This should be contrasted with the Proboscis Monkey.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The natives of Guinea and other parts of West Africa have consistent accounts that the - mandrills have tried to carry off females and children. They live in troops like the chacmas, - plunder the fields, and, like all baboons, spend much time on the ground walking on all-fours. - When doing this, they are quite unlike any other creatures. They walk slowly, with the head bent - downwards, like a person walking on hands and knees looking for a pin. With the right hand - (usually) they turn over every stick and stone, looking for insects, scorpions, or snails, and - these they seize and eat. The writer has seen <span class="pagenum" id="page19"><span - class="smaller">{19}</span></span>baboons picking up sand, and straining it through their fingers, - to see if there were ants in it. He has also seen one hold up sand in the palm of its hand, and - blow the dust away with its breath, and then look again to see if anything edible were left. - Mandrills kept in captivity until adult become very savage. One in Wombwell's menagerie killed - another monkey and a beagle. Mr. Cross owned one which would sit in an armchair, smoke, and drink - porter; but these convivial accomplishments were accompanied by a most ferocious temper.</p> - - <p>One of the earliest accounts of the habits of the Abyssinian baboons was given by Ludolf in his - "History of Ethiopia." It was translated into quaint, but excellent old English: "Of Apes," he - says, "there are infinite flocks up and down in the mountains, a thousand and more together, and - they leave no stone unturned. If they meet with one that two or three cannot lift they call for - more aid, and all for the sake of the Worms that lye under, a sort of dyet which they relish - exceedingly. They are very greedy after Emmets. So that having found an emmet hill, they presently - surround it, and laying their fore paws with the hollow downward upon the ant heap, as soon as the - Emmets creep into their treacherous palms they lick 'em off, with great comfort to their stomachs. - And there they will lye till there is not an Emmet left. They are also pernicious to fruits and - apples, and will destroy whole fields and gardens unless they be looked after. For they are very - cunning, and will never venture in till the return of their spies, which they send always before, - who, giving all information that it is safe, in they rush with their whole body and make a quick - despatch. Therefore they go very quiet and silent to their prey; and if their young ones chance to - make a noise, they chastise them with their fists; but if the coast is clear, then every one has a - different noise to express his joy." Ludolf clearly means the baboons by this description.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_019.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_019.jpg" - alt="PIG-TAILED MONKEY." title="PIG-TAILED MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PIG-TAILED MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">"Footing the line." Note how the monkey uses its feet as hands when walking on - a branch.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A more ancient story deals with Alexander's campaigns. He encamped on a mountain on which were - numerous bands of monkeys (probably baboons). On the following morning the sentries saw what - looked like troops coming to offer them battle. As they had just won a <span class="pagenum" - id="page20"><span class="smaller">{20}</span></span>victory, they were at a loss to guess who - these new foes might he. The alarm was given, and the Macedonian troops set out in battle-array. - Then through the morning mists they saw that the enemy was an immense troop of monkeys. Their - prisoners, who knew what the alarm was caused by, made no small sport of the Macedonians.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_020.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_020.jpg" - alt="CHACMA BABOON." title="CHACMA BABOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CHACMA BABOON.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows his attitude when about to make an attack.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Speech of Monkeys.</span></p> - - <p>Something should be said of the alleged "speech of monkeys" which Professor Garner believed - himself to have discovered. He rightly excluded mere sounds showing joy, desire, or sorrow from - the faculty of speech, but claimed to have detected special words, one meaning "food," another - "drink," another "give me that," another meaning "monkey," or an identification of a second animal - or monkey. He used a phonograph to keep permanent record of the sounds, and made an expedition to - the West African forests in the hope that he might induce the large anthropoid apes to answer the - sounds which are so often uttered by their kind in our menageries. The enterprise ended, as might - have been expected, in failure. Nor was it in the least necessary to go and sit in a cage in an - African forest in the hope of striking up an acquaintance with the native chimpanzees. The little - Capuchin monkeys, whose voices and sounds he had ample opportunity of observing here, give - sufficient material for trying experiments in the meaning of monkey sounds. The writer believes - that it is highly probable that the cleverer monkeys have a great many notes or sounds which the - others do understand, if only because they make the same under similar circumstances, otherwise - they would not utter them. They are like the sounds which an intelligent but nearly dumb person - might make. Also they have very sharp ears, and some of them can understand musical sounds, so far - as to show a very marked attention to them. The following account of an experiment of this kind, - when a violin was being played, is related in "Life at the Zoo": "The Capuchin monkeys, the - species selected by Professor Garner for his experiments in monkey language, showed the strangest - and most amusing excitement. These pretty little creatures have very expressive and intelligent - faces, and the play and mobility of their faces and voices while listening to the music were - extraordinarily rapid. The three in the first cage at once rushed up into their box, and then all - peeped out, chattering and excited. One by one they came down, and listened to the music with - intense curiosity, shrieking and making faces at a crescendo, shaking the wires angrily at a - discord, and putting their heads almost upside-down in efforts at acute criticism at low and - musical passages. Every change of note was marked by some alteration of expression in the faces of - the excited little monkeys, and a series of discordant notes roused them to a passion of rage." At - the same time a big baboon, chained up near, evidently disliked it. He walked off in the opposite - direction to the farthest limits of his chain.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page21"><span class="smaller">{21}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_021.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_021.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG MALE CHACMA BABOON." title="A YOUNG MALE CHACMA BABOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG MALE CHACMA BABOON.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the protruding tusk in the upper jaw. A baboon sitting in this position of - rest can instantly leap six or seven feet, and inflict a dangerous bite.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page22"><span class="smaller">{22}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_022_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_022_t.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF MALE MANDRILL." title="HEAD OF MALE MANDRILL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>HEAD OF MALE MANDRILL.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is one of the most hideous of living animals. - The natives of West Africa hold it in greater dislike even than the large carnivora, from the - mischief which it does to their crops.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_022_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_022_bl.jpg" - alt="BROWN CAPUCHIN." title="BROWN CAPUCHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p>BROWN CAPUCHIN.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The most intelligent of the common monkeys of the - New World. It uses many sounds to express emotions, and perhaps desires.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_022_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_022_br.jpg" alt="DRILL." - title="DRILL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">DRILL.</p> - <p class="sp0">Only less ugly than the Mandrill. Its habits are the same.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The New World Monkeys.</span></p> - - <p>Mention of the Capuchins takes us to the whole group of the New World Monkeys. Nearly all of - these live in the tropical forests of Brazil, Guiana, Venezuela, and Mexico. They are all - different from the Old World monkeys, and many are far more beautiful. The most attractive of the - hardier kinds are the Capuchins; but there are many kinds of rare and delicate little monkeys more - beautiful than any squirrel, which would make the most delightful pets in the world, if they were - not so delicate. To try to describe the Old World monkeys in separate groups from end to end is - rather a hopeless task. But the American monkeys are more manageable by the puzzled amateur. Most - of them have a broad and marked division between the nostrils, which are not mere slits close - together, but like the nostrils of men. They also have human-looking rounded heads. Their noses - are of the "cogitative" order, instead of being snouts or snubs with narrow openings in them; and - the whole face is in many ways human and intelligent. The <span class="sc">Howler Monkeys</span>, - which utter the most hideous sounds ever heard in the forests, and the <span class="sc">Spider - Monkeys</span> are the largest. The latter have the most wonderfully developed limbs and tails for - catching and climbing of any living animals. As highly specialised creatures are always - interesting, visitors to any zoological garden will find it worth while to watch a spider monkey - climbing, <span class="pagenum" id="page23"><span class="smaller">{23}</span></span>just as it is - always worth while to watch a great snake on the move. The tail is used as a fifth hand: the - Indians of Brazil say they catch fish with it, which is not true. But if you watch a spider monkey - moving from tree to tree, his limbs and tail move like the five fingers of a star-fish. Each of - the extremities is as sensitive as a hand, far longer in proportion than an ordinary man's arm, - and apparently able to work independently of joints. The monkey can do so many things at once that - no juggler can equal it. It will hold fruit in one hand, pick more with one foot, place food to - the mouth with another hand, and walk and swing from branch to branch with the other foot and - tail, all simultaneously. These monkeys have no visible thumb, though dissection shows that they - have a rudimentary one; but the limbs are so flexible that they can put one arm round behind their - heads over on to the opposite shoulder, and brush the fur on their upper arm. The end of the tail - seems always "feeling" the air or surroundings, and has hairs, thin and long, at the end, which - aid it in knowing when it is near a leaf or branch. It is almost like the tentacle of some sea - zoophyte. Gentle creatures, all of them, are these spider monkeys. One of them, of the species - called Waita, when kept in captivity, wore the fur off its forehead by rubbing its long gaunt arms - continually over its brow whenever it was scolded. The spider monkeys differ only in the degree of - spidery slenderness in their limbs. In disposition they are always amiable, and in habits - tree-climbers and fruit-eaters.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_023_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_023_t.jpg" - alt="RED HOWLER MONKEY." title="RED HOWLER MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons</i>]</span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RED HOWLER MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The males possess a most extraordinary voice.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_023_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_023_b.jpg" - alt="A SPIDER MONKEY" title="A SPIDER MONKEY"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A SPIDER MONKEY</p> - <p class="sp0">This monkey is specially adapted for arboreal life. The tail acts as a fifth - hand.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Capuchins</span> are, in the writer's opinion, the nicest of all monkeys. - Many species are known, but all have the same round merry faces, bright eyes, pretty fur, and long - tails. There is always a fair number at the Zoological Gardens. They are merry, but full of fads. - One hates children and loves ladies; another adores one or two other monkeys, and screams at the - rest. All are fond of insects as well as of fruit. A friend of the writer kept one in a large - house in Leicestershire. It was not very good-tempered, but most amusing, climbing up the - blind-cord first, and catching and eating the flies on the window-panes most dexterously, always - avoiding the wasps. This monkey was taught to put out a lighted paper (a useful accomplishment) by - dashing its hands on to the burning part, or, if the paper were twisted up, by taking the - unlighted end and beating the burning part on the ground; and it was very fond of turning the - leaves of any large book. This it did not only by vigorous use of both arms and hands, but by - putting its head under too, and "heaving" the leaves over.</p> - - <p>In the private room behind the monkey-house at the Zoo there are always a number of the rare - and delicate monkeys from the New World, which cannot stand the draughts of the outer <span - class="pagenum" id="page24"><span class="smaller">{24}</span></span>house, like the Capuchins and - spider monkeys. The greater number of these come from tropical America. There, in the mighty - forests, so lofty that no man can climb the trees, so dense that there is a kind of upper storey - on the interlaced tree-tops, where nearly all the birds and many mammals live without descending - to earth, forests in which there is neither summer nor winter, but only the changes from hour to - hour of the equatorial day, the exquisite <span class="sc">Marmosets</span>, whose fur looks like - the plumage and whose twittering voices imitate the notes of birds, live and have their being. - They are all much alike in shape, except that the <span class="sc">Lion Marmoset's</span> mane is - like that of a little lion clad in floss silk; and they all have sharp little claws, and feed on - insects. The <span class="sc">Pinché Marmoset</span> from the Guiana forests has a face like a - black Indian chief, with white plumes over his head and neck like those worn by a "brave" in full - war-paint. Merchants who do business with Brazil very frequently import marmosets and the closely - allied tamarins as presents for friends in England; the Brazilians themselves like to have them as - pets also; so there is to some extent a trade demand for them.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_024_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_024_t.jpg" - alt="PATAS MONKEY." title="PATAS MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PATAS MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Found in West Africa. A large and brilliantly coloured species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_024_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_024_b.jpg" - alt="WANDEROO MONKEY." title="WANDEROO MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p>WANDEROO MONKEY.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The number of monkeys which have leonine manes is - large. The manes act as capes to keep the dew and wet from their chests and shoulders.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Among the most delicate of American monkeys are the <span class="sc">Oukaris</span>, which have - somewhat human faces, exquisite soft fur, and are as gentle as most of these forest creatures. - They seldom live long in captivity, a few months being as much as they will generally endure, even - in Brazil. Perhaps the rarest of all is the white-haired <span class="sc">Scarlet-faced - Oukari</span>. This monkey has long white hair from neck to tail, sandy whiskers, and a bright - scarlet face. It lives in a district of partly flooded forest, and is only obtained by the Indians - using blow-pipes and arrows dipped in very diluted urari poison. The <span class="sc">White-headed - Saki</span> is a rare and very pretty little monkey of Brazil; and there are a very large number - of other species of this group whose names it would be mere weariness to mention. All these small - monkeys are very quick and intelligent, while the rapidity of their movements, their ever-changing - expression, and sharp, eager cries heighten the idea of cleverness given by their general - appearance. Other little imps of these forests are the <span class="sc">Squirrel Monkeys</span>. - In the common species the face is like a little furry man's, its arms brilliant yellow (as if - dipped in gamboge dye), the cheeks pink, and eyes black. In habits it is a quick-tempered, - imperious little creature, carnivorous, and a great devourer of butterflies and beetles.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page25"><span class="smaller">{25}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_025.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_025.jpg" - alt="COMMON SQUIRREL MONKEY." title="COMMON SQUIRREL MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON SQUIRREL MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The squirrel monkeys have soft, bright-coloured fur, and long, hairy tails. - They are found from Mexico to Paraguay.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page26"><span class="smaller">{26}</span></span></div> - - <p>The most beautiful and entertaining of all monkeys are these New World species. No person - clever at interpreting the ways of animals would fail to consider them far more clever and - sympathetic than the melancholy anthropoid apes, while for appearance they have no equals. - Probably the most attractive monkey in Europe is a South American one now in the London Zoological - Gardens. It was first mentioned to Europeans by Baron von Humboldt, who saw it in the cabin of an - Indian on the Orinoco. These forest Indians of South America are gentle creatures themselves. - Among other amiable qualities, they have a passion for keeping pets. One who worked for a friend - of the writer, with others of his tribe, was asked what he would take in payment, which was given - in kind. The others chose cloth, axes, etc. This Indian said that he did not care for any of these - things. He said he wanted a "poosa." No one knew what he meant. He signed that he wished to go to - the house and would show them. Arrived there, he pointed to the cat! "Pussy," to the Arawak - Indian, was a "poosa," and that was what he wanted as a month's wages. Humboldt's Indian had - something better than a "poosa." It was a monkey, as black as coal, with a round head, long - thickly furred tail, and bright vivacious eyes. The explorer called it the <span - class="sc">Lagothrix</span>, which means Hare-skin Monkey. The fur is not the least like a hare's, - but much resembles that of an opossum. The more suitable name is the <span class="sc">Woolly - Monkey</span>. The one kept at the Gardens is a most friendly and vivacious creature, ready to - embrace, play and make friends with any well-dressed person. It dislikes people in working-clothes - which are dirty or soiled—a not uncommon aversion of clever animals.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_026_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_026_t.jpg" - alt="BLACK-EARED MARMOSET." title="BLACK-EARED MARMOSET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK-EARED MARMOSET.</p> - <p class="sp0">These are among the prettiest of small tropical monkeys from the New World. - They are insect-feeders, and very delicate.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_026_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_026_b.jpg" - alt="HUMBOLDT'S WOOLLY MONKEY." title="HUMBOLDT'S WOOLLY MONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HUMBOLDT'S WOOLLY MONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the most popular monkey in England. He looks for all the world like a - Negro, and has a most beautiful, soft, woolly coat. He is very tame, and loves nothing better - than being petted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In spite of all the varieties of <i>temperament</i> in the monkey tribe, from the genial little - Capuchins to the morose old baboon, they nearly all have one thing in common—that is, the - monkey brain. The same curious restlessness, levity, and want of concentration mark them all, - except the large anthropoid apes. Some of these have without doubt power of reflection and - concentration which the other monkeys do not possess. But in all the rest, though the capacity for - understanding exists, the wish to please, as a dog does, and the desire to remember <span - class="pagenum" id="page27"><span class="smaller">{27}</span></span>and to retain what it has - learnt, seem almost entirely wanting. Egoism, which is a sign of human dementia, is a very leading - characteristic of all monkeys. There is no doubt that the baboons might be trained to be useful - animals if they always served one master. Le Vaillant and many other travellers have noted this. - But they are <i>too clever</i>, and at the bottom too ill-tempered ever to be trustworthy, even - regarded as "watches," or to help in minor manual labour. Baboons would make an excellent - substitute for dogs as used in Belgium for light draught; but no one could ever rely on their - behaving themselves when their master's eye was elsewhere.</p> - - <p>Taken as a family, the monkeys are a feeble and by no means likeable race. They are - "undeveloped" as a class, full of promise, but with no performance.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_027.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_027.jpg" - alt="PIG-TAILED MONKEY CATCHING A FLY." title="PIG-TAILED MONKEY CATCHING A FLY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PIG-TAILED MONKEY CATCHING A FLY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Most of the smaller monkeys, as well as the baboons, are fond of eating - insects. Beetles, white ants, and flies are eagerly sought and devoured.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE LEMURS.</span></p> - - <p>The South American monkeys, with their squirrel-like forms and fur, are followed by a beautiful - and interesting group of creatures, called the <span class="sc">Lemurs</span>, with their cousins - the Lorises, Maholis, and Pottos. Their resemblance to monkeys is mainly in their hands and feet. - These are real and very highly developed hands, with proper thumbs. The second toe on the hind - foot nearly always terminates in a long, sharp claw. "Elia," the Indian naturalist, who kept them - as pets, noticed that they used this to scratch themselves with. Some of them have the finger-tips - expanded into a sensitive disk, full of extra nerves. Lemur means "ghost." Unlike the lively - squirrels and monkeys, they do not leave their hiding-places till the tropical darkness has fallen - on the forest, when they seek their food, not by descending to the ground, but by ascending to the - upper surface of the ocean of trees, and again, at the first approach of dawn, seek refuge from - the light in the recesses of some dark and hollow trunk. The <span class="sc">Ring-tailed - Lemur</span> is as lively by day as night; but most of the race are so entirely creatures of - darkness that the light seems to stupefy them. When wakened, they turn over like sleeping - children, with the same inarticulate cries and deep, uneasy sighs. But at night most are - astonishingly active; they fly from tree to tree, heard, but invisible; so that the natives of - Madagascar doubt whether they are not true <i>lemures</i>, the unquiet ghosts of their departed - dead.</p> - - <p>Though the lemurs are here treated apart from the other animals of Madagascar, it will be - obvious that they are a curious and abnormal tribe. This is true of most of the animals of that - great island, which has a fauna differing both from that of the adjacent coast of Africa and from - that of India or Australia. In the <span class="sc">Fossa</span>, a large representative of the - Civets, it possesses a species absolutely unlike any other. The Aye-aye is also an abnormal - creature. Nor must it be forgotten that Madagascar was until recently the home of some of the - gigantic ground-living birds. But, after all, none of its inhabitants are more remarkable than its - hosts of lemurs, some of which are to be met with in almost every coppice in the island. There are - also many extinct kinds.</p> - - <p>Exquisite fur, soft and beautifully tinted, eyes of extraordinary size and colour (for the - pupil shuts up to a mere black line by day, and the rest of the eye shows like a polished stone of - rich brown or yellow or marble-grey), are the marks of most of the lemurs. But there are other - lemur-like creatures, or "lemuroids," which, though endowed with the <span class="pagenum" - id="page28"><span class="smaller">{28}</span></span>same lovely fur, like softest moss, have no - tails. The strangest of all are two creatures called the <span class="sc">Slender Loris</span> and - the <span class="sc">Slow Loris</span>. The slender loris, which has the ordinary furry coat of - the lemurs, and no tail, moves on the branches exactly as does a chameleon. Each hand or foot is - slowly raised, brought forward, and set down again. The fingers then as slowly close on the branch - till its grasp is secure. It is like a slow-working mechanical toy. Probably this is a habit, now - instinctive, gained by ages of cautiously approaching insects. But the result is to give the - impression that the creature is almost an automaton.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_028_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_028_t.jpg" - alt="RING-TAILED LEMUR." title="RING-TAILED LEMUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RING-TAILED LEMUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">This lemur is often kept as a domestic animal, and allowed to run about the - house like a cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_028_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_028_b.jpg" - alt="A DWARF LEMUR." title="A DWARF LEMUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A DWARF LEMUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">These tiny animals take the place of the dormouse in Madagascar.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Madagascar is the main home of the lemurs, though some of the related animals are also found in - Africa and in the East Indies. But the dense forests of the great island are full of these curious - nocturnal beasts, of which there are so many varieties presenting very slight differences of form - and habit, that naturalists have some difficulty in giving even a complete list of their species. - Add to this that nearly all of them are intensely and entirely nocturnal, and the scarcity of data - as to their habits is easily accounted for. When seen by us, their faces all lack - expression—that is to say, the eyes, which mainly give expression, seem entirely vacant and - meaningless. But this is due to their special adaptation to seeing in the dark tropical night. By - day the pupil of the eye almost disappears. If only we could also see in the dark, the eyes of the - lemur might have as much expression as those of a faithful dog. The change which night makes in - their general demeanour is simply miraculous. By day many of them are like hibernating animals, - almost incapable of movement. When once the curtain of night has fallen, they are as active as - squirrels, and as full of play as a family of kittens. The <span class="sc">Ring-tailed - Lemur</span> is often kept as a pet, both in Madagascar and in the Mauritius. It is one of the - very few which are diurnal in their habits. When in a hurry it jumps along, standing on its hind - feet, like a little kangaroo, but holding its tail upright behind its back. It will follow people - upstairs in this way, jumping from step to step, with its front paws outstretched, as if it were - addressing an audience. The French call these day lemurs <span class="sc">Makis</span>. The - ring-tailed lemur lives largely among rocks and precipices. Most of these creatures live upon - fruit, the shoots and leaves of trees, and other vegetable food. But, like the squirrel, they have - no objection to eggs and nestlings, and also kill and eat any small birds and insects. Some of the - smaller kinds are almost entirely insect-feeders. The largest kind of lemur belongs to the group - known as the <span class="sc">Indris</span>. The <span class="sc">Black-and-white Indri</span> - measures about 2 feet in length. It has only a rudimentary tail, large ears, and a sharp-pointed - nose. The amount of white colouring varies much in different individuals. This variation in - colouring—a very rare feature among wild mammalia, though one of the first changes shown - when animals are domesticated—is also found in the next three species, called <span - class="sc">Sifakas</span>. The <span class="sc">Diademed Sifaka</span>, <span class="pagenum" - id="page29"><span class="smaller">{29}</span></span>the <span class="sc">Woolly Indri</span>, and - the <span class="sc">Black Indri</span> all belong to this group. The <span - class="sc">Sifakas</span>, as some of these and the allied forms are called, are venerated by the - Malagasys, who never kill one intentionally. Mr. Foster observes that "they live in companies of - six or eight, and are very gentle and inoffensive animals, wearing a very melancholy expression, - and being as a rule morose, inactive, and more silent than the other lemurs. They rarely live long - in captivity. In their native state they are most alert in the morning and evening, as during the - day they conceal themselves under the foliage of trees. When asleep or in repose, the head is - dropped on the chest and buried between the arms, the tail rolled up on itself and disposed - between the hind legs. The sifakas live exclusively on vegetable substances, fruits, leaves, and - flowers, their diet not being varied, as in the other lemurs, by small birds, eggs, or insects. - Their life is almost entirely arboreal, for which the muscles of their hands and feet, as well as - the parachute-like folds between their arms and bodies, and their peculiar hooked fingers, are - well fitted. The young one is carried by the mother on its back, its hands grasping her armpits - tightly."</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_029_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_029_t.jpg" - alt="BLACK LEMUR." title="BLACK LEMUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK LEMUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">Found on the coast of Madagascar.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This is not the universal way of carrying the young among lemurs. The <span class="sc">Crowned - Lemur</span>, a beautiful grey-and-white species, often breeds at the Zoo. The female carries its - young one partly on its side. The infant clings tightly with arms and tail round the very slender - waist of the lemur, and pushes out its sharp little face just above the thigh of the mother. The - <span class="sc">Woolly Indri</span> has more woolly fur than the others of its tribe, a shorter - nose, and a longer tail.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_029_m.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_029_m.jpg" - alt="COQUEREL'S LEMUR." title="COQUEREL'S LEMUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">COQUEREL'S LEMUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">A lemur which strongly objects to being awakened in the daytime.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_029_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_029_b.jpg" - alt="RUFFED LEMUR." title="RUFFED LEMUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RUFFED LEMUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another of the nocturnal lemurs. It lives mainly on fruit and insects.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The True Lemurs</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">Of these there are several species, all confined to Madagascar and the Comoro - Islands. One of the best known is the <span class="sc">Ring-tailed Lemur</span>, mentioned above. - It is called <span class="sc">Lemur Catta</span>, the Cat Lemur, from being so often kept in - domestication. The <span class="sc">Weasel <span class="pagenum" id="page30"><span - class="smaller">{30}</span></span>Lemur</span>, the <span class="sc">Grey Lemur</span>, the <span - class="sc">Mouse Lemur</span>, the <span class="sc">Gentle Lemur</span>, the <span - class="sc">Sportive Lemur</span>, the <span class="sc">Crowned Lemur</span>, and <span - class="sc">Coquerel's Lemur</span>, all represent various small, pretty, and interesting varieties - of the group. The <span class="sc">Black-and-white Lemur</span>, one of the larger kinds, is - capable of domestication. A specimen kept in a London house, where the present writer saw it, was - always called "Pussy" by the children. The other small kinds are very like squirrels, mice, - weasels, and other creatures, with which they have no connection. It seems as though the curiously - limited and primitive fauna of Madagascar tried to make up for its want of variety by mimicking - the forms of other animals, and something of the same kind is seen in Australia, where the - marsupials take the place of all kinds of ordinary mammals. There are marsupial rats, marsupial - wolves, marsupial squirrels, and even marsupial moles. The small squirrel and rat-like lemurs are - called <span class="sc">Chirogales</span>. <span class="sc">Coquerel's Lemur</span> is really a - chirogale. It is a quaint and by no means amiable little animal, sleeping obstinately all day, and - always ready to growl and bite if disturbed. Its colour is brownish grey and cream-colour. A pair - of these, rolled up tightly into balls in a box of hay, will absolutely refuse to move, even when - handled. They only feed by night.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Galagos.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_030_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_030_t.jpg" - alt="GARNETT'S GALAGO." title="GARNETT'S GALAGO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GARNETT'S GALAGO.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the squirrel-like lemuroids.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_030_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_030_b.jpg" - alt="MAHOLI GALAGO" title="MAHOLI GALAGO"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MAHOLI GALAGO</p> - <p class="sp0">This little animal is a native of East Africa. It has very large eyes, and fur - as soft as the chinchilla's.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">An allied group, confined to tropical Africa, is that of the <span - class="sc">Galagos</span>. They are most beautiful little creatures, whose nearest relatives are - the Malagasy lemurs. Generally speaking, they have even more exquisite fur than the lemurs. It is - almost as soft as floss silk, and so close that the hand sinks into it as into a bed of moss. The - colour of the fur is rich and pleasing, generally some shade of brown. The head is small, the nose - pointed, and the ears thin, hairless, and capable of being folded up, like the wings of a beetle. - But the most beautiful feature of the galagos is their eyes. These are of immense size, compared - with the head. The eye is of the richest and most beautiful brown, like a cairngorm stone, but not - glassy or clear. Though quite translucent, the eye is marked with minute dividing-lines, like the - grain in an agate—a truly exquisite object. When handled or taken in the arms, the little - galago clasps the fingers or sleeve tightly, as if it thought it was holding a tree, and shows no - disposition to escape. A family of three or four young ones, no larger than mice, with their - large-eyed mother attending to them, forms an exquisitely dainty little group. The galagos vary - from the size of a squirrel to that of a small cat. The kind most often seen in England is the - Maholi <span class="sc">Galago</span> from East Africa. Another species comes from Senegal, and - others from Calabar and the forests of the Gold Coast. <span class="sc">Garnett's Galago</span>, - another species, is shown above. They may be regarded as nocturnal tropical lemuroids, analogous - to the chirogales of Madagascar. It has been suggested, with great probability, that the intensely - drowsy sleep <span class="pagenum" id="page31"><span class="smaller">{31}</span></span>of many of - the lemuroid animals corresponds to the hibernation of many northern mammals. Tropical animals - often become torpid to avoid the famine caused by the hot season, just as creatures in cold - countries hibernate to avoid the hunger which would otherwise come with winter.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Slow Lemurs or Lorises, and Tarsiers.</span></p> - - <p>Another group of lemuroids is distinguished from the foregoing by having the second finger of - the fore paws either very short or rudimentary. The thumb and great toe are also set very widely - apart from the other fingers and toes. A far more striking distinction to the non-scientific eye - is their astonishingly deliberate and slow movements. They have no tails, enormous eyes, and very - long, slender legs.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Slow Loris</span> is found in Eastern India and the Malay countries, where - it is fairly common in the forests. The Bengali natives call it <i>sharmindi billi</i> ("bashful - cat"), from its slow, solemn, hesitating movements when in pursuit of insects. Of a slow loris - kept by him, Sir William Jones, in the "Asiatic Researches," wrote: "At all times he seemed - pleased at being stroked on the head and throat, and he frequently allowed me to touch his - extremely sharp teeth. But his temper was always quick, and when he was unseasonably disturbed he - expressed a little resentment, by an obscure murmur, like that of a squirrel.... When a - grasshopper or any insect alighted within his reach, his eyes, as he fixed them on his prey, - glowed with uncommon fire; and having drawn himself back to spring on his prey with greater force, - he seized it with both his fore paws, and held it till he had devoured it. He never could have - enough grasshoppers, and spent the whole night in prowling for them."</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_031_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_031_t.jpg" - alt="SLENDER LORIS." title="SLENDER LORIS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SLENDER LORIS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This extraordinary creature has the habits of a chameleon when seeking insects - for food. The photograph is unique.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div id="potto"></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Slender Loris</span>, an equally curious creature, is only found in - Southern India and Ceylon. Its food consists entirely of insects, which it captures by gradual, - almost paralysed approach. It has been described as a "furry-coated chameleon." A group of slow - lemurs, living in Western Africa, are known as Pottos. They are odd little quadrupeds, in which - the "forefinger" never grows to be more than a stump. The tail is also either sharp or - rudimentary. They are as slow as the lorises in their movements.</p> - - <p>In the Malay islands a distant relative, even more curiously formed, is found in the <span - class="sc">Tarsier</span>. It has the huge eyes, pointed ears, and beautiful fur of the galagos, - but the tail is long, thin, and tufted. The fingers are flattened out into disks, like a - tree-frog's. These creatures hop from bough to bough in a frog-like manner in search of insects. - They are not so large as a good-sized rat. Our photograph does not give an adequate idea of the - size of the eyes.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_031_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_031_b.jpg" - alt="SLOW LORIS." title="SLOW LORIS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SLOW LORIS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another of the slow-moving loris group. These animals are not shown to the - general public at the Zoo, but kept in a specially warmed room.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page32"><span class="smaller">{32}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Aye-aye.</span></p> - - <p>Last, and most remarkable of all these weird lemuroids, is the <span class="sc">Aye-aye</span>. - It is placed in a group by itself, and has teeth like those of the Rodents, a large bushy tail, - and most extraordinarily long, slender fingers, which it probably uses for picking caterpillars - and grubs out of rotten wood. It is nearly as large as an Arctic fox, but its habits are those of - a lemur. In Madagascar it haunts the bamboo forests, feeding on the juice of sugar-cane, grubs, - and insects. The fingers of its hands are of different sizes and lengths, though all are - abnormally long and slender. The second finger seems to have "wasted," but is said to be of the - utmost value to its owner in extracting grubs and insects from the burrows in which they dwell, or - the crannies in which they may have taken refuge. Very seldom is this animal seen alive in - captivity. Although commonly called Aye-aye in this country, it is doubtful if this is really its - native name. The aye-aye was long a puzzle to naturalists, but is now classed as a lemuroid.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_032_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_032_t.jpg" alt="TARSIER." - title="TARSIER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TARSIER.</p> - <p class="sp0">These little animals hop about in the trees like frogs. They are nocturnal, and - seldom seen.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p> </p> - - <p><span class="sc">The</span> living races of animals have thus far been reviewed along the - completed list of the first great order—the Primates. Even in that circumscribed group how - great is the tendency to depart from the main type, and how wonderful the adaptation to meet the - various needs of the creatures' environment! The skeletons, the frames on which these various - beings are built up, remain the same in character; but the differences of proportion in the limbs, - of the muscles with which they are equipped, and of the weight of the bodies to be moved are - astonishing. Compare, for instance, the head of the male Gorilla, with its great ridges of bone, - to which are attached the muscles which enable it to devour hard tropical fruits and bite off - young saplings and bamboos, with the rounded and delicate head of the Insect-eating Monkeys of - South Africa; or set side by side the hand of the Chimpanzee with that of the Aye-aye, with its - delicate, slender fingers, like those of a skeleton hand. What could be more diverse than the - movements of these creatures, whose structure is nevertheless so much alike? Some of the lemuroids - are as active as squirrels, flying lightly from branch to branch; in others, as the Slow Lorises, - the power of rapid movement has disappeared, and been replaced by a creeping gait which cannot be - accelerated. Already, in a single order, we see the rich diversity of nature, and its steady - tendency to make all existing things serviceable by adapting other parts of creation to their use - or enjoyment.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_032_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_032_b.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF AYE-AYE." title="HEAD OF AYE-AYE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., N. Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p>HEAD OF AYE-AYE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The aye-aye lives mainly in the wild sugar-cane - groves, and feeds on insects and grubs, as well as on the Juice of the sugar-cane.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div id="fp33"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_033fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_033fp.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN LION AND LIONESS." title="AFRICAN LION AND LIONESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Charles Knight, Aldershot.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN LION AND LIONESS.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals are so numerous in the new British Protectorate of East Africa - that they are exempted from protection.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page33"><span class="smaller">{33}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_033_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_033_t.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN LION." title="AFRICAN LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">This lion is almost in the attitude of those sculptured by Sir Edwin Landseer - for the Nelson Monument, but the feet are turned in, and not lying flat.</p> - </div> - </div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="II. The cat tribe." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER II.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE CAT TRIBE.</i></p> - - <p>Though only one species is entirely domesticated, and none of the Cats have flesh edible by - man, except perhaps the puma, no group of animals has attracted more interest than this. - Containing more than forty species, ranging in size from the ox-devouring tiger or lion to the - small wild cats, they are so alike in habit and structure that no one could possibly mistake the - type or go far wrong in guessing at the habits of any one of them. They are all flesh-eaters and - destroyers of living animals. All have rounded heads, and an extraordinary equipment of teeth and - of claws, and of muscles to use them. The blow of the forearm of a lion or tiger is inconceivably - powerful, in proportion to its size. A stroke from a tiger's paw has been known to strike off a - native's arm from the shoulder and leave it hanging by a piece of skin, and a similar blow from a - lion to crush the skull of an ox. The true cats are known by the power to draw back, or "retract," - their claws into sheaths of horn, rendering their footsteps noiseless, and keeping these weapons - always sharp. The hunting-leopard has only a partial capacity for doing this.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_033_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_033_b.jpg" - alt="AN UNWILLING PUPIL." title="AN UNWILLING PUPIL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck, Hamburg.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AN UNWILLING PUPIL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of Herr Hagenbeck s famous performing tigers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The characteristics of the Cats and their allies are too well known to need - description. We will therefore only mention the chief types of the group, and proceed to give, in - the fullest detail which space allows, authentic anecdotes of their life and habits. The tribe - includes Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Pumas, Jaguars, a large number of so-called Tiger-cats (spotted - and striped), Wild Cats, Domestic Cats, and Lynxes. The Hunting-leopard, or Cheeta, stands in a - sub-group by itself, as does the Fossa, the only large carnivore of Madagascar. <span - class="pagenum" id="page34"><span class="smaller">{34}</span></span>This closes the list of the - most cat-like animals. The next links in the chain are formed by the Civets and Genets, creatures - with more or less retractile claws, and long, bushy tails; the still less cat-like Binturong, a - creature with a prehensile tail; and the Mongooses and Ichneumons, more and more nearly resembling - the weasel tribe.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE LION.</span></p> - - <p>Recent intrusions for railways, sport, discovery, and war into Central and East Africa have - opened up new lion countries, and confirmed, in the most striking manner, the stories of the - power, the prowess, and the dreadful destructiveness to man and beast of this king of the - Carnivora. At present it is found in Persia, on the same rivers where Nimrod and the Assyrian - kings made its pursuit their royal sport; in Gujerat, where it is nearly extinct, though in - General Price's work on Indian game written before the middle of the last century it is stated - that a cavalry officer killed eighty lions in three years; and in Africa, from Algeria to the - Bechuana country. It is especially common in Somaliland, where the modern lion-hunter mainly seeks - his sport. On the Uganda Railway, from Mombasa to Lake Victoria, lions are very numerous and - dangerous. In Rhodesia and the Northern Transvaal they have killed hunters, railway officials, and - even our soldiers near Komati Poort. It has been found that whole tracts of country are still - often deserted by their inhabitants from fear of lions, and that the accounts of their ravages - contained in the Old Testament, telling how Samaria was almost deserted a second time from this - cause, might be paralleled to-day.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_034.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_034.jpg" - alt="LIONESS AROUSED." title="LIONESS AROUSED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LIONESS AROUSED.</p> - <p class="sp0">The pose of the animal here shows attention, but not anger or fear.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The African Lion.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - - <p>When, in the latter half of the seventeenth century, Europeans first settled at the Cape of - Good Hope, the lion's roar was probably to be heard almost nightly on the slopes of Table - Mountain, since a quaint entry in the Diary of Van Riebeck, the first Dutch governor of the Cape, - runs thus: "This night the lions roared as if they would take the fort by storm"—the said - fort being situated on the site of the city now known as Cape Town.</p> - - <p>At that date there can be little doubt that, excepting in the waterless deserts and the dense - equatorial forests, lions roamed over the whole of the vast continent of Africa from Cape Agulhas - to the very shore of the Mediterranean Sea; nor was their range very seriously curtailed until the - spread of European settlements in North and South Africa, and the acquisition of firearms by the - aboriginal inhabitants of many parts of the country, during the latter half of the nineteenth - century, steadily denuded large areas of all wild game.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page35"><span class="smaller">{35}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_035.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_035.jpg" - alt="ALGERIAN LIONESS." title="ALGERIAN LIONESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. Geiser</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Algiers.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ALGERIAN LIONESS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This lioness, sitting under an olive-tree, was actually photographed in the - Soudan by the intrepid M. Geiser.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page36"><span class="smaller">{36}</span></span></div> - - <p>As the game vanished, the lions disappeared too; for although at first they preyed to a large - extent on the domestic flocks and herds which gradually replaced the wild denizens of the - once-uninhabited plains, this practice brought them into conflict with the white colonists or - native herdsmen armed with weapons of precision, before whom they rapidly succumbed.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_036_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_036_t.jpg" - alt="A FOSTER-MOTHER." title="A FOSTER-MOTHER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p>A FOSTER-MOTHER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a remarkable photograph of a setter suckling three lion cubs which had - lost their mother. It is reproduced here by permission of the Editor of the Irish Field.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_036_m.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_036_m.jpg" - alt="A PERFORMING LION." title="A PERFORMING LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A PERFORMING LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">Lions, it would seem, are capable of being taught almost anything, even - tricycle-riding.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>To-day lions are still to be found wherever game exists in any quantity, and their numbers will - be in proportion to those of the wild animals on which they prey.</p> - - <p>The indefinite increase of lions must be checked by some unknown law of nature, otherwise they - would have become so numerous in the sparsely inhabited or altogether uninhabited parts of Africa, - that they would first have exterminated all the game on which they had been wont to prey, and - would then have had to starve or to have eaten one another. But such a state of things has never - been known to occur; and whenever Europeans have entered a previously unexplored and uninhabited - tract of country in Africa, and have found it teeming with buffaloes, zebras, and antelopes, they - have always found lions in such districts very plentiful indeed, but never in such numbers as to - seriously diminish the abundance of the game upon which they depended for food.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_036_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_036_b.jpg" - alt="LIONESS AND CUB." title="LIONESS AND CUB."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LIONESS AND CUB.</p> - <p class="sp0">Lion cubs thrive both in Dublin and Amsterdam, but not so well at the London - Zoo.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is easy to understand that the increase of a herd of herbivorous animals would be regulated - by the amount of the food-supply available, as well as constantly checked by the attacks of the - large carnivora, such as lions, leopards, cheetas, hyænas, and wild dogs; but I have never been - able to comprehend what has kept within bounds the inordinate increase of lions and other - carnivorous animals in countries where for ages past they have had an abundant food-supply, and - <span class="pagenum" id="page37"><span class="smaller">{37}</span></span>at the same time, having - been almost entirely unmolested by human beings, have had no enemies. Perhaps such a state of - things does not exist at the present day, but there are many parts of Africa where such conditions - have existed from time immemorial up to within quite recent years.</p> - - <p>Since lions were once to be found over the greater portion of the vast continent of Africa, it - is self-evident that these animals are able to accommodate themselves to great variations of - climate and surroundings; and I myself have met with them, close to the sea, in the hot and sultry - coastlands of South-east Africa; on the high plateau of Mashonaland, where at an altitude of 6,000 - feet above sea-level the winter nights are cold and frosty; amongst the stony hills to the east of - the Victoria Falls of the Zambesi; and in the swamps of the Chobi. In the great reed-beds of the - latter river a certain number of lions appeared to live constantly, preying on buffaloes and - lechwe antelopes. I often heard them roaring at nights in these swamps, and I once saw two big - male lions wading slowly across an open space between two beds of reeds in water nearly a foot in - depth.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_037.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_037.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG LIONESS." title="A YOUNG LIONESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG LIONESS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The sole of the hind foot shows the soft pads on which the Cats noiselessly - approach their prey.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although there are great individual differences in lions as regards size, general colour of - coat, and more particularly in the length, colour, and profuseness of the mane with which the - males are adorned, yet as these differences occur in every part of Africa where lions are met - with, and since constant varieties with one fixed type of mane living by themselves and not - interbreeding with other varieties do not exist anywhere, modern zoologists are, I think, now - agreed that there is only one species of lion, since in any large series of wild lion skins, made - in any particular district of Africa or Asia, every gradation will be found between the - finest-maned specimens and those which are destitute of any mane at all. Several local races have, - however, been recently described by German writers.</p> - - <p>In the hot and steamy coastlands of tropical Africa lions usually have short manes, and never, - I believe, attain the long silky black manes sometimes met with on the high plateaux of the - interior. However, there is, I believe, no part of Africa where all or even the majority <span - class="pagenum" id="page38"><span class="smaller">{38}</span></span>of male lions carry heavy - manes, the long hair of which does not as a rule cover more than the neck and chest, with a tag of - varying length and thickness extending from the back of the neck to between the shoulder-blades. - Lions with very full black manes, covering the whole shoulders, are rare anywhere, but more likely - to be encountered on the high plateaux, where the winter nights are extremely cold, than anywhere - else. In such cases, in addition to the tufts of hair always found on the elbows and in the - armpits of lions with fair-sized manes, there will probably be large tufts of hair in each flank - just where the thighs join the belly; but I have never yet seen the skin of a lion shot within the - last thirty years with the whole belly covered with long, thick hair, as may constantly be - observed in lions kept in captivity in the menageries of Europe. There is, however, some evidence - to show that, when lions existed on the high plains of the Cape Colony and the Orange River - Colony, where the winter nights are much colder than in the countries farther north where lions - may still be encountered, certain individuals of the species developed a growth of long hair all - over the belly, as well as an extraordinary luxuriance of mane on the neck and shoulders.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_038_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_038_t.jpg" - alt="A HAPPY FAMILY." title="A HAPPY FAMILY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>A HAPPY FAMILY.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Here is a group of animals and their keeper from - Herr Hagenbeck's Thierpark. The animal in front is a cross between a lion and a tigress; he - lives on quite friendly terms with his keeper, and also with lions, tigers, and leopards, as - seen in the photograph.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_038_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_038_b.jpg" - alt="A CROSS BETWEEN LION AND TIGRESS." title="A CROSS BETWEEN LION AND TIGRESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>A CROSS BETWEEN LION AND TIGRESS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This unique photograph shows a remarkable hybrid - and its proud parents. The father (on the right) is a lion, and the mother (on the left) a - tigress. The offspring (in the centre) is a fine, large male, now four years old; it is bigger - than an average-sized lion or tiger.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>From the foregoing remarks it will be seen that wild lions, having as a rule much less - luxuriant manes than many examples of their kind to be seen in European menageries, are ordinarily - not so majestic and dignified in appearance as many of their caged relatives. On the other hand, - the wild lion is a much more alert and active animal than a menagerie specimen, and when in good - condition is far better built and more powerful-looking, being free from all appearance of - lankiness and weakness in the legs, and having strong, well-formed hindquarters. The eyes of the - menagerie lion, too, look brown and usually sleepy, whilst those of the wild animal are yellow, - and extraordinarily luminous even after death. When wounded and standing at bay, with head held - low between his shoulders, growling hoarsely, and with twitching tail, even if he is not near - enough to be observed very closely, a lion looks a very savage and dangerous animal; but should he - be wounded in such a way as to admit of a near approach—perhaps by a shot that has paralysed - his hindquarters—his flaming eyes will seem to throw out sparks of living fire.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page39"><span class="smaller">{39}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_039.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_039.jpg" - alt="A HUNGRY LION." title="A HUNGRY LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A HUNGRY LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">Notice that the mane, as in most wild lions, is very scanty.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page40"><span class="smaller">{40}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_040.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_040.jpg" - alt="LIONESS AND TIGER." title="LIONESS AND TIGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LIONESS AND TIGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The straightness of the lioness's tail is here shown. It is not in the least - like that of the tiger or of the cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Speaking generally, there is little or no danger in meeting a lion or lions in the daytime. - Even in parts of the country where firearms are unknown, and where the natives seldom or never - interfere with them, these animals seem to have an instinctive fear of man, and even when - encountered at the carcase of an animal freshly killed, and at a time when they may be supposed to - be hungry, they will almost invariably retreat before the unwelcome presence, sometimes slowly and - sulkily, but in districts where much hunting with firearms has been going on at a very rapid pace. - However, I have known of two cases of Europeans mounted on horseback having been attacked by lions - in broad daylight, and Dr. Livingstone mentions a third. In one of the instances which came within - my own knowledge, a lion sprang at a Boer hunter as he was riding slowly along, carrying an - elephant-gun in his right hand and followed by a string of natives on foot. The lion attacked from - the left side, and with its right paw seized my friend from behind by the right side of his face - and neck, inflicting deep gashes with its sharp claws, one of which cut right through his cheek - and tore out one of his teeth. My friend was pulled from his horse, but, clutching the loosely - girthed saddle tightly with his knees, it twisted round under the horse's belly before he fell to - the ground. Instead of following up its success, the lion, probably scared by the shouting of the - Kaffirs, trotted away for a short distance, and then turned and stood looking at the dismounted - hunter, who, never having lost his presence of mind, immediately shot it dead with his heavy old - muzzle-loading elephant-gun. Besides these three instances of Europeans having been attacked in - the daytime by lions, I have known of a certain number of natives having been killed in broad - daylight. Such incidents are, however, by no means every-day occurrences, and, speaking generally, - it may be said that the risk of molestation by lions in Africa during daylight is very small. It - is by night that lions roam abroad with stealthy step in search of prey; and at such times they - are often, when hungry, incredibly bold and daring. I have known them upon several occasions to - enter a hunter's camp, and, regardless of fires, to seize oxen and horses and human beings.</p> - - <p>During the year following the first occupation of Mashonaland in 1890, a great deal of damage - was done by lions, which could not resist the attractions of the settlers' live stock. For the - first few months I kept as accurate an account as I could of the number of horses, <span - class="pagenum" id="page41"><span class="smaller">{41}</span></span>donkeys, oxen, sheep, goats, - and pigs which were killed by lions, and it soon mounted up to over 200 head. During the same time - several white men were also mauled by lions, and one unfortunate man named Teale was dragged from - beneath the cart, where he was sleeping by the side of a native driver, and at once killed and - eaten. Several of the horses were killed inside rough shelters serving as stables. In the - following year (1891) over 100 pigs were killed in one night by a single lioness. These pigs were - in a series of pens, separated one from another, but all under one low thatched roof. The lioness - forced her way in between two poles, and apparently was unable, after having satisfied her hunger, - to find her way out again, and, becoming angry and frightened, wandered backwards and forwards - through the pens, killing almost all the pigs, each one with a bite at the back of the head or - neck. This lioness, which had only eaten portions of two young pigs, made her escape before - daylight, but was killed with a set gun the next night by the owner of the pigs.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_041.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_041.jpg" alt="TIGRESS." - title="TIGRESS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TIGRESS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Were the grass seen here the normal height of that in the Indian jungles, the - upright lines would harmonize with the stripes, and render the tiger almost invisible.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>When lions grow old, they are always liable to become man-eaters. Finding their strength - failing them, and being no longer able to hunt and pull down large antelopes or zebras, they are - driven by hunger to killing small animals, such as porcupines, and even tortoises, or they may - visit a native village and catch a goat, or kill a child or woman going for water; and finding a - human being a very easy animal to catch and kill, an old lion which has once tasted human flesh - will in all probability continue to be a man-eater until he is killed. On this subject, in his - "Missionary Travels," Dr. Livingstone says: "A man-eater is invariably an old lion; and when he - overcomes his fear of man so far as to come to villages for goats, the people remark, 'His teeth - are worn; he will soon kill men.' They at once acknowledge the necessity of instant action, and - turn out to kill him." It is the promptness with which measures are taken by the greater part of - the natives of Southern Africa to put an end to <span class="pagenum" id="page42"><span - class="smaller">{42}</span></span>any lion which may take to eating men that prevents these - animals as a rule from becoming the formidable pests which man-eating tigers appear to be in parts - of India. But man-eating lions in Africa are not invariably old animals. One which killed - thirty-seven human beings in 1887, on the Majili River, to the north-west of the Victoria Falls of - the Zambesi, was, when at last he was killed, found to be an animal in the prime of life; whilst - the celebrated man-eaters of the Tsavo River, in East Africa, were also apparently strong, healthy - animals. These two man-eating lions caused such consternation amongst the Indian workmen on the - Uganda Railway that the work of construction was considerably retarded, the helpless coolies - refusing to remain any longer in a country where they were liable to be eaten on any night by a - man-eating lion. Both these lions were at last shot by one of the engineers on the railway (Mr. J. - H. Patterson), but not before they had killed and devoured twenty-eight Indian coolies and an - unknown number of native Africans.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_042_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_042_t.jpg" - alt="TIGER CUB." title="TIGER CUB."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TIGER CUB.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the great development of the legs and paws.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_042_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_042_b.jpg" - alt="A ROYAL TIGER." title="A ROYAL TIGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Dundee.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A ROYAL TIGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is an old Bengal Tiger, with the smooth, short coat grown in that hot - climate.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE TIGER.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Tigers</span> are the "type animal" of Asia. They are found nowhere else. - Lions were inhabitants, even in historic times, of Europe, and are still common on the Euphrates - and in parts of Persia, just as they were when the Assyrian kings shot them with arrows from their - hunting-chariots. They survived in Greece far later than the days when story says that Hercules - slew the Nemean lion in the Peloponnesus, for the baggage-animals of Xerxes' army of invasion were - attacked by lions near Mount Athos. But the tiger never comes, and never did come in historic - times, nearer to Europe than the Caucasian side of the Caspian Sea. On the other hand, they range - very far north. All our tiger-lore is Indian. There is scarcely a story of tigers to be found in - English books of sport which deals with the animal north of the line of the Himalaya. These - Chinese northern tigers and the Siberian tigers are far larger than those of India. They have long - woolly coats, in order to resist the cold. Their skins are brought to London in hundreds every - year to the great fur-sales. But the animals <span class="pagenum" id="page43"><span - class="smaller">{43}</span></span>themselves we never see. The present writer was informed by a - friend that in the Amur Valley he shot three of these tigers in a day, putting them up in thick - bush-scrub by the aid of dogs.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_043.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_043.jpg" - alt="A TIGER BEFORE SLEEPING." title="A TIGER BEFORE SLEEPING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A TIGER BEFORE SLEEPING.</p> - <p class="sp0">Tigers, when about to sleep, sit in this position; when more drowsy, they lie - down or roll over on their backs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Royal Bengal Tiger</span>, so called, and very properly called in the old - books of natural history, is a different and far more savage beast. It is almost <i>invariably</i> - a ferocious savage, fierce by nature, never wishing to be otherwise than a destroyer—of - beasts mainly, but often of men. Compared with the lion, it is far longer, but rather lighter, for - the lion is more massive and compact. "A well-grown tigress," says Sir Samuel Baker, "may weigh on - an average 240 lbs. live weight. A very fine tiger may weigh 440 lbs., but if fat the same tiger - would weigh 500 lbs. There may be tigers which weigh 50 lbs. more than this; but I speak according - to my experience. I have found that a tiger of 9 feet 8 inches is about 2 inches above the - average. The same skin may be <i>stretched</i> to measure 10 feet. A tiger in the Zoological - Gardens is a long, lithe creature with little flesh. Such a specimen affords a poor example of - this grand animal in its native jungles, with muscles in their full, ponderous development from - continual exertion in nightly travels over long distances, and in mortal struggles when wrestling - with its prey. A well-fed tiger is by no means a slim figure. On the contrary, it is exceedingly - bulky, broad in the shoulders, back, and loins, and with an extraordinary girth of limbs, - especially in the forearms and wrists."</p> - - <p>This ponderous, active, and formidably armed creature is, as might be expected, able to hold - its own wherever Europeans do not form part of the regular population. In India the peasants are - quite helpless even against a cattle-killing tiger in a populous part of the country. In the large - jungles, and on the islands at the mouths of the great rivers, the tigers have things <span - class="pagenum" id="page44"><span class="smaller">{44}</span></span>all their own way. Things are - no better in the Far East. A large peninsula near Singapore is said to have been almost abandoned - by its cultivators lately, owing to the loss of life caused by the tigers. In the populous parts - of India the tiger is far more stealthy than in the out-of-the-way districts. It only hunts by - night; and after eating a part of the animal killed, moves off to a distance, and does not return. - Otherwise the regular habit is to return to the kill just at or after dusk, and finish the - remainder. Its suspicions seem quite lulled to sleep after dark. Quite recently a sportsman sat up - to watch for a tiger at a water-hole. It was in the height of the Indian hot season, when very - little water was left. All the creatures of that particular neighbourhood were in the habit of - coming to drink at one good pool still left in the rocky bed of the river. There the tigers came - too. The first night they did not come until all the other creatures—hog, deer, peacocks, - and monkeys—had been down to drink. They then came so softly over the sand that the gunner - in waiting did not hear them pass. His first knowledge that they were there was due to the - splashing they made as they entered the water. It was quite dark, and he felt not a little - nervous, for the bush on which he was seated on a small platform was only some 10 feet high. He - heard the two tigers pass him, not by their footsteps, but by the dripping of the water as it ran - off their bodies on to the sand. Next night they came again. This time, though it was dark, he - shot one in a very ingenious manner. The two tigers walked into the water, and apparently lay down - or sat down in it, with their heads out. They only moved occasionally, lapping the water, but did - not greatly disturb the surface. On this was reflected a bright star from the sky above. The - sportsman put the sight of the rifle on the star, and kept it up to his shoulder. Something - obliterated the star, and he instantly fired. The "something" was the tiger's head, which the - bullet duly hit.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_044.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_044.jpg" - alt="A HALF-GROWN TIGER CUB." title="A HALF-GROWN TIGER CUB."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A HALF-GROWN TIGER CUB.</p> - <p class="sp0">Tigers "grow to their head," like children. The head of a half-grown cub is as - long, though not so broad, as that of the adult.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page45"><span class="smaller">{45}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_045.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_045.jpg" - alt="TIGERS IN ITALY." title="TIGERS IN ITALY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TIGERS IN ITALY.</p> - <p class="sp0">These tigers were photographed in Turin. Italy was the first European country - to which these animals were brought from the East.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page46"><span class="smaller">{46}</span></span></div> - - <p>The hill-tigers of India are, or were, much more given to hunting by day than the - jungle-tigers. In the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India the late General Douglas Hamilton said that - before night the tigers were already about hunting, and that in the shade of evening it was - dangerous to ride on a pony—not because the tigers wished to kill the rider, but because - they might mistake the pony and its rider for a sambar deer. He was stalked like this more than - once. Often, when stalking sambar deer and ibex by day, he saw the tigers doing the same, or after - other prey. "My brother Richard," he writes, "was out after a tiger which the hillmen reported had - killed a buffalo about an hour before. He saw the tiger on first getting to the ground, and the - tiger had seen him. It was lying out in the open watching the buffalo, and shuffled into the wood, - and would not come out again. Next morning, when we got to the ground, the tiger was moving from - rock to rock, and had dragged the body into a nullah.... We were upon the point of starting home - when we observed a number of vultures coming down to the carcase. The vultures began to collect in - large numbers on the opposite hill. I soon counted fifty; but they would not go near the buffalo. - Then some crows, bolder than the rest, flew down, and made a great row over their meal. All of a - sudden they all flew up, and I made certain it was the tiger. Then my brother fired, and there he - was, shot right through the brain, lying just above the buffalo. He had been brought down by the - noise the crows were making. Upon driving the <i>sholas</i> (small woods on these hills), tigers - were often put out. Sometimes they availed themselves of the drive to secure food for themselves. - A wood was being driven, when a tremendous grunting was heard, and out rushed an old boar, - bristling and savage. B—— was about to raise his rifle, when a growl like thunder - stopped him, and a great tiger with one spring cleared the nullah, and alighted on the back of the - old boar. Such a battle then took place that, what with the growls of the tiger and the squeals of - the boar, one might believe oneself in another world. I thought of nothing but of how to kill one - or the other, or both; so, as they were rolling down over and over, about fifty yards from me on - the open hillside, I let fly both barrels. For a second or two the noise went on; then the tiger - jumped off, and the boar struggled into the nullah close by. The tiger pulled up, and coolly - stared at us without moving; but his courage seemed to fail him, and he sprang into the nullah and - disappeared."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_046_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_046_t.jpg" - alt="A LEOPARD-PUMA HYBRID." title="A LEOPARD-PUMA HYBRID."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>A LEOPARD-PUMA HYBRID.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is a photograph from life of a very rare - hybrid. The animals' father was a puma, its mother a leopard. It is now dead, and may be seen - stuffed in Mr. Rothschild's Museum at Tring.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_046_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_046_b.jpg" - alt="LEOPARDS." title="LEOPARDS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LEOPARDS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A pair of leopards, one spotted, the other black. Black leopards may be the - offspring of the ordinary spotted form; they are generally much more savage.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In most parts of India tigers are now scarce and shy, except in the preserves of the great - rajas, and the dominions of some mighty and pious Hindu potentates, such as the Maharaja of - Jeypur, who, being supposed to be descended from a Hindu god, allows no wild animals to be killed. - There the deer and pig are so numerous that tigers are welcome to keep them down. But the - Sunderbunds, unwholesome islands at the Ganges mouth, still swarm with them. So does the Malay - Peninsula.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Mr. J. D. Cobbold shot a tiger in Central Asia in a swamp so deep in snow and so - deadly cold that he dared not stay for fear of being frozen to death. Tigers sometimes wander as - far west as the Caucasus near the Caspian. The farther north, the larger your tiger, is the rule. - The biggest ever seen in Europe was a Siberian tiger owned by Herr Carl Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, and - the largest known skin and skull is from the Far <span class="pagenum" id="page47"><span - class="smaller">{47}</span></span>North. The skin is 13 feet 6 inches from the nose to the end of - the tail. The largest Indian tiger-skin, from one killed by the Maharaja of Cuch Behar, measures - 11 feet 7 inches.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">LEOPARDS.</span></p> - - <p>Less in size, but even more ferocious, the <span class="sc">Leopard</span> has a worse - character than the tiger. Living mainly in trees, and very nocturnal, this fierce and dangerous - beast is less often seen than far rarer animals. It is widely spread over the world, from the Cape - of Good Hope to the Atlas Mountains, and from Southern China to the Black Sea, where it is - sometimes met with in the Caucasus. There seems to be no legend of its presence in Greece, Italy, - or Spain; but it was quite common in Asia Minor; and Cicero, when governor of Cilicia, was plagued - by an aristocratic young friend in Rome to send him leopards to exhibit in a fête he was - giving.</p> - - <p>Any one who has frequented the Zoo for any time must have noticed the difference in size and - colour between leopards from different parts of the world. On some the ground-colour is almost - white, in others a clear nut-brown. Others are jet-black. Wherever they live, they are cattle - thieves, sheep thieves, and dog thieves. Though not formidable in appearance, they are immensely - strong. Sometimes one will turn man-eater. Both in India and lately in Africa cases have been - known where they have "set up" in this line as deliberately as any tiger. They have four or five - young at a birth, which may often be kept tame for some time and are amusing pets. But the - following plain story shows the danger of such experiments. At Hong-kong an English merchant had a - tame leopard, which was brought into the room by a coolie for the guests to see at a dinner party. - Excited by the smell of food, it refused to go out when one of the ladies, who did not like its - looks, wished for it to be removed. The man took hold of its collar and began to haul it out. It - seized him by the neck, bit it through, and in a minute the coolie was dying, covered with blood, - on the dining-room floor!</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_047.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_047.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG LEOPARD" title="A YOUNG LEOPARD"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG LEOPARD</p> - <p class="sp0">The leopard cub is far more cat-like in appearance than the young tiger or - lion.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page48"><span class="smaller">{48}</span></span></div> - - <p>The Chinese leopard ranges as far north as the Siberian tiger, and, like the latter, seems to - grow larger the farther north it is found. The colour of these northern leopards is very pale, the - spots large, and the fur very long. At the March fur-sales of the present year, held at the stores - of Sir Charles Lampson, there were Siberian leopard-skins as large as those of a small tiger.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_048.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_048.jpg" - alt="SNOW-LEOPARD, OR OUNCE." title="SNOW-LEOPARD, OR OUNCE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan]</i></span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SNOW-LEOPARD, OR OUNCE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a striking portrait of a very beautiful animal. Note the long bushy - tail, thick coat, and large eyes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Leopards are essentially tree-living and nocturnal animals. Sleeping in trees or caves by day, - they are seldom disturbed. They do an incredible amount of mischief among cattle, calves, sheep, - and dogs, being especially fond of killing and eating the latter. They seize their prey by the - throat, and cling with their claws until they succeed in breaking the spine or in strangling the - victim. The largest leopards are popularly called <span class="sc">Panthers</span>. In India they - sometimes become man-eaters, and are always very dangerous. They have a habit of feeding on putrid - flesh; this makes wounds inflicted by their teeth or claws liable to blood-poisoning. Nothing in - the way of prey comes amiss to them, from a cow in the pasture to a fowl up at roost. "In every - country," says Sir Samuel Baker, "the natives are unanimous in saying that the leopard is more - dangerous than the lion or tiger. Wherever I have been in Africa, the natives have declared that - they had no fear of a lion, provided they were not hunting, for it would not attack unprovoked, - but that a leopard was never to be trusted. I remember when a native boy, accompanied by his - grown-up brother, was busily employed with others in firing the reeds on the opposite bank of a - small stream. Being thirsty and hot, the boy stooped down to drink, when he was immediately seized - by a leopard. His brother, with admirable aim, hurled his spear at the leopard while the boy was - in his jaws. The point separated the vertebræ of the neck, and the leopard fell stone-dead. The - boy was carried to my hut, but there was no chance of recovery. The fangs had torn open the chest - and injured the lungs. These were exposed to view through the cavity of the ribs. He died the same - night."</p> - - <p>In the great mountain-ranges of Central Asia the beautiful <span class="sc">Snow-leopard</span> - is found. It is a large creature, with thick, woolly coat, and a long tail like a fur boa. The - colour is white, clouded with beautiful grey, like that of an Angora cat. The edges of the - cloudings and spots are marked with black or darker grey. The eyes are very large, bluish grey or - smoke-coloured. It lives on the wild sheep, ibex, and other mountain animals. In captivity it is - far the tamest and gentlest of the large carnivora, not excepting the puma. Unlike the latter, it - is a sleepy, quiet animal, like a domestic cat. The specimen shown here belonged to a lady in - India, who kept it for some time as a pet. It was then brought to the Zoological Gardens, where it - was more amiable and friendly than most cats. The writer has entered its cage with the keeper, - stroked it, and patted its head, without in the least ruffling its good-temper. The heat of the - lion-house did not suit it, and it died of consumption.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page49"><span class="smaller">{49}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_049.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_049.jpg" alt="CHEETA." - title="CHEETA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CHEETA.</p> - <p class="sp0">A cheeta is a hunting-leopard; this one is a particularly large specimen. The - cheetas are dealt with later on in this chapter.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page50"><span class="smaller">{50}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_050_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_050_t.jpg" alt="JAGUAR." - title="JAGUAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G.W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">JAGUAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest and strongest of the Cats of the New World. A South American - species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE NEW WORLD CATS.</span></p> - - <p>The cats, great and small, of the New World resemble those of the Old, though not quite so - closely as the caribou, wapiti deer, and moose of the northern forests resemble the reindeer, red - deer, and elk of Europe. They are like, but with a difference. The Jaguar and the Ocelot are - respectively larger and far more beautiful than their counterparts, the leopard and serval cats. - But the Puma, the one medium-sized feline animal which is unspotted, is something unique. The - jaguar and puma are found very far south in South America; and though the jaguar is really a - forest animal, it seems to have wandered out on to the Pampas of Argentina, perhaps attracted by - the immense numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses on these plains.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_050_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_050_b.jpg" alt="PUMA." - title="PUMA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PUMA.</p> - <p class="sp0">A puma in the act of lying down, like a domestic cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Jaguar.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Jaguar</span> is as savage as it is formidable, but does not - often attack men. Its headquarters are the immense forests running from Central America to - Southern Brazil; and as all great forests are little inhabited, the jaguar is seldom encountered - by white men. By the banks of the great rivers it is semi-aquatic; it swims and climbs with equal - ease, and will attack animals on board boats anchored in the rivers. As there are few animals of - great size in these forests, its great strength is not often seen exercised, as is that of the - lion; but it is the personification of concentrated force, and its appearance is well worth - studying from that point of view. The spots are larger and squarer than in the leopard, the head - ponderous, the forearms and feet one mass of muscle, knotted under the velvet skin. On the Amazons - it draws its food alike from the highest tree-tops and the river-bed; in the former it catches - monkeys in the branches, fish in the shallows of the rivers, and scoops out turtles' eggs from the - sandbanks. Humboldt, who visited these regions when the white population <span class="pagenum" - id="page51"><span class="smaller">{51}</span></span>was scarce, declared that 4,000 jaguars were - killed annually, and 2,000 skins exported from Buenos Ayres alone. It was clearly common on the - Pampas in his day, and made as great havoc among the cattle and horses as it does to-day.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Puma.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_051.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_051.jpg" alt="FEMALE PUMA." - title="FEMALE PUMA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE PUMA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This shows a puma alert and vigilant, with ears pricked forward.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Puma</span> is a far more interesting creature. It is found from the - mountains in Montana, next the Canadian boundary, to the south of Patagonia. Yankee stories of its - ferocity may have some foundation; but the writer believes there is no recorded instance of the - northern puma attacking man unprovoked, though in the few places where it now survives it kills - cattle-calves and colts. It is relentlessly hunted with dogs, treed, and shot. As to the puma of - the southern plains and central forests, the natives, whether Indians or Gauchos, agree with the - belief, steadily handed down from the days of the first Spanish conquest, that the puma is the one - wild cat which is naturally friendly to man. The old Spaniards called it <i>amigo del - Cristiano</i> (the Christian's friend); and Mr. Hudson, in "The Naturalist in La Plata," gives - much evidence of this most curious and interesting tendency: "It is notorious that where the puma - is the only large beast of prey it is perfectly safe for a small child to go out and sleep on the - plain.... The puma is always at heart a kitten, taking unmeasured delight in its frolics; and - when, as often happens, one lives alone in the desert, it will amuse itself for hours fighting - mock battles or playing hide-and-seek with imaginary companions, or lying in wait and putting all - its wonderful strategy in practice to capture a passing butterfly." From Azara downwards these - stories have been told too often not to be largely true; and in old natural <span class="pagenum" - id="page52"><span class="smaller">{52}</span></span>histories, whose writers believed the puma was - a terrible man-eater, they also appear as "wonderful escapes." One tells how a man put his - <i>poncho</i>, or cloak, over his back when crawling up to get a shot at some duck, and felt - something heavy on the end of it. He crept from under it, and there was a puma sitting on it, - which did not offer to hurt him.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_052.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_052.jpg" alt="OCELOT." - title="OCELOT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">OCELOT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the elongated spots, and their arrangement in chains.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>As space forbids further quotation from Mr. Hudson's experiences, which should be read, the - writer will only add one anecdote which was told him by Mr. Everard im Thurn, C.B., formerly an - official in British Guiana. He was going up one of the big rivers in his steam-launch, and gave a - passage to an elderly and respectable Cornish miner, who wanted to go up to a gold-mine. The - visitor had his meals on the boat, but at night went ashore with the men and slung his hammock - between two trees, leaving the cabin to his host. One morning two of the Indian crew brought the - miner's hammock on board with a good deal of laughing and talking. Their master asked what the - joke was, whereupon, pointing to the trees whence they had unslung the hammock, one said, "Tiger - sleep with old man last night." They were quite in earnest, and pointed out a hollow and marks on - the leaves, which showed that a puma had been lying <i>just under the man's hammock</i>. When - asked if he had noticed anything in the night, he said, "Only the frogs croaking wakened me up." - The croaking of the frogs was probably the hoarse purring of the friendly puma enjoying his - proximity to a sleeping man. Mr. Hudson quotes a case in which four pumas played round and leapt - over a person camping out on the Pampas. He watched them for some time, and then went to sleep! - Many of those brought to this country come with their tempers ruined by ill-treatment and - hardship; but a large proportion are as tame as cats. Captain Marshall had one at Marlow which - used to follow him on a chain and watch the boats full of pleasure-seekers at the lock.</p> - - <p>The puma is always a beautiful creature,—the fur cinnamon-coloured, tinged with gold; the - belly and chest white; the tail long, full, and round. Though friendly to man, it is a desperate - cattle-killer, and particularly fond of horse-flesh, so much so that it has been suggested that - the indigenous wild horses of America were destroyed by the puma.</p> - - <p class="sp3">There are two other cats of the Pampas—the <span class="sc">Grass-cat</span>, - not unlike our wild cat in appearance and habits, and the <span class="sc">Wood-cat</span>, or - Geoffroy's Cat. It is a tabby, and a most elegant creature, of which there is a specimen, at the - time of writing, in the London Zoo.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Ocelot.</span></p> - - <p>In the forest region is also found the most beautiful of the medium-sized cats. This is the - <span class="sc">Ocelot</span>, which corresponds somewhat to the servals, but is not the least - like a lynx, as <span class="pagenum" id="page53"><span class="smaller">{53}</span></span>the - servals are. It is entirely a tree-cat, and lives on birds and monkeys. The following detailed - description of its coloration appeared in "Life at the Zoo"<span class="wnw">:—</span></p> - - <p>"Its coat, with the exception perhaps of that of the clouded leopard of Sumatra, marks the - highest development of ornament among four-footed animals. The Argus pheasant alone seems to offer - a parallel to the beauties of the ocelot's fur, especially in the development of the wonderful - ocelli, which, though never reaching in the beast the perfect cup-and-ball ornament seen on the - wings of the bird, can be traced in all the early stages of spots and wavy lines, so far as the - irregular shell-shaped rim and dot on the feet, sides, and back, just as in the subsidiary - ornament of the Argus pheasant's feathers. Most of the ground-tint of the fur is smoky-pearl - colour, on which the spots develop from mere dots on the legs and speckles on the feet and toes to - large egg-shaped ocelli on the flanks. There are also two beautiful pearl-coloured spots on the - back of each ear, like those which form the common ornaments of the wings of many moths."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_053.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_053.jpg" - alt="OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA." title="OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">OCELOT FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The ocelot can be tamed and almost domesticated if taken young, and is - occasionally kept as a pet by the forest Indians.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The nose is pink; the eye large, convex, and translucent.</p> - - <p class="sp3">A tame ocelot described by Wilson, the American naturalist, was most playful and - affectionate, but when fed with flesh was less tractable. It jumped on to the back of a horse in - the stable, and tried to curl up on its hindquarters. The horse threw the ocelot off and kicked - it, curing it of any disposition to ride. On seeing a horse, the ocelot always ran off to its - kennel afterwards. When sent to England, it caught hold of and threw down a child of four years - old, whom it rolled about with its paws without hurting it.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page54"><span class="smaller">{54}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">OTHER WILD CATS.</span></p> - - <p>A handsome leopard-like animal is the <span class="sc">Clouded Leopard</span>. It is the size - of a small common leopard, but far gentler in disposition. Its fur is not spotted, but marked with - clouded patches, outlined in grey and olive-brown. Its skin is among the most beautiful of the - Cats. It is found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Formosa, and along the foot of the - Himalaya from Nepal to Assam. Writing of two which he kept, Sir Stamford Raffles said: "No kitten - could be more good-tempered. They were always courting intercourse with persons passing by, and in - the expression of their countenance showed the greatest delight when noticed, throwing themselves - on their backs, and delighting in being tickled and rubbed. On board ship there was a small dog, - which used to play around the cage with the animal. It was amusing to watch the tenderness and - playfulness with which the latter came in contact with its smaller-sized companion." Both - specimens were procured from the banks of the Bencoolin River, in Sumatra. They are generally - found near villages, and are not dreaded by the natives, except in so far that they destroy their - poultry.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_054_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_054_t.jpg" - alt="CLOUDED LEOPARD." title="CLOUDED LEOPARD."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CLOUDED LEOPARD.</p> - <p class="sp0">It shares with the ocelot the first place among the highly ornamented cats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_054_m.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_054_m.jpg" - alt="FISHING-CAT." title="FISHING-CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FISHING-CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This wild cat haunts the sides of rivers, and is an expert at catching - fish.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_054_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_054_b.jpg" - alt="MARBLED CAT." title="MARBLED CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MARBLED CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another beautifully marked cat. The tail is spotted and very long, the marbled - markings being on the body only.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page55"><span class="smaller">{55}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_055.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_055.jpg" alt="GOLDEN CAT." - title="GOLDEN CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GOLDEN CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Sumatra is the home of this very beautifully coloured cat. The general tint is - that of gold-stone. Sometimes the belly is pure white.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page56"><span class="smaller">{56}</span></span></div> - - <p>The number of smaller leopard-cats and tiger-cats is very great. They fall, roughly, into three - groups: those which are yellow and spotted, those which are grey and spotted, and those which are - grey and striped, or "whole-coloured." There is no wholly grey wild cat, but several - sandy-coloured species. All live on birds and small mammals, and probably most share the tame - cat's liking for fish. Among the grey-and-spotted cats are the <span class="sc">Mottled Cat</span> - of the Eastern Himalaya and Straits Settlements and islands; the <span class="sc">Tibetian - Tiger-cat</span>; the <span class="sc">Fishing-cat</span> of India and Ceylon, which is large - enough to kill lambs, but lives much on fish and large marsh-snails; <span class="sc">Geoffroy's - Cat</span>, an American species; the <span class="sc">Leopard-cat</span> of Java and Japan, which - seems to have grey fur in Japan and a fulvous leopard-like skin in India, where it is also called - the <span class="sc">Tiger-cat</span>; and the smallest of all wild cats, the little <span - class="sc">Rusty-spotted Cat</span> of India. This has rusty spots on a grey ground. "I had a - kitten brought to me," says Dr. Jerdon of the species, "when very young. It became quite tame, and - was the delight and admiration of all who saw it. When it was about eight months old, I introduced - the fawn of a gazelle into the room where it was. The little creature flew at it the moment it saw - it, seized it by the nape of the neck, and was with difficulty taken off." Of the whole-coloured - wild cats—which include the <span class="sc">Bay Cat</span>, the American <span - class="sc">Pampas-cat</span>, <span class="sc">Pallas' Cat</span> of Tibet and India—the - most beautiful is the <span class="sc">Golden Cat</span> of Sumatra, one of which is now in the - Zoological Gardens. It has a coat the colour of gold-stone. The nose is pink, the eyes large and - topaz-coloured, the cheeks striped with white, and the under-parts and lower part of the tail pure - white.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_056_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_056_t.jpg" - alt="PAMPAS-CAT." title="PAMPAS-CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PAMPAS-CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the likeness of the thick tail and barred legs to our English wild cat. - "Inexpressibly savage in disposition" (Hudson).</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_056_m.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_056_m.jpg" - alt="EYRA CAT." title="EYRA CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">EYRA CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The lowest and longest of the cats, shaped more like a civet; it is readily - tamed, and makes a charming pet.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Four kinds of wild cats are known in South Africa, of which the largest is the <span - class="sc">Serval</span>, a short-tailed, spotted animal, with rather more woolly fur than the - leopard's. The length is about 4 feet 2 inches, of which the tail is only 12 inches. It is found - from Algeria to the Cape; but its favourite haunts, like those of all the wild cats of hot - countries, are in the reeds by rivers. It kills hares, rats, birds, and small mammals - generally.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_056_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_056_b.jpg" alt="BAY CAT." - title="BAY CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BAY CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is an example of the completely tawny small cats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Black-footed Wild Cat</span> is another African species. It is a beautiful - spotted-and-lined tabby, the size of a small domestic cat, and as likely as any other to be the - origin of our tabby variety, if tame cats came to Europe from Africa. At present it is only found - south in the Kalahari Desert and Bechuanaland.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Kaffir Cat</span> is the common wild cat of the Cape Colony, and a very - interesting animal. It is a whole-coloured tawny, upstanding animal, with all the indifference to - man and generally independent character of the domestic tom-cat. <span class="pagenum" - id="page57"><span class="smaller">{57}</span></span>It is, however, much stronger than the tame - cats, with which it interbreeds freely. In the Colony it is often difficult to keep male tame - cats, for the wild Kaffir cats come down and fight them in the breeding-season. The Egyptian cat - is really the same animal, slightly modified by climate. A very distinct species is the <span - class="sc">Jungle-cat</span>, ranging from India, through Baluchistan, Syria, and East Africa, and - called in Hindustani the <span class="sc">Chaus</span>. The European striped wild cat extends to - the Himalaya, where the range of the lion-coloured, yellow-eyed chaus begins. The chaus has a few - black bars inside the legs, which vary in different regions. The Indian chaus has only one - distinctly marked; the Kaffir cat has four or five. The <span class="sc">Egyptian Fettered - Cat</span> has been said to be the origin of the domestic and sacred cats of Egypt. A male chaus - is most formidable when "cornered." General Hamilton chased one, which had prowled into the - cantonments on the look-out for fowls, into a fence. "After a long time I spied the cat squatting - in a hedge," he writes, "and called for the dogs. When they came, I knelt down and began clapping - my hands and cheering them on. The cat suddenly made a clean spring at my face. I had just time to - catch it as one would a cricket-ball, and, giving its ribs a strong squeeze, threw it to the dogs; - but not before it had made its teeth meet in my arm just above the wrist. For some weeks I had to - carry my arm in a sling, and I shall carry the marks of the bite to my grave."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_057_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_057_t.jpg" - alt="KAFFIR CAT." title="KAFFIR CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">KAFFIR CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The common wild cat of South Africa. It will interbreed with domestic cats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_057_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_057_b.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN CHAUS, OR JUNGLE-CAT." title="AFRICAN CHAUS, OR JUNGLE-CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN CHAUS, OR JUNGLE-CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The chaus is the Indian and African equivalent of our wild cat. It is equally - strong and savage.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The chaus, as will be seen from the above, wanders boldly down into the outskirts of large - towns, cantonments, and bungalows, on the look-out for chickens and pigeons. Its favourite plan is - to lie up at dawn in some piece of thick cover near to where the poultry wander out to scratch, - feed, and bask. It then pounces on the nearest unhappy hen and rushes off with it into cover. An - acquaintance of the writer once had a number of fine Indian game fowl, of which he was not a - little proud. He noticed that one was missing every morning for three days, and, not being able to - discover the robber, shut them up in a hen-house. Next morning he heard a great commotion outside, - and one of his bearers came running in to say that a leopard was in the hen-house. As this was - only built of bamboo or some such light material, it did not seem probable that a leopard would - stay there. Getting his rifle, he went out into the compound, and cautiously approached the - hen-house, in which the fowls were still making loud protests and cries of alarm. The door was - shut; but some creature—certainly not a leopard—might have squeezed in through the - small entrance used by the hens. He opened the door, and saw at the back of the hen-house a chaus - sitting, with all its fur on end, <span class="pagenum" id="page58"><span - class="smaller">{58}</span></span>looking almost as large as a small leopard. On the floor was one - dead fowl. The impudent jungle-cat rushed for the door, but had the coolness to seize the hen as - it passed, and with this in its mouth rushed past the owner of the hens, his servants and - retainers, and reached a piece of thick scrub near with its prize.</p> - - <p>As the chaus is common both in India and Africa, a comparison of its habits in both continents - is somewhat interesting. Jerdon, the Indian naturalist, writes: "It is the common wild cat from - the Himalaya to Cape Comorin, and from the level of the sea to 7,000 or 8,000 feet elevation. It - frequents alike the jungles and the open country, and is very partial to long reeds, and grass, - sugarcane-fields, and corn-fields. It does much damage to all game, especially to hares and - partridges. Quite recently I shot a pea-fowl at the edge of a sugarcane-field. One of these cats - sprang out, seized the pea-fowl, and after a short struggle—for the bird was not quite - dead—carried it off before my astonished eyes, and, in spite of my running up, made his - escape with his booty. It must have been stalking these very birds, so closely did its spring - follow my shot. It is said to breed twice a year, and to have three or four young at a birth. I - have very often had the young brought to me, but always failed in rearing them; and they always - showed a savage and untamable disposition. I have seen numbers of cats about villages in various - parts of the country that must have been hybrids between this cat and the tame ones."</p> - - <p>The late Sir Oliver St. John was more fortunate with his jungle-cat kittens. He obtained three - in Persia. These he reared till they were three months old, by which time they became so tame that - they would climb on to his knees at breakfast-time, and behave like ordinary kittens. One was - killed by a greyhound, and another by a scorpion—a curious fate for a kitten to meet. The - survivor then became morose and ill-tempered, but grew to be a large and strong animal. "Two - English bull-terriers of mine, which would make short work of the largest domestic cat, could do - nothing against my wild cat," says the same writer. "In their almost daily battles the dogs always - got the worst of it."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_058.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_058.jpg" alt="SERVAL." - title="SERVAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SERVAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a spotted cat, with long ears, but no tufts on them, as in the true - lynxes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Africa the chaus haunts the thick cover bordering the rivers. There it catches not only - water-fowl, but also fish. According to Messrs. Nicolls and Eglington, "its spoor may constantly - be seen imprinted on the mud surrounding such pools in the periodical watercourses as are - constantly being dried up, and in which fish may probably be imprisoned without chance of escape." - The chaus has for neighbour in Africa the beautiful <span class="sc">Serval</span>, a larger wild - cat. This species is reddish in colour, spotted on the body, and striped on the legs. The ears are - long, but not tufted, like those of the lynx. The serval is more common in North and Central - Africa than in the South. But it is also found south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Messrs. Nicolls - and Eglington say of it: "Northward through South Central Africa it is fairly common. It frequents - the thick bush in the vicinity of rivers. The <i>karosses</i>, or mantles, made from its skins are - only worn by the chiefs and very high dignitaries amongst the native tribes, and are in - consequence eagerly sought after, on which account the species runs a risk of rapid extermination. - Its usual prey consists of the young of the smaller antelopes, francolins, and wild guinea-fowls, - to the latter of which it is a most destructive enemy in the breeding-season. When obtained young, - the serval can be tamed with little trouble; but it is difficult to rear, and always shows a - singular and almost unaccountable aversion to black men. Its otherwise even temper is always - aroused at the sight of a native. When in anger, it is by no means a despicable antagonist, and - very few dogs would like to engage in a combat with one single-handed."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page59"><span class="smaller">{59}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_059.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_059.jpg" alt="MALE SERVAL." - title="MALE SERVAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p>MALE SERVAL.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The serval is a link between the leopards and - tiger-cats, quite large enough to kill the young of the smaller antelopes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page60"><span class="smaller">{60}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Common Wild Cat.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Wild Cat</span> was once fairly common all over England. A curious story, - obviously exaggerated, shows that traditions of its ferocity were common at a very early date. The - tale is told of the church of Barnborough, in Yorkshire, between Doncaster and Barnsley. It is - said that a man and a wild cat met in a wood near and began to fight; that the cat drove the man - out of the wood as far as the church, where he took refuge in the porch; and that both the man and - cat were so injured that they died. According to Dr. Pearce, the event was formerly commemorated - by a rude painting in the church.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_060.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_060.jpg" - alt="SERVAL CLIMBING." title="SERVAL CLIMBING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SERVAL CLIMBING.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the active, cat-like method of climbing.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Mr. Charles St. John had an experience with a Scotch wild cat very like that which General - Douglas Hamilton tells of the jungle-cat. He heard many stories of their attacking and wounding - men when trapped or when their escape was cut off, and before long found out that these were true. - "I was fishing in a river in Sutherland," he wrote, "and in passing from one pool to another had - to climb over some rocky ground. In doing so, I sank almost up to my knees in some rotten heather - and moss, almost upon a wild cat which was concealed under it. I was quite as much startled as the - cat itself could be, when I saw the wild-looking beast rush so unexpectedly from between my feet, - with every hair on her body on end, making her look twice as large as she really was. I had three - small Skye terriers with me, which immediately gave chase, and pursued her till she took refuge in - a corner of the rocks, where, perched in a kind of recess out of reach of her enemies, she stood - with her hair bristled out, spitting and growling like a common cat. Having no weapon with me, I - laid down my rod, cut a good-sized stick, and proceeded to dislodge her. As soon as I was within - six or seven feet of the place, she sprang straight at my face over the dogs' heads. Had I not - struck her in mid-air as she leaped at me, I should probably have received a severe wound. As it - was, she fell with her back half broken among the dogs, who with my assistance dispatched her. I - never saw an animal fight so desperately, or one which was so difficult to kill. If a tame cat has - nine lives, a wild cat must have a dozen. Sometimes one of these animals will take up its - residence at no great distance from a house, and, entering the hen-roosts and outbuildings, will - carry off fowls in the most audacious manner, or even lambs. Like other <span class="pagenum" - id="page61"><span class="smaller">{61}</span></span>vermin, the wild cat haunts the shores of - lakes and rivers, and it is therefore easy to know where to set a trap for them. Having caught and - killed one of the colony, the rest of them are sure to be taken if the body of their slain - relative is left in the same place not far from their usual hunting-ground and surrounded with - traps, as every wild cat passing that way will to a certainty come to it."</p> - - <p>The wild cat ranges from the far north of Scotland, across Europe and Northern Asia, to the - northern slopes of the Himalaya. It has always been known as one of the fiercest and wildest of - the cats, large or small. The continual ill-temper of these creatures is remarkable. In the - experience of the keepers of menageries there is no other so intractably savage. One presented to - the Zoological Gardens by Lord Lilford some eight years ago still snarls and spits at any one who - comes near it, even the keeper.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_061.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_061.jpg" - alt="EUROPEAN WILD CAT." title="EUROPEAN WILD CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">EUROPEAN WILD CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The British representative of this species is rapidly becoming extinct. The - specimen whose portrait is given here was caught in Argyllshire.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The food of the wild cat is grouse, mountain-hares, rabbits, small birds, and probably fish - caught in the shallow waters when chance offers. It is wholly nocturnal; consequently no one ever - sees it hunting for prey. Though it has long been confined to the north and north-west of - Scotland, it is by no means on the verge of extinction. The deer-forests are saving it to some - extent, as they did the golden eagle. Grouse and hares are rather in the way when deer are being - stalked; consequently the wild cat and the eagle are not trapped or shot. The limits of its - present fastnesses were recently fixed by careful Scotch naturalists at the line of the Caledonian - Canal. Mr. Harvie Brown, in 1880, said that it only survived in Scotland north of a line running - from Oban to the junction of the three counties of Perth, Forfar, and Aberdeen, and thence through - Banffshire to Inverness. But the conclusion of a writer in the <i>Edinburgh Review</i> of July, - 1898, in a very interesting article on the survival of British mammals, has been happily - contradicted. He believed that it only survived in the deer-forests of Inverness and - Sutherlandshire. The wild cats shown in the illustrations of these pages were caught a year later - as far south as Argyllshire. The father and two kittens were all secured, practically unhurt, and - purchased by Mr. Percy Leigh Pemberton for his collection of British mammals at Ashford, in Kent. - This gentleman has had great success in preserving his wild cats. They, as well as - others—martens, polecats, and other small carnivora—are fed on fresh wild rabbits - killed in a warren near; consequently they are in splendid condition. The old "tom" wild cat, - snarling with characteristic ill-humour, was well supported by the wild and savage little kittens, - which exhibited all the family temper. Shortly <span class="pagenum" id="page62"><span - class="smaller">{62}</span></span>before the capture of these wild cats another family were - trapped in Aberdeenshire and brought to the Zoological Gardens. Four kittens, beautiful little - savages, with bright green eyes, and uninjured, were safely taken to Regent's Park. But the - quarters given them were very small and cold, and they all died. Two other full-grown wild cats - brought there a few years earlier were so dreadfully injured by the abominable steel traps in - which they were caught that they both died of blood-poisoning.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_062.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_062.jpg" - alt="SCOTCH WILD CATS." title="SCOTCH WILD CATS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SCOTCH WILD CATS.</p> - <p class="sp0">These wild cats, the property of Mr. P. Leigh Pemberton, though regularly fed - and well treated, show their natural bad-temper in their faces.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The real wild cats differ in their markings on the body, some being more clearly striped, while - others are only brindled. But they are all alike in the squareness and thickness of head and body, - and in the short tail, ringed with black, and growing larger at the tip, which ends off like a - shaving-brush.</p> - - <p class="sp3">It may well be asked, Which of the many species of wild cats mentioned above is the - ancestor of our domestic cats? Probably different species in different countries. The African - Kaffir cat, the Indian leopard-cat, the rusty-spotted cat of India, and the European wild cat all - breed with tame cats. It is therefore probable that the spotted, striped, and brindled varieties - of tame cats are descended from wild species which had those markings. The so-called red tame cats - are doubtless descended from the tiger-coloured wild cats. But it is a curious fact that, though - the spotted grey-tabby wild varieties are the least common, that colour is most frequent in the - tame species.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE LYNXES.</span></p> - - <p>In the <span class="sc">Lynxes</span> we seem to have a less specially cat-like form. They are - short-tailed, high in the leg, and broad-faced. Less active than the leopards and tiger-cats, and - able to live either in very hot or very cold countries, they are found from the Persian deserts to - the far north of Siberia and Canada.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Caracal</span> is a southern, hot-country lynx. It has a longer tail than - the others, but the same tufted ears. It seems a link between the lynxes and the jungle-cats. It - is found in India, Palestine, Persia, and Mesopotamia. In India it was trained, like the cheeta, - to <span class="pagenum" id="page63"><span class="smaller">{63}</span></span>catch birds, - gazelles, and hares. The <span class="sc">Common Lynx</span> is probably the same animal, whether - found in Norway, Russia, the Carpathians, Turkestan, China, or Tibet. The <span - class="sc">Canadian Lynx</span> is also very probably the same, with local differences of colour. - The <span class="sc">Northern Lynx</span> is the largest feline animal left in Europe, and kills - sheep and goats equally with hares and squirrels. The beautiful fur, of pale cinnamon and light - grey, is much admired. In some southern districts of America we have the <span class="sc">Red - Lynx</span>, or so-called "wild cat," which is distinct from the lynx of Canada. The <span - class="sc">Mediterranean</span> or <span class="sc">Spanish Lynx</span> seems likewise entitled to - rank as a distinct species.</p> - - <p>Of the lynxes the <span class="sc">Caracals</span> are perhaps the most interesting, from their - capacity for domestication. They are found in Africa in the open desert country, whereas the <span - class="sc">Serval</span> is found in the thick bush. In Africa it is believed to be the most - savage and untamable of the Cats. That is probably because the Negro and the Kaffir never - possessed the art of training animals, from the elephant downwards. In India the caracal's natural - prey are the fawns of deer and antelope, pea-fowl, hares, and floricans. The caracal is the - quickest with its feet of any of the Cats. One of its best-known feats is to spring up and catch - birds passing over on the wing at a height of six or eight feet from the ground. A writer, in the - Naturalist's Library, notes that, besides being tamed to catch deer, pea-fowl, and cranes, the - caracal was used in "pigeon matches." Two caracals were backed one against the other to kill - pigeons. The birds were fed on the ground, and the caracals suddenly let loose among them, to - strike down as many as each could before the birds escaped. Each would sometimes strike down with - its fore paws ten or a dozen pigeons. "Caracal" means in Turkish "Black Ear," in allusion to the - colour of the animal's organ of hearing.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_063.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_063.jpg" alt="LYNX." - title="LYNX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LYNX.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is a uniformly coloured specie common to India and Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Lynx</span> is a thick-set animal, high in the leg, with a square - head and very strong paws and forearms. It is found across the whole northern region of Europe and - Asia. Although never known in Britain in historic times, it is still occasionally seen in parts of - the Alps and in the Carpathians; it is also common in the Caucasus. It is mainly a forest animal, - and very largely nocturnal; therefore it is seldom seen, and not often hunted. If any enemy - approaches, the lynx lies perfectly still on some branch or rock, and generally succeeds in - avoiding notice. The lynx is extremely active; it can leap great distances, and makes its <span - class="pagenum" id="page64"><span class="smaller">{64}</span></span>attack usually in that way. - When travelling, it trots or gallops in a very dog-like fashion. Where sheep graze at large on - mountains, as in the Balkans and in Greece, the lynx is a great enemy of the flocks. In Norway, - where the animal is now very rare, there is a tradition that it is more mischievous than the wolf, - and a high price is set on its head.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_064_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_064_t.jpg" - alt="EUROPEAN LYNX." title="EUROPEAN LYNX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">EUROPEAN LYNX.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of the cat tribe left in Europe.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Siberia and North Russia most of the lynx-skins taken are sold to the Chinese. The - lynx-skins brought to London are mainly those of the Canadian species. The fur is dyed, and used - for the busbies of the officers in our hussar regiments. These skins vary much in colour, and in - length and quality of fur. The price varies correspondingly. The Canadian lynx lives mainly on the - wood-hares and on the wood-grouse of the North American forests. The flesh of the lynx is said to - be good and tender.</p> - - <p>Brehm says of the Siberian lynx: "It is a forest animal in the strictest sense of the word. But - in Siberia it occurs only singly, and is rarely captured. Its true home is in the thickest parts - in the interior of the woods, and these it probably never leaves except when scarcity of food or - the calls of love tempt it to wander to the outskirts. Both immigrants and natives hold the - hunting of the lynx in high esteem. This proud cat's activity, caution and agility, and powers of - defence arouse the enthusiasm of every sportsman, and both skin and flesh are valued, the latter - not only by the Mongolian tribes, but also by the Russian hunters. The lynx is seldom captured in - fall-traps; he often renders them useless by walking along the beam and stepping on the lever, and - he usually leaps over the spring-traps in his path. So only the rifle and dogs are left."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_064_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_064_b.jpg" - alt="CANADIAN LYNX." title="CANADIAN LYNX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Mr. S. B. Gundy</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Toronto.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CANADIAN LYNX.</p> - <p class="sp0">Great numbers of these are trapped every year for the sake of their fur.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Red Lynx</span> is a small American variety, the coat of which turns tawny - in summer, when it much resembles a large cat. It is called in some parts of the United States the - Mountain-cat. This lynx is 30 inches long in the body, with a tail 6 inches long. It is found on - the eastern or Atlantic side of the continent, and by no means shuns the neighbourhood of - settlements.</p> - - <div id="fp65"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_065fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_065fp.jpg" - alt="WOLF FROM CENTRAL EUROPE." title="WOLF FROM CENTRAL EUROPE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">WOLF FROM CENTRAL EUROPE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The last persons recorded as killed by these animals were an artist and his - wife travelling in Hungary.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page65"><span class="smaller">{65}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_065.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_065.jpg" alt="CHEETAS." - title="CHEETAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CHEETAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Cheetas can be distinguished at a glance from ordinary leopards by the solid - black spots on the back instead of the "rosettes."</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page66"><span class="smaller">{66}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE CHEETA.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">THE NON-RETRACTILE-CLAWED CAT.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Cheeta</span>, or Hunting-leopard, is the only example of this particular - group, though there was an extinct form, whose remains are found in the Siwalik Hills, in the - north of India. It is a very widely dispersed animal, found in Persia, Turkestan, and the - countries east of the Caspian, and in India so far as the lower part of the centre of the - peninsula. It is also common in Africa, where until recent years it was found in Cape Colony and - Natal. Now it is banished to the Kalahari Desert, the Northern Transvaal, and Bechuanaland.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_066.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_066.jpg" - alt="A CHEETA HOODED." title="A CHEETA HOODED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A CHEETA HOODED.</p> - <p class="sp0">The cheeta is not unhooded until fairly near his quarry, when he is given a - sight of the game, and a splendid race ensues.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The cheeta is more dog-like than any other cat. It stands high on the leg, and has a short, - rounded head. Its fur is short and rather woolly, its feet rounded, and its claws, instead of - slipping back into sheaths like a lion's, are only partly retractile.</p> - - <p>Mr. Lockwood Kipling gives the following account of the cheeta and its keepers: "The only point - where real skill comes into play in dealing with the hunting-leopard is in catching the adult - animal when it has already learnt the swift, bounding onset, its one accomplishment. The young - cheeta is not worth catching, for it has not yet learnt its trade, nor can it be taught in - captivity.... There are certain trees where these great dog-cats (for they have some oddly canine - characteristics) come to play and whet their claws. The hunters find such a tree, and arrange - nooses of deer-sinew round it, and wait the event. The animal comes and is caught by the leg, and - it is at this point that the trouble begins. It is no small achievement for two or three naked, - ill-fed men to secure so fierce a capture and carry it home tied on a cart. Then his training - begins. He is tied in all directions, principally from a thick rope round his loins, while a hood - fitted over his head effectually blinds him. He is fastened on a strong cot-bedstead, and the - keepers and their wives and families reduce him to submission by starving him and keeping him - awake. His head is made to face the village street, and for an hour at a time, several times a - day, his keepers make pretended rushes at him, and wave clothes, staves, and other articles in his - face. He is talked to continually, and the women's tongues are believed to be the most effective - of things to keep him awake. No created being could withstand the effects of hunger, want of - sleep, and feminine scolding; and the poor cheeta becomes piteously, abjectly tame. He is taken - out for a walk occasionally—if a slow crawl between four attendants, all holding hard, can - be called a walk—and his promenades are always through the crowded streets and bazaars, - where the keepers' friends are to be found; but the people are rather pleased than otherwise to - see the raja's cheetas amongst them." Later, when the creature is tamed, "the cheeta's bedstead is - like that of the keeper, and leopard and man are often curled up under the same blanket! When his - bedfellow is restless, the keeper lazily stretches out an arm from his end of the cot and dangles - a tassel over the animal's head, which seems to soothe him. In the early morning I have seen a - cheeta sitting up on his couch, a red blanket half covering him, and his tasselled red hood awry, - looking exactly like an elderly gentleman in a nightcap, as he yawns with the irresolute air of - one who is in doubt whether to rise or to turn in for another nap."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page67"><span class="smaller">{67}</span></span></div> - - <p>This charming and accurate description shows the cheeta at home. In the field he is quite - another creature. He is driven as near as possible to the game, and then unhooded and given a - sight of them. Sir Samuel Baker thus describes a hunt in which a cheeta was used: "The chase began - after the right-hand buck, which had a start of about 110 yards. It was a magnificent sight to see - the extraordinary speed of pursuer and pursued. The buck flew over the level surface, followed by - the cheeta, which was laying out at full stretch, with its long, thick tail brandishing in the - air. They had run 200 yards, when the keeper gave the word, and away we went as fast as our horses - could carry us. The horses could go over this clear ground, where no danger of a fall seemed - possible. I never saw anything to equal the speed of the buck and the cheeta; we were literally - nowhere, although we were going as hard as horseflesh could carry us; but we had a glorious view. - The cheeta was gaining in the course, while the buck was exerting every muscle for life or death - in its last race. Presently, after a course of about a quarter of a mile, the buck doubled like a - hare, and the cheeta lost ground as it shot ahead, instead of turning quickly, being only about - thirty yards in rear of the buck. Recovering itself, it turned on extra steam, and the race - appeared to recommence at increased speed. The cheeta was determined to win, and at this moment - the buck made another double in the hope of shaking off its terrible pursuer; but this time the - cheeta ran cunning, and was aware of the former game. It turned as sharply as the buck. Gathering - itself together for a final effort, it shot forward like an arrow, picked up the distance which - remained between them, and in a cloud of dust we could for one moment distinguish two forms. The - next instant the buck was on its back, and the cheeta's fangs were fixed like an iron vice in its - throat. The course run was about 600 yards, and it was worth a special voyage to India to see that - hunt."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_067.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_067.jpg" - alt="A CHEETA ON THE LOOK-OUT." title="A CHEETA ON THE LOOK-OUT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A CHEETA ON THE LOOK-OUT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Cheetas are common to Africa and India. By the native princes of the latter - country they are much used for taking antelope and other game.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page68"><span class="smaller">{68}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE DOMESTIC CAT.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY LOUIS WAIN.</span></p> - - <p>Of the domestication of the cat we know very little, but it is recorded that a tribe of cats - was trained to retrieve—<i>i.e.</i> to fetch and carry game. In our own time I have seen - many cats fetch and carry corks and newspapers, and on one occasion pounce upon a small roach at - the end of a line and place it at its owner's feet. Gamekeepers whom I have known agree that, for - cunning, craftiness, and tenacity in attaining an object, the semi-wild cat of the woods shows far - superior intelligence to the rest of the woodland denizens. It is quite a usual thing to hear of - farm cats entering upon a snake-hunting expedition with the greatest glee, and showing remarkable - readiness in pitching upon their quarry and pinning it down until secured. These farm cats are - quite a race by themselves. Of decided sporting proclivities, they roam the countryside with - considerable fierceness, and yet revert to the domesticity of the farmhouse fireside as though - innocent of roving instincts. They are spasmodic to a degree in their mode of life, and apparently - work out one mood before entering upon another. It will be remembered that this spasmodic - tendency—the true feline independence, by-the-bye—is and has been characteristic of - the cat throughout its history, and any one who has tried to overcome it has met with failure.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_068_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_068_t.jpg" - alt="WHITE SHORT-HAIRED." title="WHITE SHORT-HAIRED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WHITE SHORT-HAIRED.</p> - <p class="sp0">Most white cats are not albinoes—that is to say, they have ordinarily - coloured and not red eyes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_068_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_068_b.jpg" - alt="LONG-HAIRED WHITE." title="LONG-HAIRED WHITE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-HAIRED WHITE.</p> - <p class="sp0">White cats with blue eyes are generally deaf, or at all events hard of - hearing.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Watch your own cat, and you will see that he will change his sleeping-quarters periodically; - and if he can find a newspaper conveniently placed, he will prefer it to lie upon, before anything - perhaps, except a cane-bottomed chair, to which all cats are very partial. If you keep a number of - cats, as I do, you will find that they are very imitative, and what one gets in the habit of doing - they will all do in time: for instance, one of my cats took to sitting with his front paws inside - my tall hat and his body outside, and this has become a catty fashion in the family, whether the - object be a hat, cap, bonnet, small basket, box, or tin. If by chance one of the cats is attacked - by a dog, a peculiar cry from the aggrieved animal will immediately awaken the others out of their - lethargy or sleep, and bring them fiercely to the rescue. They are, too, particularly kind and - nice to the old cat, and are tolerant only of strange baby kittens and very old cats in the garden - as long as they do not interfere with the "catty" subject. The same quality obtains in Spain or - Portugal, where a race of scavenging cats exists, which go about in droves or families, and are - equal to climbing straight walls, big trees, chimneys, and mountain-sides. Long, lanky, and thin, - they are built more on the lines of a greyhound than the ordinary cat, and are more easily trained - in tricks than home cats.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page69"><span class="smaller">{69}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_tl.jpg" - alt="MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY." title="MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari, Florence.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MACKEREL-MARKED TABBY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Tabbies are probably the best known and the commonest cats in England.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_tc.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_tc.jpg" - alt="CAT CARRYING KITTEN." title="CAT CARRYING KITTEN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CAT CARRYING KITTEN.</p> - <p class="sp0">A unique photograph, showing the way in which the cat carries its young.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_tr.jpg" - alt="BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN." title="BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.</p> - <p class="sp0">Persian or long-haired cats are of various colours; this is one of the least - common.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_ml.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_ml.jpg" - alt="SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED." title="SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SMOKE AND BLUE LONG-HAIRED.</p> - <p class="sp0">Two pretty and valuable Persian kittens.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_mr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_mr.jpg" - alt="ORANGE TABBY." title="ORANGE TABBY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Lady Alexander.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ORANGE TABBY.</p> - <p class="sp0">A champion winner of 90 first prizes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_bl.jpg" - alt="LONG-HAIRED TABBY." title="LONG-HAIRED TABBY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-HAIRED TABBY.</p> - <p class="sp0">A pretty pose.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_bc.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_bc.jpg" - alt="SILVER PERSIAN." title="SILVER PERSIAN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SILVER PERSIAN.</p> - <p class="sp0">A handsome specimen.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_069_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_069_br.jpg" - alt="SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN." title="SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor, Ealing.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SMOKE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.</p> - <p class="sp0">A new breed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page70"><span class="smaller">{70}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Tortoiseshell</span> has long been looked upon as the national cat of - Spain, and in fact that country is overrun with the breed, ranging from a dense black and brown to - lighter shades of orange-brown and white. The pure tortoiseshell might be called a black and tan, - with no white, streaked like a tortoiseshell comb if possible, and with wonderful amber eyes. It - is characteristic of their intelligence that they will invariably find their way home, and will - even bring that mysterious instinct to bear which guides them back long distances to the place of - their birth; and, with regard to this cat, the stories of almost impossible journeys made are not - one bit exaggerated. The tom-cats of this breed are very rare in England; I myself have only known - of the existence of six in fifteen years, and of these but three are recorded in the catalogues of - our cat shows.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_070_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_070_t.jpg" - alt="SHORT-HAIRED BLUE." title="SHORT-HAIRED BLUE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">SHORT-HAIRED BLUE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This champion cat belongs to Lady Alexander, by whose kind permission it is - here reproduced.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Black Cat</span> has many of the characteristics of the tortoiseshell, but - is essentially a town cat, and is wont to dream his life away in shady corners, in underground - cellars, in theatres, and in all places where he can, in fact, retire to monastic quiet. The black - cat of St. Clement Danes Church was one of the remarkable cats of London. It was his wont to climb - on to the top of the organ-pipes and enjoy an occasional musical concert alone. A christening or a - wedding was his pride; and many people can vouch for a lucky wedding who had the good-fortune to - be patronised by the black cat of St. Clement Danes, which walked solemnly down the aisle of the - church in front of the happy couples.</p> - - <p>My old pet Peter was a black-and-white cat, and, like most of his kind, was one of the most - remarkable cats for intelligence I have ever known. A recital of his accomplishments would, - however, have very few believers—a fact I find existing in regard to all really intelligent - cats. There are so many cats of an opposite character, and people will rarely take more than a - momentary trouble to win the finer nature of an animal into existence. Suffice it to say, that - Peter would lie and die, sit up with spectacles on his nose and with a post-card between his - paws—a trick I have taught many people's cats to do. He would also mew silent meows when - bid, and wait at the door for my home-coming. For a long time, too, it was customary to hear weird - footfalls at night outside the bedroom doors, and visitors to the house were a little more - superstitious as to their cause than we were ourselves. We set a watch upon the supposed ghost, - but sudden opening of the doors discovered only the mystic form of Peter sitting purring on the - stairs. He was, however, ultimately caught in the act of lifting the corner of the door-rug and - letting it fall back in its place, and he had grown quite expert in his method of raising and - dropping it at regular intervals until he heard that his signals had produced the required effect, - and the door was opened to admit him.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_070_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_070_b.jpg" - alt="SILVER TABBY." title="SILVER TABBY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SILVER TABBY.</p> - <p class="sp0">A beautiful variety of the typical British cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">White Cats</span> I might call musical cats, for it is quite characteristic of - the albinoes that noises rarely startle them out of their simpering, loving moods. The scraping of - a violin, which will scare an ordinary cat out of its senses, or the thumping of a piano, which - would terrorise even strong-nerved cats, would only incite a white cat to a happier mood. - Certainly all white cats are somewhat <span class="pagenum" id="page71"><span - class="smaller">{71}</span></span>deaf, or lack acute quality of senses; but this failing rather - softens the feline nature than becomes dominant as a weakness.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_071_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_071_t.jpg" - alt="SHORT-HAIRED TABBY." title="SHORT-HAIRED TABBY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SHORT-HAIRED TABBY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is perhaps the most famous cat now living. It has won no less than 200 - prizes. Lady Decies is its owner.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The nearest to perfection perhaps, and yet at the same time extremely soft and finely made, is - the <span class="sc">Blue Cat</span>, rare in England as an English cat, but common in most other - countries, and called in America the Maltese Cat—for fashion's sake probably, since it is - too widely distributed there to be localised as of foreign origin. It is out in the mining - districts and agricultural quarters, right away from the beaten tracks of humanity, where the most - wonderful breeds of cats develop in America; and caravan showmen have told me that at one time it - was quite a business for them to carry cats into these wildernesses, and sell them to rough, hardy - miners, who dealt out death to each other without hesitation in a quarrel, but who softened to the - appeal of an animal which reminded them of homelier times.</p> - - <p>One man told me that upon one occasion he sold eight cats at an isolated mining township in - Colorado, and some six days' journey farther on he was caught up by a man on horseback from the - township, who had ridden hard to overtake the menagerie caravan, with the news that one of the - cats had climbed a monster pine-tree, and that all the other cats had followed in his wake; food - and drink had been placed in plenty at the foot of the tree, but that the cats had been starving, - frightened out of their senses, for three days, and despite all attempts to reach them they had - only climbed higher and higher out of reach into the uppermost and most dangerous branches of the - pine. The showman hastened with his guide across country to the township, only to find that in the - interval one bright specimen of a man belonging to the village had suggested felling the tree, and - so rescuing the cats from the pangs of absolute starvation, should they survive the ordeal. A - dynamite cartridge had been used to blast the roots of the pine, and a rope attached to its trunk - had done the rest and brought the monster tree to earth, only, however, at the expense of all the - cats, for not one survived the tremendous fall and shaking. A sad and tearful procession followed - the remains of the cats to their hastily dug grave, and thereafter a bull mastiff took the place - of the cats in the township, an animal more in character with the lives of its inhabitants.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_071_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_071_b.jpg" - alt="LONG-HAIRED ORANGE." title="LONG-HAIRED ORANGE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-HAIRED ORANGE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A good specimen of this variety is always large and finely furred.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Analogous to this case of the travelling menageries, we have the great variety of blues, - silvers, and whites which are characteristic of Russia. There is a vast tableland of many - thousands of miles in extent, intersected by caravan routes to all the old countries <span - class="pagenum" id="page72"><span class="smaller">{72}</span></span>of the ancients, and it is not - astonishing to hear of attempts being made to steal the wonderful cats of Persia, China, and - Northern India, as well as those of the many dependent and independent tribes which bound the - Russian kingdom. But it is a remarkable fact that none but the blues can live in the attenuated - atmosphere of the higher mountainous districts through which they are taken before arriving in - Russian territory. It is no uncommon thing to find a wonderful complexity of blue cats shading to - silver and white in most Russian villages, or blue cats of remarkable beauty, but with a dash of - tabby-marking running through their coats. Their life, too, is lived at the two extremes. In the - short Russian summer they roam the woodlands, pestered by a hundred poisonous insects; in the - winter they are imprisoned within the four walls of a snow-covered cottage, and are bound down - prisoners to domesticity till the thaw sets in again. Many of the beautiful furs which come to us - from Russia are really the skins of these cats, the preparation of which for market has grown into - a large and thriving industry. The country about Kronstadt, in the Southern Carpathian Mountains - of Austria, is famous for its finely developed animals; and here, too, has grown up a colony of - sable-coloured cats, said to be of Turkish origin, where the pariahs take the place of cats.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_072_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_072_tl.jpg" alt="MANX." - title="MANX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p>MANX.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> These tailless cats are well known; they were - formerly called "Cornwall cats." Note the length of the hind legs, which is one of the - characteristics of this variety of the domestic cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_072_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_072_tr.jpg" - alt="SIAMESE." title="SIAMESE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SIAMESE.</p> - <p class="sp0">These strikingly coloured cats are now fairly numerous in England, but command - high prices. They have white kittens, which subsequently become coloured.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_072_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_072_bl.jpg" - alt="BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN." title="BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">BLUE LONG-HAIRED, OR PERSIAN.</p> - <p class="sp0">This cat belonged to Queen Victoria.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_072_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_072_br.jpg" - alt="SILVER PERSIANS." title="SILVER PERSIANS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">SILVER PERSIANS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Three of Mrs. Champion's celebrated cats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Tabby</span> is remarkable to us in that it is characteristic of our own - country, and no other colour seems to have been popular until our own times. If you ask any one - which breed of cat is the real domestic cat, you will be told the tabby, probably because it is so - well known to all. The complexity of the tabby is really remarkable, and <span class="pagenum" - id="page73"><span class="smaller">{73}</span></span>for shape and variety of colouring it has no - equal in any other tribe of cat. It has comprised in its nature all the really great qualities of - the feline, and all its worst attributes. You can truthfully say of one of its specimens that it - attaches itself to the individual, while of another in the same litter you will get an element of - wildness. A third of the same parents will sober down to the house, but take only a passing notice - of people. You can teach it anything if it is tractable, make it follow like a dog, come to - whistle, but it will have its independence.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_073_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_073_t.jpg" - alt="LONG-HAIRED CHINCHILLA." title="LONG-HAIRED CHINCHILLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-HAIRED CHINCHILLA.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the beautiful "fluffiness" of this cat's fur.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Sand-coloured Cat</span>, with a whole-coloured coat like the rabbit, - which we know as the <span class="sc">Abyssinian</span> or <span class="sc">Bunny Cat</span>, is a - strong African type. On the Gold Coast it comes down from the inland country with its ears all - bitten and torn away in its fights with rivals. It has been acclimatised in England, and - Devonshire and Cornwall have both established a new and distinct tribe out of its parentage. The - <span class="sc">Manx Cat</span> is nearly allied to it, and a hundred years ago the tailless cat - was called the Cornwall Cat, not the Manx.</p> - - <p>Siam sends us a regal animal in the <span class="sc">Siamese Royal Cat</span>; it has a brown - face, legs, and tail, a cream-coloured body, and mauve or blue eyes. The Siamese take great care - of their cats, for it is believed that the souls of the departed are transmitted into the bodies - of animals, and the cat is a favourite of their creed; consequently the cats are highly cultivated - and intelligent, and can think out ways and means to attain an end.</p> - - <p>I have tried for years to trace the origin of the <span class="sc">Long-haired</span> or <span - class="sc">Persian Cats</span>, but I cannot find that they were known to antiquity, and even the - records of later times only mention the <span class="sc">Short-haired</span>. European literature - does not give us an insight into the subject; and unless Chinese history holds some hidden lights - in its records, we are thrown back upon the myths of Persia to account for the wonderful modern - distribution of the long-haired cat, which is gradually breeding out into as many varieties as the - short-haired, with this difference—that greater care and trouble are taken over the - long-haired, and they will, as a breed, probably soon surpass the short-haired for intelligence - and culture.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_073_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_073_b.jpg" - alt="THE "BUN" OR "TICKED" SHORT-HAIRED CAT." - title="THE "BUN" OR "TICKED" SHORT-HAIRED CAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by H. Trevor Jessop.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">THE "BUN" OR "TICKED" SHORT-HAIRED CAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the rarest cats in England. It belongs to Miss K. Maud Bennett - who has kindly had it photographed for this work.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>One variety is quite new and distinctive—the <span class="sc">Smoke Long-haired</span>, - whose dark brown or black surface-coat, blown aside, shows an under-coat of blue and silver, with - a light brown frill round its neck. All the other long-haired cats can pair with the short-haired - for colouring and marking, but I have not yet seen a <span class="sc">Bunny - Long-haired</span>.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page74"><span class="smaller">{74}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterIII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="III. The fossa, civets, and ichneumons." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER III.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE FOSSA, CIVETS, AND ICHNEUMONS.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE FOSSA.</span></p> - - <p>In the <span class="sc">Fossa</span> Madagascar possesses an altogether peculiar animal. It is - a very slender, active creature, with all its proportions much elongated. It is of a bright bay - uniform colour, with thick fur, and has sharp retractile claws. It has been described as the - natural connecting-link between the Civets and the Cats, anatomically speaking. Thus it has - retractile claws, but does not walk on its toes, like cats, but on the soles of its feet (the hind - pair of which is quite naked), like a civet. Very few have been brought to England; indeed, the - first time that one was exhibited in our Zoological Gardens was only ten years ago. Formerly - stories were told of its ferocity, which was compared to that of the tiger. These tales were - naturally the subject of ridicule. The fossa usually attains a length of about 5 feet from snout - to tail, and is the largest of the carnivora of Madagascar. A fine young specimen lately brought - to London, and in the Zoological Gardens at the time of writing, is now probably full grown. It is - about the same length and height as a large ocelot, but with a far longer tail, and is more - slenderly built. The extreme activity of the fossa no doubt renders it a very formidable foe to - other and weaker creatures. It has been described by a recent writer as being entirely nocturnal, - and preying mainly on the lemurs and birds which haunt the forests of Madagascar. The animal kept - at the Zoological Gardens has become fairly tame. It is fed mainly on chickens' heads and other - refuse from poulterers' shops. Apparently it has no voice of any kind. It neither growls, roars, - nor mews, though, when irritated or frightened, it gives a kind of hiss like a cat.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_074_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_074_t.jpg" alt="FOSSA." - title="FOSSA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FOSSA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The only feline animal of Madagascar.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_074_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_074_b.jpg" - alt="LARGE INDIAN CIVET." title="LARGE INDIAN CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LARGE INDIAN CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">Civets are nocturnal in their habits. That shown here has just awakened in - broad daylight.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page75"><span class="smaller">{75}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE CIVETS AND GENETS.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Civets</span> are the first marked deviation from the Cat Family. Their - bodies are elongated, their legs short, their claws only partially retractile. Some of them have - glands holding a strong scent, much esteemed in old days in Europe, when "The Civet Cat" was a - common inn-sign even in England. The civets are generally beautifully marked with black stripes - and bands on grey. But none of them grow to any large size, and the family has never had the - importance of those which contain the large carnivora, like the true cats or bears. Many of the - tribe and its connections are domesticated. Some scholars have maintained that the cat of the - ancient Greeks was one of them—the common genet. The fact is that both this and the domestic - cat were kept by the ancients; and the genet is still used as a cat by the peasants of Greece and - Southern Italy.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">African Civet</span> and <span class="sc">Indian Civet</span> are large - species. The former is common almost throughout Africa. Neither of them seems to climb trees, but - they find abundance of food by catching small ground-dwelling animals and birds. They are good - swimmers. The Indian civet has a handsome skin, of a beautiful grey ground-colour, with black - collar and markings. It is from these civets that the civet-scent is obtained. They are kept in - cages for this purpose, and the secretion is scooped from the glands with a wooden spoon. They - produce three or four kittens in May or June. Several other species very little differing from - these are known as the <span class="sc">Malabar</span>, <span class="sc">Javan</span>, and <span - class="sc">Burmese Civets</span>.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Rasse</span> is smaller, has no erectile crest, and its geographical - distribution extends from Africa to the Far East. It is commonly kept as a domestic pet. Like all - the civets, it will eat fruit and vegetables.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Genets</span>, though resembling the civets, have no scent-pouch. They are - African creatures, but are found in Italy, Spain, and Greece, and in Palestine, and even in the - south of France. Beautifully spotted or striped, they are even longer and lower than the - civet-cats, and steal through the grass like weasels.</p> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_075.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_075.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN CIVET." title="AFRICAN CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the largest of the Civet Tribe. The perfume known as "civet" is - obtained from it.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Genet</span> is black and grey, the latter being the ground-colour. - The tail is very long, the length being about 15 inches, while that of the body and head is only - 19 inches. Small rodents, snakes, eggs, and birds are its principal food. It is kept in <span - class="pagenum" id="page76"><span class="smaller">{76}</span></span>Southern Europe for killing - rats. Several other very similar forms are found in Africa. The presence of such a very - Oriental-looking animal in Europe is something of a surprise, though many persons forget that our - South European animals are very like those of Africa and the East. The porcupine, which is common - in Italy and Spain, and the lynx and Barbary ape are instances. A tame genet kept by an - acquaintance of the writer in Italy was absolutely domesticated like a tame mongoose. It had very - pretty fur, grey, marbled and spotted with black, and no disagreeable odour, except a scent of - musk. It was a most active little creature, full of curiosity, and always anxious to explore not - only every room, but every cupboard and drawer in the house. Perhaps this was due to its keenness - in hunting mice, a sport of which it never tired. It did not play with the mice when caught as a - cat does, but ate them at once.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_076_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_076_t.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN CIVET." title="AFRICAN CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the finely marked fur of the species and the front view - of the head.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Linsangs</span>, an allied group, are met with in the East, from India to - Borneo and Java. They are more slender than the genets, and more arboreal. Of the <span - class="sc">Nepalese Linsang</span> Hodgson writes: "This animal is equally at home on trees and on - the ground. It breeds and dwells in the hollows of decaying trees. It is not gregarious, and preys - mainly on living animals." A tame female owned by him is stated to have been wonderfully docile - and tractable, very sensitive to cold, and very fond of being petted. There is an allied West - African species.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_076_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_076_b.jpg" - alt="SUMATRAN CIVET." title="SUMATRAN CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SUMATRAN CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small and very beautiful member of the Civet Family. It feeds largely on - fish.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Palm-civets</span> and <span class="sc">Hemigales</span> still further - increase this numerous tribe. Slight differences of skull, of the markings on the tail, which may - only have rings on the base, and of the foot and tail, are the naturalist's guide to their - separation from the other civets; <span class="sc">Hardwicke's Hemigale</span> has more zebra-like - markings. Borneo, Africa, India, and the Himalaya all produce these active little carnivora; but - the typical palm-civets are Oriental. They are sometimes known as Toddy-cats, because they drink - the toddy from the jars fastened to catch the juice. The groves of cocoanut-palm are their - favourite haunts; but they will make a home in holes in the thatched roofs of houses, and even in - the midst of cities. There are many species in the group.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Binturong</span> is another omnivorous, tree-haunting animal allied to the - civets; but it has a prehensile tail, which few other mammals of the Old World possess. It is a - blunt-nosed, heavy animal, sometimes called the Bear-cat. Very little is known of its habits. It - is found from the Eastern Himalaya to Java.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The last of the Civet Family is <span class="sc">Bennett's Civet</span>, the only - instance of a cat-like animal with partly <span class="pagenum" id="page77"><span - class="smaller">{77}</span></span>webbed feet. Found in the Malay Peninsula and in Sumatra and - Borneo, it is very rare, but is known to feed on fish and crustacea, and to be semi-aquatic. The - author of the chapter on the civets in the Naturalist's Library says, "It may be likened to a - climbing otter."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE MONGOOSE AND ICHNEUMON FAMILY.</span></p> - - <p>These are a numerous and useful race of small mammals, feeding mainly on the creatures most - annoying to man within tropical countries. Snakes, the eggs of the crocodile, large lizards, rats, - mice, and other creatures known generally as "vermin," are their favourite food. It must be added - that, though they are most useful in destroying these, they also kill all kinds of birds, and that - their introduction into some of the West India Islands, for the purpose of killing rats, has been - fatal to the indigenous bird life.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_077.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_077.jpg" alt="GENET." - title="GENET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GENET.</p> - <p class="sp0">The genets are smaller than some civets, but allied to them. One was anciently - domesticated like a cat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Indian Mongoose.</span></p> - - <p>This universal favourite is one of the largest, the head and body being from 15 to 18 inches - long, and the tail 14 inches. The fur is loose and long, and capable of being erected. As in all - the tribe, the tint is a "pepper and salt," the "pepper" colour being sometimes blackish and - sometimes red, but a speckled appearance characterises the whole group. This is the animal - supposed to be immune from snake-bite. It is possibly so to some extent, for it kills and eats the - poisonous snakes, and it is now known that the <i>eating</i> of snake-poison tends to give the - same protection as inoculation does against certain diseases. But it is certain that in most cases - the mongoose, by its activity, and by setting up the hair on its body, which makes the snake - "strike short," saves itself from being bitten.</p> - - <p>Many descriptions of the encounters between these brave little animals and the cobra have been - written. Here is one of the less known: "One of our officers had a tame mongoose, a charming - little pet. Whenever we could procure a cobra—and we had many opportunities—we used to - turn it out in an empty storeroom, which had a window at some height from the ground, so that it - was perfectly safe to stand there and look on. The cobra, when dropped from the bag or basket, - would wriggle into one of the corners of the room and there coil himself up. The mongoose showed - the greatest excitement on being brought to the window, <span class="pagenum" id="page78"><span - class="smaller">{78}</span></span>and the moment he was let loose would eagerly jump down into the - room, when his behaviour became very curious and interesting. He would instantly see where the - snake was, and rounding his back, and making every hair on his body stand out at right angles, - which made his body appear twice as large as it really was, he would approach the cobra on - tip-toe, making a peculiar humming noise. The snake, in the meantime, would show signs of great - anxiety, and I fancy of fear, erecting his head and hood ready to strike when his enemy came near - enough. The mongoose kept running backwards and forwards in front of the snake, gradually getting - to within what appeared to us to be striking distance. The snake would strike at him repeatedly, - and <i>appeared</i> to hit him, but the mongoose continued his comic dance, apparently - unconcerned. Suddenly, and with a movement so rapid that the eye could not follow it, he would pin - the cobra by the back of the head. One could hear the sharp teeth crunch into the skull, and, when - all was over, see the mongoose eating the snake's head and part of his body with great gusto. Our - little favourite killed a great many cobras, and, so far as I could see, never was bitten."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_078_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_078_t.jpg" - alt="TWO-SPOTTED PALM-CIVET." title="TWO-SPOTTED PALM-CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TWO-SPOTTED PALM-CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a West African species, which, with an allied form from East Africa, - represents the palm-civets in the Dark Continent.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Egyptian Mongoose</span>, or <span class="sc">Ichneumon</span>, has an - equally great reputation for eating the eggs of the crocodile; and the <span class="sc">Kaffir - Mongoose</span>, a rather larger South African species, is kept as a domestic animal to kill rats, - mice, and snakes, of which, like the Indian kind, it is a deadly foe. There are more than twenty - other species, most of much the same appearance and habits.</p> - - <p>The smooth-nosed mongoose tribe are closely allied creatures in South Africa, mainly burrowing - animals, feeding both on flesh and fruit. The <span class="sc">Cusimanses</span> of Abyssinia and - West Africa are also allied to them. Their habits are identical with the above.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_078_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_078_b.jpg" - alt="MASKED PALM-CIVET." title="MASKED PALM-CIVET."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MASKED PALM-CIVET.</p> - <p class="sp0">A whole-coloured species of the group.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Meerkats, or Suricates.</span></p> - - <p>Most people who have read Frank Buckland's Life will remember the suricate which was his chief - pet in Albany Street. The <span class="sc">Suricates</span>, or <span class="sc">Meerkats</span>, - burrow all over the South African veldt, especially in the sandy parts, where they sit up outside - their holes like prairie-dogs, and are seen by day. They are sociable animals, and make most - amusing pets. A full-grown one is not much larger than a hedgehog, but more slender. It barks like - a prairie-dog, and has many other noises of pleasure or anger. A lady, the owner of one, writes in - <i>Country Life</i>: "It gets on well with the dogs and cats, especially the latter, as they are - more friendly to her, and allow her to sleep by their side and on the top of them. One old cat - brings small birds <span class="pagenum" id="page79"><span class="smaller">{79}</span></span>to - her (her favourite is a sparrow), and makes her usual cry, and Janet runs to her and carries off - the bird, which she eats, feathers and all, in a very few minutes, if she is hungry." When near a - farm, the meerkats will devour eggs and young chickens. They are also said to eat the eggs of the - large leopard-tortoise. The commonest is the <span class="sc">Slender-tailed Meerkat</span>. It is - found all over South Africa, and is very common in the Karroo. It eats insects and grubs as well - as small animals, and is commonly kept as a pet throughout the Colony.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_079_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_079_t.jpg" - alt="BINTURONG." title="BINTURONG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Robert D. Carson</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Philadelphia.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BINTURONG.</p> - <p class="sp0">The binturong is placed with the civets. It has a prehensile tail like the - kinkajou (see <a href="#page127">page 127</a>).</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p> </p> - - <p>We have now traced the long line of the Carnivora from the lordly Lion, the slayer of man and - his flocks and herds, and the Tiger, equally formidable and no less specially developed for a life - of rapine on a great scale, to creatures as small and insignificant as the Meerkat, which is at - least as much an insect-feeder as a devourer of flesh, and the Ichneumons and Civets. The highest - form of specialisation in the group is the delicate mechanism by which the chief weapons of - offence, the claws, are enabled to keep their razor edge by being drawn up into sheaths when the - animal walks, but can be instantly thrust out at pleasure, rigid and sharp as sword-blades. The - gradual process by which this equipment deteriorates in the Civets and disappears in the Mongoose - should be noted. There are many other carnivora, but none so formidable as those possessing the - retractile claws. Thus the Bears, though often larger in bulk than the Lion, are far inferior in - the power of inflicting violent injury. At the same time such delicate mechanism is clearly not - necessary for the well-being of a species. The members of the Weasel Tribe are quite as well able - to take care of themselves as the small cats, though they have non-retractile and not very - formidable claws.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_079_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_079_b.jpg" - alt="MONGOOSE." title="MONGOOSE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MONGOOSE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The Indian mongoose is the great enemy of snakes. Another species eats the eggs - of the crocodile.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Such a very abnormal animal as the <span class="sc">Binturong</span>—of which we are able - to give an excellent photograph—is doubtless rightly assigned to the place in which modern - science has placed it. But it will be found that there are several very anomalous forms quite as - detached from any general type as is the binturong. Nature does not make species on any strictly - graduated scale. Many of these nondescript animals are so unlike any other group or family that - they seem almost freaks of nature. The binturong is certainly one of these.</p> - - <p>The next group with which we deal is that of the Hyænas. In these the equipment for catching - living prey is very weak. Speed and pursuit are not their <i>métier</i>, but the eating of dead - and decaying animal matter, and the consumption of bones. Hence the jaws and teeth are highly - developed, while the rest of the body is degenerate.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page80"><span class="smaller">{80}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_080.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_080.jpg" alt="MEERKAT." - title="MEERKAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MEERKAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small, mainly insectivorous animal, found in South Africa; also called the - Suricate.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The question of the comparative intelligence of the Apes and Monkeys, and the carnivorous - animals subsequently described in these pages, is an interesting one. It would seem at first as if - the Cat Tribe and their relations, which have to obtain their prey by constant hunting, and often - to make use of considerable reflection and thought to bring their enterprises against other - animals to a successful issue, would be more likely to develop intelligence and to improve in - brain-power than the great Apes, which find an easy living in the tropical forests, and only seek - fruits and vegetables for their food. Yet it is quite certain that this is not the case. The Cat - Tribe, with the exception of the domesticated cats, does not show high intelligence. Even the - latter are seldom trained to obey man, though they learn to accommodate themselves to his ways of - life. There is no evidence that cats have any sense of number, or that any of them in a wild state - make any effort to provide shelter for themselves or construct a refuge from their enemies, though - the Leopard will make use of a cave as a lair. In matters requiring intelligence and co-operation, - such rodents as the Beaver, or even the Squirrel, are far beyond the feline carnivora in sagacity - and acquired or inherited ingenuity. Except the Stoat, which sometimes hunts in packs, no species - of the carnivora yet dealt with in this work combines to hunt its prey, or for defence against - enemies. Each for itself is the rule, and even among the less-specialised flesh-eating animals of - the other groups it is only the Dog Tribe which seems to understand the principles of association - for a common object.</p> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterIV."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="IV. The hyænas and aard-wolf." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER IV.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE HYÆNAS AND AARD-WOLF.</i></p> - - <p>If every animal has its place in nature, we must suppose that the hyæna's business is to clear - up the bones and such parts of the animal dead as the vultures and other natural "undertakers" - cannot devour. Hyænas have very strong jaws, capable of crushing almost any bone. In prehistoric - times they were common in England, and lived in the caves of Derbyshire and Devon. In these caves - many bones were found quite smashed up, as if by some very large wild animal. It was supposed that - this was done by bears—Dean Buckland said "by hyænas." He procured a hyæna, kept it at his - house, and fed it on bones. The smashed fragments he laid on the table at a scientific lecture - beside the fragments from the caverns. The resemblance was identical, and the Dean triumphed.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page81"><span class="smaller">{81}</span></span></div> - - <p>The hyænas are carnivorous animals, with the front limbs longer than the hind. The tail is - short, the colour spotted or brindled, the teeth and jaws of great strength.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_081_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_081_t.jpg" - alt="SPOTTED HYÆNA." title="SPOTTED HYÆNA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SPOTTED HYÆNA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of the carrion-feeding animals. A South African species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Brown Hyæna</span>, or <span class="sc">Strand-wolf</span>, is an African - species, with very long, coarse hair, reaching a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not found - north of the Zambesi; and it is nocturnal, and fond of wandering along the shore, where it picks - up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle, sheep, and lambs are also killed by it, and offal of all - kinds devoured.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Spotted Hyæna</span> is a large and massive animal, the head and body - being 4 feet 6 inches long without the tail. It is found all over Africa from Abyssinia and - Senegal southwards. A few are left in Natal. It is believed to be the same as the cave-hyæna of - Europe. By day it lives much in the holes of the aard-vark (ant-bear); by night it goes out, - sometimes in small bands, to seek food. It has a loud and mournful howl, beginning low and ending - high. It also utters a horrible maniacal laugh when excited, which gives it the name of - Laughing-hyæna. "Its appetite," says Mr. W. L. Sclater in his "South African Mammals," "is - boundless. It is entirely carnivorous, but seems to prefer putrid and decaying matter, and never - kills an animal unless driven to do so by hunger. Sheep and donkeys are generally attacked at the - belly, and the bowels torn out by its sharp teeth. Horses are also frequent objects of attack; but - in this case shackling is useful, as the horse, unable to escape, faces the hyæna, which instantly - bolts. It is an excellent scavenger, and it has been known to kill and carry off young children, - though the least attempt at pursuit will cause it to drop them. Many stories are told, too, of its - attacking sleeping natives; in this case it invariably goes for the man's face. Drummond states - that he has seen many men who had been thus mutilated, wanting noses, or with the whole mouth and - lips torn away. This is confirmed by other authors." Drummond gives an instance of seven cows - being mortally injured in a single night by two hyænas, which attacked them and bit off the - udders. Poisoned meat is the only means to get rid of this abominable animal.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_081_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_081_b.jpg" - alt="SPOTTED HYÆNA." title="SPOTTED HYÆNA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SPOTTED HYÆNA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The jaws of the hyæna are specially made for cracking hones. They will smash - the thigh-bone of a buffalo.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Sir Samuel Baker says: "I can safely assert that the bone-cracking power of this animal is - extraordinary. I cannot say that it exceeds the lion or tiger in the strength <span - class="pagenum" id="page82"><span class="smaller">{82}</span></span>of its jaws; but they will - leave bones unbroken which a hyæna will crack in halves. Its powers of digestion are unlimited. It - will swallow and digest a knuckle-bone without giving it a crunch, and will crack the thigh-bone - of a buffalo to obtain the marrow, and swallow either end immediately after.... I remember that - once a hyæna came into our tent at night. But this was merely a friendly reconnaissance, to see if - any delicacy, such as our shoes, or a saddle, or anything that smelt of leather, were lying about. - It was bright moonlight, and the air was calm. There was nothing to disturb the stillness. I was - awakened from sleep by a light touch on my sleeve, and my attention was directed by my wife to - some object that had just quitted our tent. I took my rifle from beneath the mat on which I lay, - and, after waiting for a few minutes sitting up in bed, saw a large form standing in the doorway - preparatory to entering. Presently it walked in cautiously, and immediately fell dead, with a - bullet between its eyes. It proved to be a very large hyæna, an old and experienced depredator, as - it bore countless scars of encounters with other strong biters of its race."</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_082_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_082_t.jpg" - alt="STRIPED HYÆNA." title="STRIPED HYÆNA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">STRIPED HYÆNA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the Hyæna of Northern Africa, Palestine, and India.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_082_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_082_b.jpg" - alt="AARD-WOLF." title="AARD-WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AARD-WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">The aard-wolf stands in a family by itself. It is allied to the hyænas, but is - a far feebler animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Striped Hyæna</span> is found in India as well as in Africa. - In portions of Abyssinia these animals are so numerous that on the Nile tributaries Sir Samuel - Baker used to hear them cracking the bones after supper every night just as they had been thrown - by the Arabs within a few feet of the deserted table. In this way they are useful scavengers.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Aard-wolf.</span></p> - - <p>This small African hyæna-like creature stands in a family by itself. The animal is like a small - striped hyæna, with a pointed muzzle, longer ears, and a kind of mane. It is common all through - South and East Africa, where it lives on carrion, white ants, and lambs and kids. It has not the - strong jaws and teeth of the dog or hyæna family. The colonists commonly hunt and kill it with - fox-terriers.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page83"><span class="smaller">{83}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_083.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_083.jpg" - alt="YOUNG GREY WOLF." title="YOUNG GREY WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p>YOUNG GREY WOLF.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The grey wolf of North America, which once preyed - mainly on young bison calves, is now a formidable enemy to the increasing flocks of sheep and - herds of cattle in the north and west.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page84"><span class="smaller">{84}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterV."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="V. The dog family." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER V.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE DOG FAMILY.</i></p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_084.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_084.jpg" - alt="A GROWING CUB." title="A GROWING CUB."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A GROWING CUB.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note how the wolf cub develops the long pasterns, large feet, and long jaw - before its body grows in proportion</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The tribe now treated is called the Dog Family, and rightly so, for our domestic - dogs are included in the group, which comprises the Wolves, Dogs, Jackals, Wild Dogs, and Foxes. - Their general characters are too familiar to need description, but it should be noted that the - foxes differ from the dogs in having contracting pupils to the eye (which in bright sun closes - like a cat's to a mere slit) and some power of climbing. The origin of the domestic dog is still - unsettled.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Wolf.</span></p> - - <p>This great enemy of man and his dependants—the creature against the ravages of which - almost all the early races of Europe had to combine, either in tribes, villages, or - principalities, to protect their children, themselves, and their cattle—was formerly found - all over the northern hemisphere, both in the Old and New Worlds. In India it is rather smaller, - but equally fierce and cunning, though, as there are no long winters, it does not gather in packs. - It is still so common in parts of the Rocky Mountains that the cattle and sheep of the - ranch-holders and wild game of the National Yellowstone Park suffer severely. In Switzerland the - ancient organisations of wolf clubs in the cantons are still maintained. In Brittany the Grand - Louvetier is a government official. Every very hard winter wolves from the Carpathians and Russia - move across the frozen rivers of Europe even to the forests of the Ardennes and of Fontainebleau. - In Norway they ravage the reindeer herds of the Lapps. Only a few years ago an artist, his wife, - and servant were all attacked on their way to Budapest, in Hungary, and the man and his wife - killed. The last British wolf was killed in 1680 by Cameron of Lochiel. Wolves are common in - Palestine, Persia, and India.</p> - - <p>Without going back over the well-known history of the species, we will give some anecdotes of - the less commonly known exploits of these fierce and dangerous brutes. Mr. Kipling's "Jungle Book" - has given us an "heroic" picture of the life of the Indian wolves. There is a great deal of truth - in it. Even the child-stealing by wolves is very probably a fact, for native opinion is unanimous - in crediting it. Babies laid down by their mothers when working in the fields are constantly - carried off and devoured by them, and stories of their being spared and suckled by the she-wolves - are very numerous.</p> - - <p>Indian wolves hunt in combination, without assembling in large packs. The following is a - remarkable instance, recorded by General Douglas Hamilton: "When returning with a friend from a - trip to the mountain caves of Ellora, we saw a herd of antelope near a range of low rocky hills; - and as there was a dry nullah, or watercourse, we decided on having a stalk. While creeping up the - nullah, we noticed two animals coming across the plain on our left. We took them at first for - leopards, but then saw that they were wolves. When they were <span class="pagenum" - id="page85"><span class="smaller">{85}</span></span>about 500 yards from the antelope, they lay - down quietly. After about ten minutes or so, the smaller of the two got up and trotted off to the - rocky hills, and suddenly appeared on the ridge, running backwards and forwards like a Scotch - collie dog. The larger wolf, as soon as he saw that the antelope were fully occupied in watching - his companion, got up and came as hard as he could gallop to the nullah. Unfortunately he saw us - and bolted; and his companion, seeing there was something wrong, did the same. Now, it is evident - that these wolves had regularly planned this attack. One was to occupy the attention of the - antelope, the other to steal up the watercourse and dash into the midst of them. At another time a - brother-officer of mine was stalking a herd of antelope which were feeding down a grassy valley, - when suddenly a wolf got up before him, and then another and then another, until fourteen wolves - rose out of the grass. They were extended right across the valley in the shape of a fishing-net or - jelly-bag, so that as soon as the herd had got well into the jelly-bag they would have rushed on - the antelope, and some must have fallen victims to their attack." They have been known to join in - the chase of antelopes by dogs. Captain Jackson, of the Nizam's service, let his dogs course an - antelope fawn. A wolf jumped up, joined the dogs, and all three seized the fawn together. He then - came up, whipped off the dogs and the wolf, and secured the fawn, which did not seem hurt. The - wolf immediately sat down and began to howl at the loss of his prey, and in a few moments made a - dash at the officer, but when within a few yards thought better of it, and recommenced howling. - This brought another wolf to his assistance. Both howled and looked very savage, and seemed - inclined to make another dash at the antelope. But the horse-keepers came up, and the wolves - retired.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_085.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_085.jpg" alt="WOLF CUBS." - title="WOLF CUBS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WOLF CUBS.</p> - <p class="sp0">These are evidently the foster-brothers of Romulus and Remus.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Indian wolf, if a male, stands about 26 inches high at the shoulder. The length of head and - body is 37 inches; tail, 17 inches.</p> - - <p>The same species practically haunts the whole of the world north of the Himalaya. It varies in - colour from almost black to nearly pure white. In the Hudson Bay fur-sales every variety of colour - between these may be seen, but most are of a tawny brindle. The male grows to a very great size. - One of the largest ever seen in Europe was for years at the London Zoo. It stood 6 feet high when - on its hind legs, and its immense head and jaws seemed to occupy one-third of the space from nose - to tail. Horses are the main prey of the Northern Wolf. It will kill any living creature, but - horseflesh is irresistible. It either attacks by seizing the flank and throwing the animal, or - bites the hocks. The biting power is immense. It will tear a solid mass of flesh at one grip from - the buttock of a cow or horse. In the early days of the United States, when Audubon was making his - first trip up the head-waters of the Missouri, flesh of all kinds was astonishingly abundant on - the prairies. Buffalo swarmed, and the Indians had any quantity of buffalo-meat for the killing. - Wolves of very large size used to haunt the forts and villages, and were almost tame, being well - fed and comfortable. Far different <span class="pagenum" id="page86"><span - class="smaller">{86}</span></span>was the case even near St. Petersburg at the same period. A - traveller in 1840 was chased by a pack of wolves so closely that when the sledge-horses reached - the post-house and rushed into the stable, the doors of which were open, seven of the wolves - rushed in after them. The driver and traveller leaped from the sledge just as it reached the - building, and horses and wolves rushed past them into it. The men then ran up and closed the - doors. Having obtained guns, they opened the roof, expecting to see that the horses had been - killed. Instead all seven wolves were slinking about beside the terrified horses. All were killed - without resistance.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_086_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_086_t.jpg" - alt="WHITE WOLF." title="WHITE WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WHITE WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">White wolves are quite common in North America. Recently two white wolves were - brought to the Zoological Gardens from Russia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Siberia and Russia the wolves in winter are literally starving. Gathering in packs, they - haunt the roads, and chase the sledges with their unfaltering gallop. Seldom in these days does a - human life fall victim; but in very hard winters sledge-horses are often killed, and now and then - a peasant. Rabies is very common among wolves. They then enter the villages, biting and snapping - at every one. Numbers of patients are sent yearly from Russia and Hungary to the Pasteur - Institutes, after being bitten by rabid wolves. In Livonia, in 1823, it was stated that the - following animals had been killed by wolves: 15,182 sheep, 1,807 oxen, 1,841 horses, 3,270 goats, - 4,190 pigs, 703 dogs, and numbers of geese and fowls. They followed the Grand Army from Russia to - Germany in 1812, and restocked the forests of Europe with particularly savage wolves. It is said - that in the retreat from Moscow twenty-four French soldiers, with their arms in their hands, were - attacked, killed, and eaten by a pack of wolves.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_086_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_086_b.jpg" - alt="PRAIRIE-WOLF, OR COYOTE." title="PRAIRIE-WOLF, OR COYOTE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PRAIRIE-WOLF, OR COYOTE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the small, grey, thickly furred species found on the prairies.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>From very early times special breeds of dogs have been trained to guard sheep against the - attacks of wolves. Some of these were intended to defend the flock on the spot, others to run down - the wolves in the open. The former are naturally bred to be very large and heavy; the latter, - though they must be strong, are light and speedy. Of the dogs which guard the flocks several races - still survive. Among the most celebrated are those of Albania and the mountainous parts of Turkey, - and the wolf-dogs of Tibet, generally called Tibetan Bloodhounds. The Tartar shepherds on the - steppes near the Caucasus also keep a very large and ferocious breed of dog. All these are of the - mastiff type, but have long, thick hair. When the shepherds of Albania or Mount Rhodope are - driving their flocks along the mountains to the summer pastures, they sometimes travel a distance - of 200 miles. During this march the dogs act as flankers and scouts by day and night, and do - battle with the wolves, which know quite well the routes along which the sheep usually pass, and - are on the look-out to pick up stragglers or raid the flock. The Spanish shepherds employ a large - white shaggy breed of dog as guards against wolves. These dogs both lead the sheep and bring up - the rear in the annual migration of the flocks to and from the summer pastures. In the west of - America, now that sheep-ranching on a large scale has been introduced, wolf-dogs are bred to live - entirely with the sheep. They are suckled when puppies by the ewes instead of by their own - mothers, and become as it were a part of the flock.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page87"><span class="smaller">{87}</span></span></div> - - <p>Colonel Theodore Roosevelt gives an interesting account of wolf-coursing in Russia, in an - article contributed to "The Encyclopædia of Sport" (Lawrence & Bullen). "In Russia the sport - is a science," he writes. "The princes and great landowners who take part in it have their - hunting-equipages equipped perfectly to the smallest detail. Not only do they follow wolves in the - open, but they capture them and let them out before dogs, like hares in a closed coursing-meeting. - The huntsman follows his hounds on horseback. (These hounds are the Borzoi, white giant - greyhounds, now often seen in England.) Those in Russia show signs of reversion to the type of the - Irish wolf-hound, dogs weighing something like 100 lbs., of remarkable power, and of reckless and - savage temper. Now three or four dogs are run together. They are not expected to kill the wolf, - but merely to hold him.... The Borzois can readily overtake and master partly grown wolves, but a - full-grown dog-wolf, in good trim, will usually gallop away from them."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_087.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_087.jpg" - alt=""THE WOLF WITH PRIVY PAW."" title=""THE WOLF WITH PRIVY PAW.""/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">"THE WOLF WITH PRIVY PAW."</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph shows admirably the slinking gait and long stride of the - wolf.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A number of these Borzoi dogs have been imported into America, and are used to course wolves in - the Western States. But there professional wolf-hunters are employed to kill off the creatures - near the ranches. One such hunter lives near Colonel Roosevelt's ranche on the Little Missouri. - His pack of large dogs will tear in pieces the biggest wolf without aid from the hunter. Of his - own efforts in wolf-coursing he writes: "We generally started for the hunting-ground very early, - riding across the open country in a widely spread line of dogs and men. If we put up a wolf, we - simply went at him as hard as we knew how. Young wolves, or those which had not attained their - full strength, were readily overtaken, and the pack would handle a she-wolf quite readily. A big - dog-wolf, or even a full-grown and powerful she-wolf, offered an altogether different problem. - Frequently we came upon one after it had <span class="pagenum" id="page88"><span - class="smaller">{88}</span></span>gorged itself on a colt or a calf. Under such conditions, if the - dogs had a good start, they ran into the wolf and held him.... Packs composed of nothing but - specially bred and trained greyhounds of great size and power made a better showing. Under - favourable circumstances three or four of these dogs readily overtook and killed the largest - wolf.... Their dashing courage and ferocious fighting capacity were marvellous, and in this - respect I was never able to see much difference between the smooth and rough—the Scotch - deerhound or the greyhound type."</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_088.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_088.jpg" - alt="RUSSIAN WOLF." title="RUSSIAN WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RUSSIAN WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a most characteristic photograph of one of the so-called "greyhound - wolves" of the Russian forests.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Wolf cubs are born in April or May. The litter is from four to nine. There was one of six a few - years ago at the Zoological Gardens at the Hague, pretty little creatures like collie puppies, but - quarrelsome and rough even in their play. When born, they were covered with reddish-white down; - later the coat became woolly and dark.</p> - - <p>The European wolf's method of hunting when in chase of deer is by steady pursuit. Its speed is - such and its endurance so great that it can overtake any animal. But there is no doubt that the - favourite food of the wolf is mutton, which it can always obtain without risk on the wild - mountains of the Near East, if once the guardian dogs are avoided. M. Tschudi, the naturalist of - the Alps, gives a curious account of the assemblage of wolves in Switzerland in 1799. They had, as - is mentioned above, followed the armies from Russia. Having tasted human flesh, they preferred it - to all other, and even dug up the corpses. The Austrian, French, and Russian troops penetrated in - 1799 into the highest mountain valleys of Switzerland, and fought sanguinary battles there. - Hundreds of corpses were left on the mountains and in the forests, which acted as bait to the - wolves, which were not destroyed for some years.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Wolves will interbreed with dogs readily, which the red fox will not. The progeny - do not bark, but howl. The Eskimo cross their dogs with wolves to give them strength.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Coyote, or Prairie-wolf.</span></p> - - <p>Besides the large grey wolf, a smaller and less formidable animal is common on the prairies and - mountains of the northern half of the continent of America. This is the Coyote. It takes the place - of the hyæna as a scavenger, but has some of the habits of the fox. It catches birds and - buck-rabbits, and feeds on insects, as well as small rodents like prairie-dogs and mice. Its - melancholy howls make night hideous on the northern prairies, and it is the steady foe of all - young creatures, such as the fawns of prong-horned antelope and deer. Its skin, like that of most - northern carnivora, is thick and valuable for fur wraps. The coyotes assemble in packs like - jackals.</p> - - <p>In the National Park in the Yellowstone Valley grey wolves and coyotes are the only animals - which it is absolutely necessary to destroy. As the deer and antelope and other game <span - class="pagenum" id="page89"><span class="smaller">{89}</span></span>increased under State - protection, the wolves and coyotes drew towards a quarter where there were no hunters and a good - supply of food. It was soon found that the increase of the game was checked. The coyotes used to - watch the hinds when about to drop their calves, and usually succeeded in killing them. The large - grey wolves killed the hinds themselves, and generally made life most unpleasant for the dwellers - in this paradise. Orders were issued to kill off all the wolves by any means. Poison was found to - be the best remedy; but in the winter, when all the game descended into the valleys, the wolves - found so much fresh food in the carcases of the animals they killed for themselves that they would - not eat very eagerly of the poisoned baits. The coyotes were killed off fairly closely, as they - are less able to obtain living prey; but the grey wolves are constantly reinforced from the - mountains, and are a permanent enemy to be coped with.</p> - - <p>A curious instance of change of habit in wolves on the American prairies was recently noted in - the <i>Spectator</i>. Formerly they followed the caravans; now they come down to the great - transcontinental railways, and haunt the line to obtain food. Each train which crosses the prairie - is, like a ship, full of provisions. Three meals a day take place regularly, and these are not - stinted. The black cooks throw all the waste portions—beef-bones, other bones, stale bread, - and trimmings—overboard. The wolves have learnt that the passing of a train means food, and - when they hear one they gallop down to the line, and wait like expectant dogs in the hope of - picking up a trifle. The coyotes come close to the metals, and sit like terriers, with their sharp - noses pricked up. The big grey wolves also appear in the early morning, standing on the snow, over - which the chill wind of winter blows, gaunt and hungry images of winter and famine.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_089.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_089.jpg" - alt="A WOLF OF THE CARPATHIANS." title="A WOLF OF THE CARPATHIANS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A WOLF OF THE CARPATHIANS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This wolf is a shorter and more heavily built specimen than the Russian wolf on - the previous page.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page90"><span class="smaller">{90}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_090_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_090_t.jpg" - alt="INDIAN WOLF." title="INDIAN WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the Indian wolf alarmed. It has a reputation for stealing - children as well as killing cattle.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Some years ago experiments were made at the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens to ascertain if - there were any foundation for the old legends that wolves feared the sound of stringed instruments - such as the violin. Every one will remember the story of the fiddler pursued by wolves. It is said - that as the pack overtook him he broke a string of his instrument, and that the sudden noise of - the parting cord caused the pack to stand still for a minute, and so enabled him to reach a tree, - which he climbed. Further, that when he improved on the hint so given, and played his fiddle, the - wolves all sat still; when he left off, they leapt up and tried to reach him. Experiments with the - Zoo wolves showed that there was no doubt whatever that the low minor chords played on a violin - cause the greatest fear and agitation in wolves, both European and Indian. The instrument was - first played behind the den of an Indian wolf, and out of sight. At the first sound the wolf began - to tremble, erected its fur, dropped its tail between its legs, and crept uneasily across its den. - As the sounds grew louder and more intense, the wolf trembled so violently, and showed such - physical evidence of being dominated by excessive fright, that the keeper begged that the - experiment might be discontinued, or the creature would have a fit. A large European wolf is - described in "Life at the Zoo" as having exhibited its dislike of the music in a different way. It - set up all its fur till it looked much larger than its ordinary size, and drew back its lips until - all the white teeth protruding from the red gums were shown. It kept silent till the violin-player - approached it; then it flew at him with a ferocious growl, and tried to seize him.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_090_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_090_b.jpg" - alt="WOLF'S HEAD." title="WOLF'S HEAD."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WOLF'S HEAD.</p> - <p class="sp0">A very fine study of the head, jaws, and teeth of a female wolf. The head of - the male is much larger.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There are instances of wolves having been quite successfully tamed, and developing great - affection for their owners. They are certainly more dog-like than any fox; yet even the fox has - been tamed so far as to become a domesticated animal for the lifetime of one particular - individual. An extraordinary instance of this was lately given in <i>Country Life</i>, with a - photograph of the fox. It was taken when a cub, and brought up at a large <span class="pagenum" - id="page91"><span class="smaller">{91}</span></span>country house with a number of dogs. Among - these were three terriers, with which it made friends. There were plenty of wild foxes near, some - of which occasionally laid up in the laurels in a shrubbery not far from the house. These laurels - were, in fact, a fairly safe find for a fox. It was the particular sport of the terriers to be - taken to "draw" this bit of cover, and to chase out any fox in it. On these expeditions the tame - fox invariably accompanied them, and took an active part in the chase, pursuing the wild fox as - far as the terriers were able to maintain the hunt.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_091.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_091.jpg" - alt="RUSSIAN WOLF." title="RUSSIAN WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RUSSIAN WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the expression of fear and ferocity on the face of this wolf; also the - enormously powerful jaws.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Central Asia the wolves lie out singly on the steppes during the summer, and feed on the - young antelopes and the lambs and kids of the Tartars' flocks. The Kirghiz organise wolf-killing - parties, to which as many mounted men and dogs come as can be brought together. In order to aid - the dogs, the Tartars often employ eagles trained to act like falcons, which sit on the arm of the - owner. As the eagle is too heavy to be carried for any time in this way, a crutch is fastened to - the left side of the saddle, on which the bearer of the falcon rests his arm. When a wolf is - sighted, the eagle is loosed, and at once flies after the wolf, and overtakes it in a short time, - striking at its head and eyes with its talons, and buffeting it with its wings. This attack so - disconcerts the wolf that it gives time for the dogs to come up and seize it.</p> - - <p>The habits of the Siberian wolf are rather different from those in West Russia, and the - settlers and nomad Tartars of Siberia are far more adventurous and energetic in defending - themselves against its ravages than the peasants of European Russia. Being mounted, they also have - a great advantage in the pursuit. The result is that Siberian wolves seldom appear in large packs, - and very rarely venture to attack man. Yet the damage they do to the flocks and herds which - constitute almost the only property of the nomad tribes is very severe.</p> - - <p>Both the Russians and Siberians believe that when a she-wolf is suckling her young she - carefully avoids attacking flocks in the neighbourhood of the place where the cubs lie, but that - if she be robbed of her whelps she revenges herself by attacking the nearest flock. On this - account the Siberian peasants rarely destroy a litter, but hamstring the young wolves and then - catch them when partly grown, and kill them for the sake of their fur. Among the ingenious methods - used for shooting wolves in Siberia is that of killing them from sledges. A steady horse is - harnessed to a sledge, and the driver takes his seat in front as usual. Behind sit two men armed - with guns, and provided with a small pig, which is induced to squeak often and loudly. In the rear - of the sledge a bag of hay is trailed on a long rope. Any wolf in the forest near which hears the - pig concludes that it is a young wild one separated from its mother. Seeing the hay-bag trailing - behind the sledge in the dusk, it leaps out to seize it, and is shot by the passengers sitting on - the back seat of the sledge.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page92"><span class="smaller">{92}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_092_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_092_t.jpg" - alt="NORTH AFRICAN JACKAL." title="NORTH AFRICAN JACKAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">NORTH AFRICAN JACKAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the common jackal of Cairo and Lower Egypt.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Jackal.</span></p> - - <p>Of the Wild Canine Family, the <span class="sc">Jackal</span> is the next in numbers and - importance to the wolves. Probably in the East it is the most numerous of any. In India, Egypt, - and Syria it regularly haunts the outskirts of cities, and lives on refuse. In the Indian plains - wounded animals are also killed by the jackals. At night the creatures assemble in packs, and - scour the outskirts of the cities. Horrible are the howlings and weird the cries of these hungry - packs. In Ceylon they live in the hills and open country like foxes, and kill the hares. When - taken young jackals can be tamed, and have all the manners of a dog. They wag their tails, fawn on - their master, roll over and stick up their paws, and could probably be domesticated in a few - generations, were it worth while. They eat fruits and vegetables, such as melons and pumpkins, - eagerly.</p> - - <p>In Africa two species are found—the <span class="sc">Black-backed Jackal</span> and the - <span class="sc">Striped Jackal</span>; the former is the size of a large English fox. The young - jackals are born in holes or earths; six seems to be the usual number of puppies. They have nearly - always a back door by which they can escape; this is just large enough for the puppies to squeeze - through, whatever their size. When fox-terriers are put into the earth, the jackal puppies fly out - of their back doors, through which, as a rule, the terriers are unable to follow them. Should - there be no one outside, the puppies race out on to the veldt as hard as they can go. This jackal - is terribly destructive to sheep and lambs in the Colony. A reward of 7<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> per - tail is paid to the Kaffirs for killing them. The <span class="sc">Side-striped Jackal</span> is a - Central African species, said to hunt in packs, to interbreed with domestic dogs, and to be most - easily tamed.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_092_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_092_b.jpg" - alt="INDIAN JACKAL." title="INDIAN JACKAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN JACKAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This Indian Jackal might be sitting for his portrait in Mr. Rudyard Kipling's - tale of the "undertakers"—the jackal, alligator, and adjutant.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Both in India and South Africa the jackal has been found to be of some service to the white man - by providing him with a substitute for the fox to hunt. It has quite as remarkable powers of - endurance as the fox, though it does not fight in the same determined way when the hounds overtake - it. But it is not easy to estimate the courage of a fox when in difficulties. The writer has known - one, when coursed by two large greyhounds, to disable both almost instantaneously. One was bitten - across the muzzle, the other through the foot. The fox escaped without a bite from either. In - India the hounds used are drafts from English packs. The hot weather does not suit them, and they - <span class="pagenum" id="page93"><span class="smaller">{93}</span></span>are seldom long-lived; - but while they are in health they will run a jackal across the Indian plains as gaily as they - would a fox over the Hampshire Downs. The meet is very early in the morning, as the scent then - lies, and riding is not too great an exertion. The ground drawn is not the familiar English - covert, but fields, watercourses, and old buildings. A strong dog-jackal goes away at a great - pace, and as the ground is open the animal is often in view for the greater part of the run; but - it keeps well ahead of the hounds often for three or four miles, and if it does not escape into a - hole or ruin is usually pulled down by them. Major-General R. S. S. Baden-Powell has written and - illustrated an amusing account of his days with the fox-hounds of South Africa hunting jackals. - The local Boer farmers, rough, unkempt, and in ragged trousers, used to turn up smoking their - pipes to enjoy the sport with the smartly got-up English officers. When once the game was found, - they were just as excited as the Englishmen, and on their Boer ponies rode just as hard, and with - perhaps more judgment.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_093_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_093_t.jpg" - alt="MANED WOLF." title="MANED WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MANED WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">A South American animal; its coat is a chestnut-red.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_093_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_093_b.jpg" - alt="TURKISH JACKAL." title="TURKISH JACKAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TURKISH JACKAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This jackal is common in both Turkey in Europe and in Asia. Near Constantinople - it feeds largely on the bodies buried in the cemeteries at Scutari.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Jackals are said to be much increasing in South Africa since the outbreak of the - war. The fighting has so far arrested farming operations that the war usually maintained on all - beasts which destroy cattle or sheep has been allowed to drop. In parts of the more hilly - districts both the jackal and the leopard are reappearing where they have not been common for - years, and it will take some time before these enemies of the farmer are destroyed.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Maned Wolf.</span></p> - - <p>This is by far the largest of several peculiar South American species of the Dog Family which - we have not room to mention. It occurs in Paraguay and adjoining regions, and is easily - distinguishable by its long limbs and large ears. It is chestnut-red in colour, with the lower - part of the legs black, and is solitary in its habits.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page94"><span class="smaller">{94}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_094_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_094_t.jpg" - alt="WILD DOG." title="WILD DOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">WILD DOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals range from the plains of India and Burma to the Tibetan Plateau - and Siberia. They hunt in small packs, usually by day, and are very destructive to game, but - seldom attack domestic animals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Wild Dog of Africa, or Cape Hunting-dog.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is a most interesting creature, differing from the true dogs in having only - four toes on both fore and hind feet, and in being spotted like a hyæna. These dogs are the - scourge of African game, hunting in packs. Long of limb and swift of foot, incessantly restless, - with an overpowering desire to snap and bite from mere animal spirits, the Cape wild dog, even - when in captivity and attached to its master, is an intractable beast. In its native state it - kills the farmers' cattle and sheep and the largest antelopes. A pack has been seen to kill and - devour to the last morsel a large buck in fifteen minutes. Drummond says: "It is a marvellous - sight to see a pack of them hunting, drawing cover after cover, their sharp bell-like note ringing - through the air, while a few of the fastest of their number take up their places along the - expected line of the run, the wind, the nature of the ground, and the habits of the game being all - taken into consideration with wonderful skill." The same writer says that he has seen them dash - into a herd of cattle feeding not a hundred yards from the house, drive out a beast, disappear - over a rising ground, kill it, and pick its bones before a horse could be saddled and ridden to - the place.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_094_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_094_b.jpg" alt="DINGO." - title="DINGO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DINGO.</p> - <p class="sp0">The wild dog of Australia. It was found there by the first discoverers, but was - probably introduced from elsewhere.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page95"><span class="smaller">{95}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_095.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_095.jpg" alt="DINGOES." - title="DINGOES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Kerry & Co.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Sydney.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DINGOES.</p> - <p class="sp0">The destruction done to the flocks of the settlers by the dingoes caused the - latter to combine and almost to destroy these wild dogs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page96"><span class="smaller">{96}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Indian Wild Dogs.</span></p> - - <p>Mr. Rudyard Kipling's stories of the "Dhole," the red dogs of the Indian jungle, have made the - world familiar with these ferocious and wonderfully bold wild dogs. There is very little doubt - that they were found in historic times in Asia Minor. Possibly the surviving stories of the - "Gabriel hounds" and other ghostly packs driving deer alone in the German and Russian forests, - tales which remain even in remote parts of England, are a survival of the days when the wild dogs - lived in Europe. At present there is one species of long-haired wild dog in West Central Siberia. - These dogs killed nearly all the deer in the large forests near Omsk some years ago. Across the - Himalaya there are several species, one of them as far east as Burma; but the most famous are the - <span class="sc">Red Dogs of the Deccan</span>. They frequent both the jungles and the hills; but - their favourite haunt is the uplands of the Indian Ghats. They are larger than a jackal, much - stronger, and hunt in packs. They have only ten teeth on each side, instead of eleven, as in the - other dogs and foxes. There is no doubt that these fierce hunting-dogs actually take prey from the - tiger's jaws, and probably attack the tiger itself. They will beset a tiger at any time, and the - latter seems to have learnt from them an instinctive fear of dogs. Not so the leopard, which, - being able to climb, has nothing to fear even from the "dhole." A coffee-planter, inspecting his - grounds, heard a curious noise in the forest bordering his estate. On going round the corner of a - thick bush, he almost trod on the tail of a tiger standing with his back towards him. He silently - retreated, but as he did so he saw that there was a pack of wild dogs a few paces in front of the - tiger, yelping at him, and making the peculiar noise which had previously attracted his attention. - Having procured a rifle, he returned with some of his men to the spot. The tiger was gone, but - they disturbed a large pack of wild dogs feeding on the body of a stag. This, on examination, - proved to have been killed by the tiger, for there were the marks of the teeth in its neck. The - dogs had clearly driven the tiger from his prey and appropriated it. The dread of the tiger for - these wild dogs was discovered by the sportsmen of the Nilgiri Hills, and put to a good use. They - used to collect scratch packs and hunt up tigers in the woods. The tiger, thinking they were the - dreaded wild pack, would either leave altogether or scramble into a tree. As tigers never do this - ordinarily, it shows how wild dogs get on their nerves.</p> - - <p>Several South American wild dogs and foxes are included in the series with the wolves and - jackals. Among these are <span class="sc">Azara's Dog</span> and the <span - class="sc">Raccoon-dog</span>. These are commonly called foxes, though they have wolf-like - skulls.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_096.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_096.jpg" - alt="CAPE HUNTING-DOG." title="CAPE HUNTING-DOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CAPE HUNTING-DOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal hunts in packs. It is very active and most destructive to large - game of many kinds.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Dingo.</span></p> - - <p>The only non-marsupial animal of Australia when the continent was discovered was the <span - class="sc">Wild Dog</span>, or <span class="sc">Dingo</span>. Its origin is not known; but as soon - as the settlers' flocks and herds began to increase its ravages were most serious, though - doubtless some of the havoc with which it was accredited was due in a great measure to runaways - from domestication. Anyhow, in the dingo the settlers found the most formidable enemy with which - they had to contend, and vigorous measures were taken to reduce their numbers and minimise their - ravages, so that by now they are nearly exterminated in Van Diemen's Land and rare on the mainland - of Australia.</p> - - <p>It is a fine, bold dog, of considerable size, generally long-coated, of a light tan colour, and - with pricked-up ears. It is easily tamed, and some of those kept in this country have made - affectionate pets. Puppies are regularly bred and sold at the Zoological Gardens. The animal has - an elongated, flat head which is carried high; the fur is soft, and the tail bushy. In the wild - state it is very muscular and fierce.</p> - - <div id="fp97"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_097fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_097fp.jpg" - alt="HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR." title="HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HIMALAYAN BLACK BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the most active climber of the two Himalayan bears.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page97"><span class="smaller">{97}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE FOXES.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Foxes</span> form a very well-marked group. They have very pointed muzzles, - strong though slightly built bodies, very fine thick fur, often beautifully coloured and very - valuable, bushy tails, pricked-up ears, and eyes with pupils which contract by day into a mere - slit. They are quite distinct from dogs (although wolves are not), and will not interbreed, though - stories are told to the contrary. The smell of a fox is disgusting to a dog, and quite sufficient - to distinguish it.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_097.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_097.jpg" alt="FOX CUBS." - title="FOX CUBS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FOX CUBS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Fox cubs are born from March 25 till three weeks later, the time when young - rabbits, their best food, are most numerous.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>If the present writer takes a simpler view of the kinds and species of foxes than that adopted - by many naturalists, he must plead to a study of the subject on slightly different lines than - those usually followed. The skins of all foxes are valuable, some more than others. But they are - sent in hundreds of thousands, and from all parts of the northern hemisphere, to London to the - great fur-sales. There these differences can be studied as they can be studied nowhere else. As - the habits and structure of foxes are much alike, allowing for differences of climate, and the - discrepancies in size, not more than can be accounted for by abundance or scarcity of food, it - seems pretty certain that these animals are some of the few, almost alone among mammals, showing - almost every variety of colouring, from black to white, from splendid chameleon-red to - salmon-pink, and many exquisite shades of brown, grey, and silver. At the Hudson Bay Company's - sales you may see them all, and trace the differences and gradations over whole continents. The - most important are those of North America. There the <span class="sc">Red Canadian Fox</span>, of - a ruddier hue than brown, shades off into the yellow and grey <span class="sc">Cross Fox</span> of - farther north. But of these there are many varieties. Then farther north still comes an area where - red foxes, cross foxes, and black foxes are found. The black fox, when the fur is slightly - sprinkled with white, is the famous <span class="sc">Silver Fox</span>. This and the black fox are - also found in North Siberia and Manchuria. Farthest north we find the little stunted <span - class="sc">Arctic Foxes</span>. In the Caucasus and Central Asia large yellowish-red foxes live, - and in Japan and China a very bright red variety. A small grey fox lives in Virginia, and is - hunted with hounds descended from packs <span class="pagenum" id="page98"><span - class="smaller">{98}</span></span>taken out before the American Revolution. India has its small - <span class="sc">Desert-foxes</span> ("the little foxes that eat the grapes") and the <span - class="sc">Bengal Fox</span>.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_098_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_098_t.jpg" - alt="MOUNTAIN-FOX." title="MOUNTAIN-FOX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MOUNTAIN-FOX.</p> - <p class="sp0">In hilly countries the fox becomes a powerful and destructive animal, killing - not only game but lambs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The value of the foxes as fur-bearing animals is immense. Only white, blue, and black skins - seem to be appreciated in England. The black fox has been known to fetch 150 guineas a skin. But - in the East, from Asia Minor to China, red, grey, and yellow fox-skins are the lining of every - rich man's winter wraps. Splendid mixed robes are made by the Chinese by inserting portions of - cross fox-skins into coats of cut sable, giving the idea that it is the fur of a new animal.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_098_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_098_b.jpg" - alt="LEICESTERSHIRE FOX." title="LEICESTERSHIRE FOX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LEICESTERSHIRE FOX.</p> - <p class="sp0">Leicestershire is the best fox-hunting county in England. The foxes are famous - for their speed and endurance.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Fox</span>, the foundation or type of all the above, is the - best-known carnivorous animal in this country. Abroad its habits do not greatly differ, except - that, not being hunted much with hounds, it is less completely nocturnal. It drops its young in an - earth early in April. Thither the vixen carries food till late in June, when the cubs come out, - and often move to a wood or a corn-field. There they are still fed, but learn to do a little on - their own account by catching mice and moles. By late September the hounds come cub-hunting, - partly to kill off superfluous foxes, partly to educate the young hounds, and to teach the foxes - to fear them and to make them leave cover easily. Four or five cubs in a litter are commonly seen. - The distance which a fox will run is extraordinary. The following is a true account of one of the - most remarkable runs ever known. The hounds were those of Mr. Tom Smith, master of the Hambledon - Hunt. He was the man of whom another famous sportsman said that if he were a fox he should prefer - to be hunted by a pack of hounds rather than by Tom Smith with a stick in his hand. The fox was - found in a cover called Markwells, at one o'clock in the afternoon in December, near Petersfield. - It crossed into Sussex, and ran into an earth in Grafham Hill a little before dark. The fox had - gone twenty-seven miles. The hounds had forty miles to go back to kennel that night, and three - only found their way home four days afterwards. Dog-foxes assemble in considerable numbers when a - vixen is about in spring, and at all times common foxes are sociable creatures, though not - actually living in societies. Sometimes as many as five or six are found in a single earth. Two - years ago five foxes and a badger were found in one near Romford. They eat mice, beetles, rats, - birds, game, poultry, and frogs. Their favourite food is rabbits. If there are plenty of these, - they will not touch other game. They hunt along the railway-lines for dead birds killed by the - telegraph-wires. In the New Forest they also go down to the shore and pick up dead fish. One in - the writer's possession was shot when carrying away a lamb from a sheepfold near the cliffs of - Sidmouth, in Devon. The shepherd thought it was a marauding dog, and lay in wait with a gun.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page99"><span class="smaller">{99}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_099.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_099.jpg" - alt="TOO DIFFICULT!" title="TOO DIFFICULT!"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p>TOO DIFFICULT!</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Foxes can easily climb trees with small projecting - branches. One was found 87 feet up a tree in Savernake Forest; but a branchless stump such as - that here shown no fox could climb.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page100"><span class="smaller">{100}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Arctic Fox.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_100_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_100_t.jpg" - alt="ARCTIC FOX." title="ARCTIC FOX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photos by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ARCTIC FOX.</p> - <p class="sp0"><i>In summer.</i><span class="gap" style="width:10em"> </span><i>Changing - his coat.</i><span class="gap" style="width:10em"> </span><i>In winter.</i><br/> - <br/> - The Arctic Fox is one of the few animals showing different phases of colour, some being blue - at all seasons, while others are white in winter and mottled brownish in summer.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Arctic Fox</span> is somewhat different in habits from others. - It is also much smaller than the red foxes. Its fur is almost as soft as eiderdown, and so thick - that the cold does not penetrate. In winter the whole coat changes colour, not gradually, but in - patches. At the same time a dense growth of under-fur comes up on the body. In summer this is shed - in patches, almost like loose felt. The foxes live in colonies, but are so hard put to it for food - in the winter that they desert their homes to gather round whaling-ships or encampments. There - they steal everything edible, from snowshoe-thongs to seal-flesh. Blue foxes are bred and kept for - the sake of their fur on some of the islands in Bering Sea. They are fed on the flesh of the seals - killed on the neighbouring islands, and are, like them, killed when their coat is in - condition.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Fennecs.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_100_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_100_b.jpg" - alt="FENNEC-FOX." title="FENNEC-FOX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FENNEC-FOX.</p> - <p class="sp0">Remarkable for the great size of the ears. An African species. Its sense of - hearing is probably very acute.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Africa has a group of small foxes of its own. They have very large ears and dark eyes. Some of - them remind us of the Maholis and other large-eyed lemuroids. Several are not more than 9 or 10 - inches long; they are a whitish-khaki colour, but the eyes are very dark and brilliant.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Common Fennec</span> is found over the whole of Africa. Its - favourite food is dates and any sweet fruit, but it is also fond of eggs, and will eat mice and - insects. It is probably the original hero of the story of the fox and the grapes. The large-eared - fennec, which is sometimes called the <span class="sc">Silver Fox</span>, is found from the Cape - to as far north as Abyssinia. It is 23 inches long, and lives mainly on insects and fruit.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page101"><span class="smaller">{101}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">DOMESTIC DOGS.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY C. H. LANE.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Dog</span>, almost without exception, shows a marked liking for the - society of human beings, and adapts itself to their ways more than any other animal.</p> - - <p>Fox-, Stag-, and Hare-hounds—the latter better known as Hariers and Beagles—have - many points in common, much beauty of shape and colour, and great suitability for their work, - though differing in some other particulars.</p> - - <p>Another group—Greyhounds, Whippets, Irish Wolf-hounds, Scottish Deer-hounds, all of which - come under the category of Gaze-hounds, or those which hunt by sight—are built for great - speed, to enable them to cope with the fleet game they pursue. In the same group should be - included the <span class="sc">Borzoi</span>, or Russian Wolf-hound, now very popular in this - country, with something of the appearance of the Scottish deer-hound about it as to shape, but - with a finer, longer head, deeper body, more muscular limbs, and shaggier in the hair on body and - tail.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Otter-hound</span> is one of the most picturesque of all the hound tribe. - This variety somewhat reminds one of a large and leggy Dandie Dinmont terrier, with a touch of the - blood-hound, and is thought to have been originally produced from a cross between these or similar - varieties.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Blood-hound</span> is another, with much style and beauty of shape, - colour, and character about it which cannot fail to favourably impress any beholder. The matches - or trials which have of late years been held in different localities have been most interesting in - proving its ability for tracking footsteps for long distances, merely following them by scent, - some time after the person hunted started on the trail. By the kindness of my friend Mr. E. - Brough, I am able to give as an illustration a portrait of what he considers the best blood-hound - ever bred.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_101.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_101.jpg" - alt="STAG-HOUND PUPPIES." title="STAG-HOUND PUPPIES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by F. H. Dembrey</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Bristol.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">STAG-HOUND PUPPIES.</p> - <p class="sp0">This gives an interesting group of hounds in kennel.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Much valued by sportsmen with the gun are <span class="sc">Pointers</span>, so called from - their habit of remaining in a fixed position when their quarry is discovered, eagerly pointing in - its direction until the arrival of the guns. They are most often white, with liver, lemon, or - black markings; but occasionally self colours, such as liver or black, are met with. They have - been largely bred <span class="pagenum" id="page102"><span class="smaller">{102}</span></span>in - the west of England. I have been fortunate in obtaining one of Mr. E. C. Norrish's celebrated - strain as a typical specimen for illustration.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_102.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_102.jpg" alt="GREYHOUND." - title="GREYHOUND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREYHOUND.</p> - <p class="sp0">A typical specimen of this elegant variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Setter</span> group, which comprises three varieties, are all useful and - beautiful in their way. The English are usually white, with markings or tickings of blue, lemon, - or black; they are rather long and narrow in the head, with bodies and sterns well feathered, and - are graceful and active movers. Gordon setters, which are always black and tan in colour, and - preferred without any white, are generally larger and stronger in build than the last-named. Irish - setters are more on the lines of the English, being a rich tawny red in colour, rather higher on - the leg, with narrow skulls, glossy coats, feathered legs and stern, ears set low and lying back, - and lustrous, expressive eyes.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Retrievers</span> may be divided into flat-coated and curly-coated. Both are - usually black, but other colours are occasionally seen. The coats of the first-named are full, but - without curl in them; while the latter have their bodies, heads, legs, thighs, and even tails - covered with small close curls. The eyes of both should be dark, and the ears carried closely to - the sides of the head. In an article dealing with retrievers, which appeared in the <i>Cornhill - Magazine</i> under the title of "Dogs which Earn their Living," the author writes: "There is not - the slightest doubt that in the modern retrievers acquired habits, certainly one acquired habit, - that of fetching dead and wounded game, are transmitted directly. The puppies sometimes retrieve - without being taught, though with this they also combine a greatly improved capacity for further - teaching. Recently a retriever was sent after a winged partridge which had run into a ditch. The - dog followed it some way down the ditch, and presently came out with an old rusty tea-kettle, held - in its mouth by the handle. The kettle was taken from the dog, amid much laughter; then it was - found that inside the kettle was the partridge! The explanation was that the bird, when wounded, - ran into the ditch, which was narrow. In the ditch was the old kettle, with no lid on. Into this - the bird crept; and as the dog could not get the bird out, it very properly brought out the kettle - with the bird in it. Among dogs which earn their living, these good retrievers deserve a place in - the front rank." The illustration shows a good flat-coated retriever at work.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Spaniel</span> group is rather large, including the English and Irish - water-spaniels, the former an old-fashioned, useful sort, often liver or roan, with some white or - other markings, and a good deal of curl in the coat and on the ears. His Irish brother is always - some shade of liver in colour, larger in the body and higher on the leg, covered with a curly - coat, except on the tail, which is nearly bare of hair, with a profusion of hair on the top of the - head, often hanging down over the eyes, giving a comical appearance, and increasing his Hibernian - expression. They make lively, affectionate companions and grand assistants at - waterfowl-shooting.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page103"><span class="smaller">{103}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_103.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_103.jpg" alt="RETRIEVER." - title="RETRIEVER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RETRIEVER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This represents a flat-coated retriever at work, and is remarkably true to - life.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page104"><span class="smaller">{104}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_104_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_104_t.jpg" - alt="BLOOD-HOUND." title="BLOOD-HOUND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">BLOOD-HOUND.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows what an almost perfect blood-hound should be like.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Clumber Spaniels</span> are always a creamy white, with lemon or light tan - markings, and are rather slow and deliberate in their movements, but have a stylish, high-class - look about them.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Sussex Spaniels</span> are also rather heavy in build and of muscular frame, - but can do a day's work with most others. They are a rich copper-red in colour, with low short - bodies, long feathered ears, full eyes of deep colour, and are very handsome.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Black Spaniels</span> should be glossy raven-black in colour, with strong - muscular bodies on strong short legs, long pendulous ears, and expressive eyes. Good specimens are - in high favour, and command long prices. I regret I cannot find room for an illustration of this - breed, so deservedly popular.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Cockers</span>, which are shorter in the back, higher on the leg, and lighter - in weight, being usually under 25 lbs., are very popular, full of life, and very attractive in - appearance.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Basset-hounds</span>, both rough- and smooth-coated, are probably the most - muscular dogs in existence of their height, with much dignity about them. In the Sporting Teams at - the Royal Agricultural Hall there were some thirteen or fifteen teams of all kinds of sporting - dogs, and of these a team each of rough and smooth bassets was in the first four.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Dachshunds</span> are often erroneously treated as Sporting Dogs. There are - certainly not so many supporters of the breed as formerly. Their lean heads, with long hanging - ears, long low bodies, and crooked fore legs, give them a quaint appearance. The colours are - usually shades of chestnut-red or black and tan; but some are seen chocolate and "dappled," which - is one shade of reddish brown, with spots and blotches of a darker shade all over it.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_104_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_104_bl.jpg" - alt="ENGLISH SETTER." title="ENGLISH SETTER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">ENGLISH SETTER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A typical but rather coarse specimen of a beautiful variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_104_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_104_br.jpg" - alt="SMOOTH-COATED SAINT BERNARD." title="SMOOTH-COATED SAINT BERNARD."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SMOOTH-COATED SAINT BERNARD.</p> - <p class="sp0">The illustration gives a capital idea of these handsome dogs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3"><span class="sc">Great Danes</span>, though mostly classed amongst Non-sporting - Dogs, have much of the hound in their bearing and appearance. The whole-coloured are not so - popular as the various <span class="pagenum" id="page105"><span - class="smaller">{105}</span></span>shades of brindle and harlequin, but I have seen many beautiful - fawns, blues, and other whole colours. They are being bred with small natural drooping ears. One - of the first I remember seeing exhibited was a large harlequin belonging to the late Mr. Frank - Adcock, with the appropriate name of "Satan," as, although always shown muzzled, he required the - attentions of three or four keepers to deal with him; and at one show I attended he overpowered - his keepers, got one of them on the ground, tore his jacket off, and gave him a rough - handling.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Non-sporting Varieties.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Saint Bernards</span>, although sometimes exceeding 3 feet at the shoulder, - are as a rule very docile and good-tempered, and many are owned by ladies. The coat may be rough - or smooth, according to taste; but either are splendid animals. They are sometimes seen - self-coloured, but those with markings—shades of rich red, with white and black, for - preference—are the handsomest. They are still used as "first aids" in the snow on the Swiss - mountains. So far as I remember, this is the only breed of dog used for stud and exhibition for - which as much as £1,500 has been paid; and this has occurred on more than one occasion.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_105_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_105_t.jpg" - alt="GREAT DANE." title="GREAT DANE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREAT DANE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This shows a typical specimen of this breed, with cropped ears, which will be - discontinued in show dogs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Newfoundlands</span> have regained their place in popularity, and many good - blacks and black-and-whites can now be seen. Numerous cases are on record of their rendering aid - to persons in danger of drowning, and establishing communication with wrecked vessels and the - shore.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Mastiffs</span> are looked on as one of the national breeds. Their commanding - presence and stately manner make them highly suitable as guards, and they are credited with much - attachment and devotion to their owners. The colours are mostly shades of fawn with black muzzle, - or shades of brindle. I am able to give the portrait of one of the best specimens living, - belonging to Mr. R. Leadbetter.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Bull-dogs</span> are also regarded as a national breed. They are at present in - high favour. The sizes and colours are so various that all tastes can be satisfied. Recently there - has been a fancy for toy bull-dogs, limited to 22 lbs. in weight, mostly with upright ears of - tulip shape. In spite of the many aspersions on their character, bull-dogs are usually easy-going - and good-tempered, and are often very fastidious feeders—what fanciers call "bad doers."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_105_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_105_b.jpg" - alt="DACHSHUND." title="DACHSHUND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DACHSHUND.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph conveys a fair idea of those quaint dogs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page106"><span class="smaller">{106}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_106_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_106_t.jpg" - alt="DALMATIANS." title="DALMATIANS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Kitchener Portrait Co.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">DALMATIANS.</p> - <p class="sp0">All are typical, but the first is the best in quality and markings.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_106_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_106_b.jpg" - alt="NEWFOUNDLAND." title="NEWFOUNDLAND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">NEWFOUNDLAND.</p> - <p class="sp0">The dog shown here gives a good idea of size and character, but is not in best - coat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Rough Collies</span> are very graceful, interesting creatures, and stand first - in intelligence amongst canines. They are highly popular. Several have been sold for over £1,000, - and the amounts in prize-money and fees obtained by some of the "cracks" would surprise persons - not in "the fancy." A high-bred specimen "in coat" is most beautiful. The colours most favoured - are sables with white markings; but black, white, and tans, known as "tricolors," are pleasing and - effective. I quite hoped to give a portrait of one of the most perfect of present-day champions, - belonging to H.H. the Princess de Montglyon, but could not find room.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Smooth Collies</span> are a handsome breed, full of grace, beauty, and - intelligence, and very active and lively. A favourite colour is merle, a sort of lavender, with - black markings and tan and white in parts, usually associated with one or both eyes - china-coloured. Specimens often win in sheep-dog trials; a bitch of mine won many such, and was - more intelligent in other ways than many human beings.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Old English Sheep-dogs</span> are a most fascinating breed, remarkably active, - possessed of much endurance and resource, and very faithful and affectionate. I have often made - long <span class="pagenum" id="page107"><span class="smaller">{107}</span></span>journeys through - cross-country roads accompanied by one or more of them, and never knew them miss me, even on the - darkest night or in the crowded streets of a large town. The favourite colour is pigeon-blue, with - white collar and markings. The coat should be straight and hard in texture. The illustration is - from a portrait of one of the best bitches ever shown, belonging to Sir H. de Trafford.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_107.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_107.jpg" alt="BULL-DOGS." - title="BULL-DOGS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BULL-DOGS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph is remarkably good and characteristic of this variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Dalmatians</span> are always white, with black, liver, or lemon spots, the - size of a shilling or less, evenly distributed over the body, head, ears, and even tail, and pure, - without mixture of white. There is much of the pointer about this variety, which has long been - used for sporting purposes on the continent of Europe. I can testify to their many good qualities - as companions and house-dogs. To quote again from the article above mentioned: "It is commonly - believed that the spotted carriage-dogs once so frequently kept in England were about the most - useless creatures of the dog kind, maintained only for show and fashion. This is a mistake. They - were used at a time when a travelling-carriage carried, besides its owners, a large amount of - valuable property, and the dog watched the carriage at night when the owners were sleeping at - country inns. We feel we owe an apology to the race of carriage-dogs.... While this dog is - becoming extinct, in spite of his useful qualities, other breeds are invading spheres of work in - which they had formerly no part." There is only one point in which I differ from the above, and - that is contained in the last sentence. There are a number of enthusiastic breeders very keen on - reviving interest in this variety, and I have during the last few years had large entries to - judge, so that we shall probably see more of them in the future.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Poodles</span> are of many sizes and colours. They are very intelligent, - easily taught tricks, and much used as performing dogs. They have various kinds of coats: - <i>corded</i>, in which the hair hangs in long strands or ringlets; <i>curly</i>, with a profusion - of short curls all over <span class="pagenum" id="page108"><span - class="smaller">{108}</span></span>them, something like retrievers; and <i>fluffy</i>, when the - hair is combed out, to give much the appearance of fleecy wool. A part of the body, legs, head, - and tail is usually shorn.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_108_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_108_t.jpg" - alt="OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG." title="OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">OLD ENGLISH SHEEP-DOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a remarkably fine photograph of a well-known specimen of this - interesting variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Bull-terriers</span> are now bred with small natural drooping ears, and should - have long wedge-shaped heads, fine coats, and long tails. There is also a toy variety, which - hitherto has suffered from round skulls and tulip ears, but is rapidly improving. I have bred many - as small as 3 lbs. in weight. In each variety the colour preferred is pure white, without any - markings, and with fine tapering tails.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Irish Terriers</span> are very popular, and should be nearly wholly red in - colour, with long lean heads, small drooping ears, hard coats, not too much leg, and without - coarseness. They make good comrades.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Bedlington Terriers</span> have long been popular in the extreme north of - England, and are another fighting breed. It is indeed often difficult to avoid a difference of - opinion between show competitors. Their lean long heads, rather domed skulls, with top-knot of - lighter hair, long pointed ears, and small dark eyes, give them a peculiar appearance. The coats, - which are "linty" in texture, should be shades of blue or liver.</p> - - <p>Three breeds, all more or less hard in coat-texture, and grizzled in colour on heads and - bodies, while tanned on other parts, are <span class="sc">Airedale</span>, <span class="sc">Old - English</span>, and <span class="sc">Welsh Terriers</span>, which may be divided into large, - medium, and small. The first-named make very good all-round dogs; the Old English, less in number, - make useful dogs, and are hardy and companionable; while Welsh terriers are much the size of a - small wire-haired fox-terrier, but usually shorter and somewhat thicker in the head. I intended - one of Mr. W. S. Glynn's best dogs to illustrate the last-named.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Fox-terriers</span> are both smooth- and wire-haired. Their convenient size - and lively temperament make them very popular as pets and companions for both sexes and all ages. - The colour is invariably white, with or without markings on head or body, or both.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Black-and-tan</span> and <span class="sc">White English Terriers</span> are - built upon the same lines, differing chiefly in colour, the former being raven-black, with tan - markings on face, legs, and some lower parts of the body, and the latter pure white all over. Both - should have small natural drooping ears, fine glossy coats, and tapering sterns. The toy variety - of the former should be a miniature of the larger, and is very difficult to produce of first-class - quality.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_108_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_108_b.jpg" alt="MASTIFF." - title="MASTIFF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">MASTIFF.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph gives almost an ideal picture of this national breed, the colour - being known as black-brindle.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page109"><span class="smaller">{109}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_tl.jpg" - alt="DEER-HOUND." title="DEER-HOUND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Lambert Lambert</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Bath.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DEER-HOUND.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a capital portrait of one of the best of this graceful variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_tr.jpg" - alt="POINTER." title="POINTER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by H. Cornish</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Crediton.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">POINTER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a young dog not yet shown, but full of quality and type.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_r2l.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_r2l.jpg" - alt="SKYE TERRIER." title="SKYE TERRIER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Villiers & Sons</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Newport.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SKYE TERRIER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph is of a well-known winner in show form.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_r2r.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_r2r.jpg" - alt="CORDED POODLE." title="CORDED POODLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CORDED POODLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The length of the cords of which the coat is composed is clearly shown.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_r3l.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_r3l.jpg" - alt="POMERANIAN." title="POMERANIAN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Mrs. Hall-Walker.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">POMERANIAN.</p> - <p class="sp0">Probably about the best all-black Toy Pomeranian ever shown.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_r3r.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_r3r.jpg" - alt="SCOTTISH TERRIER." title="SCOTTISH TERRIER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Kitchener & Salmon</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Bond Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SCOTTISH TERRIER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A smart picture of one of the best of these popular dogs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_bl.jpg" - alt="MALTESE TOY TERRIER." title="MALTESE TOY TERRIER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. N. Taylor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Cowley Road.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALTESE TOY TERRIER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A very excellent representation of one of the best specimens of the present - day.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_109_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_109_br.jpg" - alt="BUTTERFLY-DOG." title="BUTTERFLY-DOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BUTTERFLY-DOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph gives an excellent idea of this somewhat rare variety.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page110"><span class="smaller">{110}</span></span></div> - - <p><span class="sc">Scottish Terriers</span> are very interesting, often with much "character" - about them. The usual colours are black, shades of grey, or brindle, but some are seen fawn, - stone-colour, and white. The ears should be carried bolt upright, the coat as hard as a badger's, - teeth even, small dark expressive eyes, fore legs straight, the back short. One I brought from - Skye many years since I took with me when driving some miles into the country; coming back by a - different route, he missed me; but on nearing my starting-point I found him posted at a juncture - of four roads, by one of which I must return. He could not have selected a better position. The - illustration is that of a first-rate specimen of the variety, "Champion Balmacron Thistle."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_110_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_110_t.jpg" - alt="HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH CHOW - AND JAPANESE SPANIELS." title="HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH CHOW - AND JAPANESE SPANIELS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH CHOW AND JAPANESE SPANIELS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A group which will be studied with much interest by all.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Dandie Dinmont Terriers</span> have many quaint and charming ways. They are - very strongly built, being among the most muscular of the terriers, of high courage, devotedly - attached to their owners, and admirably adapted for companions, being suitable for indoors or out, - and at home anywhere. The colours are pepper (a sort of darkish iron-grey) and mustard (a - yellowish red fawn), both with white silky hair on head, called the top-knot, and lustrous dark - eyes, very gipsy-like and independent in expression.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Skyes</span>, both <span class="sc">Prick-</span> and <span - class="sc">Drop-eared</span>, are another Scottish breed which well deserve their popularity, as - they are thorough sporting animals. The colours are chiefly shades of dark or light grey, but - sometimes fawn with dark points and whites are seen. The texture of coat should be hard and - weather-resisting; the eyes dark and keen in expression; bodies long, low, and well knit; legs - straight in front; even mouths; tails carried gaily, but not curled over the back.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Schipperkes</span> are of Belgian origin. To those who do not know them, they - are something like medium-sized Pomeranians, short of coat, but without tails. They are nearly - always pure black in colour, with coats of hardish texture, fullest round the neck and shoulders, - the ears standing straight up like darts, short cobby bodies, and straight legs. They make smart - guards and companions.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_110_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_110_b.jpg" - alt="SAND-DOG." title="SAND-DOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SAND-DOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">A quaint picture of a quaint variety, quite hairless, and much the colour of - Castille soap.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Chows</span> originally came from China, but are now largely bred here. They - are square-built sturdy dogs, with dense coats, tails carried over the side, blunt-pointed ears, - and rather short thick heads. They have a little of a large coarse Pomeranian, with something of - an Eskimo about them, but are different from either, with a type of their own. The colour is - usually some shade of red or black, often with a bluish tinge in it. One marked peculiarity is - that the tongues of chows are blue-black in colour.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Pomeranians</span> can be procured of any weight from 3 to 30 lbs., and of - almost every shade of colour. At present brown of various shades is much in favour, but there are - many beautiful whites, blacks, blues, sables, and others. They are very sharp and lively, and make - charming pets and companions. Really good specimens command high prices. The illustration is of - one of the best of his colour ever seen—"Champion Pippin."</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Pugs</span>, both fawn and black, are old-fashioned favourites very quaint and - peculiar in appearance. They should have square <span class="pagenum" id="page111"><span - class="smaller">{111}</span></span>heads and muzzles, with small ears, large protruding eyes, - short thick bodies, and tails tightly curled over the back. The illustration, "Duchess of - Connaught," is of a well-known winner.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Maltese Terriers</span> are very beautiful when pure bred. They have a long - straight coat of silky white hair nearly reaching the ground, black nose and eyes, and the tail - curled over the back of their short cobby body. Their beauty well repays the trouble of keeping - them in good condition. The illustration, from a photograph taken for this article, is that of the - high-class dog "Santa Klaus."</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_111_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_111_t.jpg" - alt="PUG AND PEKINESE SPANIEL." title="PUG AND PEKINESE SPANIEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by County of Gloucester Studio, Cheltenham.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PUG AND PEKINESE SPANIEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">A typical portrait of two well-known winners in these popular varieties.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Yorkshire Toy Terriers</span>, with their steel-blue bodies and golden-tanned - faces, legs, and lower parts, and long straight coats, require skilful attention to keep in order, - but are very attractive as pets.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Toy Spaniels</span> are very old members of the toy division, dating from or - before the time of His Majesty King Charles: <span class="sc">King Charles Spaniels</span> being - black and tan; <span class="sc">Prince Charles Spaniels</span> black, white, and tan; another - strain, the <span class="sc">Blenheim</span>, white, with shades of reddish-tan markings on the - head and body, and a spot of same colour on forehead; and the <span class="sc">Ruby</span>, a rich - coppery red all over. They should be small and stout in size and shape, without coarseness, long - in the ear, with large full protruding eyes of dark colour, a short face, a straight coat, and not - leggy.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Japanese Spaniels</span> carry heavy coats, usually black, or yellow, and - white in colour, shorter in the ears, which are carried more forward than in the last-named, - broader in the muzzle, with nearly flat faces, dark eyes, and bushy tails carried over the back. - They have very short legs, and their hair nearly reaches the ground as they walk. When I kept them - they were much larger in size, but they are often now produced under 6 lbs. in weight.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_111_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_111_b.jpg" - alt="FOX-TERRIER." title="FOX-TERRIER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FOX-TERRIER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A picture full of life and go—at present odds in favour of our friend - with the prickly coat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Pekin Spaniels</span>, the last of the toy spaniels I need mention, come from - China. They should have soft fluffy coats, tails inclined to turn over the back, short faces, - broad muzzles, large lustrous eyes, and a grave, dignified expression. The colour is usually some - shade of tawny fawn or drab, but I have seen them black and dark brown; whatever colour, it should - be without white. The illustration, Mrs. Lindsay's "Tartan Plaid," was one of the early - importations.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page112"><span class="smaller">{112}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_112_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_112_t.jpg" - alt="BLENHEIM AND PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS." title="BLENHEIM AND PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLENHEIM AND PRINCE CHARLES SPANIELS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This little group will serve to show the appearance of these charming little - pets.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Italian Greyhounds</span>, another old-fashioned variety of toy dog, should - not exceed 12 lbs. in weight, but in my opinion are better if they are some pounds less. Much like - miniature greyhounds in shape and build, they are elegant, graceful little creatures, very - sensitive to cold. Shades of fawn, cream, or French grey are most common; but some are slate-blue, - chestnut-red, and other tints. Of late years the breed has met with more encouragement, and there - is less fear of its being allowed to die out.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Griffons Brusselois</span> have been greatly taken up the last few years. They - are something like Yorkshire toy terriers in size and shape, but with a shortish harsh coat, - generally of some shade of reddish brown, very short face, small shining dark eyes, heavy - under-jaw, short thick body, and an altogether comical appearance. Imported specimens, - particularly before reaching maturity, are often difficult to rear.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">African Sand-dog</span> occasionally seen in this country (mostly at - shows) is remarkable for being entirely hairless, except a few hairs of a bristly character on the - top of the head and a slight tuft at the end of the tail; it is chiefly blue-black or mottled in - colour, something in shape and size like a coarse black-and-tan terrier, and very susceptible to - cold.</p> - - <p>Having been supplied with an illustration of <span class="sc">Pariah Puppies</span>, I will say - a few words about this variety, which is seen in large numbers at Constantinople and other Eastern - cities, where they roam about unclaimed, and act as amateur scavengers; they are said to divide - the places they inhabit into districts or beats, each with its own leader, and resent any - interference with their authority. I have known cases where they have made a determined attack on - travellers out late at night; but they are rather a cowardly race, and easily repulsed with a - little firmness on the part of the attacked. Probably these are the descendants of the dogs so - often mentioned in Scripture with opprobrium; and, among Eastern peoples, to call a man "a dog" is - even now the most insulting epithet that can be used. By the Jews, in ancient times, the dog never - seems to have been used, as with us, in hunting and pursuing game and wild animals, but merely as - a guardian of their flocks, herds, and sometimes dwellings.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_112_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_112_b.jpg" - alt="PARIAH PUPPIES." title="PARIAH PUPPIES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford. Woburn Abbey.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PARIAH PUPPIES.</p> - <p class="sp0">This capital photograph of a variety seldom seen in this country will be very - interesting.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page113"><span class="smaller">{113}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_113.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_113.jpg" - alt="COMMON BROWN BEAR." title="COMMON BROWN BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON BROWN BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">In Scandinavia a few still haunt the highest mountain-ridges, as here - shown.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page114"><span class="smaller">{114}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterVI."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="VI. The bears." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER - VI.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE BEARS.</i></p> - - <p>Except the great cats, no creatures have longer held a place in human interest than the <span - class="sc">Bears</span>. Their size and formidable equipment of claws and teeth give the touch of - fear which goes with admiration. On the other hand, they do not, as a rule, molest human beings, - who see them employing their great strength on apparently insignificant objects with some - amusement. Except one species, most bears are largely fruit and vegetable feeders. The sloth-bear - of India sucks up ants and grubs with its funnel-like lips; the Malayan bear is a honey-eater by - profession, scarcely touching other food when it can get the bees' store; and only the great polar - bear is entirely carnivorous. The grizzly bear of the Northern Rocky Mountains is largely a - flesh-eater, consuming great quantities of putrid salmon in the Columbian rivers. But the ice-bear - is ever on the quest for living or dead flesh; it catches seals, devours young sea-fowl and eggs, - and can actually kill and eat the gigantic walrus.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_114_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_114_t.jpg" - alt="AN INVITING ATTITUDE." title="AN INVITING ATTITUDE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.</i></span> </p> - <p>AN INVITING ATTITUDE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The upright position is not natural to the brown - bear. It prefers to sit on its hams, and not to stand.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_114_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_114_b.jpg" - alt="THREE PERFORMING BEARS." title="THREE PERFORMING BEARS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THREE PERFORMING BEARS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Those on the right and left are Himalayan black bears. The white collar is - plainly seen.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Every one will have noticed the deliberate flat-footed walk of the bears. This is due partly to - the formation of the feet themselves. The whole sole is set flat upon the ground, and the - impressions in a bear's track are not unlike those of a man's footsteps. The claws are not capable - of being retracted, like those of the Cats; consequently they are worn at the tips where the curve - brings them in contact with the ground. Yet it is surprising what wounds these blunt but hard - weapons will inflict on man—wounds resembling what might be caused by the use of a very - large garden-rake. Against other animals protected by hair bears' claws are of little use. Dogs - would never attack them so readily as they do were they armed with the talons of a leopard or - tiger. The flesh-teeth in both jaws of the bear are unlike those of other carnivora. The teeth - generally show that <span class="pagenum" id="page115"><span - class="smaller">{115}</span></span>bears have a mixed diet. Bears appear to have descended from - some dog-like ancestor, but to have been much modified.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_115.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_115.jpg" - alt="EUROPEAN BROWN BEAR." title="EUROPEAN BROWN BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">EUROPEAN BROWN BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The specimen of the brown bear of Europe from which this picture was taken was - an unusually light and active bear. Its flanks are almost flat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Except the ice-bear, all the species are short and very bulky. It is said that a - polar bear has been killed which weighed 1,000 lbs. It is far the largest, and most formidable in - some respects, of all the Carnivora. The claws of the grizzly bear are sometimes 5 inches long - over the outer curve. All bears can sit upright on their hams, and stand upright against a support - like a tree. Some can stand upright with no aid at all. Except the grizzly bear, they can all - climb, many of them very well. In the winter, if it be cold, they hibernate. In the spring, when - the shoots of the early plants come up, they emerge, hungry and thin, to seek their food. Bears - were formerly common in Britain, and were exported for the Roman amphitheatres. The prehistoric - cave-bears were very large. Their remains have been found in Devon, Derbyshire, and other - counties. The species inhabiting Britain during the Roman period was the common brown bear of - Europe.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Common Brown Bear.</span></p> - - <p>Only one species of bear is found in Europe south of the ice-line, though above it the white - ice-bear inhabits Spitzbergen and the islands off the White Sea. This is the <span - class="sc">Brown Bear</span>, the emblem of Russia in all European caricature, and the hero of - innumerable fragments of folklore and fable, from the tents of the Lapps to the nurseries of - English children. Except the ice-bear, it is far the largest of European carnivora, but varies - much in size. Russia is the main home of the brown bear, but it is found in Sweden and Norway, and - right across Northern Asia. It is also common in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Caucasus, and in - Mount Pindus in Greece. In the south it is found in Spain and the Pyrenees, and a few are left in - the Alps. The dancing-bears commonly brought to England are caught in the Pyrenees. The "Queen's - bear," so called because its owner was allowed to exhibit it at Windsor, was one of these. But - lately dancing-bears from Servia and Wallachia have also been seen about our roads and streets. In - Russia the bear grows to a great size. Some have been killed of 800 lbs. in weight. The fur is - magnificent in winter, and in great demand <span class="pagenum" id="page116"><span - class="smaller">{116}</span></span>for rich Russians' sledge-rugs. The finest bear-skins of all - are bought for the caps of our own Grenadier and Coldstream Guards. In the Alps the bears - occasionally visit a cow-shed in winter and kill a cow; but as a rule the only damage done by - those in Europe is to the sheep on the hills in the far north of Norway. Tame brown bears are - amusing creatures, but should never be trusted. They are always liable to turn savage, and the - bite is almost as severe as that of a tiger. Men have had their heads completely crushed in by the - bite of one of these animals. In Russia bears are shot in the following manner. When the snow - falls, the bears retire into the densest thickets, and there make a half-hut, half-burrow in the - most tangled part to hibernate in. The bear is tracked, and then a ring made round the cover by - beaters and peasants. The shooters follow the track and rouse the bear, which often charges them, - and is forthwith shot. If it escapes, it is driven in by the beaters outside. High fees are paid - to peasants who send information that a bear is harboured in this way. Sportsmen in St. Petersburg - will go 300 or 400 miles to shoot one on receipt of a telegram.</p> - - <p>The brown bear, like the reindeer and red deer, is found very little modified all across - Northern Asia, and again in the forests of North America. There, however, it undergoes a change. - Just as the red deer is found represented by a much larger creature, the wapiti, so the brown bear - is found exaggerated into the great bear of Alaska. The species attains its largest, possibly, in - Kamchatka, on the Asiatic side of Bering Sea; but the Alaskan bear has the credit with sportsmen - of being the largest. A skin of one of the former, brought to the sale-rooms of Sir Charles - Lampson & Co., needed two men to carry it. Last spring, in the sale-rooms of the same great - firm, some persons present measured the skin of an Alaskan bear which was 9 feet across the - shoulders from paw to paw.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_116_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_116_t.jpg" - alt="SYRIAN BEAR." title="SYRIAN BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SYRIAN BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the bear generally alluded to in the Old Testament.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_116_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_116_b.jpg" - alt="LARGE RUSSIAN BROWN BEAR." title="LARGE RUSSIAN BROWN BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LARGE RUSSIAN BROWN BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The picture shows to what a size and strength the brown bear attains.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Grizzly Bear.</span></p> - - <p>This is a very distinct race of brown bear. It has a flat profile, like the polar bear; in - addition it grows to a great size, is barely able to climb trees, and has the largest claws of - any—they have been known to measure 5 inches along the curve. The true grizzly, which used - to be found as far north as 61° latitude and south as far as Mexico, is a rare animal now. Its - turn for cattle-killing made the <span class="pagenum" id="page117"><span - class="smaller">{117}</span></span>ranchmen poison it, and rendered the task an easy one. It is - now only found in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and perhaps in North California and Nevada. - Formerly encounters with "Old Ephraim," as the trappers called this bear, were numerous and - deadly. It attacked men if attacked by them, and often without provocation. The horse, perhaps - more than its rider, was the object of the bear. Lewis and Clarke measured a grizzly which was 9 - feet long from nose to tail. The weight sometimes reaches 800 lbs. Measurements of much larger - grizzly bears have been recorded, but it is difficult to credit them. On a ranche near the upper - waters of the Colorado River several colts were taken by grizzly bears. One of them was found - buried according to the custom of this bear, and the owner sat up to shoot the animal. Having only - the old-fashioned small-bored rifle of the day, excellent for shooting deer or Indians, but - useless against so massive a beast as this bear, unless hit in the head or heart, he only wounded - it. The bear rushed in, struck him a blow with its paw (the paw measures a foot across), smashed - the rifle which he held up as a protection, and struck the barrel on to his head. The man fell - insensible, when the bear, having satisfied himself that he was dead, picked him up, carried him - off, and buried him in another hole which it scratched near the dead colt. It then dug up the colt - and ate part of it, and went off. Some time later the man came to his senses, and awoke to find - himself "dead and buried." As the earth was only roughly thrown over him, he scrambled out, and - saw close by the half-eaten remains of the colt. Thinking that it might be about the bear's - dinner-time, and remembering that he was probably put by in the larder for the next meal, he - hurried home at once, and did not trouble the bear again. Not so a Siberian peasant, who had much - the same adventure. He had been laughed at for wishing to shoot a bear, and went out into the - woods to do so. The bear had the best of it, knocked him down, and so frightfully mangled his arm - that he fainted. Bruin then buried him in orthodox bear fashion; and the man, when he came to, - which he fortunately did before the bear came back, got up, and made his way to the village. There - he was for a long time ill, and all through his sickness and delirium talked of nothing but - shooting the bear. When he got well, he disappeared into the forest with his gun, and after a - short absence returned with the bear's skin!</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_117.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_117.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN BLACK BEAR." title="AMERICAN BLACK BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The black bear was the species first encountered by the early settlers on the - Atlantic side of America. The grizzly belongs to the Rocky Mountain region.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The American Brown Bear.</span></p> - - <p>The brown bear of America is closely allied to that of Europe; it was first described by Sir - John Richardson, who called it the Barrenlands Bear, and noted, quite rightly, that it differed - from the grizzly in the smallness of its claws. The difference in the profile is very - marked—the brown bear having a profile like that of the European bear, while that of the - grizzly is flat. The brown bear of North America lives largely on the fruits and berries of the - northern plants, on dead deer, and on putrid fish, of which quantities are left on the banks of - the <span class="pagenum" id="page118"><span class="smaller">{118}</span></span>northern rivers. - Whether the large brown bear of the Rocky Mountains is always a grizzly or often this less - formidable race is doubtful. The writer inclines to think that it is only the counterpart of the - North European and the North Asiatic brown bear. The following is Sir Samuel Baker's account of - these bears. He says: "When I was in California, experienced informants told me that no true - grizzly bear was to be found east of the Pacific slope, and that Lord Coke was the only Britisher - who had ever killed a real grizzly in California. There are numerous bears of three if not four - kinds in the Rocky Mountains. These are frequently termed grizzlies; but it is a misnomer. The - true grizzly is far superior in size, but of similar habits, and its weight is from 1,200 lbs. to - 1,400 lbs." After giving various reasons for believing this to be a fair weight, Sir Samuel Baker - adds that this weight is equivalent to that of an English cart-horse. There are certainly three - Rocky Mountain bears—the Grizzly, the Brown, and the small Black Bear. There is probably - also another—a cross between the black and the brown. It is ridiculous to say that the brown - bears which come to eat the refuse on the dust-heaps of the hotels in the Yellowstone Park, and - let ladies photograph them, are savage grizzly bears.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_118.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_118.jpg" - alt="YOUNG SYRIAN BEAR FROM THE CAUCASUS." title="YOUNG SYRIAN BEAR FROM THE CAUCASUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG SYRIAN BEAR FROM THE CAUCASUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is, properly speaking, a Syrian bear, but the species is found in the - Caucasus and in the Taurus Range.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Syrian Bear.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This bear, which figures in the story of Elisha, is a variety of the brown bear. It - is found from the Caucasus to the mountains of Palestine, and is a smaller animal than the true - brown bear, weighing about 300 lbs. The fur in summer is of a mixed rusty colour, with a whitish - collar on the chest. It steals the grapes on Mount Horeb, and feeds upon ripe fruits, apples, - chestnuts, corn, and the like. It is then ready to face the long winter sleep.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The American Black Bear.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is the smallest North American species, and perhaps the most harmless. It - seldom weighs more than 400 lbs. Its coat is short and glossy, and its flesh, especially in - autumn, is esteemed for food. The early backwoodsmen found it a troublesome neighbour. The bears - liked Indian corn, and were not averse to a young pig. "Like the deer," says Audubon, "it changes - its haunts with the seasons, and for the same reason—viz. the desire of obtaining food. - During the spring months it searches for food in the low alluvial lands that border the rivers, or - by the margins of the inland lakes. There it procures abundance of succulent roots, and of the - tender, juicy stems of plants, upon which it chiefly feeds at that season. During the summer heat - it enters the gloomy swamps, and passes much of its time in wallowing in the mud like a hog, and - contents itself with crayfish, roots, and nettles; now and then, when hard pressed by hunger, it - seizes a young pig, or perhaps a sow or calf. As soon as the different kinds of berries ripen, the - bears betake themselves to the high grounds, followed by their cubs. In much-retired parts of the - country, where there are no hilly grounds, it pays visits to the maize-fields, which it ravages - for a while. After this the various kinds of nuts and grapes, acorns and other forest fruits, - attract its attention. The black bear is then seen <span class="pagenum" id="page119"><span - class="smaller">{119}</span></span>wandering through the woods to gather this harvest, not - forgetting to rob every tree which it comes across."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Indian Sloth-bear.</span></p> - - <p>Few people would believe that this awkward and ugly beast is so formidable as it is. It is the - commonest Indian species, seldom eats flesh, prefers sucking up the contents of a white ants' nest - to any other meal, and is not very large; from 200 lbs. to 300 lbs. is the weight of a male. But - the skull and jaws are very strong, and the claws long and curved. As they are used almost like a - pickaxe when the bear wishes to dig in the hardest soil, their effect upon the human body can be - imagined.</p> - - <p>Sir Samuel Baker says that there are more accidents to natives of India and Ceylon from this - species than from any other animal.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_119.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_119.jpg" - alt="A BROWN BEAR IN SEARCH OF INSECTS." title="A BROWN BEAR IN SEARCH OF INSECTS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A BROWN BEAR IN SEARCH OF INSECTS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph shows a bear feeding on insects, possibly large ants, which he - licks up from the ground, after scratching them out with his claws.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Mr. Watts Jones writes an interesting account of his sensations while being bitten by one of - these bears: "I was following up a bear which I had wounded, and rashly went to the mouth of a - cave to which it had got. It charged. I shot, but failed to stop it. I do not know exactly what - happened next, neither does my hunter who was with me; but I believe, from the marks in the snow, - that in his rush the bear knocked me over backwards—in fact, knocked me three or four feet - away. When next I remember anything, the bear's weight was on me, and he was biting my leg. He - bit, two or three times. I felt the flesh crush, but I felt no pain at all. It was rather like - having a tooth out with gas. I felt no particular terror, though I thought the bear had got me; - but in a hazy sort of way I wondered when he would kill me, and thought what a fool I was to get - killed by a stupid beast like a bear. The shikari then very pluckily came up and fired a shot into - the bear, and he left me. I felt the weight lift off me, and got up. I did not think I was much - hurt.... The main wound was a flap of flesh torn out of the inside of my left thigh and left - hanging. It was fairly deep, and I could see all the muscles working underneath when I lifted it - up to clean the wound." This anecdote <span class="pagenum" id="page120"><span - class="smaller">{120}</span></span>was sent to Mr. J. Crowther Hirst to illustrate a theory of - his, that the killing of wild animals by other animals is not a painful one.</p> - - <p>Rustem Pasha, once Turkish Ambassador in England, had an accident when brown bear shooting in - Russia, and writes of it in the same sense: "When I met the accident alluded to, the bear injured - both my hands, but did not tear off part of the arm or shoulder. In the moment of desperate - struggle, the intense excitement and anger did, in fact, render me insensible to the feeling of - actual pain as the bear gnawed my left hand, which was badly torn and perforated with holes, most - of the bones being broken."</p> - - <p>There is good reason to believe that when large carnivora, or beasts large in proportion to the - size of their victims, strike and kill them with a great previous shock, the sense of pain is - deadened. Not so if the person or animal is seized quietly. Then the pain is intense, though - sometimes only momentary. A tigress seized Mr. J. Hansard, a forest officer in Ceylon, by the - neck. In describing his sensations afterwards, he said: "The agony I felt was something frightful. - My whole skull seemed as if it were being crushed to atoms in the jaws of the great brute. I - certainly felt the most awful pain as she was biting my neck; but not afterwards, if I can - remember." Sir Samuel Baker says he has twice seen the sloth-bear attack a howdah-elephant. Lord - Edward St. Maur, son of the Duke of Somerset, was killed by one. Mr. Sanderson, the head of the - Government Elephant-catching Department, used to hunt bears in the jungle with bull-terriers. - Against these the bear was unable to make a good fight. They seized it by the nose; and as its - claws were not sharp like those of the leopard, the bear could not get them off.</p> - - <p>This bear seldom produces more than two or three young at a birth. The young cub is very ugly, - but very strong, especially in the claws and legs. A six weeks' old cub has been turned - upside-down in a basket, which was shaken violently, without dislodging the little animal clinging - inside.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_120.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_120.jpg" alt="POLAR BEARS." - title="POLAR BEARS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p>POLAR BEARS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Though Arctic animals, polar bears can endure - great heat. During a "heat wave" at Hamburg, Herr C. Hagenbeck found two of his leopards - suffering from heat apoplexy, but the polar bears were enjoying the sun.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Isabelline Bear and Himalayan Black Bear.</span></p> - - <p>The former animal is a medium-sized variety of the brown bear. The coat in winter is of a - beautiful silver-tipped cinnamon colour. The <span class="sc">Himalayan Black Bear</span> has a - half-moon of white on its throat. The habits of both do not differ markedly from those of the - brown bear of Europe.</p> - - <p>Recently black bears have been most troublesome in Kashmir, attacking and killing and wounding - the woodcutters with no provocation. Dr. E. T. Vere, writing from Srinagar, says: "Every year we - have about half a dozen patients who have been mauled by bears. Most of our people who are hurt - are villagers or shepherds. Bears have been so shot at in Kashmir that, although not naturally - very fierce, they have become truculent. When they attack men, they usually sit up and knock the - victim over with a paw. They then make one or two bites at the arm or leg, and often finish up - with a snap at the head. This is the most dangerous part of the attack. One of our fatal cases - this year was a boy, the vault of whose skull was torn off and lacerated. Another man received a - compound fracture of the cranium. A third had the bones of his face smashed and lacerated. He had - an axe, but said, 'When the bear sat up, my courage failed me.'"</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page121"><span class="smaller">{121}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_121.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_121.jpg" - alt="TWO POLAR BEARS AND A BROWN BEAR." title="TWO POLAR BEARS AND A BROWN BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TWO POLAR BEARS AND A BROWN BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">Although this is a photograph from life, it is scarcely a very natural scene; - as a matter of fact, all three animals belong to Herr Carl Hagenbeck's remarkable - menagerie.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page122"><span class="smaller">{122}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Malayan Sun-bear.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">These small, smooth-coated bears have a yellow throat-patch like a mustard plaster, - and are altogether the most amusing and comical of all the tribe. They are almost as smooth as a - pointer dog, and are devoted to all sweet substances which can be a substitute for honey, their - main delicacy when wild. There are always a number of these bears at the Zoo incessantly begging - for food. When one gets a piece of sugar, he cracks it into small pieces, sticks them on the back - of his paw, and licks the mess until the paw is covered with sticky syrup, which he eats with - great gusto. This bear is found in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. It is only 4 - feet high, or sometimes half a foot taller. It is more in the habit of walking upright than any - other species.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Polar Bear.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Ice-bear</span> is the better name for this, the most interesting in its - habits of all the bears. It is an inhabitant of the lands of polar darkness and intense cold, and - one of the very few land animals which never try to avoid the terrible ordeal of the long Arctic - night, which rolls on from month to month. It can swim and dive nearly as well as a seal, climbs - the icebergs, and goes voyages on the drifting ice, floating hundreds of miles on the polar - currents, and feeding on the seals which surround it. Of the limits of size of the ice-bear it is - impossible to speak with certainty. From the skins brought to this country the size of some of - them must be enormous. One which lived for more than thirty years at the Zoo was of immense length - and bulk. When the first discoverers went to the Arctic Seas, dressed in thick clothes and skins, - the polar bears took them for seals. On Bear Island, below Spitzbergen, a Dutch sailor sat down on - the snow to rest. A bear walked up behind him, and seized and crushed his head, evidently not in - the least aware of what kind of animal it had got hold of. When the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition - was wintering in Franz-Josef Land, the bears were a positive nuisance. They were not afraid of - man, and used to come round the huts at all hours. The men shot so many that they formed a - valuable article of food for the dogs. The flesh is said to be unwholesome for men. The power of - these bears in the water is wonderful; though so bulky, they are as light as a cork when swimming, - and their strong, broad feet are first-class paddles. Whenever a dead whale is found near the - shore, the polar bears assemble to feed upon it. In the various searches for the Franklin - Expedition they pulled to pieces nearly all the cabins erected to hold provisions for the - sledge-parties. In one case it was found that the bears had amused themselves by mounting the roof - of a half-buried hut, and sliding down the snowy, frozen slope. Cubs are often brought home in - whaling- and sealing-ships, after the mothers have been shot. There is a ready sale of them for - Continental menageries. Herr Hagenbeck, of Hamburg, by purchasing them quite young, has induced - bears to live on good terms with tigers, boar-hounds, and leopards.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_122.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_122.jpg" alt="POLAR BEAR." - title="POLAR BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">POLAR BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">This bear is the most formidable of all aquatic mammals. It is almost as much - at home in the water as a seal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page123"><span class="smaller">{123}</span></span></div> - - <p>The manœuvres of an ice-bear in the water are marvellous to watch. Though so bulky a - beast, it swims, dives, rolls over and over, catches seals or fish, or plays both on and under the - water with an ease and evident enjoyment which show that it is in its favourite element. One - favourite game of the ice-bear is to lie on its back in the water, and then to catch hold of its - hind toes with its fore feet, when it resembles a half-rolled hedgehog of gigantic size. It then - rolls over and over in the water like a revolving cask. Its footsteps are absolutely noiseless, as - the claws are shorter than in the land-bear's, and more muffled in fur. This noiseless power of - approach is very necessary when it has to catch such wary creatures as basking seals. A very large - proportion of the food formerly eaten by ice-bears in summer was probably putrid, as they were - always supplied with a quantity of the refuse carcases of whales and seals left by the - whaling-ships. This may account for the bad results to the sailors who ate the bears' flesh. Now - the whaling industry is so little pursued that the bears have to catch their dinners for - themselves, and eat fresh food.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_123.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_123.jpg" - alt="HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS." title="HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HALF-GROWN POLAR BEARS.</p> - <p class="sp0">When young polar bears are brought to England or New York on board ship, they - arrive with coats almost as yellow as a sponge. It takes a week's bathing to restore the pure - white colour.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Arctic explorer Nordenskiöld saw much of the ice-bears on his voyages, and left us what is - perhaps the best description of their attempts to stalk men, mistaking them for other animals. - "When the polar bear observes a man," he writes in his "Voyage of the Vega," "he commonly - approaches him as a possible prey, with supple movements and a hundred zigzag bends, in order to - conceal the direction he means to take, and to prevent the man feeling frightened. During his - approach he often climbs up on to blocks of ice, or raises himself on his hind legs, in order to - get a more extensive view. If he thinks he has to do with a seal, he creeps or trails himself - forward on the ice, and is then said to conceal with his fore paws the only part of his body that - contrasts with the white colour of the snow—his large black nose. If the man keeps quite - still, the bear comes in this way so near that it can be shot at the distance of two gun-lengths, - or killed with a lance, which the hunters consider safer."</p> - - <p>When a vessel lies at anchor, a polar bear sometimes swims out to it, to inspect the visiting - ship; it has also a special fancy for breaking open and searching stores of provisions, <span - class="pagenum" id="page124"><span class="smaller">{124}</span></span>boats abandoned and covered - over, and cabins of wrecked ships. One bear which had looted a provision depôt was found to have - swallowed a quantity of sticking-plaster. The ice-bear has been met swimming at a distance of - eighty miles from land, and with no ice in sight. This shows how thoroughly aquatic its habits and - powers are. Polar bears do not hug their victims, like the brown bear, but bite, and use their - immense feet and sharp claws. It has been said that when one catches a seal on the ice it will - play with it as a cat does with a mouse. The size of these bears varies very much. Seven or eight - feet from the tip of the nose to the tail is the usual length; yet they have been known to exceed - even 13 feet in length. This would correspond to an immense difference in bulk and weight. An - ice-bear was once found feeding on the body of a white whale, 15 feet in length, and weighing - three or four tons. The whale could not have got on to the ice by itself, and it is difficult to - imagine that any other creature except the bear could have dragged it there from the sea, where it - was found floating. When hunting seals, polar bears will chase them in the water as an otter does - a fish, but with what result is not known. Besides stalking them in the manner described above, - they will mark the place at which seals are basking on the rim of an ice-floe, and then dive, and - come up just at the spot where the seal would naturally drop into the water. Those shot for the - sake of their skins are nearly all killed when swimming in the sea. The hunters mark a bear on an - ice-floe, and approach it. The bear always tries to escape by swimming, and is pursued and shot - through the head from the boat. When the females have a cub or cubs with them, they will often - attack persons or boats which molest them; otherwise they do not willingly interfere with man, - except, as has been said above, when they mistake men for seals or other natural prey.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_124.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_124.jpg" - alt="THE ICE-BEAR'S COUCH." title="THE ICE-BEAR'S COUCH."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p>THE ICE-BEAR'S COUCH.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> A favourite attitude of the polar bear is to lie - stretched on its stomach, with the hind and fore legs extended flat. The head often lies - between the fore paws. Notice the hair on the feet, which keeps the animal from slipping when - on the ice.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The instances recorded of the affection shown by these animals for their young are somewhat - pathetic. When the <i>Carcase</i> frigate, which was engaged on a voyage of Arctic discovery, was - locked in the ice, a she-bear and two cubs made their way to the ship, attracted by the scent of - the blubber of a walrus which the crew had killed a few days before. They ran to the fire, and - pulled off some of the walrus-flesh which remained unconsumed. The crew then threw them large - lumps of the flesh which were lying on the ice, which the old bear fetched away singly, and laid - before her cubs as she brought it, dividing it, and giving each a share, and reserving but a small - portion for herself. As she was fetching away the last piece, the sailors shot both the cubs dead, - and wounded the dam. Although she could only just crawl to the place where the cubs lay, she - carried the lump of flesh which she had last fetched away, and laid it before them; and when she - saw that they refused to eat, laid her paws on them, and tried to raise them up, moaning - pitifully. When she found she could not stir them, she went to some distance, and looked back, and - then returned, pawing them all over and moaning. Finding at last that they were lifeless, she - raised her head towards the ship and uttered a growl, when the sailors killed her with a volley of - musket-balls.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page125"><span class="smaller">{125}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterVII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="VII. The smaller carnivora." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER VII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE SMALLER CARNIVORA.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE RACCOON FAMILY.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_125_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_125_t.jpg" - alt="COMMON RACCOON." title="COMMON RACCOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON RACCOON.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the typical representative of the Raccoon Family. It is found in most - parts of the United States, and also in South America.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">A link between the Bears and the Weasel Tribe is made by the <span - class="sc">Raccoons</span> and their allies. They are bear-like in having a short, thick body, and - in their flat-footed manner of walking; also in their habit of sitting up on end, and using their - paws as hands, to some extent, in aiding them to climb. But they are also much like the Civets; - and the pretty little <span class="sc">Cacomixle</span>, or <span class="sc">Ring-tailed - Cat</span> of Mexico, was formerly classed with the civets. They are all very active, - enterprising, and quick-witted creatures of no great size, very different in temperament from the - bears.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Raccoon.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_125_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_125_b.jpg" alt="RACCOON." - title="RACCOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RACCOON.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal has the habit of always washing its food, if possible, before it - eats it.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The type of the family is the <span class="sc">American Raccoon</span> itself. Its scientific - name of "Letor," the "Washer," was given to it from an odd habit these creatures have of wetting - and washing their food in any water which is near. One kept at the Zoo washed her kittens so much - when they were born that they all died.</p> - - <p>The 'coon inhabits America from Canada to the south as far down as Paraguay. In size it is - equal to a common fox, but is short and stout. Restless, inquisitive, and prying, it is a most - mischievous beast where farmyards and poultry are within reach. It kills the fowls, eats the eggs, - samples the fruit, and if caught shams dead with all the doggedness of an opossum. It is very fond - of fish and shell-fish. Oysters are a special dainty, as are mussels and clams. A gentleman who - kept one <span class="pagenum" id="page126"><span class="smaller">{126}</span></span>says: "It - opens oysters with wonderful skill. It is sufficient for it to break the hinge with its teeth; its - paws complete the work of getting out the oyster. It must have a delicate sense of touch. In this - operation it rarely avails itself of sight or smell. It passes the oyster under its hind paws; - then, without looking, it seeks with its hands the weakest place. It there digs in its claws, - forces asunder the valves, and tears out the flesh in fragments, leaving nothing behind." Its - favourite haunt is in the cane-brakes of the south. There the planters follow it by night with - dogs, and shoot it in the trees in which it takes refuge. The skins, with handsome alternations of - yellow and brown, make fine carriage-rugs.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_126.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_126.jpg" alt="GREAT PANDA." - title="GREAT PANDA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GREAT PANDA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This very rare animal is found on the high plateau of Tibet.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Coatis.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Coatis</span> are small arboreal creatures, with the habits of - a raccoon and squirrel fairly proportioned. They are flesh-eaters, but active and playful. Their - long pig-like snouts give them an unpleasant appearance. They inhabit Mexico and Central and South - America as far as Paraguay. Several specimens are generally to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. - Their habits are much the same as those of the small tree-climbing cats, but with something of the - badger added. Insects and worms, as well as birds and small animals, form their food.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Pandas and Kinkajou.</span></p> - - <p>Among the small carnivorous mammals the <span class="sc">Bear-cat</span>, or <span - class="sc">Panda</span>, is a very interesting creature. Its colour is striking—a beautiful - red-chestnut above, the lower surface jet-black, the tail long and ringed. The quality of the fur - is fine also. It is found in the Eastern Himalaya, and is as large as a badger. The <span - class="sc">Great Panda</span>, from Eastern Tibet, is a much larger, short-tailed, black-and-white - animal, once thought to be a bear. The <span class="sc">Kinkajou</span> has a prehensile tail, and - uses its paws as hands so readily that it was formerly placed among the lemurs. It is a native of - Southern and intertropical America. Nocturnal, and living in the great forests, it is seldom seen - by man. Its head is round and cat-like, its feet are the same, but with non-retractile claws, and - it has a long, full tail. It has a long tongue, with which it can lick out insects from the - crevices and holes of trees. Baron von Humboldt says that it attacks the nests of wild bees. It - uses its tongue to draw objects of food towards it, even if they are not living. A pleasant - description of this animal appeared in Charles Knight's "Museum of Animated Nature," published - many years ago: "In its aspect there is something of gentleness and good-nature. In captivity it - is extremely playful, familiar, and fond of being noticed. One lived in the gardens of the - Zoological Society for seven years. During the greater part of the morning it was asleep, rolled - up in a ball in its cage. In the afternoon it would come out, traverse its cage, take food, and - play with those to whom it was accustomed. Clinging to the top wires of its cage with its tail and - hind paws, it would thus swing itself <span class="pagenum" id="page127"><span - class="smaller">{127}</span></span>backwards and forwards. When thus hanging, it would bring its - fore paws to the bars, as well as the hind pair, and in this manner would travel up and down its - cage with the utmost address, every now and then thrusting out its long tongue between the wires, - as if in quest of food, which, when offered to it, it would endeavour to draw in between the wires - with this organ. It was very fond of being gently stroked and scratched, and when at play with any - one it knew it would pretend to bite, seizing the hand or fingers with its teeth, as a dog will do - when playing with its master. As the evening came on, it was full of animation, and exhibited in - every movement the most surprising energy."</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_127_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_127_t.jpg" - alt="KINKAJOU." title="KINKAJOU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo, Co., Parson's Green.</i></span> </p> - <p>KINKAJOU.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The kinkajou eats birds and eggs as well as honey - and fruit. One kept in South America killed a whole brood of turkeys, and was partial to - birds' eggs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE OTTERS.</span></p> - - <p>As the badgers and ratels seem specially adapted to an underground and cave-making existence, - so the Otters all conform in structure to an aquatic life; yet, except the webbing of the space - between the toes and the shortening and flattening of the head, there is very little obvious - change in their structure to meet the very great difference in the conditions under which they - live.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Short-toed Otter</span> is a small Indian species. It has nails on its - hands in place of claws. One kept at the Zoo was a most amusing and friendly little pet, which let - itself be nursed like a kitten.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">North American Otter</span> has the same habits as the English kind, but - is somewhat larger, and has a far finer coat. It is trapped in thousands, and the fur sent over to - this country to the Hudson Bay Company's and Sir Charles Lampson's fur-sales. These otters, like - all their family, are very fond of playing. One of their regular games is to make a snow-slide or - an ice-slide down a frozen waterfall. The alighting-place from this chute is, if possible, in the - water. There the trapper sets his traps, and the poor otters are caught.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_127_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_127_b.jpg" - alt="YOUNG OTTERS." title="YOUNG OTTERS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG OTTERS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Otters, when taken young, can be trained to catch fish for their owners. In - India several tribes employ them for this purpose.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Otter</span> is far the most attractive of the British carnivora. - It is still fairly common all over Britain where fish exist. It is found on the Norfolk broads and - rivers, all up the Thames, in Scotland, Devonshire, Wales, Cumberland, and Northumberland. It - travels considerable distances from river to river, and sometimes gets into a preserved trout-pool - or breeding-pond, and does much mischief. The beautiful young otters here figured are <span - class="pagenum" id="page128"><span class="smaller">{128}</span></span>in Mr. Percy Leigh - Pemberton's collection of British mammals at Ashford, Kent. Their owner made a large brick tank - for them, where they were allowed to catch live fish. Once one of them seized a 4-lb. pike by the - tail. The pike wriggled round and seized the otter's paw, but was soon placed <i>hors de - combat</i>. The largest otter which the writer has seen was bolted by a ferret from a - rabbit-warren on the edge of the Norfolk fen at Hockwold, and shot by the keeper, who was - rabbiting.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_128_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_128_t.jpg" - alt="TWO TAME OTTERS." title="TWO TAME OTTERS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p>TWO TAME OTTERS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> These two little otters were photographed by the - Duchess of Bedford. Alluding to the old signs of the zodiac and their fondness for the - watering-pot, their portrait was called "Aquarius" and "The Twins."</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">English dog otters sometimes weigh as much as 26 lbs. They regularly hunt down the - rivers by night, returning before morning to their holt, where they sleep by day. No fish stands a - chance with them. They swim after the fish in the open river, chase it under the bank, and then - corner it, or seize it with a rush, just as the penguins catch gudgeon at the Zoo. Captain Salvin - owned a famous tame otter which used to go for walks with him, and amuse itself by catching fish - in the roadside ponds.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Sea-otter.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_128_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_128_b.jpg" - alt="SEA-OTTER." title="SEA-OTTER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SEA-OTTER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The sea-otter has the most valuable fur of any animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Common otters killed on the coast are often confounded with the <span - class="sc">Sea-otter</span>. This is a great mistake. The sea-otter is as much a marine animal as - the seal or the sea-lion. It swims out in the open ocean, and is even more of a pelagic creature - than the seal, for it either produces its young when in the water, or at any rate carries and - suckles them on the open sea. The sea-otter is much larger than the common otter. Unfortunately - the fish and other marine creatures which form the food of the sea-otters are found mainly near - the coast. Following them, the otters come near the Aleutian Islands, where the hunters are ever - on the watch for them. If a single otter is seen, five or six boats, with a rifleman in each, at - once put out, and the otter stands little chance of escape. It never was a common animal, and the - prices given for the fur, up to £200 for a first-class skin, have caused its destruction. The - skin, when stretched and cured, is sometimes 5 feet long, and is of an exquisite natural rich - brown, like long plush, sprinkled all over with whitish hairs like hoarfrost.</p> - - <div id="fp129"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_129fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_129fp.jpg" alt="RACCOON." - title="RACCOON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, Washington.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RACCOON.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is found from Alaska, through the United States, to Central - America.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page129"><span class="smaller">{129}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE SKUNKS.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_129_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_129_t.jpg" alt="A SKUNK." - title="A SKUNK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A SKUNK.</p> - <p class="sp0">An American animal, noted chiefly for the scent-gland it possesses, from which - it emits a most obnoxious-smelling fluid.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Of all the strange equipments given by nature to animals for their protection that - possessed by the various species of <span class="sc">Skunk</span> is the most effective. These - animals are able to emit a fluid so vile in odour that it seems equally hateful to all animals. - Dogs, pumas, men, alike shun them, and the animals seem to know this and to presume on their - immunity. An ordinary skunk is about the size of a cat, black, with bright white stripes down the - sides and back. The fur is thick and handsome, and, if the animal be killed before it discharges - its fluid, is not too strongly odorous to make trimmings for jackets. Mr. Hudson, in his - "Naturalist in La Plata," says: "In talking to strangers from abroad, I have never thought it - necessary to speak of the dangers of sunstroke, jaguars, or the assassin's knife. But I have never - omitted to warn them of the skunk, minutely describing its habits and personal appearance. I knew - an Englishman who, on taking a first gallop across the Pampas, saw one, and, quickly dismounting, - hurled himself bodily on to it to effect its capture. Poor man! He did not know that the animal is - never unwilling to be caught. Men have been blinded by them for ever by a discharge of the fiery - liquid in their faces. The smell pervades the whole system of any one subjected to it, like a - pestilent ether, nauseating the victim till sea-sickness seems pleasant in comparison." Dogs can - be taught to kill skunks; but they show the greatest disgust and horror when the fluid of the - animal falls upon them, and sometimes roll in mud or dust in the endeavour to get rid of it.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE BADGERS.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Badgers</span> include several genera. The <span - class="sc">Sand-badgers</span> of the East have a naked snout, small ears, and rough fur, with - softer fur underneath. The <span class="sc">Indian Badger</span> is larger than that of Europe, - while that of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo is smaller, and has a very short tail.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_129_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_129_b.jpg" - alt="A BADGER IN THE WATER." title="A BADGER IN THE WATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A BADGER IN THE WATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Badgers are increasing in many parts of England. They are nocturnal - animals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Ferret-badgers</span> from the East have elongated <span class="pagenum" - id="page130"><span class="smaller">{130}</span></span>bodies and short tails. They are - tree-climbers, and as omnivorous as the badger itself. The <span class="sc">Cape Zorilla</span>, - with another species found in Egypt, is more nearly allied to the polecats, but is striped like a - skunk.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_130.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_130.jpg" - alt="EUROPEAN BADGER." title="EUROPEAN BADGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">EUROPEAN BADGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Badgers can be readily kept in confinement, and are not difficult to tame - thoroughly.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">European Badger</span> is still fairly numerous. There is not a county in - England where it is not found. A large colony has been established in Epping Forest, some fifty - yards square of hillside being honeycombed with badger-earths. The European badger is found all - over temperate Northern Europe and Asia; but being shy, wary, and mainly nocturnal, is seldom - seen. At night it wanders about, and in August gets into the corn-fields, whence it is chased and - caught by dogs. A Somersetshire farmer had a pointer and sheep-dog which were adepts at this - night-catching of badgers. They would accompany their master along the roads, and the pointer - instantly winded any badger which had crossed. Both dogs then bounded off, and soon their loud - barking showed that they had found and "held up" the badger. The dogs' owner then came up, picked - the badger up by its tail, and dropped it in a sack. The badger's "earth" is wonderfully deep and - winding; in it the badger sleeps during the winter, and gives birth to its young, three or four of - which are produced at a time. The end of March is the period of birth, but the cubs do not come - out until June. In October they are full-grown. The badger carries in a great quantity of fern and - grass as a bed for its cubs. Mr. Trevor-Battye writes: "I had a pair which were probably about six - weeks old. They were called Gripper and Nancy. They would rest on my lap when feeding, and sit up - and beg like dogs. Their hearing and power of scent were remarkable. The badgers were in a closed - yard; but if any of the dogs came near, even following a path which ran at a distance of six or - seven yards, they would instantly jump off my lap and disappear into a corner. The animals could - walk and trot <i>backwards</i> with the greatest ease." I have never seen this noticed elsewhere, - yet it is worth mentioning, because it is characteristic of the Weasel Family, not being shared, - to my knowledge, by any other mammal—not, for instance, by the Bears.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Mr. A. E. Pease says of the badger: "It is easily domesticated, and if brought up - by hand is found an interesting and charming companion. I had at one time two that I could do - anything with, and which followed me so closely that they would bump against my boots each step I - took, and come and snuggle in under my coat when I sat down."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Ratels.</span></p> - - <p>As the mink is adapted for an aquatic diet, so the <span class="sc">Ratels</span>, a link - between the Weasels and the Badgers, seem to have been specialised to live upon insects and honey - as well as flesh. They are quaint creatures, with rounded iron-grey backs, and black bellies, - noses, and feet. The African kind is found in Cape Colony and East Africa, and is believed to live - largely on honey and bee-brood. The habits of the ratel are almost identical with those of the - badger, except that it is less shy and very restless. A nearly similar species of ratel is found - in Southern Asia from the Caspian to India.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The ratels are strictly nocturnal, and make their lair by day in hollow trees, - though they <span class="pagenum" id="page131"><span class="smaller">{131}</span></span>are said - not to climb. The skin is protected by thick, close hair, so that bees cannot sting through the - fur. The skin is also very loose. If a dog bites it, the ratel can generally twist round and bite - back. The African ratel is omnivorous. It eats snakes and birds. The body of a cobra has been - found in the stomach of one.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE WEASEL TRIBE.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">No animals are more bloodthirsty and carnivorous than most of the Weasel Tribe. - They are also well equipped both in actual weapons and in activity of body, and have powers quite - out of proportion to their size. They are also gifted with magnificent coats, and constitute the - most valuable source of choice furs. Sable, Marten, Mink, Wolverine, Ermine, Otters, and several - others are among the most highly prized. Their claws are sharp, but not retractile. It is indeed - fortunate that these creatures are so small in size, otherwise they would be among the greatest - enemies of animal life. As things are, they are useful in keeping down the numbers of creatures - which, like field-mice, moles, rabbits, and rats, might, and occasionally do, become a pest.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Martens.</span></p> - - <p>There are two species of marten in Europe—the <span class="sc">Beech</span>—and the - <span class="sc">Pine-marten</span>. The latter has a yellow throat, the former a white one. The - fur is almost as fine as sable. All so-called Canadian sables are really martens. These animals - are found throughout Northern Europe and Northern Asia, in Japan, and all over Northern America. - In Scotland the pine-marten survives in the pine forests; also in Ireland, where it is - occasionally killed on the Wicklow Mountains, near Dublin, and on the Mourne Mountains. It is - believed to remain in Cumberland, Devonshire, and possibly in parts of Wales. It is a tree-loving - animal, and feeds mainly on squirrels, which it pursues through the branches. It is also fond of - fruit. Mr. Charles St. John discovered this in a curious way. He noticed that his raspberries were - being stolen, so set a trap among the canes. Next day all he could see was a heap of newly - gathered raspberry leaves where the trap was. Stooping down to move them, a marten sprang up and - tried to defend itself. The poor beast had come to gather more raspberries, and had been caught. - Unable to escape, it gathered the leaves near and concealed itself.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_131.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_131.jpg" alt="RATEL." - title="RATEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RATEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">Ratels are curiously restless little animals, with a peculiar trot-like - walk.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Sable.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is so little different from the marten that some have thought it only a - northern variety. That is not the case, as both are found in the same area, and no one who knows - anything of form and colour could mistake the true sable's fur. This fur is so fine and even that - each single hair tapers gradually to a point: that is why sable brushes for painting are so - valuable; they always form a point when wet. The price of these brushes, which are of genuine - sable fur, though made up from fragments of the worst-coloured or damaged skins, varies yearly - with the price of sable in the market.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page132"><span class="smaller">{132}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Mink.</span></p> - - <p>Ladies are very familiar with the fur of the <span class="sc">Mink</span>, which is one of the - best of the less expensive varieties; it is not glossy as marten or sable, and of a lighter and - more uniform brown. The mink is a water-haunting polecat, found in Siberia, North America, and - Japan. Its main home is in North America, where the immense system of lakes and rivers gives scope - for its aquatic habits. The under-fur is particularly warm and thick, to keep out the cold of the - water, in which the animal spends more time than on land. It is not stated to catch fish, as does - the otter, in the water; but it lives on frogs, crayfish, mussels, and dead or stranded fish. - Minks have been kept in confinement and regularly bred in "minkeries," as is the blue fox, and in - Manchuria the chow dog, for the sake of its fur.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_132.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_132.jpg" alt="PINE-MARTEN." - title="PINE-MARTEN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PINE-MARTEN.</p> - <p class="sp0">Pine-martens have most beautiful fur, and for that reason are much hunted in - America.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Polecat.</span></p> - - <p>This is now probably the rarest of the British weasels. It is almost identically the same as - the polecat-ferret, a cross-breed between it and the domesticated variety. It survives in a few of - the great woodlands of the Midlands and of Oxfordshire, in Scotland, and Wales. It is found in - Cumberland, near Bowness, and on Exmoor and Dartmoor where rabbits abound. It is an expert - swimmer. Its habits are the same as those of the stoat, but it is slower in its movements. It - catches fish, and can pick up food from the bottom of the water. Wild ones can be trained to work - like ferrets. "They do not delay in the hole, but follow the rat out and catch it in a couple of - bounds" (Trevor-Battye). The <span class="sc">Ferret</span> is a domesticated breed of polecat. It - is identical in shape and habits, but unable to stand the cold of our climate in the open.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page133"><span class="smaller">{133}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_133_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_133_t.jpg" alt="POLECAT." - title="POLECAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">POLECAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">In England this animal in becoming very scarce.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Weasel.</span></p> - - <p>The smallest, fiercest, and commonest of its race, the little <span class="sc">Weasel</span> is - by no means the least formidable to other animals of the carnivora of England. It is - cinnamon-coloured, with a white throat and belly, and climbs as neatly as a cat, running up - vertical boughs with almost greater facility. A weasel in a high hedge will run the whole length - of the fence, from twig to twig, without descending; it threads the galleries of the field-mice, - sucks the eggs of small birds in their nests, and attacks rats, mice, rabbits, and even such large - birds as grouse without fear or hesitation. During a great plague of field-voles in the Lowlands - of Scotland in the years 1890 and 1891 the weasels increased enormously. A shepherd took the - trouble to follow a weasel down a hollow drain in the vole-infested hillside; he found the bodies - of no less than thirteen field-mice, which the weasel had amused itself by killing. In winter - weasels hunt the corn-stacks for mice, and often make a home among the sheaves. One was seen - chasing a vole by Mr. Trevor-Battye, who picked up the vole, which the weasel was just about to - jump up for, when he threw it into the hedge. There the weasel pounced on it and carried it - off!</p> - - <p>The main food of the weasel is the field-mouse and small voles. Weasels are very devoted to - their young; they will pick them up and carry them off as a cat does a kitten, if the nest is in - danger. Their hunting shows great marks of cunning. One was seen in a field in which a number of - corn-buntings were flying about, alighting on thistles. The weasel went and hid under one of the - tallest thistles, on which a bunting soon alighted; an instant after it sprang up and caught and - killed the bird.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_133_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_133_b.jpg" - alt="HIMALAYAN WEASEL." title="HIMALAYAN WEASEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HIMALAYAN WEASEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">Weasels are still common in England. They are fierce, and absolutely fearless - when in pursuit of game.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Stoat, or Ermine.</span></p> - - <p>This is the commonest and most widely distributed of all the Weasel Tribe. In winter the fur - turns to pure white in the northern countries, and occasionally in Southern England. It is then - known as the <span class="sc">Ermine</span>, and yields the ermine fur. In every country where it - is found it is the deadly foe of all small animals, from the hare to the smallest field-mice. - <span class="pagenum" id="page134"><span class="smaller">{134}</span></span>It has the same - passion for killing for killing's sake shared by the ferret. If a stoat finds a rabbit's nest, for - instance, it always murders all the young ones. These creatures sometimes contrive to hunt in - packs, or to migrate in society. They are very fond of their young, which they lay up in old - crows' nests, holes in banks, or straw-stacks. They have often been seen to carry them out of - danger in their mouths. The length of the head and body is 10¾ inches, and of the tail 6½ inches. - The young are usually from five to eight in number, and are born in April or May. They soon move - into the long standing-grass, and remain there till it is cut. After that they move to the woods - and covers, and great numbers are trapped. If not, they attack the young pheasants, and do great - damage. They can climb well, and are known, as is the polecat, to ascend trees and kill birds on - their nests. They also suck eggs. Forty-two pheasants' eggs were taken by Mr. de Winton from one - stoat's hole.</p> - - <div class="ac w60 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_134_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_134_t.jpg" - alt="COMMON STOAT." title="COMMON STOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photos by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON STOAT.</p> - <p><i>In summer coat.</i><span class="gap" style="width:25em"> </span><i>In winter - coat.</i></p> - <p class="sp0">These photographs show the stoat (or ermine, as it is often called) in its - summer and winter coats. This animal gives us the well-known ermine fur.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Glutton, or Wolverine.</span></p> - - <p>This largest and most destructive of all the Weasel Tribe is found all round the northern edge - of the Arctic Circle, from Norway to Hudson Bay. It is a large heavy animal, with a short head, - sharp claws, long thick fur, and a clumsy gait. Its tusks are very long and sharp; and its - appetite, if not so insatiable as the old travellers were told, is sharp enough to keep it always - hunting. It follows the fur-trappers in the woods, and, being very cunning, breaks in at the back - of their fall-traps, and robs the baits or the prey caught. When Lord Milton and Dr. Cheadle made - the North-west Passage by land, they lost nearly all their furs in this way. Once, having trapped - a valuable silver fox, the only one caught by them, they found nothing but shreds of fur left by - the glutton. As the marten-hunters' line of traps is perhaps fifty or sixty miles long, the loss - and damage caused by the glutton is most mortifying. This animal can only be caught in steel - traps, and that with great difficulty.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_134_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_134_b.jpg" alt="GLUTTON." - title="GLUTTON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GLUTTON.</p> - <p class="sp0">A cunning, destructive animal, which follows the trappers and robs them of the - animals taken in the traps.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page135"><span class="smaller">{135}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_135.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_135.jpg" - alt="CALIFORNIAN SEA-LIONS, OR EARED SEALS." title="CALIFORNIAN SEA-LIONS, OR EARED SEALS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CALIFORNIAN SEA-LIONS, OR EARED SEALS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Seal-herds form "rookeries" when on land at the breeding-season, during which - time they undergo a complete fast.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page136"><span class="smaller">{136}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterVIII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="VIII. Marine carnivora: the seals, sea-lions, and walrus." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER VIII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>MARINE CARNIVORA: THE SEALS, SEA-LIONS, AND - WALRUS.</i></p> - - <p>There are three families of the Sea Carnivora,—the Fur-seals, or Eared Seals; the Walrus; - and the True or Earless Seals.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_136.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_136.jpg" - alt="STELLER'S SEA-LION." title="STELLER'S SEA-LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">STELLER'S SEA-LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">The eared seal, or sea-lion, has the hind flippers divided, and is thus able to - move with comparative ease on land.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The first group, which are called <span class="sc">Eared Seals</span>, and occasionally <span - class="sc">Sea-lions</span> and <span class="sc">Sea-bears</span>, have a small outer ear, and - when on land the hind flippers are folded forwards beneath the body. There is a distinct neck, and - on the flippers are rudimentary claws. Some of the eared seals have the close and fine under-fur - which makes their capture so remunerative. Under the skin there is often a thick layer of blubber, - which is also turned to commercial uses by the sealers.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Walrus</span> stands by itself. It is a purely Arctic species, whereas - fur-seals are found from Bering Sea to the Antarctic; and forms in some degree a connecting-link - between the eared seals and the true seals. Like the former, it turns the front flippers forwards - and inwards when on land; but it resembles the true seals in having no external ears. The upper - canine teeth are developed into enormous tusks of hard ivory.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Seals</span> are the most thoroughly aquatic. The hind flippers - seem almost to have coalesced with the tail, and are always directed backwards in line with it. - They have no under-fur. On land they can only use the front flippers to aid their progress.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Most seals are marine, though some are found in the land-locked sea of Lake Baikal, - in Central Asia, and the true seals often come up rivers.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Eared Seals, or Sea-lions.</span></p> - - <p>These and the walrus have their hind limbs so far free that they can crawl on land and use - their flippers for other purposes than swimming; they can comb their hair with them, and walk in - an awkward way. They are divided into the fur-seals and hair-seals in the language of trade. The - fur-seals are those from which ladies' seal-skin jackets are made; the hair-seals are sought for - their hides and oil. A demand has sprung up for the latter to make coats for automobilists to wear - when riding at high speed in cold weather. The "porpoise-hide" boots are really made from the skin - of the hair-seal.</p> - - <p>Both hair-seals and fur-seals have in common the remarkable habit of assembling in large <span - class="pagenum" id="page137"><span class="smaller">{137}</span></span>herds during the - breeding-season, and of spending a long period on land after the young are born. The male seals - reach the islands, or "rookeries," first, followed by the females. The latter give birth to their - young almost as soon as they reach the rocks, and are then seized and gathered into harems by the - strongest and oldest males. The sea-lions of Patagonia, equally with the fur-seals of Bering Sea - and the Pribyloff Islands, never feed during the whole time which they spend on the rocks, often - for a period of two months.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_137.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_137.jpg" alt="SEA-LION." - title="SEA-LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SEA-LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the dry mane of the sea-lion, a rather uncommon sight, as - it rarely remains long enough out of the water for its fur to become absolutely dry.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Fur-seals.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Northern Fur-seal</span> is the only member of this group surviving in any - number. These animals still annually resort to the Aleutian Islands, in the territory of Alaska, - in great herds to produce their young, and to certain other islets off the coast of Japan. This - northern fur-seal, from the fur of which the seal-skin jackets are obtained, is, when full grown, - between 6 and 7 feet long. The females are only 4 feet or 4½ feet in length. The shoulder of the - male is grey, the rest of the body varying between reddish grey and deep black. The female is - lighter in colour. Males of this species are not full grown till six years of age, but breed when - four years old. The females produce young at three years of age. The male seals take possession of - the females almost immediately after reaching the breeding-grounds, each male collecting as many - females as it can round it. The pups keep with their mothers. This assemblage is surrounded by - great numbers of young male or bachelor seals, which the old males prevent from annexing any of - the females. The greatest of all these gathering-places are on the Pribyloff Islands and certain - other islets in Bering Sea. By the end of May both male and female seals swim in flocks through - Bering Straits, making for the islands. The islands themselves are leased to American merchants. - But as those seals killed on the way are all just about to bring forth young, the waste and - cruelty of this "pelagic sealing" will be easily understood. On the islands, or "rookeries," the - males, mothers, and pups remain till August, when the pups take to the water. The male seals have - remained for at least two months, incessantly fighting and watching, without taking any food. By - that time they are quite exhausted, the fat which they laid up previously being all absorbed. The - fur has not naturally either the colour or texture which art gives it. The <span class="pagenum" - id="page138"><span class="smaller">{138}</span></span>outer fur is long and coarse, and only the - inner fur of the exquisite texture of the "made" skin. The former is removed, and the latter dyed - to the rich brown colour which we see. The fur-seals are steadily diminishing, and each year's - catch is smaller than that of the year before.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Cape Fur-seal</span>, <span class="sc">Southern - Fur-seal</span>, and <span class="sc">New Zealand Fur-seal</span> are practically extinct for - commercial purposes.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Hair-seals.</span></p> - - <p>Among these are the large so-called "sea-lions" of Patagonia and the North Pacific. We are - familiar with their appearance, because for many years specimens have been kept at the Zoological - Gardens. Their habits are much the same as those of the fur-seals. The principal species are, in - the north, <span class="sc">Steller's Sea-lion</span>, and the <span class="sc">Patagonian - Sea-lion</span> in the south. Those kept at the Zoological Gardens are usually of the latter - species.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Steller's Sea-lion</span> is already on the road to extinction. When the - annual catch of fur-seals reached 100,000 a year, the total number of these northern sea-lions was - estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000. They repair every year to the Pribyloff Islands to breed, - as the fur-seals do, but are shier and more entirely aquatic. The fur of the old males is tawny, - and makes a kind of mane over the shoulders, whence its name. Off San Francisco there is a small - rocky island, one of the ancient "rookeries" of these sea-lions, where they are carefully - preserved by the United States Government as one of the sights of the bay. Another favourite haunt - in old days was on the Farralone Islands, thirty miles from the bay.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_138.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_138.jpg" alt="SEA-LION." - title="SEA-LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>New York.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SEA-LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">All sea-lions are polygamous. The males guard their harems very jealously, and - fight determinedly with any intruder.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Southwards, towards the Antarctic, on the desolate and uninhabited coasts and islets of the Far - Southern Ocean, the most characteristic of the fauna still remaining are the sea-lions. Formerly - they swarmed in great packs, crowding at the breeding-season the seaweed-covered rocks with their - huge and unwieldy forms, and at other times cruising in uncouth and noisy companies in search of - the fishes and squids, which they pursued like packs of ocean-wolves. In spring the sea-lions used - to struggle on to the flat shore, where the equally aquatic tribes of penguins, which had lost the - use of their wings, covered acre after acre of rock with their eggs and young. These the sea-lions - devoured. When the men of the first exploring-ships visited the penguins' nurseries, all the - ungainly birds began to hop inland, evidently taking the men for seals, and thinking it best to - draw them as far from their native element as possible. But the eared seals can make good progress - of a kind on land. When Captain Musgrave and his crew were cast away for twenty months on the - Auckland Islands, they found their tracks on the top of a hill four miles from the water. Captain - Musgrave also saw the mother seals teaching their puppies to swim; they were by no means inclined - to do this, and were afraid of the water—fairly clear presumptive evidence that seals have - only recently, so far as natural time is counted, taken to the aquatic life, and modified their - form so profoundly as they have.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Patagonian Sea-lion</span> is perhaps the most numerous species, though - its numbers <span class="pagenum" id="page139"><span class="smaller">{139}</span></span>have been - greatly reduced by whalers in search of skins and oil. The first sea-lion ever brought to England - was one of these. The Zoological Society did not import it; they found it in the possession of a - Frenchman called Lecomte, who had taken it on the Patagonian coast, trained it, and brought it - home, where he showed it in a caravan. Its training was long and difficult; it bit like a - bull-dog, and Lecomte's limbs were scarred all over with its bites. In spite of this it was the - cleverest performing animal ever seen up to that time in England. This sea-lion died from - swallowing a fish-hook concealed in some fish with which it was fed. Lecomte was then sent out by - the Zoological Society to obtain some more. With the greatest difficulty several were secured, but - all died on the voyage to New York. Lecomte returned and obtained others, one of which he - succeeded in bringing to England. The cleverness of these animals—or rather their power of - understanding what they are required to do, and their willingness to do it—probably exceeds - that of any other animal, except the elephant and the dog. Why this is so is not easy to - conjecture, except that the brain is more developed. They have been taught to fetch and carry on - dry land like a retriever, in addition to the well-known tricks exhibited by those at the Zoo. One - belonging to Barnum's Show caught strawberry-punnets on its nose when they were thrown to it, and - waved a torch, which it held in its teeth and caught after tossing it into the air.</p> - - <p>The sea-lions are much more powerful animals than the fur-seals. The male of Steller's sea-lion - attains a length of 10 feet and a weight of 1,000 lbs. The <span class="sc">Australian - Sea-lion</span> is even larger than that of the North Pacific. Some specimens are said to attain - 12 feet in length. Captain Cook mentions seeing male Patagonian sea-lions 14 feet long and from 8 - to 10 feet in circumference. Though none are now seen of such dimensions, skulls found on the - beach show that anciently some of the sea-lions were larger than any now known.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_139.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_139.jpg" - alt="FEMALE WALRUS." title="FEMALE WALRUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p>FEMALE WALRUS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is a photograph of the only walrus which has - ever been tamed and taught to perform tricks. It was taken when she was two years old and - weighed 380 lbs. At that time she consumed 70 lbs. of boneless fish a day; a year later not - less than 100 lbs. satisfied her. She is now an inmate of the Roumanian Zoological - Gardens.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">It should be noted that all these creatures are carnivorous, yet the supply of food - for them never seems to fail, as undoubtedly it would were the animals dependent for their food on - land.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page140"><span class="smaller">{140}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Walrus.</span></p> - - <p>The distinguishing features of the walrus have been mentioned in the introductory remarks to - this chapter. It should be added that it has an external ear-passage, though no external ears, and - very thick and bristly whiskers. It is practically confined to the Arctic Circle, though once its - range extended to the British coasts (where its bones are found in the Suffolk Crag) and to - Virginia. The skull of one was found in the peat at Ely—evidence that it once ascended - rivers.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_140.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_140.jpg" alt="MALE WALRUS." - title="MALE WALRUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Tring.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE WALRUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The "tusks" of the walrus are put to many practical uses during life, and after - death are much valued for the ivory.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The walrus stands alone; it is a real monster of the deep. Strange and awful - stories were told of it by some of the early voyagers to the Arctic Seas; but Captain Cook gave a - very different account of his impressions of the walruses which he saw on the north coast of - America: "They lie in herds of many hundreds on the ice, huddling over one another like swine. - (They lie just like a lot of pigs in a yard.) They roar and bray so very loud, that in the night, - or in foggy weather, they gave us notice of the vicinity of the ice before we could see it. We - never found the whole herd asleep, some being always on the watch. These, on the approach of the - boat, would awaken those next to them; and the alarm being thus gradually communicated, the whole - herd would awake presently. But they were seldom in a hurry to get away, till after they had been - once fired at; they then would tumble over one another into the sea in the utmost confusion. They - did not appear to us to be that dangerous animal which authors have described, not even when - attacked. Vast numbers of them would follow us, and come close up to the boats; but the flash of - the musket in the pan, or the bare pointing of it, would send them down in an instant. The female - will defend her young to the last, and at the expense of her own life, whether in the water or - upon the ice; nor will the young one quit the dam, though she be dead; so that if one be killed - the other is certain prey." The long pendent tusks, bristly whiskers, small bloodshot eyes, and - great size lent colour to the terrifying tales of the walrus. But more ancient voyagers than - Captain Cook told the truth—that the "morses," as they called them, were harmless creatures, - which often followed the ships from sheer curiosity. They sleep on the ice like elephantine pigs, - and dive and rout on the sea-bottom for clams, cuttle-fish, and seaweeds. Probably the long tusks - are used to rake up mussels and clams; they also help the walrus to climb on to the ice. A young - walrus was kept for some time by the members of the Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition, and was found - to be an amusing pet. One kept on board a Dundee whaler used to sleep with an Eskimo dog, and got - into the same kennel with it. It ate blubber and salt pork, but liked the sailors' pea-soup better - than anything else; it was most sociable, and could not bear to be alone—would tumble down - the hatchway to seek the society of its beloved sailors, and scramble into the cabin if the door - were open. When it fell ill and before it died, it seemed most grateful for any attention shown to - it. The parent walrus shows the greatest courage in trying to defend the young one. Walruses are - now scarce; but as the ivory is the only part of them of much present value, there is a chance - that they may not be killed off entirely.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The True Seals.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">True Seals</span>, with their greatly modified forms, heads - set almost on to their shoulders, with no neck visible, have well-developed claws on all the toes, - and in the typical species have double-rooted and small cheek-teeth. The number of the incisors is - variable. The <span class="sc">Grey Seal</span> <span class="pagenum" id="page141"><span - class="smaller">{141}</span></span>of the North Atlantic is a large species which visits the North - British coasts and the Hebrides. One old male shot off the coast of Connemara weighed nearly 400 - lbs., and was 8 feet long. It is found off Scandinavia and eastwards to the coast of Greenland, - and breeds off our coasts in October and November. This is the large seal occasionally shot up - Scotch lochs. Its colour is yellowish grey, varied with blots and patches of dirty black and - brown.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Common Seal.</span></p> - - <p>This seal is smaller than the preceding. It breeds on parts of the Welsh and Cornish coasts, - and is found on both sides of the Atlantic and in the North Pacific. It assembles in small herds, - and frequents lochs, estuaries, and river-mouths. In the summer it is fond of following flounders - and sea-trout up rivers. A few years ago one came up the Thames and was shot at Richmond. The - young are born in June, and are greyish white. The adults are variously mottled with grey, brown, - and black. The fondness of seals for music is proverbial. Macgillivray, the Scotch naturalist, - said that in the Hebrides he could bring half a score of them within forty yards of him by a few - notes on his flute, when they would swim about with their heads above water like so many black - dogs. A seal was captured by the servants of a landowner near Clew Bay, on the west coast of - Ireland, and kept tame for four years. It became so attached to the house that, after being - carried out to sea three times, it returned on each occasion. The cruel wretches who owned it then - blinded it, out of curiosity to see whether it could find its way back sightless. The poor animal - did so after eight days.</p> - - <p>The common seal is still fairly numerous on the rocky western coasts of the British Islands, - though a few old seals, unable to forget their early habits, appear now and then in Morecambe Bay - and in the Solway. It is not uncommon off the coasts of Caithness and Sutherland. It also - frequents a sandbank in the Dornoch Firth, though it has been much persecuted there. The common - seal is gregarious, while the grey seal usually lives only in pairs, or at most in small - companies. Two or three dozen like to lie closely packed on shore with all their heads turning - seawards. The white hair of the young seals—which, as already said, are born in - June—is shed in a day or two, when the young take to the water. With regard to their reputed - musical proclivities, some experiments made at the Zoological Gardens did not bear out this - belief; but there is much evidence that in a state of nature they will approach and listen to - music. The common seal has a large brain-capacity, and is a very intelligent creature. The upper - parts of this seal are yellowish grey, spotted with black and brown, the under parts being - silver-grey.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_141.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_141.jpg" - alt="WALRUS AND SEA-LION." title="WALRUS AND SEA-LION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WALRUS AND SEA-LION.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another photograph of the walrus tamed by Herr Carl Hagenbeck. Notice the - sea-lion in the right-hand corner, which also formed one of the same performing troupe.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Harp-seal</span> is an Arctic or ice-seal which sometimes finds its way to - Britain. The young <span class="pagenum" id="page142"><span class="smaller">{142}</span></span>are - born on ice-floes. It is found in great herds in Davis Straits, on the coasts of Greenland, and in - the greater part of the frozen Arctic Ocean. It is the animal which the sealing-vessels which hunt - seals for oil and "hair"—that is, the leather of the skins, not the fur—seek and - destroy. In the old days they could be seen in tens of thousands blackening square miles of ice. - They are still so numerous that in Danish Greenland more than 30,000 are taken each year. The - <span class="sc">Ringed Seal</span> is a small variety, not more than 3 or 4 feet in length, found - in great numbers in the Far North. Its flesh is the main food of the Eskimo, and its skin the - clothing of the Greenlanders. The seals make breathing-holes in the ice. There the Eskimo waits - with uplifted spear for hours at a time, until the seal comes up to breathe, when it is harpooned. - The <span class="sc">Bladder-nosed Seal</span> is a large spotted variety, with a curious - bladder-like crest on the head and nose of the male. Unlike all other seals, it sometimes resists - the hunters and attacks the Eskimo in their kayaks.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_142.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_142.jpg" alt="GREY SEAL." - title="GREY SEAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREY SEAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">Seals are not so well adapted as sea-lions for getting about on the dry land, - and, except for their habit of coming ashore to bask in the sun, are thoroughly aquatic.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>If any evidence were needed of the great destruction which the sealing and whaling industry - causes, and has caused, among the large marine animals, the case of the <span - class="sc">Elephant-seals</span> ought to carry conviction. These are very large seals, the male - of which has a projecting nose like a proboscis. They were formerly found both north and south of - the Equator, their main haunts being on the coast of California, and on the islands of the South - Pacific and Antarctic Ocean. They are gigantic compared with the common seals, some of the males - being from 16 to 20 feet long. Cuttle-fish and seaweed are the principal food of this seal, which - was formerly seen in astonishing numbers. The whaling-ships which hunted both these seals and - sperm-whales at the same time almost destroyed those which bred on the more accessible coasts, - just as the earlier whalers entirely destroyed Steller's sea-cow, and their modern descendants - destroyed the southern right-whales. The elephant-seal is now very scarce, and when one is killed - the skin is regarded as something of a curiosity.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page143"><span class="smaller">{143}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_143.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_143.jpg" alt="GREY SEAL." - title="GREY SEAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p>GREY SEAL.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Note the difference between the seal's and the - sea-lion's hind flippers. When on land, the seal advances by a jumping movement, produced by - the muscles of the body, assisted forward by the front flippers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page144"><span class="smaller">{144}</span></span></div> - - <p>In the records of the voyage of the <i>Challenger</i> it is stated that there were still great - numbers of the elephant-seals surviving near Heard Island, and not a few round the shores of - Kerguelen Island. Professor Moseley states that on the windward shore of Heard Island "there is an - extensive beach, called Long Beach. This was covered with thousands of sea-elephants in the - breeding-season; but it is only accessible by land, and then only by crossing two glaciers. No - boat can safely land on this shore; consequently men are stationed on the beach, and live there in - huts. Their duty is constantly to drive the sea-elephants from this beach into the sea, which they - do with whips made out of the hides of the seals themselves. The beasts thus ousted swim off, and - often 'haul up,' as the term is, upon the accessible beach beyond. In very stormy weather, when - they are driven into the sea, they are forced to betake themselves to the sheltered side of the - island. Two or three old males, which are called 'beach-masters,' hold a beach for themselves and - cover it with cows, but allow no other males to haul up. They fight furiously, and one man told me - that he had seen an old male take a young one up in his teeth and throw him over, lifting him in - the air. The males show fight when whipped, and are with great difficulty driven into the sea. The - females give birth to their young soon after their arrival. The new-born young ones are almost - black, unlike the adults, which are of a light slate-brown. They are suckled by the female for - some time, and then left to themselves, lying on the beach, where they seem to grow fat without - further feeding. They are always allowed by the sealers to lie like this, 'in order to make more - oil.' This account was corroborated by all the sealers I met, but I do not understand it. Probably - the cows visit their offspring unobserved from time to time. Péron says that both parent - elephant-seals stay with the young without taking any food at all till the latter are about six or - seven weeks' old, and that the old ones conduct the young to the water and carefully keep them - company. The rapid increase in weight is in accordance with Péron's account. Goodridge gives a - somewhat different story—namely, that after the females leave the young the old males and - the pups proceed inland, as far as two miles sometimes, and stop without food for more than a - month, during which time they lose fat. The male sea-elephants come ashore for the purpose of - breeding about the middle of August, the females a little later."</p> - - <p>Formerly the elephant-seals were found as far north as the Californian coast, where their - capture was the main business of the sealing-traders. This species also formed the mainstay of the - far southern sealers. As the elephant-seals were killed off, so the business became less and less - profitable. It is to be hoped that the voyages of exploration to the Antarctic ice-fringe will not - lead to the discovery of fresh sealing-grounds, for if this is the case there is little chance - that any of the southern seals will escape entire destruction. Some form of close time has already - been enforced in the pursuit of the hair-seals of Northern Europe; but it is very desirable that - the species still found on our own coasts should also receive protection. Except when they paid - visits to the fixed salmon-nets, they never did any harm; and fixed nets are now illegal. When a - seal learned the use of the stake-nets, which these animals were very quick to understand, it - would wait quietly till it saw a fish caught, and then swim up and carry it off before the - fishermen could take it.</p> - - <p>Two species—namely, the <span class="sc">Common Seal</span> and <span class="sc">Grey - Seal</span>—still regularly visit our shores. The common seal breeds on our south-western - coasts, and the grey seal off the Hebrides. If the common seal were accorded a close time, its - numbers would probably increase; and the spectacle of such interesting creatures visible on our - coast could not fail to be of great interest. All the old legends of mermaids and wild men of the - sea are based on the capture of seals. Perhaps the most ancient is one which records such a - capture in the river near Orford Castle, in Suffolk, in the reign of Henry II. The ignorant - soldiers were persuaded that it was a man, and tortured it to make it speak. They then took it to - the church, and showed it the sacred emblems. As it "showed no reverence," they took it back to - the castle, and fed it on fish. It was allowed to go into the river, but returned to its captors - of its own accord. Later it swam away to the sea. The monk who recorded the story stated his - conviction that this seal was an evil spirit which had got into the body of a drowned sailor. A - grey seal was taken not many years ago in the creek leading up to the little town of Wells, in - Norfolk. It was so tame that the fishermen caught it by throwing coats over it as it lay on the - mud.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_144.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_144.jpg" alt="HARP-SEAL." - title="HARP-SEAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Tring.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HARP-SEAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The harp-seal comes from Greenland.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page145"><span class="smaller">{145}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_145.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_145.jpg" - alt="SEA-ELEPHANT." title="SEA-ELEPHANT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Tring.</i></span></p> - <p>SEA-ELEPHANT.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> These enormous seals (about 20 feet in length) are - becoming very scarce. When they come ashore, they are easily approached, though not so easily - killed. They are much valued for their oil. Note the trunk-like prolongation of the nose, - which, when the animal is excited, becomes distended.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page146"><span class="smaller">{146}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterIX."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="IX. The rodents, or gnawing animals." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER IX.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE RODENTS, OR GNAWING ANIMALS.</i></p> - - <p>The Rodents, or Gnawing Mammals, have all the same general type of teeth, from which the order - receives its distinctive name. There are a very large number of families and of genera among the - rodents, more than in any other order of mammals. All the rodents possess a pair of long - chisel-shaped incisor teeth in each jaw. The ends of these teeth are worn into a sharp edge which - cuts like a steel tool. In most rodents these are the only teeth in that part of the jaw, a wide - gap intervening between them and the other teeth. The hares, rabbits, and calling-hares have a - minute pair of teeth set just behind the large pair in the upper jaw. The grinding-teeth are set - far back, and are never more than six in number, these being sometimes reduced to four. Rodents - generally have five toes on the fore feet; in the hind feet there are in some cases only four, or - even three. None of the species are of great size; the largest, the <span - class="sc">Capybara</span>, a water-living animal of South America, is about the dimensions of a - small pig. But the number of species of small rodents is prodigious, and their fecundity so great - that they constantly increase in favourable seasons until they become a plague. Voles, lemmings, - field-mice, and rabbits are constant sources of loss to agriculture in their seasons of - extraordinary increase. Most rodents feed on vegetables, though rats and mice have developed - carnivorous tastes. No rodents have canine teeth.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_146_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_146_t.jpg" - alt="CAPYBARA." title="CAPYBARA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CAPYBARA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This, the largest of the Rodents, is found by the rivers of South America.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Squirrels.</span></p> - - <p>Those of the order of Gnawing Animals which have only two incisors in each jaw, and no - rudimentary teeth like those possessed by the hares, are called "Simple-toothed Rodents." Of those - the family usually placed first in order is that of the <span class="sc">Squirrels</span> and - their allies. The True Squirrels and Marmots have five molar teeth on each side of the upper - jaw.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_146_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_146_b.jpg" - alt="FLYING-SQUIRREL." title="FLYING-SQUIRREL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus, New York.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FLYING-SQUIRREL.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the small species of the group.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Squirrels are found in nearly every temperate part of the globe, from Norway to Japan, and in - very great numbers <span class="pagenum" id="page147"><span class="smaller">{147}</span></span>in - India and the tropics. Everywhere they are favourites; and though they do some mischief in highly - cultivated countries, they are among the most harmless of creatures. Most of them live on wild - nuts and the kernels of fruit; they suck eggs occasionally, and in Canada will come to the traps - in extreme cold and eat the meat with which they are baited.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_147.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_147.jpg" - alt="FLYING-SQUIRREL." title="FLYING-SQUIRREL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FLYING-SQUIRREL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The large flying-squirrels are mainly nocturnal. They can leap a distance of 40 - feet with the aid of the parachutes of skin stretching from the fore to the hind limbs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Red Squirrel.</span></p> - - <p>This, the common squirrel of England, is representative of the whole order. In old Scandinavian - legends the squirrel is represented as the messenger of the gods, who carried the news of what was - going on in the world to the other animals. Together with its close relations, it is the most - graceful of all climbers of trees. With its long tail waving behind it, it races up or down the - trunks and across the forest from branch to branch as easily as a horse gallops across a plain. It - will descend the trunk head downwards as fast as it runs up. Squirrels pair for life, and are most - affectionate little creatures, always playing or doing gymnastics together. The squirrel builds a - very good house, in which he shows himself far more sensible than the monkeys and apes; it is made - of leaves, moss, and sticks. The sticks come first as a platform; then this is carpeted, and a - roof put on. No one who has seen English squirrels at work house-building has ever described - exactly how they do it; it is the best nest made by any mammal, thoroughly well fitted together - and waterproof. In this nest the young squirrels are born in the month of June; that year they - keep with the parents, and do not "set up for themselves" till the next spring. The red colour is - very persistent in squirrels. One Chinese variety, black and red, has even bright red teeth. In - cold countries the red squirrels make stores of food, but spend much of the winter asleep.</p> - - <p>It is a great pity that in England no one tries to tame the squirrels as they do in America; - there they are the greatest ornament of the parks of cities, coming down to be fed as tamely as - our sparrows. The writer has known one instance in which a lady <span class="pagenum" - id="page148"><span class="smaller">{148}</span></span>induced wild squirrels to pay daily visits - to her bedroom for food; they used to climb up the ivy and jump in at the open window. The great - enemies of squirrels near houses are the cats, which kill all the young ones when they first come - down from the trees. In a garden in Berkshire a pair of squirrels had a family every summer for - five years, but none ever survived the cats' persistent attacks. These squirrels were most amusing - and improvident. They used to hide horse-chestnuts, small potatoes, kernels of stone fruit, bulbs - of crocuses, and other treasures in all kinds of places, and then forget them. After deep snows - they might be seen scampering about looking into every hole and crevice to see whether that - happened to be the place where they had hidden something useful. Much of the store was buried - among the roots of trees and bushes, and quite hidden when the snow fell.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_148_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_148_t.jpg" - alt="DORSAL SQUIRREL FROM CENTRAL AMERICA." title="DORSAL SQUIRREL FROM CENTRAL AMERICA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DORSAL SQUIRREL FROM CENTRAL AMERICA.</p> - <p class="sp0">A most beautiful species. The main colour is red, but the back is French grey, - and the tail French grey and red mingled.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Grey Squirrel.</span></p> - - <p>In Northern Europe, and across Northern Asia and America, a large grey squirrel is found. From - its fur the "squirrel-cloaks" are made. These squirrels live mainly on the seeds of pines in - winter, and on wild fruits, shoots, and berries in summer. It has been noticed that they will - entirely forsake some great area of forest for a year or two, and as suddenly return to it. The - marten and the sable are the great enemies of the grey squirrel, but the eagle-owl and goshawk - also kill numbers of them. In many countries the flesh of the squirrel is eaten.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_148_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_148_b.jpg" - alt="ASIATIC CHIPMUNKS." title="ASIATIC CHIPMUNKS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ASIATIC CHIPMUNKS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Small ground-squirrels which store food for the winter.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The grey-and-black squirrel of the United States was thus described some sixty years ago: "It - rises with the sun, and continues industriously engaged in the search for food for four or five - hours every morning. During the warm weather of spring it prepares its nest on the branch of a - tree, constructing it first of dried sticks, which it breaks off, or, if these are not at hand, of - green twigs as thick as a finger, which it gnaws off from the boughs. These it lays in the fork of - a tree, so as to make a framework. It lines this framework with leaves, and over these again it - spreads moss. In making the nest, the pair <span class="pagenum" id="page149"><span - class="smaller">{149}</span></span>is usually engaged for several days, spending an hour in the - morning hard at work. The noise they make in cutting the sticks and carrying material is heard at - some distance." In winter they reside entirely in the holes of trees, where their young are in - most cases born. Green corn and young wheat suffered greatly from their depredations, and a - wholesale war of destruction used to be waged against them everywhere. In Pennsylvania an old law - offered threepence a head from the public treasury for every squirrel destroyed, and in 1749 the - enormous sum of £8,000 was paid out of the public funds for this purpose. In those days vast - migrations of these squirrels used to take place, exciting not only the wonder but the fear of the - old settlers. In the Far North-west multitudes of squirrels used to congregate in different - districts, forming scattered bands, which all moved in an easterly direction, gathering into - larger bodies as they went. Neither mountains nor rivers stopped them. On they came, a devouring - army, laying waste the corn- and wheat-fields, until guns, cats, hawks, foxes, and owls destroyed - them.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_149_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_149_t.jpg" - alt="RED-FOOTED GROUND-SQUIRREL." title="RED-FOOTED GROUND-SQUIRREL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RED-FOOTED GROUND-SQUIRREL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species has some of the characteristics of the tree-squirrels, among them - the bushy tail.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Flying-squirrels.</span></p> - - <p>One of the finest squirrels is the <span class="sc">Taguan</span>, a large squirrel of India, - Ceylon, and the Malacca forests. It is a "flying-squirrel," with a body 2 feet long, and a bushy - tail of the same length. Being nocturnal, it is not often seen; but when it leaps it unfolds a - flap of skin on either side, which is stretched (like a sail) when the fore and hind limbs are - extended in the act of leaping; it then forms a parachute. The colour of this squirrel is grey, - brown, and pale chestnut. There are a number of different flying-squirrels in China, Formosa, and - Japan, and in the forests of Central America. One small flying-squirrel, the <span - class="sc">Polatouche</span>, is found in North-east Russia and Siberia. It flies from tree to - tree with immense bounds, assisted by the "floats" on its sides. Though only 6 inches long, it can - cover distances of 30 feet and more without difficulty. Wherever there are birch forests this - little squirrel is found. One nearly as small is a native of the Southern States of America, - ranging as far south as Guatemala.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_149_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_149_b.jpg" - alt="BLACK FOX-SQUIRREL." title="BLACK FOX-SQUIRREL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Washington.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK FOX-SQUIRREL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The fur of this species is as valuable as that of the grey squirrel.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Africa, south of the Sahara, the place of the Oriental flying-squirrel is taken by a - separate family. They have a different arrangement of the parachute from that of the - flying-squirrels of India. This wide fold of skin is supported in the Asiatic <span - class="pagenum" id="page150"><span class="smaller">{150}</span></span>squirrels by a cartilage - extending from the wrist. In the South African flying-squirrels this support springs from the - elbow, not from the wrist; they have also horny plates on the under-surface of the tail. Many of - the tropical flying-squirrels are quite large animals, some being as large as a small cat.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_150.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_150.jpg" - alt="LONG-TAILED MARMOT." title="LONG-TAILED MARMOT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-TAILED MARMOT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The marmots live by preference on high and cold mountains just below the line - of eternal snow in Europe. In Asia, where the snow-line is higher, they are found at altitudes - of 12,000 feet.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Mr. W. H. Adams says of <span class="sc">Pel's Flying-squirrel</span>, a West African species: - "These squirrels come out of their holes in the trees some hours after sunset, and return long - before daybreak. They are only visible on bright moonlight nights. The natives say that they do - not come out of their holes at all in stormy weather, or on very dark nights; they live on berries - and fruits, being especially fond of the palm-oil nut, which they take to their nests to peel and - eat. They pass from tree to tree with great rapidity, usually choosing to jump from a higher - branch to a lower one, and then climbing up again to make a fresh start.... They litter about - twice in a year, once in September. The young remain in the nest for about nine weeks, during - which they are fed by the old ones on such food as shoots and kernels. They do not attempt to jump - or 'fly' till the end of that period, extending the length of their jumps with their growth."</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Ethiopian Spiny Squirrels</span> have coarse spiny fur; the - little <span class="sc">Indian Palm-squirrel</span> is marked with longitudinal dark and light - stripes on the back; others have light bands on their flanks.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Ground-squirrels.</span></p> - - <p>Many tree-living squirrels pass a good deal of their time on the ground; but there are others - which burrow like mice, and, though they climb admirably, prefer to make their nest, and the - regular squirrel's store of nuts, in the earth, and not in the branches. The best known is the - little <span class="sc">Chipmunk</span> of the United States, the favourite pet of all American - children. There are many kinds of chipmunks, all of which have pouches in their cheeks for - carrying food. The commonest is the <span class="sc">Striped Chipmunk</span>. It is from 8 to 10 - inches long, with white stripes, bordered with dark brown on each side. The chipmunks' hoards of - grain and nuts are so large that the Indians used to rob them in times of scarcity. There is also - a ground-squirrel in Northern Europe and Northern Asia with much the same habits as the - chipmunk.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The burrows of the chipmunks are deep and extensive, and into them these rodents - convey such quantities of grain and maize as to inflict considerable loss on the farmer. The <span - class="sc">Siberian Ground-squirrel</span> has been known to conceal over 8 lbs. weight of corn in - its hole. This has a sleeping-chamber at the end, filled with moss and leaves, on which the family - sleep. From this side passages are dug, all leading to chambers stocked with food, often far in - excess of the wants of these provident little creatures. The surplus stores are said to be eaten - in the spring by wild boars and bears.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Prairie-dogs and Marmots.</span></p> - - <p>Between squirrels which live in holes in the ground and the marmots and their relations no - great gap is found. These creatures drop the climbing habit and increase <span class="pagenum" - id="page151"><span class="smaller">{151}</span></span>that of burrowing. In disposition most of - them are still very squirrel-like, though they gain something in solemnity of demeanour by never - going far from their holes. A prairie-dog or marmot is like a squirrel which has left society and - settled down in a suburb. The little creatures known in America as <span - class="sc">Prairie-dogs</span> have in Northern Europe and the steppes of Asia some first cousins, - called <span class="sc">Susliks</span>. Both live in colonies, burrow quickly and well, feed on - grass, and have a habit of sitting bolt upright outside their holes, keeping a look-out for - enemies. The prairie-dogs also bark like a little dog when alarmed. Before going to sleep, the - latter always carry the dry grass on which they slept out of their burrow, and carefully bite up - into short lengths a fresh supply to make their beds. The susliks and prairie-dogs are of a khaki - colour, like the sand in which they delight to burrow. Every one has heard that the little - burrowing-owls live in the same holes in company with the prairie-dogs, and that the rattlesnake - sometimes eats both the young prairie-dogs and the young owls. An acquaintance of the writer who - had killed a rattlesnake actually took a young prairie-dog from its mouth. The snake had not - struck it with the poison, but had begun to swallow it uninjured. It was still alive, and - recovered.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_151.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_151.jpg" - alt="PRAIRIE-DOGS, OR MARMOTS." title="PRAIRIE-DOGS, OR MARMOTS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PRAIRIE-DOGS, OR MARMOTS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A most characteristic picture. It shows the prairie-dogs' method of holding - their food while they eat, or cutting up grass to make their beds.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The suslik was once found in England; its remains, with those of other steppe animals, are - found in the river gravels and brick earth in the London basin. The prairie-dogs form a kind of - connecting-link between the susliks and the true marmots. They have short ears, short tails, - rounded bodies, and possess great powers of digging. When a prairie-dog has nothing better to do, - it usually spends its time either in digging holes or in cutting up grass or anything handy to - make its bed with. Young prairie-dogs are not so large as a mouse when born. The adult animals - feed almost entirely on grass and weeds in their wild state; they seem quite independent of water, - and able to live in the driest places.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Alpine Marmot</span> is a much larger species than the prairie-dog. It - lives on the <span class="pagenum" id="page152"><span class="smaller">{152}</span></span>Alps just - below the line of perpetual snow. From five to fifteen marmots combine in colonies, dig very deep - holes, and, like the prairie-dogs, carefully line them with grass; they also store up dry grass - for food. In autumn they grow very fat, and are then dug out of the burrows by the mountaineers - for food. Young marmots used to be tamed and carried about by the Savoyard boys, but this practice - is now rare. The monkey is probably more attractive to the public than the fat and sleepy marmot. - Marmots are about the size of a rabbit, and have close iron-grey fur.</p> - - <p>Tschudi, the naturalist of the Alps, says of the marmots that they are the only mammal which - inhabits the region of the snows. No other warm-blooded quadrupeds live at such an altitude. In - spring, when the lower snows melt, there are generally small pieces of short turf near their - holes, as well as great rocks, precipices, and stones. Here they make their burrows, outside which - they feed, with a sentinel always posted to warn them of the approach of the eagle or lammergeir. - The young marmots, from four to six in number, are born in June. When they first appear at the - mouth of the holes, they are bluish grey; later the fur gains a brownish tint. The burrows are - usually at a height of not less than 7,000 or 8,000 feet. Winter comes on apace. By the end of - autumn the ground is already covered with snow, and the marmots retire to sleep through the long - winter. As they do not become torpid for some time, they require food when there is none - accessible; this they store up in the form of dried grass, which they cut in August, and leave - outside their burrows for a time to be turned into hay.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Alpine Marmot</span> is also found in the Carpathians and the - Pyrenees. Another species, the <span class="sc">Bobac</span>, ranges eastward from the German - frontier across Poland, Russia, and the steppes of Asia to Kamchatka. In Ladak and Western Tibet a - short-tailed species, the <span class="sc">Himalayan Marmot</span>, is found, sometimes living at - a height of nearly 17,000 feet. The <span class="sc">Golden Marmot</span> is found in the - Pamirs.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Beavers.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_152.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_152.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN BEAVER." title="AMERICAN BEAVER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN BEAVER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The engineering feats of the beavers, in damming streams and forming pools, are - the most remarkable achievements performed by living animals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Beavers</span> are classed as the last family of the squirrel-like group - of the Rodents, and the largest creatures of that order in the northern hemisphere. The value of - their fur has caused their destruction in great measure where they were once numerous, and has led - to their total extirpation where there is evidence that they existed as a not uncommon animal. - They were formerly distributed over the greater part of Europe. In England semi-fossilised remains - show that they were not uncommon. In Wales beavers' skins were mentioned in the year 940 in the - laws of Howel Dha, and in 1188 Giraldus stated that they were living on the river Teify, in - Cardiganshire. Beavers were formerly found in France, especially on the Rhone, where a few are - still said to survive, in Germany, Austria, Russia, Poland, and in Sweden and Norway, on the - rivers Dwina and Petchora, and on the great rivers of Siberia. A few still remain in two districts - of Norway, and some were known to frequent the Elbe in 1878. The Moldau, in Bohemia, is also - credited with a colony; but parts of the Danube are believed to be the chief haunt of the European - beaver at the present time. The American beaver, though its range has greatly contracted, is still - sufficiently numerous for its fur to be a valuable item in the winter fur-sales.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page153"><span class="smaller">{153}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_153.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_153.jpg" alt="BEAVER." - title="BEAVER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BEAVER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The beaver here shown was kept as a pet. It was photographed upon a stream in - Scotland. The long upper fur is removed when the skin is prepared by the furrier.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page154"><span class="smaller">{154}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_154_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_154_t.jpg" alt="BEAVER." - title="BEAVER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BEAVER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a photograph of a swimming beaver. Note the advantage which it has - taken of the eddy in the stream.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The beaver's tail is flattened like a paddle and covered with scales; its hind feet are webbed - between the toes; it has sharp claws, which aid it in scratching up mud, and a thick, close fur, - with long brown hair above, and a most beautiful and close under-fur, which, when the long hairs - have all been removed, forms the beaver-fur of which hats were once made, and trimmings for - ladies' jackets and men's fur coats are now manufactured. There are two separate lines of interest - in connection with the animal—political and zoological. The value of the fur was anciently - such that, when the first French explorers began to search the Canadian lakes, and later when the - Hudson Bay Company succeeded to the French dominion, the history of Canada was largely bound up - with beaver-catching and the sale of the skins. In the early days of the Company the "standard of - trade" of the North-west was a beaver-skin. For nearly a century the northern territories were - organised, both under French and English rule, with a view to the beaver trade. The beaver was, - and is, the crest of the Canadian Dominion.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_154_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_154_b.jpg" - alt="MUSK-RAT." title="MUSK-RAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Washington.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MUSK-RAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small water rodent, a native of the North American rivers. Immense numbers - are killed for the sake of their fur.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The beavers' engineering feats have for their object to keep up a uniform depth of water in the - streams where they live. On large rivers there is always enough water for the beaver to swim in - safety from its enemies, and to cover the mouth of the hole which it makes in the bank, just as a - water-rat does. But on small streams, especially in Canada, where during the winter the frost - prevents the springs from running, there is always the danger that the water may fall so low that - the beavers would be left in shallow water, a prey to the wolverine, wolf, lynx, or human enemies. - To keep up the water, the beavers make a dyke or dam across the stream. This they go on building - up and strengthening until they have ponded back a large pool. In time, as they never seem to stop - adding to their dam, the pool floods the ground on either side of the stream and makes a small - lake. It flows over the <span class="pagenum" id="page155"><span - class="smaller">{155}</span></span>parts of the bank where their holes are; these also become - filled up, because the beavers carry into them every day fresh quantities of wood-chips to make - their beds. The beavers then scrape out the earth on the top, pile sticks over this, plaster the - sticks with mud, and so build a dome over their bedroom. In time this is raised higher and higher, - the artificial lake rises too, and the complete "beaver-lodge" surrounded with water is seen. The - old trappers who found these <i>in situ</i> imagined they were built at once and outright in the - water. The experiments and observations at Leonardslee, in Sussex, where Sir E. G. Loder has kept - beavers in a stream for ten years, show that the "evolution" of the lodge is gradual and only - incidental. But the building of the dyke, the cutting of the trees, and the making of the pool are - done with a purpose and definite aim.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_155.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_155.jpg" - alt="GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT." title="GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GAMBIAN POUCHED RAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">These rats are able to carry food in their cheek-pouches, which are used as - pockets.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">What this is, and how done, is explained in the following description of the beaver - colony at Leonardslee: "Their first object was to form in the brook a pool, with water maintained - at a constant height, to keep the mouth of their burrow in the bank submerged during the droughts - of summer. To this end they built a dam, as good a specimen of their work as can be seen even in - Canada. Its situation was carefully chosen. A small oak, growing on what appears to have been a - projection in the bank, gives support to the work. It may be concluded that this was part of their - intention; for though they have cut down every other tree in their enclosure to which they had - access, except two or three very large ones, they have left this small tree which supports the dam - untouched. (Later, when the dyke was stronger, they cut it down.) Above this stretches the dam, - some 12 yards wide, and rising 5½ feet from the base to the crest. The beavers built it solidly of - battens of alder, willow, larch, and other straight-limbed trees, cut into lengths of from 2 to 3 - feet. The bark of each was carefully gnawed off for food; and the whole work, constructed of these - cut and peeled logs, has a very regular and artificial appearance. Smaller twigs and sticks are - jammed in between the battens, and the interstices are stuffed with mud, which the beavers bring - up from the bottom of the pool in their mouths, and push in with their feet, making the whole - structure as watertight as a wall." This dam converted what was a narrow brook into a long lake, - some 50 yards by 15 or 20 yards broad. Later the beavers made another larger dam below this, - cutting down some more trees. One tree gave them a great deal of trouble; it was a beech, 40 feet - high, and hard to gnaw; so they waited till the water rose round it, and then <i>dug it up</i>. - When the large dam was made, quite a considerable lake was formed below the first. They then - neglected their first dam, and let the water run out of the top lake into the lower one. At the - time of writing there are five old beavers and a family of young ones at Leonardslee. The work - done by these beavers, so few in numbers, shows how large colonies may alter the course of - rivers.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page156"><span class="smaller">{156}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Dormice.</span></p> - - <p>There are a considerable number of animals, even in England, which hibernate. Most of these - feed largely on insect food, which in winter is unobtainable in any great quantity. Consequently - the hedgehog and the badger, which live largely on snails and worms, go to sleep in the famine - months. So does the sleepiest of all—the <span class="sc">Dormouse</span>. This alone would - show that this little rodent probably feeds on insects very largely, for if it only ate nuts and - berries it could easily store these, and find a good supply also in the winter woods. It has been - recently proved that dormice are insectivorous, and will eat aphides, weevils, and caterpillars. - But a dormouse hibernates for so long a time that one might imagine its vitality entirely lost; it - sleeps for six months at a time, and becomes almost as cold as a dead animal, and breathes very - slowly and almost imperceptibly. Mr. Trevor-Battye says that if warmed and made to awaken suddenly - in the winter it would die in a minute or two, its heart beating very fast, "like a clock running - down." Before their hibernation dormice grow very fat. There is a large species, found in Southern - Europe, which the Romans used to eat when in this fat stage. In winter dormice usually seek the - nest of some small bird, and use it as a sleeping-place. They pull out and renew the lining, or - add a roof themselves. Into the interior they carry a fresh supply of moss, and sleep there in - great comfort. Their great enemy at this time is the weasel. There are two main groups of the - dormice, divided by naturalists in reference to the structure of their stomach. The South African - <span class="sc">Graphiures</span> have short tufted tails. The hibernating habit is confined to - the more northern species.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_156.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_156.jpg" - alt="POCKET-GOPHER." title="POCKET-GOPHER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">POCKET-GOPHER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The pocket-gophers are almost entirely subterranean. Their burrowing powers are - remarkable. The teeth as well as claws are used to aid them.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Mouse Tribe.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This family, which includes the <span class="sc">Mice</span>, <span - class="sc">Rats</span>, and <span class="sc">Voles</span>, contains more than a third of the - number of the whole order of Rodents. Some are arboreal, others aquatic; but most are - ground-living animals and burrowers. The number of known species has been estimated at 330. Among - the most marked types are the <span class="sc">Water-mice</span> of Australia and New Guinea, and - of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The feet of the Australian species are webbed, though - those of the Philippine form are not. The <span class="sc">Gerbils</span> form another group, - mainly inhabitants of desert districts. They have very large eyes, soft fur, and tails of various - length and form in different species. They have greatly developed hind legs, and leap like - jerboas, and are found in Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The <span class="sc">Philippine - Rats</span>, large and long-haired, and the <span class="sc">Tree-mice</span> of Africa south of - the Sahara, form other groups. A very mischievous race of rodents is represented in Europe by the - <span class="sc">Hamsters</span>, and in the New World by a closely allied group, the <span - class="sc">White-footed Mice</span>.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Hamsters.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Hamster</span> is a well-known European species, and represents the group - of pouched rats. <span class="pagenum" id="page157"><span class="smaller">{157}</span></span>These - creatures have cheek-pouches to aid them in carrying food. In addition they are most voracious and - inquisitive, so that the hamster is a type throughout Central Europe of selfishness and greed. We - are sorry to add that John Bull occasionally appears in German cartoons as the "Land-hamster," or - land-grabber. Hamsters are numerous from the Elbe to the Obi. They burrow and make cellars in the - corn- and bean-fields, and convey thither as much as a bushel of grain. As soon as the young - hamsters can shift for themselves, each moves off, makes a separate burrow, and begins to hoard - beans and corn. As the litter sometimes contains eighteen young, the mischief done by the hamster - is great. Its coloration is peculiar. The fur, which is so thick as to be used for the linings of - coats, is a light yellowish brown above. A yellow spot marks each cheek. The lower surface of the - body, the legs, and a band on the forehead are black, and the feet white. Thus the hamster - reverses the usual natural order of colour in mammals, which tends to be dark on the back and - light below. The animal is 10 inches long, and very courageous. Hamsters have been known to seize - a horse by the nose which stepped on their burrow, and at all times they are ready to defend their - home. Besides vegetables and corn, they destroy smaller animals. They spend the winter in a more - or less torpid state in their burrows, but emerge early in spring. They then make their summer - burrows and produce their young, which in a fortnight after birth are able to begin to make a - burrow for themselves.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_157_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_157_t.jpg" - alt="LONG-EARED JERBOA." title="LONG-EARED JERBOA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-EARED JERBOA.</p> - <p class="sp0">These curious little animals are mainly desert creatures. They move by a series - of leaps.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Among the South American members of the group to which the hamster belongs are the <span - class="sc">Fish-eating Rats</span>, with webbed hind feet. The <span class="sc">Rice-rat</span>, - which is found from the United States to Ecuador, lives on the Texas prairies much as do the - prairie-marmots, though its burrows are not so extensive, and often quite shallow. In these the - rats make beds of dry grass.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_157_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_157_b.jpg" - alt="CAPE JUMPING-HARE." title="CAPE JUMPING-HARE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CAPE JUMPING-HARE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is very common in South Africa. The Boers call it the - "Springhaas."</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Voles.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Voles</span> are allied to the preceding groups, but are marked externally - by a shorter and heavier form than the typical rats and mice. Their ears are shorter, their noses - blunter, their eyes smaller, and the tail generally shorter. They are found in great numbers at - certain seasons, when <span class="pagenum" id="page158"><span - class="smaller">{158}</span></span>they often develop into a pest. The <span - class="sc">Short-tailed Field-vole</span> is responsible for much destruction of crops in Europe. - One of the latest plagues of these animals took place in the Lowlands of Scotland, where these - voles devoured all the higher pastures on the hills. Nearly at the same time a similar plague - occurred in Turkish Epirus. When an English commissioner was sent to enquire into the remedies (if - any existed) there in use, he found that the Turks were importing holy water from Mecca to - sprinkle on the fields affected. The <span class="sc">Bank-vole</span> is a small English species, - replaced on the Continent by the <span class="sc">Southern Field-vole</span>.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_158_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_158_t.jpg" - alt="OCTODONT." title="OCTODONT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">OCTODONT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The octodonts, so called because they have four molar teeth on each side of the - jaw, are a group of rodents found mainly in South America.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Water-rat</span> belongs to the vole group. It is one of the most commonly - seen of all our English mammals—probably, except the rabbit, the most familiar. Although not - entirely nocturnal, it prefers the darkness of twilight; but whenever the visitor to the waterside - keeps still, the water-rats will allow him to watch them. The writer has had rather an extensive - acquaintance with these cousins of the beavers, and, while watching them, has never ceased to be - struck with their close resemblance to those creatures. At Holkham Lake, in Norfolk, he noticed a - willow-bush, in which a number of twigs had been gnawed off; and then saw the missing sticks lying - neatly peeled, just like "beaver-wood," in the water below. Waiting quietly, he noticed a - water-rat climb into the bush, gnaw off a willow twig, descend with it to the edge of the water, - and there, sitting on some crossed boughs, peel and eat the bark, just as a beaver does. By the - Thames a sound is often heard in the round reeds as of something tearing or biting them; it is - made by the water-rats getting their supper. The rat cuts off three or four sedges and makes a - rough platform. It then cuts down a piece of one of the large round reeds full of pith, and, - holding it in its hands, seizes the bark with its teeth, and shreds it up the stem, peeling it - from end to end. This exposes the white pith, which the rat then eats. Water-rats have been seen - to swim out and pick up acacia blossoms floating on the water. When swimming under water, each - hair is tipped by a little bubble, which makes the rat look like quicksilver. When it comes out, - the rat shakes itself with a kind of shiver, throwing all the water off its coat. Though so good a - swimmer, its feet are not webbed. It is found from Scotland to the Bering Sea, but not in - Ireland.</p> - - <p>In the Far North the <span class="sc">Lemming</span> takes the place of the voles. It is a very - small, short-tailed creature, like a diminutive prairie-dog. Like the voles, lemmings have seasons - of immoderate increase. They then migrate in enormous flocks, and are said never to stop till they - reach the sea, into which they plunge. It is believed that they are following an inherited - instinct, and that where there is now sea there once was land, over which they passed onwards.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_158_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_158_b.jpg" alt="COYPU." - title="COYPU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p>COYPU.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is a large aquatic rodent, found on the South - American rivers. Its fur, called "nutria," forms a valuable export from Argentina.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Musk-rat</span> inhabits the same waters as the beaver of North America. - It makes a house, generally <span class="pagenum" id="page159"><span - class="smaller">{159}</span></span>of reeds piled in a mound, in the lakes and swamps. The body is - only 12 inches long, but the fur is thick and close, and much used for lining coats and cloaks. - The vast chains of rivers and lakes in Canada make that country the favourite home of the - musk-rat. This creature lives upon roots of aquatic plants, freshwater-mussels, and stems of juicy - herbs. Besides making the domed houses of grass, reeds, and mud, it also burrows in the banks of - streams. There it makes rather an elaborate home, with numerous passages leading to the water. The - odour of musk is very strong even in the skin. The tail is narrow and almost naked. This species - is the largest of the vole group.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_159_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_159_t.jpg" - alt="SHORT-TAILED HUTIA." title="SHORT-TAILED HUTIA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SHORT-TAILED HUTIA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The hutias are another group of octodonts, found in the West India Islands.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Typical Rats and Mice.</span></p> - - <p>These animals were originally an Old World group. Though the brown rat is now common in - America, it is believed to have come originally from China.</p> - - <p>A very large number of animals are now almost dependent on man and his belongings. Such - creatures are said to be "commensalistic," or eaters at the same table. They are often very - unwelcome guests, whether they are flies, sparrows, or cockroaches; but probably the least welcome - of all are the rats and mice. The <span class="sc">Brown Rat</span> is the best known of any. It - has come into worse repute than usual of late, because it is now certain that it harbours the - plague-bacillus, and communicates the disease to man. Its habits and appearance need no - description. The <span class="sc">Black Rat</span> is the older and smaller species indigenous in - Europe, which the brown rat has almost extirpated from England. A few old houses still hold the - black rat, and there are always a few wild ones at the Zoological Gardens which feed in the - animals' houses. The <span class="sc">Black-and-white Rat</span> (not the albino white rat) kept - tame in this country is probably a domesticated form of the <span class="sc">Alexandrine - Rat</span> of Egypt.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">House-mouse</span> is now found in all parts of the world to which - Europeans have access. In England its main home is in the corn-ricks. Were the farmers to thresh - the grain, as is done in the United States, as soon as it is cut, mice would be far less common. - Besides these parasitic mice, there are a host of field- and forest-mice in this and other - countries. One of the best-known English species is the <span class="sc">Harvest-mouse</span>, - which makes a globular nest of grass in the wheat-fields, attached to stems of corn or weeds. In - this the young are born. In winter the mouse lives in holes in banks, and lays up a store of - kernels and grain. The <span class="sc">Wood-mouse</span> is larger than the former, or than the - <span class="sc">House-mouse</span>. It is yellowish brown in colour, lays up a great store of - winter food, and is itself the favourite prey of the weasel.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_159_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_159_b.jpg" - alt="PORCUPINE." title="PORCUPINE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild, - Tring.</i></span> </p> - <p>PORCUPINE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The common porcupine is found in Italy, Spain, and - North Africa. This one was kept by Mr. Rothschild, who had it photographed by Mr. S. G. Payne, - of Aylesbury.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Bandicoots.</span></p> - - <p>A very mischievous class of rats is represented <span class="pagenum" id="page160"><span - class="smaller">{160}</span></span>by the various species of <span class="sc">Bandicoot</span>. - They are found throughout Southern Asia as far as Ceylon, and in Kashmir and Turkestan. The <span - class="sc">Bandicoot-rat</span> of India is a large and destructive species which is sometimes - brought to the London docks in ships, but has not spread into the country.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_160_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_160_t.jpg" - alt="PORCUPINE." title="PORCUPINE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>PORCUPINE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This photograph shows the arrangement of the - porcupine's defence of spines; but when frightened it erects these, so as to form a complete - protection to the body.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Other Murine Rodents.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">Among the numerous other rodents allied to the rat group are the <span - class="sc">Mole-rats</span>, with short mole-like bodies. The largest is the <span - class="sc">Great Mole-rat</span>, found in South-eastern Europe, South-western Asia, and - North-eastern Africa. It is a subterranean creature, burrowing for food like a mole. The <span - class="sc">Bamboo-rats</span> have minute eyes, small external ears, and a short tail partly - covered with hair. In Somaliland a small, almost naked <span class="sc">Sand-rat</span> is found, - which burrows in the sand of the desert, throwing up little heaps like mole-hills.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gophers.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">In North and Central America the <span class="sc">Pocket-gophers</span> form a - curious group of small rodents with cheek-pouches opening on the outside. They spend their entire - existence underground, and are said to use their incisor teeth as picks to open the hard earth in - their tunnels. They push the loosened soil out by pressing it with their chests and fore feet. - When a gopher has eaten enough to satisfy the immediate calls of hunger, it stores all spare food - away in the large cheek-pouches. When gophers desire to empty the pouches, they pass their feet - along their cheeks from behind, and press the food forwards on to the ground.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Jerboas, Springhaas, and Jumping-mice.</span></p> - - <p>The hopping rodents have an immense range, from Southern Europe, through Africa, Arabia, India, - and Ceylon, and even in the New World, where the <span class="sc">American Jumping-mouse</span> is - found throughout the northern part of the continent. The latter is only 3 inches long. The true - <span class="sc">Jerboas</span> are mainly found in Africa. All these, when excited, move like - kangaroos. Their main home is the Central Asian steppe region, but they are found in Egypt, India, - Syria, and Arabia. The hind legs are much elongated, the fore legs very small, and the body - usually of a sandy colour. The American jumping-mouse, though a very small creature, can cover - from 3 to 5 feet at each leap. It inhabits the beech and hard-wood forests. In winter it makes a - globular nest about 6 inches under the surface of the ground.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_160_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_160_b.jpg" - alt="VISCACHA." title="VISCACHA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">VISCACHA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The viscacha form colonies like those of the prairie-dogs. It is found on the - pampas north of the La Plata.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Cape Jumping-hare</span> forms a family by itself, with no near allies. It - is of a tawny brown colour, becoming almost pure white below.</p> - - <div id="fp161"></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_161fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_161fp.jpg" - alt="CHAPMAN'S ZEBRAS." title="CHAPMAN'S ZEBRAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">CHAPMAN'S ZEBRAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">These zebra have for some years been running loose in the park at Woburn - Abbey.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page161"><span class="smaller">{161}</span></span></div> - - <p>The tail is long, and carried upright as the animal leaps. The head and body are nearly 2 feet - long, and the tail 20 inches. It is found both in the plains and mountains of South Africa, where - it makes deep burrows, in which several families live. It is mainly nocturnal.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_161_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_161_t.jpg" - alt="CHINCHILLA." title="CHINCHILLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CHINCHILLA.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small rodent of the Andes, possessing very soft and valuable grey fur.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Octodont Family.</span></p> - - <p>America is the main home of this family of rodents, though there are several representatives in - Africa. Their name is due to the fact that they have four molar teeth on each side of the jaw. The - best-known species is the <span class="sc">Coypu</span>, or <span class="sc">Nutria</span>, of - South America, an aquatic, fur-bearing animal. It is very plentiful in the large rivers of that - continent, where its fur is a valuable commodity for export. When swimming, the female coypu - carries its young on its back. The coypu is usually 20 inches long, with a tail two-thirds of the - length of its head and body. The general colour is brown above and brownish yellow below. Coypus - live in pairs in holes in the river-banks. In the Chonos Archipelago they frequent the seashore, - and burrow near the beach.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Hutia</span>, another large octodont, is found in the West - Indies. There are two species, both partly arboreal. The <span class="sc">Tuco-tucos</span>, - burrowing octodonts of the pampas and the far south of the American Continent, are rat-like - animals, with large claws and very small eyes and ears.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Porcupines.</span></p> - - <p>These animals are either tree-climbers or ground-dwellers. The former are found in South - America, though one, the <span class="sc">Canadian Porcupine</span>, is found in the North; the - latter are European and Asiatic. In Africa they are also common. The Canadian porcupine passes - nearly all its life in trees, feeding on the leaves; but it has not a prehensile tail. The <span - class="sc">Common Porcupine</span> is abundant in Italy (where it is eaten by man), Greece, Spain, - and Africa. It lives in burrows or among rocks. In India a very similar species is found. The head - and shoulders of these ground-porcupines are not protected by the larger sharp spines which guard - the rest of their bodies.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_161_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_161_b.jpg" alt="AGUTIS." - title="AGUTIS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AGUTIS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The agutis are also a South American group, found both in the forests and on - the plains.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The tree-porcupines of the forests of Central America have long prehensile tails, and are very - lightly built. The quills are short, the head rounded, and the appearance very different from that - of the European or African species. The common porcupine of Europe and North Africa measures about - 28 inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail. The head, neck, and shoulders are - covered with short spines and hairs, and the shoulders and back by a crest of long <span - class="pagenum" id="page162"><span class="smaller">{162}</span></span>spines, varying from 12 to - 15 inches in length. The tail also carries spines.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_162_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_162_t.jpg" - alt="PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY." title="PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">PACA, OR SPOTTED CAVY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The pacas are among the larger rodents, found mainly in the northern part of - the South American region.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Viscachas and Chinchillas.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">On the plains of La Plata the commonest large rodent is the <span - class="sc">Viscacha</span>. It assembles in societies like the prairie-dogs, but is a much larger - animal, from 18 inches to 2 feet long. Viscachas always set a sentinel to give warning of danger. - They cut every kind of vegetable near and drag them to their holes; they also have a habit of - picking up and collecting round the burrows any object which strikes them as curious. Articles - lost by travellers, even whips or boots, may generally be found there. The viscacha belongs to the - chinchilla family, but differs much from the beautiful creature of the high Andes from which - chinchilla fur is taken. The <span class="sc">Common Chinchilla</span> is about 10 inches long, - and the <span class="sc">Short-tailed Chinchilla</span> rather smaller. The exquisite fur is well - known. Two other chinchillas are more like hares in appearance. All four creatures are found on - the Andes.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Agutis and Pacas.</span></p> - - <p>South America also produces a family of rodents not unlike small pigs, but nearer to the - mouse-deer in general appearance; they are called <span class="sc">Agutis</span>. Mainly forest - animals, but living also in the plains, they feed on grass, leaves, and plants of all kinds; they - are very swift in their movements, and have much the habits of the small South African bucks. The - fur is long, olive- or chestnut-coloured, and thick.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Pacas</span> are allied to the agutis, but are stouter; they - live either in burrows made by themselves, or in holes in the banks of rivers, or in old - tree-roots. The pacas are spotted and rather ornamentally marked; they are found from Ecuador to - Brazil and Paraguay.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Cavies.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Dinomys</span>, a spotted rodent known by one example from Peru, has been - thought to form a link between the pacas and the cavies, of which the guinea-pig is the most - familiar and the aquatic capybara the largest. The original of our guinea-pig is believed to be - the <span class="sc">Restless Cavy</span>, a small rodent common on the plains of La Plata. It is - dark blackish, with yellowish-grey and white hairs of the domesticated species; and it is - suggested that the original of the present name was "Guiana pig." This cavy lives in thickets - rather than in forests or plains.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Patagonian Cavy</span> is a larger form, about twice the size of our hare. - It burrows in the ground, and has a grey coat, with yellowish markings on the sides. It has been - acclimatised successfully in France and England. The flesh is like that of the rabbit.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_162_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_162_b.jpg" - alt="PACAS, OR SPOTTED CAVIES." title="PACAS, OR SPOTTED CAVIES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PACAS, OR SPOTTED CAVIES.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph, which represents young animals, shows in great perfection the - linear arrangement of the stripes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page163"><span class="smaller">{163}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Capybara</span> is the largest of all rodents. This species is, in fact, a - gigantic water-guinea-pig. It is found in all the great rivers of South America, from the Orinoco - to the La Plata. It swims as well as a water-rat, though it is as large as a small pig. It feeds - on reeds, water-plants, and grass. A capital photograph of this animal appears on <a - href="#page146">page 146</a>.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_163_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_163_t.jpg" - alt="PATAGONIAN CAVY." title="PATAGONIAN CAVY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PATAGONIAN CAVY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This large species of cavy has been acclimatised successfully both in England - and in France.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Pikas, Hares, and Rabbits.</span></p> - - <p>The last two families of the Rodents have a small pair of rudimentary incisor teeth behind the - large ones in the upper jaw. The <span class="sc">Pikas</span>, or <span - class="sc">Calling-hares</span>, resemble the marmot tribe in general appearance. Their heads are - short, their ears rounded, and, being tailless, they still less resemble the common hare; but - their dentition marks them as allied. One species, about 9 inches long, is found in Siberia; and - another, only 7 inches long, in the Rocky Mountains. The former has a habit of cutting grass and - storing it in small stacks outside its hole for winter use; the Rocky Mountain species carries its - hay into its burrows.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Hares</span> are a widely distributed group. They are found from the north - of Scotland (where the grey mountain species turns white in winter) to the south of India, in - South Africa, and across the continent of Asia to Japan. The <span class="sc">Mountain-hare</span> - takes the place of the brown species in Scandinavia, Northern Russia, and Ireland; it is rather - smaller, and has shorter ears and hind legs.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_163_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_163_b.jpg" - alt="WOOD-HARE." title="WOOD-HARE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>New York.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WOOD-HARE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the forms intermediate between the hares and rabbits.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>As early as 54 <span class="smaller">B.C.</span>, Cæsar, in his account of Britain, writes that - the <span class="sc">Common Hare</span> was kept by the ancient Britons as a pet, but not eaten by - them. It was protected by the Normans in the second list, or schedule, of animals reserved for - sport. The first list included the <i>Beasts of the Forest</i>, the second the <i>Beasts of the - Chase</i>, of which the hare was one of the first. The word "chase" has here a technical meaning, - by which was understood an open park, or preserved area, midway in dignity between a forest and an - enclosed park. "Hare parks" were also made, perhaps the most recent being that made at Bushey for - the amusement of the sovereign when at Hampton Court Palace. The <span class="pagenum" - id="page164"><span class="smaller">{164}</span></span>name is often found surviving elsewhere. At - Hokham, the Earl of Leicester's seat in Norfolk, a walled park of 1,500 acres holds almost all the - hares on the estate. If these parks and forest laws had not existed at an early date, it is - probable that the hare would have become very scarce in this country.</p> - - <p>Hares produce their leverets about the middle of April, though in mild seasons they are born - much earlier. The number of the litter is from two to five. They are placed in a small hollow - scraped out by the doe hare, but not in a burrow of any kind.</p> - - <p>The instinct of concealment by remaining still is very highly developed in the hares and - rabbits. They will often "squat" on the ground until picked up rather than take to flight. This - seems almost a perverted instinct; yet hares often exhibit considerable courage and resource when - escaping from their enemies. The following is an instance:—A hare was coursed by two young - greyhounds on some marshes intersected by wide ditches of water. It first ran to the side of one - of these ditches, and doubled at right angles on the brink. This caused the outer dog to lose its - balance and to fall heavily into the deep and cold water. The hare then made straight for the line - of walkers, and passed through them, with the other greyhound close behind it. The dog reached out - and seized the hare by the fur of the back, throwing it down. The hare escaped, leaving a large - patch of fur in the dog's jaws, doubled twice, and was again seized by the second dog, which had - come up. It escaped from the jaws of the second pursuer, leapt two ditches 12 feet wide, and then - sat for a moment behind a gate on a small bridge. This use of the only cover near caused the dogs - to lose sight of it; they refused to jump the second drain, and the hare escaped.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_164.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_164.jpg" - alt="WILD RABBITS." title="WILD RABBITS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WILD RABBITS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The wild rabbit has now spread to the north of Scotland, where this picture was - taken. It is also common in the Hebrides.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Rabbit</span> is too well known to need description either of its habits - or appearance. It originally came from the countries south of the Mediterranean, but is now common - in Northern Europe, and has become a pest in Australia and New Zealand. The rabbit breeds when six - months old, and has several litters in each year.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page165"><span class="smaller">{165}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterX."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="X. The bats and insect-eating mammals." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER X.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE BATS AND INSECT-EATING MAMMALS.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - - <p>These two groups are really closely allied; but the bats are generally considered apart, on - account of their totally different mode of life. Originally, like their more commonplace - relatives, they were dwellers upon the earth, or, more correctly, among the trees. By gradual - modification of the fore limbs, and a corresponding development of folds of skin attached thereto, - and to the body, they have acquired the power of flight. The cobego, to be mentioned presently, - gives us a hint of how this may have come about.</p> - - <p>The bats are the only members of the Mammalia which possess the power of true flight. The - so-called flying-squirrels do not rightly deserve this title, for they have no wings. The wings of - the bat have been formed by modification of the fore limbs, the finger-bones having become - excessively lengthened, so as to serve as a support to a thin web of skin extending outwards from - the body, much as the ribs of an umbrella support the covering. The hand of the bat is therefore a - quite unique organ.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_165.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_165.jpg" - alt="AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BAT, OR "FLYING-FOX."" - title="AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BAT, OR "FLYING-FOX.""/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BAT, OR "FLYING-FOX."</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the "flying-fox" in its customary resting position. A - photograph of it flying is shown on <a href="#pagev">page v</a> of Introduction.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page166"><span class="smaller">{166}</span></span></div> - - <p>The wing-membrane serves yet another purpose, for its sense of touch is exceedingly delicate, - enabling even blind bats (for bats are not blind usually, as is popularly supposed) to avoid - objects placed in their path. Some bats, however, appear to depend also in some slight degree upon - hearing. The sense of touch is still further increased by the development of frills or leaf-like - expansions of skin round the nose and mouth, and by the excessive development of the external - ears. Delicate hairs fringing these membranes probably act like the "whiskers" of the cat.</p> - - <p>Insect-eating bats inhabiting regions with a temperate climate must in winter, when - food-supplies cease, either hibernate or migrate to warmer regions. The majority hibernate; but - two species at least of Canadian bats perform extensive migrations, it is supposed to escape the - intense cold.</p> - - <p>The power of flight has made the bats independent of the barriers which restrict the movements - of terrestrial animals, and accordingly we find them all over the world, even as far north as the - Arctic Circle. But certain groups of bats have an extremely restricted range. Thus the Fruit-bats - occur only in the warmer regions of the Old World, the Vampires in America, whilst some of the - more common insect-eating forms are found everywhere. Those forms with a restricted distribution - are, it should be noticed, all highly specialised—that is to say, they have all become in - some way adapted to peculiar local conditions, and cannot subsist apart therefrom. It is the more - lowly—less specialised—forms which have the widest geographical range. There are some - spots, however, on the world's surface from which no bat has yet been recorded—such are - Iceland, St. Helena, Kerguelen, and the Galapagos Islands.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_166_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_166_t.jpg" - alt="AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BATS." title="AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BATS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Henry King</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Sydney.</i></span></p> - <p>AUSTRALIAN FRUIT-BATS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> In their roosting-places these bats hang all over - the trees in enormous numbers, looking like great black fruits. Although shot in thousands, on - account of the damage they do to fruit orchards, their numbers do not appear to be - reduced.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_166_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_166_b.jpg" - alt="TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT." title="TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TUBE-NOSED FRUIT-BAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The tubular nostrils distinguish this and a species of insect-eating bat from - all other living mammals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Fruit-bats.</span></p> - - <p>These represent the giants of the bat world, the largest of them, the <span - class="sc">Kalong</span>, or <span class="sc">Malay Fox-bat</span>, measuring no less than 5 feet - from tip to tip of the wing. The best known of the fruit-bats is the <span class="sc">Indian - Fox-bat</span>. Sir J. E. Tennent tells us that a favourite resort of theirs near Kandy, in <span - class="pagenum" id="page167"><span class="smaller">{167}</span></span>Ceylon, was some - indiarubber-trees, "where they used to assemble in such prodigious numbers that large boughs would - not infrequently give way beneath the accumulated weight of the flock." An observer in Calcutta - relates that they occasionally travel in vast hordes, so great as to darken the sky. Whether they - are performing some preconcerted migration or bent only on a foray to some distant feeding-ground - is a matter for speculation. These hordes are quite distinct from the "long strings" which may be - seen every evening in Calcutta on their way to neighbouring fruit-trees.</p> - - <p>One of the most remarkable of this group is the <span class="sc">Tube-nosed Fruit-bat</span>, - in which the nostrils are prolonged into a pair of relatively long tubes. Strangely enough, a - group of insect-eating bats has developed similar though smaller tubes. Except in these bats, such - tubes are unknown among mammals. Their function is not known.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_167_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_167_t.jpg" - alt="PIPISTRELLE BAT." title="PIPISTRELLE BAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PIPISTRELLE BAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the commonest of the British bats. It is the first to appear in - the spring, and the last to retire at the fall of the year.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Insect-eating Bats.</span></p> - - <p>The vast majority of the bats comprising this group feed exclusively on insects. Some, however, - have acquired the habit of fruit-eating, like the true fruit-bats; and a few have developed quite - ogre-like habits, for they drink blood—indeed, they subsist upon nothing else. This they - obtain from animals larger than themselves.</p> - - <p>Many of the bats of this group have developed curious leaf-like expansions of skin around the - nose and mouth, which are supposed to be endowed with a very delicate sense of touch. In some, as - in the <span class="sc">Flower-nosed Bat</span>, the nose-leaf is excessively developed, forming a - large rosette. The upper border of this rosette is furnished with three stalked balls, the - function of which it is surmised is probably ornamental—from the bat's point of view. To our - more æsthetic taste the whole effect is hideous.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_167_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_167_b.jpg" - alt="LEAF-NOSED BAT." title="LEAF-NOSED BAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>LEAF-NOSED BAT.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The leaf-nosed are the most highly organised of - all the bats. The remarkable leaf-like folds of skin around the nose or chin, as the case may - be, serve as delicate organs of perception. There are numerous species of leaf-nosed bats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Limited as is our space, we <span class="pagenum" id="page168"><span - class="smaller">{168}</span></span>cannot pass over the <span class="sc">Sucker-footed - Bats</span>. These are met with, strangely enough, in countries so far apart as Brazil and - Madagascar. The suckers from which they derive their name, in the Brazilian species, are small - circular, hollow disks, attached to the thumb and the sole of the foot, recalling the suckers of - the cuttle-fish and brown water-beetle. By their means the animal is enabled to climb over smooth - vertical surfaces.</p> - - <p>A white bat is a rarity in the bat world. We cannot therefore afford to pass without mention - the fact that Central and South America possess two species of <span class="sc">White Bats</span>. - This colour is probably developed for protection's sake, the bats being found nestling between the - silvery leaves of a cocoanut-palm. Brilliant coloration, on the other hand, is by no means so - rare. <span class="sc">Welwitsch's Bat</span>, for instance—a West African species—is - remarkable for its gorgeous coloration, the colours being orange and black. An Indian species, - known as the <span class="sc">Painted Bat</span>, is said to be so brilliantly coloured as to - resemble a gorgeous butterfly rather than a bat.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_168.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_168.jpg" alt="COBEGO." - title="COBEGO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COBEGO.</p> - <p class="sp0">Back view of the cobego, with the limbs extended, showing the great size of the - flying-membranes, or parachute.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Ugliness is more common than beauty amongst the bats, and perhaps the ugliest of all the tribe - is the <span class="sc">Naked Bat</span> of the Malayan region. It is absolutely repulsive. The - skin is naked, save for a collar of hair round the neck; whilst on the throat it gives rise to an - enormous throat-pouch, which discharges an oily fluid of a peculiarly nauseating smell. On either - side of the body is a deep pouch, in which the young are carried—a very necessary provision, - for they would be quite unable to cling to the body of the parent, as do the young of fur-bearing - bats, on account of the naked skin.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Of the great group of the <span class="sc">Vampire-bats</span> we can only make - mention of the blood-sucking species. These are natives of South America. It is to Dr. Darwin that - we owe our first absolutely reliable information about these little animals. Before the account in - his Journal, it was uncertain to which of the vampires belonged the unenviable distinction of - being the blood-sucker. During the stay of the great naturalist in Chili one was actually caught - by one of his servants, as evening was drawing on, biting the withers of a horse. In the morning - the spot where the bite had been inflicted was plainly visible, from its swollen condition. These - two species, it has been stated, "are the only bats which subsist entirely on a diet of blood, yet - it is possible that ... some of the <span class="sc">Javelin-bats</span> or their allies may on - occasion vary their ordinary food with it."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page169"><span class="smaller">{169}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Insectivora, or Flightless Insect-eaters.</span></p> - - <p>Some members of this group have departed from the traditional insect diet. Thus the cobego - feeds upon leaves, a curious aquatic shrew—the Potamogale of West Africa—upon fish, - and the moles upon worms.</p> - - <p>The group has a very wide geographical distribution, but there are nevertheless large portions - of the globe in which they are conspicuous by their absence. They are never found in Australia or - South America. Madagascar, Africa, and the West India Islands produce the most remarkable - forms.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_169.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_169.jpg" alt="COBEGO." - title="COBEGO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p>COBEGO.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Vertical (front) view of the cobego, with newly - born and naked young attached. Note the extension of the membrane between the toes of the fore - feet of the adult.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Cobego.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is a peculiarly interesting animal, which lives in the forests of Sumatra, - Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippine Islands. It dwells among the trees, moving from - one to another by taking flying leaps through the air, covering as much as seventy yards at a - jump. Prodigious leaps like this would be quite impossible but for the fact that the animal, which - is almost as large as a cat, is provided with a sort of parachute, formed by a broad web of skin - stretched between the body on either side and the fore and hind limbs, and between the hind limbs - and the tail.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Shrews, Hedgehogs, and Tenrecs.</span></p> - - <p>The variation in form presented by the members of this group is considerable. The most - noteworthy examples of this variation are furnished by the pretty little squirrel-like <span - class="sc">Tree-shrews</span> of India and Borneo and neighbouring lands, the mouse-like <span - class="sc">Jumping-shrews</span> of Africa, the <span class="sc">Hedgehogs</span>, the <span - class="sc">Tenrecs</span>, the elegant little <span class="sc">Mouse-like Shrews</span> of almost - world-wide distribution, and the <span class="sc">Water-shrews</span>. Of these, hedgehogs and - tenrecs have undergone the greatest transformation. By a curious modification of their original - hairy covering they have developed a formidable armour of sharp spines. When alarmed, the former - roll themselves up into a ball by the contraction of powerful muscles, and so present an almost - impregnable armour to an enemy. Stoats and foxes, however, appear at least occasionally to succeed - in overcoming this defence and making a meal of the vanquished.</p> - - <p>Tenrecs are found in Madagascar. The <span class="sc">Common Tenrec</span> is the largest of - all insect-eaters, <span class="pagenum" id="page170"><span class="smaller">{170}</span></span>and - one of the most prolific, as many as twenty-one having been produced at birth. Of all living - mammals it is the one most nearly allied to the Marsupials.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_170_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_170_t.jpg" - alt="COBEGO ASLEEP." title="COBEGO ASLEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p>COBEGO ASLEEP.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> All four limbs are used in suspending itself when - asleep, as in the sloths. In this position the cobego closely resembles, and is mistaken by - its enemies for, the fruits of one of the native trees. It is a nocturnal animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_170_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_170_b.jpg" - alt="THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS." title="THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Melland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p>THREE BABY HEDGEHOGS.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Young hedgehogs are born blind and naked. The - spines on their first appearance are quite soft; they soon harden, and at the same time the - power to roll the body up into a ball is acquired.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Moles.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Mole</span> shows a most perfect adaptation to its underground mode - of life. The general form of the animal is long, cylindrical, and pointed in front, whilst the - legs are exceedingly short, the foot only in the fore limb projecting from the body. This foot is - very broad and spade-like and immensely powerful, its use being to force a way—often with - incredible speed—through the soft, yielding soil, and not to support the body, as in running - or walking. The hind feet are weak, but resemble those of its allies the shrews, for instance. The - eyes have become reduced to mere vestiges, very difficult to find. The fur has become so altered - in structure that it will lie equally smooth whether brushed towards head or tail, so that it - should not be damaged when the animal travels backwards in its burrow. External ears have been - dispensed with.</p> - - <p>Worms form the staple diet of the mole, but besides underground insects of all kinds are - greedily devoured. This animal is one of the most voracious feeders, falling ravenously upon its - prey. It has been said with truth that so great is the ferocity displayed by the mole that if it - could be magnified to the size of the lion it would be one of the most terrible of living - creatures. That a constant supply of food is necessary to satiate its enormous appetite is shown - by the fact that a mole will succumb to an abstinence of from ten to twelve hours. Moles fight - among themselves furiously; and if two are confined together, the weaker will be attacked and - devoured. They take readily to the water, and instances of moles observed in the act of crossing - streams are numerous.</p> - - <p>It is a curious fact, but the mole is unknown in Ireland; yet it ranges from England in the - west through Asia to Japan.</p> - - <p>Careful observation seems to have shown that with the common mole males are more numerous than - females. Whether this is true of other species remains to be seen. The moles of North America form - a group distinct from those of the Old World, though closely allied thereto. The <span - class="sc">Web-footed</span> and the <span class="sc">Star-nosed Moles</span> are the most - interesting of the American forms.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page171"><span class="smaller">{171}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_171_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_171_tl.jpg" - alt="COMMON MOLE." title="COMMON MOLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON MOLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note that this mole is changing its coat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_171_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_171_tr.jpg" - alt="COMMON MOLE." title="COMMON MOLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON MOLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The skeleton is here revealed by the Röntgen rays.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Speaking of the prodigious speed with which these animals burrow their way through the ground, - Dr. Hart Merriam remarks that in a single night, after rain, they have been known to make a - gallery several yards in length, and that he had himself traced a fresh tunnel for nearly a - hundred yards. As he says, we can only appreciate the magnitude of this labour by comparison, and - "computation shows that, in order to perform equivalent work, a man would have to excavate in a - single night a tunnel thirty-seven miles long, and of sufficient size to easily admit of the - passage of his body."</p> - - <p>The star-nosed mole is peculiar in that its nose is surrounded by a ring of finger-like - processes, forming a kind of rosette, which probably acts as a highly sensitive organ of touch; - furthermore, it differs from other moles in the great length of its tail, which is nearly as long - as its body. Like the mole, this species makes its way through the ground with great speed.</p> - - <p>Beneficial as moles undoubtedly are in destroying worms and obnoxious insects, yet they are - regarded as a pest both by the farmer and gardener. That there is some justification for this - dislike must be admitted; for the farmer suffers in that, in the search for food, crops are - damaged by cutting through the roots of plants—the gardener not only for the same reason, - but also because the ridges and hillocks which they make in their course disfigure the paths and - beds of a well-kept garden.</p> - - <p>The nearest allies of the moles are the curious aquatic <span class="sc">Desmans</span> of - Russia, and the <span class="sc">Shrews</span>, some of which are quite mole-like in form, owing - to their having adopted a similar mode of life.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_171_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_171_b.jpg" - alt="GOLDEN MOLE." title="GOLDEN MOLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GOLDEN MOLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is found only in South Africa. The name is derived from the wonderful - metallic lustre of the fur: the brilliancy of the hues is intensified by immersion in - spirit.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Burrowing Shrews</span> are not the only forms in the great group which - have assumed a mole-like shape, for allied to the hedgehog-like <span class="sc">Tenrecs</span> is - a remarkable animal known as the <span class="sc">Golden Mole</span>. The mole-like shape of the - body of this animal is another instance of adaptation to a similar mode of life. The fore limb of - the golden mole is provided with huge claws, which are used for digging purposes; the hand is not - broadened out spade-like, as in the common mole, the claws rendering this unnecessary.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page172"><span class="smaller">{172}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXI."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XI. The elephant, tapir, hyrax, and rhinoceros." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER XI.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE ELEPHANT, TAPIR, HYRAX, AND RHINOCEROS.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE ELEPHANT.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_172.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_172.jpg" - alt="A FINE TUSKER." title="A FINE TUSKER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A FINE TUSKER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The male Indian elephant has smaller tusks than the African species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>At once the mightiest and most majestic of all terrestrial mammals, the elephant appeals to the - imagination more forcibly than any other living animal, not only on account of its great sagacity - and the strangeness and singularity of its outward appearance, but also because it is such an - obvious link between the world of to-day and the dim and distant past of Pleiocene and Miocene - times.</p> - - <p>There are two existing species of elephant, the <span class="sc">African</span> and the <span - class="sc">Asiatic</span>, the latter, from the structure of its molar teeth and the shape of its - skull, appearing to be very nearly related to the <span class="sc">Mammoth</span>, which lived - upon the earth in comparatively recent times—geologically speaking—and was undoubtedly - contemporary with man in Europe during the Stone Age.</p> - - <p>There are very considerable differences both in the external appearance and also in the habits - of the two existing forms of elephant. In the African species the forehead is more convex and the - eye relatively larger than in its Asiatic cousin; and whilst the ears of the latter are only of - moderate size, those of the former are so large that they at once arrest the attention, and are - one of that animal's most remarkable external characteristics. Both sexes of the African species, - with few exceptions, carry well-developed tusks, but in the Asiatic form the tusks of the females - are so small as scarcely to protrude beyond the jaws. In Asia, too, tuskless bull elephants are - common, whilst males of the African species without tusks are extremely rare. The latter species - has but three nails on the hind foot, the Asiatic elephant four. In the African species the middle - of the back is hollowed, the shoulder being the highest point, whilst in the Asiatic elephant the - back is arched, and the top of the shoulder lower than the highest part of the back. The extremity - of the proboscis is also different, in the two species, the African elephant being furnished with - two nearly equal-sized prolongations, the one on the front, the other on the hinder margin, with - which small objects can be grasped as with the finger and thumb of the human hand, whilst in the - Asiatic species the finger-like process on the upper margin of the end of the trunk is - considerably longer than that on the under-side. In external appearance the skin of the African - elephant is darker in colour and rougher in texture than that of the Asiatic form. The molar teeth - of the former animal are, too, of much coarser construction, with fewer and larger plates and - thicker enamel than in the latter, which would naturally lead one to suppose that the African - elephant is accustomed to eat coarser, harder food than the Asiatic species. This supposition is - borne out by fact; for whilst the Asiatic elephant feeds mainly upon grass, the leaves and fruit - of the wild plantain, and the young shoots of the bamboo, together with the leaves, twigs, and - bark of certain trees, the African species never eats grass, and, although very fond of certain - kinds of soft and succulent food, such as wild fruits and the inner bark of certain trees, is - constantly engaged in chewing up the roots and branches of trees as thick as a man's wrist for the - sake of the sap and bark, the woody portions being rejected after having been reduced to pulp. The - Asiatic elephant appears to be far less tolerant of exposure to the heat of the sun than the - African; and whilst the latter may often be found standing at rest or sleeping throughout the - hottest hours of the day in long grass or scrubby bush of a height not sufficient to afford any - protection from the sun to the whole of the upper portion of the head and body, the former, when - in a wild state, is said to always seek the shade of the densest forests it can find during hot - weather.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page173"><span class="smaller">{173}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_173.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_173.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT." title="A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG INDIAN ELEPHANT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal has been trained to "salute" by raising its trunk and foot. It has - lost the end of its tail.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page174"><span class="smaller">{174}</span></span></div> - - <p>The Asiatic elephant often lies down when resting and sleeping. This is in marked contrast to - the African species, which, if it ever does lie down at all, except to roll in mud or rub itself - against an ant-heap, can only do so very rarely, since in all my experience, though I have seen - some thousands of African elephants standing sleeping during the heat of the day, I have never yet - seen one of these animals lying down, nor found the impress in the ground where one had been so - lying.</p> - - <p>When excited and charging, both species of elephant raise their heads and cock their ears, - which in the African animal stand out at such a time like two sails, and, being each upwards of 3½ - feet in breadth, cover, together with the animal's head, an expanse of fully 10 feet. The Asiatic - elephant is said to remain mute whilst charging, and to hold its trunk tightly curled up between - its tusks. The African elephant, on the other hand, usually accompanies a charge with a constant - succession of short, sharp trumpeting screams. Sometimes, though rarely, however, animals of this - species remain mute whilst charging, but they never, I believe, coil their trunks up under their - throats. Often an African elephant will swing round for a charge with a loud scream and trunk held - high in the air; but in my experience, when settling down to a chase, it drops its trunk and holds - it pointing straight down in front of its chest.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_174.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_174.jpg" - alt="THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI'S CARRIAGE." title="THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI'S CARRIAGE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">THE CHIEF OF CHIENGMAI'S CARRIAGE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This victoria was drawn by a young Indian elephant.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the southern portions of the African Continent the average standing height at the shoulder - of full-grown bull elephants ranges from 10 feet to 10 feet 6 inches, though individuals have - doubtless been met with in those districts which have much exceeded these dimensions. In North - Central Africa the average standing height appears to be some inches higher, approaching 11 feet, - and in those districts it is quite possible that individuals exist which exceed 12 feet in height. - African cow elephants stand from 8 feet to 8 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The Asiatic species is - considerably smaller than the African, the average height of full-grown males not exceeding 9 - feet, though certain individuals now and then attain to a much greater size, as is indicated by - the fact that there is a mounted skeleton of an Indian elephant in the Museum at Calcutta which - stands 11 feet 3 inches at the <span class="pagenum" id="page175"><span - class="smaller">{175}</span></span>shoulder. In the size of its tusks the African elephant far - surpasses the Asiatic species. In India a pair of tusks measuring 5 feet in length and weighing 70 - lbs. the pair would, I think, be considered large, though an elephant was killed by Sir Victor - Brooke in the Garo Hills with a single tusk measuring 8 feet in length, 17 inches in - circumference, and weighing 90 lbs., and a few tusks even exceeding these dimensions have been - recorded. In Southern Africa the tusks of full-grown bull elephants usually weigh from 80 to 120 - lbs. the pair, and measure about 6 feet in length, with a circumference of from 16 to 18 inches; - but these weights and measurements have often been much exceeded, and in my own experience I have - known of two pairs of elephants' tusks having been obtained south of the Zambesi, each of which - weighed slightly over 300 lbs., each tusk measuring upwards of 9 feet in length, whilst a single - tusk brought from the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami in 1873 weighed 174 lbs. The average weight of - cow-elephant tusks in Southern Africa is from 20 to 30 lbs. the pair, but I have seen the tusk of - a cow elephant killed in Matabililand which weighed 39 lbs. and measured over 6 feet in length, - whilst its fellow almost equalled it in size and weight. In North Central Africa, according to Sir - Samuel Baker, the tusks of full-grown elephants average about 140 lbs. the pair, and tusks - weighing upwards of 100 lbs. each are not at all uncommon, whilst many of a much greater size have - been obtained.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_175.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_175.jpg" - alt="TIMBER-ELEPHANTS." title="TIMBER-ELEPHANTS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TIMBER-ELEPHANTS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph was taken at Lakou, in Upper Siam. Notice the large teak log in - the foreground.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Until quite recently a tusk in the possession of Sir E. G. Loder, which weighs 184 lbs. and - measures 9 feet 5 inches in length, with a circumference of 22½ inches, was supposed to be the - largest in existence; but in 1899 two tusks were obtained near Kilimanjaro, in East Central - Africa, both of which much exceed this weight. These enormous tusks were at first stated to be a - pair taken from a single elephant; but though nearly equal in weight they are said to be - differently shaped, and as their history is not yet fully known it is possible, though not - probable, that they originally belonged to two different elephants. The larger of these two tusks - has recently been purchased for the collection of the British <span class="pagenum" - id="page176"><span class="smaller">{176}</span></span>Museum (Natural History), where it may now - be seen. It weighs 228 lbs., measures 10 feet 2½ inches on the outside curve, and 24¼ in girth at - the thickest part. The tusks of cow elephants are also considerably larger and heavier on the - average in East Central and North Central Africa than in the southern portions of the - continent.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_176.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_176.jpg" - alt="FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK." title="FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. E. F. Baird, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE INDIAN ELEPHANT DRAGGING TEAK.</p> - <p class="sp0">The teak logs are floated down the Burmese rivers and dragged out by - elephants.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>At the present time the Asiatic elephant is found in a wild state in most of the forest-covered - tracts of India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, Siam, Cochin-China, Sumatra, and Borneo; whilst the African - species, although it has been hunted out of large tracts of country in South and South-western - Africa, still inhabits the greater part of the continent south of the Sahara, and in many - districts of Central Africa appears to be extraordinarily abundant. In the Cape Colony two herds - still exist under the protection of the Government.</p> - - <p>As might be expected from the greater length of its legs, and consequent longer stride, the - African elephant is admitted by those who have had experience of both species to be a more active - animal than its Asiatic cousin. Speaking of the walking and running powers of the Indian elephant, - that great authority Mr. Sanderson says that "the only pace of the elephant is the walk, capable - of being increased to a fast shuffle of about fifteen miles an hour for very short distances. It - can neither trot, canter, nor gallop. It does not move with the legs on the same side, but nearly - so. A very good runner might keep out of an elephant's way on a smooth piece of turf, but on the - ground in which they are generally met with any attempt to escape by flight, unless supplemented - by concealment, would be unavailing." This description exactly coincides with my own experience of - the African elephant, except that I think that animals of the latter species, especially cows and - young bulls, are capable of getting up a pace of at least twenty miles an hour, and keeping it up - for from 100 to 200 yards, when charging.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page177"><span class="smaller">{177}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_177.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_177.jpg" - alt="INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING." title="INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by M. E. F. Baird Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN ELEPHANTS BATHING.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals love a bath, and will walk on the bottom of a deep river with - only their trunks raised above the water.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In disposition both African and Asiatic elephants are as a rule timid animals, and, excepting - in the case of males of the latter species when suffering from sexual excitement, are always - inclined to shun danger. I have never heard of male elephants of the African species becoming - savage and aggressive at any season of the year; indeed, old bulls always appeared to me to be - less inclined to charge than cows or young bulls. The eyesight of the elephant—of the - African species at least—is bad, and his hearing not particularly acute; but his olfactory - nerves are probably more highly developed than in any other animal, and, aided by this exquisite - sense of smell, he will avoid a human being if possible. But if elephants are attacked and - wounded, they become savage and dangerous animals; and the charge of an African elephant, coming - on with the great ears outspread, to the accompaniment of a quick succession of short, sharp - trumpeting screams, besides being very sudden and rapid, is very disconcerting to the nerves of a - man unaccustomed to such experiences. I remember the case of a young Englishman who was killed in - Matabililand many years ago by the first elephant he had ever seen. This animal—an old - bull—had retired, after having been wounded, into a small but dense patch of thorn-bush, - into which its pursuer thought it unadvisable to follow on horseback. He therefore left his horse, - and advanced on foot towards the cluster of trees amongst which the elephant was concealed. The - latter, having either seen or smelt the approaching enemy, at once charged out, screaming loudly; - and the young hunter, instead of standing his ground and firing at the advancing monster, lost his - presence of mind, and, turning, ran for his horse; but before he reached it he was overtaken and - killed. It seemed to the friend who found his body (he was close at hand shooting another elephant - at the time, and pieced the story together from the tracks of man, horse, and elephant) that the - victim had first been struck in the back of the head by one of his pursuer's tusks—at any - rate his skull had been smashed to pieces and emptied of its brains. Then the elephant had rushed - upon him where he fell, and, after first having driven a tusk right through his chest and deep - into the <span class="pagenum" id="page178"><span class="smaller">{178}</span></span>ground, had - stamped him into a bloody pulp with his huge feet. A waggon was brought the same night, and the - mangled body carried to the hunter's camp on the banks of the Ramokwebani, where it was - buried.</p> - - <p>The strength of the elephant is proverbial; and in India and Burma, where this animal has for - ages past been trained in the service of man, this power is habitually made use of in moving and - stacking large baulks of timber, or in dragging heavy guns through muddy ground or up steep - ascents. In Africa the traveller is often astonished at the size of trees which have been uprooted - and overturned by elephants. These trees, however, have no taproot, and have not therefore a very - firm hold in the ground, especially during the rainy season, when the ground is soft. At this time - of year large trees are butted down by elephants, which push against their stems with the thick - part of their trunks, and get them on the swing, until the roots become loosened and the trees are - at last overturned. Small trees of 2 or 3 inches in diameter, as well as branches, they break off - with their trunks. In 1878 a tuskless bull elephant—I met the same animal again in 1885, and - he is the only African bull elephant without tusks I have ever seen—killed a native hunter - in Mashonaland. This man, a big powerful Zulu and a great friend of my own, was torn into three - pieces. I imagine that, after having caught him, the elephant held the unfortunate man down with - his foot or knee, and then, twisting his trunk round his body, tore him asunder—surely a - terrible exhibition of strength.</p> - - <p>The elephant is a very slow-growing and long-lived animal, not arriving at maturity until - upwards of thirty years of age; and since cases are on record of elephants having lived for - upwards of 130 years in captivity in India, it is probable that in a wild state these animals, - both in Asia and Africa, often attain to an age of 150 years. The female elephant produces, as a - rule, but one calf at birth, the period of gestation lasting from eighteen to nearly twenty-two - months. The mammæ of the cow elephant are placed between the fore legs, and the new-born calf - sucks with its mouth, holding its trunk turned back over its head. I have seen elephant calves so - engaged.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_178.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_178.jpg" - alt="AFRICAN ELEPHANT." title="AFRICAN ELEPHANT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AFRICAN ELEPHANT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The difference in profile between this and the Indian species is noticeable. - The forehead is receding and the ears much larger in the African species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although there is no reason to doubt that the African elephant is as intelligent as the Asiatic - species, its domestication has never been attempted by the Negro or Bantu races of Africa. It is - believed, however, that the African elephant was in ancient times domesticated by the - Carthaginians, and used by them in their wars with the Romans. The opinion, too, is generally held - that the elephants with which Hannibal crossed the Alps were of the African species, as well as - those which, after the conquest of Carthage, were used in the Roman amphitheatres and military - pageants. On the other hand, it is well to remember that the late Mr. W. Cotton Oswell, who had - had great experience both with African and Asiatic elephants, wrote as follows on this subject: "I - believe some people suppose the Carthaginians tamed and used the African elephant; they could - hardly have had mahouts Indian fashion, for there is no marked depression in the nape of the neck - for a seat, and the hemming of the ears when erected would have half smothered them. My knowledge - does not allow me to raise any argument on this point; but might not the same market have been - open to the dwellers <span class="pagenum" id="page179"><span - class="smaller">{179}</span></span>at Carthage as was afterwards to Mithridates, who, I suppose, - drew his supply from India? I know in the representations of elephants on the medals of Faustina - and of Septimus Severus the ears are African, though the bodies and heads are Indian; but these - were struck nearly 400 years after Carthaginian times, when the whole known world had been - ransacked by the Romans for beasts for their public shows; and I still think it possible that the - Carthaginians—the great traders and colonisers of old—may have obtained elephants - through some of their colonies from India."</p> - - <p>An interesting example of the intelligence of these animals can be seen any day at the London - Zoological Gardens. A large African elephant restores to his would-be entertainers all the - biscuits, whole or broken, which strike the bars and fall alike out of his reach and theirs in the - space between the barrier and his cage. He points his trunk at the biscuits, and blows them hard - along the floor to the feet of the persons who have thrown them. He clearly knows what he is - doing, because, if the biscuits do not travel far enough, he gives them a harder blow.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_179.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_179.jpg" - alt="MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING." title="MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE AFRICAN ELEPHANT DRINKING.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the great size of the tusks and base of the trunk.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">TAPIRS AND HYRAX.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Tapirs</span> are odd-looking creatures, and, strange as it may seem, are - nevertheless related on the one hand to the rhinoceroses, and on the other to the horses. They are - furthermore extremely interesting animals, because they have undergone less modification of form - than any other members of the group to which they belong. This we know because fossil tapirs, - belonging to a very remote period of the world's history, are practically indistinguishable from - those now living.</p> - - <p>The general form of the body may perhaps be described as pig-like; the head, too, suggests that - animal. But the pig's snout is here produced into a short proboscis, or trunk. The feet are quite - unlike those of the pig, and resemble those of the rhinoceros. The fore feet have each four and - the hind feet three toes; these are all encased in large horse-like hoofs. The tail is reduced to - a mere stump.</p> - - <p>Tapirs are shy and inoffensive animals, living in the seclusion of dense forests in the - neighbourhood of water, in which element they are quite at home; indeed, it is said that they will - frequently dive and walk along the bed of the river. They are also fond of <span class="pagenum" - id="page180"><span class="smaller">{180}</span></span>wallowing in mud, partly, it is believed, - that they may encase themselves with it as a protection against the annoyance of flies. They feed - on shoots of trees, bushes, leaves, and fallen fruits, foraging during the evening, and possibly - far into the night.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_180.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_180.jpg" - alt="MALAYAN TAPIR." title="MALAYAN TAPIR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALAYAN TAPIR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of all the tapirs. Is easily distinguished from the American tapirs - by the patch of white on the middle of its body.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Tapirs are hunted by the natives for the sake of their thick hides, which are cut into thongs - for reins and bridles. The flesh also is esteemed by some. There are three methods of capture. In - South America the lasso is used with occasional success. But when not foiled by undergrowth, the - hunter often loses his victim by reason of the violence and force of its rush, which snaps the - thong. The Gauchos intercept it with dogs on its way to the water, when it will fight furiously, - and many dogs may be killed before its dispatch is accomplished. Others imitate its peculiar, - shrill call, and shoot it on its approach in answer thereto. Captives are easily tamed, and may be - seen walking about the streets in many South American towns. They wander into the forest by day, - returning in the evening to be fed, and are said to display great affection. On account of their - great strength, it has been suggested that such captives should be used as beasts of burden.</p> - - <p>Except the <span class="sc">Malayan Tapir</span>, which is black and white, tapirs are black or - dark brown in colour, and but scantily clothed with hair; but the young, it is interesting to - note, are spotted and striped with white or fawn-colour on a dark ground, a coloration recalling - that of the wild pig.</p> - - <p>There are five different species of tapir. Their geographical distribution is remarkable, four - species being South American, and one belonging to the Malayan region. But far back in the world's - history, as we know from fossils, tapirs roamed over the warm and temperate regions of Europe, and - their remains have been found in China and the United States. Thus the intervening gaps existing - to-day have been made by the extinction of these intermediate species.</p> - - <p>By nature the tapir appears to be a harmless and inoffensive animal, flying even before the - smallest dog. Occasionally, however, it displays great courage and ferocity, and this appears to - be especially the case with females deprived of their young. At such times they will charge with - great spirit, and knock down, trample on, and bite their victim after the fashion of wild - swine.</p> - - <p>Man alone excepted, the most deadly foe of the <span class="sc">American Tapir</span> is the - jaguar, as is the tiger of the Malay species. The American tapir often gets rid of the jaguar by - rushing at full speed into the dense jungle, thus sweeping its assailant from its back, the - jaguar's claws finding but an insecure hold on its victim's thick hide. Tapirs are often found - bearing scars all over the back, witnessing the terrible nature of the wounds received at such - times.</p> - - <p>That the tapir is a comparatively unknown animal is partly accounted for by the fact that it is - but little sought after by the big-game hunter—who finds more excitement in pursuit of its - larger relative the rhinoceros—and partly, perhaps, owing to its inhabiting regions - comparatively little visited by Europeans. Nevertheless, the tapir is an animal of quite peculiar - interest, having undergone but little change during long ages, whilst its ally the horse has <span - class="pagenum" id="page181"><span class="smaller">{181}</span></span>effected in the same time a - complete transformation, not only in its general shape, but more especially in its teeth and feet. - The gradual steps by which this transformation has been brought about we can trace through certain - fossil forms, of which we can say little here.</p> - - <p>Amongst these fossils occur remains of an animal bearing a very strong resemblance to the - living tapir, but which, strangely enough, is not really so closely related thereto as to the - horses. It does not, however, stand in the direct line of descent of these latter, but must be - regarded as representing a collateral branch thereof. The occurrence of this distinct tapir-like - animal is of great scientific interest.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The short, stout legs and spreading toes of the living tapirs, rhinoceroses, and - ancestral horse are admirably adapted for plodding deliberately over soft and yielding ground, - such as is afforded by reed-beds and banks of rivers, or the shady depths of forests. Speed in - such surroundings is not necessary, food in plenty being always at hand, and escape from enemies - being sought by concealment in thick herbage rather than flight. With a migration to drier and - higher plains, the spreading foot has undergone a change. The short legs and numerous toes have - given place to long ones, and of the several toes growth has taken place in one only—the - third; whilst the others have slowly dwindled, till eventually only traces of the second and - fourth remain, as in the modern horse. Thus has a firmer support over hard, unyielding ground been - brought about, and great speed gained. The animals with this type of foot (in which the third is - the largest toe) are known as the Odd-toed Hoofed Animals. The pigs, sheep, deer, and oxen have - gained an equally efficient foot, yet retaining four toes. Of these, the third and fourth are - equal in size, and serve as a support to the body, whilst the second and fifth have now become - functionless, and do not reach the ground. This type of foot characterises that group of the - hoofed animals known as the Even-toed.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Hyrax.</span></p> - - <p>This is one of the most remarkable of living mammals, and one of the greatest puzzles to - zoologists, having no near living relatives. Though bearing some resemblance to an earless rabbit, - it really belongs to the hoofed animals, and amongst them comes perhaps somewhat nearer the - rhinoceros than to any other animal. It is the <span class="sc">Coney</span> of the Bible. It - inhabits the rocky districts of Syria and parts of Africa. It is a vegetable-feeder, and very - wary. About a dozen species are known.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_181.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_181.jpg" - alt="COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR." title="COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p>COMMON AMERICAN TAPIR.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This tapir inhabits tropical America. It is a - nocturnal animal, frequenting the depths of shady forests in the neighbourhood of water, to - which it frequently resorts for the purpose of bathing, or as a refuge from pursuit.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page182"><span class="smaller">{182}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE RHINOCEROS.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - - <p>Of the five existing species of <span class="sc">Rhinoceros</span>, three are found in Asia, - whilst two are inhabitants of Africa.</p> - - <p>Of the three Asiatic species, two, the <span class="sc">Indian</span> and the <span - class="sc">Javan</span>, are one-horned, and have a single pair of broad incisor teeth in the - upper jaw, and a pair of sharp-edged and pointed tusks in the lower, the nasal bones being long - and narrow, and terminating in a point. In both these species the skin is hairless (except for - tufts or fringes at the extremity of the tail and on the edges of the ears), and is arranged in - shield-like folds over the body. The arrangement of these folds, however, differs somewhat in the - two species, and the large round tubercles with which the skin of the great Indian rhinoceros is - profusely studded are wanting in the Javan species.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Indian Rhinoceros</span> inhabits the Terai at the foot of the Himalaya - from Bhutan to Nepal, and is said to be very abundant in Assam and the Bhutan Dooars. It frequents - swampy ground, and lives amongst jungles and dense growths of reeds and grass, which attain a - height sometimes of 20 feet, and cover vast areas of ground in the valley of the Brahmaputra and - other rivers.</p> - - <p>Owing to the nature of the country in which it lives, the Indian rhinoceros cannot often be - hunted with much prospect of success, except with the aid of elephants, which sagacious animals - are not only employed to carry the hunters, but are also used to beat the great grass jungles in - which the rhinoceroses lie hidden, and drive them towards the guns.</p> - - <p>Despite its great size and strength, the Indian rhinoceros seems to be regarded as, in general, - a timid and inoffensive animal, and even when wounded it seldom charges home. Elephants, however, - appear to be as a rule nervous when in the near proximity of rhinoceroses, perhaps objecting to - the smell of those animals. When the Indian rhinoceros does make good its charge against either - man or elephant, it cuts and rips its enemy with its teeth, and makes little use of its horn as an - offensive weapon.</p> - - <p>The Indian rhinoceros is said to live principally, if not entirely, on grass and reeds. As a - rule it is a solitary animal, but sometimes several are found living in a comparatively small - extent of grass-covered plain.</p> - - <p>Large males of this species will stand from 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet at the shoulder, and they - are enormously bulky. Both sexes carry well-developed horns, which, however, do not usually attain - a length of upwards of 12 inches. There is a specimen in the British Museum measuring 19 inches, - and it is believed that in very exceptional instances a length of 2 feet has been attained.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Javan Rhinoceros</span>, though it has been called the Lesser Indian - Rhinoceros, is said by a late authority—Mr. C. E. M. Russell—to stand about the same - height at the shoulder as the Indian species. It is found in the Sunderbunds of Eastern Bengal, - and has been met with in the Sikhim Terai and in Assam, ranging eastwards through Burma and the - Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_182.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_182.jpg" - alt="HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS." title="HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HAIRY-EARED SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species is found in Eastern Bengal and in the Malay Peninsula and adjacent - large islands.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page183"><span class="smaller">{183}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_183.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_183.jpg" - alt="GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS." title="GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest land mammal of the East after the elephant.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page184"><span class="smaller">{184}</span></span></div> - - <p>But little appears to be known of the habits of this species of rhinoceros. Although it is - found in the swampy grass-covered plains of the Sunderbunds, its more usual habitat seems to be - hilly forest-covered country, and both in Burma and Java it ascends to a height of several - thousand feet above sea-level. It feeds principally upon leaves and the young shoots of trees and - bushes. In disposition it is timid and inoffensive. Only the male carries a horn, which, being - very short, is a very poor trophy for a sportsman.</p> - - <p>The third Asiatic species of rhinoceros, known as the <span class="sc">Sumatran</span>, is the - smallest of all living rhinoceroses. This species carries two horns, and its skin, which is very - rough, is usually thinly covered with hair of a dark brown colour and of considerable length. The - folds in the skin of the Sumatran rhinoceros are not nearly so well developed as in its - single-horned relatives, and the one behind the shoulders is alone continued over the back. - Although furnished with tusks in the lower jaw, the small pair of incisor teeth, which in the - other two Asiatic rhinoceroses are always present in front of these tusks, are wanting in the - Sumatran species.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_184.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_184.jpg" - alt="GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS." title="GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREAT INDIAN RHINOCEROS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species inhabits the grass jungles of North-eastern India.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Sumatran rhinoceros is rare in Assam, but is found in Burma and the Malay Peninsula, as - well as in Siam, Sumatra, and Borneo. The two horns of this species are placed at some distance - apart. Although they are as a rule very short, the front horn occasionally grows to a considerable - length, sweeping backwards in a graceful curve.</p> - - <p>In height adult males of the Sumatran species stand on the average from 4 feet to 4½ feet at - the shoulder, and females sometimes not more than 3 feet 8 inches.</p> - - <p>Like the Javan rhinoceros, the Sumatran species is by preference an inhabitant of hilly, - forest-covered country, and browses on the leaves and shoots of trees and bushes. It is a timid - and inoffensive animal, soon becoming tame in captivity. Its flesh is said to be much appreciated - by the Dyaks of Borneo; and as its horns are of value for export to China, where they are used for - medicinal purposes, it has of late years very much decreased in numbers in the province of - Sarawak, but is more plentiful in Central and North Borneo. Living as it does in dense jungle, it - is an animal which is seldom seen by European sportsmen, and its habits in a wild state have never - been yet very closely studied.</p> - - <p>Turning to the two species of rhinoceros which inhabit the continent of Africa, both are - double-horned, and neither furnished with incisor teeth, the nasal bones being thick, rounded, and - truncated in front. Both, too, are smooth-skinned and entirely hairless, except on the edge of the - ears and extremity of the tail, which are fringed or tufted.</p> - - <p>Of the two African species, the <span class="sc">White</span> or <span - class="sc">Square-mouthed Rhinoceros</span> is the larger and the rarer. Until quite recently the - range of this huge ungainly-looking animal, the biggest of all terrestrial mammals after the - elephant, was supposed to be entirely confined to the southern portions of the African Continent; - for although from time to time horns had found their way to Zanzibar which seemed referable to the - square-mouthed rhinoceros, the fact of the existence of the white rhinoceros in any part of Africa - north of the Zambesi remained in doubt until a female was shot in the year 1900, in the - neighbourhood of Lado, on the Upper Nile, by Captain A. St. H. Gibbons, who brought its skin, - skull, and horns to England. <span class="pagenum" id="page185"><span - class="smaller">{185}</span></span>The fact, however, that the white rhinoceros has never been - encountered by any other traveller in Central Africa seems to show that the animal is either very - rare in those districts, or that it has an exceedingly limited range.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_185_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_185_t.jpg" - alt="BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES." title="BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROSES.</p> - <p class="sp0">A splendid snapshot of two black African rhinoceroses taken on the open veldt. - They were afterwards shot by the party.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_185_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_185_b.jpg" - alt="ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD." title="ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. B. Hausburg, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ONE OF THE SAME RHINOCEROSES DEAD.</p> - <p class="sp0">This picture gives some idea of the size of the commonest surviving - species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the early years of the nineteenth century the square-mouthed or white rhinoceros was found - in large numbers over the whole of South Africa from the Orange River to the Zambesi, except in - the waterless portions of the Kalahari Desert, or those parts of the country which are covered - with rugged stony hills or dense jungle.</p> - - <p>Speaking of his journey in 1837 through the western part of what is now the Transvaal Colony, - Captain (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote: "On our way from the waggons to a hill not half - a mile distant, we counted no less than twenty-two of the white species of rhinoceros, and were - compelled in self-defence to slaughter four. On one occasion I was besieged in a bush by three at - once, and had no little difficulty in beating off the assailants." Even so lately as thirty years - ago the white rhinoceros was still to be met with in fair numbers in Ovampoland and other - districts of Western South Africa, whilst it was quite plentiful in all the uninhabited parts of - Eastern South Africa from Zululand to the Zambesi. In 1872 and 1873, whilst elephant-hunting in - the uninhabited parts of Matabililand, I encountered white rhinoceroses almost daily, and often - saw several in one day. At the present time, however, unless it should prove to be numerous in - some as yet unexplored districts of North Central Africa, this strange and interesting animal must - be counted one of the rarest of existing mammals, and in Southern Africa I fear it must soon - become extinct. A few still exist amongst the wild loquat groves of Northern Mashonaland, and - there are also a few surviving in Zululand; but I fear that even with the <span class="pagenum" - id="page186"><span class="smaller">{186}</span></span>most rigid protection they are too few in - number to restock the country. They have a better chance, I think, of increasing in numbers in - Zululand than in Mashonaland, in which latter country it is at present impossible to afford them - any protection either from natives or Europeans.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_186.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_186.jpg" - alt="RHINOCEROS BATHING." title="RHINOCEROS BATHING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RHINOCEROS BATHING.</p> - <p class="sp0">All the Asiatic species of rhinoceros are fond of bathing and wallowing in - mud.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A full-grown bull white rhinoceros stands from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9 inches at the - shoulder, and is very massively built, with short, stout legs. The head is very much elongated, - and the mouth square, like that of an ox. When white rhinoceroses were still plentiful, very - considerable differences were observable in the length and shape of their horns. The anterior - horns of full-grown bulls might measure from 18 inches to 40 inches in length; those of cows from - 24 inches to 60 inches. The longest horn known—that of a cow—which was brought from - South Africa by the well-known hunter the late Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, measures 62½ inches over - the curve. As a rule, the front horn of the white rhinoceros curved slightly backwards, but was - often straight or bent slightly forwards, and sometimes curved strongly backwards. The posterior - horn varied from a few inches to 2 feet in length.</p> - - <p>The white rhinoceros lived in families, usually a bull, cow, and calf being found together; but - there might be two or even three calves of different ages, and of which the youngest alone would - be suckling, living with the father and mother. In the early South African spring (September and - October), when the young green herbage was just sprouting after the first rains, two or three - families of white rhinoceroses might be seen feeding in close proximity, presenting the appearance - of a herd; but I fancy the several families of these animals had only been brought together for - the sake of the young green grass. In Southern Africa the white rhinoceros lived entirely on - grass, and I have never seen any evidence of their having eaten anything else. When either - walking, trotting, or galloping, the white rhinoceros always carried its nose close to the ground. - A calf always preceded its mother, and she appeared to guide it by holding the point of her horn - on the little creature's rump; and in all changes of pace, no matter how sudden, this position was - always maintained. The white rhinoceros was easily killed by a shot through the heart or through - both lungs, but would travel very long distances, and probably, as a rule, ultimately recover from - wounds in other parts of the body. They could travel at a great rate and for a considerable - distance with a broken fore leg or shoulder, but if a hind leg were broken they were rendered - almost immediately helpless. In disposition they were sluggish and inoffensive animals, lying - asleep in the shade of trees or bushes during the heat of the day, and coming to the water to - drink at night or often before sundown in parts of the country where they had not been much - molested. When disturbed, white rhinoceroses would go off at a swift trot, but if chased on - horseback would break into a gallop, which they were capable of maintaining for a considerable - distance, and at a wonderful pace for so large and heavy an animal. The meat of the white - rhinoceros was most excellent, the part in greatest favour amongst hunters being the hump on the - back of the neck in front of the shoulder, which was cut off whole and roasted in the skin in a - hole dug in the ground.</p> - - <p>The colour of the so-called white rhinoceros is dark grey. The second species of African - rhinoceros, which is also dark grey in colour, is known as the <span class="sc">Black</span> or - <span class="sc">Prehensile-lipped Rhinoceros</span>.</p> - - <p>Less than a hundred years ago the range of this fast-disappearing species extended from <span - class="pagenum" id="page187"><span class="smaller">{187}</span></span>the north-western districts - of the Cape Colony to Abyssinia, and at that time it must have been plentiful over almost the - whole of the intervening country. It never seems to have penetrated into the equatorial forest - regions of West Central Africa, where the climate is probably too damp to suit its requirements; - for both species of African rhinoceros appear to like a dry climate, and not to object to very - arid surroundings. At the same time they never wander many miles from a river or pool, and drink - regularly every night, and in hot weather probably very often a second time in the early - morning.</p> - - <p>In Southern Africa the black rhinoceros appears to attain to a larger size than in the - countries farther north. To the south of the Zambesi large bulls of this species will stand 5 feet - 8 inches at the shoulder; whilst the height of an adult bull, as taken by Mr. F. Jackson at - Naivasha, in East Africa, was 5 feet 5 inches; and Mr. A. H. Neumann gives the standing height of - another adult bull shot by himself still farther north, near Lake Rudolph, as only 4 feet 9 - inches.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_187.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_187.jpg" - alt="BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS." title="BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK AFRICAN RHINOCEROS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph, taken by a sportsman in Africa, shows a charging rhinoceros - just before it was shot.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is now generally recognised that there is but one species of prehensile-lipped rhinoceros in - Africa, though the horns, and especially the hinder one, differ in length and shape to such an - extent that it was long thought that there were at least two distinct species, those with both - horns of equal or nearly equal length having been distinguished from the more common form, with a - comparatively short second horn, as the <span class="sc">Keitloa</span>, this being the name in - the Sechuana dialect for a prehensile-lipped rhinoceros with horns of equal length. Speaking on - this subject, Mr. A. H. Neumann, who has had great experience with the black rhinoceros in East - Africa, writes: "Length of horn is a purely fortuitous individual trait; and the extremely long - horns (mostly of females) which have occasionally been obtained from traders on the east coast, - and brought home, are merely exceptionally fine specimens, selected from among large numbers - brought to the coast (the bulk of which, I am told, go to China to be ground up into medicine), - and do not belong to any distinct species, nor come from any particular region. In proof of this - contention I may mention that I have a 40-inch horn, the owner of which I myself shot at the - northern base of the Jambeni Range (near Kenia), in a neighbourhood where I hunted a great deal - and saw great numbers of rhinos, and shot a good many. The vast majority have quite short - horns—under a foot—and anything over 18 inches is uncommon, while a length of 30 - inches or upwards is extremely rare." The black rhinoceros, I believe, never eats grass, but - browses on the young shoots of trees and bushes, which are often quite leafless and seem - excessively dry. In this way it chews up and swallows great quantities of dry-looking twigs, much - of which passes through its stomach undigested.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page188"><span class="smaller">{188}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_188.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_188.jpg" - alt="SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS." title="SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the three Oriental forms. It has - two horns.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There has been a good deal of controversy as to the character and disposition of the black - rhinoceros, some hunters and travellers regarding it as most dangerous and aggressive, whilst - others are inclined to take an almost opposite view. That some black rhinoceroses are certainly - aggressive and therefore dangerous animals, the experiences of C. J. Anderson and W. Cotton Oswell - in South Africa many years ago, and of many travellers and hunters in East Africa during the last - few years, certainly prove beyond a doubt; and as one never knows that any particular rhinoceros, - when encountered, may not prove to be a vicious brute, a certain amount of caution should be - employed in approaching one of these animals. In my own experience I always found that black - rhinoceroses ran off at once on getting the wind of a human being; whilst, on the other hand, if - they only heard one approaching, they would come towards the noise, and I have often known them to - trot up to within twenty yards of where I was standing, snorting and puffing loudly; but as these - animals always turned round and went off eventually without charging, I came to the conclusion - that they were inquisitive and very short-sighted rather than vicious. When fired into, a black - rhinoceros goes off at a gallop—his usual pace, when alarmed, being a very fast - trot—puffing and snorting loudly. He can gallop at a very great pace, considering his size - and weight; but a South African shooting-pony can easily come up with him, or get away from him if - pursued. In death a black rhinoceros will often sink down on its knees, and remain in that - position, looking as if it were simply resting. When dying, it often gives vent to a pitiful - squeal, the sound seeming very small and thin for so large a beast. The meat of the black - rhinoceros is not ill-flavoured, and, if fat, very palatable; but as a rule these animals are very - lean, and their flesh tough and coarse. The tongue, however, if well cooked, is always good; and - the liver, if first roasted under the ashes, and then, after being beaten up in a native wooden - mortar, cooked with rice and fat, makes a dish which is good enough for a hungry man.</p> - - <p>During the making of the Uganda Railway the engineers came upon something like a preserve of - this species of rhinoceros, especially in the thick and waterless thorn jungle near the coast. The - rhinoceros was almost the only animal, except the lion, which was able to penetrate the bush. As - many as five of these animals were seen in one day when the line was being made; they did no - injury to the coolies, other than by frightening them, and appeared to be stupid and by no means - vigilant animals, perhaps because no other creature attacked them. The lion never meddles with a - grown-up rhinoceros, though it might and probably does kill a calf occasionally, when the latter - is no larger than a full-grown pig. The horns of some of these East African black rhinoceroses - were of unusual length and thinness.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page189"><span class="smaller">{189}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XII. The horse tribe." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE HORSE TRIBE.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">ZEBRAS AND WILD ASSES.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Zebras.</span></p> - - <p>The Zebras have many points in common with the asses, from which latter group of animals they - are principally distinguished by their beautifully striped skins. Both asses and zebras carry - short, erect manes, and in both the upper portion of the tail is free from long hair. In both - groups there are naked callosities on the fore legs only, whilst the head is larger in proportion - to the size of the animal, and the ears longer than in the horse. In <span - class="sc">Burchell's</span> and <span class="sc">Grevy's Zebras</span> the hoof is intermediate - between that of the horse and the ass; for although narrower than the hoof of the horse, it is - broader and more rounded than that of the ass. In the <span class="sc">True Zebra</span>, however, - the hoof is thoroughly asinine in character, and the ears very long.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_189.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_189.jpg" - alt="MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA." title="MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MOUNTAIN-ZEBRA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The true or mountain zebra is now becoming scarcer than formerly. At one time - it was to be seen in great numbers on the mountains of Cape Colony.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">True</span> or <span class="sc">Mountain Zebra</span> appears never to - have had a very extended range. It was once an inhabitant of all the mountainous regions of the - Cape Colony as well as of the great Drakensberg Range, and fifty years ago was also found amongst - the rugged hills of Great Namaqualand. The mountain-zebra is the smallest of the group, standing - only from 12 to 12½ hands at the shoulder. It is a most beautiful animal, the whole of the head, - body, and limbs, with the exception of the under-parts and the insides of the thighs, being - striped. The ground-colour of the body is white, the stripes <span class="pagenum" - id="page190"><span class="smaller">{190}</span></span>being black and the muzzle bright brown. - Both hind and fore legs are banded down to the hoofs. The stripes on the neck and body are - narrower and more numerous than in Burchell's zebra, and on the hindquarters the median stripe, - which runs down the centre of the back from the mane to the tail, is connected with the uppermost - of the oblique longitudinal stripes by a series of short horizontal bars. The ears in this species - are much larger than in Burchell's zebra.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_190.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_190.jpg" - alt="GREVY'S ZEBRA." title="GREVY'S ZEBRA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GREVY'S ZEBRA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species of zebra comes from the Galla country, and has narrower and more - numerous stripes than the mountain-zebra.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The true zebra seems never to have been an inhabitant of the plains, like all its congeners, - but to have confined its range entirely to mountainous districts. Speaking on this point, Captain - (afterwards Sir) Cornwallis Harris wrote upwards of sixty years ago: "This beautiful and wary - animal never of its own free will descends into the plain, as erroneously asserted by all - naturalists, and it therefore never herds with either of its congeners, the quagga and Burchell's - zebra, whose habitat is equally limited to the open and level lowlands. Seeking the wildest and - most sequestered spots, the haughty troops are exceedingly difficult of approach, as well on - account of their watchful habits and extreme agility and fleetness of foot, as from the abrupt and - inaccessible nature of their highland abode."</p> - - <p>An allied species, of which examples have been obtained by Mr. G. W. Penrice, occurs in - Benguela, Portuguese West Africa.</p> - - <p>I once saw the carcase of a zebra stallion which had been sent by rail to the Cape Town Museum - by a farmer living in the neighbourhood of the village of Worcester. This animal had come down - from the mountains, and joined a troop of donkeys running on the farm. Its intrusion was, however, - resented by a male donkey, which fought with and overpowered it, and, having seized it with its - teeth by the back of the neck, held it fast until it was secured by the farmer and his men. The - captured animal, however, refused food, and soon died, when its carcase was sent to the Cape - Museum for preservation.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Grevy's Zebra</span> is the largest and perhaps the handsomest of all the - zebras. This fine animal is an inhabitant of Eastern Africa, its range extending from the central - portion of Somaliland southwards to the Tana River. It appears to be plentiful in the country - between Mount Kenia and Lake Rudolph, but has not, I believe, been met with to the west of that - lake. Full-grown specimens of Grevy's zebra will stand from 14½ to 15 hands at the shoulder, with - a girth of body immediately behind the shoulders of nearly 5 feet. The arrangement of the stripes - in this species differs considerably both from that of the mountain-zebra of the Cape Colony and - also from Burchell's zebra. The body-stripes are very narrow, numerous, and deep black in colour, - and are separated by equally narrow white bands. The longitudinal stripes on the haunches are also - shorter and finer than in any other species of zebra, and on the top of the quarters there is a - white unstriped space on each side of the median line which runs down the centre of the back from - the neck to the tail. The belly and insides of the thighs are white, and the legs banded right - down to the hoofs as in the mountain-zebra, and the ears are as large as in that species.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page191"><span class="smaller">{191}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_191.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_191.jpg" - alt="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA AT HOME." title="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA AT HOME."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Percy Ashenden.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BURCHELL'S ZEBRA AT HOME.</p> - <p class="sp0">This excellent photograph was taken in South Africa, and shows these animals in - their native state.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page192"><span class="smaller">{192}</span></span></div> - - <p>Grevy's zebra is, as a rule, an inhabitant of open or thinly wooded country, and it appears to - avoid anything in the nature of thick cover. In Central Somaliland Major Swayne met with it on low - plateaux some 2,500 feet above sea-level, the sides of which fell in broken ravines to the - river-valleys. This country is described as broken and hilly, and here Grevy's zebras were met - with in small droves of about half a dozen. In the country between Mount Kenia and Lake Rudolph, - Mr. A. H. Neumann frequently met with herds of Grevy's and Burchell's zebras consorting together. - The contrast between the two species when thus seen side by side was very marked, the former - animals looking like horses among a flock of ponies. Mr. Neumann never observed stallions of the - two species fighting together, but on the other hand he states that the stallions of the larger - species fight viciously amongst themselves for possession of the mares. Grevy's zebras seem never - to collect in large herds, more than twenty, or at the outside thirty, being very seldom seen - together.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_192.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_192.jpg" - alt="THE HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD'S TEAM OF - ZEBRAS." title="THE HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD'S TEAM OF - ZEBRAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD'S TEAM OF ZEBRAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Mr. Rothschild was practically the first Englishman to break in zebras to - harness. At one time these animals were thought to be quite untamable.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although this species is an inhabitant of arid plains and bare stony hills where the herbage is - short, it requires to drink daily, and is never therefore found at any great distance from - water.</p> - - <p>The cry of Grevy's zebra is stated to be quite different from that of Burchell's. Mr. Neumann - describes it as a very hoarse kind of grunt, varied by something approaching to a whistle, the - grunts being long drawn out, and divided by the shrill whistling sound, as if the latter were made - by drawing in the breath which had been expelled during the sustained grunt.</p> - - <p>Like all other species of the genus to which they belong, Grevy's zebras, especially the mares - when in foal, become very fat at certain seasons of the year, and their flesh is much appreciated - both by natives and lions, the latter preying on them and their smaller congeners, Burchell's - zebras, in preference to any other animal, now that the rinderpest has almost exterminated the - great herds of buffalo which once roamed in countless numbers all over East Central Africa.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">Burchell's Zebra</span> once inhabited the whole of South-western, - South-eastern, Central, and Eastern Africa from the Orange River to Lake Rudolph; and though it - has long ceased to exist in the more southerly portions of its range, it is still the most - numerous and the best known of all the species of zebra.</p> - - <div id="fp193"></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_193fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_193fp.jpg" - alt="HIGHLAND CATTLE." title="HIGHLAND CATTLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Charles Reid, Wishaw, N.B.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HIGHLAND CATTLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">These magnificent cattle are bred in large numbers in the Scottish Highlands, - whence they are brought to the richer pastures of England to fatten for the market.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page193"><span class="smaller">{193}</span></span></div> - - <p>The typical form of this species was first met with early last century by Dr. Burchell in - Southern Bechuanaland. In this form the legs are white below the knees and hocks, and the - body-stripes do not join the median stripe of the belly. In examples met with farther north the - legs are striped down to the hoofs and the body-stripes join the belly-stripe. South of the - Zambesi all forms of Burchell's zebra seem to have faint markings, known as shadow-stripes, on the - pale yellow ground-colour of the spaces between the broad black stripes. North of the Zambesi - varieties are met with in which these shadow-stripes are wanting. As, however, the differences - between all the various sub-species of Burchell's zebra are superficial and not structural, and - as, moreover, the habits of these animals seem to be the same in every part of their widely - extended range, I shall henceforth speak of them as one species.</p> - - <p>Burchell's zebra is without the small horizontal bars on the hindquarters, which in the - mountain-zebra connect the dorsal stripe with the uppermost of the broad longitudinal bands - running across the flanks. Its ears, too, are smaller than in the latter species, and its mane - fuller. In size Burchell's zebra is intermediate between the mountain-zebra and Grevy's zebra, - standing from thirteen to thirteen and a half hands at the shoulder.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_193.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_193.jpg" - alt="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA, CHAPMAN'S VARIETY." title="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA, CHAPMAN'S VARIETY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Mr. William Cross</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Liverpool.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BURCHELL'S ZEBRA, CHAPMAN'S VARIETY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This zebra is one of several trained in Mr. Cross's well-known establishment at - Liverpool. Mr. Cross has been very successful in breaking in zebras, and is frequently to be - seen driving a pair about Liverpool.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Where they have not been shot down, Burchell's zebras often live in large herds of from fifty - to over a hundred together. I have met with them almost at the level of the sea, as in the Pungwe - district of South-east Africa, and all over the high plateaux of the interior up to a height of - 5,000 feet above sea-level. They are partial to sparsely forested country intersected by open - glades, but also frequent open plains entirely devoid of trees or bush, having been once numerous - on the open downs of the Western Transvaal and Orange River Colony. They never live in dense - jungle, but I have met with them frequently amongst broken rugged hills. Burchell's zebras are - both fleet and enduring, but I have often galloped right amongst a herd of them when mounted on a - fast horse, and in good ground. In broken, hilly, and stony ground, however, no horse can live - with a Burchell's zebra. The hoofs of this species seem made for running in rocky ground, being - deeply hollowed and as hard as iron.</p> - - <p>I have always found the presence of Burchell's zebras a sure indication that water was not - <span class="pagenum" id="page194"><span class="smaller">{194}</span></span>far distant, and it is - my experience that these animals require to drink daily, and never wander more than a few miles - away from the pool or river they frequent.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_194_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_194_t.jpg" - alt="MARE AND FOAL OF BURCHELL'S ZEBRA." title="MARE AND FOAL OF BURCHELL'S ZEBRA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MARE AND FOAL OF BURCHELL'S ZEBRA.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals breed regularly in captivity.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This species of zebra may often be seen in Southern Africa in company with other animals, such - as buffaloes, blue wildebeests, elands, gemsbucks, roan and sassaby antelopes, and ostriches, and - I have upon several occasions seen them come up to domestic cattle and horses. They are naturally - not very wary, and in parts of the country where they have not been much molested are often very - inquisitive, and will come trotting quite close up to a caravan, provided they do not get the - scent of human beings. Foals of this species are easily caught, and become at once very tame and - confiding; nor do I believe that adult Burchell's zebras are such vicious animals as is generally - supposed, since I have seen several which were very quiet and well broken, whilst even the - half-broken animals, which were at one time used on one of the coach-lines in the Transvaal, did - not appear very vicious.</p> - - <p>As with Grevy's zebra, the flesh of the species under consideration is much appreciated both by - natives and lions. I have often seen the fat on the quarters of the mares quite an inch thick. It - is of a dark yellow colour, and too rich to suit the stomach of a European. The meat is rather - sweet in taste, but if fried with bacon not at all unpalatable.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_194_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_194_b.jpg" - alt="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA." title="BURCHELL'S ZEBRA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BURCHELL'S ZEBRA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species is occasionally domesticated and driven in South Africa, as it is - not injured by the tsetse fly.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Professor Ewart has lately carried out a very interesting series of experiments on the - hybridising of zebras and horses. The results were very satisfactory. The zebra cross proved to be - very hardy creatures, capable of wintering in the open on the hills of Scotland. The scientific - data obtained were of singular value, as showing the effect of crossbreeding on subsequent - generations of foals of the same mother. It has long been believed that the influence of the first - sire was seen in foals of which other animals were subsequently the fathers. Thus, if a white mare - threw a foal to a black stallion, it was considered that her subsequent progeny would occasionally - be black, and instances were freely quoted to support this theory. The scientific name of - "telegony" was given to this supposed influence of previous sires on future offspring. Professor - Ewart's experiments, in which pony mares were first mated with a zebra and afterwards with horses, - show that this theory of telegony is erroneous. The foals sired afterwards by ponies and horses - showed no trace whatever of zebra stripes, but were normal pony foals, and not altered either in - shape or disposition.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page195"><span class="smaller">{195}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Quagga</span>, which became extinct about thirty years ago, never had a - very extended range, but in the early part of the last century it existed in great numbers on all - the upland plains of the Cape Colony to the west of the Kei River, and in the open treeless - country lying between the Orange and Vaal Rivers. North of the Vaal it appears to have been - unknown.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_195_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_195_t.jpg" - alt="ZEBRAS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN." title="ZEBRAS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Percy Ashenden.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ZEBRAS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another South African photograph. Notice Cape Town in the far distance.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_195_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_195_b.jpg" alt="QUAGGA." - title="QUAGGA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">QUAGGA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is, we believe, the only known photograph from life of this very rare - animal. There will probably never be another, for the quagga is generally supposed to be - extinct.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The quagga seems to have been nearly allied to Burchell's zebra—especially to - the most southerly form of that species—but was much darker in general colour, being of a - dark rufous brown on the neck and upper-parts of the body, becoming lighter on the sides, and - fading off to white beneath and behind. Instead of being striped, too, over the whole body, it was - only strongly banded on the head and neck, the dark brown stripes becoming fainter on the - shoulders and dying away in spots and blotches. On the other hand, in size and build, in the - appearance of its mane, ears, and tail, and in general habits, it seems to have nearly resembled - its handsomer relative. The barking neigh "quā-hā-hā, - quā-hā-hā" seems, too, to have been the same in both species. The word - "quagga" is pronounced in South Africa "quā-hā," and is of Hottentot origin, being - an imitation of the animal's neighing call. To-day Burchell's zebras are invariably called - Quā-hās by both Boers and British colonists.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Wild Asses.</span></p> - - <p>The true asses are without stripes on the head, neck, and body, with the exception of a dark - streak down the back from the mane to the tail, which is present in all members of the group, and - in some cases a dark band across the shoulders and irregular markings on the legs.</p> - - <p>In Africa the wild ass is only found in the desert regions of the north-eastern portion of that - continent, being an inhabitant of Abyssinia, Somaliland, Gallaland, the Soudan, and the arid - districts bordering the Red Sea. The form of wild ass found in Somaliland differs in some respects - from its near relative of the Nubian Desert, in that it is of a paler colour, has the dorsal - stripe but faintly marked, and is without a cross stripe over the shoulders, <span class="pagenum" - id="page196"><span class="smaller">{196}</span></span>whilst on the other hand it has numerous - markings both on the front and hind legs. Naturalists are, however, agreed that, although there - may be certain small differences in the colour and markings of the wild asses found in different - localities of Northern Africa, such variations are of no specific value, and only one species is - recognised.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">African Wild Ass</span> is a fine animal, standing between 13 and 14 hands - at the shoulder. It lives in small herds or families of four or five individuals, and is not found - in mountainous districts, but frequents low stony hills and arid desert-wastes. It is as a general - rule an alert animal and difficult to approach, and so fleet and enduring that, excepting in the - case of foals and mares heavy in young, it cannot be overtaken even by a well-mounted horseman. - Notwithstanding the scanty nature of the herbage in the districts they frequent, these desert-bred - asses are always in good condition. They travel long distances to water at night, but appear to - require to drink regularly. Their flesh is eaten by the natives of the Soudan. The bray of the - African wild ass is said to be indistinguishable from that of the domesticated animal, which - latter is undoubtedly descended from the wild African breed.</p> - - <p>In Asia three varieties of the wild ass are found, which were formerly believed to represent - three distinct species; but since the points of difference between these varying forms do not - appear to be of specific value, all the local races of the Asiatic wild ass are now considered to - belong to one species.</p> - - <p>These wild asses have a wide range, and are met with in the deserts of Asia from Syria to - Persia and Western India, and northwards throughout the more arid portions of Central Asia.</p> - - <p>In Tibet and Mongolia the wild ass inhabits the high mountain-plateaux, and lives at elevations - of 14,000 feet and upwards above the sea. This local race, known as the <span - class="sc">Kiang</span>, approaches in size to the African wild ass, standing 13 hands at the - shoulder. It is dark reddish brown in colour, with a very narrow dorsal stripe. The <span - class="sc">Onager</span> of Western India and Baluchistan is a smaller and lighter-coloured - animal, with a broader stripe down the back. In parts of its range it is found at sea-level. In - Persia and Syria a third local race of wild ass is found, which, however, differs from the two - forms already enumerated in no essential particular.</p> - - <p>Like their African congeners, the wild asses of Asia are inhabitants of the waste places of the - earth, frequenting desert plains and wind-swept steppes. They are said to be so fleet and enduring - that, except in the case of a mare heavy with foal, they cannot be overtaken by a single - horseman.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_196.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_196.jpg" - alt="BALUCHI WILD ASS." title="BALUCHI WILD ASS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BALUCHI WILD ASS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of the three leading varieties of the Asiatic wild ass. It is found - in Western India and Baluchistan.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The wild asses of the desert plains of India and Persia are said to be very wary and difficult - to approach, but the kiang of Tibet is always spoken of as a much more confiding animal, its - curiosity being so great that it will frequently approach to within a short distance of any - unfamiliar object, such as a sportsman engaged in stalking other game.</p> - - <p>Asiatic wild asses usually live in small families of four or five, but sometimes congregate in - herds. Their food consists of various grasses in the low-lying portions of their <span - class="pagenum" id="page197"><span class="smaller">{197}</span></span>range, but of woody plants - on the high mountain-plateaux, where little else is to be obtained. Of wild asses in general the - late Sir Samuel Baker once said: "Those who have seen donkeys only in their civilised state can - have no conception of the wild or original animal; it is the perfection of activity and - courage."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_197.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_197.jpg" alt="MALE KIANG." - title="MALE KIANG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE KIANG.</p> - <p class="sp0">The kiang comes from the Tibetan highlands. It is the largest and most - horse-like of the wild asses of Asia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">DOMESTICATED HORSE, ASSES, AND MULES.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Domesticated Horse.</span></p> - - <p>Like the wild camels, genuine wild horses are very generally believed to be extinct. The vast - herds which occur to-day in a wild state in Europe, America, and Australia are to be regarded, say - those who believe in the extinction theory, as descended from domesticated animals which have run - wild. So far as the American and Australian horses are concerned, this is no doubt true; but of - the European stocks it is by no means so certain. For Dr. Nehring—and he speaks with - authority—assures us that the wild horses known as <span class="sc">Tarpans</span>, which - occur on the steppes north of the Sea of Azoff, between the river Dnieper and the Caspian, are - veritable wild horses, the last remaining members of enormous herds which occurred in Europe - before the dawn of civilisation. These horses formed no small part of the food of the savage races - of men then inhabiting this continent. This we know because of the quantities of their remains - found in the caves of the south of France, for instance, associated with the remains of the men - who hunted them. Further evidence of this we have in the shape of crude engravings on pieces of - bone and deer horns, carved by the more artistic spirits amongst these early hunters. From these - drawings we gather that the horse they hunted was small in size and heavy in build, with a large - head and rough, shaggy mane and <span class="pagenum" id="page198"><span - class="smaller">{198}</span></span>tail—a horse, in fact, almost identical with the - above-mentioned tarpan. But long before historic records begin these horses must have been - domesticated; man discovered that they could be even more useful alive than dead, and from that - time forth the horse became his inseparable companion. "Cæsar found the Ancient Britons and - Germans using war-chariots drawn by horses."</p> - - <p>But the stock of domestic horses drawn from this tarpan breed appears to have died out almost - entirely, the majority of horses now existing being probably descendants of the native wild horses - of Asia, the product of a still earlier domestication. In Egypt the horse, as a domestic animal, - seems to have been preceded by the ass; but about 1900 <span class="smaller">B.C.</span> it begins - to appear in the rôle of a war-horse, to draw chariots. Its use, indeed, until the Middle Ages was - almost universally as a war-horse.</p> - - <p>From the time of its domestication till to-day the history of the horse has been one of - progress. The care and forethought of the breeder have produced many varieties, resulting in such - extremes as the London Dray-horse, the Racer, and the Shetland Pony.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_198.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_198.jpg" - alt="YEARLING ARAB COLTS." title="YEARLING ARAB COLTS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YEARLING ARAB COLTS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the colts examining the photographer's bag. They are very inquisitive - creatures, but easily frightened.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The coloration of our various breeds of horses is generally without any definite marking, - piebald and dappled being the nearest approach to a pattern. Occasionally, however, horses are - found with a dark stripe along the back, and sometimes with dark stripes on the shoulders and - legs. Darwin, discovering a number of horses so marked belonging to different breeds, came to the - conclusion that probably all existing races of horses were descended from a "single dun-coloured, - more or less striped primitive stock, to which [stock] our horses occasionally revert."</p> - - <p>"If we were not so habituated to the sight of the horse," says the late Sir William Flower, "as - hardly ever to consider its structure, we should greatly marvel at being told of a mammal so - strangely constructed that it had but a single toe on each extremity, on the end of the nail of - which it walked or galloped. Such a conformation is without parallel in the vertebrate series." By - the aid of fossils we can trace out all the stages through which this wonderful foot has passed in - arriving at its present state of perfection: we can see how it has become more and more - beautifully adapted to fulfil the requirement demanded—a firm support to enable its owner to - cover hard ground at great speed. The study of the structure of this foot, and a comparison with - the intermediate forms, make it clear that this toe corresponds to the third finger or toe of the - human hand or foot—according as we compare the fore or hind limbs—and that its - development was at the expense of the remaining toes, which gradually dwindled and disappeared, - leaving in the living one-toed horse only traces of the second and fourth toes in the shape of a - pair of splint-bones, one on either side of the excessively developed third toe.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page199"><span class="smaller">{199}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_199.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_199.jpg" alt="ARAB MARE." - title="ARAB MARE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p>ARAB MARE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Nothing would induce this horse to stand still in - order to be photographed; so as a last resource Lady Anne Blunt put on her Arab costume. This - acted like magic, for under its spell the animal at once became quiet.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page200"><span class="smaller">{200}</span></span></div> - - <p>The horses, it must be remarked, may be distinguished from the asses by the fact that the tail - in the former is clothed with long hair throughout; in the latter long hair springs only from the - sides and end, forming a tuft. Furthermore, the horses have a remarkable horny excrescence, - resembling a huge black and flattened wart, on each hind leg just below the "hock," or heel-joint. - This excrescence is commonly known as the "chestnut." Its function is unknown. A similar pair of - "chestnuts" occurs on the inner side of the fore limb just above the wrist, or "knee," as it is - generally called. The "chestnuts" of the fore limb occur also in the asses, but not those of the - hind limb.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_200.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_200.jpg" - alt="ARAB MARES AND FOALS." title="ARAB MARES AND FOALS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ARAB MARES AND FOALS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A pretty group of some of Lady Anne Blunt's famous Arabs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Arab Horse.</span></p> - - <p>This magnificent and justly celebrated animal is chosen first for consideration because it is - probably a direct descendant of an original wild breed—the Asiatic wild horse. How far back - the domestication of this breed began will probably never be exactly known. Till the third century - after Christ the Arabs were almost certainly camel-riders; but by the sixth century of our era we - find them in possession of a breed of horses which they regarded with great reverence, and spoke - of as an heritage from their forefathers. They were probably introduced from the Caucasus or Asia - Minor. The Arab horse found its way into Europe, perhaps accompanied by an allied breed—the - Barb—with the Arab invasion of Spain in the eighth and ninth centuries, leaving traces of - its sojourn in the Andalusian and the French Limousin. But the great value of Arab blood was not - appreciated till armour ceased to be used, the excessive weight of this demanding a horse of heavy - build.</p> - - <p>The Arab does not appear to have been introduced into England till the seventeenth century; but - the result of that introduction, as we shall see presently, has been fraught with tremendous - consequences. In its native land it appears to have been bred chiefly for the purposes of warfare. - The success with which the breeders' judicious selection has been rewarded is plainly seen in the - wonderful powers of endurance on long marches; so that, at the end of a raid, the animal is still - fresh enough either for flight, if necessary, or for a final rush on a retreating enemy. Besides, - Arabs possess great courage, and are frugal both in the matter of food and drink.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page201"><span class="smaller">{201}</span></span></div> - - <p>As a race-horse, one enthusiast assures us, the Arab is superior to every other natural breed; - he is beaten only by his own half-breed offspring—the English Race-horse. But this seems to - be rather an over-estimate.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_201_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_201_t.jpg" - alt="PERCHERON HORSE." title="PERCHERON HORSE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PERCHERON HORSE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A Continental breed. This horse is believed to be the only one of its kind in - England.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The colour of the Arab varies; white is the most highly esteemed, but bay and chestnut are - common, black being rare. Strange as it may seem, the white breed is never born white.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_201_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_201_b.jpg" - alt="HACKNEY AND FOAL." title="HACKNEY AND FOAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HACKNEY AND FOAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">A specimen of the English carriage-horse.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The great affection of the Arab for his horse is proverbial. The following story is - certainly worth repeating: "The whole stock of an Arab of the desert consisted of a mare. The - French Consul offered to purchase her, in order to send her to his sovereign, Louis XIV. The Arab - would have rejected the proposal; but being miserably poor, with scarcely a rag to cover him, his - wife and children starving, he was tempted greatly. At length he yielded. He brought the mare to - the consul's house, and stood leaning on her neck, and looking, now at the gold, and now at the - horse. The gold was good to look upon; it would make him rich for life. Turning at last to his - favourite, he said: 'To whom is it I am going to yield thee up? To Europeans, who will tie thee - close, who will beat thee, who will make thee miserable. Return with me, my beauty, my jewel, and - rejoice the hearts of my children.' At the last of these words he sprang upon her back, and was in - a few moments out of sight."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Barb.</span></p> - - <p>This is an African breed, which, like the generality of African horses, is distinguished from - those of Asia by its long limbs and small girth at the loins, thus resembling the foals of other - breeds. It displays great powers of enduring hunger and <span class="pagenum" id="page202"><span - class="smaller">{202}</span></span>thirst; and is fleet, with a high and graceful action. The barb - takes its name from its native land—Barbary. It is a larger breed than the Arab.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_202_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_202_t.jpg" alt="LADAS." - title="LADAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LADAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">A perfect English thoroughbred. With this racer Lord Rosebery won the Derby in - 1894.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Levant and Persian Horses.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">These are very closely allied to the Arab, but generally of larger size; and in - Southern Persia, at least, less delicately framed. The Turkoman horses are related to those of - Northern Persia.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The English Race-horse.</span></p> - - <p>This animal is the product of very careful selection and gradual improvement of an original - native breed, extending over several centuries. Long since, so long ago as the reign of James I., - it had reached a high degree of excellence.</p> - - <p>Upon this native stock there has been built up, by the infusion of Arab blood, the swiftest - horse which the world has ever known—the <span class="sc">British Thoroughbred</span>. "Of - this breed, it may be stated," says Mr. Allison, "that every such animal in the stud-book of the - present day, in this country or any other, descends ... from one of three original Eastern - sires—the Darley Arabian, the Byerley Turk, or the Godolphin Arabian." This is an extremely - interesting fact, and constitutes a lasting monument to the enterprise and acumen of the British - horse-breeder.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_202_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_202_b.jpg" - alt="FLORIZEL II." title="FLORIZEL II."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FLORIZEL II.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the King's racing-stud.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Byerley Turk hailed from the Levant, and was introduced by Captain Byerley about 1689. From - the Byerley Turk came Herod, the most celebrated of his descendants, who has given rise to the - Herod line, which to-day is but feebly represented.</p> - - <p>The Godolphin Arabian, or the Godolphin Barb, was born about 1724. From his grandson Matchem is - derived the Matchem line, which is also to-day bordering on extinction.</p> - - <div id="darley"></div> - - <p>The Darley Arabian carries us back to the reign of Queen Anne. Flying Childers and Bartlett's - Childers are directly descended from him; and from the latter is descended Eclipse, the fastest - horse which the turf has ever known. It is interesting to note that the descendants in the Eclipse - line enormously outnumber those of the other two lines which we have considered. Of his - descendants, one of the <span class="pagenum" id="page203"><span - class="smaller">{203}</span></span>most illustrious is Stockwell, who has been described as the - most extraordinary sire of all time, whose blood is coming more than ever to the front.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_203_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_203_t.jpg" - alt="SHETLAND PONY AND FOAL." title="SHETLAND PONY AND FOAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SHETLAND PONY AND FOAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">These ponies belong to Lady Mary Hope and her sister, who have been very - successful in breeding them.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Trotting-horse.</span></p> - - <p>This is an American breed. The trotting-horse is a combination of barb and Arab on an English - stock. Most of the trotting- and pacing-horses of America may be traced to an English - thoroughbred—Messenger—who was imported into America in 1780. This horse became the - founder of the greatest trotting family in the world. The speed attained by some of the fastest - trotters is wonderful, a mile being covered in some three or four seconds over two minutes.</p> - - <p>Russia is the only European country with a distinct breed of trotter—the <span - class="sc">Orloff</span>. This breed was made by crossing Arab and English horses with the native - races. The Orloff has not the speed of the American horse, but has greater powers of endurance. - The trotting-season in Russia is winter, the races taking place on the ice.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_203_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_203_b.jpg" - alt="CHAMPION SHIRE STALLION." title="CHAMPION SHIRE STALLION."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CHAMPION SHIRE STALLION.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of Sir Walter Gilbey's celebrated cart-horses.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Pacer</span> is not a distinct breed, but so called on account of its - curious method of trotting. In trotting the left fore and right hind leg strike the ground at the - same moment; in pacing the fore and hind leg of the <i>same side</i> move in unison. Some wild - animals—as the giraffe—are pacers. "Many American horses," says Mr. Winans, "are able - to move with either action, a set of lighter shoes often sufficing to convert a trotter into a - pacer." Pacing is a swifter mode of motion than trotting. The record time stands at one mile in 1 - minute 39½ seconds, as again the trotting record of one mile in 2 minutes 3¾ seconds.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page204"><span class="smaller">{204}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_204_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_204_t.jpg" - alt="SHIRE MARE AND FOAL." title="SHIRE MARE AND FOAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SHIRE MARE AND FOAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another of Sir Walter Gilbey's champion cart-horses showing mother and - young.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_204_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_204_b.jpg" - alt="WELSH PONY." title="WELSH PONY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WELSH PONY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the Duchess of Newcastle with one of her white Welsh - ponies.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page205"><span class="smaller">{205}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_205_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_205_t.jpg" - alt="POLO-PONY." title="POLO-PONY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">POLO-PONY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Various breeds of ponies are used in this game, but the most esteemed at the - present day are the English-bred New Forest, Dartmoor, or Exmoor, or Welsh ponies.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Hunter.</span></p> - - <p>This also is not a distinct breed, as some suppose. Any good riding-horse may be used as a - hunter. "Hunters" have been made by infusing the blood of the race-horse with native breeds. The - chief requirements are a muscular neck and chest, with a rather short body, and shorter and - stouter legs than the race-horse.</p> - - <p>From the half-bred hunter we pass by insensible gradation to the ordinary saddle- and - carriage-horses. The ideal carriage-horse, however, is more of a distinct breed than the hunter, - and known as the <span class="sc">Cleveland Bay</span>. It has been produced by mingling the blood - of the thoroughbred with that of a horse of stouter make than that of the hunter type.</p> - - <p>The record broad jump for the hunter, we might mention in passing, is variously stated to be - from 33 to 37 feet!</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_205_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_205_b.jpg" alt="DONKEY." - title="DONKEY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by. T. Fall</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Baker Street.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DONKEY.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a typical English coster's donkey, and won the first prize at the - Southwark Show.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Shetland Pony.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is a native of the Shetland Islands, and remarkable for its small size, - docility, and hardihood. It is allowed to run nearly wild, and made to forage almost entirely for - itself. In the winter it grows a coat of great length, which, soon becoming matted, forms a most - effective protection against cold and wet. The <span class="sc">Dartmoor</span>, <span - class="sc">Exmoor</span>, and <span class="sc">New Forest</span> are likewise small breeds, but - lack the symmetry and beauty of the Shetland.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Cart-horses.</span></p> - - <p>Under this head are included all the large, heavily built draught-horses. These are of European - origin, and without intermixture of foreign—Asiatic or African—blood. In England the - most important breeds are the <span class="sc">Black</span> or <span class="sc">Shire - Horse</span>, the <span class="sc">Clydesdale</span>, and the <span class="sc">Suffolk - Punch</span>. These are wonderful instances of the results of selective breeding <span - class="pagenum" id="page206"><span class="smaller">{206}</span></span>towards a definite - end—large size, accompanied by great physical strength and powers of endurance. To - accomplish this, speed has had to be sacrificed.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_206_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_206_t.jpg" - alt="EGYPTIAN DONKEYS." title="EGYPTIAN DONKEYS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">EGYPTIAN DONKEYS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The ass has long been known to the Egyptians, having been in use by them before - the introduction of the horse.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_206_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_206_b.jpg" alt="MULES." - title="MULES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MULES.</p> - <p class="sp0">A couple of fine mules belonging to Lord Arthur Cecil.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">ASSES AND MULES.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Asses.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Domestic Ass</span>, so common to-day in these islands, is of African - origin, and has, moreover, departed but little in either form or colour from the wild race. This - is probably due to the fact that the ass has not been subjected in this country to that process of - rigorous and careful selection that the horse has undergone.</p> - - <p class="sp3">We have no record of its first introduction to these islands, but it was certainly - known in the reign of Ethelred, though it was a rare animal. Later it appears to have died out, - and to have been reintroduced in the reign of Elizabeth; but it has never become popular. This is - unfortunate; its sterling qualities have never been really appreciated by us. Spain, Italy, and - Malta have all succeeded in raising some fine breeds. The United States has, however, produced the - finest of all in animals standing some 15 or 16 hands (5 feet or 5 feet 4 inches) high.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Mules.</span></p> - - <p>The term <span class="sc">Mule</span>, strictly speaking, should be reserved for the offspring - of the male ass and the mare: the offspring of the opposite cross is called the <span - class="sc">Hinny</span>. Mules are valued on account of their great powers of endurance and their - sure-footedness. The finest and handsomest are bred in Spain, the United States, and North-west - India.</p> - - <p>It is interesting to note that mules exhibit a strong tendency to revert to the dun-coloured - and striped coloration believed to belong to the primitive horses. The spinal and shoulder stripes - which sometimes appear in horses, and more frequently in asses, occur yet more frequently in - mules. The legs of the mules appear particularly liable to revert to this striped coloration in - the United States, it is said nine out of ten being so marked.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page207"><span class="smaller">{207}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXIII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XIII. The hollow-horned ruminants: oxen, bison, -buffaloes, and musk-ox." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER XIII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE HOLLOW-HORNED RUMINANTS: OXEN, BISON, BUFFALOES, - AND MUSK-OX.</i></p> - - <p>Cattle, Deer, Camels, Pigs, Horses, Tapirs, Rhinoceroses, and Elephants differ greatly in - structure from the orders already described. They are classed as the Ungulates, or Hoofed Mammals. - In most of these, such as the Horse, Deer, and Oxen, the toes are contained within a solid hoof; - in others, such as the Rhinoceros, they are protected by broad nails. Great differences exist in - the feet of the various groups of Ungulates, caused by the degree in which the digits, or "toes," - remain in use or not. Except in the Elephant, where there are five, the greatest number of - "working" digits found in existing forms is four. In the Horse and its surviving allies the digits - are reduced to one; in the Giraffes, to two.</p> - - <p>The general process, as it can be learnt from the remains of the horse-like animals of the - past, seems to have been as follows. One or more of the toes were developed in length and strength - at the expense of the others, until, in the case of the Horse, only one toe remained, which was - enclosed in a large and solid hoof, little splints on either side of the cannon-bone being left to - hint where the second and fourth toes had once been. In the Oxen and Deer the third and fourth - toes developed equally, at the expense of the others, and each gained a case or covering, which - makes the two parts of the "cloven hoof" of these groups.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_207.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_207.jpg" - alt="ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE." title="ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph represents two animals of different types. The bull (on the - right) is from Earl Ferrers' herd at Chartley Castle; the cow is a cross-bred.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The first group of the order of Ungulates is represented by the Hollow-horned Ruminants. These - have horns set on a core of bone, the horns themselves being hollow throughout. They "chew the - cud," after receiving the food eaten into the first of four divisions in the stomach, whence it is - brought up into the mouth, and then swallowed again for digestion. The Oxen, Sheep, and Goats have - no popular name by which they are collectively distinguished, but their characteristics are - sufficiently well known. The horns are never shed annually, as is the case with the Deer; and the - hoofs are cloven. They have no incisor teeth in the upper jaw, a characteristic also shared by the - Giraffes, the Prongbuck (or American antelope), and the Deer. The lower jaw has its full - complement of incisor teeth.</p> - - <p>The Oxen and the allied Bison, Yak, and Buffaloes are the bulkiest and most important to man of - all ruminants. Some are found in nearly all inhabited parts of the Old World, and there is one - North American species, now practically exterminated as a wild animal.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page208"><span class="smaller">{208}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_208_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_208_t.jpg" - alt="ENGLISH PARK BULL." title="ENGLISH PARK BULL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ENGLISH PARK BULL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The similarity in shape to the best-bred modern shorthorns is obvious.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_208_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_208_b.jpg" - alt="CALF OF ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE." title="CALF OF ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CALF OF ENGLISH PARK-CATTLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Though the stock is very old and inbred, the white park-cattle are still fairly - prolific.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">BRITISH PARK-CATTLE, AND THE AUROCHS.</span></p> - - <p>The so-called "<span class="sc">Wild Cattle</span>" found in the parks of Chillingham and - Chartley, as well as in Lord Leigh's park at Lyme, and in that of the Duke of Hamilton at Cadzow - Castle, Scotland, are probably not the descendants of an indigenous wild race. It is not without - reluctance that the belief in their wild descent has been abandoned. But the evidence seems fairly - conclusive as to the antiquity of these white cattle, regarded as a primitive breed, and of the - unlikelihood of their being survivors of a truly wild stock. They are almost identical in many - points with the best breeds of modern cattle, and probably represent the finest type possessed by - the ancient inhabitants of these islands. But they are far smaller than the original <span - class="sc">Wild Ox</span>, or <span class="sc">Aurochs</span>, the ancestor of our domestic - breeds. The skulls of these large wild oxen, which still survived in the Black Forest in Cæsar's - time, have been dug up in many parts of England, especially in the Thames Valley, and may be seen - at the Natural History Museum. The remains of the extinct wild ox, the <i>Bos urus</i> of the - Romans, show that, if not so large as an elephant, as Cæsar heard, its size was gigantic, reckoned - by any modern cattle standard whatever. It probably stood 6 feet high at the shoulder, and there - is every reason to believe that it was the progenitor of the modern race of domestic cattle in - Europe. It seems certain that the Chartley Park herd did once run wild in Needwood Forest; but so - do the Italian buffaloes in the Maremma, and the Spanish bulls on the plains of Andalusia. Those - at Chartley have been kept in the park, which is very wild and remote, so long that they have - gradually lost many of the attributes of domestication. This is even more marked in the case of - Lord Tankerville's white cattle at Chillingham. An observant visitor to Chillingham lately noted - that the bulls fight for the possession of the cows, and that one is occasionally killed in these - combats. The cows still "stampede" with their calves when alarmed, and hide them for a week or ten - days after they are born. The horns of the Chillingham cattle turn up; those of the bulls of the - Chartley herd are straight or slightly inclined downwards. Crossbreds between the Chartley cattle - and some other herds of reputed ancient descent may generally be seen at the Zoological Gardens. - They remain remarkably true to type.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page209"><span class="smaller">{209}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_209_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_209_t.jpg" - alt="JERSEY COW." title="JERSEY COW."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">JERSEY COW.</p> - <p class="sp0">The property of Lord Braybrooke. Though small in size, the Jersey cows produce - more butter than any English breed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Formerly there were several other herds of ancient white cattle. One was at - Gisburne, in Yorkshire; another at Chatelherault Park, in Lanarkshire; and records of herds at - Bishop Auckland in Durham, Barnard Castle, Blair Athol, Burton Constable, Naworth Castle, and - other ancient parks are preserved. Probably all were of a breed highly prized in ancient days, - which was allowed the run of the forests adjacent to the homes of their owners; then, as the - forests were cleared, they were gradually taken up and enclosed in parks. Another theory is, that - they were the white cattle of North-western Italy, imported by the first settlements of Italian - monks after the conversion of the Saxons.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">SOME DOMESTICATED CATTLE.</span></p> - - <p>The various species of European domestic cattle have in most cases been brought to a degree of - excellence even higher than that which might be expected from the long period of time in which - their improvement has been an object of solicitude to man. Of the foreign races, the dark red - cattle of the Spanish Peninsula—animals which have been exported to the Canary Islands and - Madeira with great success—are justly famous. The white oxen of North-east Italy have been - famous since the days of the Romans. The tall long-horned cattle of Hungary are excellent alike as - beasts of draught and for beef. The black-and-white Dutch cows are, and have been, the mainstay of - the dairy industry of Holland, and later of Denmark; while the small Brittany cows are perhaps the - best butter-producers on the continent of Europe. But England and the Channel Islands may justly - claim to rear the finest cattle of the temperate parts of the world. The diminutive Jersey cows, - now reared in all parts of the kingdom, surpass all the animals of Europe or America in the - richness of their milk, while stock from the pedigree herds of various English breeds is eagerly - sought by foreign and continental buyers on both sides of the Atlantic, and in New Zealand and - Australia. These foreign strains need constant replenishing from the English herds, and the result - is a golden harvest to the breeders in these islands.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_209_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_209_b.jpg" - alt="SPANISH CATTLE." title="SPANISH CATTLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SPANISH CATTLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">These belong to the long-horned race of Southern and Eastern Europe. In the - bulls the horns are shorter, and often turn downwards.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Shorthorn</span> was the first breed to be brought to perfection. Two main - stocks—one for producing beef, the other for the dairy—are recognised; they are the - "all-round breed" most in favour, and it is said that the improvement in this race alone has <span - class="pagenum" id="page210"><span class="smaller">{210}</span></span>raised the value of average - Irish store cattle £2 per head during the last twenty years. The shorthorns are level-backed, - large animals, maturing very quickly. The commonest colours are roan, white, red, and - red-and-white. <span class="sc">Hereford Cattle</span> are red, with white faces and long, - upturned horns; they fatten quickly on good grass, and are in most demand for summer beef. <span - class="sc">Highland Cattle</span> have long horns, rough, shaggy coats, and bodies of moderate - size and great symmetry; they are grazed on the mountains of the West Highlands mainly, and - fattened in the south. The beef is of the finest quality. <span class="sc">Sussex Cattle</span> - are an "all red" variety, large, and formerly much used for draught and farm work. The <span - class="sc">Devons</span> are another red variety very like the Sussex, yielding excellent and rich - milk, and, when fattened, being little inferior to any breed as beef. The long-horned black <span - class="sc">Welsh Cattle</span> grow to a great size, as do the polled <span - class="sc">Angus</span> breed of Scotland. The polled or hornless cattle include the red <span - class="sc">Suffolks</span>, a most valuable breed, hardy, and wonderful producers of milk. The - cows often give milk every day of the year. The <span class="sc">Longhorn</span> breed is almost - disappearing, as the horns are a disadvantage both in the fields and when the animals are carried - on board ship or in the train. The <span class="sc">Humped Cattle</span> of India and East Africa - belong to a race different from European cattle, of which the parent stock is not known. They have - a hump upon the withers, drooping ears (a sign of ancient domestication), and a very large dewlap. - The coat is always exquisitely fine. They are of all sizes, from the tall Brahminee bull to dwarf - breeds not larger than a Newfoundland dog. The commonest colours are cream, grey, mouse-colour, - and white. They do not low, but grunt, and are by no means so fond of shade and water as European - cattle.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_210.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_210.jpg" alt="YOUNG GAUR." - title="YOUNG GAUR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG GAUR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest and handsomest of the wild oxen.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">WILD OXEN.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This group consists of the <span class="sc">Gaur</span> of India; the <span - class="sc">Gayal</span> of Assam, which is possibly a domesticated form of the gaur, but rather - smaller in size, with skull and horns different in character; and the <span - class="sc">Banting</span>, a lighter and more slender wild ox, of which different varieties are - found in Burma, in Java (where it is kept in a half-domesticated condition), and in Manipur.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gaur.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Gaur</span>, the so-called <span class="sc">Indian Bison</span>, is - probably the largest of all the wild bovine animals. It is found at the foot of the North-eastern - Himalaya, in the Central Provinces of India, the forests of Madras and Mysore, and in parts of - Burma and the Malay Peninsula, but not in Ceylon. Its range eastward is not accurately known. In - habits the gaur is mainly a forest animal, retiring always at daybreak into the depths of the - jungle. It sometimes attains a height of over 6 feet at the shoulder, and a length of 9 feet 6 - inches <span class="pagenum" id="page211"><span class="smaller">{211}</span></span>from the nose - to the tail. The colour of the full-grown gaur is dark brown, turning to black; the legs from - above the knees and hocks to the hoofs are white, the hair being short and fine. Its horns are - upturned, and tipped with black, with white hair covering the junction on the top of the skull. - The cows are much smaller than the bulls, standing about 5 feet high at the shoulder. This species - feeds both on grass and on the young shoots of trees and of bamboos. The calves are dropped in - August and September. The pure-bred animal does not appear capable of domestication.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_211.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_211.jpg" alt="COW GAYAL." - title="COW GAYAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COW GAYAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is not at all dissimilar to the gaur. Its chief points of - difference are in the horns and in the colour of its skin.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Hunting gaur by tracking in the jungle has long been a favourite sport of Anglo-Indians. - General Douglas Hamilton says: "I have killed bulls measuring 6 feet at the shoulder, and the - average height of the male is from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. An old bull gaur is a - magnificent animal. The normal colour is a brownish black, sometimes in very old specimens almost - quite black. The white stockings reach from the hoof to above the knee, and are very conspicuous. - When on the Anamalies, I had a grand fight with a big bull. I was out early, and came on the spoor - of bison, and soon saw two, one a very large bull. To my disgust he lay down, and was completely - covered by creepers and bushes. After a bit I attempted to move to get a better view; but there to - my left was a cow bison staring at me. She at once gave the alarm, and I waited for the large bull - to rise. This he did so quickly, and disappeared so suddenly, that I only got a snapshot. As I - stopped to load, I saw a young calf squatting at the foot of a tree like a hare, intently watching - me. I put the rifle down, crept up behind the tree, and suddenly threw myself on the little calf, - and managed to get hold of its hind legs, but it got from under me. I managed, however, to tie its - fore legs securely by means of some slender stems from the creepers. All this time it continued to - bellow and to make a great row, and I fully expected to see the mother come charging down. I went - back to the bungalow, and got some men to bring my little captive home. After breakfast I started - again, and got on the track of the bison.... I saw some branches move, and on looking carefully - perceived a large bull bison; but he was among the thick bushes, and I could not see his outline. - I guessed as nearly as possible the position of the shoulder, and fired the big rifle at him. He - gave a bound forward, and then stopped long enough for me to give him a shot with the other - barrel.... The next moment I saw the bull standing on the high ground above us. I fired again, and - hit him well behind the shoulder. He dashed off, but only went fifty yards, and then stopped. I - walked up, thinking to finish him, when he made a fearful rush at me. My man put the double rifle - into my hands and then bolted, and I thought it prudent to retire and await my opportunity. But he - only moved a few paces forward, and then stopped. Then began a regular siege of his position." The - result of the siege was that the bison received four more bullets, charged and routed the hunter - twice, and then walked off. It was shot twice more, charged again, and was finally killed by - General Hamilton with his hunting-knife tied to a bamboo spear-pole.</p> - - <p>Considering the size and tenacity of life of the gaur, it is rather wonderful that more - accidents do not occur in the pursuit of this animal; but as it lives mainly in thick jungle, - where large trees grow, the sportsman has more chance of getting out of sight of a wounded animal - than when attacked by the Indian buffalo, which generally haunts jungles of high grass.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page212"><span class="smaller">{212}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_212.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_212.jpg" - alt="INDIAN HUMPED BULL." title="INDIAN HUMPED BULL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Curt Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN HUMPED BULL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The hump and dewlap mark the Oriental cattle. The ears are often more drooping - than in this specimen.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gayal.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The doubt whether this animal is found in a wild state has recently been - considerably increased. It is well known in a semi-domesticated condition, in which it is kept by - the tribes in and around the Assam Valley, where the wild gaur is also found. These herds roam - during the day freely in the jungle, and return to be fed at the villages. It has been stated that - wild gayal are enticed to join the tame herds by feeding them with balls of meal and salt; but - these "wild" specimens may be only those which have belonged to or have descended from the - domesticated herd. Gayal have been kept in England not only in the Zoological Gardens but in some - parks, and crossed with English cattle. The offspring furnished excellent beef, but were rather - wild and intractable. The horns of the gayal are thicker and flatter than those of the gaur, and - placed lower on the skull and farther apart. The domesticated gayal stands lower than the gaur, - but is a very massive animal.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Banting.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The common wild ox of the Malay countries of Borneo, Java, Eastern Burma, and - northwards, in Manipur resembles the European oxen rather more than does the gaur. In size the - bulls sometimes reach 5 feet 9½ inches. The old bulls are black, the younger bulls chocolate-red, - and the cows a bright reddish brown. The rump is marked with a large white patch, and all have - white stockings from above the knees and hocks down to the hoofs. The tail is considerably longer - than in the gaur, coming well below the hocks. As might be expected from its distribution, the - size of this animal and the shape of the horns vary considerably in the different districts which - it inhabits. In Borneo the horns often curve forwards; in Java they spread outwards. In the latter - island large herds of this species are kept in a state of domestication. When wild, banting live - in small herds, and in Burma feed from early morning until ten o'clock, when they retire into the - jungle for shelter. The Manipur race is smaller than that of Burma (of which the males are not - black), and the bulls have not the white rump.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE YAK.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Yak</span> is naturally an inhabitant of the very high plateaux and - mountains of Tibet, where the climate is cold and the air excessively dry. Lower down on the - Indian side of the Himalaya a smaller race is found domesticated, which is the only one able to - stand the climate of India, or of Europe, where it is now kept in some parks as a curiosity. The - tamed yaks are usually much smaller than the wild; these sometimes reach a weight of between 1,100 - and 1,200 lbs. In form they are long and low, very massive, and with hair almost entirely black; - this falls off along the sides into a long sweeping fringe. The tail is thickly tasselled with - fine hair, and is employed by Indian princes for fly-flaps. The wild yak has large, massive black - horns, curved upwards and forwards in the male. In Ladak and Chinese Tibet the yaks inhabit a - desolate and barren country, in which their main food is a dry, <span class="pagenum" - id="page213"><span class="smaller">{213}</span></span>coarse grass, on which they nevertheless - contrive to keep themselves in condition, feeding in the mornings and evenings, and lying down by - day to rest among the rocks.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_213.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_213.jpg" - alt="INDIAN HUMPED CATTLE." title="INDIAN HUMPED CATTLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN HUMPED CATTLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">These are often called Zebu in Europe, but the origin of the name in - unknown.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE BISON.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Bison</span> form a marked group, differing from others of the - Ox Tribe. They possess fourteen pairs of ribs, while the oxen have only thirteen (the yak has - fourteen); and have very heavy, massive heads, broader and more convex foreheads than the oxen, - longer spinal processes on the vertebrae of the front part of the back, and larger muscles to hold - the ponderous head, causing a hump, which in the American bison is very marked. There are two - living species of bison, one of which is found in Europe, the other in North America.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The European Bison.</span></p> - - <p>This is the most interesting survival of the primitive fauna of the Old World. It is still - found wild, though protected, in a large forest in Lithuania, the property of the Czar of Russia, - called the Forest of Bielowitza. A few are also left of the purely wild stock in the Caucasus. - Those in Lithuania have been protected for several centuries, and the herd is numbered from time - to time. In 1857 there were 1,898 of these bison left; in 1882 there were only 600; in 1889 the - herd had sunk to 380, but in 1892 it had risen to 491. The presence of the bison in the Caucasus - had been almost forgotten till Mr. Littledale and Prince Demidoff gave accounts of hunting it - there quite recently. The <span class="sc">Zubr</span>, as it is called, only survives in some - very inaccessible parts of the mountains, preserved by the Grand Duke Sergius Michaelovitch, in - the Kouban district. There it exists as a really wild animal. The dimensions of one recently shot - were 10 feet from the muzzle to the end of the last vertebra of the tail. The Grand Duke has to - obtain special permission from the Czar to shoot one whenever he goes to the Caucasus.</p> - - <p class="sp3">This bison seems to have been an inhabitant of most of the forests of Europe and - Northern Asia; its remains show that it existed in Britain, and it was plentiful in the Black - Forest in the time of Cæsar. It is the largest of all European quadrupeds, measuring as much as 10 - feet 1 inch from the nose to the root of the tail, and standing nearly 6 feet high at the - shoulder. Prince Demidoff states his belief that it is found on the southern slopes of the - Caucasus Range between the hills and the Black Sea. The weight of this bison reaches 1,700 lbs. It - is now rare to see more than five or six together. Though the animal is so massive, its horns are - rather small and slender, and curve upwards. The mane—which, like the rest of the coat, is - of a uniform rich brown—is thick and curly, but not developed like that of the American - bison.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The American Bison.</span></p> - - <p>The American bison is the western representative of the bison of Europe. The almost complete - disappearance of this species is one of the warnings against reckless destruction of animal life. - It was formerly found in millions <span class="pagenum" id="page214"><span - class="smaller">{214}</span></span>on the prairies, and its meat formed the staple food of the Red - Indians, who lived on the flesh and used the "robes" of those killed in winter for great coats and - bedding. When Audubon went up the Upper Missouri, bison were in sight almost throughout the - voyage; they were even carried down on ice-flows on the river. The bulls were very large, and were - occasionally savage, especially when attacked and wounded; but usually they were harmless animals. - Every winter and spring they made migrations along regular routes to fresh pastures. These lines - of travel were then black with bison. The females had their calves by their sides, and all - travelled in herds, feeding as they went. At the present time the only remains of the bison are - the paths they left on the prairies, and their bones and skulls. The paths are still distinctly - seen, worn by the "treks" of the great beasts which have now perished. The bones were collected in - stacks and sold to make manure.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_214.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_214.jpg" - alt="DOMESTICATED YAK." title="DOMESTICATED YAK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DOMESTICATED YAK.</p> - <p class="sp0">The wild bovine animal of the Central Asian plateau, tamed and - domesticated.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Colonel Roosevelt, in an article contributed to "The Encyclopædia of Sport," thus describes the - destruction of the bison: "Pursuit by sportsmen had nothing to do with the extermination of the - bison. It was killed by the hide-hunters, redskin, white, and half-breed. The railways, as they - were built, hastened its destruction, for they gave means of transporting the heavy robes to - market. But it would have been killed out anyhow, even were there no railroads in existence. Once - the demand for the robes became known to the Indians, they were certain to exterminate it. - Originally the bison ranged from the Rocky Mountains to the Alleghanies, and from Mexico to the - Peace River. But its centre of abundance was the vast extent of grass-land stretching from the - Saskatchewan to the Rio Grande. All the earlier explorers who crossed these great plains, from - Lewis and Clarke onwards, spoke of the astonishing multitudes of the bison, which formed the sole - food of the Horse Indians. The herds were pressed steadily back, but the slaughter did not begin - till after the Civil War; then the commercial value of the robes became fully recognised, and the - transcontinental railways rendered the herds more accessible. The slaughter was almost incredible, - for the bison were slain literally by millions every year. They were first exterminated in Canada - and the southern plains. It was not till 1883 that the last herd was killed off from the great - north-western prairies."</p> - - <p class="sp3">The height of a fine bull American bison at the shoulder is 6 feet. The horns are - short, blunt, and curved, and set farther back on the forehead than in the European species. The - hindquarters are low and weak, and the mane develops in winter into a thick robe, covering the - neck, shoulders, and chest. An adult bull bison was found to weigh 1,727 lbs. The woodland-bison - of Athabasca, now nearly exterminated, are larger than the prairie-bison, and have finer coats. In - 1897 there were said to be between 280 and 300 head remaining in two herds.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE BUFFALOES.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Buffaloes</span> are so far distinct from other wild cattle that they will - not interbreed with them; yet one species, the <span class="sc">Indian Buffalo</span>, has been - domesticated for a long, though unknown period, and is among the most valuable of tame beasts of - draught, as well as for dairy purposes. The various buffaloes usually have little hair, especially - when old, and have flatter shoulders than the gaur, gayal, or bison. The pairs of ribs number - thirteen.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page215"><span class="smaller">{215}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_215.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_215.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN BULL BISON." title="AMERICAN BULL BISON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p>AMERICAN BULL BISON.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The American bison (locally called "buffalo") is - lower behind than its European brother; but the withers, as will be seen from the photograph, - are stronger and more massive, and its mane considerably longer.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page216"><span class="smaller">{216}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The African Buffalo.</span></p> - - <p>Great differences in size and colour exist in the <span class="sc">African Buffaloes</span>. - Whether they are separate species or not may be doubtful; but the small yellow <span - class="sc">Congo Buffalo</span>, with upturned short horns, is a vastly different creature from - the large black <span class="sc">Cape Buffalo</span>. There is also an Abyssinian or brown race of - African buffalo, and another in Senegambia smaller than the former, and a reputed grey race near - Lake Tchad. The Cape buffalo is a heavy, thickset animal, all black in colour, with large massive - horns covering the skull, and nearly meeting in the middle line of the forehead. In height it - varies from 4 feet 10 inches to 5 feet at the shoulder. This species ranges from South Africa to - the Congo on the west, and to the region of the Equator on the east of the continent. Firearms, - and lately rinderpest, have greatly reduced the number of these creatures. They live and feed in - herds, and, like the Indian species, are fond of the neighbourhood of water, in which they bathe, - but are not so dependent on bathing and wallowing as the former.</p> - - <p>Fully as formidable as the Indian buffalo, and much like it in habits, the African species is - quite distinct. It has different horns, broad at the base and curled and tapering at the ends. - Among the extreme measurements of the Indian buffalo's horns recorded is one of 12 feet 2 inches - from tip to tip along the curve. Those of the African buffalo are seldom more than 6 feet, - measured in the same way. By far the greatest number of hunting accidents in Africa are caused by - the buffalo. Sir Samuel Baker shot a buffalo bull one evening near the White Nile. His men - actually danced upon the body, when the animal rose to its feet, and sent them flying into the - river like so many frogs. It then disappeared in the thick vegetation. On the following day, - supposing that it must have died during the night, thirty or forty men, armed with - double-barrelled guns, went to look for it. The result was thus recorded by Sir Samuel Baker: - "They had not been ashore for many minutes when I first heard a shot and then a regular volley. My - people returned with the head of the buffalo and a large quantity of meat, but they also carried - the body of my best man, who, when leading the way through the high reeds, following the traces of - blood, actually stumbled upon the buffalo lying in the swamp, and the light guns failed to stop - its charge. The crooked horn had caught him behind the ear, and, penetrating completely through - the neck, had torn out the throat as though it had been cut. The savage beast had then knelt upon - the body, and stamped it into the muddy ground, until it fell beneath the fire of thirty men."</p> - - <p>The head and body of a male Cape buffalo are 9 feet long. It is stated that the parasite - conveyed by the tsetse fly remains in the blood of the buffalo (which is not affected by it), and - that this forms a reserve whence the fly, after sucking the blood of the buffalo, poisons other - animals.</p> - - <div id="ic216"></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_216.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_216.jpg" - alt="EUROPEAN BISON." title="EUROPEAN BISON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">EUROPEAN BISON.</p> - <p class="sp0">These wild animals of the Caucasus are very much scarcer than formerly, and are - in danger of becoming extinct.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page217"><span class="smaller">{217}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Congo Buffalo.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is a very small race, the height at the shoulder being about 3 feet 6 inches. - The shape of the horns varies, but they are wrinkled at the bases and flattened, and turn upwards, - ending in thin, sharp tips. The hair is bright reddish yellow. It is entirely a West African - species. Sir Samuel Baker records an instance in which his brother was nearly killed by a small - West African buffalo, probably one of the species in question. It is said to be less gregarious - than the Cape buffalo, and usually found in pairs.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Indian or Water-buffalo.</span></p> - - <p>Very great interest attaches to this animal, if only from the fact that it is evidently a - species domesticated directly from the wild stock. It therefore deserves consideration both as a - wild and as a domesticated animal. It is found wild in the swampy jungles at the foot of the - Himalaya, in the Ganges Delta, and in the jungles of the Central Provinces; also, it is believed, - in the jungles of West Assam. Like the African species, it is an animal of great size and - strength, with short brown hair, white fetlocks, and immense long, narrow, flattened horns. It is - almost aquatic by preference, passing many hours of each day wallowing in the water, or standing - in any deep pool with only the tips of its nostrils and its horns out of the water. By general - consent it is the most dangerous of Indian animals after the tiger. A buffalo bull when wounded - will hunt for its enemy by scent as persistently as a dog hunting for a rabbit. A writer in - <i>Country Life</i> lately gave an account of a duel between himself, armed with a small and light - rifle, and a buffalo bull, in which the latter hunted him for more than an hour, each time being - driven off by a shot from the light rifle, and each time returning to the search, until it was - killed. Sir Samuel Baker, when he first went to Ceylon, found the buffaloes practically in - possession of the meadows round a lake in the neighbourhood of his quarters, and waged a war of - extermination against the bulls, which were very dangerous.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_217.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_217.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN BISON." title="AMERICAN BISON."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN BISON.</p> - <p class="sp0">Notice the difference in the fore and hind quarters of this animal and the - European representative of the same group. (See <a href="#ic216">page 216</a>.)</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page218"><span class="smaller">{218}</span></span></div> - - <p>The buffaloes of Ceylon are the same as those of India, but the horns are inferior in size. - "The charge of a buffalo is a serious matter." says Sir Samuel Baker. "Many animals charge when - infuriated, but they can generally be turned aside by the stunning blow of a rifle-shot, even if - they be not mortally wounded. But a buffalo is a devil incarnate when it has once decided on the - offensive; nothing will turn it. It must be actually stopped by death, sudden and instantaneous, - as nothing else will stop it. If not killed, it will assuredly destroy its adversary. There is no - creature in existence so determined to stamp the life out of its opponents, and the intensity of - its fury is unsurpassed when a wounded bull rushes forward upon its last desperate charge. Should - it succeed in overthrowing its antagonist, it will not only gore the body with its horns, but will - kneel upon the lifeless form, and stamp it with its hoofs till the mutilated remains are beyond - recognition."</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_218_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_218_t.jpg" - alt="CAPE BUFFALO." title="CAPE BUFFALO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CAPE BUFFALO.</p> - <p class="sp0">Notice the striking difference depicted on this page between the two species of - buffalo—the Indian and the Cape.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_218_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_218_b.jpg" - alt="DOMESTICATED INDIAN BUFFALO." title="DOMESTICATED INDIAN BUFFALO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DOMESTICATED INDIAN BUFFALO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is found as a wild and domesticated species in India. It is - valuable as a beast of draught and for the dairy.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The true Indian buffalo is usually shot from the back of an elephant. Hunting it on - foot is dangerous in the extreme, for the buffalo can crash through obstacles which would prevent - any man from making his way through them when escaping. When domesticated, the Indian buffalo - loses most traces of its savageness; it is habitually managed by the children, who take the herds - out to graze in the jungle, and drive them back, often riding on one of the bulls, at night. They - dislike Europeans, and often show this by attacking them; but otherwise they are quite tame, and - are docile when in harness or carrying burdens. The buffalo's milk is very rich, and makes a much - larger <span class="pagenum" id="page219"><span class="smaller">{219}</span></span>percentage of - butter than ordinary cow's milk. So useful is this mud- and water-loving animal in all swampy - districts, that wherever rice is cultivated it is almost indispensable. The result is that the - Indian buffalo has been transported, probably in comparatively modern times, to many distant - quarters of the globe. When this was done is not known; but it is probable, for instance, that it - was not known in Egypt in the days of the Pharaohs, for its form never appears in the paintings - and sculptures. Now it is seen very far up the Nile, and plays an important part in Egyptian - agriculture; it is also the general beast of burden and for the dairy in the Pontine Marshes of - Italy. In Spain it was probably introduced by the Arabs, and is used to cultivate the marshy - plains near the mouths of the rivers of Andalusia; it is also in use in the marshes of Hungary, in - the Crimea, and across Western Asia to Afghanistan. We have thus the curious fact that a wild - animal once confined to the jungles of the Indian Peninsula is now domesticated on two other - continents. It has not been introduced into America yet, though it would be useful in the - Mississippi swamps; but the Chinese have taken it to the Far East, and established it as their - favourite beast of burden.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Tamarau and Anoa.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_219.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_219.jpg" - alt="A PAIR OF ANOAS." title="A PAIR OF ANOAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A PAIR OF ANOAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The anoa is the smallest and most antelope-like member of the Ox Tribe.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the island of Mindoro, in the Philippines, a small black buffalo, with upright, slightly - incurved horns, is found in the dense forests. The height at the shoulder is about 3 feet 6 - inches; a few irregular marks of white are found on the fore legs, face, and occasionally the - throat. It is called the <span class="sc">Tamarau</span> by the natives, most of whom fear to - attack it. Its habits are said to be much the same as those of the other buffaloes; but it is - reputed to fight with the Indian buffaloes which have escaped and become semi-wild in the - forests.</p> - - <p class="sp3">In Celebes a still smaller wild forest-buffalo is found, called the <span - class="sc">Anoa</span>. It is only 3 feet 3 inches high at the shoulder, and has upright, almost - straight horns. The general colour is brownish, tinged with yellow, that of the adults being very - dark brown or black. Scarcely anything is known of its habits.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page220"><span class="smaller">{220}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE MUSK-OX.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Musk-ox</span> was formerly found in immense numbers on the barren lands - and other regions bordering on the Arctic ice. The hair of this animal reaches almost to the - ground, and the horns are large and massive. At present it is only common in the corner of North - America north and east of a line drawn from Fort Churchill, on Hudson Bay, to the mouth of the - Mackenzie, and on the adjacent islands of the Arctic Sea. In former Arctic expeditions the flesh - of the musk-oxen was a great and reliable source of food. Now some parts of the herds seem to have - retired inland, and in the winter to become mainly forest-dwellers; but large numbers seem to - endure the coldest parts of the Arctic winter in the open country of the Far North, in the snows - of Grinnell Land and of Northern Greenland. The remains of musk-oxen have been found in the river - gravels of the Thames Valley, with those of the reindeer and other northern species. The musk-ox - gallops at a great rate of speed when disturbed in the open, and makes as little of a steep - mountain-side as does the wild sheep. When fat, the flesh is very tolerable food; but if the - animals grow thin, the taste of musk is very unpleasant. The colour of the coat is dark brown; it - is now in great demand for sledge-rugs in Canada. This remarkable animal appears to be a form - standing apart both from the oxen and the sheep.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_220.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_220.jpg" - alt="YOUNG BULL MUSK-OX." title="YOUNG BULL MUSK-OX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG BULL MUSK-OX.</p> - <p class="sp0">The musk-ox is nearly allied to the sheep. It is about the size of Highland - cattle, and inhabits Arctic America and Northern Greenland.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p> </p> - - <p>It will be seen from the above accounts of the whole wild bovine race that they all exhibit in - a high degree many of the traits which are seen in domesticated animals of the same tribe. The - chief differences made by man's selection and breeding affect the form of the body and the - development of the udder, otherwise there is no great modification, except the production of the - drooping ear in some of the Indian species of domesticated oxen. No wild cattle have the level, - flat back and rectangular body which mark all the best shorthorns and other breeds intended for - beef. In the Asiatic and Galla humped breeds, the races which first domesticated the original wild - species seem to have used the long processes of the vertebræ which cause the back of many wild - cattle to form a hump as the basis of a valuable feature, the hump becoming as it were another - joint of meat. The development of the udder has for untold centuries been the object of the - breeders of cows; consequently we find that in the domesticated races this has become abnormally - large. There is at present a very general tendency to get rid of the horns among all breeds of - high quality, as these appendages cause much loss by wounds inflicted by cattle upon each other; - but even in this respect sentiment rather tends to preserve the horns as an ornament in some of - the best milking breeds, such as the Jerseys.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page221"><span class="smaller">{221}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXIV."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XIV. The sheep and goats." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XIV.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE SHEEP AND GOATS.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE SHEEP.</span></p> - - <p>The sheep are represented at the present time by several wild species, one of which is found in - Northern India east of the Indus, in the Punjab, and in Sind; one in North America; and another in - North Africa. The rest inhabit the high ground of Europe and Asia as far south as the Himalaya. - These mountains, with the adjacent plateaux of the Pamirs and the great ranges of Central Asia, - form the main home of the group. Wild sheep are of various types, some so much like the goats that - it is difficult to draw a hard-and-fast line between them; while others, especially the - Curly-horned Argalis, Bighorns, Oorial, and Kamchatka Wild Sheep, are unmistakably ovine in type. - The wild original of the domesticated breeds of sheep is unknown; but the extreme differences - between various breeds of tame sheep—as, for instance, between the smooth-coated, - drooping-eared breed of Nubia and the curly-horned, woolly sheep of Dorsetshire—must not be - allowed to divert the attention from the considerable likeness of habit which still remains - between other breeds and the wild species. Domesticated sheep which live on hills and mountains - are still inclined to seek the highest ground at night. The rams fight as the wild rams do, and - many of them display activity and powers of climbing and of finding a living on barren ground - scarcely less remarkable than in the wild races. The apparent absence of wool in the latter does - not indicate so great a difference as might be thought. The domesticated sheep have been bred by - artificial selection for unnumbered ages in order to produce wool. It is said that in some of the - wild breeds there is an under-fur which will "felt" like wool. Most of the species are - short-tailed animals, but this is not the case with the Barbary wild sheep.</p> - - <p>Wild sheep are mainly mountain-living animals or frequenters of high ground. They generally, - although not always, frequent less rugged country than that affected by the wild goats, and some - are found at quite low levels. The altitude at which other wild sheep are found is, however, very - great; on the Pamirs it reaches 20,000 feet. Here the country is quite open.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_221.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_221.jpg" - alt="YOUNG BARBARY SHEEP." title="YOUNG BARBARY SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG BARBARY SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">Note the length of the tail as compared with other wild sheep.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page222"><span class="smaller">{222}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The European Moufflon.</span></p> - - <p>The only wild sheep of Europe is the <span class="sc">Moufflon</span>, found in the mountains - of Corsica and Sardinia. Its height at the shoulder is about 27 inches. In the rams the horns are - strong, and curved into a spiral, forming almost a complete circle. The hair is close, and in - winter has a woolly under-fur. In summer and autumn the coat is a bright red-brown on the neck, - shoulders, and legs; the rump and under-parts are whitish, and the back and flanks marked with a - white saddle. In winter the brown becomes darker and the white saddle broader. A rather larger - moufflon is found on Mount Elburz in Persia, in Armenia, and in the Taurus Mountains. A smaller - variety exists in Cyprus, where it has been preserved since the British occupation. The moufflon - is a typical wild sheep. In Sardinia and Corsica are dense scrubby forests of tall heather, some 5 - feet high. This <i>maquia</i> is practically impenetrable to hunters. When alarmed, the moufflon - dash into it, and are safe. The <i>maquia</i> has preserved two very interesting survivals of - antiquity—the moufflon, and the Corsican or Sardinian bandit. The Corsican bandit, like the - moufflon of the same island, is nearly extinct. In Sardinia both flourish. Many English sportsmen - have had their first taste of big-game shooting in the difficult pursuit of the moufflon on the - Sardinian mountains. Some declare that the sport is so fascinating that they have seldom found - much to equal it since. Mr. S. H. Whitbread, whose notes in "The Encyclopædia of Sport" are very - full on this subject, deems that the best season to stalk moufflon is in October or November. The - animals are then less disturbed by shepherds and dogs, and the moufflon are on the move and more - easily seen during the day than in summer, when they feed at night and rest or sleep by day.</p> - - <p>Sir E. G. Loder has a small herd of moufflon running wild in his park at Leonardslee, near - Horsham. They have a specially built "mountain-top" of stone to make a home of, but are free to - feed where they like in the park. They produce lambs yearly. It is an interesting sight to see the - quick rush of the little flock, when frightened, to their sheltering-place, led by an old - white-saddled ram.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_222.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_222.jpg" - alt="SIBERIAN ARGALI." title="SIBERIAN ARGALI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SIBERIAN ARGALI.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the large wild sheep of Central Asia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Argalis.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Argalis</span> are the largest of all living wild sheep. Some measure from - 3 feet 9 inches to 4 feet at the shoulder. The horns are broad, corrugated, and curling in the - male, and in the female short, erect, and curving backwards. The male <span class="sc">Tibetan - Argali</span> has a ruff on the throat. The usual colour is a stony grey, mingled with white in - the summer in the case of the old males. The name is applied collectively to several wild sheep - found in Northern and Central Asia. Whether these are only varieties or separate species it is - difficult to say; but the following are some of the most marked forms.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Siberian Argali</span> is the characteristic wild sheep of the rocky hills - and mountains of Southern Siberia, the Altai Mountains, and Northern Mongolia. The horns curve so - as to form more than a complete circle; the upper parts are tinged with grey, and the lower are - white.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page223"><span class="smaller">{223}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Tibetan Argali</span> is a little smaller in size, and has slightly - smaller horns. The rams have also a large white ruff on the throat. These sheep descend in winter - to the lower valleys of the Tibetan plateau, returning to the higher ground in spring. The lambs - are born in May or June.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_223_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_223_t.jpg" - alt="BARBARY SHEEP." title="BARBARY SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BARBARY SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">These fine wild sheep are found in the Atlas and Aures Mountains of North - Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_223_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_223_b.jpg" - alt="BARBARY SHEEP." title="BARBARY SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BARBARY SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">This shows a fine ram, with a mane reaching almost to its hoofs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Littledale's Sheep</span> is a smaller animal, found on the Sair Mountains in - the Great Altai, on the north-western border of Mongolia. It is darker in colour than the argali - or Marco Polo's sheep, and has dark under-parts.</p> - - <p>Writing of the argali of Southern Siberia, the naturalist Brehm says that when the Tartars want - mutton an argali hunt is organised. The Tartar hunters advance on their horses at intervals of 200 - or 300 yards, and when the sheep are started generally manage, by riding, shooting, coursing them - with dogs, and shouting, to bewilder, shoot, or capture several.</p> - - <p class="sp3">On the high plateau of the Pamirs and the adjacent districts <span class="sc">Marco - Polo's Sheep</span> is found. The rams are only slightly less in size than the Siberian argali; - the hair is longer than in that species, and the horns are thinner and more slender and extend - farther in an outward direction. An adult ram may weigh 22 stone. The first description of this - sheep was given by the old traveller whose name it now bears. He said that on the Pamir plateau - wild animals are met with in large numbers, particularly a sheep of great size, having horns - three, four, and even six palms in length. The shepherds (? hunters) form ladles and vessels from - them. In the Pamirs, Marco Polo's sheep is seldom found at less than 11,000 or 12,000 feet above - the sea. In the Thian-shan Mountains it is said to descend to 2,000 or 3,000 feet. They prefer the - hilly, grassy plains, and only seek the hills for safety. On the Pamirs they are said to be very - numerous in places, one hunter stating that he saw in one day not less than 600 head.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Bighorn Sheep of America and Kamchatka.</span></p> - - <p>North America has its parallel to the argalis in the famous <span class="sc">Bighorn</span>. It - is now very rare even in Northern <span class="pagenum" id="page224"><span - class="smaller">{224}</span></span>Canada, and becoming scarce in the United States, though a few - are found here and there at various points on the Rocky Mountains as far south as Mexico. In - habits it is much the same as other wild sheep—that is to say, it haunts the rock-hills and - "bad lands" near the mountains, feeding on the scanty herbage of the high ground, and not - descending unless driven down by snow.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_224.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_224.jpg" - alt="BURHAL WILD SHEEP." title="BURHAL WILD SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BURHAL WILD SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">Sometimes called the Blue Sheep. They have a wide range both on the Himalaya - and north of those mountains.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The bighorn sheep are very partial to salt. Mr. Turner Turner, who hunted them in East - Kooteney, says: "Wild sheep make periodical excursions to the mountain-tops to gorge themselves - with salty clay. They may remain from an hour to two days, and when killed their stomachs will be - found full of nothing but the clay formed from denuded limestone, which they lick and gnaw until - sometimes deep tunnels are formed in the cliffs, large enough to hide six or seven sheep. The - hunter, standing over one of these warrens, may bolt them within two yards of him. In the dead of - winter sheep often come to the woods to feed on fir-trees. At such times they may be seen mixed - with black-and-white-tailed deer, low on a river-bank. I have known them come within forty yards - of an inhabited hut."</p> - - <p>While on the subject of the fondness of sheep and deer for salt, we may mention an anecdote - told by Mr. H. C. Nelson in <i>Country Life</i>. He was sleeping with two other friends in a hut - in the mountains where some miners had lived for a time. These men, when they washed up their pots - and pans, threw the slops away at a certain place close by the hut. As all water used for cooking - meat has salt put into it, a little salt remained on the surface. This the wild deer had found - out, and were in the habit of coming to lick it at night. Mr. Nelson had a shot at one some twenty - yards from the hut.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The bighorn sheep stands from 3 feet 2 inches to 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. - The horns are of the general type of the argalis, but smoother. Another bighorn is found in - Kamchatka. There is also a beautiful white race of bighorn inhabiting Alaska. The typical Rocky - Mountain race is browner than the Asiatic argalis, and in winter is dark even beneath the front - parts of the body. It is not found on the high peaks of the great ranges, but on difficult though - lower ground on the minor hills.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Oorial.</span></p> - - <p>The vast range of the Himalaya affords feeding-ground to other species of wild sheep and wild - goat, so different in the shape of the horns that the variations of the ovine race under - domestication need not be matter for wonder when so much variety is seen in nature.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Oorial</span>, or <span class="sc">Sha</span>, is found in North-west - India, on the Trans-Indus Mountains, and in Ladak, Northern Tibet, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, - Turkestan, and Southern Persia. The horns make a half-curve backwards, and are flattened. The - angle with the horizontal line across the ears is about half a right angle. The coat is of a - reddish-brown colour, with white on the belly, legs, and throat. This species has a very wide - geographical distribution, and is the only wild sheep found in India proper.</p> - - <div id="fp225"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_225fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_225fp.jpg" alt="FEMALE KUDU." - title="FEMALE KUDU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by The Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE KUDU.</p> - <p class="sp0">The Kudu is one of the handsomest of the African Antelopes, the corkscrew-like - horns of the bucks forming some of the most striking of all sporting trophies.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page225"><span class="smaller">{225}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_225_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_225_t.jpg" - alt="PUNJAB SHEEP." title="PUNJAB SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PUNJAB SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is an example of one of the breeds which carry no wool whatever.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_225_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_225_b.jpg" - alt="FAT-TAILED SHEEP." title="FAT-TAILED SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FAT-TAILED SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">The fat tail of this sheep was considered by Charles Darwin as due to - degeneration.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Barbary Sheep, Aoudad, or Arui.</span></p> - - <p>This is a large wild sheep of the North African highlands. The old rams have a very fine - appearance, with a long flowing beard or mane, and large horns. These wild sheep, though somewhat - goat-like in appearance, are typical of their race in general habits. They live in the Atlas - Range, and in the splendid heights of the Aures Mountains, which lie at the back of Algeria and - fringe the great Sahara Desert. In the isolated and burning rocks which jut up in the desert - itself into single mountains they are also found, living on ground which seems absolutely - destitute of water, grass, or vegetation. They live singly or in small families; but the rams keep - mainly alone. Sometimes they lie in shallow caves during the heat of the day. These caves smell - like a sheep-fold. More generally the sheep repose on some shelf of rock, where they exactly match - the colour of the stone, and are invisible. The ground is among the most difficult in which any - hunting is attempted, except perhaps in chamois-stalking; but the pursuit seems to fascinate - sportsmen. Mr. A. E. Pease recently gave some charming descriptions of the silence, the rugged - rocks, and the astonishing views over the great orange Sahara Desert seen from the tops of these - haunts of the Barbary sheep—mountains on the summits of which his Arab guides would - prostrate themselves in evening prayer as the sun sank over the desert, and then, rising, once - more resume the chase. The young lambs of the Barbary sheep are charming little creatures, more - like reddish kids. They can follow the mother over the steepest ground at a great pace. When - caught, as they sometimes are by the Arabs, they soon become tame. The <span class="pagenum" - id="page226"><span class="smaller">{226}</span></span>tail is longer than in other wild sheep, and - in the males a large mane covers the chest.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_226_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_226_t.jpg" - alt="FOUR-HORNED SHEEP." title="FOUR-HORNED SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FOUR-HORNED SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">There are several breeds of these sheep, some from China, some from Iceland, - and others from South Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Burhal, or Blue Sheep.</span></p> - - <p>This species possibly indicates the transition-point from the sheep to the goats. It was - pointed out by Mr. Brian Hodgson that it had certain features more like the goats than the sheep, - and later other writers laid stress on structural differences of the same kind, both in skull and - horns. It has not the disagreeable odour of the goats; but the black markings which separate the - white of the belly from the brown of the flanks, and run down the front of the legs, are like - those seen on some goats. The horns rise in a curve outwards and downwards. The largest are only - some 30 inches long.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Burhal are perhaps the commonest of all Asiatic wild sheep. They inhabit the whole - length of the higher Himalayan Range, and are found over and round the Central Asian plateau as - far north as Yarkand. The horns make two half-moons at right angles to the skull. Unlike some of - the other wild sheep, burhal often climb the very highest ground of all. Much of the best burhal - ground is above 17,000 feet high, and, as Mr. Whitbread remarks, this alone makes the chase of - such an animal difficult. As in the moufflon, the mutton is excellent. There is no difficulty - whatever in taming these wild Himalayan sheep; those in the Zoological Gardens are practically - domesticated.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Domesticated Sheep.</span></p> - - <p>Under domestication sheep exhibit a wide variety of coat, shape, and size, very striking to the - eye, and very important in regard to the produce of wool or mutton. The introduction of a - particular breed, with long wool or short wool as the case may be, has often saved or altered for - a time the economic condition of a colony or province. It was the introduction of the sheep which - gave Australia first rank among the rich colonies of the world; and the discovery that the Cheviot - breed would thrive on the Scotch hills made millions of acres remunerative which might otherwise - have been very unproductive. But the only important change in the structure of the sheep in - domestication is the lengthening of the tail. The carcase may be fat mutton or thin mutton, the - wool long or short, fine or coarse; but the sheep itself remains true to type, and of much the - same docile habits, under all the changes of the breeders.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_226_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_226_b.jpg" - alt="SOUTH DOWN SHEEP." title="SOUTH DOWN SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted</i>.</span></p> - <p class="sp3">SOUTH DOWN SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">The finest breed of down-sheep.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page227"><span class="smaller">{227}</span></span></div> - - <p>We may first say a word or two as to foreign breeds of sheep, especially those of the East. - Some of these resemble the wild breeds in having smooth coats and almost no wool. The <span - class="sc">Somali Sheep</span>, for instance, yield no wool useful for felting or spinning. They - have drooping ears and black heads. Some of the finest natural wool is developed by a white sheep - in Tibet. The fur is usually sold as Tibetan lamb. The wool is exactly like white floss-silk. When - cured by the Chinese, the leather is like white kid, with this flossy wool attached.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_227.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_227.jpg" alt="MERINO RAMS." - title="MERINO RAMS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MERINO RAMS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The best wool-producing sheep. Imported from Spain to Australia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In India and Persia the sheep is sometimes used as a beast of burden. Mr. Lockwood Kipling, in - his "Beast and Man in India," says: "Borax, asafœtida, and other commodities are brought - into India on the backs of sheep in bags. The flocks are driven in large numbers from Tibet into - British territory. One of the sensations of journeying in the hills of the 'interior,' as the - farther recesses of the mountains are called by Anglo-Indians, is to come suddenly on such a - drove, as it winds, with the multitudinous click of little feet, round the shoulder of some - Himalayan spur. The coarse hair bags scrape the cliffside from which the narrow path is built out - or hollowed, and allow but scant room for your pony, startled by the hurry and the quick-breathing - rush of the creatures as they crowd and scuffle past. Only the picturesque shepherds return from - these journeys. The carriers of the caravan (<i>i.e.</i> the sheep), feeding as they go, gather - flesh in spite of their burdens, and provide most excellent mutton.... In the towns of the plains - rams are kept as fighting animals. A Mohammedan swell going out for a stroll with his fighting-ram - makes a picture of foppery not easily surpassed by the sporting 'fancy' of the West. The ram is - neatly clipped, with a judicious reservation of the salient tufts, tipped with saffron and mauve - dye, and besides a large collar of blue beads it wears a necklace of hawk-bells."</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Fat-tailed Sheep</span> of Persia and Tartary exhibits a curious provision - of nature. When food is plentiful, a quantity of fat accumulates on the tail and croup. As the - pasture dries up and the animal finds little food, this store of fat is gradually absorbed. - Another fat-tailed sheep is found from Syria and Egypt to the Cape. This has a long tail reaching - to the <span class="pagenum" id="page228"><span class="smaller">{228}</span></span>ground. In the - Egyptian breed the tail is broad throughout; in the Syrian it narrows to a point. The ordinary - weight of the Syrian sheep's tail is 15 lbs.; but in some well-fattened examples it reaches 70 or - 80 lbs. Ludolph saw in Egypt a sheep's tail of 80 lbs. weight. This overgrown tail is a great - encumbrance to the animal. In order to lighten the burden, the shepherds fasten under it a small - board, sometimes with wheels attached, to make it easy to draw over the ground.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_228_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_228_t.jpg" - alt="BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP." title="BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK-FACED MOUNTAIN-SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">The sheep of the high mountains and heather-moors.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Greece, Wallachia, and Western Asia a fine breed of sheep, quite different from the English - forms, is seen. It is called the <span class="sc">Wallachian Sheep</span>. When the Zoological - Gardens were first founded here, some of these sheep were introduced and crossed with English - breeds. The horns are tall spirals, as in the great kudu antelope. The body is large, and the - fleece long and straight, and more like that of the long-haired goats than curly wool.</p> - - <p>There are now few countries in the world to which sheep have not been introduced. They were - probably among the earliest animals to be domesticated. Certainly they are the first to be - mentioned; for we learn that "Abel was a keeper of sheep," while Cain tilled the earth. The feud - between the keeper of flocks and the grower of crops typified in this ancient quarrel still goes - on wherever the wild mountain breeds of sheep are kept, for there is of necessity always danger - that the wandering sheep may raid the plots of corn. In Spain a curious and ancient set of laws - regulates the passage of the flocks to and from the mountain pastures through the corn-lands.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_228_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_228_b.jpg" - alt="LEICESTER EWE." title="LEICESTER EWE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LEICESTER EWE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A heavy, long-woolled breed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is said that the name of the famous breed of Spanish sheep known as <span - class="sc">Merinos</span> recalls their foreign origin from across the sea, and that they were - originally imported into Spain from England. Whether that be so or not, it is certain that no one - could recognise them now. The finest merino sheep, especially those bred in Australia, into which - country they were imported some forty years ago, look as if covered with a dense growth of moss. - The close wool grows not only on their backs, sides, and bellies, but on legs, forehead, and nose. - There are believed to be ten millions of merino sheep in Spain, most of which are migratory. They - are called "transhumantes," and are taken from the plains to the mountains and from the mountains - to the plains yearly. These <span class="pagenum" id="page229"><span - class="smaller">{229}</span></span>"transhumantes" are divided into flocks, each under a head - shepherd, or "majoral." The flocks follow the shepherds, who lead the way, and direct the length - and speed of the journey. A few wethers, trained to the business, follow the shepherds, and the - rest come in due order. Powerful dogs accompany them as guards. This system of sheep migration is - controlled by a tribunal termed the Mesta. It can be traced back to the middle of the fourteenth - century. By it persons are prohibited from travelling along the course of the route pursued by the - flocks so long as they are on the road. It also maintains the right for the flocks to graze on all - the open or common land that lies in the way. Moreover, it claims a path ninety yards wide through - all enclosed and cultivated country. The length of the journey is over 400 miles, which is - accomplished in six or seven weeks. The system works greatly to the injury of local cultivators - and stationary flocks, whose fields are injured by the migratory sheep.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_229.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_229.jpg" - alt="CROSS-BRED SHEEP." title="CROSS-BRED SHEEP."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CROSS-BRED SHEEP.</p> - <p class="sp0">The class of sheep kept mainly on cultivated land in the North Midlands.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">English Breeds of Sheep.</span></p> - - <p>In England are reared the finest and most valuable sheep. This is evident from the prices paid - for them by foreigners and breeders in our colonies. Except for merinos, no one comes to any other - country but this when about to seek new blood for their flocks or to stock new lands. Recently - 1,000 guineas were paid by a firm in Argentina for a single Lincoln ram.</p> - - <p>Differences, well marked and of great importance, exist between our different breeds. Each - suits its own district, and each is carefully improved and kept pure by herd-books, in which all - pedigree animals are entered.</p> - - <p>The "general utility sheep" in England is the <span class="sc">South Down</span>; in Scotland, - the <span class="sc">Border Leicester</span>. The former is a small, fine sheep, with close wool, - and yielding excellent mutton. It provides the meat sold in our best shops, and has largely - stocked New Zealand. The original breed of England was possibly the <span - class="sc">Cotswold</span>; it is a tall, long-woolled, white-fleeced <span class="pagenum" - id="page230"><span class="smaller">{230}</span></span>sheep. Later a large heavy sheep, with long - wool and a massive body, was bred in the Midlands, and called the <span class="sc">Leicester - Long-wool</span>. This sheep gives a great cut of wool, and much coarse mutton. The <span - class="sc">Cheviot Sheep</span>, originally bred on the hills of that name, is now one of the - mainstays of the Scotch mountain farmer. The Cheviots eat the grass on the high hillsides, while - the <span class="sc">Black-faced Highland Sheep</span> live on the heather higher up. The <span - class="sc">Suffolk</span>, <span class="sc">Oxford</span>, <span class="sc">Hampshire</span>, and - other "Down" sheep are larger breeds than the South Down. The <span class="sc">Romney Marsh - Sheep</span> are a heavy long-woolled breed. The <span class="sc">Exmoors</span> are small - heather-sheep like those of Wales, and the <span class="sc">Soa</span> and <span class="sc">St. - Kilda Sheep</span>, which are often four-horned, the smallest of all.</p> - - <p>The maintenance of flocks is now almost an essential part of English agriculture on all chalk - lands, which comprise a very large percentage of the southern counties. On the chalk downs the - flocks are the great fertilisers of the soil. Every night the sheep are folded on the fields which - are destined to produce corn in the following year. The manure so left on the soil ensures a good - crop, with no expense for carting the fertiliser from the farmyard, as is the case with manure - made by oxen kept in straw-yards.</p> - - <p>On the South Downs, Oxfordshire Downs or Chiltern Hills, Salisbury Plain, and the Berkshire - Downs the farms have been mainly carried on by the aid of the flocks. Where these are no longer - kept the land reverts to grass, and the growing of corn ceases. On the coarse, new-sown grasses - cattle take the place of sheep, and an inferior style of farming, like the ranches of South - America, replaces the careful and highly skilled agriculture of Old England. In the far north of - Scotland cross-bred sheep are now reared and fed in winter on turnips, which will grow luxuriantly - where the climate is too bleak and wet for wheat.</p> - - <p>Formerly cattle were the main source of wealth to the owners of Highland estates. The sheep was - only introduced after the Highlands were subdued subsequently to the rebellion in 1745. It was - found that the rough-coated heather-sheep throve on the wet and elevated hills. This led to their - substitution for cattle, as wool was then dear. Sheep are now in their turn giving way to grouse - and deer over much of the Central Highlands, as the price of wool has fallen.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_230_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_230_t.jpg" - alt="LONK RAM." title="LONK RAM."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONK RAM.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a photograph of the largest sheep on record.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_230_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_230_b.jpg" - alt="WELSH EWES." title="WELSH EWES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WELSH EWES.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small breed of hill-sheep.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page231"><span class="smaller">{231}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE GOATS.</span></p> - - <p>Though the dividing-line between the Sheep and Goats is very indistinct, some differences are - of general application. The goats are distinguished by the unpleasant "hircine" odour of the - males, and by beards on the chins of the same sex, by the absence of glands in the hind feet, - which sheep possess, and by certain variations in the formation of the skull. The difference - between the temperament of the sheep and goats is very curious and persistent, showing itself in a - marked way, which affects their use in domestication to such a degree that the keeping of one or - the other often marks the owners as possessors of different degrees of civilisation. Goats are - restless, curious, adventurous, and so active that they cannot be kept in enclosed fields. For - this reason they are not bred in any numbers in lands where agriculture is practised on modern - principles; they are too enterprising and too destructive. Consequently the goat is usually only - seen in large flocks on mountain pastures and rocky, uncultivated ground, where the flocks are - taken out to feed by the children.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_231_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_231_t.jpg" - alt="FEMALE ANGORA GOAT." title="FEMALE ANGORA GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE ANGORA GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The breed from which mohair is obtained.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_231_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_231_b.jpg" - alt="ANGORA RAM." title="ANGORA RAM."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ANGORA RAM.</p> - <p class="sp0">These goats were originally obtained from Turkey in Asia, and exported to South - Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>On the high Alps, in Greece, on the Apennines, and in Palestine the goat is a valuable domestic - animal. The milk, butter, and cheese, and also the flesh of the kids, are in great esteem. But - wherever the land is enclosed, and high cultivation attempted, the goat is banished, and the more - docile and controllable sheep takes its place. In Syria the goat is perhaps more docile and better - understood as a dairy animal than elsewhere in the East. The flocks are driven into Damascus in - the morning; and instead of a milk-cart calling, the flock itself goes round the city, and - particular goats are milked before the doors of regular customers.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">European Goat</span> is a very useful animal for providing milk to poor - families in large towns. The following account of its present uses was recently published: "The - sheep, while preserving its hardy habits in some districts, as on Exmoor, in Wales, and the - Highlands, adapts itself to richer food, and acquires the habits as well as the digestion of - domestication. The goat remains, as in old days, the <span class="pagenum" id="page232"><span - class="smaller">{232}</span></span>enemy of trees, inquisitive, omnivorous, pugnacious. It is - unsuited for the settled life of the English farm. Rich pasture makes it ill, and a good clay - soil, on which cattle grow fat, kills it. But it is far from being disqualified for the service of - some forms of modern civilisation by the survival of primitive habits. Though it cannot live - comfortably in the smiling pastures of the low country, it is perfectly willing to exchange the - rocks of the mountain for a stable-yard in town. Its love for stony places is amply satisfied by - the granite pavement of a 'mews,' and it has been ascertained that goats fed in stalls and allowed - to wander in paved courts and yards live longer and enjoy better health than those tethered even - on light pastures. In parts of New York the city goats are said to flourish on the paste-daubed - paper of the advertisements, which they nibble from the hoardings. It is beyond doubt that these - hardy creatures are exactly suited for living in large towns; an environment of bricks and mortar - and paving-stones suits them. Their spirits rise in proportion to what we should deem the - depressing nature of their surroundings. They love to be tethered on a common, with scanty grass - and a stock of furze-bushes to nibble. A deserted brick-field, with plenty of broken drain-tiles, - rubbish-heaps, and weeds, pleases them still better. Almost any kind of food seems to suit them. - Not even the pig has so varied a diet as the goat; it consumes and converts into milk not only - great quantities of garden-stuff which would otherwise be wasted, but also, thanks to its love for - eating twigs and shoots, it enjoys the prunings and loppings of bushes and trees. In the Mont d'Or - district of France the goats are fed on oatmeal porridge. With this diet, and plenty of salt, the - animals are scarcely ever ill, and never suffer from tuberculosis; they will often give ten times - their own weight of milk in a year."</p> - - <p>The Kashmir shawls are made of the finest goats' hair. Most of this very soft hair is obtained - from the under-fur of goats kept in Tibet, and by the Kirghiz in Central Asia. Only a small - quantity, averaging 3 ozs., is produced yearly by each animal. The wool is purchased by middlemen, - and taken to Kashmir for manufacture.</p> - - <p>In India the goat reaches perhaps the highest point of domestication. The flocks are in charge - of herd-boys, but the animals are so docile that they are regarded with no hostility by the - cultivators of corn and cereals. Tame goats are also kept throughout Africa. The valuable <span - class="sc">Angora</span> breed, from which "mohair" is obtained, is now domesticated in South - Africa and in Australia. In the former country it is a great commercial success. The animals were - obtained with great difficulty, as the Turkish owners did not wish to sell their best-bred goats; - but when once established at the Cape, it was found that they proved better producers of mohair - than when in their native province of Angora. The "clip" from their descendants steadily - improves.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_232.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_232.jpg" - alt="BRITISH GOAT." title="BRITISH GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BRITISH GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A much-neglected breed in this country. Note the shape of this animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page233"><span class="smaller">{233}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">WILD GOATS</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Tur.</span></p> - - <p>In the Caucasus, both east and west, in the Pyrenees, and on the South Spanish sierras three - fine wild goats, with some features not unlike the burhal sheep, are found. They are called <span - class="sc">Tur</span> by the Caucasian mountaineers. The species found in the East Caucasus - differs from that of the west of the range, and both from that of Spain. The <span class="sc">East - Caucasian Tur</span> is a massive, heavy animal, all brown in colour (except on the fronts of the - legs, which are blackish), and with horns springing from each side of the skull like half-circles. - The males are 38 inches high at the shoulder. The short beard and tail are blackish, and there is - no white on the coat. The <span class="sc">West Caucasian Tur</span> is much lighter in colour - than that of the East Caucasus, and the horns point backwards, more like those of the ibex, though - set on the skull at a different angle. The <span class="sc">Spanish Tur</span> has the belly and - inner sides of the legs white, and a blackish line along the flank, dividing the white from the - brown; also a blackish chest, and some grey on the flank.</p> - - <p>In the Caucasus the tur are found on the high crags above the snow-line in summer, whence they - descend at night to feed on patches of upland grass; but the main home of the tur by day is above - the snowline. The Spanish species modifies its habits according to the ground on which it lives. - Mr. E. N. Buxton found it in dense scrub, while on the Andalusian sierras it frequents bare peaks - 10,000 feet high. In Spain tur are sometimes seen in flocks of from 100 to 150 each.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_233_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_233_t.jpg" - alt="FEMALE TOGGENBURG GOAT." title="FEMALE TOGGENBURG GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of P. Thomas, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE TOGGENBURG GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">These goats are milk-goats <i>par excellence</i>; they remain in profit for at - least ten months in the year. Each goat produces on an average from 110 to 120 gallons of milk - during the year.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_233_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_233_b.jpg" - alt="STUD TOGGENBURG GOAT." title="STUD TOGGENBURG GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of P. Thomas, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">STUD TOGGENBURG GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">This breed originally came from Switzerland, but is now well known in England. - The animals are fine in bone, have a long, thin neck, with two tassel-like appendages.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Persian Wild Goat.</span></p> - - <p>The original of our domesticated goat is thought by some to be the <span - class="sc">Pasang</span>, or <span class="sc">Persian Wild Goat</span>. It is a fine animal, with - large scimitar-shaped horns, curving backwards, flattened laterally, and with knobs on the front - edge at irregular intervals. It is more slender in build than the tur, light brown in general - colour, marked with a black line <span class="pagenum" id="page234"><span - class="smaller">{234}</span></span>along the nape and back, black tail, white belly, blackish - shoulder-stripe, and a black line dividing the hinder part of the flank from the white belly. - Formerly found in the islands of South-eastern Europe, it now inhabits parts of the Caucasus, the - Armenian Highlands, Mount Ararat, and the Persian mountains as far east as Baluchistan. A smaller - race is found in Sind. It lives in herds, sometimes of considerable size, and frequents not only - the high ground, but the mountain forests and scrub, where such cover exists. The domesticated - goat of Sweden is said to be certainly a descendant of this species.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_234.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_234.jpg" - alt="SCHWARTZALS GOAT." title="SCHWARTZALS GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of P. Thomas, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SCHWARTZALS GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A large, long-haired breed, which derives its name from its peculiar colour, - the fore part of the body being black and the hinder part white. These goats are good - milkers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Ibex.</span></p> - - <p>Of the <span class="sc">Ibex</span>, perhaps the best known of all the wild goats, several - species, differing somewhat in size and in the form of their horns, are found in various parts of - the Old World. Of these, the <span class="sc">Arabian Ibex</span> inhabits the mountains of - Southern Arabia, Palestine, and Sinai, Upper Egypt, and perhaps Morocco. The <span - class="sc">Abyssinian Ibex</span> is found in the high mountains of the country from which it - takes its name. The <span class="sc">Alpine Ibex</span> is now extinct in the Swiss Alps and - Tyrol, but survives on the Piedmontese side of Monte Rosa. The <span class="sc">Asiatic - Ibex</span> is the finest of the group; its horns have been found to measure 54¾ inches along the - curve. This ibex inhabits the mountain-ranges of Central Asia, from the Altai to the Himalaya, and - the Himalaya as far as the source of the Ganges.</p> - - <p>The King of Italy is the great preserver of the <span class="sc">Alpine Ibex</span>, and has - succeeded where the nobles of the Tyrol have failed. The animals are shot by driving them, the - drivers being expert mountaineers. The way in which the ibex come down the passes and over the - precipices is simply astonishing. One writer lately saw them springing down perpendicular heights - of 40 feet, or descending "chimneys" in the mountain-face by simply cannoning off with their feet - from side to side. Young ibex can be tamed with ease, the only drawback to their maintenance being - the impossibility of confining them. They will spring on to the roof of <span class="pagenum" - id="page235"><span class="smaller">{235}</span></span>a house, and spend the day there by - preference, though allowed the run of all the premises. The kids are generally two in number; they - are born in June.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_235_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_235_t.jpg" - alt="MALE ALPINE IBEX." title="MALE ALPINE IBEX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE ALPINE IBEX.</p> - <p class="sp0">The finest wild goat of Europe, formerly common on the Swiss Alps, now only on - a limited area on the Italian side.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_235_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_235_b.jpg" - alt="YOUNG MALE ALPINE IBEX" title="YOUNG MALE ALPINE IBEX"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aytenbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG MALE ALPINE IBEX</p> - <p class="sp0">The photograph shows the corrugated horns of the male.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The ibex was long one of the chief objects of the Alpine hunter. The Emperor - Maximilian had a preserve of them in the Tyrol mountains near the Aachen Sea; these he shot with a - cross-bow when they were driven down the mountains. Sometimes they were forced across the lake. A - picture in his private hunting-book shows the Emperor assisting to catch one in a net from a boat. - He notes that he once shot an ibex at a distance of 200 yards with a cross-bow, after one of his - companions had missed it with a gun, or "fire-tube." When away on an expedition in Holland, he - wrote a letter to the wife of one of the most noted ibex-poachers on his domain, promising her a - silk dress if she could induce her husband to let the animals alone. In the Himalaya the chief - foes of the ibex are the snow-leopard and wild dog.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Markhor.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The very fine Himalayan goat of this name differs from all other wild species. The - horns are spiral, like those of the kudu antelope and Wallachian sheep. It may well be called the - king of the wild goats. A buck stands as much as 41 inches at the shoulder, and the maximum - measurement of the horns is 63 inches, or over 5 feet! It has a long beard and mane, and stands - very upright on its feet. Besides the Himalaya, it haunts the mountains on the Afghan frontier. - The markhor keep along the line between the forest and snow, some of the most difficult ground in - the hills. The horns are a much-prized trophy.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Tahr.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Tahr</span> of the Himalaya is a very different-looking animal to the true - goats, from which, among other characters, it is distinguished by the form and small size <span - class="pagenum" id="page236"><span class="smaller">{236}</span></span>of the horns. The horns, - which are black, spring in a high backward arch, but the creature has no beard. A buck stands - sometimes as much as 38 inches high at the shoulder. It has a long, rough coat, mainly dark - stone-colour in tint.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_236.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_236.jpg" alt="NUBIAN GOAT." - title="NUBIAN GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of P. Thomas, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">NUBIAN GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">These goats come from Nubia and Upper Egypt. They are generally hornless and - short-haired; the colour varies, being sometimes black, and sometimes tan and spotted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Tahr live in the forest districts of the Middle Himalaya, where they are found on - very high and difficult ground. General Donald Macintyre shot one standing on the brink of an - almost sheer precipice. Down this it fell, and the distance in sheer depth was such that it was - difficult to see the body even with glasses. The tahr is fairly common all along the higher - Himalayan Range. Its bones are believed to be a sovereign cure for rheumatism, and are exported to - India for that object. A smaller kind is found in the mountains of Eastern Arabia, where very few - English sportsmen have yet cared to attempt to shoot them.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Nilgiri Tahr, or Nilgiri Ibex.</span></p> - - <p>Though not an ibex, the sportsmen of India early gave this name to the tahr of the Nilgiri and - Anamalai Hills. The Himalayan species is covered with long, shaggy hair; the South Indian has - short, smooth brown hair.</p> - - <p>"The ibex," says Hawkeye, the Indian sportsman, of this animal, "is massively formed, with - short legs, remarkably strong fetlocks, and a heavy carcase, short and well ribbed up, combining - strength and agility wonderful to behold. Its habits are gregarious, and the does are seldom met - with separate from the flock or herd, though males often are. The latter assume, as they grow old, - a distinctive appearance. The hair on the back becomes lighter, almost white in some cases, - causing a kind of saddle to appear; and from that time they become known to the shikaries as the - saddle-backs of the herd, an object of ambition to the eyes of the true sportsman. It is a - pleasant sight to watch a herd of ibex feeding undisturbed, the kids frisking here and there on - pinnacles or ledges of rock and beetling cliffs where there seems scarcely safe hold for anything - much larger than a grasshopper, the old mother looking calmly on. Then again, see the caution - observed in taking up their resting- or abiding-places for the day, where they may be warmed by - the sun, listening to the war of many waters, chewing the cud of contentment, and giving - themselves up to the full enjoyment of their nomadic life and its romantic haunts. Usually, before - reposing, one of their number, generally an old doe, may be observed gazing intently below, - apparently scanning every spot in the range of her vision, sometimes for half an hour or more, - before she is satisfied that all is well, but, strange to say, seldom or never looking up to the - rocks above. Then, being satisfied on the one side, she follows the same process on the other, and - eventually lies down calmly, contented with the precautions she has taken. Should the sentinel be - joined by another, or her kid come and lie by her, they always lie back to back, in such a manner - as to keep a good look-out to either side. A solitary male goes through all this by himself, and - wonderfully careful he is; but when with the herd he reposes in security, leaving it to the female - to take precautions for their joint safety."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page237"><span class="smaller">{237}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_237.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_237.jpg" - alt="ITALIAN GOAT." title="ITALIAN GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Fratelli Alinari</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Florence.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ITALIAN GOAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">From the earliest Roman days these goats have been the main form of livestock - kept by the mountaineers of the Apennines.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page238"><span class="smaller">{238}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Rocky Mountain Goat.</span></p> - - <p>America possesses only one species of wild goat, the place of this genus being taken in the - southern part of the continent by the camel-like guanacos. The <span class="sc">Rocky Mountain - Goat</span>, the North American representative of the group, is a somewhat anomalous creature. It - has very few of the characteristics of the European and Asiatic species. In place of being active - in body and vivacious in temperament, it is a quiet, lethargic creature, able, it is true, to - scale the high mountains of the North-west and to live among the snows, but with none of the - energetic habits of the ibex or the tahr. In form it is heavy and badly built. It is heavy in - front and weak behind, like a bison. The eye is small, the head large, and the shoulders humped. - It feeds usually on very high ground; but hunters who take the trouble to ascend to these - altitudes find little difficulty in killing as many wild goats as they wish. These goats are most - numerous in the ranges of British Columbia, where they are found in small flocks of from three or - four to twenty. Several may be killed before the herd is thoroughly alarmed, possibly because at - the high altitudes at which they are found man has seldom disturbed them. None of the domesticated - sheep or goats of the New World are indigenous to the continent of America. It is a curious fact, - well worth studying from the point of view of the history of man, that, with the exception of the - llama, the dog, and perhaps the guinea-pig, every domesticated animal in use from Cape Horn to the - Arctic Ocean has been imported. The last of these importations is the reindeer, which, though the - native species abounds in the Canadian woods, was obtained from Lapland and Eastern Asia.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_238_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_238_t.jpg" - alt="ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT." title="ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p>ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is one of the few animals which are white at - all seasons of the year. The horns and hoofs are jet-black, forming a striking contrast to the - beautiful coat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_238_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_238_b.jpg" - alt="HIMALAYAN TAHR AND YOUNG." title="HIMALAYAN TAHR AND YOUNG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HIMALAYAN TAHR AND YOUNG.</p> - <p class="sp0">The typical representative of the short-horned wild goats.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The history of this effort at acclimatisation is curious, and may be quoted in this connection. - When the first rush to Klondike was made, the miners were imprisoned and inaccessible during the - late winter. The coming of spring was the earliest period at which communication could be expected - to be restored, and even then the problem of feeding the transport animals was a difficult one. - The United States Government decided to try to open up a road from Alaska by means of sledges - drawn by reindeer, and the Canadian Government devised a similar scheme. Agents were sent to - Lapland and to the tribes on the western side of Bering Sea, and deer, drivers, and harness - obtained from both. The deer were not used for the Klondike relief expeditions by the Americans; - but the animals and their drivers were kept in Alaska, native reindeer were caught, and the latest - news of the experiment is that the deer were found very useful for carrying the mails in - winter.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page239"><span class="smaller">{239}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXV."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XV. The antelopes." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XV.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE ANTELOPES.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">True Antelopes</span> (including the Gazelles) are strictly - confined to the Old World, the Prongbuck of North America differing so much from all other living - ruminants, in its horn growth and other particulars, that it is considered to be the sole - representative of a distinct family.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Hartebeests.</span></p> - - <p>With the exception of one species—the Bubal—which is found both in North Africa and - Arabia, the <span class="sc">Hartebeests</span> are entirely confined to the African Continent. - They are animals of large size, standing from 43 to 48 inches at the shoulder, and are - characterised by their long, narrow faces, high withers, and doubly curved horns, which are - present in both sexes. Nine different species of this group are known to exist.</p> - - <p>Although the ranges of these various species of hartebeest cover the greater part of the - African Continent, it is noteworthy that each species keeps to its own ground, their several - ranges but rarely overlapping.</p> - - <p>All the hartebeests have a strong family resemblance, and are very similar in their habits. - They are never found either in dense forests or in swampy or mountainous country, but are - inhabitants of the arid deserts of Northern and South-western Africa, and of the open grassy - plains and thinly forested regions of the high plateaux of the interior of that continent. They - are extraordinarily fleet and enduring, and in my own experience I have never heard of one of - these animals, of whatever species, having been overtaken or ridden to a standstill by a man on - horseback. They are very inquisitive, and where they have not been molested will allow any - unaccustomed object—such as a European in clothes—to walk to within easy shot of them - before running off. They soon gain experience, however; and in countries where they have been most - persecuted hartebeests are the keenest-sighted and the most wary of all African game. They are - very fond of climbing to the top of the large ant-heaps with which the plains of Africa are - profusely studded, and from this point of vantage surveying the surrounding country. They live, I - believe, entirely upon grass, and in the desert areas of their range seem able to subsist for long - periods without drinking water. Their meat I have always thought very palatable. They are - generally in fairly good condition, though they seldom carry much fat. Their fat, after being - melted, becomes solid again immediately on cooling, and clogs on the teeth whilst being eaten. But - very few African species, except the eland, ever become really fat; their life is too active, and - the food-supply too uncertain, for them to put on flesh like European deer.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_239.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_239.jpg" - alt="BUBALINE HARTEBEEST." title="BUBALINE HARTEBEEST."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BUBALINE HARTEBEEST.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small species, found in Syria as well as in North Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page240"><span class="smaller">{240}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Bontebok and Blesbok Group.</span></p> - - <p>Nearly allied to the hartebeests are certain other antelopes, of which it will be sufficient to - mention but two species—<i>viz.</i> the <span class="sc">Bontebok</span> and the <span - class="sc">Blesbok</span>. These two antelopes, though doubtless distinct, since their points of - difference are constant and unvarying, are nevertheless so much alike, and evidently so closely - allied, that I look upon the former as a highly coloured and specialised race of the latter. The - blesbok once had a far wider range than the bontebok, and ran in countless herds on the plains of - the northern districts of the Cape Colony, the Orange River Colony, the Transvaal, Griqualand - West, and British Bechuanaland, whilst the latter animal has always been confined to the sandy - wastes in the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, the extreme southern point of Africa.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_240_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_240_t.jpg" alt="BLESBOK." - title="BLESBOK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Percy Ashenden</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Cape Town.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLESBOK.</p> - <p class="sp0">A species formerly very numerous in South Africa, but now well-nigh - exterminated.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_240_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_240_b.jpg" - alt="WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF." title="WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WHITE-TAILED GNU AND CALF.</p> - <p class="sp0">This "Wildebeest" is now believed to be practically exterminated as a wild - animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>I think it, however, not improbable that ages ago the blesbok ranged right through Cape Colony - to the sea-shore, and that subsequently the gradual desiccation of the south-western portions of - the country—which is still continuing—or several years of continuous drought, caused - the withdrawal of the species northwards from the waterless parts of the country. Those, however, - which had reached the neighbourhood of Cape Agulhas, where there is plenty of water, would have - remained behind and formed an isolated race, which, being influenced by local conditions, would - naturally in course of time have become differentiated from the parent stock. Be this as it may, - the bontebok of to-day is nothing but a glorified blesbok, being slightly larger and more richly - coloured than the latter animal. Its horns, too, are always black, whilst those of the blesbok are - of a greenish hue. When they are in good condition, the coats of both these species of antelope, - as well as of the Sassaby, another member of this group, show a beautiful satiny sheen, which - plays over their purple-brown hides like shadows on sunlit water.</p> - - <p>The few bonteboks which still survive are now all preserved on large enclosed farms; but their - numbers are very small—less than 300, it is believed. The farmers of Dutch descent now do - their best to preserve rare species on their land.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page241"><span class="smaller">{241}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_241_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_241_t.jpg" - alt="A COW BRINDLED GNU." title="A COW BRINDLED GNU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A COW BRINDLED GNU.</p> - <p class="sp0">This gnu, which is still found in great numbers in East Central Africa, - indulges in the same curious antics as the white-tailed species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gnus.</span></p> - - <p>These remarkable animals were once distributed throughout the greater part of Africa from the - Cape to Abyssinia, and their range is even now very extensive, though what was once the most - numerous and the most eccentric-looking species of the group has almost ceased to exist.</p> - - <p>The gnus are of large size, and at first sight appear to have the head of a buffalo, the tail - of a horse, and the limbs and hoofs of an antelope. Their heads are very massive, with broad - muzzles and widely separated, hairy nostrils; their necks are maned, tails long and bushy, and - both sexes carry horns. They are known as "wilde beeste," or "wild cattle," to the Dutch colonists - of South Africa.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_241_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_241_b.jpg" - alt="RED-FLANKED DUIKER." title="RED-FLANKED DUIKER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RED-FLANKED DUIKER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The duikers are for the most part diminutive and graceful antelopes, with - simple, spike-like horns.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">White-tailed Gnu</span>, or <span class="sc">Black Wildebeest</span>, as - it is more commonly called, was once found in great numbers on the karroos of Northern Cape - Colony, and throughout the vast plains of the Orange River Colony, Transvaal, Griqualand West, and - British Bechuanaland. Its range, in fact, was coequal with that of the blesbok. Even as lately as - in 1875 and 1876 I personally saw very considerable herds of these quaint animals in the Orange - River Colony and the Western Transvaal. When the present war broke out in 1899, there were only - two herds of black wildebeest left alive. These animals numbered some 500 head altogether, and - were protected by Dutch farmers. There <span class="pagenum" id="page242"><span - class="smaller">{242}</span></span>are probably very few of them left to-day, and it is scarcely - possible that this most interesting animal will long escape complete extinction.</p> - - <p>Black wildebeests, before they had been much persecuted, were so inquisitive that, in the words - of Gordon Cumming, they would "caper and gambol" round a hunter's waggon or any other unusual - object, and sometimes approach to within a couple of hundred yards, when, whisking their long - white tails, they would gallop off with loud snorts. They were always, however, very keen-sighted, - and soon became extremely wary and almost impossible to approach on foot in the open plains they - frequented, whilst their powers of endurance and fleetness of foot were such that they could only - be overtaken by a well-mounted hunter. In spite of these advantages, however, the value of their - skins, and the ever-increasing number of hunters, armed with long-range rifles, practically - brought about the extermination of this species of gnu in a few decades.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Brindled Gnu</span> is a larger animal than the last-named species, - standing 4½ feet and upwards at the shoulder. This animal once ranged from the Vaal River - northwards, throughout Eastern and Central Africa, to the north of Kilimanjaro, where its range - overlaps that of a closely allied form, the <span class="sc">White-bearded Gnu</span>, which is - only found in certain districts of Eastern Africa. In general habits these two varieties seem to - be identical.</p> - - <p>In the interior of Southern Africa, both north and south of the Zambesi, I have met with very - large numbers of <span class="sc">Blue Wildebeests</span>. They usually run in herds of from ten - to twenty individuals, but towards the end of the dry season collect in droves of 200 or 300. They - are often found in company with zebras and sassaby antelopes. Their flesh resembles coarse beef, - and, to my thinking, is not ill-flavoured.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_242.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_242.jpg" - alt="KLIPSPRINGER." title="KLIPSPRINGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p>KLIPSPRINGER.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> The "cliff-jumper" is as active in its habits as a - chamois, and is found in most of the mountain-ranges of Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Smaller Bucks.</span></p> - - <p>In addition to the great number of antelopes of large size which inhabit the African Continent, - there are also very many small species, the life history and habits of some of which are as yet - but imperfectly known, since they are denizens of dense forests, and feed principally at - night.</p> - - <p>All these small African antelopes are divided into two sub-families. The first comprises the - African <span class="sc">Duikers</span> and the Indian <span class="sc">Four-horned - Antelope</span>, and the second the <span class="sc">Dik-diks</span>, <span - class="sc">Oribis</span>, <span class="sc">Klipspringer</span>, and certain other small - bush-antelopes.</p> - - <p>The African duikers are distributed throughout Africa south of the Sahara, and are represented - by some twenty different species, the largest of which approaches a small donkey in size, whilst - the smallest is not much larger than a hare.</p> - - <p>The majority of these dainty little antelopes are inhabitants of the dense tangled forests of - the coast-belts of Africa, and are therefore but seldom seen by travellers and sportsmen. One - species of the group, however, the <span class="sc">Common Duiker</span> of South Africa, is a - very well-known animal. This little antelope inhabits much more open country than most of its - congeners, and has an enormous range, extending from Cape Agulhas to Somaliland, whilst two very - nearly allied forms are found in Senegal and Abyssinia respectively.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page243"><span class="smaller">{243}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_243.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_243.jpg" - alt="SING-SING WATERBUCK." title="SING-SING WATERBUCK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SING-SING WATERBUCK.</p> - <p class="sp0">The sing-sing and its relatives differ from the true waterbuck by the absence - of the white elliptical ring on the rump</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page244"><span class="smaller">{244}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_244_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_244_t.jpg" - alt="MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK." title="MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of a group of small antelopes still common in many parts of Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In most species of duikers both sexes are horned, but in the case of the common duiker it is - very exceptional to find a female with horns, and in all my experience I have only known of three - such cases.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Four-horned Antelope</span> is the Indian representative of the African - duikers, and is found along the foot of the Himalaya from the Punjab to Nepal, and in suitable - localities throughout the peninsula of India. It frequents wooded hills, but avoids dense jungle. - Like its nearest allies, the duikers, it is solitary in its habits, more than two of these - antelopes seldom being seen together. The growth of four horns on the skull of this antelope and - on certain breeds of domesticated sheep is a curious fact which has not roused as much comment as - it deserves.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_244_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_244_b.jpg" - alt="MALE IMPALA, OR PALLA." title="MALE IMPALA, OR PALLA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MALE IMPALA, OR PALLA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The beautifully curved horns of the male palla form some of the most graceful - of trophies.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Klipspringer.</span></p> - - <p>Turning to the second sub-family, we may select the <span class="sc">Klipspringer</span> as the - most characteristic species to describe. This beautiful little animal, which is often called the - African Chamois, is found in suitable localities from the Cape to Abyssinia. In the southern and - northern portions of its range the klipspringer is an inhabitant only of rugged mountain-ranges, - and ascends to a height of 9,000 or 10,000 feet above sea-level. In the more central regions of - its habitat, however, although it always lives amongst rocks, and thoroughly justifies its name of - "rock-jumper," it is often found in regions where there are no high mountain-ranges. It used to be - very common in Matabililand, both in the Matopo Hills and on the isolated granite kopjes which are - so numerous in that country, and usually are not more than 200 or 300 feet in height. In - Mashonaland I have found it living amongst granite rocks in the beds of the larger rivers, and - actually on the same level as the surrounding country; whereas on Wedza, a great mountain-mass of - slate and ironstone, which rises to a height of about 2,000 feet above the surrounding country, - and to the top of which I once climbed, I did not see any klipspringers. The hoofs of this little - animal are curiously different from those of any other African antelope, being remarkably short - and small, with very deep hollows. This adaptation to its requirements enables the klipspringer to - obtain a foothold on any small <span class="pagenum" id="page245"><span - class="smaller">{245}</span></span>projecting piece of rock, and to climb in a series of little - jumps up the faces of cliffs which seem almost perpendicular.</p> - - <p>In height the klipspringer stands about 1 foot 9 inches at the shoulder. The males alone carry - horns, which are straight and ringed at the base, and vary from 3 to 5 inches in length. The coat - is of a greeny yellow-brown colour, with the hairs hollow and brittle. These little animals are - usually met with singly, or in twos and threes together. When caught young, they become - wonderfully tame, and make the most charming pets, being very playful and fond of jumping, with - surprising ease and grace, from the floor of a room on to any elevated position, such as a table, - mantelpiece, or window-sill.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_245.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_245.jpg" - alt="MALE SAIGA ANTELOPES." title="MALE SAIGA ANTELOPES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MALE SAIGA ANTELOPES.</p> - <p class="sp0">These antelopes inhabit the East Russian steppes. The thick woolly coat turns - nearly white in winter.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Waterbucks.</span></p> - - <p>The largest animals in the first of three groups now to be considered are the <span - class="sc">Waterbucks</span>, antelopes of stout and sturdy build, standing from 45 to 50 inches - at the shoulder, and covered with long, coarse hair, especially on the neck, in both sexes. The - males alone carry horns, which vary from 20 to 36 inches in length, and are strongly ringed in - front for three-fourths of their length. They are sublyrate in shape, being first inclined - backwards and then forwards at the tips. There are three well-marked species of - waterbuck—<i>viz.</i> the <span class="sc">Common Waterbuck</span> of South Africa, whose - range extends from the Limpopo northwards, through Nyasaland to German and British East Africa, - and to the Shebeyli River, in Somaliland; the <span class="sc">Sing-sing</span> of Senegal and - Gambia; and the <span class="sc">Defassa Waterbuck</span> of Western Abyssinia and the Nile - Valley, south to Uganda and British and German East Africa. In habits all species of waterbuck are - very similar. They live generally, though not invariably, in herds of from ten to twenty - individuals, and in such small herds there is seldom more than one full-grown male present. In the - interior of South Africa the waterbuck is often met with amongst steep stony hills and at a - distance of more than a mile from the nearest river. Speaking generally, however, this antelope - may be said to frequent the near neighbourhood of water, but to prefer dry to swampy ground. When - chased by dogs it always makes for water, and will plunge fearlessly into broad, deep rivers, - regardless of crocodiles, to which ravenous reptiles it sometimes falls a victim. In South Africa - waterbuck vary much in colour even in the same district, some being reddish brown, whilst others - are of a very dark grey. The flesh of the waterbuck is coarse, and sometimes rather strongly - tasted, and when in good condition the fat is very hard.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Reedbucks</span> are similar in essential characters to the waterbucks, - but are of smaller size, and have more bushy tails, and naked spots on the sides of the head - beneath the ears.</p> - - <p>Of this group the <span class="sc">Common Reedbuck</span> of South Africa is the best known. - This animal stands 3 feet at the withers, and is of a soft greyish fawn-colour, with a large - fluffy tail, which is always thrown up when the animal runs, exposing the white under-surface. The - males alone carry horns, which curve backwards and then forwards, and attain a length of from 12 - to 16 inches. Reedbucks are met with singly or in twos and threes, and never congregate in herds, - <span class="pagenum" id="page246"><span class="smaller">{246}</span></span>though I have seen us - many as eight, belonging probably to three or four families, feeding in close proximity to one - another on young green grass.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Another member of the reedbuck group is the <span class="sc">Rooi Rhebuck</span> of - South Africa. This latter species, though a much smaller animal, is very similar to the common - reedbuck in colour, shape, and general appearance; it is quite distinct in its habits and mode of - life, as it lives in small herds of from four or five to fifteen head, amongst rugged stony hills, - often far from water.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Blackbuck of India.</span></p> - - <p>This handsome species is found throughout India wherever there are open cultivated plains. The - male stands about 32 inches at the shoulder, and when full grown is of a glossy black colour, with - the exception of a chestnut-coloured patch at the back of the neck, and some markings of the same - colour about the face. The belly and insides of the limbs are pure white, the line between the - black and white being very clearly defined. The whole body and frame are very compact, strong, and - beautifully proportioned, and the head is carried high. The males alone carry horns, which are - spiral in shape, annulated almost to the tips, and vary in length from 18 to 28 inches. Young - bucks and does are fawn-coloured instead of black. These antelopes are usually met with in - considerable herds on open plains in which cultivated tracts alternate with waste land, and they - often do much damage to the natives' crops. When alarmed, they first execute a series of - prodigious bounds into the air before finally settling down to a steady run. They are surprisingly - fleet, and can seldom be overtaken by the fastest greyhounds, although they can be caught and - pulled down without difficulty by trained cheetas, or, as they are often called, - hunting-leopards.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Palla</span>, which is found in Southern and Eastern Africa from - Bechuanaland to Kordofan, is one of the most graceful of animals. It is a forest-loving species, - and is never found far from water. Both sexes are of a general bright reddish brown, with white - bellies. The males alone carry horns, which are very graceful in shape, and vary from 14 to - upwards of 20 inches in length. The finest specimens of the palla are met with in the extreme - southerly and most northerly portions of its range, the animals inhabiting the intermediate - districts being smaller and carrying shorter horns. Pallas are gregarious, living in herds of from - twenty to over one hundred. When alarmed, they bound over bushes or any other obstacles with the - utmost ease and grace, and appear to get over the ground at a high rate of speed. They are, - however, very commonly run down and torn to pieces by wild dogs, which hunt in packs, and are very - destructive to African game.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_246.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_246.jpg" - alt="ARABIAN GAZELLE" title="ARABIAN GAZELLE"/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ARABIAN GAZELLE</p> - <p class="sp0">Gazelles are some of the most slenderly built of all antelopes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Of far less graceful appearance than the two preceding species is the <span - class="sc">Saiga</span>, which, though structurally closely allied to the gazelles, has been - placed by naturalists in a genus by itself.</p> - - <p>This curious-looking animal, which is chiefly remarkable for its large swollen-looking nose and - light-coloured horns, is an inhabitant of the steppes of South-eastern Europe and Western Asia. In - height it stands about 30 inches at the withers, and is of a dull yellowish colour in summer, - turning to nearly white in winter. The males alone carry horns, which are sometimes 13 or 14 - inches long, and of a peculiar colour which has been likened to pale amber.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page247"><span class="smaller">{247}</span></span></div> - - <p>At the present day the saiga is only found in Europe on the plains between the Don and the - Volga, but to the east of the Ural River its range extends over the Kirghiz Steppes and the high - plains of all Western Siberia. Living in open country, and having the senses of hearing, sight, - and scent all highly developed, the saiga is a difficult animal to approach, and can only be - successfully stalked by an expert hunter. In summer it is usually met with in small, scattered - bands, which, when driven southwards by snow and cold, are collected into considerable herds in - the more southerly portions of its range. In very severe winters whole herds have been known to - perish in snow-drifts, and in such inclement seasons large numbers are also killed by the natives. - The flesh of the saiga is said to resemble mutton, and is held in much esteem.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_247.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_247.jpg" - alt="GOITRED GAZELLES FROM MESOPOTAMIA." title="GOITRED GAZELLES FROM MESOPOTAMIA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hugenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GOITRED GAZELLES FROM MESOPOTAMIA.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals are inhabitants of rocky and desert ground. They are often kept - tame by the wandering Arabs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Gazelles.</span></p> - - <p>We now come to the Gazelles, among which are comprised many of the best known and most - beautiful of the small or medium-sized antelopes. In the true gazelles both sexes generally carry - horns. Indeed, this rule is universal in those of Africa and Arabia; and there are only four - species known—all Asiatic—in which the females are hornless: <i>viz.</i> the <span - class="sc">Tibetan Gazelle</span>, <span class="sc">Prejevalski's Gazelle</span>, the <span - class="sc">Mongolian Gazelle</span>, and the <span class="sc">Persian Gazelle</span>.</p> - - <p>The range of the various species belonging to this large group is very extensive, comprising - the whole of Northern and Eastern Africa, Arabia, and Western and Central Asia, as well as - Mongolia and India. The gazelles are inhabitants of the open plains and arid desert regions of the - Old World, and, although sometimes met with in tracts of country where there is a certain amount - of scattered bush or open stunted forest, are never found in any kind of jungle or thick - cover.</p> - - <p>On the sandy plains of North-western Africa are found the <span class="sc">Red-fronted - Gazelle</span> of Senegal and Gambia; the little-known <span class="sc">Mhorr Gazelle</span> of - South-western Morocco; and the <span class="sc">Dama Gazelle</span>, a species which has been - known to naturalists ever since the time of Buffon. A near ally of the last-named animal is the - <span class="sc">Red-necked Gazelle</span> of Dongola and Senaar. In North-eastern Africa are - found the large and handsome <span class="sc">Soemmerring's Gazelle</span>; the <span - class="sc">Isabella Gazelle</span>, of the coastlands of the Red Sea; <span class="sc">Heuglin's - Gazelle</span>; <span class="sc">Pelzeln's Gazelle</span>, of the maritime plains of Northern - Somaliland; and <span class="sc">Speke's Gazelle</span>, of the interior of the same country; - whilst, farther south the group is represented by the large and beautiful <span class="sc">Grant's - <span class="pagenum" id="page248"><span class="smaller">{248}</span></span>Gazelle</span>, with - its allies <span class="sc">Peters's Gazelle</span> and <span class="sc">Thomson's Gazelle</span>. - The well-known <span class="sc">Dorcas Gazelle</span> is an inhabitant of Morocco and Algeria, - ranging through Egypt into Palestine and Syria; the <span class="sc">Marica Gazelle</span>, the - <span class="sc">Muscat Gazelle</span>, and the <span class="sc">Arabian Gazelle</span> inhabit - the deserts of Arabia; the <span class="sc">Edmi Gazelle</span> is found in the mountain-ranges of - Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis; while <span class="sc">Loder's Gazelle</span> inhabits the sandy - tracts of the interior of Algeria and Tunis. In Asia, besides the four species of gazelle already - enumerated in which the females are hornless, one other member of the group is met with. This is - the <span class="sc">Indian Gazelle</span>, a species very closely allied to the Arabian form.</p> - - <p>Of the whole genus <span class="sc">Grant's Gazelle</span> is the most beautiful. This handsome - animal, which was first discovered by the explorers Speke and Grant in 1860, is an inhabitant of - Eastern Africa, from the neighbourhood of Lake Rudolph southwards to Ugogo. In size the average - height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 34 inches. The coat is close and short - and of a general fawn colour, the rump and belly pure white, and the face marked with a rufous - band from the horns to the nose and with streaks of white on each side. The upper surface of the - tail is white, with a black and tufted tip. The horns, which are very elegant in shape, being - first curved slightly forwards and then backwards, are much longer and more powerful than in any - other gazelle, and attain a length of 30 inches in the males and 17 inches in the females.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_248_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_248_t.jpg" - alt="SPEKE'S GAZELLE." title="SPEKE'S GAZELLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Midland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SPEKE'S GAZELLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Found in the interior of Northern Somaliland.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_248_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_248_b.jpg" - alt="GAZELLES FROM EGYPT." title="GAZELLES FROM EGYPT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GAZELLES FROM EGYPT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Seen in great numbers when our troops crossed the Bayuda Desert.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Grant's gazelles, though they undoubtedly find their most congenial home in open country, have - also been met with by recent travellers in bush-sprinkled wastes and stony, rugged hills. They - are, however, never found in dense jungles or high mountains. They live in herds of from half a - dozen to twenty or thirty individuals, though in certain localities as many as 200 have been seen - together. They are fond of consorting with other game, such as Burchell's and Grevy's zebras, - Coke's hartebeest, and the beisa oryx, and are often met with at long distances from the nearest - water. They are keen-sighted and wary, and from the open character of the country in which they - are usually encountered are often difficult to stalk. When in good condition, the meat of this - gazelle is said to be excellent.</p> - - <p>The nearest ally of the true gazelles is undoubtedly the <span class="sc">Springbuck</span> of - South Africa. Owing to the protection which it has received of late years, this graceful antelope - is now a common animal in many parts of South Africa, and in the north-western portions of the - Cape Colony still sometimes collects into prodigious herds, which travel through the country in - dense masses, destroying every vestige of grass on the <span class="pagenum" id="page249"><span - class="smaller">{249}</span></span>line of their advance, and causing considerable anxiety to - farmers, whose flocks of sheep and goats are sometimes swept away by the migrating springbucks. In - former years the migration of these antelopes in countless thousands from the deserts of - Namaqualand to the countries farther south was a common occurrence, an unerring instinct guiding - the wandering herds to districts where rain had lately fallen and caused a new growth of green - grass. The animals composing these migrating herds were called by the Dutch settlers of the Cape - Colony "Trekbokken," or "travelling-bucks."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_249_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_249_t.jpg" - alt="RED-FRONTED GAZELLE." title="RED-FRONTED GAZELLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RED-FRONTED GAZELLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Inhabits Dongola and Senaar.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Two other antelopes, the <span class="sc">Dibatag</span> and the <span - class="sc">Gerenuk</span>, are included in the present group; but both, whilst typically gazelline - in certain respects, differ so much in other ways from all members of that group that each has - been placed in a separate genus.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Dibatag</span> is a very remarkable-looking antelope, only found in - certain districts of Central Somaliland, where it was first discovered by Mr. T. W. H. Clarke in - 1890. This species shows the face-markings of the gazelles, whilst the horns, which are only - present in the males, much resemble in shape those of a reedbuck. They are rather short, attaining - a length of only 11 or 12 inches, and their basal halves are strongly ringed in front. The neck of - this antelope is singularly long and thin, and the tail, which is held curved forwards over the - back when the animal is in motion, is also much elongated, and only tufted at the tip. The dibatag - frequents sandy ground sparsely covered with low thorn-bushes, and lives in small families, being - usually met with in twos or threes, whilst it is rare to find more than four or five consorting - together.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_249_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_249_b.jpg" - alt="RED-FRONTED GAZELLE." title="RED-FRONTED GAZELLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RED-FRONTED GAZELLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Another view of the specimen shown above.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Gerenuk</span>, like the last-named animal, is an East African species, - but has a more extended range, being found all over Somaliland, and thence southwards to the Tana - Valley and the Kilimanjaro district of British East Africa. The most remarkable external - characteristic of this species is the excessively long neck. The males alone carry horns, which - attain an average length of 12 or 13 inches, and, though somewhat gazelle-like in shape, are more - strongly crooked forwards at the points. The skull of this species is more dense and solid in - structure than in the true gazelles, and the cheek-teeth are smaller in size.</p> - - <p>Coming now to the Sable Antelope group, we find an assemblage of antelopes which are all of - large size and handsome appearance, and in all of which both the <span class="pagenum" - id="page250"><span class="smaller">{250}</span></span>males and females are horned. With the - single exception of the <span class="sc">Beatrix Oryx</span>, which inhabits Arabia, all these - antelopes are denizens of Africa. One species of the group, the <span class="sc">Bluebuck</span>, - which appears to have been entirely confined to the mountainous districts of the Cape Peninsula, - became extinct during the first decade of the last century. Little is known as to the life history - of this animal, but it was undoubtedly nearly allied to the larger and more handsomely marked - <span class="sc">Roan Antelope</span>. This latter animal once had a more extensive range than any - other antelope, as it was found in almost every part of Africa south of the Sahara, with the - exception of the Congo forest region. It has now been exterminated in the more southerly portions - of the country, but from the Limpopo to the Upper Nile, and thence to the Niger, it is still to be - found wherever the surroundings are suitable to its requirements.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_250.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_250.jpg" - alt="MALE SPRINGBUCK." title="MALE SPRINGBUCK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Percy Ashenden</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Cape Town.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE SPRINGBUCK.</p> - <p class="sp0">Once the most numerous species in South Africa, where it is still not uncommon. - Its migrations, or "treks," at certain seasons were one of the sights of the veldt.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A large bull roan antelope will stand 4 feet 9 inches at the withers. The general colour of the - body differs in individuals, even in the same district, varying from a very light shade of brown - to dark grey or red-roan. The front and sides of the face are jet-black in the adult male, and - dark reddish brown in the female, with two long white tufts of hair under the eyes. The muzzle and - extremity of the lower jaw are white. The hair on the under side of the neck is long and coarse, - and a stiff mane about 3 inches in length runs from behind the ears to the withers. The ears are - very long, and in the females and young males tufted. The horns are curved backwards, and in the - male are very stout and strong, attaining <span class="pagenum" id="page251"><span - class="smaller">{251}</span></span>a length of from 26 to 34 inches. In the female the horns are - shorter and slighter, and not so strongly ringed.</p> - - <p>Roan antelope are usually met with in small herds of from six to a dozen members, and never - congregate in large numbers. I do not think I have ever counted as many as thirty together. I have - found them fairly common in certain districts, but nowhere very plentiful. They frequent open - plains and thinly forested country, and are never found far away from water. Bucks often become - savage when wounded, and will sometimes charge viciously if approached incautiously. They can use - their horns with great dexterity, and play havoc with a pack of dogs.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_251.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_251.jpg" - alt="SABLE ANTELOPE." title="SABLE ANTELOPE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SABLE ANTELOPE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A near ally of the Roan Antelope, from which it is broadly distinguished by its - striking coloration—black and white.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Sable Antelope</span>, though considerably smaller than the roan, is yet a - handsomer animal. In colour the adult male, when in high condition, is jet-black all over with the - exception of the white face-markings and the snow-white of the belly and insides of the thighs. - The mane is longer and more bushy than in the roan antelope, and often hangs down on either side - over the withers. The horns, too, are much finer, and, sweeping backwards in a bold curve, are - commonly upwards of 42 inches long, and have been known to reach 50 inches. The striking colour, - large size, and horns of this creature make it one of the most-prized trophies of the sportsman. - The skin, when prepared and laid down as a rug in halls or dwelling-rooms, is far more handsome - than that of any deer. The female of this species is usually of a rich red-brown in colour instead - of black as in the male. South of the Zambesi, however, old cows become almost absolutely black. - North of the Zambesi both male and female sable antelopes are dark red in colour rather than - black. The horns in the female are slighter and less curved than in the male, and are also - considerably shorter, as a rule not measuring over 30 inches in length.</p> - - <p>The range of the sable antelope extends from the northern districts of the Transvaal to German - East Africa. In the country between the Limpopo and the Central Zambesi it used to be a very - common animal, especially in the northern districts of Mashonaland. It is partial to open forests - intersected by grassy, well-watered glades, and is never found on open plains entirely devoid of - bush. It is usually met with in herds of from twelve to twenty individuals, but I have often seen - as many as fifty, and once <span class="pagenum" id="page252"><span - class="smaller">{252}</span></span>counted between seventy and eighty together. However large a - herd of sable antelopes may be, it is very exceptional to find with it more than one fully adult - male, from which fact I should judge that these animals are of a very jealous and pugnacious - disposition. When wounded and brought to bay by dogs, a sable antelope defends itself with the - utmost fury, using its long scimitar-shaped horns with most wonderful quickness and dexterity. If - badly wounded it will lie down, otherwise it fights standing. Keeping its face to some of its - foes, with a sideways twist of its head it will transfix and throw into the air any dog which - attempts to attack it from behind. I have seen a wounded sable antelope, when lying down, drive - one of its horns clean through a large dog deep into its own haunch, and I have had four valuable - hounds killed and four others grievously wounded by one of these animals in less than a minute. I - once knew a native hunter who was stabbed through the kidneys and killed by a sable antelope - cow.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_252_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_252_t.jpg" - alt="ROAN ANTELOPE." title="ROAN ANTELOPE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ROAN ANTELOPE.</p> - <p class="sp0">In common with the Sable Antelope and the Oryx group, both sexes of this - species carry horns.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_252_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_252_b.jpg" - alt="MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE." title="MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Norman B. Smith, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MALE OF GRANT'S GAZELLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">This fine East African species is one of the handsomest of its kind.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The nearest allies of the sable and roan antelopes are the various species of the genus Oryx. - In this group are included the <span class="sc">White Oryx</span>, which inhabits the desert - regions of the interior of Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal; the <span class="sc">Beatrix - Oryx</span> of Southern Arabia; the <span class="sc">Gemsbuck</span> of South-western Africa; the - <span class="sc">Beisa</span>, which is found in North-east Africa from Suakim southwards to the - river Tana; and the <span class="sc">Tufted Beisa</span>, which is <span class="pagenum" - id="page253"><span class="smaller">{253}</span></span>very nearly related to the last-named - species, whose place it takes south of the Tana River in certain districts of British and German - East Africa. In general appearance there is a strong family resemblance between the different - species of oryx. In all of them both sexes carry horns, which are considerably longer, though - somewhat slighter, in the females than in the males. In the white oryx the horns are curved - backwards; but in the other four species they are straight, or nearly so. In all the faces are - conspicuously banded with black and white, and the tails long, with large dark terminal brushes. - The two most desert-loving species, the white and the Beatrix oryx, are paler in general - body-colour than the other three, and the latter animal is considerably smaller than any other - member of the group, standing not more than 35 inches at the withers. The gemsbuck is the largest - and undoubtedly the handsomest of the group, standing 4 feet at the shoulders; the horns of the - females are often upwards of 40 inches long, and have been known to attain a length of 48 - inches.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_253.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_253.jpg" - alt="GROUP OF BEISA ORYX." title="GROUP OF BEISA ORYX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">GROUP OF BEISA ORYX.</p> - <p class="sp0">This most interesting photograph, taken by Lord Delamere, shows a group of - these fine antelopes on the East African plains.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In habits all species of oryx seem to be very similar. They are denizens of the arid - sun-scorched plains of Africa, which are not necessarily devoid of all kind of vegetation, but are - often covered with stunted bush, and carry a plentiful crop of coarse grass after rain. Oryx - usually run in herds of from four or five to fifteen or twenty, though the beisa, the most - abundant of the group, has been met with in troops numbering 400 or 500 head. All the oryx are shy - and wary, and in the open country they usually frequent are difficult to approach on foot. If - pursued on horseback, they run at a steady gallop, which they can maintain for long distances, - swinging their bushy black tails from side to side, and holding their heads in such a way that - their long straight horns are only sloped slightly backwards. Fleet and enduring, however, as oryx - undoubtedly are, I am of opinion that in these respects the gemsbuck of South Africa, at any rate, - is inferior to all other large antelopes living in the same country, with the single exception of - the eland. I have often, when mounted on a fast horse, galloped right up to herds of gemsbuck, and - on two occasions have run antelopes of this species to an absolute standstill. Oryx of all species - should be approached with caution when badly wounded, as they are liable to make short rushes, and - can use their horns with great effect.</p> - - <p>Nearly related to the antelopes of the Oryx group in many essential characteristics, yet at - once distinguishable by its spiral horns and broad reindeer-like feet, the desert-haunting <span - class="sc">Addax</span> has been placed in a separate genus, of which it is the sole - representative.</p> - - <p>This remarkable animal stands about 38 inches in height at the withers, and varies in general - colour at different seasons of the year, from brownish grey to a reddish hue. The forehead is - covered with a thick growth of bushy black hair, beneath which there is a patch of white extending - across the nose to under the eyes. The hindquarters, tail, and legs are white. The horns are - spiral, and are present in both sexes. In the male they attain <span class="pagenum" - id="page254"><span class="smaller">{254}</span></span>a length of about 28 inches in a straight - line, and almost 36 inches following the spiral. In the female they are thinner and less spirally - curved. The addax is confined to the desert regions of Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal, - and the broad, rounded hoofs, so unlike those of any other antelope, would seem to show that it - inhabits countries where the soil is deep, soft sand.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_254_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_254_t.jpg" - alt="WHITE ORYX." title="WHITE ORYX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">WHITE ORYX.</p> - <p class="sp0">Found in Northern Africa from Dongola to Senegal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_254_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_254_b.jpg" - alt="BEISA ORYX." title="BEISA ORYX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BEISA ORYX.</p> - <p class="sp0">The beisa is found in North-east Africa; by some it is believed to have - suggested the original idea of the unicorn.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Very little is known of the life history or habits of this antelope. It is said to associate in - pairs or small herds, and to be entirely independent of water, though it travels great distances - over the desert in the track of thunder-storms for the sake of the young herbage which grows so - quickly wherever rain falls in those thirsty regions. It is killed in considerable numbers by the - Arabs for the sake of its flesh and hide, and is either stalked or hunted on horseback, with the - help of greyhounds, by Europeans.</p> - - <p>The last of the sub-families into which modern naturalists have divided the antelopes of the - world comprises some of the handsomest species of the whole group, and includes the largest of all - antelopes, the Eland, as well as such small and beautifully marked creatures as the Harnessed - Bushbucks.</p> - - <p>With one exception—the Nilgai—all the members of this sub-family are denizens of - the great African Continent.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Nilgai</span>, or <span class="sc">Blue Bull</span>, is an inhabitant of - India, and is found throughout the greater portion of the peninsula, from the base of the Himalaya - to the south of Mysore. It is an animal of large size, standing about 4 feet 6 inches at the - shoulder. In general colour the male is of a dark iron-grey, the female tawny fawn. White spots on - the cheeks and just above the hoofs on the fore and hind feet are the outward signs of its - affinity to the African harnessed antelopes. The male alone carries horns, which are nearly - straight and very small for the size of the animal, rarely exceeding 9 inches in length.</p> - - <p>Passing now to the Harnessed Antelopes of Africa, our attention is first claimed by the <span - class="sc">Bushbucks</span>. Excluding the Inyala and the <span class="pagenum" id="page255"><span - class="smaller">{255}</span></span>Broad-horned Antelope, we find several forms of the smaller - bushbucks recognised by naturalists: <i>viz.</i> the <span class="sc">Harnessed Antelope</span> of - the forest regions of Western Africa; the <span class="sc">Cape Bushbuck</span> of South Africa; - <span class="sc">Cumming's Bushbuck</span> of Eastern Africa; and the <span class="sc">Decula - Bushbuck</span> of Abyssinia. The various forms of bushbuck vary in general colour from very dark - brown to various shades of grey-brown, yellow-brown, and rich red. In all species the young are - more or less striped and spotted; but whereas in some forms the adult animals lose their stripes - and spots almost entirely, in others the adults are more richly marked than immature specimens. - For my part, I am inclined to believe that, if large series of bushbuck-skins were collected from - every district throughout Africa, it would be found that all the varieties of this animal at - present accepted as distinct species would be found to grade into one another in such a way that - only one true species could be recognised.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_255.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_255.jpg" alt="GERENUK." - title="GERENUK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by S. G. Payne, Aylesbury, by permission of the Hon. Walter - Rothschild.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GERENUK.</p> - <p class="sp0">A gazelle-like antelope with long neck and legs, inhabiting North-east - Africa.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The bushbucks vary in height at the shoulder from 28 inches to 33 inches, and only the males - carry horns, which are nearly straight, with a close spiral twist, and measure in adult animals - from 10 inches to 18 inches in length.</p> - - <p>Bushbucks are not found in open country, but live in forest or thick bush near the bank of a - river, stream, or lake, and are never met with far from water. They are very partial to wooded - ravines amongst broken, mountainous country, provided such districts are well watered; and are - very solitary in their habits, both males and females being usually found alone, though the latter - are often accompanied by a kid or half-grown animal. They are shy and retiring, and should be - looked for between daylight and sunrise, or late in the evening, as they are very nocturnal in - their habits, and lie concealed in long grass or thick bush during the heat of the day. Their call - resembles the bark of a dog, and may often be heard at nights.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Broad-horned Antelope</span> is only found in the forests of the West - African coast range, from Liberia to Gaboon. The male of this species is a very handsome animal, - standing about 43 inches at the withers, and is a bright chestnut-red in general colour, with a - white spinal stripe extending from the withers to the root of the tail, and fourteen or fifteen - white stripes on the shoulders, flanks, and hindquarters. The ears are large and rounded, and the - horns very massive, and about 30 inches in length, measured over the single spiral twist. There - are two or <span class="pagenum" id="page256"><span class="smaller">{256}</span></span>three large - white spots on the cheeks, and a broad white arrow-shaped mark across the nose below the eyes. The - female is similar in coloration to the male, but smaller and hornless.</p> - - <p>Little or nothing is known as to the habits of this very beautiful antelope. Du Chaillu, who - met with it in the interior of Gaboon between 1856 and 1859, says that it is "very shy, swift of - foot, and exceedingly graceful in its motions"; but he does not tell us whether it lives in pairs - like the bushbucks, or in small herds like some of its other near allies.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_256_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_256_t.jpg" - alt="FEMALE NILGAI." title="FEMALE NILGAI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE NILGAI.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of the antelopes of India, and a distant cousin of the Kudu.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_256_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_256_b.jpg" alt="ADDAX." - title="ADDAX."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ADDAX.</p> - <p class="sp0">Unfortunately, the specimen from which this photograph was taken had lost its - splendid spiral horns.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Inyala</span> is another bush-loving antelope closely allied to the - bushbucks. In this species the general colour of the adult male is a deep dark grey, that of the - female and young male bright yellow-red, and both sexes are beautifully striped with narrow white - bands on the body and haunches. In the male long dark hair hangs from the throat, chest, and each - side of the belly, and fringes the front of the thigh almost to the hock, and the back of it up to - the root of the tail. The ears are large and rounded; and the horns, which are only present in the - male, attain a length of about 2 feet in a straight line, and 30 inches along their spiral curve. - The standing height at the shoulder of males of this species is about 42 inches.</p> - - <p>This most beautiful antelope has a very restricted range, being only found in a narrow belt of - coastland extending from St. Lucia Bay to the Sabi River, in South-east Africa, and in a still - smaller area in the neighbourhood of the Upper Shiri River, in British Central Africa.</p> - - <p>Before the acquisition of firearms by the natives in South-east Africa, the inyala was very - plentiful in Northern Zululand and Amatongaland, and was then to be met with in herds of from ten - to twenty individuals; whilst the males, which at certain seasons of the year separated from the - females, were in the habit of consorting together in bands of from five to eight. Constant - persecution by the natives in Amatongaland and the countries farther north very much reduced the - numbers of inyalas in those districts a long time ago; but in Zululand, where this animal has been - strictly protected by the British authorities for the last twenty years, it was still plentiful up - to 1896, when the rinderpest swept over the country, and committed such sad ravages amongst all - the tragelaphine antelopes that it is to be feared the inyala can now no longer be found anywhere - in any considerable numbers. Where I met with these antelopes some years ago, in the country to - the south of Delagoa Bay, I found them living either alone or in pairs like bushbucks. They - frequented dense thickets in the immediate neighbourhood of a river or lagoon, and I never saw one - in anything like open country or far away from water. Their tracks showed me that at night they - were accustomed to feed in open spaces in the bush, but they always retired to the jungle again at - daylight, as they had become very wary and cunning through constant persecution at the hands of - the natives.</p> - - <div id="fp257"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_257fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_257fp.jpg" - alt="NORTHERN GIRAFFE." title="NORTHERN GIRAFFE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son, Notting Hill.</i></span> </p> - <p>NORTHERN GIRAFFE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> Two distinct types of Giraffe exist: the northern - form, which has a large third horn, may be described as a chocolate-coloured animal marked - with a network of fine buff lines; the southern form, in which the third horn is small, is - fawn coloured with irregular brown blotches.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page257"><span class="smaller">{257}</span></span></div> - - <p>Closely allied to the bush-antelopes of the present group are the swamp-haunting <span - class="sc">Sitatungas</span>. Three species of these have been described,—one from East - Africa, named after Captain Speke; another from tropical West Africa; and a third from Lake Ngami - and the Chobi River, named after the present writer.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_257.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_257.jpg" - alt="A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS." title="A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Mr. W. Rau</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Philadelphia.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A PAIR OF YOUNG PRONGBUCKS.</p> - <p class="sp0">From the fact that the horns of the males are annually shed, the prongbuck is - assigned to a group apart from the Antelopes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There is very little difference between the adult males of these three species, except that in - the West African form the coat is of a darker colour than in the other two. The main difference - consists in the fact that, whereas the female of Selous' sitatunga is light brown in colour like - the male, and the newly born young are very dark blackish brown (the colour of a mole), - beautifully striped and spotted with pale yellow, the female and young of the other two forms are - red in ground-colour, with white spots and stripes. However, personally I am of opinion that there - is only one true species of sitatunga in all Africa, and that the differences between the various - forms are superficial, and would be found to grade one into the other, if a sufficiently large - series of skins of all ages and both sexes could be gathered together from all parts of the - continent. In the Barotse Valley, on the Upper Zambesi, my friend Major R. T. Coryndon informs me - that both red and brown female sitatungas are met with. On the Lower Chobi and Lake Ngami region - the females are never red, but always of the same brown colour as the males, whilst on the Congo - all the females are red.</p> - - <p>The male sitatunga stands about 3 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, and varies in general colour - in different localities from light to dark brown. The adult females are either red with a few - faint stripes and spots, or light brown, only retaining very faint traces of any stripes or spots. - The young are, both in tropical West and Central East Africa, red, striped, and spotted with - white; but in South-west Africa dark blackish brown, with spots and stripes of yellowish white. - The hoofs are excessively long, and the skin which covers the back of the pastern is hairless, and - of a very thick and horny consistency. The males alone carry horns, which are of the same - character as in the inyala, but more spiral and longer, having been known to attain a length of 28 - inches in a straight line and 35 inches over the curve.</p> - - <p>The sitatunga is an inhabitant of the extensive swamps which exist in many parts of the - interior of Africa. It may be said to live in the water, as it passes its life in flooded beds of - reeds and papyrus, into the muddy bottoms of which its long hoofs, when splayed out, prevent <span - class="pagenum" id="page258"><span class="smaller">{258}</span></span>it from sinking. When forced - out into dry ground by heavy floods, the formation of its feet so hinders it in running that it - can be overtaken and speared by a native on foot. I was informed by the natives on the Chobi River - that, when the floods enabled them to paddle their canoes through the reed-beds, they often killed - considerable numbers of the sitatungas. These animals, they said, when they saw a canoe - approaching, would often not attempt to seek safety by flight, but would sink down in the water, - submerging their whole bodies, and leaving only their nostrils above the surface, and in this - position were easily speared.</p> - - <p>The sitatunga is not gregarious, but is met with singly or in pairs. The hair is long, but soft - and silky; and the skins are much sought after by the natives for blankets.</p> - - <p>In addition to the bushbucks and sitatungas, two more very notable spiral-horned African - antelopes remain to be mentioned—namely, the <span class="sc">Greater Kudu</span> and the - <span class="sc">Lesser Kudu</span>.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_258_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_258_t.jpg" - alt="FEMALE GORAL." title="FEMALE GORAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE GORAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The goral is a Himalayan antelope, with somewhat the habits of a chamois.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_258_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_258_b.jpg" - alt="HARNESSED ANTELOPE." title="HARNESSED ANTELOPE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HARNESSED ANTELOPE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A very beautiful species, in which the ground-colour of the coat is a rich - chestnut, while the spots and stripes are pure white.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Greater Kudu</span> is one of the most magnificent-looking of the whole - family of antelopes, and is an animal of large size, an adult male standing 4 feet 9 inches and - upwards at the withers. The general colour of this species is light brown to dark grey, the old - males looking much darker than females or younger animals, because the scantiness of their coats - shows the dark colour of the skin beneath. On each side of the body and hind-quarters there are - several white stripes, which vary in number from four to eight or nine. As in all this group of - antelopes, <span class="pagenum" id="page259"><span class="smaller">{259}</span></span>there are - two or three cheek-spots, as well as an arrow-shaped white mark across the nose, below the eyes. - In the male there is a slight mane on the back of the neck, and a fringe of long white and - blackish-brown hair intermixed, extending from the throat to the chest. The ears are very large - and rounded, and the male is adorned with magnificent spiral horns, which have been known to - attain a length of 48 inches in a straight line from base to tip, and 64 inches over the - curve.</p> - - <p>The greater kudu once had a very wide range, which extended from the central portions of the - Cape Colony to Angola on the west, and on the east throughout East Africa up to Abyssinia; but, - with the single exception of the buffalo, no species of wild animal suffered more from the - terrible scourge of rinderpest which recently swept over the continent than this lordly antelope, - and it has almost ceased to exist in many districts of South and South Central Africa, where up to - 1896 it was still very numerous.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_259.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_259.jpg" alt="MALE KUDU." - title="MALE KUDU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Percy Ashenden</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Cape Town.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE KUDU.</p> - <p class="sp0">A kudu bull stands about 5 feet or a little more at the withers, being in size - only inferior to the eland. The horns form a corkscrew-like spiral.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The greater kudu is a bush-loving antelope, and very partial to wooded hills, though it is also - plentiful in the neighbourhood of rivers which flow through level tracts of country covered with - forest and bush. In my own experience it is never found at any great distance from water. It eats - leaves and wild fruits as well as grass, and lives in small herds or families, never, I believe, - congregating in large numbers. In Southern Africa, at any rate, it was always exceptional to see - more than twenty greater kudus together, and I have never seen more than thirty. At certain - seasons of the year the males leave the females, and live alone or several together. I once saw - nine magnificently horned kudus standing on the bank of the Chobi, and I have often seen four or - five males of this species consorting together. As a rule the greater kudu is met with in hilly - country or in bush so dense that a horse cannot gallop through it at full speed; but if met with - in open ground, a good horse can overtake an old male without much difficulty. The females are - much lighter and faster, and cannot be overtaken in any kind of ground.</p> - - <p>The greater kudu is one of the most timid and inoffensive of animals, and when attacked by dogs - will not make the slightest attempt to defend itself either with its horns or by kicking.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Lesser Kudu</span> in general colour nearly resembles its larger relative, - but is much smaller, the males only standing about 40 inches at the withers, and it lacks the long - fringe of hair under the throat. The white stripes on the body and hindquarters are, however, more - numerous—from eleven to fourteen; and the horns, which are only present in the males, are - less divergent, and with the spiral curvature much closer than in the greater kudu.</p> - - <p>The lesser kudu is an inhabitant of Somaliland and the maritime <span class="pagenum" - id="page260"><span class="smaller">{260}</span></span>districts of British East, Africa. It - frequents thick scrubby jungle, and is said to be exceedingly watchful and wary. It lives either - in pairs or in small families, but never congregates in large herds. Like all the tragelaphine - antelopes, this species is a leaf-eater, and feeds principally during the night, lying up in thick - bush during the heat of the day.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_260.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_260.jpg" alt="ELAND." - title="ELAND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ELAND.</p> - <p class="sp0">A feature of the eland is the large "dewlap." Unlike the kudu, both sexes are - horned.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There remains to be mentioned but one other group of antelopes, the <span - class="sc">Elands</span>, large, heavily built animals, which belong to the present group, but - differ from all species of kudu, sitatunga, and bushbuck, inasmuch as both sexes are horned. There - are two forms of the <span class="sc">Common Eland</span>—namely, the grey variety of - South-western Africa, and the striped animal, which is found in the countries farther north and - east. The two forms grade one into the other, and are absolutely identical in their habits and - mode of life, the differences between them being merely superficial. To the south of the - twenty-third parallel of south latitude all elands are of a uniform fawn colour, except the old - animals, which look dark grey, from the fact that the scantiness of their coats allows the dark - colour of the skin to show through the hair. Old males, when standing in the shade of a tree, - appear to be of a deep blue-grey in colour, and are known to the colonists of South Africa as - "blue bulls." In Rhodesia, South-east Africa, and the countries to the north of the Zambesi, all - the elands are bright chestnut-red when young, with a black line down the centre of the back from - the withers to the tail, broad black patches on the backs of the fore legs above the knees, and - eight or nine white stripes on each side. When they grow old, the ruddiness of the ground-colour - gradually fades, the black markings on the fore legs die out, and the white stripes become - indistinguishable at a short distance, the old bulls looking deep blue-grey in general colour. - Every intermediate stage of colouring between the unstriped and the highly coloured forms of eland - is to be found in the district lying between the central portions of the Kalahari Desert and the - Zambesi River. Old male elands south of the Zambesi develop a growth of long, bristly black hair - on the forehead, which often hangs over their eyes and extends half-way down their noses. North of - the Zambesi this growth of hair is not nearly so luxuriant.</p> - - <p>I have carefully measured the standing height at the withers of many old male elands in the - interior of South Africa, and found that it varied from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches. The - horns of bulls in their prime measure from 26 inches to 33 inches in length, but old bulls wear - their horns down very much. The cows carry longer, though thinner horns than the bulls.</p> - - <p>The range of the eland once extended from Cape Agulhas to the White Nile, but it has become - extinct in many districts of Southern Africa, and in almost every other portion of its range has, - like all other tragelaphine antelopes, suffered so cruelly from the recent visitation of - rinderpest that it has now become a scarce animal all over Africa.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page261"><span class="smaller">{261}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_261.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_261.jpg" alt="ELAND COWS." - title="ELAND COWS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ELAND COWS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Female elands carry longer, although more slender horns than the bulls.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page262"><span class="smaller">{262}</span></span></div> - - <p>During the rainy season elands are usually met with in small herds of from four or five to ten - individuals; but towards the end of the dry season they collect into large herds, and at such - times I have often seen from fifty to over two hundred of these animals in one troop.</p> - - <p>In my experience elands live for two-thirds of the year in forest or bush-covered country, or - amongst rugged hills; and in such localities they are difficult to overtake on horseback; but in - the middle of the dry season, as soon as they smell the smoke of the grass fires lighted by the - natives on the open plateaux, they leave their retreats, and, collecting in herds, wander out on - to the treeless plains in search of young grass. They then fall an easy prey to a mounted hunter, - especially the heavy old bulls, which can be run to a standstill with ease by a very moderate - horse.</p> - - <p>The flesh of the eland is excellent when the animal is in good condition, as at such a time - these animals become very fat, especially the old bulls, whose hearts become encased in a mass of - fat which will often weigh 20 lbs. It is a mistake, however, to think that eland-meat is always - good; for towards the end of the dry season, when there is little grass to be got, they feed - extensively on the leaves of certain bushes, and their meat at such times becomes very poor and - tasteless.</p> - - <p>Besides the common eland of Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa, another distinct species is - met with in Senegal and the Gambia Colony. This is the <span class="sc">Derbian Eland</span>, - about which animal our knowledge is still very slight, as I believe that it has never yet been - shot nor its habits studied by a European traveller. A good many skulls and horns and a few skins - have been obtained from natives, from which it appears that in general colour this species is of a - rich reddish-fawn colour, becoming nearly white below, the middle of the belly being black. The - neck is covered with long hair of a dark brown or black colour, blacker towards the shoulder than - in front. A broad black stripe extends all down the centre of the back from the neck to the root - of the tail, and there are large black patches on the backs and inner sides of the fore legs above - the knees. On each side of the body and haunches there are thirteen or fourteen narrow white - stripes. The horns are larger and more massive and divergent than in the common eland.</p> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_262.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_262.jpg" alt="BULL ELAND." - title="BULL ELAND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BULL ELAND.</p> - <p class="sp0">The flesh of the eland is of better flavour than that of most other large game. - If sheltered in winter, the species will thrive in English parks.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Derbian eland is said to be a forest-loving animal, never of its own accord coming out into - the plains. It lives in small herds, is very shy and not at all abundant, and browses on the - leaves and young shoots of various trees and bushes.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page263"><span class="smaller">{263}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_263.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_263.jpg" - alt="THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE." title="THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The tallest mammal ever known to walk the earth.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page264"><span class="smaller">{264}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXVI."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XVI. The giraffe and okapi." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XVI.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE GIRAFFE.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY H. A. BRYDEN.</span></p> - - <p>Giraffes, which are found only in the continent of Africa, are the tallest of all living - creatures. They belong to the Ruminants, or Cud-chewers, and naturalists are inclined to place - them somewhere between the Deer Family and the Hollow-horned Ruminants, in which latter are to be - found oxen, buffaloes, and antelopes. Rütimeyer, the Swiss naturalist, once defined them as "a - most fantastic form of deer," which is, perhaps, as good a definition of them as one is likely to - hit upon. Fossil discoveries show that, in ages long remote, great giraffe-like creatures, some of - them bearing horns or antlers, roamed widely in the south of Europe, Persia, India and even - China.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_264.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_264.jpg" - alt="SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN." title="SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SOUTHERN GIRAFFE LYING DOWN.</p> - <p class="sp0">This giraffe was a present to Queen Victoria; it only lived fourteen days after - its arrival.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Of living giraffes, two species have thus far been identified,—the <span - class="sc">Southern</span> or <span class="sc">Cape Giraffe</span>, with a range extending from - Bechuanaland and the Transvaal to British East Africa and the Soudan; and the <span - class="sc">Nubian</span> or <span class="sc">Northern Giraffe</span>, found chiefly in East - Africa, Somaliland, and the country between Abyssinia and the Nile. The southern giraffe, which, - from its recent appearance in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, is now the more familiar of - the two animals, has a creamy or yellowish-white ground-colour, marked by irregular blotches, - which vary in colour, in animals of different ages, from lemon-fawn to orange-tawny, and in older - specimens to a very dark chestnut. Old bulls and occasionally old cows grow extremely dark with - age, and at a distance appear almost black upon the back and shoulders. The northern giraffe is - widely different, the coloration being usually a rich red-chestnut, darker with age, separated by - a fine network of white lines, symmetrically arranged in polygonal patterns. At no great distance - this giraffe, instead of having the blotchy or dappled appearance of the southern giraffe, looks - almost entirely chestnut in colour. Again, the southern giraffe has only two horns, while the - northern species usually develops a third, growing from the centre of the forehead. These horns, - which are covered with hair in both species, and tufted black at the tips, are, in the youthful - days of the animal, actually separable from the bones of the head. As the animal arrives at - maturity, they become firmly <span class="pagenum" id="page265"><span - class="smaller">{265}</span></span>united to the skull. A third race or sub-species of giraffe has - been identified in Western Africa, mainly from the skull and cannon-bones of a specimen shot in - 1897 at the junction of the Binue and Niger Rivers; but very little is known about this form. - Other varieties or sub-species may yet be discovered in other parts of the Dark Continent. It is - lacking in the giraffe's long neck.</p> - - <p>The towering height of the giraffe is entirely attributable to the great length of the neck and - limbs. A full-grown bull giraffe will certainly measure occasionally as much as 19 feet in height. - I measured very carefully a specimen shot by my hunting friend, Mr. W. Dove, in the forests of the - North Kalahari, South Africa, which taped 18 feet 11½ inches. A fine cow, shot by myself in the - same country, measured 16 feet 10 inches, and there is no reason to suppose that cow giraffes do - not easily reach fully 17 feet in height. These animals feed almost entirely upon the leaves of - acacia-trees, the foliage of the <i>kameel-doorn</i>, or giraffe-acacia, affording their most - favourite food-supply. It is a most beautiful spectacle to see, as I have seen, a large troop of - these dappled giants—creatures which, somehow, viewed in the wild state, always seem to me - to belong to another epoch—quietly browsing, with upstretched necks and delicate heads, - among the branches of the spreading <i>mokala</i>, as the Bechuanas call this tree.</p> - - <p>The giraffe's upper lip is long and prehensile, and covered, no doubt as a protection against - thorns, with a thick velvety coating of short hair. The tongue is long—some 18 inches in - length—and is employed for plucking down the tender leafage on which the giraffe feeds. The - eyes of the giraffe are most beautiful—dark brown, shaded by long lashes, and peculiarly - tender and melting in expression. Singularly enough, the animal is absolutely mute, and never, - even in its death-agonies, utters a sound. The hoofs are large, elongate, nearly 12 inches in - length in the case of old bulls, and look like those of gigantic cattle. There are no false hoofs, - and the fetlock is round and smooth. The skin of a full-grown giraffe is extraordinarily tough and - solid, attaining in the case of old males as much as an inch in thickness. From these animals most - of the <i>sjamboks</i>, or colonial whips, in use all over South Africa, are now made; and it is a - miserable fact to record that giraffes are now slaughtered by native and Boer hunters almost - solely for the value of the hide, which is worth from £3 to £5 in the case of full-grown beasts. - So perishes the giraffe from South Africa.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_265.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_265.jpg" - alt="MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE." title="MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE SOUTHERN GIRAFFE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The coloration of these animals harmonises exactly with the dark and light - splashes of their surroundings.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Giraffes live mainly in forest country, or country partially open and partially clothed with - thin, park-like stretches of low acacia-trees. When pursued, they betake themselves to the densest - parts of the bush and timber, and, their thick hides being absolutely impervious to the frightful - thorns with which all African jungle and forest seem to be provided, burst through every bushy - obstacle with the greatest ease. They steer also in the most wonderful manner through the timber, - ducking branches and evading tree-boles with marvellous facility. I shall never forget seeing my - hunting comrade after his first chase in thick bush. We had ridden, as we always rode hunting, in - our flannel shirts, coatless. Attracted by his firing, I came up with my friend, who was sitting - on the body of a huge old bull giraffe, which had fallen dead in a grassy clearing. He was looking - ruefully at the remains of his shirt, which hung about him, literally in rags and ribbons. Blood - was streaming from innumerable wounds upon <span class="pagenum" id="page266"><span - class="smaller">{266}</span></span>his chest, neck, and arms. Always after that we donned cord - coats, when running giraffes in bush and forest country.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_266.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_266.jpg" - alt="A GIRAFFE GRAZING." title="A GIRAFFE GRAZING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rutland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A GIRAFFE GRAZING.</p> - <p class="sp0">Grazing is evidently not the natural mode of feeding of these animals, which - are essentially browsers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In regions where they have been little disturbed, giraffes no doubt wander across open plains, - and are to be seen well away from the denser forests, feeding among scattered islets of acacias, - easily exposed to the human eye. But in South Africa they are now seldom to be met with out of the - forest region. Once, and once only, have I seen giraffes in the open. This was on the outskirts of - the forest, and the great creatures had been tempted to a little knoll of <i>mokala</i> trees, - rising like an islet from the sea of grass.</p> - - <p>One's first impression of these creatures in the wild state is very deceptive. I well remember - first setting eyes upon a troop of five or six. As they swung away from the leafage on which they - were feeding, my friend and I cantered easily, thinking that we should soon come up with them. We - were completely deceived. With those immense legs of theirs, the great creatures, going with their - easy, shuffling, but marvellously swift walk, were simply striding away from us. Discovering our - mistake, we rode hard, and the giraffes then broke into their strange, rocking gallop, and a - headlong, desperate chase began, to be terminated by the death of a fine cow. Like the camel, the - giraffe progresses by moving the two legs upon either side of the body simultaneously. At this - strange, rocking gallop these animals move at a great pace, and a good Cape horse is needed to run - into them. By far the best plan, if you are bent on shooting these animals, is to press your pony, - so soon as you sight giraffes, to the top of its speed, and force the game beyond its natural - paces in one desperate gallop of a couple of miles or so. If well mounted, your nag will take you - right up to the heels of the tall beasts, and, firing from the saddle, you can, without great - difficulty, bring down the game. The giraffe, unlike the antelopes of Africa, is not very - tenacious of life, and a bullet planted near the root of the tail will, penetrating the short - body, pierce a vital spot, and bring down the tall beast crashing to earth. Having tasted the - delights of fox-hunting and many other forms of sport, I can testify that the run up to a good - troop of giraffes is one of the most thrilling and exciting of all human experiences. There is - nothing else quite like it in the wide range of sporting emotions. Having enjoyed this thrilling - pleasure a few times, however, the humane hunter will stay his hand, and shoot only when meat, or - perhaps an exceptionally fine specimen, is absolutely needed. Giraffes are, of course, utterly - defenceless, and, save for their shy, wary habits and remote, waterless habitat, have nothing to - shield them from the mounted hunter.</p> - - <p>Giraffe-hunting on foot is a very different matter. In that case the giraffe has the better of - it, and the stalker is placed at great disadvantage. These animals are in many places found in - extremely waterless country, where even the mounted hunter has much trouble to reach them. Like - elands and gemsbok and other desert-loving antelopes, they can exist for long periods—months - together—without drinking. In the northern portions of the Kalahari Desert, where I have - carefully observed their habits, as well as hunted them, it is an undoubted <span class="pagenum" - id="page267"><span class="smaller">{267}</span></span>fact that giraffes never touch water during - the whole of the dry winter season—for several months on end. Gemsbok and elands in the same - waterless tract of country are complete abstainers for the same period. The flesh of a giraffe - cow, if fairly young, is excellent, tender, and well tasted, with a flavour of game-like veal. The - marrow-bones also, roasted over a gentle wood fire, and sawn in half, afford delicious eating, - quite one of the supreme delicacies of the African wilderness.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_267.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_267.jpg" - alt="A GIRAFFE BROWSING." title="A GIRAFFE BROWSING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Charles Knight</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aldershot.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A GIRAFFE BROWSING.</p> - <p class="sp0">Here the posture is seen to be thoroughly natural.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE OKAPI.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, K.C.B., F.Z.S.</span></p> - - <p>Readers of "The Living Animals of the World" are in all probability readers of newspapers, and - it would therefore be affectation on the part of the writer of these lines to assume that they - have not heard more or less of the discovery which he was privileged to make of an entirely new - ruminant of large size, dwelling in the forests bordering the Semliki River, in Central Africa, on - the borderland between the Uganda Protectorate and the Congo Free State. The history of this - discovery, stated briefly, is as follows:—In 1882-83 I was the guest of Mr. (now Sir Henry) - Stanley on the River Congo at Stanley Pool. I was visiting the Congo at that time as an explorer - in a very small way and a naturalist. Mr. Stanley, conversing with me on the possibility of - African discoveries, told me then that he believed that all that was most wonderful in tropical - Africa would be found to be concentrated in the region of the Blue Mountains, south of the Albert - Nyanza. This feeling on Stanley's part doubtless was one of the reasons which urged him to go to - the relief of Emin Pasha. His journey through the great Congo Forest towards the Blue Mountains of - the Albert Nyanza resulted in his discovery of the greatest snow mountain-range of Africa, - Ruwenzori, and the river Semliki, which is the Upper Albertine Nile; of Lake Albert Edward, from - which it flows round the flanks of Ruwenzori; and, amongst other things, in more detailed - information regarding the dwarf races of the Northern Congo forests than we had yet received. - Stanley also was the first to draw the attention of the world to the dense and awful character of - these mighty woods, and to hint at the mysteries and wonders in natural history which they - possibly contained. The stress and trouble of his expedition prevented him and his companions from - bestowing much attention on natural history; moreover, in these forests it is extremely difficult - for persons who are passing hurriedly through the tangle to come into actual contact with the - beasts that inhabit them. Sir Henry Stanley, discussing this subject with me since my return from - Uganda, tells me that he believes that the okapi is only one amongst several strange new beasts - which will be eventually discovered in these remarkable forests. He describes having seen a - creature like a gigantic pig 6 feet in length, and certain antelopes unlike any known type. In - regard to the okapi, the only hint of its existence which he obtained was the announcement that - the dwarfs knew of the existence of a creature in their forests which greatly resembled an ass in - appearance, and which they caught in pits. This tiny sentence in an appendix to his book "In - Darkest Africa" attracted my attention some time before I went to Uganda. It seemed to me so - extraordinary that any creature like a horse should inhabit a dense <span class="pagenum" - id="page268"><span class="smaller">{268}</span></span>forest, that I determined, if ever fate - should lead me in that direction, I would make enquiries.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_268.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_268.jpg" - alt="MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES." title="MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE AND FEMALE GIRAFFES.</p> - <p class="sp0">Giraffes are said to be very affectionate animals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Soon after reaching the Uganda Protectorate at the end of 1899, I came in contact with a large - party of dwarfs who had been kidnapped by a too enterprising German impresario, who had decided to - show them at the Paris Exhibition. As the Belgians objected to this procedure, I released the - dwarfs from their kidnapper, and retained them with me for some months in Uganda, until I was able - personally to escort them back to their homes in the Congo Forest. I had other reasons connected - with my Government business for visiting the north-western part of the Congo Free State. As soon - as I could make the dwarfs understand me by means of an interpreter, I questioned them regarding - the existence of this horse-like creature in their forests. They at once understood what I meant; - and pointing to a zebra-skin and a live mule, they informed me that the creature in question, - which was called <span class="sc">Okapi</span>, was like a mule with zebra stripes on it. When I - reached Fort Mbeni, in the Congo Free State, on the west bank of the river Semliki, I put - questions to the Belgian officers stationed there. They all knew the okapi, at any rate, when - dead. As a living animal they had none of them seen it, but their native soldiers were in the - habit of hunting the animal in the forest and killing it with spears, and then bringing in the - skin and the flesh for use in the fort. One of the officers declared there was even then a freshly - obtained skin lying about in the precincts of the fort. On searching for this, however, it was - discovered that the greater part of it had been thrown away, only the gaudier portions having been - cut into strips by the soldiers to be made into bandoliers. These strips, together with similar - ones obtained from natives in the forest, I sent to England, to Dr. P. L. Sclater, for his - consideration. Furnished by the Belgian officers with guides, and taking with me all the dwarfs - whom I had brought from Uganda, I entered the forest, and remained there for some days searching - for the okapi. All this time I was convinced that I was on the track of a species of horse; and - therefore when the natives showed the tracks of a cloven-footed animal like the eland, and told us - these were the foot-prints of the okapi, I disbelieved them, and imagined that we were merely - following a forest-eland. We never saw the okapi; and as the life in the forest made the whole - expedition extremely ill, and my time was required for official work elsewhere, I was obliged to - give up this search. Meantime, I had elicited from the natives, whom I questioned closely, that - the okapi was a creature without horns or any means of offence, the size of a large antelope or - mule, which inhabited only the densest parts of the forest, and generally went about in pairs, - male and female. It lived chiefly on leaves. The Belgian officers, seeing that I was disappointed - at not obtaining a complete skin, offered to use their best efforts to obtain one for me, and send - it on to Uganda after my departure.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page269"><span class="smaller">{269}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_269.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_269.jpg" - alt="THE OKAPI OF THE CONGO FOREST." title="THE OKAPI OF THE CONGO FOREST."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Copyright to "The Sphere."</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">THE OKAPI OF THE CONGO FOREST.</p> - <p class="sp0">Previous to the discovery of this ruminant the giraffe stood alone among the - mammals of the world. It has now at least one living relative.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page270"><span class="smaller">{270}</span></span></div> - - <p>This promise was eventually redeemed by Mr. Karl Eriksson, a Swedish officer in the Belgian - service. Mr. Eriksson sent me a complete skin and two skulls. The skin and the bigger of the two - skulls belonged to a young male. This is the skin which is now set up in the Natural History - Museum at South Kensington, and of which a photographic illustration accompanies this notice. Upon - receiving this skin, I saw at once what the okapi was—namely, a close relation of the - giraffe. From the very small development of the horn-bosses, I believed that it was nearer allied - to the helladotherium than to the living giraffe. In forwarding the specimens to Professor Ray - Lankester, I therefore proposed that it should be called <i>Helladotherium tigrinum</i>. Professor - Ray Lankester, having examined the specimens with a greater knowledge than I possessed, decided - that the animal was rather more closely allied to the giraffe than to the helladotherium, but that - it possessed sufficient peculiarities of its own to oblige him to create for its reception a new - genus, which he proposed to call <i>Ocapia</i>.</p> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_270.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_270.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF OKAPI." title="HEAD OF OKAPI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Copyright photograph by Hutchinson & Co.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HEAD OF OKAPI.</p> - <p class="sp0">The enormous size of the ears is very noteworthy.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Meantime, the original strips of the skin (which apparently belonged to an older and larger - animal than the specimen mounted at South Kensington) had been pronounced by experts to whom they - were submitted to be the skin of an undiscovered species of horse, and this supposed new horse had - been tentatively named by Dr. P. L. Sclater <i>Equus johnstoni</i>. The full discovery obliged - Professor Ray Lankester to set aside any idea of the okapi being allied to the horse, but he was - good enough to attach Mr. Sclater's specific name of <i>johnstoni</i> to his newly founded genus - of <i>Ocapia</i>.</p> - - <p>Up to the time of writing this is all that is known of this extraordinary survival in the Congo - Forest of the only living relation of the giraffe. We know by palæontological discoveries in - Europe and in Asia that there existed a large family of ruminants which in their development and - features were neither of the Ox group nor of the Deer, but in some respects occupied a position - midway between these two branches of cloven-hoofed, horned, ruminating Ungulates. To this family - the Giraffe, the Okapi, the Helladotherium, the Samotherium, the Sivatherium, and the Bramatherium - belong. In all probability bony projections arose from the skulls of these creatures similar in - some measure to the prominent bony cores of the horns of oxen. From the top, however, of these - bony cores there would seem to have arisen anciently antlers, possibly deciduous like those of the - prongbuck. In time creatures like the giraffe lost any need for such weapons of offence, and - ceased to grow antlers; but the bony cores from which these antlers once proceeded still remained, - and in the case of the giraffe remain to the present day. In the helladotherium and in the okapi - these bony cores have dwindled to mere bumps.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page271"><span class="smaller">{271}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXVII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XVII. The deer tribe." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XVII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE DEER TRIBE.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY H. A. BRYDEN.</span></p> - - <p>Deer represent as a family the non-domesticated class of ruminants. Generally speaking, the - males are distinguished by antlers, which are shed periodically, usually once a year, and again - renewed. Comprising as it does some of the noblest mammals to be found on the face of the earth, - this large and important tribe is to be found distributed over a large portion of the world's - surface, from the Arctic North, the home of the wild reindeer, to Patagonia, in Southern South - America. Deer are, however, not found in the continent of Africa south of the Sahara, nor in - Madagascar or Australia. They are not indigenous to New Zealand; but the red deer, introduced - there some years ago for purposes of sport, have thriven wonderfully well, and are now completely - acclimatised.</p> - - <p>From the earliest times deer, especially those species known as the true or typical deer, of - which red deer may be said to be a type, have been animals of considerable importance to mankind. - Their flesh has been always eagerly sought after; deer-skin is still, even in these days of high - civilisation, useful for many purposes; and the antlers are almost equally in request.</p> - - <p>It is more than probable that, in the vast and still little-explored regions of Central, East, - and Northern Asia, new species of deer remain to be discovered. At the present time there are - known to exist, in various parts of the world, close on a hundred species and varieties.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Within the space allotted to these animals it is, of course, manifestly impossible - to notice all these in anything like detail. Many of the varieties or sub-species closely resemble - one another, so much so that the differences between them are only apparent to the eyes of - naturalists or acute observers.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Reindeer.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_271.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_271.jpg" - alt="SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER." title="SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Valentine & Sons, Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Dundee.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SCANDINAVIAN REINDEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The spreading hoofs enable the reindeer to traverse snow and swamps without - sinking.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Reindeer</span> are distinguished from all other kinds of deer by the fact - that antlers are borne by both males and females. The <span class="pagenum" id="page272"><span - class="smaller">{272}</span></span>antlers, as may be seen by the illustration, differ materially - from those of the red deer, elk, and other species; the brow-tines, especially, are often much - palmated. These animals are heavily built, short-legged, and, as beseems dwellers in a snowy - habitat, provided with round, short, and spreading hoofs. For ages reindeer have been domesticated - by the Lapps of Scandinavia, the Samoyeds, and other primitive races of Northern Europe and Asia. - Trained to harness, and drawing a sledge, they traverse long distances, while their milk, flesh, - and hides are of great importance to the people who keep them. The Common or <span - class="sc">Scandinavian Reindeer</span> ranges from Norway through Northern Europe into Asia, - though how far eastward is not yet accurately determined. It is interesting to note that these - animals were once denizens of Britain, and so lately as the twelfth century the Jarls of Orkney - are believed to have been in the habit of crossing to the mainland for the purpose of hunting them - in the wilds of Caithness. Wild reindeer are still to be found in the remoter parts of Norway, - though, from much persecution, they are becoming comparatively scarce in most parts of the - country.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_272.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_272.jpg" - alt="WOODLAND CARIBOU." title="WOODLAND CARIBOU."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">WOODLAND CARIBOU.</p> - <p class="sp0">This specimen has shed its horns, which are of the general type of those of the - Scandinavian race.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Mr. Abel Chapman, in his "Wild Norway," gives some excellent accounts of sport with these fine - deer. Speaking of a good herd of twenty-one, discovered in Ryfylke, he says: "Most of the deer - were lying down, but both the big stags stood upright in dreamy, inert postures.... I now fully - realised what a truly magnificent animal I had before me. Both in body and horn he was a giant, - and his coat was no less remarkable; the neck was pure white, and beneath it a shaggy mane hung - down a foot in length. This white neck was set off by the dark head in front and the rich glossy - brown of his robe behind. Besides this the contrasting black and white bars on flanks and stern - were conspicuously clean-cut and defined, and the long and massive antlers showed a splendid - recurved sweep, surmounted by branch-like tines, all clean." For three long, agonising hours the - stalker watched this noble prize, and then one of those lucky chances which occasionally gladden - the hunter's heart occurred, and the reindeer approached within a hundred yards. "Half-a-dozen - forward steps, and his white neck and dark shoulder were beautifully exposed. Already, ere his - head had appeared, the rifle had been shifted over, and now the foresight dwelt lovingly on a - thrice-refined aim. The .450 bullet struck to an inch, just where the shaggy mane joined the brown - shoulder. The beast winced all over, but neither moved nor fell. A moment's survey, and I knew by - the swaying of his head that he was mine." The weight of this big reindeer stag was estimated at - 450 lbs., or 32 stone. He carried twenty-five points to his antlers, which measured 51 inches in - extreme length.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page273"><span class="smaller">{273}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_273.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_273.jpg" - alt="IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK." title="IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">IMMATURE SCANDINAVIAN ELK.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of all the Deer Tribe, and has antlers of an altogether abnormal - type.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page274"><span class="smaller">{274}</span></span></div> - - <p class="sp3">In addition to the common or Scandinavian reindeer, there are closely allied races, - showing, however, slightly varying characteristics, found in Spitzbergen and Greenland. In North - America, where only wild reindeer are found, these animals are known as <span - class="sc">Caribou</span>. Here several sub-species are known: among them, the <span - class="sc">Newfoundland Caribou</span>; the <span class="sc">Woodland Caribou</span> of the - mainland; and the <span class="sc">Barren-ground Caribou</span>, found in the arctic wastes of the - Far North-west, towards the Polar Ocean.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Elk, or Moose.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_274.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_274.jpg" - alt="FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE." title="FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE AMERICAN ELK, OR MOOSE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The elk of the two hemispheres are so alike that they cannot be regarded as - anything more than races of a single species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This gigantic creature, the largest of all the numerous tribe of deer, is found, in the Old - World, in Northern Europe, Siberia, and Northern China. Its range extends—for there is no - real distinction between the elk of the Old and the New Worlds—to Northern America, where it - is always known as the <span class="sc">Moose</span>. Its transatlantic habitat runs from the - mouth of the Mackenzie River to the St. Lawrence. Wherever its abiding-place may be, it will be - found that the elk is essentially a forest-loving creature, partial to the loneliest stretches of - the woods and dreary marshes. Its fleshy, bulbous, prehensile muzzle shows plainly that the elk is - a browsing beast, and not a grazing animal, like most other deer. The male carries vast palmated - horns, measuring sometimes as much as 6 feet 1¼ inch in span from tip to tip; this measurement is - from an American specimen in the possession of the Duke of Westminster. A fine Scandinavian bull - will measure 18 hands at the withers and weigh as much as 90 stone, while the North American elk - is said to attain as much as 1,400 lbs. In colour the elk is a dark brownish grey; the neck, body, - and tail are short; while the animal stands very high <span class="pagenum" id="page275"><span - class="smaller">{275}</span></span>upon the legs. Under the throat of the male hangs a singular - appendage, a sort of tassel of hair and skin, known to American hunters as the "bell." The build - of the elk is clumsy, and the mighty beast entirely lacks the grace characteristic of so many - others of the deer kind. It has in truth a strangely primeval, old-world aspect, and seems rather - to belong to prehistoric ages than to modern times.</p> - - <p>In Scandinavia elk are hunted usually in two ways—by driving, or with a trained dog held - in leash. In the royal forests of Sweden great bags are made at these drives; and in the year - 1885, when a great hunt was got up for the present King of England, forty-nine elk were slain. - Except during the rutting-season these titanic deer are extremely shy and suspicious creatures, - and the greatest precautions have to be taken in hunting them.</p> - - <p class="sp3">In Canada moose are often shot during the rutting-season by "calling," a rude horn - of birch-bark being used, with which the hunter simulates the weird, hoarse roar of the animals, - as they call to one another, or challenge in the primeval woodlands and morasses of the wild - North. Still-hunting or tracking—spooring, as it would be called in South Africa—is - another and extremely fatiguing method; while yet another mode of hunting is that practised by - Indian and half-breed hunters in winter, when, the sportsman being mounted on snow-shoes, the - moose is followed, run into and shot in deep snow. In this sport the hunter has much the better of - it. The moose, with its vast weight and sharp hoofs, plunges through the frozen snow-crust, over - which the snow-shoes carry the biped easily enough, and, becoming presently exhausted, is shot - without much difficulty. Elk usually run at a steady, slinging trot, and traverse extraordinary - distances, apparently with little fatigue.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Red Deer.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_275.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_275.jpg" - alt="PARK RED DEER." title="PARK RED DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PARK RED DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The typical representative of the entire Deer Tribe.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>We come now to a group of what are called typical deer, the <span class="sc">Red Deer</span>, - found in various parts of the world. The red deer, which once roamed over much of Britain, is now - in the wild state confined chiefly to the Highlands of Scotland, Exmoor, part of County Kerry in - Ireland, and various islands on the west coast of Scotland. A good male specimen will stand about - 4 feet or a little less at the shoulder, carry antlers bearing twelve or fourteen points, and - weigh from 10 to 20 stone clean—that is, with the heart, liver, and lungs taken out. The - woodland stags of Perthshire, however, not infrequently reach 25 stone, while Mr. J. G. Millais - mentions a stag, killed by Colonel the Hon. Alastair Fraser at Beaufort, Inverness-shire, which - scaled 30 stone 2 lbs. clean. This seems to be the heaviest British wild stag of modern times. The - summer coat is short, shining, and reddish brown in hue; in winter the pelage is <span - class="pagenum" id="page276"><span class="smaller">{276}</span></span>thicker and rougher and - greyish brown in colour. Stalking the red deer stag in its native fastnesses is beyond all doubt - the finest wild sport now left to the inhabitants of these islands.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_276.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_276.jpg" - alt="AN ASIATIC WAPITI." title="AN ASIATIC WAPITI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AN ASIATIC WAPITI.</p> - <p class="sp0">All the races of the wapiti are easily recognisable by the large fourth tine of - the antlers and the short tail.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Mr. J. G. Millais, author of "British Deer and their Horns" and other works, himself a - first-rate sportsman in many parts of the world, compares the style of shooting red deer in vogue - forty or fifty years ago with that obtaining in the Highlands at the present day. "A stalker in - Black Mount, Argyllshire," he says, "told me of a typical day's sport in which he took part some - forty years ago. Fox Maule and Sir Edwin Landseer were the two rifles (they frequently stalked in - pairs at that time), and, on the side of Clashven, Peter Robertson, the head forester, brought - them within eighty yards of two exceptionally fine stags. Maule fired and missed, as did also Sir - Edwin as the stags moved away; then, on a signal from Robertson. Peter McColl, the gillie, slipped - the hounds—the two best ever owned by the late Marquis of Breadalbane, and whose portraits - are still preserved in the famous picture of 'The Deer Drive'—and away they went in hot - pursuit of the deer. An end-on chase now ensued, the line taken being due east down the great glen - towards Loch Dochart, and at last the stalkers were brought to a standstill, being fairly - exhausted both in wind and limb. At this moment, however, four dark spots, like small rocks, - standing out at the point of a little promontory in the lake, attracted their attention, and, on - drawing nearer, they saw, to their surprise, each of the big stags being held at bay by a gallant - hound. A couple of shots then settled the business, and so ended what was then considered a grand - day's sport. No doubt it was most exciting to see the struggle of bone and sinew between two such - noble quadrupeds, but it was not rifle-shooting. To-day the gallant but disturbing deer-hound has - given place to the cunning and obedient collie, and the success of the stalker depends, for the - most part, on the accuracy of his rifle and his skill in using it."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page277"><span class="smaller">{277}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_277.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_277.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN WAPITI." title="AMERICAN WAPITI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN WAPITI.</p> - <p class="sp0">The giant deer of the Rocky Mountains, formerly very plentiful, now scarce.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page278"><span class="smaller">{278}</span></span></div> - - <p>Here are a couple of sketches of modern stalking taken from Mr. Millais' own diary<span - class="wnw">:—</span></p> - - <p>"<i>Wednesday, October 4th.</i>—Started for the big corrie with McColl, and saw nothing - till we got to the Eagle Hill. On this were three stags and about twenty hinds, the property of a - magnificent fellow carrying one of the best heads I have ever seen on Black Mount. For some time - McColl thought he was just a bit too good to shoot, for the very best in this forest are generally - left for stock purposes. Finding, however, that, he was not Royal [a twelve-pointer], my companion - agreed to a shot—that is, if he got within shooting distance, which was not too likely, the - Eagle Hill being one of those queer places where back eddies are carried down from almost every - 'airt' from which the wind is blowing. Luck is apparently entirely my way this week, so far at any - rate. The big stag was very 'kittle,' frequently roaring and keeping his hinds moving before him - along the hillside, in the direction of another corrie running at right angles, the entrance to - which, if reached, would checkmate us. A quick, stiff climb, and a clashing piece of stalking on - the part of McColl, brought us in front of the herd only just in time, for I had hardly got into - position when the first few hinds moved past a hundred yards below us. They were very uneasy and - highly suspicious, but fortunately did not stop; and in another moment, to my joy, the big stag - came slowly behind them, and offered a fair broadside in the very spot where I should have wished - him to stand. The bullet took him through the ribs, certainly a trifle too far back, but he gave - in at once, and rolled 150 yards down the hill, fortunately without hurting his horns. A really - fine Highland stag in his prime; weight, 16 stone 2 lbs., with a good wild head of ten points, and - good cups on the top."</p> - - <p>"<i>Thursday, October 5th.</i>—We negotiated the stiff climb, and McLeish, leaving me - behind a rock on the summit, returned some distance to signal directions to the pony-man. He came - back just as the stag returned roaring down the pass he had ascended; and as the mist was blotting - out the landscape, I feared he would come right on to us without being seen, but, as luck would - have it, he stopped and recommenced bellowing within seventy yards. I never heard a stag make such - a row, but nothing of him could we see. It was most exciting, lying flat on a slab of rock, hoping - devoutly that the mist would rise, if only for a few seconds. The tension had grown extreme, when - there was a momentary lift in the gloom, and I made out the dim forms of the deer just as a big - hind, which I had not noticed, 'bruached' loudly within twenty yards of us. The outline of the - stag was barely visible when, after carefully aiming, I pressed the trigger, knowing that a moment - later there would be no second chance. At the shot the deer at once disappeared, but I felt sure I - had hit him, and, on following the tracks for some fifty yards, there he lay as dead as a - door-nail. Weight, 13 stone 6 lbs.; a wild head of ten points; thin, and evidently that of a deer - on the decline."</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_278.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_278.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN WAPITI." title="AMERICAN WAPITI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Mr. W. Rau</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Philadelphia.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN WAPITI.</p> - <p class="sp0">The dark head, fore-quarters, and under-parts, so distinctive of the wapiti, - are here well displayed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In England the wild red deer are hunted with stag-hounds on Exmoor, and first-rate sport is - obtained on the great moorlands of Somerset and Devon. During the last fifty years the deer have - much increased in numbers, and no less than three packs—the Devon and Somerset, Sir John - Heathcoat-Amory's, and Mr. Peter Ormrod's—are now engaged in hunting <span class="pagenum" - id="page279"><span class="smaller">{279}</span></span>them. In the five years ending in 1892, 276 - deer were killed by the Devon and Somerset hounds.</p> - - <p>The young of the red deer are in Europe usually dropped in June. The fawn is dexterously - concealed by the hind amid the heather, and is left in concealment during the day. Scrope, a great - authority on these animals, states that the hind induces her fawn to lie down by pressure of the - nose: "It will never stir or lift up its head the whole of the day, unless you come right upon it, - as I have often done; it lies like a dog, with its nose to its tail. The hind, however, although - she often separates herself from the young fawn, does not lose sight of its welfare, but remains - at a distance to windward, and goes to its succour in case of an attack of the wild cat or fox, or - any other powerful vermin."</p> - - <p>On the Continent far finer examples of red deer are to be found than in the British Isles, and - the antlers and records of weights preserved at the Castle of Moritzburg in Saxony, and elsewhere, - show that two hundred years ago the stags of Germany were far superior even to those of the - present day, which are much heavier and afford finer trophies than do the Highland red deer. Even - in Germany, however, marked deterioration has taken place during the last two centuries. A stag, - for example, killed by the Elector of Saxony in 1646 weighed not less than 61 stone 11 lbs.; while - from the Elector's records between 1611 and 1656 it appears that 59 stags exceeded 56 stone, 651 - exceeded 48 stone, 2,679 exceeded 40 stone, and 4,139 exceeded 32 stone. These figures are given - by Mr. W. A. Baillie-Grohman, a distinguished sportsman, in a very interesting chapter contributed - to the "Big Game Shooting" volumes of the Badminton Library.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_279.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_279.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN WAPITI." title="AMERICAN WAPITI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN WAPITI.</p> - <p class="sp0">In the United States this species is universally miscalled the Elk.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>This deterioration among the red deer of the forests of Central and Northern Europe is, - however, not traceable among the red deer of the wild mountainous regions of Austria-Hungary <span - class="pagenum" id="page280"><span class="smaller">{280}</span></span>and South-eastern Europe. - Here, at the present day, stags of enormous size and weight are still to be found. In the - Carpathian Alps, for example, red deer stags are still to be shot scaling more than 40 stone - (clean) in weight. Climate and feeding have, of course, much to do with the weight of stags and - the size and beauty of their antlers. The Carpathian stags have enormous range, rich food, and, as - Mr. Baillie-Grohman points out, are suffered during the summer to "make undisturbed raids upon the - rich agricultural valleys ... the feudal sway exercised by the great territorial magnates - permitting the deer to trespass upon the crops with impunity, and thus grow to be the lustiest of - their race."</p> - - <p>In addition to the British Islands, the red deer of Europe is found on the island of Hitteren - on the western coast of Norway, in the south of Sweden, and in Germany, Russia, France, Spain, - Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Greece.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_280.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_280.jpg" - alt="ALTAI WAPITI." title="ALTAI WAPITI."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ALTAI WAPITI.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is one of several Asiatic forms of the wapiti.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">In Corsica and Sardinia a local and smaller race is found, probably closely allied - to the stag of North Africa. The <span class="sc">Barbary Stag</span> is somewhat smaller than its - first cousin of Europe, and carries antlers which usually lack the second, or bez, tine. The - colour of this stag is "a dark sepia-brown, a little lighter and greyer on the back. Faint - yellowish spots can occasionally be distinguished on the fur in the adults," says Sir Harry - Johnston. The hinds are of the same colour as the stags, but lack the grey tint on the back. These - fine deer are found in Algeria and Tunis, their habitat being chiefly in pine and cork forests. - They are found also in parts of Morocco, near the frontiers of Algeria and Tunis, where their - range extends from near the Mediterranean to the verge of the Sahara Desert. Formerly the Barbary - stag was hunted by the Arabs on horseback by the aid of greyhounds. In Tunis, where it is - protected by the French, it is now fairly abundant.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Maral and Kashmir Stag.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Caspian Red Deer</span>, or <span class="sc">Maral</span>, is a - magnificent sub-species, incomparably the finest representative of the red deer species. Standing - about 4 feet 6 inches at the shoulder, a good stag will weigh as much as 40 stone clean, in - exceptional specimens probably a good deal more. The range of this noble beast includes the - Caspian provinces of North Persia, Transcaucasia, the Caucasus, and the Crimea. There can be - little doubt that the great stags shot in the Galician Carpathians are Caspian red deer, and not - the ordinary red deer of Western Europe. The red deer of Turkey is, too, no doubt referable to - this sub-species.</p> - - <p>Continuing our survey of typical deer, we come to the <span class="sc">Kashmir Stag</span>, - which is a magnificent beast, standing as much as 4 feet 4 inches at the shoulder, and carrying - antlers approaching the red deer type, which measure in fine specimens from 45 to 48 inches. The - Kashmir stag, often miscalled Barasingh by Indian sportsmen, makes its home in the forest regions - of the north side of the Kashmir Valley, ranging chiefly on altitudes of from 5,000 to 12,000 - feet. <span class="pagenum" id="page281"><span class="smaller">{281}</span></span>The summer coat - is rufous; in winter the pelage is of a darkish brown. The Yarkand stag is an apparently allied - species, found in the forests bordering on the Yarkand or Tarim River.</p> - - <p>Two more stags close the list of those Asiatic deer which approximate more or less closely to - the red deer type. These are the <span class="sc">Shou</span>, or <span class="sc">Sikhim - Stag</span>, and <span class="sc">Thorold's Deer</span>, concerning neither of which animals is - much known at present. The shou, of which only the head has yet been brought to England, appears - to be a very large stag, in size approximating to the gigantic wapiti. The antlers are very large, - extending to as much as 55 inches over the outer curve. So far as is at present known, this great - deer is found in the country "north of Bhutan and the valley eastward of Chumbi, which drains - northward into the Sangpo." No European hunter, it is believed, has ever yet levelled a rifle or - even set eyes on this noble deer.</p> - - <p class="sp3">In England Thorold's deer is known from two specimens shot by Dr. W. G. Thorold, - during a journey across Tibet, at an elevation of about 13,500 feet. The high Tibetan plateau and - other adjacent parts of Central Asia form the habitat of this species. In size Thorold's deer is - about on a level with the Kashmir stag: the coat is dark brown; the antlers are distinctive in - their backward curve, in the lack of the bez tine, and their flattened appearance. The muzzle and - chin are pure white, as is the inner surface of the ears.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Wapiti.</span></p> - - <p>Wapiti are the giants of the red deer group, carrying enormous antlers, and attaining as much - as 1,000 lbs. in weight. The true wapiti of North America, known in that country chiefly by the - local name of Elk, carry by far the finest and the heaviest heads of any of the typical deer kind. - Mr. Rowland Ward, in his book "Records of Big Game," gives the length of antlers of a - twelve-pointer shot in the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, as 70 inches over the outer curve; - while another specimen, also a twelve-pointer, taken from a wapiti shot in Wyoming, measures 66 - inches. Occasional heads bear as many as 17, 19, and even 20 tines, or points, but from 12 to 14 - points are more usual in fine average heads. A good stag will stand from 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet - 8 inches at the shoulder. Magnificently shaped, splendid in form and bearing, as in the size of - its antlers, a more lordly creature than the stag wapiti does not pace the earth.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_281.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_281.jpg" - alt="MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING." title="MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MANCHURIAN WAPITI CALLING.</p> - <p class="sp0">The great size of the fourth tine, characteristic of the species, is very - noticeable.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>"The wapiti," says Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in "The Encyclopedia of Sport," "is highly - polygamous, and during the rut the master bulls gather great harems about them and do fierce - battle with one another, while the weaker bulls are driven off by themselves. At this time the - bulls are comparatively easy to approach, because they are very noisy, incessantly challenging one - another by night and day. Settlers and hunters usually speak of their challenge as 'whistling,' - but this is a very inadequate description. The challenge consists of several notes, first rising - and then falling. Heard near by, especially among unattractive surroundings, it is not - particularly impressive, varying in tone from a squeal to a roar, and ending with grunts; but at a - little <span class="pagenum" id="page282"><span class="smaller">{282}</span></span>distance it is - one of the most musical sounds in nature, sounding like some beautiful wind instrument. Nothing - makes the heart of a hunter leap and thrill like the challenge of a wapiti bull, as it comes - pealing down under the great archways of the mountain pines, through the still, frosty, fall - weather; all the more if it be at night, under the full moon, and if there is light snow on the - ground."</p> - - <p>Wapiti in North America have suffered much from persecution, and it is now difficult indeed to - secure fine heads like those that fell to hunters twenty or thirty years since. Twelve or fifteen - years ago, during winter-time, bands of wapiti in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana were to be seen - gathered together to the number of thousands; now a score or two is the rule, where these animals - are to be found at all. However, by those who know where to go for their game, and can hold a - rifle straight, wapiti are still to be obtained.</p> - - <p>Mr. Selous, in his "Sport and Travel, East and West," thus describes a recent experience: - "After a few seconds of agonising suspense a noble-looking monarch of the mountains walked slowly - from the shelter of the pine-trees and followed the ladies of his household, who had now halted - about fifty yards down the slope, passing in quite open ground not more than sixty or seventy - yards below me; and as the stag followed them, I waited until he came past, though he had been - well within shot ever since he came out from among the trees. As he did not know where I was, and - probably had not the least idea why the hinds had trotted off, he came along very leisurely, - looking magnificent; for although his antlers were but moderate in size, there were no others of - larger proportions near to dwarf them, and even a very ordinary wapiti stag, seen at short range - in its native wilds, is a glorious sight to look upon. I let him get a little past me, and then - put one of Holland's peg-bullets just behind his shoulder, low down. I saw by the convulsive rush - forwards that he made that he was struck through the heart, but I did not expect so large an - animal to collapse so quickly. He had not gone twenty paces after being hit, when he fell suddenly - right on to the prostrate stem of a large tree, which did not, however, stop him, as the impetus - of his fall carried him over it, and he then went sliding at a terrific pace down the steep - snow-slope below, and disappeared from sight almost immediately." The dead wapiti was ultimately - found 500 feet below, with the antlers, strangely enough, scarcely injured, but the body and - quarters much bruised by the fall. He was "a very pretty fourteen-pointer of moderate size."</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_282.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_282.jpg" - alt="AN AXIS HIND." title="AN AXIS HIND."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AN AXIS HIND.</p> - <p class="sp0">A species spotted at all seasons.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A fight between two wapiti stags is a terrific encounter. "With heads lowered between their - fore feet," says Mr. Perry, "the two adversaries walk around, waiting for an opening; and when one - is thrown off his guard, the other makes a savage rush; but his opponent instantly recovers, - counters the charge, and as they rush together the antlers strike each other with such terrific - force that the report can be heard for a long distance. Slowly retreating, bellowing, grumbling, - and grinding their teeth in a paroxysm of rage, they again circle round.... The challenging wapiti - usually does most of the offensive fighting until he finds (if such be the case) that he is the - weaker; then he suddenly retires, bellowing as he goes." In the old days the Indians of North - America were in the habit of organising great wapiti drives. Entire herds were surrounded by a - ring of mounted men, and forced over precipices.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page283"><span class="smaller">{283}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_283.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_283.jpg" - alt="A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER." title="A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A STAG AXIS, OR INDIAN SPOTTED DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the most common animals in an Indian jungle scene.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page284"><span class="smaller">{284}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_284.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_284.jpg" - alt="A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEER." title="A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>New York.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A SPOTTED ORIENTAL DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the numerous Philippine species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In recent years it has been discovered that wapiti are also denizens of certain parts of Asia. - At least two sub-species—the <span class="sc">Altai Wapiti</span> and the <span - class="sc">Manchurian Wapiti</span>—have thus far been identified. The former, sometimes - known as the Thian-shan Stag, is found in the forests of the Altai and Thian-shan Mountains, west - of the Mongolian Desert. Compared with its American congener, it is inferior in stature, has - shorter legs, a longer body, and proportionately larger antlers, though none have yet approached - those of the longest American specimens. These splendid stags, of which living specimens have been - maintained by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn, are captured alive by the Altai natives, and kept in - domestication for the sake of their antlers, which are sold in China for purposes of medicine at - as much as the value of £10 apiece.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Manchurian Wapiti</span>, or <span class="sc">Luehdorf's - Stag</span>, is a well-marked local race of the wapiti, which turns reddish in summer. It has - received several names, and is well characterised by the form of its antlers. It has been kept - alive in the Duke of Bedford's park at Woburn Abbey. It seems probable that the Siberian stags - will eventually be referred to the wapiti group.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Bokhara Deer.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">A fine deer from Russian Turkestan is at present known as the <span - class="sc">Bokhara Deer</span>. It is said to resemble the shou of Northern Bhutan more than any - other species, and, standing about 4 feet at the shoulder, is of an ashen-grey colour, tinged with - yellow. A living specimen has been exhibited at Moscow, and it is believed that specimens in the - collection of the Duke of Bedford belong to this form.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Sikas.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Sikas</span>, as typified by the <span class="sc">Japanese Deer</span>, - are a group of deer of moderate size, distinguished from the preceding assemblage by antlers of - simpler type, each antler having usually four points, and lacking the second, or bez tine. The - coat is spotted with white, and white markings appear about the tail. The tail is much longer than - in the red deer group. The Japanese deer, found in Japan and North China, is a beautiful creature, - somewhat smaller than the fallow deer of Europe, having a coat of brilliant chestnut, thickly - spotted with white in curious longitudinal markings. This is the summer pelage; in winter the - colour changes to dark brown, and the spots mostly disappear. When in the velvet, the antlers are - of a bright, chestnut-red, with black tips, and at this season the bucks look their handsomest. A - good head measures from 26 to 31 inches, and carries usually eight points.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Manchurian Sika</span> may be looked upon as a larger variety of the - Japanese deer, with a somewhat darker coat.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page285"><span class="smaller">{285}</span></span></div> - - <p>Another closely allied form is the <span class="sc">Formosan Sika</span>, which bears a rather - paler summer coat, and carries spots in its winter pelage. This deer is found on the mountains of - the island from which it takes its name. The few antlers which have reached this country seem to - indicate that in this respect this deer is inferior to the other sikas. The longest pair yet - recorded measure not more than 19¾ inches.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Pekin Sika</span>, sometimes known as Dybowski's Deer, is - considerably larger in size than the rest of the group, standing well over 3 feet at the shoulder. - The horns are large and rugged, and measure as much as 27 inches in length. The coat is thick and - shaggy, and well adapted for life in a harsh climate. The habitat of this species is North-eastern - Manchuria and the borders of Korea.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Fallow Deer.</span></p> - - <p><span class="sc">Fallow Deer</span> are, perhaps, to English people, the most familiar of all - the cervine race, forming as they do, in the semi-domesticated state, the adornments of most of - our parks. The flesh of this handsome deer furnishes the well-known venison of this country, and - is perhaps the best-tasted of all deer-meat. A good fallow buck stands about 3 feet at the - shoulder, and weighs (clean) about 150 lbs., though specimens have been shot weighing as much as - 204 lbs., but this is exceptional. The horns are strongly palmated. Originally this deer was not - indigenous to Britain, but is often said to have been introduced by the Romans from Eastern - Europe.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_285.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_285.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OF THE BROWN BREED." title="A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OF THE BROWN BREED."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by C. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG FALLOW BUCK OF THE BROWN BREED.</p> - <p class="sp0">The favourite park-deer of England.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Fallow Deer</span> is found in the wild state in Spain, Portugal, - Greece, Austria, Rhodes, Sardinia, Asia Minor, and North Palestine. It is doubtful whether, as has - been stated, this deer ever existed in modern times in the wild state in North Africa. This is a - highly gregarious species, delighting to move in considerable herds. In some parts of Scotland - fallow deer have reverted completely to the wild state, and afford excellent sport. And even <span - class="pagenum" id="page286"><span class="smaller">{286}</span></span>park-deer, once they are - shot at, exhibit extraordinary wariness and cunning, so much so that curious tricks and disguises - have often to be resorted to when a fat buck has to be shot for venison.</p> - - <p>The beautiful <span class="sc">Mesopotamian Fallow Deer</span>, found in the mountains of - Luristan, in Mesopotamian Persia, is somewhat larger than the common species, while its coat is - much more brightly coloured. The antlers bear little resemblance to those seen in the park-deer of - this country, being far less palmated and spreading, and more vertical.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The enormous horns of the extinct deer once known as <span class="sc">Irish - Elk</span> are now considered by naturalists to be those of a gigantic species of fallow deer. By - the kindness of Mr. J. G. Millais, I am enabled to give the dimensions of a pair of antlers of one - of these wonderful beasts from his museum. These antlers measure in spread, from tip to tip, 9 - feet 4 inches; length round inside of right horn, 6 feet; round left horn, 5 feet 8 - inches,—a marvellous trophy, truly. This specimen was dug up in County Waterford. These - colossal fallow deer, which roamed the wastes of Ireland in prehistoric times, must have afforded - fairly exciting sport to the feebly armed human beings who then existed.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Sambar, or Rusine Deer.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_286.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_286.jpg" - alt="A SAMBAR STAG." title="A SAMBAR STAG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A SAMBAR STAG.</p> - <p class="sp0">The only Indian deer of which the fawns are unspotted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p><span class="sc">Sambar</span> may be shortly described as large deer, having rough, shaggy - coats, and big, rugged antlers of simple type, usually displaying but three tines. They belong to - the group known as Typical Deer, although they are but distantly connected with the red deer. The - colour of the coat is usually dark umber-brown, marked with chestnut about the rump and - under-parts. The well-known sambar of India stands as much as 5 feet 4 inches at the withers, and - weighs, before being cleaned, some 600 lbs. The longest pair of antlers yet recorded (Rowland - Ward's "Records of Big Game") measure 48 inches in length over the outer curve. Usually to be - found among jungly, wooded hills and mountains in many parts of India and Ceylon, this fine stag - affords first-rate sport, and is much sought after by shikaris. It is to be met with in small - <span class="pagenum" id="page287"><span class="smaller">{287}</span></span>troops of from four to - a dozen, or singly, while during the rutting-season the animals rove in more considerable herds. - In jungle and thickly forested regions it is a hard matter to come up with the sambar on foot, and - it is there usually shot from elephant-back, by the aid of beaters. In more open hill country it - affords good stalking. In Ceylon it is hunted with hounds, and yields in this way also capital - sport. These animals seem to revel in heat, and love to shelter themselves in hot, stifling - valleys; they drink only once in two or three days. It is a noticeable feature in connection with - the antlers of the sambar that they are not invariably shed annually, as with most of the deer - kind. In Ceylon, according to Sir Samuel Baker, they are shed "with great irregularity every third - or fourth year."</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_287_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_287_t.jpg" - alt="FORMOSAN SIKA STAG." title="FORMOSAN SIKA STAG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FORMOSAN SIKA STAG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Like its Japanese kindred, this deer is spotted only in summer.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_287_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_287_b.jpg" - alt="JAVAN RUSA STAG." title="JAVAN RUSA STAG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">JAVAN RUSA STAG.</p> - <p class="sp0">This deer is a near relative of sambur, but has a somewhat different type of - antler.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Heber Percy thus writes concerning the sambar, or sambur: "Compared - with the Kashmir stag, red deer, or wapiti, he looks an ugly, coarse, underbred brute.... As the - sambur is almost entirely nocturnal in its habits, it is most commonly shot in drives, and in many - places it is almost impossible to obtain sambur otherwise; but where it can be managed, stalking - is, of course, far better fun. The sportsman should be on his ground just before daylight, and - work slowly through the forest at the edge of the feeding-grounds, taking the bottom of the hill - if there are crops on the plain below, or, failing these, the edges of the open glades in the - forest. Presently, if there are any sambur about, he will hear their trumpet-like call, and, - creeping on, see two or three dark forms moving among the trees. In the grey of the morning it is - often very hard to distinguish a stag from a hind, and the writer has on several occasions had to - wait, after viewing the herd, till there was light enough to pick his stag. Even in broad daylight - it is difficult to judge the size of a stag's horns as he stands motionless in the deep gloom of - the forest, and what little can be seen <span class="pagenum" id="page288"><span - class="smaller">{288}</span></span>of them makes them look three times their real size—the - beam is so massive and the tines so long. The stag, too, is such a big beast, standing nearly a - hand taller than a barasingh, that if seen in the open he looks as big as our Irish elk.... All - driving should be done during the heat of the day, when the animals are lying down; trying to - drive when beasts are naturally on the move generally results in the game leaving the beat before - the men are in their places. It may sound ridiculous for a man to get up a tree in a sambur drive, - but he is far more likely to get an easy shot in this position, as the deer will neither see nor - wind him; he commands more ground, and he runs no risk of heading back the wary old hind which - often leads the herd, the chances being that if he is rightly posted the herd will come right - under his tree. Another advantage is that, his fire being plunging, he can shoot all round without - danger to the beaters. In some parts of the Himalaya native shikaris declare that they often shoot - sambur by selecting a likely path and improvising a salt-lick, after the fashion of Laplanders - when they want to catch their tame reindeer." The flesh of this deer is coarse and only moderately - good eating.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_288.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_288.jpg" alt="HOG-DEER." - title="HOG-DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HOG-DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The smallest Indian representative of the sambar group.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Malayan Sambar</span>, found from Assam, through Burma, to the Malay - Peninsula, and in Siam, Hainan, Borneo, and perhaps Sumatra, is slightly less in size than its - Indian prototype; the antlers vary somewhat, and are shorter and stouter. The longest antlers yet - recorded measure 30⅞ inches over the outer curve; these come from Borneo.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Formosan Sambar</span>, sometimes called Swinhoe's Deer, is, again, - closely connected with the Malayan sambar, and may be looked upon as purely a local race. The - antlers appear to run smaller, the best recorded examples only extending to 19¾ inches.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Luzon Sambar</span> (Philippines), a small sub-species, and the <span - class="sc">Szechuan Sambar</span> (North-west China), are also local races of the same species. - This last seems thus far to occupy the most northerly habitat of this group.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Basilan Sambar</span> (Philippines) is, like its congener of Luzon, a - small sub-species, standing no more than from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder, of slender build, - and with the hindquarters higher than the withers. The best antlers yet recorded measure no more - than 15½ inches. It is interesting to note that as the island of Basilan is the smallest of the - Philippines, so is this sambar by far the smallest of its group. Its restricted habitat has no - doubt conduced, during long ages, to bring about this result.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Javan Sambar</span>, or <span class="sc">Rusa</span>, is a distinct - species, found, as its name implies, in the island of Java. The antlers are somewhat slender, but - are, next to those of the sambar of India, the longest of the group. The best recorded pair - measure 35½ inches, while another pair from Mauritius, where this animal has been introduced, - measure half an inch longer. This sambar is smaller than the great sambar of India, and is about - on a par with a good red deer.</p> - - <div id="fp289"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_289fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_289fp.jpg" alt="FALLOW DEER." - title="FALLOW DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by The Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey.</i></span> </p> - <p>FALLOW DEER.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> There are two breeds of these beautiful deer in - the British Isles; in the one the summer coat is fawn dappled with white; in the other the - colour is dark brown at all seasons.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page289"><span class="smaller">{289}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Moluccan Rusa</span>, a sub-species somewhat smaller than the Javan deer, - is found in Celebes and certain islands—Boru, Batchian, and Amboina—in the Moluccan - group; while the <span class="sc">Timor Rusa</span>, a closely allied congener, is found on the - islands of Timor, Semao, and Kambing. It is possible—nay, even probable—that the - Malays may, in times gone by, have introduced certain of these rusine deer from one habitat to - another. Such, at least, seems to be the presumption among naturalists.</p> - - <p>Dr. Guillemard, in that charming book "The Cruise of the Marchesa" (p. 357), gives some - interesting information concerning Moluccan sambar in the little-known island of Batchian. The - inhabitants, "living for the most part in the hills, kill and smoke the deer, and bring the meat - into the villages for sale. We were fortunate enough to assist at one of their hunts, in which no - other weapon than the spear is used. The side of a large ravine, which had been partially cleared, - and presented a confused jumble of fallen trees and low brushwood, was assigned to us as our post, - and, from the extensive view it commanded, we were able later in the day to watch one run almost - from start to finish, although at first the sport appeared to be successful in every direction but - our own. At length a stag broke covert about five hundred yards above us, and descended the slopes - of the ravine, but shortly afterwards turned and made for the forest again. He was met by some of - the hunters and driven back; but the dogs were now in full cry, and pressed him hard, the hunters - meanwhile racing at their utmost speed above, in order to prevent his regaining the jungle. He now - altered his direction, and turned down once more towards us; but the fallen trees were so thick - that the dogs gained rapidly on him. He made one more effort for his life by doubling, but it was - too late, and in another minute the dogs and hunters had fairly run him down."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_289.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_289.jpg" - alt="YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER." title="YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG MALE SWAMP-DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species is the Barasingh of the natives of India. It is by no means - addicted to swampy localities.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Deer were probably the earliest animals of the chase. Their bones are found in the - cave-dwellings of prehistoric man, and some of the earliest efforts at drawing represent these - animals.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page290"><span class="smaller">{290}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Other Typical Deer.</span></p> - - <p>So numerous are the typical deer that they are not concluded even by the long list of animals - already enumerated. We proceed now to glance briefly at the remainder of this important group.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Philippine Spotted Deer</span>, or <span class="sc">Prince Alfred's - Deer</span>, is a small but extremely handsome species, found in the islands of Samar and Leyte. - The height is under 30 inches; the colour very dark brown, spotted with white, the under-parts, - chin, and upper portion of the legs also white.</p> - - <p>Another small cervine from the Philippine group is the <span class="sc">Calamianes Deer</span>, - a darkish brown beast, found in the island of that name.</p> - - <p>The little <span class="sc">Bavian Deer</span>, another island-deer, from the Bavian group, - between Borneo and Java, should also be mentioned. Very little is known of the habits of these - three deer, and few specimens even of their skins and horns have reached Europe.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_290_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_290_t.jpg" - alt="INDIAN MUNTJAC." title="INDIAN MUNTJAC."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">INDIAN MUNTJAC.</p> - <p class="sp0">Sometimes called the Barking-deer. The Indian species stands only 2 feet - high.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_290_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_290_b.jpg" - alt="YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER." title="YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG MALE CHINESE WATER-DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the few deer which have no antlers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Hog-deer</span>, allied to the last-named species, is an animal much - better known, found as it is in many parts of India and Burma. This handsome little deer stands - from 24 to 28 inches at the shoulder, and carries antlers which average from 10 to 15 inches, and - reach occasionally as much as 21 or 22 inches—one specimen is recorded measuring 23¼ inches. - It has a yellowish or reddish-brown coat, minutely speckled with white. The summer coat is paler - and marked with white or palish-brown spots. This sturdy little deer is found usually in long - grass, and affords excellent snap-shooting; it is also run into with dogs and speared by mounted - sportsmen. Major Fitz-Herbert thus describes a chase of this kind: "He [the little stag] stood at - bay, with head down and bristles raised like a miniature red deer of Landseer's, but broke away - when I came up. Once he charged the bitch and knocked her over. He stood at bay two or three - times, but I could never get a spear into him for fear of hurting the dogs. At last one time, as - he was breaking bay, I came up, and he charged me with such force as to break one of his horns - clean off against the spear. However, I struck him in the spine, and rolled him over." These - little deer have quite extraordinary pluck, and have been known even to charge and wound a - horse.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Chital</span>, or <span class="sc">Indian Spotted Deer</span>, often - called the Axis Deer, a very beautiful species, is the common jungle-stag of India. Standing about - 3 feet or a little over, its lovely coat of bright reddish fawn is thickly spotted with white at - all seasons of the year. The horns are somewhat of the sambar type, and measure as much as 36 or - 38 inches in length in fine specimens. These exquisite deer are often found in considerable herds, - and are a forest-loving species.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page291"><span class="smaller">{291}</span></span></div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Swamp-deer</span>, the true Barasingh of India, as distinguished from the - Kashmir stag, which is often loosely called Barasingh, is a plain-loving species, found in various - parts of India, and characterised by handsome antlers, bearing as many as from 10 to 16 points. - This is a big, heavy deer, standing nearly 4 feet at the withers, and weighing as much as 40 - stone. The summer coat is light rufous, more or less spotted with white. The winter coat is - yellowish brown. A near relative to this deer is <span class="sc">Schomburgk's Deer</span>, found - in Northern Siam. The antlers of this stag are most curiously forked and bifurcated.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_291_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_291_t.jpg" - alt="MALE SIBERIAN ROE." title="MALE SIBERIAN ROE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE SIBERIAN ROE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A very huge species of roebuck, with more rugged antlers than the - European-roe.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Thamin</span>, or <span class="sc">Eld's Deer</span>, - sometimes called the Brow-antlered Deer, is another plains-deer, found chiefly from Manipur, - through Burma, to the Malay Peninsula. It is a good-sized species, standing about 3 feet 9 inches - at the shoulder, and weighing as much as 17 stone. The large antlers are simple in type, the - brow-tines curving down curiously over the forehead; the tail is sharp, and the neck provided with - a mane, the young being spotted. A Siamese race of Eld's deer, found in Siam and Hainan, differs - somewhat from the Burmese type.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Muntjacs.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_291_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_291_b.jpg" - alt="FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE." title="FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE SIBERIAN ROE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The absence of a tail, characteristic of all roes, is well shown.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Muntjacs</span>, or <span class="sc">Barking-deer</span>, are - a group of small deer found in India, Burma, and the Malay region. The <span class="sc">Indian - Muntjac</span> stands about 2 feet in height, and weighs some 28 lbs. The antlers, which average 5 - or 6 inches in length, bear two points—brow-tine and beam; the lower portions, or pedicles, - are curiously covered with hair, and the front of the face is ribbed or ridged in <span - class="sans fwb">V</span> fashion. The general colour is a golden bay, the face and limbs brown, - and the lower parts white. The buck has sharp tusks in the upper jaw, and, at a pinch, knows how - to make use of them. A shy, stealthy little creature, the muntjac loves dense cover, and the - sportsman usually obtains but a quick snapshot at this active and wary little deer as it flashes - across him much as does a bolting rabbit scuttling across a narrow drive. Local Indian names for - the barking-deer are Jungle-sheep, Red Hog-deer, and Rib-faced Deer. Other muntjacs, varying - somewhat from the Indian form, are the <span class="sc">Hairy-fronted</span>, the <span - class="sc">Tenasserim</span>, the <span class="sc">Tibetan</span>, and the <span - class="sc">Chinese Muntjacs</span>.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page292"><span class="smaller">{292}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Tufted Deer.</span></p> - - <p>Near relatives of the odd little muntjacs are the <span class="sc">Tufted Deer</span>, of which - two species, the <span class="sc">Tibetan</span> and <span class="sc">Michie's</span>, are known - to naturalists. The former, found in Eastern Tibet, is about the size of the Indian muntjac, and - has a coat of dark chocolate-brown, curiously speckled on the face, neck, and fore parts; the - frontal tuft is nearly black. The antlers of the bucks of both this and Michie's deer are - extremely small, scarcely observable at a first glance. Both species have long curving tusks - projecting from the upper jaw. Michie's tufted deer is of a greyish-black or iron-grey colour, the - face and neck dark grey. This animal is found in the reed-beds bordering the Ningpo and other - rivers in Eastern China.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_292.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_292.jpg" - alt="SIBERIAN ROEBUCK." title="SIBERIAN ROEBUCK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SIBERIAN ROEBUCK.</p> - <p class="sp0">Shows a magnificent pair of antlers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Water-deer.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The <span class="sc">Chinese Water-deer</span> is another diminutive deer, standing - no more than 20 inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is pale rufous yellow, the head and the - back of the ears being darker in hue than the rest of the body. The males carry no antlers. This - tiny deer is found in North-east China, and is well known on the islands of the Yangtse-kiang - River. It loves thick cover, especially reeds and long grass. So apt is it at concealment, that at - Woburn Abbey, where specimens are kept in a paddock of long tussocky grass, hours may be spent - without catching a glimpse of it. When disturbed, it scurries off with short, quick leaps, very - much after the manner of the hare. The males of the Chinese deer, like the muntjacs, carry long - curved tusks in the upper jaw.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Roe Deer.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">European Roe</span>, one of the handsomest of all the smaller deer, is - still happily found in many parts of Scotland. In England, where it had at one time become - well-nigh extinct, it has been here and there reintroduced with some success. In Ireland it seems - never to have been found. On the Continent its range is wide, extending from the south of Sweden, - through France and Germany, to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Austria-Hungary, and Spain. Found in - Southern Russia and the Caucasus, it makes its way eastward as far as North Palestine and Persia. - The roe stands, in good adult specimens, 26 inches at the shoulder, and weighs about 60 lbs. The - handsome and very characteristic horns measure in good specimens from 10 to 13 inches over the - outer curve. The summer coat of this beautiful little deer is a bright rufous brown; in winter a - darker and duller brown, with a notable white patch about the tail. The roe is always more or less - a wood-loving creature. In winter, especially, it seldom cares to quit the shelter of the forest; - in summer, however, the deer wander into more open localities. The fawns are born generally - towards the end of May, and two young are usually produced. In the rutting-season the males fight - savagely with one another.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page293"><span class="smaller">{293}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_293.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_293.jpg" - alt="FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER." title="FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE EUROPEAN ROE DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Though common in the Scotch woods, these deer are rarely seen, keeping close in - cover all day.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page294"><span class="smaller">{294}</span></span></div> - - <p>Mr. J. G. Millais gives an instance of a buck killed in one of these desperate battles, in - which one antler of the victor, having penetrated the brain of the vanquished buck, had been - broken clean off and remained embedded in the skull, firmly wedged between the ears and the - antlers. "When wounded and brought to bay by a dog," says Mr. Millais, "a roebuck brings into play - both head and fore legs in his defence, using his horns as described, and striking out with his - legs, more as if to push off his antagonist than to cause a forcible blow, for he gives no shock, - as a hind can. A doe, too, uses her fore legs and boxes with her head; and Mr. Steel, who has had - wide experience in roe-shooting, tells me that he has seen a doe use her hind legs as well. The - bark of the buck is loud, sharp, and deep in tone, not unlike what a single call might be from an - old collie. At this season, too, the female gives an amorous call when she wishes the male to come - to her. If he is within hearing, he puts his neck out straight and comes full speed to her. In - Germany many roebucks are shot by alluring them in this manner, and calls exactly imitating her - voice are made for the sportsman's use. One who has shot roe in this manner tells me it is most - exciting sport, for the buck comes straight for the sound at full speed, and will only stop - startled for a second when he discovers the fraud, and as often as not he passes right on without - giving a chance."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_294.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_294.jpg" - alt="PÈRE DAVID'S DEER." title="PÈRE DAVID'S DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PÈRE DAVID'S DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Nineteen of these deer are at Woburn Abbey; three are at Berlin. It is believed - that these are the only deer of this species in existence.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Roe have a curious trick of chasing one another in play, and certain roe-rings in the woods - near Cawdor Castle, according to Mr. Millais, demonstrate the fact that for ages the deer have - been in the habit of disporting themselves in these strange circles over the same pieces of - ground. The fact is very singular. "These curious circles are most used in early summer; and - Sutherland, the head keeper, tells me," says Mr. Millais, "that hardly a morning passes without - there being one or two roe playing in the rings, and sometimes there is quite a party of them." - Roe feed chiefly on grass; they will eat also rowan (mountain-ash) berries, of which they are - especially fond, as well as turnips, grain, heather tops, and various other roots and plants. - Certain fungi, to which they are partial, they take much pains to dig out with their sharp hoofs. - "A roebuck that I once kept," says Mr. Millais, "was a good Scotchman, though he had a beastly - temper, for he liked nothing so much as oatmeal porridge." Roe make delightful pets, but the bucks - are not to be trusted after the third year. One of these animals, supposed <span class="pagenum" - id="page295"><span class="smaller">{295}</span></span>to be tame, has been known to kill a lad. In - Scotland and on the Continent roe deer are usually killed by driving, and large bags are often - made. Even within recent times, as many as sixty-five roebucks and thirteen hinds have been shot - at Beaufort, Lord Lovat's place in Inverness-shire, during a day's driving. Shot-guns are employed - for this kind of sport. Stalking the roe is not so much pursued in Scotland as it might be. It is - a first-rate and most interesting form of sport, and in certain districts the rifle might very - well be substituted for the shot-gun. "Roe-stalking," says Mr. Millais, "possesses many charms of - its own. In the first place, you can enjoy it at a season when there is no other shooting going - on; secondly, it takes you out in the early morning, when all nature is full of life and beauty, - and before the heat of the day commences; and, thirdly, where the chase of the animal is - systematically conducted, as with red deer, the nature of the sport is everything that can be - desired. I would therefore put forward a plea that tenants and owners of part-wood, part-forest - lands in Argyll, Inverness, Ross, and Aberdeen should turn their attention to stalking the roe in - preference to killing them during the usual winter wood-shoots." Roe deer are exceedingly abundant - in the great forest regions of Germany and Austria-Hungary. In Austria alone, not including - Hungary, during the year 1892, no less than 68,110 of these beautiful little deer were shot on - various estates.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_295.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_295.jpg" - alt="GROUP OF VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR - DOES)." title="GROUP OF VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR - DOES)."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GROUP OF VIRGINIAN DEER (TWO BUCKS, FOUR DOES).</p> - <p class="sp0">These are the common deer of the Eastern United States.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Siberian Roe</span>, found from the mountains of the Altai and Turkestan - to Siberia, is a somewhat larger species than its European cousin, measuring from 28 to 34 inches - at the shoulder. The antlers are also larger, extending to as much as 16 and even 18 inches in - measurement. As beseems its habitat, the coat of this species is also thicker and rougher than is - the case with the European roe. Mr. Lydekker gives some interesting particulars regarding this - animal: "When the snows of November fall, the roe themselves commence to collect in herds, which - may number from 300 to 500 head, and soon after migrate southwards into Manchuria, whence they - return about the end of March or beginning of April. On the Ussuri, which they must cross, they - are at this season slaughtered in thousands by the hunters, without regard to age or sex."</p> - - <p class="sp3">One other species, the <span class="sc">Manchurian Roe</span>, found chiefly in - mountainous habitats, whence it never descends, should be noted. This is a smaller deer than the - Siberian roe, and approximates in size and length of horn to the European race.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">Père David's Deer.</span></p> - - <p>This remarkable animal, which apparently bears little or no resemblance to any of the other - deer of the Old World, has been placed by some naturalists between the roe deer and the American - deer. Its habitat is North China, and, strangely enough, it seems to be unrecognised <span - class="pagenum" id="page296"><span class="smaller">{296}</span></span>in the wild state, being - apparently only known in China in the Imperial Park at Pekin. This deer approaches in size the red - deer of Europe. The general colouring is greyish brown, white about the eyes, ears, rump, and - under-parts; the horns, which lack the brow-tine, are very singular in shape, and measure as much - as 32 inches in length; the tail is long, reaching to the hocks; the gait is "lolloping" and - mule-like. This is a marsh-loving species, and at Woburn Abbey, where specimens are kept, "they - may be seen wading far into the lakes and even swimming in the deeper water."</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_296.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_296.jpg" - alt="A MULE-DEER FAWN." title="A MULE-DEER FAWN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>New York.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A MULE-DEER FAWN.</p> - <p class="sp0">The large ears, from which the American species takes its name, are noticeable - even in the young.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The American Deer.</span></p> - - <p>Excepting always the elk, wapiti, and reindeer, which have been already described, the deer of - North and South America stand quite apart from those of the Old World, and are placed in a genus - of their own. Usually the tail is long, and the brow-tine is always wanting. The most familiar - species is the common <span class="sc">American Deer</span>, of which the <span - class="sc">Virginian</span> or <span class="sc">White-tailed Deer</span> is the type. This deer is - found in varying forms in both continents, and was regularly hunted by the ancient Mexicans with - trained pumas.</p> - - <p>The well-known <span class="sc">Virginian Deer</span>, found in Eastern North America, and - believed to range as far south as Louisiana, stands a trifle over 3 feet in height, and weighs, - clean, about 12 stone 7 lbs. The coloration is chestnut in summer, bluish grey in winter. The - antlers are of good size, and measure as much as 27½ inches in length. As a sporting animal the - white-tailed deer is not popular. Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley describes him as "an exasperating - little beast." possessing every quality which a deer ought not to, from the sportsman's point of - view. "His haunts are river-bottoms, in choking, blinding bush, and his habits are beastly. No one - could ever expect to stalk a white-tail; if you want to get one, you must crawl." Mr. Selous, in - 1897, bagged one of these deer somewhat curiously. "He was coming," he writes, "through the - scrubby, rather open bush straight towards me in a series of great leaps, rising, I think, quite - four feet from the ground at every bound. I stood absolutely still, thinking to fire at him just - as he jumped the stream and passed me. However, he came so straight to me that, had he held his - course, he must have jumped on to or over me. But when little more than the width of the stream - separated us—when he was certainly not more than ten yards from me—he either saw or - winded me, and, without a moment's halt, made a prodigious leap sideways. I fired at him when he - was in the air, and I believe quite six feet above the ground." The deer, an old buck with a good - head, was afterwards picked up dead. In different parts of America, as far south as Peru and - Bolivia, various local races of this deer are to be found.</p> - - <p><span class="sc">True's Deer</span> is a small species, not unlike the Virginian deer, found - from South Mexico to Costa Rica. The antlers are "in the form of simple spikes directed - backwards," and the body-colouring is in summer light chestnut, in winter brownish grey. Little is - at present known of this species.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Mule-deer</span>, found in most parts of North America west of the - Missouri, as far south <span class="pagenum" id="page297"><span - class="smaller">{297}</span></span>as Southern California, stands about 3 feet 3 inches at the - shoulder, and weighs over 17 stone clean. It carries good antlers, measuring as much as 30 inches, - and in colour is tawny red in summer, brownish grey in winter. It is a far better sporting animal - than the sneaking white-tailed deer, and affords excellent stalking. These deer are still abundant - in many localities. Mr. Phillipps-Wolley writes thus of them in "Big Game Shooting": "Some idea of - the number of these deer in British Columbia may be gathered from the fact that in one district I - have had a chance of killing seventeen separate stags in an hour's still hunt, whilst one settler - in the Similkameen country fed his hogs on deer-meat through a whole winter." Four races of - mule-deer—the <span class="sc">Typical</span>, the <span class="sc">Californian</span>, the - <span class="sc">La Paz</span>, and the <span class="sc">Western Desert</span> race—have - been identified by naturalists.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Black-tailed Deer</span> is another well-known cervine of Western North - America, closely allied to the mule-deer, but distinguished from that species by its inferior size - and its much blacker tail. The antlers, as a rule, run somewhat smaller than in the case of the - mule-deer. This, too, is a very abundant species, affording fairly good sport (considering its - liking for timber and dense bush) and excellent venison.</p> - - <p>In South America are to be found several kinds of marsh-deer, of which the best known is the - handsome <span class="sc">Marsh-deer</span>, having its range from Brazil to the forest country of - the Argentine Republic. Little is known of this and other South American deer by British - sportsmen. The marsh-deer is almost equal in size to the red deer of Scotland, but somewhat less - stout of build; the colouring is bright chestnut in summer, brown in winter; the coat is long and - coarse, as befits a swamp-loving creature; the antlers usually display ten points, and measure in - fine specimens as much as 23 or 24 inches.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Pampas-deer</span>, a species closely allied to the marsh-deer, is of - small size, standing about 2 feet 6 inches at the shoulder. The antlers, usually three-pointed, - measure no more than from 12 to 14 inches in fine specimens. This deer is found from Brazil to - Northern Patagonia.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_297.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_297.jpg" - alt="VIRGINIAN DEER." title="VIRGINIAN DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Professor Bumpus</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>New York.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">VIRGINIAN DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This deer is the best-known representative of a species displaying - extraordinary local variation in size and colour.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Peruvian</span> and <span class="sc">Chilian Guemals</span> are small - deer, found on the high Andes, and are somewhat inferior in size to the Virginian deer. The males - carry simple antlers forming a single fork, and measuring about 9 inches. The coat, yellowish - brown in hue, is coarse, thick, <span class="pagenum" id="page298"><span - class="smaller">{298}</span></span>and brittle. The Chilian guemal is found also in most parts of - Patagonia; unlike its congener of Peru, which delights in altitudes of from 14,000 to 16,000 feet, - its habitat lies chiefly in deep valleys, thick forest, and even the adjacent plains, to which it - resorts in winter.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_298.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_298.jpg" - alt="MULE-DEER STAG." title="MULE-DEER STAG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the New York Zoological Society.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">MULE-DEER STAG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Shows the large blackish-brown patch on the forehead, so distinctive of the - species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Brockets</span>, of which seven species are found in South and Central - America and Trinidad, are small deer, having spike-like antlers and tufted crowns. The largest is - the <span class="sc">Red Brocket</span>, found in Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay, which stands 27 - inches at the shoulder. The body-colouring is brownish red. Like most of the group, this brocket - is extremely shy; although fond of dense covert, it is found also on open campos. The <span - class="sc">Pygmy Brocket</span>, a tiny dark brown deerlet, less than 19 inches in height, found - in Central Brazil, is the smallest of these very small deer.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Two other diminutive deer, known as <span class="sc">Pudus</span>, closely allied - to the brockets, are found in South America. These are the <span class="sc">Chilian</span> and - <span class="sc">Ecuador Pudus</span>, of which the former is no more than 13½ inches in height, - the latter about 14 or 15 inches. Little is known of the history and life habits of these charming - little creatures, one of which, the Chilian species, has occasionally been seen in the Zoological - Society's Gardens.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Musk-deer.</span></p> - - <p>This brief account of the deer of the world closes with the <span class="sc">Musk-deer</span>, - which differ from almost all others of their kind—the Chinese water-deer being the sole - exception—in the absence of antlers. In place of these defensive and offensive weapons, - nature has provided the musk-deer with long canine tusks, projecting downwards from the upper jaw. - The musk, from which these curious deer take their name, is secreted during the - rutting-season—in the male only—in a pouch or gland contained in the skin of the - stomach.</p> - - <p>The well-known <span class="sc">Himalayan Musk-deer</span> is a stout, heavily made deer for - its size, measuring 20 inches at the shoulder, about 2 inches higher at the rump, and having a - coat of coarse, brittle hair of a dark brown colour. This musk-deer, which is nowadays by no means - common, is found in the forests of the Himalaya, Tibet, Siberia, and Western China, often at - altitudes of about 8,000 feet. These animals are extraordinary mountaineers, active, daring, and - apparently quite unconscious of or indifferent to danger.</p> - - <p>Another species, the <span class="sc">Kansu Musk-deer</span>, found in the province of Kansu, - China, has only been discovered within the last ten years. Concerning this deer very little is at - present known. In general characteristics it resembles its more familiar congener of the - Himalaya.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page299"><span class="smaller">{299}</span></span></div> - - <p>A <span class="smaller">WORD</span> should be said upon the subject of the acclimatisation of - various members of the Deer Tribe in countries which are distant from their native ground, but in - which they are found to thrive and breed, some with greater and some with less success. It will be - seen that several of the illustrations in this chapter are taken from deer living in natural - conditions at Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Bedford. Others were photographed out of doors - in zoological parks or private menageries. There is a considerable degree of transferability among - deer, not only among those found in temperate or northern regions, but also those which inhabit - the tropical jungles of Southern India.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_299.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_299.jpg" - alt="YOUNG MARSH-DEER." title="YOUNG MARSH-DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG MARSH-DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A very elegant South American species. The main colour is a bright chestnut, - with the lower part of the legs black. The insides of the ears are filled with white hair, - looking like silver filigree.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The Axis, or Chital Deer of India, is the most striking example. It lives in the hot jungles, - where it is the usual food of the tiger. Yet it has been transferred to the forests of France and - to English parks, and not only lives, but breeds and increases in numbers. It is kept in this - country mainly at Woburn Abbey, and at Haggerston Castle, in Northumberland. In France and Germany - herds of axis deer have been maintained long enough to observe a curious and noteworthy incident - in acclimatisation. The axis deer breeds naturally in October, after the Indian rainy season. This - habit, if persisted in in Europe, would expose the fawn to the rigours of the French or English - winter. Gradually and after some time the herds become irregular in the time of reproduction, and - later produce the fawns in June, at the time which is best suited to their survival. This is a - real instance of acclimatisation.</p> - - <p>The Japanese Deer, or Sika, was introduced into the park at Powerscourt by Viscount Powerscourt - some thirty years ago. Now it is one of the commonest of recently introduced park-deer both in - this country and in France. The venison is excellent, and the herds are prolific. The stags are - small, but very strong, and at Powerscourt always get the better of the red deer stags, and - sometimes carry off their hinds. Wapiti Deer are kept in several English parks, but so far the - Sambar has proved a failure. Hog-deer and Chinese Water-deer do very well both in England and - France.</p> - - <p>But it is in New Zealand that the best results have been obtained with imported deer. The - English Red Deer, some of which were originally sent out by the Prince Consort, reinforced by some - of the same species bred in Australia, have become indigenous. They grow far faster and to a - larger size than those on the Scotch moors, and rival the great stags of the Carpathians. The - antlers also increase in size at an abnormal rate. Licences are regularly issued to stalk and - shoot these deer, which, like the brown trout and the pheasant, are now among the stock of - established wild fauna. Moose and a few Sambar stags and herds have also been turned out in New - Zealand. The latter are said to be doing well.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page300"><span class="smaller">{300}</span></span></div> - - <p>There is no particular reason why the deer of cold countries should not be interchanged; they - seem to have the natural adaptability of oxen. But it is not a little surprising that the species - from warm climates should flourish in damp and cold ones. The axis deer would be a real addition - to the fauna of the great European forests, if it is found that it survives the winter snows - without some form of artificial shelter. No one seems to have considered the advisability of - introducing the mule-deer into the Central European woods. It is a much finer animal than the - fallow buck, and the venison is excellent. In those woods where fallow deer are preserved in a - wild state, as on many of the German Emperor's sporting-estates, the mule-deer would be a far more - ornamental animal. Few people know what immense herds of red and fallow deer, as well as of wild - boars, still exist, under careful preservation, in the forests of the great German, Austrian, and - Russian princes, and in the royal forests of their respective countries.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_300.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_300.jpg" - alt="YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER." title="YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG HIMALAYAN MUSK-DEER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The male carries a pouch on the abdomen, from which the musk is obtained. There - are no antlers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>When the Kaiser holds his great Court hunting-parties, to which the guests all come dressed in - the uniform of the Order of St. Hubert, as many as 200 deer are shot in a day. They are driven - past the guns by beaters. After the day's sport is over all the antlers are wreathed with boughs - of spruce fir, and the stags laid out like rabbits after an English battue.</p> - - <p>It is rather surprising that only one species of deer has been entirely domesticated—viz. - the Reindeer. Deer's meat is as highly prized as that of any other game, perhaps even more so. - There is almost no part of the animal which is not useful. The horns are valuable for - knife-handles, and always command a good price; they were prized even by prehistoric man, who - converted them into pick-axes, and made spear-heads and daggers of them. The leather of the hide - makes the softest and best of all hunting-garments: the American Indian or trapper always wears, - or used to wear, a deer-skin shirt and deer-skin leggings, made as exquisitely soft as chamois - leather by a process known to the squaws. At the present time all the best gloves are made of - doe-skin; they are far the most costly of any gloves. Doe-skin breeches are also a luxurious - garment to ride in. For ornamental rugs few skins beat those of the Dappled Deer, laid on the - floor of some finely furnished hall or room.</p> - - <p>Thus we have the curious spectacle of the wild men of the Far North, the Lapps and Ostiaks, - taming and keeping in domestication great herds of deer, milking them, using them as beasts of - draught, and feeding on their flesh, while far more civilised races in the South have not taken - the trouble to do so. The reason is not easy to surmise, unless it be that the idea of making use - of the Deer Tribe solely as beasts of the chase was so rooted in the European ruling races, and - their kings and nobles, that the agriculturist never had a chance of trying to tame and use them - for other purposes. It is certain that during the Middle Ages law and custom made any such attempt - quite impossible. The deer were a valuable sporting asset, so hedged round with an atmosphere of - feudal privilege, that to convert them into something useful to the common people would have been - regarded as an insult to the powers that were.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page301"><span class="smaller">{301}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_301.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_301.jpg" - alt="THE CAMEL-PLOUGH, USED IN ALGIERS." title="THE CAMEL-PLOUGH, USED IN ALGIERS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Neurdein Frères</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Paris.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE CAMEL-PLOUGH, USED IN ALGIERS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Camels are often used for agricultural purposes in North Africa, Syria, and - India. In this particular case a special kind of plough is employed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page302"><span class="smaller">{302}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXVIII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XVIII. The camel tribe and the chevrotains." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER XVIII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE CAMEL TRIBE AND THE CHEVROTAINS.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - - <p>The Camels and Llamas, constituting the present group, form a very distinct section of the - great assemblage of animals known as the Ruminants, or Cud-chewers. The Camel Tribe are peculiar - amongst the Ruminants in that they never possess horns, and in that the stomach is only divided - into three instead of four compartments—this division into compartments being intimately - connected with the ruminating habit. Furthermore, the upper jaw bears cutting-teeth, or "front - teeth," as they are popularly called: though the full set (three pairs) is only complete in the - young, in the adult but one pair remains, the others being shed. The canine or "eye" teeth are - also peculiar in their position, those of the lower jaw being separated from the cutting-teeth by - a very considerable gap.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_302_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_302_t.jpg" - alt="A WHITE CAMEL." title="A WHITE CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A WHITE CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">A light sandy is the common colour, though white, grey, brown, and black occur; - but black camels are held by the Arabs to be worthless.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the structure of the feet the Camel Tribe are no less peculiar; indeed, it is on this - character that the scientific name of the group is founded. Only two toes are present; these are - of equal size, and, instead of being protected by hoofs, are provided with a hardened skin, - covering a cushion-like pad, which expands when the weight of the body is thrown upon the foot, as - in walking. This is an admirable adaptation for walking on soft and yielding sands. Hoofs are - represented only by a pair of broad nails.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_302_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_302_b.jpg" - alt="ARABIAN CAMEL." title="ARABIAN CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Charles Knight</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aldershot.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ARABIAN CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This individual belongs to the heavy breed employed for carrying merchandise - and baggage.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The three-chambered stomach is remarkable because the chamber known as the "paunch" lodges in - its walls a large collection of "water-cells," in which can be stored as much as a gallon and a - half of water. This faculty of storing water is invaluable to an animal which has often to subsist - for days on absolutely waterless deserts.</p> - - <p>Note the slit-like nostrils in the illustration of the Bactrian Camel on <a - href="#page306">page 306</a>. These can be closed at the will of the animal, a useful precaution - against the entrance of sand during the violent sand-storms which often arise in the desert.</p> - - <p>The True Camels are distinguished by the possession of a hump or humps: there are never more - than two. It is in these humps that the camel was popularly supposed <span class="pagenum" - id="page303"><span class="smaller">{303}</span></span>to store water; in reality they are huge - masses of fat, serving as a reserve store of food. The accumulation of fat for this purpose is a - common feature amongst the Mammalia. Most animals which hibernate, or lay up and sleep during the - winter, store up fat; but, except in the camel, it is distributed more or less evenly over the - body. With hard work or bad feeding the camel's hump dwindles almost to nothing. When on the eve - of a long journey, the Arab looks anxiously to the state of this hump, for on the size of this - depends the animal's condition and ability to undertake the march.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_303_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_303_t.jpg" alt="A CAMEL." - title="A CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">A half-breed between the Arabian and Bactrian species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The Arabian camel as a wild animal has long since been extinct. Of the hordes of - so-called wild camels which abound in the desert regions of Central Asia (Gobi Steppe), some are - probably descendants of domesticated animals which have escaped from captivity, but others may be - aboriginally wild. From the evidence of fossil camels, there seems little doubt that this animal - originated in North America—one branch of the family (the Llamas) migrating into South - America, and the other (the Camels) crossing Bering Sea into the Old World.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The True Camel.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_303_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_303_b.jpg" - alt="A STRING OF CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID." title="A STRING OF CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A STRING OF CAMELS NEAR PORT SAID.</p> - <p class="sp0">These are the typical desert-camels of the East.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Before proceeding further, it may be well to refer to the confusion which exists in the use of - the names Camel and Dromedary. The latter name seems popularly to be applied to the two-humped - species, the name Camel being reserved for the one with a single hump. This is a mistake. The - <span class="sc">Dromedary</span> is a swift breed of riding-camel of the one-humped species, and - is so called to distinguish it from its slower brother, the Pack-camel, or <span class="pagenum" - id="page304"><span class="smaller">{304}</span></span>Baggage-camel. The pack-camel, it is - interesting to note, has been introduced into Australia, where it has proved invaluable in - crossing the vast waterless deserts, on account of its power to exist for long periods without - drinking.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_304.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_304.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF BACTRIAN CAMEL." title="HEAD OF BACTRIAN CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HEAD OF BACTRIAN CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The hair of this species is used to felt into material for tents. It is longest - on the top of the head, neck, humps, and parts of the fore limbs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">True</span> or <span class="sc">Arabian Camel</span> is found in a - domesticated state in Africa and Asia, and, as we have just indicated, belongs to the one-humped - species. It is a long-limbed, short-haired animal, standing as much as 7 feet high. As a wild - animal it is extinct. Much mystery, indeed, surrounds the question of its origin. It has been - suggested that the Arabian camel, or its immediate parent, may have sprung from an Indian - ancestor, and thence made its way through Arabia and Syria into Northern Africa.</p> - - <p>Not only is the camel indispensable as a beast of burden, but it is esteemed also for its hair, - its flesh, bones, and milk. The hair is woven into cloth. In some parts of India the bones are - used instead of ivory for inlaid work. The milk is unusually thick and rich, so much so that it - cannot be used for tea or coffee, as it curdles when mixed with either.</p> - - <p>The camel is popularly supposed to be a very docile animal; but those who speak from experience - declare it to be stupid, surly, and vicious to the last degree. It is, however, not entirely void - of understanding, and apparently cherishes feelings of revenge, as the following story shows: "A - camel, working in an oil-mill, was severely beaten by its driver. Perceiving that the camel had - treasured up the injury, and was only waiting a favourable opportunity for revenge, he kept a - strict watch upon the animal. Time passed away; the camel, perceiving it was watched, was quiet - and obedient, and the driver began to think the beating was forgotten, when one night, after the - lapse of several months, the man was sleeping on a raised platform in the mill, whilst the camel, - as is customary, was stabled in a corner. Happening to awake, the driver observed by the bright - moonlight that, when all was quiet, the animal looked cautiously round, rose softly, and, stealing - towards a spot where a bundle of clothes and a bernous, thrown carelessly on the ground, resembled - a sleeping figure, cast itself with violence upon them, rolling with all its weight, and tearing - them most viciously with its teeth. Satisfied that revenge was complete, the camel was returning - to its corner, when the driver sat up and spoke. At the sound of his voice, perceiving the mistake - it had made, the animal was so mortified at the failure and discovery of its scheme, that it - dashed its head against the wall and died on the spot."</p> - - <p>It is said that when camels pass a mounted man in a narrow path they will turn their heads - suddenly round and endeavour to inflict a bite on the rider's arm or shoulder. This is naturally - much dreaded, as a camel's bite is particularly severe.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Much care has been spent in the breeding of the camel. "In the Sahara Desert," says - Canon Tristram, "the Tourareg is as careful in the selection of his breeding mahari (a fine race - of the dromedary) as the Arab is in that of his horse. The pedigrees are handed down, and many a - dromedary can boast a genealogy far longer than the descendants of the Darley Arabian" (<a - href="#darley">page 202</a>).</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Bactrian Camel.</span></p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page305"><span class="smaller">{305}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_305.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_305.jpg" - alt="AN OLD MALE BACTRIAN CAMEL." title="AN OLD MALE BACTRIAN CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AN OLD MALE BACTRIAN CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is a magnificent representative of the two-humped species, so - widely distributed in Central Asia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page306"><span class="smaller">{306}</span></span></div> - - <p>This species is often called the Dromedary; but, as we have already remarked, this is an error. - The dromedary is a swift breed of the Arabian camel. The <span class="sc">Bactrian Camel</span> - may be distinguished from its Arabian relative by the fact that it has two humps, is shorter in - the leg and heavier, and has longer hair and stouter and harder feet. The shorter legs are - distinctly advantageous, enabling the animal to get about with ease and safety over rocky and - hilly ground.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_306_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_306_t.jpg" - alt="BACTRIAN CAMEL." title="BACTRIAN CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Charles Knight</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aldershot.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BACTRIAN CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The most useful transport animal of Central Asia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The hordes of wild camels found in Turkestan, in the neighbourhood of Kashgar, are believed by - Major C. S. Cumberland to be descended from camels which escaped when the district known as Takla - Makan was buried in a great sand-storm 200 years ago. From the fury of that storm it is said no - human being escaped alive. Some camels apparently did, perhaps owing their survival to the power - they possess of closing the nostrils, and thereby keeping out the sand.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The Bactrian camel lives upon the salt and bitter plants of the steppes, which are - rejected by almost all other animals. It is further able to drink brackish water from the salt - lakes by which it is surrounded. When pressed by hunger, it will even eat felt blankets, bones and - skins of other animals, and fish!</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE LLAMAS.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3"><span class="sc">The Llamas</span> are humpless camels, and confined to the western - and southernmost parts of South America. Two wild and two domesticated species are known. The name - Llama, it should be mentioned, properly belongs to the domesticated animal of that name.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Vicuña.</span></p> - - <p>This is the smaller of the two wild species. Vicuñas live in herds in the mountain-ranges of - Peru, dwelling during the wet season high up amid rocks and precipices, near the region of - perpetual snow. In the dry season they descend to the higher valleys. Their capture is a matter of - great difficulty; for, apart from the inaccessible nature of their haunts, they are exceedingly - shy and vigilant. They are clothed in a woolly coat of extremely delicate texture, much in demand - for weaving purposes.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_306_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_306_b.jpg" - alt="YOUNG BACTRIAN CAMEL." title="YOUNG BACTRIAN CAMEL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YOUNG BACTRIAN CAMEL.</p> - <p class="sp0">The two humps are just beginning to grow.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The baby vicuña, it is interesting to note, is able to run swiftly directly after its birth, - and possesses great powers of <span class="pagenum" id="page307"><span - class="smaller">{307}</span></span>endurance. This is the more noteworthy since the young of the - camel are exceedingly helpless.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Vicuñas are hunted by the Indians and captured by driving them into an enclosure of - perhaps half a mile in diameter. This is hung round with bits of coloured rag, which, fluttering - in the wind, appear to deter the captives from breaking through.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Guanaco.</span></p> - - <p>This is larger than the vicuña, and is described as an elegant animal, being possessed of a - long, slender, gracefully curved neck and fine legs. It ranges from the highlands of the Andes to - the plains of Patagonia and the islands of Tierra del Fuego. As Mr. Darwin points out, the - behaviour of guanaco when alarmed is very contradictory. At one time they will sound the - danger-signal, and put themselves out of harm's way long before the enemy has perceived them; at - another they exhibit the most extraordinary curiosity, and pay the death-penalty in consequence. - "That they are curious is certain; for if a person lies on the ground and plays strange antics, - such as throwing up his feet in the air, they will almost always approach by degrees to - reconnoitre him. It was an artifice that was repeatedly practised by our sportsmen with success, - and it had, moreover, the advantage of allowing several shots to be fired, which were all taken as - part of the performance. On the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, I have more than once seen a - guanaco, on being approached, not only neigh and squeal, but prance and leap about in the most - ridiculous manner, apparently in defiance, as a challenge. These animals are very easily - domesticated, and I have seen some thus kept in Northern Patagonia near a house, though not under - any restraint. They are in this state very bold, and readily attack a man by striking him from - behind with both knees. The wild guanacos, however, have no idea of defence; even a single dog - will secure one of these large animals till the huntsmen can come up. In many of their habits they - are like sheep in a flock. Thus, when they see men approaching in several directions on horseback, - they soon become bewildered, and know not which way to run. This greatly facilitates the Indian - method of hunting, for they are thus easily driven to a central point, and are encompassed."</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_307.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_307.jpg" alt="GUANACO." - title="GUANACO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GUANACO.</p> - <p class="sp0">The wild original of the llama and alpaca.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Guanacos readily take to the water, and have been frequently seen swimming from one island to - another. Here again the llamas differ from the camels, for these can swim but little, if at all. - Like the Bactrian camel, the guanaco can drink salt water with impunity.</p> - - <p class="sp3">One of the most remarkable traits of the guanaco is that which induces it, when it - feels its end to be near, to seek out the dying-place of the tribe, and there breathe out its - last. "The guanacos," says Mr. Darwin, "appear to have favourite spots for lying down to die. On - the banks of the St. Cruz, in certain circumscribed places, which were generally bushy and all - near the river, the ground was actually white with bones. On one such spot I counted <span - class="pagenum" id="page308"><span class="smaller">{308}</span></span>between ten and twenty - heads.... The animals in most cases must have crawled, before dying, beneath and amongst the - bushes."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Llama.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">This is the first of the two domesticated offshoots of the guanaco, the other being - the Alpaca. The <span class="sc">Llama</span> is a larger beast than the guanaco, and variable in - colour. The ancient Peruvians bred it as a beast of burden or for riding, and before the Spanish - conquest kept it in enormous numbers. Soon after the Spanish conquest "it was not uncommon to meet - droves of from 300 to 500, or even 1,000 llamas, each laden with silver ingots, and the whole in - charge of a single native.... Only the male llamas were used as beasts of burden, while the - smaller females were kept for their milk and flesh. In travelling along the roads, the droves - marched in single file, under the guidance of a leader; and such a line would traverse the highest - passes of the Cordillera, and skirt the most stupendous precipices with perfect safety.... The - Spanish conquerors of Peru spoke of llama-flesh as being fully equal to the best mutton, and they - established shops in the towns for its regular sale. At the time of the conquest it is estimated - that upwards of 300,000 llamas were employed in the transport of the product of the mines of - Potosi alone."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Alpaca.</span></p> - - <p>This animal is bred solely for the sake of its wool, which is of great length and fineness. - From it is made the well-known fabric which bears, in consequence, the name "alpaca."</p> - - <p>The alpaca is kept in herds on the high grounds of Bolivia and South Peru, whence it is - annually driven down to be sheared. The Incas dyed the wool—which is of two qualities, a - fine and a coarse—with bright colours, and made it up into cloth or blankets, as the - occasion served.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_308.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_308.jpg" alt="LLAMAS." - title="LLAMAS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by the Duchess of Bedford</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Woburn Abbey.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LLAMAS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Largely used as beasts of burden in Peru, where these and the alpaca were - formerly the only domesticated ruminants.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page309"><span class="smaller">{309}</span></span></div> - - <p>The earliest account of this animal is by Augustin de Zarate, the Treasurer-General of Peru in - 1544. He speaks of the beast as a sheep; but since he describes it as camel-like in shape, though - devoid of a hump, there can be no doubt that it is the llama he is describing. He says: "In places - where there is no snow the natives want water, and to supply this they fill the skins of sheep - with water, and make other living sheep carry them; for, it must be remarked, these sheep of Peru - are large enough to serve as beasts of burden. They can carry about 100 lbs. or more, and the - Spaniards used to ride them, and they would go four or five leagues a day. When they are weary, - they lie down on the ground; and as there are no means of making them get up, either by beating or - assisting them, the load must of necessity be taken off. When there is a man on one of them, if - the beast be tired and urged to go on, he turns his head round and discharges his saliva, which - has an unpleasant odour, into the rider's face. These animals are of great use and profit to their - masters, for their wool is very good and fine ... and the expense of their food is trifling, as a - handful of maize suffices them, and they can go four or five days without water. Their flesh is as - good as that of the fat sheep of Castile. There are now public shambles for the sale of their - flesh in all parts of Peru, which was not the case when the Spaniards came first."</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_309_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_309_t.jpg" alt="LLAMA." - title="LLAMA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">LLAMA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The larger of the two domesticated forms descended from the guanaco.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The particularly offensive habit of spitting in the face of people who may be obnoxious to it - is well known to those who are in the habit of seeing much of this animal.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_309_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_309_b.jpg" alt="ALPACA." - title="ALPACA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ALPACA.</p> - <p class="sp0">A domesticated form, bred solely for its wool, which is of a dark brown or - black colour.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE CHEVROTAINS.</span></p> - - <p>Mention must be made, before passing to the Pig Tribe, of the smallest of hoofed mammals, the - Royal Antelope excepted—the <span class="sc">Chevrotains</span>. These little animals are - hornless, and intermediate in character between the Deer, Camels, and Pigs. The males have large - canine teeth, like those of the Musk-deer, with which the Chevrotains have long been confounded. - The range of these animals, of which there are five species known, extends from India and Ceylon, - through the Malayan countries, as far east as the island of Palawan, in the Philippine group. One - species, the largest of the group, occurs on the west coast of Africa.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page310"><span class="smaller">{310}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXIX."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XIX. The pig and hippopotamus." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XIX.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE PIG AND HIPPOPOTAMUS.</i></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE PIG TRIBE.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY H. A. BRYDEN.</span></p> - - <p>Many species and varieties of swine are found in different parts of the world, most of them - exhibiting strong traces of a general family resemblance, although widely sundered as to habitats - and often markedly differing in outward appearance. All are omnivorous; all have the stomach - simpler in type than in the Ruminants; and all have front or incisor teeth in the upper jaw. The - two great families of swine proper are the Pigs and Peccaries.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_310.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_310.jpg" - alt="A DOMESTICATED SOW AND HER PROGENY." title="A DOMESTICATED SOW AND HER PROGENY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A DOMESTICATED SOW AND HER PROGENY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The absence of stripes and spots on the young is a feature in which they differ - from those of nearly all wild swine.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>There has been much discussion among scientists as to the early origin of the various breeds of - domestic swine found in different parts of the world. There can be little doubt that, although - selective breeding has produced extraordinary differences in outward appearance, even among the - domestic pigs of our own islands, the origin of the numerous tame races is to be sought in the - ancestry of the wild breeds of the countries in which they are found. Darwin has some very - apposite remarks on the differences to be observed in domesticated swine. "The peculiar form of - the skull and body in the most highly cultivated races is," he observes, "not characteristic of - any one race, but is common to all when improved up to <span class="pagenum" id="page311"><span - class="smaller">{311}</span></span>the same standard. Thus the large-bodied, long-eared English - breed, with a convex back, and the small-bodied, short-eared Chinese breeds, with a concave back, - when bred to the same state of perfection, nearly resemble each other in the form of the head and - body. This result, it appears, is partly due to similar causes of change acting on the several - races, and partly to man breeding the pig for one sole purpose—namely, for the greatest - amount of flesh and fat; so that selection has always tended towards one and the same end. With - most domestic animals the result of selection has been divergence of character; here it has been - convergence."</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_311.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_311.jpg" alt="WILD BOAR." - title="WILD BOAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berlin.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WILD BOAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">In its long, bristly hair and powerful lower tusks, the wild boar is a very - different animal from its domesticated descendants.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The True Pigs.</span></p> - - <p>True pigs are found only in the Old World, and even there in very widely different forms. - Typical of these quadrupeds is the well-known <span class="sc">Wild Boar</span>, found abundantly - in many parts of Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. In the British Islands the - wild boar must once have been extraordinarily plentiful, especially in Ireland, where its tame - descendants still so greatly flourish. In the days of the Plantagenets wild swine fed and - sheltered in the woodlands close to London. James I. hunted them near Windsor in 1617, and even - down to the year 1683 these animals still had their haunts in the more secluded parts of England. - Although now extinct in these Islands, the wild boar is to be found plentifully at the present day - in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Spain, Greece, Albania, and other countries of the - Mediterranean. In most parts of Europe the wild boar is shot during forest drives, but in the - Caucasus and round the Black Sea the hardy peasants lie in wait for these animals by the - fruit-trees on autumn nights or waylay them going to the water and shoot them single-handed. Many - an old Cossack, writes Mr. Clive Phillipps-Wolley, bears the scars of some desperate encounter - with these formidable foes. In Spain, where in the old days the boar was pursued by cavaliers with - spear and pike, it is still, in the forests of Estremadura, followed with horse and hound, - usually, says Mr. Abel Chapman, "during the stillness of a moonlight night, when the acorns are - falling from the oaks in the magnificent Estremenian woods."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page312"><span class="smaller">{312}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_312.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_312.jpg" alt="DIVING-PIGS." - title="DIVING-PIGS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. Turner-Turner, Esq.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">DIVING-PIGS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Half-wild pigs, found in Florida, where they live on refuse fish. (See <a - href="#divpig">next page</a>)</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In India the wild boar of Europe and North Africa is replaced by a closely allied species - (distinguished by a crest of long black bristles upon the neck and back), which furnishes some of - the finest and most exciting sport in the world to mounted hunters armed with a sharp spear. There - is not a pluckier or more fearless beast living than the boar; and as he carries long and - extremely sharp tusks, and never scruples to use them, he is an exceedingly dangerous opponent - when wounded and enraged. Severe and even fatal accidents have happened in the pursuit of this - determined beast of chase. When at bay, the boar is absolutely reckless of life; and although - pierced and mortally wounded by the spear, will yet force himself up the shaft, and with his dying - effort inflict gaping wounds on the horse bearing his attacker. Indian shikaris, to illustrate the - courage of the wild boar, say that he has the hardihood to drink at a river between two tigers; - and Colonel R. Heber Percy mentions, in the Badminton volumes on "Big Game Shooting," that - "several cases are on record in which an old boar has beaten off a tiger, and some in which the - latter has been killed by a boar. The boar's extraordinary activity and sharp tusks make him no - mean adversary, and his short neck makes it difficult for a tiger to seize it and give it that - fatal wrench with which he likes to polish off his victims." A wild boar will stand as much as 3 - feet at the shoulder—some sportsmen affirm considerably more—and weigh more than 300 - lbs. The finest boar's tusk known is one mentioned in Rowland Ward's "Records of Big Game." This - measures 11½ inches over the curve. It came from the Caucasus, and is in the possession of Colonel - Veernhof.</p> - - <p>It is worthy of note that, while the full-grown individuals of the various species of wild - swine are uniformly coloured, their young are longitudinally striped and spotted. In India, - besides the common boar, a tiny wild swine, known as the <span class="sc">Pygmy Hog</span>, is - found in the Bhutan Terai and the forests of Nepal and Sikhim. This pig, which is little bigger - than a fox-terrier, runs in considerable troops, or sounders, and is said to attack intruders into - its domain much in the same fearless way in which the peccary of America defends its sanctuaries. - The height of this diminutive species is given as from 8 to 10 inches—the weight at 10 - lbs.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page313"><span class="smaller">{313}</span></span></div> - - <p>Wild swine are nocturnal in their habits, frequenting moist and marshy country, loving the - shade of forests, and making their lairs in tall grass, reed-beds, and similar covert. They go far - afield for their food-supplies, and do a great deal of damage to crops in cultivated districts. - The European wild sow produces from six to ten young, and at least two litters are usually brought - forth in the year.</p> - - <div id="divpig"></div> - - <p>It is remarkable how quickly pigs, as well as other domesticated animals, revert to a - semi-feral state of existence, and develop habits suited to a fresh environment. Mr. J. - Turner-Turner sends us the following interesting note in connection with this trait: "<span - class="sc">Diving-pigs</span>.—These pigs live in an almost wild condition on certain of the - islands off Florida, and subsist chiefly upon the refuse fish cast away by the netsmen. To obtain - this, the pigs dive under water, walking on the land at a depth of 5 feet below the surface."</p> - - <p>Among other Asiatic wild swine are to be mentioned the <span class="sc">Collared Pig</span>, - found in Java, Sumatra, and Borneo; the <span class="sc">White-whiskered Japanese Pig</span>; the - <span class="sc">Papuan</span> and <span class="sc">Formosan Pigs</span>; the <span - class="sc">Warty Pig</span> of Java and Borneo; the <span class="sc">Ceram Pig</span>; the <span - class="sc">Celebes Pig</span>; and the <span class="sc">Bearded Pig</span> of Borneo, a species - distinguished by a quantity of long hair carried upon the cheeks. In the Andaman Islands a small, - shaggy wild pig, standing about 20 inches at the shoulder, is found in the forests. Although - distinguished from the well-known wild boar of India by certain peculiarities, there is a strong - family resemblance to that well-known species in most of these various Asiatic species and - races.</p> - - <p>Among the many kinds of domesticated swine found in Asia, perhaps the strangest and most - curious is the <span class="sc">Japanese Masked Pig</span>. This animal is described by Darwin as - having "an extraordinary appearance, from its short head, broad forehead and nose, great fleshy - ears, and deeply furrowed skin. Not only is the face furrowed, but thick folds of skin, which are - harder than the other parts, almost like the plates on the Indian rhinoceros, hang about the - shoulders and rump. It is coloured black, with white feet, and breeds true. That it has long been - domesticated there can be little doubt; and this might have been inferred even from the - circumstance that its young are not longitudinally striped."</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_313_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_313_t.jpg" - alt="JAVAN WILD PIG." title="JAVAN WILD PIG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">JAVAN WILD PIG.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of several nearly allied species inhabiting the Malay Islands.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_313_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_313_b.jpg" - alt="MALE AND FEMALE BABIRUSA." title="MALE AND FEMALE BABIRUSA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co</i>.]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green</i>.</span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE AND FEMALE BABIRUSA.</p> - <p class="sp0">The chief characteristic of this pig is the peculiar and enormous development - of the tusks in the male, the upper pair of which grow through the lips and curve - backwards.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In Africa, besides the European wild boar, which there extends its range to Algeria and - Morocco, a little-known wild pig is the <span class="sc">Senaar Boar</span>, found in Senaar, - Kordofan, and the Soudan region. In the late Dr. Gray's "Catalogue of Carnivora" this wild pig is - described as having the fur dense and bristly, and <span class="pagenum" id="page314"><span - class="smaller">{314}</span></span>being in colour dull olive-black, varied with yellow. Possibly - this little known swine may prove to be merely a sub-species of the common wild boar of Europe and - North Africa. Now that the Soudan regions have once more been opened up to Europeans, we may - expect shortly to hear more of this wild swine, as well as of other rare and interesting - animals.</p> - - <p>Still dealing with the true pigs, we come now to the Bush-pigs of Africa and Madagascar. These - differ somewhat from the typical wild boars of Europe and India in the structure of the teeth, the - long pencilled ear-tufts, the elongated snout, and other characteristics. The tusks are - considerably smaller, and seldom exceed 6 or 7 inches in length. The <span class="sc">Red - River-hog</span>, or <span class="sc">West African Bush-pig</span>, is decidedly the most striking - of this group. Smaller than the bush-pig of South Africa, and seldom exceeding 2 feet in height at - the shoulder, the colour of this animal is a brilliant reddish brown, with tints of yellow. - Noticeable streaks of white are found round the eyes and on the cheeks. The ear-tufts, forehead, - and limbs are blackish; more white markings are seen at the tips of the ear-tufts, along the thick - mane, and round the margins of the ears. The under-parts are whitish grey in colour. This very - handsome pig runs in considerable herds, and is found chiefly in forest and jungle near the banks - of the various rivers in West Africa. Its range extends from Angola to Senegambia, and eastwards - into the continent as far as Monbuttu.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_314_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_314_t.jpg" - alt="WART-HOG." title="WART-HOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Miss E. J. Beck</i>.</span> </p> - <p class="sp3">WART-HOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Shows the great size of the head in proportion to the body.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_314_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_314_b.jpg" - alt="ÆLIAN'S WART-HOG." title="ÆLIAN'S WART-HOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co</i>.]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green</i>.</span></p> - <p class="sp3">ÆLIAN'S WART-HOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Displays the broad muzzle and huge tusks, which are nearly as large in the sows - as in the boars.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The well-known <span class="sc">Bush-pig of South Africa</span>, the <span - class="sc">Bosch-vark</span> of the Boers, is a fine species, having a wide range over much of the - southern and south-eastern parts of the continent, extending as far north as Central Africa. In - the Eastern Transvaal and Swaziland these animals attain their greatest size, an adult boar - standing from 2 feet 4 inches to 2 feet 7 inches in height, and weighing as much as from 150 to - 170 lbs. The usual colour is brownish red, the face and mane greyish; but in different specimens - and at different ages great variations are to be noticed. Pale greyish brown or mottled brown are - colours often to be found. These bush-pigs are formidable-looking creatures, with thick bristling - manes, small deep-set eyes, and sharp if somewhat short tusks, which they know well how to use. - Among the old-fashioned Boers cured hams from these animals were, when they were more plentiful in - Cape Colony, often to be found in up-country farmhouses. The bosch-vark is a beast of shy, - nocturnal habit, and, loving as it does the shade and protection of dense covert and bush, is, - unless carefully sought for, not often seen by sportsmen. The herds range usually from half a - dozen to as many as twenty in number. When once encountered and set up at bay, this wild swine - <span class="pagenum" id="page315"><span class="smaller">{315}</span></span>will be found a most - tough and courageous adversary, capable and willing to defend itself stoutly against all foes. - "They are," says Mr. F. Vaughan Kirby, who has had much experience in hunting these animals, - "expert swimmers and swift of foot, and can get over the roughest ground at a great pace. There is - no pluckier beast in Africa than a bush-pig, and even a leopard will hesitate before attacking a - full-grown boar. Like all wild creatures, they have an instinctive dread of man, and will always - make their escape from him if possible; but if surrounded or wounded and brought to bay, they - appear to accept the situation with stolid imperturbability, and die fighting with rare pluck, - against all odds, grim and silent to the last.... Face to face in the middle of a 'fast' bush, and - only a Swazi 'stabbing-assegai' with which to kill him, ... I have seen an old boar, after - receiving nine thrusts from those terrible weapons, two of which were still fast in him, make a - charge that scattered us like chaff, and in three consecutive lunges lame one of our number for - life, and disembowel two of the finest 'pig-dogs' I ever hunted with. In such encounters a boar - inflicts terrible wounds with his teeth, as well as with his tusks." Few men care to face a - wart-hog on foot.</p> - - <p>Another bush-pig is found in Madagascar, and is known as <span class="sc">Edwards' - Bush-pig</span>. Its habits are very similar to those of its brethren in the neighbouring - continent of Africa.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_315.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_315.jpg" - alt="HEAD OF MALE WART-HOG." title="HEAD OF MALE WART-HOG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co</i>.]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green</i>.</span></p> - <p class="sp3">HEAD OF MALE WART-HOG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Profile showing the large conical warty growths on the side of the face so - characteristic of these animals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Babirusa.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">Quitting the true pigs, we come now to perhaps the very strangest and most singular - of all the great tribe of swine. This is the Babirusa, that curious and grotesque creature found - in the island of Celebes, in the Malay Archipelago. The name Babirusa signifies "pig-deer." It is - of course a misnomer, and the animal has no kinship whatever with the cervine race. The babirusa - is a wild swine, having a dark slate-grey skin, very sparsely covered with hair along the ridge of - the spine. This skin is very extraordinarily wrinkled. The ears are much smaller than is the case - with other members of the swine group, while the tail is short, straight, and lacks any semblance - of tuft. The females have small tusks. In the boars the tusks are most singularly and abnormally - developed. From the upper jaw, instead of curving from the side of the lips, the tusks grow from - the centre of the muzzle, penetrate right through the skin, and curve backwards often till they - touch the forehead. The lower tusks have also a strong curve, but are not so long as those of the - upper jaw. Although thus superabundantly provided with tushes, the babirusa is, as regards the - rest of its teeth, less well off, having only thirty-four, as against the forty-four of the - European wild boar. In their habits these singular pigs much resemble other wild swine, going in - herds and frequenting forest, jungle, and the banks of rivers. They are excellent swimmers. The - young are, unlike other wild swine in the infant state, unstriped. These animals are often found - domesticated about the dwellings of native chiefs in Celebes. The weight of a good male is as much - as 128 lbs.; height at shoulder, 27½ inches. The longest tusk recorded measures 17 inches <span - class="pagenum" id="page316"><span class="smaller">{316}</span></span>over the curve. These - animals are driven into nets and speared by the natives of Celebes, and afford excellent sport, - the boars especially charging viciously at their assailants.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Wart-hogs.</span></p> - - <p>If the babirusa of the Malay Archipelago is a sufficiently bizarre-looking creature, the - wart-hog of Africa yields to none of the wild pigs in sheer, downright hideousness of aspect. - <span class="sc">The Wart-hog of South Africa</span>, the <span class="sc">Vlakte-vark</span> (Pig - of the Plains) of the Boers, has long been familiar to hunters and naturalists. Standing some 30 - inches in height, this wild swine is distinguished by the disproportionate size of the head, - extreme length, breadth, and flatness of the front of the face and muzzle, smallish ears, huge - tusks, and the strange wart-like protuberances from which it takes its name. Three of these - wen-like growths are found on each side of the face. The tusks of the upper jaw, unlike the teeth - of the true pigs, are much larger than those protruding from the lower jaw. The lower tusks seldom - exceed 6 inches in length; those of the upper jaw occasionally reach as much as 20 inches over the - curve. A pair from North-east Africa (Annesley Bay, on the Abyssinian littoral) measure - respectively 27 and 26 inches—truly gigantic trophies. The skin of this wild hog is nearly - naked, except upon the neck and back, where a long, coarse main of dark bristly hair is to be - observed. Wart-hogs, as their Dutch name implies, in the days when game was plentiful, were often - found in open country, on the broad grass-plains and karroos. At the present day they are less - often seen in the open. They run in small family parties, usually two or three sows and their - litters. The old boars, throughout a great part of the year, prefer a more solitary existence. - These animals, when pursued, usually betake themselves to an open earth, not of their own making, - and, slewing round sharply just as they enter, make their way in hind end first. They afford no - great sport to the hunter, and are usually secured with a rifle-bullet. The flesh is fairly good - eating, especially that of a young and tender specimen. Speaking generally, wart-hogs are nothing - like such fierce and determined opponents as the wild boars of Europe and India, or even the - bush-pig. They will, however, charge occasionally, and have been known to attack and rip up a - horse. A northern species—<span class="sc">Ælian's Wart-hog</span>—is found in - Abyssinia, Somaliland, and other parts of East Africa, where—especially in - Abyssinia—it roams the mountains and their vicinity, occasionally to a height of 9,000 or - 10,000 feet. There is little difference between this and the southern form. Wart-hogs produce - usually three or four young, and the sow makes her litter in a disused burrow. Unlike those of the - majority of wild swine, the young of the wart-hog are uniformly coloured, having no white stripes - or spots.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_316.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_316.jpg" - alt="COLLARED PECCARY." title="COLLARED PECCARY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. P. Dando</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Regent's Park.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COLLARED PECCARY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Peccaries are the New World representatives of the Swine, and are characterised - by a large gland on the back.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page317"><span class="smaller">{317}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Peccaries.</span></p> - - <p>Peculiar to the American Continent, the <span class="sc">Peccaries</span> differ considerably - from the wild swine of the Old World. They are of small size; the dentition is not the same, the - stomach is more complicated in structure, and the hind feet have three instead of four toes. In - general appearance peccaries are not unlike small dark-coloured pig, well covered with bristles, - and having, as well as a prominent mane, a deep fringe of hair beneath the throat. They are - essentially forest-loving animals, roaming over large tracts of country and making considerable - migrations in search of food. Two species have been distinctly identified by naturalists—the - <span class="sc">Collared Peccary</span>, and the <span class="sc">White-lipped Peccary</span>. Of - these, the former species is found from Texas, in North America, as far south as the Rio Negro, in - Patagonia. The habitat of the white-lipped peccary is more circumscribed, and the animal is seldom - found except in that part of South and Central America lying between British Honduras and - Paraguay. No members of the Pig Family are fiercer or more tenacious of their sanctuaries than the - white-lipped peccary, which roams the dense forests of Brazil and Paraguay in large herds. A human - being, attacked and surrounded by a herd of these savage little creatures, would indeed stand but - a poor chance of his life, and many a hunter and traveller has been compelled to seek refuge in a - tree and sustain some hours of siege. Of the two species, the white-lipped peccary is somewhat the - larger, standing from 15 to 17½ inches in height. The collared peccary averages from 13½ to 15½ - inches. The flesh of these wild swine is not in much repute, and unless the back-gland is at once - cut out a freshly killed specimen will become quickly spoiled as a human food-supply. Young - peccaries appear to be easily tamed, fierce as is their nature in the wild state. In contrast with - the abundant litters of other pigs, wild and domesticated, only one offspring is ordinarily - produced at birth. In fighting, the peccary does not rip like the wild boar, but inflicts savage - and severe bites.</p> - - <p>"Untrained dogs," says President Roosevelt, "even those of a large size, will speedily be - killed by a single peccary, and if they venture to attack a herd will be literally torn into - shreds. A big trained dog, however, can, single-handed, kill a peccary, and I have known the feat - performed several times."</p> - - <p>Azara, the eminent Spanish naturalist of the end of the eighteenth century, had considerable - experience of the peccaries of Central and Southern America, where the Indians are much addicted - to taming wild animals, and keep both the peccary and the tapir in a state of semi-domestication. - The peccary he found to be domesticated more easily than might be expected. Though so fierce in - its wild state, it soon becomes troublesome from its familiarity.</p> - - <p>Mr. Schomburgk, the explorer of Central America, whose travels were so constantly quoted during - the Venezuelan arbitration, saw much of the white-lipped species in the forests. He found the - animals in large troops under the leadership of an old boar. When attacked, they were ready to - surround man, dog, or jaguar; and if there were no means of escape, the enemy was certain to be - cut to pieces. He himself had a narrow escape from an infuriated herd, the leader of which he shot - in the act of rushing at him. As the herd approached the sound was like that of a whirlwind - through the bushes.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_317.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_317.jpg" - alt="A YOUNG COLLARED PECCARY." title="A YOUNG COLLARED PECCARY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A YOUNG COLLARED PECCARY.</p> - <p class="sp0">In this specimen the white collar from which the species takes its name is very - clearly displayed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page318"><span class="smaller">{318}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.</span></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. C. SELOUS.</span></p> - - <p>Two species of the Hippopotamus Family exist on the earth to-day, both of which are inhabitants - of Africa, and are not found in any other country; but the remains of many extinct forms of this - genus which have been discovered in various parts of Europe and Asia show that in Pleistocene and - Pliocene times these strange and uncouth animals must have been widely distributed throughout the - greater part of the Old World. The fossil remains of the large form of hippopotamus which once - frequented the lakes and rivers of England and Western Europe cannot be distinguished from the - bones of the common African species of to-day, which latter is possibly the only animal in the - world which has undergone no change in form or structure since the prehistoric savages of the - Thames Valley threw stone-headed spears at their enemies.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Hippopotamus</span>, though it has long been banished from the - Lower Nile, and has more recently been practically exterminated in the British colonies south of - the Limpopo, was once an inhabitant of every lake and river throughout the entire African - Continent from the delta of the Nile to the neighbourhood of Cape Town. Now it is not found below - Khartum, on the Nile; but in Southern Africa a few hippopotamuses are said still to exist in the - lower reaches of the Orange River. When Van Riebeck first landed at the Cape, in 1652, he found - some of these animals in the swamp now occupied by Church Square, in the centre of Cape Town, and - the last in the district was only killed in the Berg River, about seventy miles north of that - city, as recently as 1874. This animal, which had been protected for some years, was at last shot, - as it had become very savage, and was in the habit of attacking any one who approached it. In my - own experience I have met with the hippopotamus in all the large rivers of Africa where I have - travelled, such as the Zambesi, Kafukwe, Chobi, Sabi, Limpopo, and Usutu, and also in most of the - many large streams which take their rise on the plateau of Matabililand and Mashonaland, and flow - north, south, and east into the Zambesi, the Limpopo, or the Sabi. I have also seen them in the - sea, at the mouth of the Quillimani River, and have heard from natives that they will travel by - sea from the mouth of one river to another.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_318.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_318.jpg" - alt="A THREE-YEAR-OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS." title="A THREE-YEAR-OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck, Hamburg.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A THREE-YEAR-OLD HIPPOPOTAMUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">In this specimen the great lower tusks are not yet developed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Hippopotamuses live either in families of a few individuals or in herds that may number from - twenty to thirty members. Old bulls are often met with alone, and cows when about to calve will - sometimes leave their companions and live for a time in seclusion, returning, however, to the herd - soon after the birth of their calves. Although, owing to the shortness of its legs, a hippopotamus - bull does not stand very high at the shoulder—about 4 feet 8 inches being the average - height—yet its body is of enormous bulk. A male which died some years ago in the Zoological - Gardens of London measured 12 feet in length from the nose to the root of the tail, and weighed 4 - tons; and these dimensions are probably often exceeded in a wild state.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page319"><span class="smaller">{319}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_319.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_319.jpg" - alt="HIPPOPOTAMUS DRINKING." title="HIPPOPOTAMUS DRINKING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Highbury.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HIPPOPOTAMUS DRINKING.</p> - <p class="sp0">The enormous breadth of the muzzle, as well as the small nostrils, which can be - closed at will, are clearly displayed in this posture.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page320"><span class="smaller">{320}</span></span></div> - - <p>The huge mouth of the hippopotamus (see <a href="#fp321">Coloured Plate</a>), which the animal - is fond of opening to its widest extent, is furnished with very large canine and incisor teeth, - which are kept sharp by constantly grinding one against another, and thus enable their possessor - to rapidly cut down great quantities of the coarse grass and reeds upon which these animals - exclusively feed when living in uninhabited countries. When, however, their haunts are in the - neighbourhood of native villages, they often commit great havoc in the corn-fields of the - inhabitants, trampling down as much as they eat; and it was their fondness for sugar-cane which - brought about the destruction of the last herd of hippopotamuses surviving in Natal.</p> - - <p>The lower canine teeth or tusks of the hippopotamus grow to a great size, and in bulls may - weigh from 4 lbs. to 7 lbs. each. They are curved in shape, and when extracted from the jaw form a - complete half-circle, and have been known to measure upwards of 30 inches over the curve. In life, - however, not more than a third of their length protrudes beyond the gums.</p> - - <p>During the daytime hippopotamuses are seldom met with out of the water. They lie and doze all - day long in the deep pools of the rivers they frequent, with only their eyes, ears, and nostrils - above the surface, or else bask in the sun on the tail of a sandbank, looking like so many - gigantic pigs with their bodies only partially submerged. Sometimes they will lie and sleep - entirely out of water amongst reeds. I have seen them feeding in the reed-beds of the great swamps - of the Chobi just at sundown, but as a rule, they do not leave the water until after dark. At - night they often wander far afield, especially in the rainy season, in search of suitable food; - and after having been fired at and frightened, I have known a herd of hippopotamuses to travel at - least five-and-twenty miles along the course of a river during the ensuing night, in order to - reach a larger and deeper pool than the one in which they had been molested.</p> - - <div class="ac w60 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_320.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_320.jpg" - alt="HIPPOPOTAMUSES BATHING." title="HIPPOPOTAMUSES BATHING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Lord Delamere</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Northwich.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HIPPOPOTAMUSES BATHING.</p> - <p class="sp0">A hippopotamus stays under water for about 2½ minutes at a time, and then just - shows part of its head above water while it draws a fresh breath.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although the hippopotamus is thoroughly at home in the hottest parts of Africa, and appears to - thrive in the tepid waters of all the rivers which flow through the malarious coast regions of the - tropical portions of that continent, it is also found at a considerable altitude above the sea, - and in quite small streams where the temperature of the water during the winter months cannot be - many degrees above freezing-point. I have personally met with hippopotamuses in the Manyami River, - not far from the present town of Salisbury, in Mashonaland. The country there has an altitude of - about 5,000 feet above sea-level; and the water was so cold on the last occasion on which I came - across the animals in question—July, 1887—that, if a basinful was left out during the - night, ice quite an eighth of an inch in thickness would be formed over it before morning. There - was, however, never any ice on the river itself. During the rainy season, when the grass and reeds - are green and succulent, hippopotamuses become enormously fat, especially in the higher and colder - portions of their range, and retain a good deal of their fat right through the driest season of - the year. Old bulls are usually very lean; but I have seen cows the greater part of whose - carcases, after the skin had been stripped off, was covered with a layer of fat from 1 inch to 2 - inches in thickness. The meat of these animals is dark red in colour, and more like beef than - pork. To my mind, that of a young animal is most excellent in flavour, and far preferable to that - of a lean antelope. The fat, when prepared, is as good as the best lard, from which, indeed, it is - hardly distinguishable. The skin of the hippopotamus is smooth and hairless, and in adult animals - quite 1½ inch in thickness on the upper parts of the body.</p> - - <div id="fp321"></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_321fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_321fp.jpg" - alt="A HIPPOPOTAMUS GAPING." title="A HIPPOPOTAMUS GAPING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. W. McLellan, Highbury.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">A HIPPOPOTAMUS GAPING.</p> - <p class="sp0">The position of the animal displays the enormous capacity, and likewise the - powerful lower tusks; the shortness of the limbs is also well exhibited.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page321"><span class="smaller">{321}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_321.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_321.jpg" - alt="BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, AGED SIX MONTHS." title="BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, AGED SIX MONTHS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of Herr Carl Hagenbeck</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Hamburg.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, AGED SIX MONTHS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The flesh of a young hippopotamus is said to have an excellent flavour. Natives - often follow shooting expeditions in order to secure some of its meat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Hippopotamuses are said to be capable of remaining under water for ten or twelve minutes. - Should, however, a herd of these animals be watched but not fired at from the bank of a river in - which they are passing the day, they will all sink below the surface of the water as soon as they - become aware of and more or less alarmed by the presence of the intruder, but each member of the - herd will come up to breathe at intervals of from one to two minutes. I have seen hippopotamuses - so tame and unsuspicious of danger that they allowed me—the first human being probably with - any kind of hat or clothes on him that they had ever seen—to take up a position within fifty - yards of them on the edge of the deep rock-bound pool in which they were resting without showing - any signs of alarm. They simply stared at me in an inquisitive sort of way, raising their heads - higher out of the water, and constantly twitching their little rounded ears; and it was not until - a number of natives came up and began to talk loudly that they took alarm, and, sinking out of - sight, retreated to the farther end of the pool. I once took the length of time with my watch for - more than an hour that a hippopotamus which I was trying to shoot remained under water. This - animal, a cow with a new-born calf, had made an attack upon one of my canoes. It first came up - under the canoe, tilting one end of it into the air and almost filling it with water. Then it made - a rush at the half-swamped craft, and, laying its huge head over it, pressed it down under the - water and sank it. There were four natives in the canoe at the time of the attack, all of whom - swam safely to an island in the river—the Zambesi. After the accident—which caused me - a good deal of loss and inconvenience—I tried to shoot this unprovoked aggressor, but - unsuccessfully, as the river was too broad to allow me to get anything but a long shot at her. The - shortest time she remained under water during the seventy minutes I was paying attention <span - class="pagenum" id="page322"><span class="smaller">{322}</span></span>to her was forty seconds, - and the longest four minutes and twenty seconds—the usual time being from two to two and a - half minutes. She always remained a long time under water after having been fired at.</p> - - <p>The capsizing of canoes by these animals is quite a common occurrence on most African rivers, - and the great pains the natives will take in certain districts to give these animals a wide berth - seem to prove that they have good reason to dread them. Solitary bulls and cows with young calves - are the most feared. Such animals will sometimes, I have been assured by the natives, tear out the - side of a canoe with their teeth, and even crunch up some of its occupants whilst they are trying - to save themselves by swimming. Sipopo, a chief of the Barotse tribe, who was deposed by his - nephew Mona Wena in 1876, was said to have been attacked and killed by a hippopotamus whilst lying - wounded amongst the reeds on the southern bank of the Zambesi, but I cannot vouch for the truth of - the story.</p> - - <p>Bull hippopotamuses must be rather quarrelsome, as I have shot several whose hides were deeply - scored with wounds, no doubt inflicted by the tusks of their rivals. Once I killed a hippopotamus - in a shallow lagoon amongst the swamps of the Chobi, whose enormously thick hide had been - literally cut to pieces from head to tail. The entire body of this animal was covered with deep - white scores, and we were unable to cut a single sjambok from its skin. We found, on examination, - that this poor beast had been wounded by natives, and then in its distress most cruelly set upon - by its fellows, and finally expelled from their society. It was in the last stage of emaciation, - and a bullet through the brain must have been a welcome relief. On another occasion a hippopotamus - bull, which I had wounded in the nose, became so furious that it dived down and attacked one of - its fellows which had already been killed and was lying dead at the bottom of the pool. Seizing - this latter animal by the hind leg, it brought it to the surface of the water with such a furious - rush that not only half the body of the dead animal it had attacked was exposed, but the whole of - its own head and shoulders came above the water. A bullet through the brain killed it instantly, - and it sank to the bottom of the pool, still holding its companion's hind leg fast in its - jaws.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_322.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_322.jpg" - alt="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. I." title="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. I."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p>DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. I.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This and the next two photographs probably - constitute the most remarkable series of animal photographs ever seen. No 1 shows a - hippopotamus about to be trapped, preparatory to having its teeth attended to.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>When a hippopotamus is killed in the water, the carcase sinks to the bottom, and in the cold - water of the rivers of Mashonaland will not rise to the surface till six hours after death. In the - warmer water of the Lower Zambesi a dead hippopotamus will come up in about half that time. When - it rises, the carcase comes up like a submerged cork, with a rush as it were, and then settles - down, only a small piece of the side showing above the surface. As decomposition sets in, it - becomes more and more swollen, and shows higher and higher above the water. When the body of a - dead hippopotamus has been taken by the wind or current to the wrong side of a river, I have often - climbed on to it and paddled it with a stout stick right across the river to a spot nearer camp. A - dead hippopotamus is not the easiest or the <span class="pagenum" id="page323"><span - class="smaller">{323}</span></span>pleasantest thing to sit on in deep water with crocodiles - about, especially in a wind, as it is very much like sitting on a floating barrel, and unless the - balance is exactly maintained one is bound to roll off.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_323_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_323_t.jpg" - alt="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. II." title="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. II."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. II.</p> - <p class="sp0">This shows the process of filing one of the lower tusks.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_323_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_323_b.jpg" - alt="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. III." title="DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A - HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. III."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p class="sp3">DENTAL OPERATIONS ON A HIPPOPOTAMUS—NO. III.</p> - <p class="sp0">Sawing off one of the lower tusks.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although it is often necessary for an African traveller to shoot one or more of them in order - to obtain a supply of meat for his native followers, there is not much sport attached to the - killing of these animals. The modern small-bore rifles, with their low trajectory and great - penetration, render their destruction very easy when they are encountered in small lakes or narrow - rivers, though in larger sheets of water, where they must be approached and shot from rickety - canoes, it is by no means a simple matter to kill hippopotamuses, especially after they have grown - shy and wary through persecution. As these animals are almost invariably killed by Europeans in - the daytime, and are therefore encountered in the water, they are usually shot through the brain - as they raise their heads above the surface to breathe. By the natives hippopotamuses are killed - in various ways. They are sometimes attacked first with harpoons, to which long lines are - attached, with a float at the end to mark the position of the wounded animal, and then followed up - in canoes and finally speared to death. Sometimes they are caught in huge pitfalls, or killed by - the fall of a spear-head fixed in a heavy block of wood, which is released from its position when - a line, attached to the weight and then pegged across a hippopotamus's path a few inches above the - ground, is suddenly pulled by the feet of one of these animals striking against it. A friend of - mine once had a horse killed under him by a similar trap set for buffaloes. His horse's feet - struck the line attached to the heavily weighted spear-head, and down it came, just missing his - head and entering his horse's back close behind the saddle. Where the natives have - guns—mostly old muzzle-loading weapons of large bore—they often shoot hippopotamuses - at close quarters when they are feeding at night. The most destructive native method, however, of - killing these monsters with which I am acquainted is one which used to be practised by the natives - of Northern Mashonaland—namely, fencing in <span class="pagenum" id="page324"><span - class="smaller">{324}</span></span>a herd of these animals and starving them to death. As there is - a very rapid fall in the country through which all the rivers run to the Zambesi from the northern - slope of Mashonaland, these streams consist of a series of deep, still pools (called "sea-cow - holes" by the old hunters), from a hundred yards to more than a mile in length, connected with one - another by shallow, swift-flowing water, often running in several small streams over the bed of - the river. A herd of hippopotamuses having been found resting for the day in one of the smaller - pools, all the natives in the district, men, women, and children, would collect and build strong - fences across the shallows at each end. At night large fires would be kept blazing all round the - pool and tom-toms beaten incessantly, in order to prevent the imprisoned animals from escaping. - Day after day the fences would be strengthened, and platforms sometimes built to command naturally - weak places, and from these points of vantage the poor animals were speared when in their - desperation they tried to leave the pool. Gradually the whole herd would be speared or starved to - death.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_324_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_324_t.jpg" - alt="FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES." title="FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES.</p> - <p class="sp0">Exhibits a very characteristic attitude of the animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_324_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_324_b.jpg" - alt="A HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY—FATHER, - MOTHER, AND YOUNG." title="A HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY—FATHER, - MOTHER, AND YOUNG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">A HIPPOPOTAMUS FAMILY—FATHER, MOTHER, AND YOUNG.</p> - <p class="sp0">Hippopotamuses are very sociable animals, and are often to be met with in large - herds.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Once, in August, 1880, I came upon a native tribe engaged in starving to death a herd of - hippopotamuses in a pool of the Umniati River, in Northern Mashonaland. When I came on the scene, - there were ten hippopotamuses still alive in the pool. Eight of these appeared to be standing on a - sandbank in the middle of the river, as more than half their bodies were above the water. They - were all huddled up together, their heads resting on each other's bodies. Two others were swimming - about, each with a heavily shafted assegai sticking in its back. Besides these ten still living - hippopotamuses two dead ones were being cut up on the side of the pool, and many more must already - have been <span class="pagenum" id="page325"><span class="smaller">{325}</span></span>killed, as - all round the pool festoons of meat were hanging on poles to dry, and a large number of natives - had been living for some time on nothing but hippopotamus-meat. Altogether I imagine that a herd - of at least twenty animals must have been destroyed. Much as one must regret such a wholesale - slaughter, it must be remembered that this great killing was the work of hungry savages, who at - any rate utilised every scrap of the meat thus obtained, and much of the skin as well, for food; - and such an incident is far less reprehensible—indeed, stands on quite a different plane as - regards moral guilt—to the wanton destruction of a large number of hippopotamuses in the - Umzingwani River, near Bulawayo, within a few months of the conquest of Matabililand by the - Chartered Company's forces in 1893. These animals had been protected for many years by Lo Bengula - and his father Umziligazi before him; but no sooner were the Matabili conquered and their country - thrown open to white men than certain unscrupulous persons destroyed all but a very few of these - half-tame animals, for the sake of the few paltry pieces of money their hides were worth!</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_325.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_325.jpg" - alt="HIPPOPOTAMUS." title="HIPPOPOTAMUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HIPPOPOTAMUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The skin of the hippopotamus is often as much as an inch and a half in - thickness on the upper parts of the body.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Gradually, as the world grows older, more civilised, and, to my thinking, less and less - interesting, the range of the hippopotamus, like that of all other large animals, must become more - and more circumscribed; but now that all Africa has been parcelled out amongst the white races of - Western Europe, if the indiscriminate killing of hippopotamuses by either white men or natives can - be controlled, and the constant and cruel custom of firing at the heads of these animals from the - decks of river-steamers all over Africa be put a stop to, I believe that this most interesting - mammal, owing to the nature of its habitat, and the vast extent of the rivers, swamps, and lakes - in which it still exists in considerable numbers, will long outlive all other pachydermatous - animals. Hideous, uncouth, and unnecessary as the hippopotamus <span class="pagenum" - id="page326"><span class="smaller">{326}</span></span>may seem when viewed from behind the bars of - its den in a zoological garden, it is nevertheless true that, when these animals have been - banished from an African river by the progress of civilisation, that river has lost one of its - highest charms and greatest ornaments.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Pygmy</span> or <span class="sc">Liberian Hippopotamus</span> is confined - to Upper Guinea, and, compared with its only existing relative, is a very small animal, not - standing more than 2 feet 6 inches in height, and measuring less than 6 feet in length. In weight - a full-grown specimen will scale about 400 lbs. But little is known of the habits of this rare - animal, specimens of which, I believe, have never been obtained, except by the German naturalists - Herrn Büttikofer and Jentink. When alive, the colour of the skin of the pygmy hippopotamus is said - to be of a greenish black, changing on the under-parts to yellowish green. The surface of the skin - is very shiny. This species, unlike its giant relative, does not congregate in herds, nor pass its - days in rivers or lakes, but lives in pairs in marshes or shady forests. It sleeps during the day, - and at night wanders over a great extent of country, eating grass, wild fruits, and the young - shoots of trees. Its flesh is said to be very succulent and much esteemed by the natives.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_326.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_326.jpg" - alt="MALE AND FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES." title="MALE AND FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">MALE AND FEMALE HIPPOPOTAMUSES.</p> - <p class="sp0">A hippopotamus is almost inseparable from the water; it never goes farther away - than possible from a river or lake.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A hippopotamus, apparently of the same species as that now found in Africa, formerly inhabited - the Thames Valley. Great quantities of fossil remains of another species are also found in the - island of Sicily. The bones found in England are mainly in the river gravel and brick earth of the - south and midland districts of England. This seems to show that at the time when the animal - existed our rivers must have been open all the year, and not ice-bound, for it is certain that no - hippopotamus could live in a river which froze in winter. Yet among the remains of these animals - are also found those of quite arctic species like the Musk-ox and the Reindeer, together with - those of the Saiga Antelope, an inhabitant of the cold plateau of Tibet. The problem is: How could - these creatures, one a dweller in warm rivers and the others inhabitants of cold arctic or - sub-arctic regions, have existed together, apparently on the same area of ground? The answer, - which does not seem to have occurred to naturalists who have discussed the question, seems to be - plain enough. Any one who knows the conditions of the great rift valleys of Central Africa has the - key to the solution of the puzzle. There was probably a very great difference in the vertical - plane. Deep in the rift was probably a warm river, while above it may have been mountains from - 10,000 to 20,000 feet high, with snow on the summits and glaciers in their valleys. On these cold - and arctic heights the reindeer and the musk-ox would find congenial homes. Thousands of feet - below, in the hot and narrow valley, the hippopotamus would revel in a warm and steamy climate. - This is what actually occurs in the rift valleys of Central Africa, where the hippopotamus swims - in rivers that are at no great distance from snow-covered and ice-capped mountains.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page327"><span class="smaller">{327}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXX."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XX. The dugong, manatees, whales, porpoises, and dolphins." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER XX.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE DUGONG, MANATEES, WHALES, PORPOISES, AND - DOLPHINS.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY F. G. AFLALO, F.Z.S.</span></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Dugong and Manatees.</span></p> - - <p>These curious creatures, which seem to have been the basis of much of the old mermaid legend, - have puzzled many eminent naturalists. Before they were placed in an order by themselves, Linnæus - had classed them with the Walrus, Cuvier with the Whales, and another French zoologist with the - Elephants. They are popularly regarded as the cows of the sea-pastures. Their habits justify this. - I have often watched dugongs on the Queensland coast browsing on the long grasses, of which they - tear up tussocks with sidelong twists of the head, coming to the surface to breathe at short - intervals.</p> - - <p>Omitting the extinct Rhytina, otherwise known as Steller's Sea-cow, which was exterminated in - the Bering Strait not very long after civilised man had first learnt of its existence, we have to - consider two distinct groups, or genera, of these sirenians. The <span class="sc">Dugong</span> is - the representative of the first, and the two <span class="sc">Manatees</span> belong to the - other.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_327.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_327.jpg" alt="DUGONG." - title="DUGONG."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">DUGONG.</p> - <p class="sp0">A vegetable-feeding sea-mammal from the Indian Ocean and North Australian - waters.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The dugong is found on the coasts of Northern Australia, in many parts of the Indian Ocean - (particularly off Ceylon), and in the Red Sea. It is easily distinguished, by even superficial - observation, from the manatees. Its tail is slightly forked, somewhat like that of the whales: the - tail of manatees, on the other hand, is rounded. The dugong's flippers, to which we also find a - superficial resemblance in those of the whale, show no traces of external nails: in those of the - manatees, which show projecting nails, there is a considerable power of free movement (the hands - being, in fact, used in manipulating the food), which is not the <span class="pagenum" - id="page328"><span class="smaller">{328}</span></span>case in the limbs of the whale. The body of - the dugong is almost smooth, though there are bristles in the region of the mouth: that of the - manatees is studded with short hairs. The male dugong has two large tusks: in neither sex of the - manatees are such tusks developed. Finally, a more detailed examination of the skeletons would - reveal the fact that, whereas the dugong has the usual seven bones in the neck, that of the - manatees has only six.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_328.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_328.jpg" - alt="AMERICAN MANATEE." title="AMERICAN MANATEE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">AMERICAN MANATEE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Found in the Amazons River. The Manatees differ remarkably from the Dugong in - the number and structure of their teeth.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>When we come to the Whales, we shall encounter that very characteristic covering known as - "blubber"; and, though it is present in smaller quantity, these sirenians have blubber as well. - Complex stomachs they also have, like the whales, only in their case both the nature of the food - and the structure of the teeth point clearly to a ruminating habit, which, for reasons that will - be given in the right place, seems inadmissible in the whales. In both dugong and manatees the - mouth is furnished with singular horny plates, the precise use of which does not appear to have - been satisfactorily determined; and the upper lip of the manatee is cleft in two hairy pads that - work laterally. This enables the animal to draw the grass into its mouth without using the lower - lip at all.</p> - - <p>In their mode of life the dugong and manatees differ as widely almost as in their appearance; - for the former is a creature of open coasts, whereas the manatees hug river-estuaries and even - travel many miles up the rivers. Of both it has been said that they leave the water at night, and - the manatees have even been accused of plundering crops near the banks. The few, however, which - have been under observation in captivity have always been manifestly uncomfortable whenever, by - accident or otherwise, the water of their tank was run off, so that there is not sufficient reason - for believing this assertion.</p> - - <p class="sp3">This group of animals cannot be regarded as possessing any high commercial value, - though both natives and white men eat their flesh, and the afore-mentioned rhytina was, in fact, - exterminated solely for the sake of its meat. There is also a limited use for the bones as ivory, - and the leather is employed on a small scale,—a German writer has, in fact, been at great - pains to prove that the Tabernacle, which was 300 cubits long, was roofed with dugong-skin, and - the Red Sea is certainly well within the animal's range.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page329"><span class="smaller">{329}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins.</span></p> - - <p>Although anatomists have good reason for suspecting that all the members of the Whale Tribe are - directly descended from river-dwelling forms, if not indeed, more remotely, from some land animal, - there is something appropriate in the fact of the vast ocean, which covers something like - three-quarters of the earth's surface, producing the mightiest creatures which have ever lived. - There should also be some little satisfaction for ourselves in the thought that, their fish-like - form notwithstanding, these enormous beings really belong to the highest, or mammalian, class of - animal life.</p> - - <p>One striking feature all these many-sized cetaceans have in common, and that is their - similarity of form. Though they may vary in length from 70 to 7 feet, their outline shows a - remarkable uniformity. Important internal and even external differences there may be. A whale may - be toothed or toothless; a dolphin may be beaked or round-headed; either may be with or without a - slight ridge on the back or a distinct dorsal fin; but no cetacean could well be mistaken for an - animal of any other order. It is as well to appreciate as clearly as possible this close general - resemblance between the largest whale and the smallest dolphin, as the similarity is one of some - interest; and we may estimate it at its proper worth if we bear in mind that two species of - cetaceans, outwardly alike, may not, perhaps, be more closely allied than such divergent ruminant - types as the elephant, the giraffe, and the gazelle.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_329.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_329.jpg" alt="NARWHAL." - title="NARWHAL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">NARWHAL.</p> - <p class="sp0">An Arctic whale, with one or rarely two long spears of bone projecting from the - head.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Reference has already been made to the fact that the whales are true mammals, and we must now - clearly set before us the justification for separating them from the Fishes—to which any one - with a superficial knowledge of their habits and appearance would unhesitatingly assign - them—and raising them to the company of other mammals. Let us first separate them from the - Fishes. The vast majority of fishes, with some familiar exceptions like the conger-eel, are - covered with scales: whales have no scales. The tail of fishes, often forked like that of whales, - is set vertically: in whales the tail is set laterally, and for this a good reason will presently - be shown. Fishes have anal fins: whales not only have no anal fins, but their so-called pectoral - fins differ radically from the fins of fishes. Fishes breathe with the aid of gills: whales have - <span class="pagenum" id="page330"><span class="smaller">{330}</span></span>no gills. Fishes, in - the vast majority of cases, reproduce their young by spawning, the eggs being left to hatch out - either in gravel-beds or among the water-plants, lying on the bottom (as in the case of the - herring), or floating near the surface (as in that of the plaice): whales do not lay eggs, but - bear the young alive. This brings us to the simple points of resemblance between them and other - mammals. When the young whale is born, it is nourished on its mother's milk. This alone would - constitute its claim to a place among the highest class. Whales breathe atmospheric air by means - of lungs. Hair is peculiarly the covering of mammals, just as scales are characteristic of fishes - and feathers of birds. Many whales, it is true, have no hair; but others, if only in the embryonic - stage, have traces of this characteristic mammalian covering. It must, moreover, be remembered - that in some other orders of mammals the amount of hair varies considerably—as, for - instance, between the camel and rhinoceros.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_330.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_330.jpg" - alt="GRAMPUS, OR KILLER." title="GRAMPUS, OR KILLER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">GRAMPUS, OR KILLER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A carnivorous cetacean with large teeth, often found in British seas.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Having, then, shown that whales are mammals, we must now determine the chief features of the - more typical members of the order. The extremities of whales are characteristic: a large head, - occupying in some species as much as one-third of the total length; and the afore-mentioned - forked, or lobed, tail set laterally. The flippers, which bear only a slight resemblance to the - pectoral fins in fishes, are in reality hands encased in swimming-gloves. In some whales these - hands are five-fingered, in others the fingers number only four, <span class="pagenum" - id="page331"><span class="smaller">{331}</span></span>but many of the fingers contain more bones - than the fingers of man. In some whales we find a dorsal fin, and this, as also the flippers, acts - as a balancer. In no whale or porpoise is there any external trace of hind limbs, but the skeleton - of some kinds shows in varying stages of degradation a rudimentary bone answering to this - description. Perhaps however, the most distinctive feature of whales is the blow-hole, situated, - like the nostrils of the hippopotamus, on the upper surface of the head, and similarly enabling - the animal to breathe the air without exposing much of its head above the surface of the water. - The blow-hole (or blow-holes, for whalebone-whales have two) may be said to take the place of - nostrils as regards the breathing, though perhaps no sense of smell is included in its functions. - In the Sperm-whale, or Cachalot, there is a single <img src="images/sides.jpg" - style="width:0.8em;" alt="S"/>-shaped blow-hole near the end of the snout. The well-known spouting - of whales is merely the breathing out of warm vapour, which, on coming in contact with the colder - air—and it should be remembered that most whaling is carried on in the neighbourhood of - icebergs—condenses in a cloud above the animal's head. I have seen many a sperm-whale spout, - and the cloud of spray, often mixed with a varying volume of water if the whale commences to blow - before its blow-hole is clear of the surface, drifts forward over the forehead. This is due to the - forward position of the blow-hole. I never to my knowledge saw a whalebone-whale spouting, but its - double jet is said to ascend vertically over its back, and this would in like manner be accounted - for by the more posterior position of the blow-holes. Having filled its lungs, which are long and - of simple structure, with fresh air, in enormous draughts that fill the great cavities of its - chest, the whale sinks to the depths. There, in ordinary circumstances, it will lie for a quarter - of an hour or more, but the pain of the harpoon and the knowledge that there is danger at the - surface may keep it below for as much as an hour. When it has to breathe again, a few powerful - strokes from the laterally set tail suffice to bring it quickly to the surface. This is not the - place for a detailed anatomy of the whale, but no one can fail to notice with admiration such - parts of its equipment for the battle of life as the structure of its windpipe, which enables it - to breathe with comfort with its mouth full of water, the complicated network of blood-vessels - that ensures the slow and thorough utilising of all the oxygen in its lungs while it remains at - the bottom, and the elastic cushion of blubber that makes this gigantic animal indifferent to - extremes of pressure and temperature. Thanks mainly to its coat of blubber, the whale exists with - equal comfort at the surface or hundreds of fathoms below it; in the arctic or in tropical - seas.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_331.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_331.jpg" - alt="SHORT-BEAKED RIVER-DOLPHIN." title="SHORT-BEAKED RIVER-DOLPHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SHORT-BEAKED RIVER-DOLPHIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">In this type the head is produced into a beak, supported in the upper jaw by a - mass of ivory-like bone.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is not perhaps in keeping with the plan of this work that we should consider in detail the - soft parts of the whale's inside. One or two parts of its feeding and digestive mechanism may, - however, offer some points of passing interest. The complex stomach, which is divided into - chambers, like that of the ruminants already described, has suggested that the latter function - <span class="pagenum" id="page332"><span class="smaller">{332}</span></span>may in a modified - process be performed by whales. It is, however, evident that the teeth of toothed whales are in no - way adapted to the act of mastication, which is inseparable from any conception of ruminating, - while the toothless whales have as complicated a stomach as the rest. Mr. Beddard, writing on the - subject in his interesting "Book of Whales," takes the more reasonable view that the first chamber - of the stomach of whales should be regarded rather as a storehouse in which the food is crushed - and softened. The teeth of whales, the survival of which in the adult animal offers the simplest - basis of its classification under one or other of the two existing groups, or sub-orders, are - essentially different from the teeth of many other kinds of mammals. It cannot, perhaps, be - insisted that the distinctive terms employed for these two categories of whales are wholly - satisfactory. For instance, the so-called "toothless" whales have distinct teeth before birth, - thus claiming descent from toothed kinds. On the other hand, the so-called "toothed" whales are by - no means uniformly equipped in this respect, some of the porpoises having as many as twenty-six - teeth, distributed over both jaws, while the bottlenoses have no more than two, or at most four, - and these in the lower jaw only. Only the lower jaw, in fact, of the great sperm-whale bears teeth - that are of any use, though there are smaller and functionless teeth in the gums of the upper. The - teeth of whales, by the way, are not differentiated like our canines and molars, but are all of - one character. Although, in "toothless" whales, the foetal teeth disappear with the coming of the - baleen, or whalebone, the latter must not, in either structure or uses, be thought to take their - place. The plates of whalebone act rather as a hairy strainer. Unless we seek a possible analogy - at the other end of the mammalian scale, in the Australian duckbill, the feeding of the - whalebone-whales is unique. They gulp in the water, full of <i>plankton</i>, swimming open-mouthed - through the streaks of that substance. Then the huge jaws are closed, and the massive tongue is - moved slowly, so as to drive the water from the angles of the mouth through the straining-plates - of baleen, the food remaining stranded on these and on the tongue. The size and number of the - baleen-plates appear to vary in a degree not yet definitely established; but there may, in a large - whale, be as many as between 300 and 400 on either side of the cavernous mouth, and they may - measure as much as 10 or 12 feet in length and 7 or 8 feet in width.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_332.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_332.jpg" - alt="SOWERBY'S BEAKED WHALE." title="SOWERBY'S BEAKED WHALE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">SOWERBY'S BEAKED WHALE.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the rarest of British whales, and very scarce elsewhere. It probably - inhabits the open seas.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>An enumeration of such whales and porpoises and dolphins as have at one time or other been - stranded on the shores of the British Isles may serve as an epitome of the whole order. Only one - interesting group, in fact—the River-dolphins of the Ganges and Amazons—is - unrepresented in the British list. Whales, either exhausted or dead, are periodically thrown up on - our coasts, even on the less-exposed portions—one of the most recent examples in the - writer's memory being that of a large specimen, over 60 feet long, stranded on the sands near - Boscombe, in Hampshire, and the skeleton of which at present adorns Boscombe Pier. It was one of - the rorquals, or finbacks, probably of the species called after Rudolphi; but the skeleton is - imperfect, though its owner, Dr. Spencer Simpson, appears to have preserved some details of its - earlier appearance. It should be remembered that many of the following can only be regarded as - "British" with considerable latitude, the records of their visits being in <span class="pagenum" - id="page333"><span class="smaller">{333}</span></span>some cases as rare as those of the rustic - bunting and red-necked nightjar among birds, or of the derbio and spotted dragonet among - fishes.</p> - - <p>British zoologists, however, usually include the following:—<span - class="sc">Whalebone-whales</span>: Southern Right-whale; Humpback; Finbacks, or Rorquals. <span - class="sc">Toothed Whales</span>: Sperm-whale, or Cachalot; Narwhal; Beluga, or White Whale; - Grampuses; Beaked Whale; Broad-fronted Whale; Cuvier's Whale; Sowerby's Whale; Pilot-whale; - Porpoise; Dolphin; White-sided Dolphin; White-beaked Dolphin; Bottlenose.</p> - - <p>A selection may therefore be made of five of the most representative of these species—the - <span class="sc">Southern Whale</span>, the <span class="sc">Cachalot</span>, the <span - class="sc">Narwhal</span>, the <span class="sc">Porpoise</span>, and the <span - class="sc">Dolphin</span>.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Southern Whale</span>, which, in common with the closely allied polar - species, whaling-crews call "right," seeing that all other kinds are, from their point of view, - "wrong," is probably the only right-whale which has ever found its way to our shores. Some writers - include the Greenland Right-whale, but their authority for this is doubtful. It is said to grow to - a length of at any rate 70 feet, though 55 feet would perhaps be more common for even large - specimens. In colour it is said to be dark above, with a varying amount of white or grey on the - flippers and under-surface. The head and mouth are very large, occupying in some cases one-third - of the total length, and the baleen-plates measure as much as 8 or 10 feet in length and 5 or 6 - feet in width. The species has no back-fin, but there is a protuberance on the snout, known - technically as the "bonnet." This whale appears to give birth to its single calf some time in the - spring months, and the mother shows great affection for her offspring. The <span - class="sc">Humpback</span> is distinguished from the right-whales externally by its longer - flippers and the prominence on its back, and internally by the fluted skin of the throat. The - <span class="sc">Finners</span>, or <span class="sc">Rorquals</span>, have a distinct back-fin. - They feed on fishes and cuttles, and I have more than once known a rorqual, which looked fully 50 - feet long (comparing it roughly with my 24-foot boat), to swim slowly round and round my lugger, - down on the Cornish coast, puffing and hissing like a torpedo-boat on its trial trip, rounding up - the pilchards in a mass, and every now and then dashing through them open-mouthed with a terrific - roar, after several of which helpings it would sink out of sight and not again put in an - appearance.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_333.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_333.jpg" - alt="COMMON PORPOISE." title="COMMON PORPOISE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON PORPOISE.</p> - <p class="sp0">From 4 to 5 feet long. It lives in "schools," or companies, and pursues the - herrings and mackerel.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Sperm-whale</span>, or <span class="sc">Cachalot</span>, may serve as our - type of the toothed whales. It attains to the same great dimensions as the largest of the - whalebone group. A more active <span class="pagenum" id="page334"><span - class="smaller">{334}</span></span>animal for its size could scarcely be conceived; and I have - seen one, in the Indian Ocean, fling itself three or four times in succession out of water like a - salmon, striking the surface each time as it fell back with a report like that of a gun. No one - appears to have explained whether performances of this sort are due to mere playfulness, or, as - seems more probable, to the attacks of parasites or such larger enemies as sharks or "killers." I - have also seen four thresher-sharks leaping out of water, and falling with a loud blow on the - whale's back; but the victim lay quite still in this case, and may in fact have been worn out - before we came upon the scene. I wish to add that I took the word of the skipper, himself an old - whaling-captain, for their identity as threshers. The dazzling sun shone full on them, and on the - sea between, and it was impossible, even with the ship's telescope, to recognise them with any - accuracy. The cachalot has a very different profile from what any one who had seen only its skull - in a museum would be led to expect, for the sperm-cavity in the forehead is not indicated in the - bones. The structure of the head enables the animal to drop the lower jaw almost at right angles - to the upper; and Mr. Frank Bullen quotes, in his fascinating "Cruise of the Cachalot," the - current belief that it does so to attract its prey by the whiteness of its teeth and palate. - Although both fishes and cephalopods are very curious, even to their own destruction, it is - doubtful whether the whale could not catch its food more rapidly by swimming open-mouthed through - the acres of floating squid encountered all over the warmer waters of the ocean.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_334_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_334_t.jpg" - alt="ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN." title="ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">ELLIOTT'S DOLPHIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the commoner Indian species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_334_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_334_b.jpg" - alt="RISSO'S DOLPHIN." title="RISSO'S DOLPHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RISSO'S DOLPHIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">About 13 feet in length, found in almost all oceans.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Narwhal</span>, an arctic type, may be distinguished from all other - cetaceans by the single spiral tusk in the left side of the head of the male. Sometimes the right - tusk grows as well, and either may attain a length of as much as 8 feet; but in the female both - teeth remain undeveloped.</p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common Porpoise</span> of our own seas, distinguished by its rounded head - from the equally common beaked dolphin, is too familiar to need much description. It grows to a - length of 5 or 6 feet, and is dark in colour on the back and white beneath. Its conspicuous - back-fin is always recognisable when it gambols with a herd of its fellows; and a line of these - sea-pigs, a mile or so in length, is no uncommon sight, their presence inshore being indicative on - some parts of the coast of the coming of east wind. The porpoise, which has, <span class="pagenum" - id="page335"><span class="smaller">{335}</span></span>like many of its group, teeth in either jaw, - is a voracious feeder, preying in estuaries on salmon and flounders, and on more open parts of the - coast on pilchards and mackerel. It is occasionally a serious nuisance in the Mediterranean - sardine-fisheries, and I have known of the fishermen of Collioure, in the Gulf of Lyons, appealing - to the French Government to send a gunboat from Toulon that might steam after the marauders and - frighten them away. One of the most remarkable cases of a feeding porpoise that I can recall was - that of one which played with a conger-eel in a Cornish harbour as a cat might play with a mouse, - blowing the fish 20 or 30 feet through the air, and swimming after it so rapidly as to catch it - again almost as it touched the water.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_335_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_335_t.jpg" - alt="BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN." title="BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">From 8 to 9 feet long, found from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Dolphin</span>, which is in some seasons as common in the British Channel - as the more familiar porpoise, is distinguished by its small head and long beak, the lower jaw - always carrying more teeth than the upper. It feeds on pilchards and mackerel, and, like the - porpoises, gambols, particularly after an east wind, with its fellows close inshore. There are - many other marine mammals somewhat loosely bracketed as dolphins. <span class="sc">Risso's - Dolphin</span>, for instance, a rare visitor to our coasts, has a striped skin, and its jaws are - without teeth, which distinguish it from the common dolphin and most of the others. It cannot - therefore feed on fishes, and most probably eats squid and cuttle-fish. The <span - class="sc">Bottle-nosed Dolphin</span>, a species occurring in the greatest numbers on the - Atlantic coast of North America, is regularly hunted for its oil. <span class="sc">Heavyside's - Dolphin</span>, which hails from South African waters, is a smaller kind, chiefly remarkable for - the curious distribution of black and white on its back and sides.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_335_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_335_b.jpg" - alt="HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN." title="HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">HEAVYSIDE'S DOLPHIN.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small, peculiarly coloured species from the Cape.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A word must, in conclusion, be said on the economic value of the whales. Fortunately, as they - are getting rarer, substitutes for their once invaluable products are being from time to time - discovered, and much of the regret at their extermination by wasteful slaughter is sentimental and - not economic. For whalebone it is not probable that a perfect substitute will ever be found. It - therefore maintains a high price, though the former highest market value of over £2,000 per ton - has fallen to something nearer the half. The sperm-oil from the sperm-whale, and the train-oil - from that of the right-whales, the spermaceti out of the cachalot's forehead and the ambergris - secreted in its stomach, are the other valuable products. Ambergris is a greyish, fatty secretion, - caused by the irritation set up in the whale's inside by the undigested beaks of cuttle-fish. Its - market price is about £5 per ounce. A lump of 240 lbs. sold for nearly £20,000.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page336"><span class="smaller">{336}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXXI."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XXI. The sloths, ant-eaters, and armadillos." - style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">CHAPTER XXI.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>THE SLOTHS, ANT-EATERS, AND ARMADILLOS.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">The very remarkable assemblage of animals we are now about to consider includes - many diverse forms, bracketed together to constitute one great group; and this on account of the - peculiarities of the structure and distribution of the teeth, which are never present in the front - of the jaw, and may be absent altogether. Of the five groups recognised, three occur in the New - and two in the Old World. All have undergone very considerable modification of form and structure, - and in every case this modification has tended to render them more perfectly adapted to an - arboreal or terrestrial existence. Flying or aquatic types are wanting. Whilst one great - group—the Sloths—is entirely vegetarian, the others feed either on flesh or - insects.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Sloths.</span></p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_336.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_336.jpg" - alt="NORTHERN TWO-TOED SLOTH (COSTA RICA)." title="NORTHERN TWO-TOED SLOTH (COSTA RICA)."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">NORTHERN TWO-TOED SLOTH (COSTA RICA).</p> - <p class="sp0">This is also known as Hoffmann's Sloth. The appellation "two-toed" refers to - the fore limb only. The hind foot has three toes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>In the matter of personal appearance Nature has not been kind to the <span - class="sc">Sloth</span>, though it is certainly true that there are many uglier animals—not - including those, such as some of the Monkey Tribe and certain of the Swine, which are positively - hideous. The mode of life of the sloth is certainly remarkable, for almost its whole existence is - passed among the highest trees of the densest South American forests, and passed, too, in <span - class="pagenum" id="page337"><span class="smaller">{337}</span></span>a perfectly topsy-turvy - manner, inasmuch as it moves from bough to bough with its legs up in the air and its back towards - the ground. It walks and sleeps suspended beneath the boughs instead of balanced above them, - securely holding itself by means of powerful hooked claws on the fore and hind feet. This method - of locomotion, so remarkable in a mammal, coupled with the deliberate fashion in which it moves, - and the air of sadness expressed in its quaint physiognomy—large-eyed, snub-nosed, and - earless—on which there seems to dwell an ever-present air of resignation, led the great - Buffon to believe that the sloth was a creature afflicted of God for some hidden reason man could - not fathom! His sympathy was as certainly wasted as his hasty conclusion was unjustified. There - can be no doubt but that the life led by the sloth is at least as blissful as that of its more - lively neighbours—the spider monkeys, for instance. Walking beneath the boughs comes as - natural to the sloth as walking on the ceiling to the fly.</p> - - <p>The sloth sleeps, as we have already remarked, suspended from a bough. During this time the - feet are drawn close together, and the head raised up and placed between the fore legs, as in the - cobego, which we depicted asleep on <a href="#page170">page 170</a>, as our readers will remember. - In the sleeping position the sloth bears a striking resemblance to the stump of a lichen-covered - bough, just as the cobego resembles a fruit. Thus is protection from enemies gained. The - resemblance to lichen is further aided by the fact that the long, coarse hair with which the sloth - is clothed becomes encrusted with a peculiar green alga—a lowly form of vegetable - growth—which lodges in certain grooves or flutings peculiar to the hair of this animal. Such - a method of protection is unique amongst the Mammalia. As the sloths sleep by day and feed by - night, the usefulness of such a method of concealment is beyond question.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_337.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_337.jpg" - alt="THREE-TOED SLOTH." title="THREE-TOED SLOTH."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THREE-TOED SLOTH.</p> - <p class="sp0">A remarkable peculiarity about the three-toed sloths is the fact that they have - no less than nine vertebræ in the neck, instead of seven, as is usual among mammals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The strange form of locomotion of the sloths renders separate fingers and toes unnecessary, and - so the fingers and toes have come to be enclosed in a common fold of skin, extending down to the - base of the claws.</p> - - <p>The sloths stand out in strong contrast to the volatile spider monkeys, with whom they share - the forest; these have added a fifth limb in the shape of a prehensile tail, by which they may - suspend themselves at will. The sloths, on the contrary, have no tail; they move deliberately, and - do not require it. The monkeys move by prodigious leaps, taken not seldom by gathering impetus by - swinging on their tails.</p> - - <p>The great naturalist Bates writes of the sloth: "It is a strange sight to watch this uncouth - creature, fit production of these silent shades, lazily moving from branch to branch. Every - movement betrays, not indolence exactly, but extreme caution. He never loses his hold from one - branch without first securing himself to the next.... After watching the animal for about half an - hour, I gave him a charge of shot; he fell with a terrific crash, but caught a bough in his - descent with his powerful claws, and remained suspended. Our Indian lad <span class="pagenum" - id="page338"><span class="smaller">{338}</span></span>tried to climb the tree, but was driven back - by swarms of stinging ants; the poor little fellow slid down in a sad predicament, and plunged - headlong into the brook to free himself."</p> - - <p>On another occasion the same writer tells us he "saw a sloth swimming across a river at a place - where it was 300 yards broad. I believe it is not generally known that this animal takes to the - water. Our men caught the beast, cooked and ate him."</p> - - <p class="sp3">In past ages gigantic ground-sloths roamed over South America. The largest of - these, the Megatherium, rivalled the elephant in size. Descendants of these giants appear to have - lingered on till comparatively recent times, as witness the wonderful discovery by Moreno, made - during last year (1900) in a cave in Patagonia. This was nothing less than a skull and a large - piece of the hide of one of these monsters in a wonderful state of preservation, showing indeed - undoubted traces of blood and sinew. That the hide was removed by human hands there can be no - doubt, for it was <i>rolled up</i> and turned inside-out. Immediately after this discovery was - announced, an expedition was dispatched from England to hunt, not so much for more remains, but - for the animal itself. Time will show whether these efforts will prove successful.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Ant-eaters.</span></p> - - <p>Unlike as the ant-eaters are to the sloths, they are nevertheless very closely related thereto. - This unlikeness at the present day is so great that, were it not for "missing-links" in the shape - of fossils, we should probably never have discovered the relationship. The head of the typical - ant-eaters has been drawn out into a long tubular muzzle, at the end of which is a tiny mouth just - big enough to permit the exit of a long worm-like tongue, covered with a sticky saliva. This - tongue is thrust out with great rapidity amongst the hosts of ants and termites and their larvæ, - on which they prey. These victims are captured by breaking open their nests. At once all the - active inhabitants swarm up to the breach, and are instantaneously swept away by the remorseless - tongue. The jaws of the ant-eaters are entirely toothless, and the eyes and ears are very - small.</p> - - <p>The largest species of ant-eater is about 4 feet long. It lives entirely upon the ground. - Generally speaking, it is a harmless creature; but at times, when cornered, it will fight - furiously, sitting up on its hind legs and hugging its foe in its powerful arms. Bates, the - traveller-naturalist, relates an instance in which a dog used in hunting the <span - class="sc">Great Ant-eater</span> was caught in its grip and killed. The tail of this large - species is covered with very long hair, forming an immense brush. The claw on the third toe of - each fore limb is of great size, and used for breaking open ants' and other insects' nests.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_338.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_338.jpg" - alt="THE GREAT ANT-EATER." title="THE GREAT ANT-EATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Parson's - Green.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE GREAT ANT-EATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">In walking the ant-eater turns its toes inwards, so that the claws turn upwards - and inwards, the weight of the body being borne by a horny pad on the fifth toe, and the balls - of the third and fourth toes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>But besides the great ground ant-eater there are some tree-haunting species. These have a - shorter muzzle, and short hair on the tail, which is used, as with the spider monkeys, as a <span - class="pagenum" id="page339"><span class="smaller">{339}</span></span>fifth limb. Curled round the - bough of a tree, its owner is free to swing himself out on to another branch.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_339.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_339.jpg" - alt="TAMANDUA ANT-EATER." title="TAMANDUA ANT-EATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TAMANDUA ANT-EATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species, which is a smaller animal than the Great Ant-eater, lives almost - entirely in the trees, instead of on the ground.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The smallest of the tree-dwelling species is not larger than a rat, and is a native of the - hottest parts of the forests of South and Central America. The muzzle in this species is quite - short, not long and tubular, as in the larger species. It is a very rare animal, or is at least - very seldom seen, a fact perhaps due to its small size. It is known as the <span - class="sc">Two-toed Ant-eater</span>, only the second and third fingers of the fore feet bearing - claws.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Von Sack, in his "Narrative of a Voyage to Surinam," tells us that the natives of - Surinam call this little animal "Kissing-hand"—"as the inhabitants pretend that it will - never eat, at least when caught, but that it only licks its paws, in the same manner as the bear; - that all trials to make it eat have proved in vain, and that it soon dies in confinement. When I - got the first, I sent to the forest for a nest of ants; and during the interim I put into its cage - some eggs, honey, milk, and meat; but it refused to touch any of them. At last the ants' nest - arrived, but the animal did not pay the slightest attention to it either. By the shape of its fore - paws, which resemble nippers, I thought that this little creature might perhaps live on the nymphæ - of wasps, etc. I therefore brought it a wasps' nest, and then it pulled out with its nippers the - nymphæ from the nest, and began to eat them with the greatest eagerness, sitting in the posture of - a squirrel. I showed this phenomenon to many of the inhabitants, who all assured me that it was - the first time they had ever known that species of animal take any nourishment."</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Armadillos.</span></p> - - <p>Readers of this book will doubtless have noticed long ere this how manifold are the devices for - the purpose of defence adopted by the Mammalia. The <span class="sc">Armadillos</span> have - certainly selected the most complete, having encased themselves in an impenetrable bony armour as - perfect as the coat of mail of the warrior of the Middle Ages. Concerning this and the variations - thereon adopted by the different members of the group we shall speak presently.</p> - - <p>Armadillos are mostly confined to South America, and occur both in the open pampas and the - shady depths of the forest. They live in burrows, which they dig with incredible speed. These - burrows are generally found in the vicinity of the nests of ants and termites, which form their - staple diet. One species, however, at least feeds apparently with equal relish upon vegetable - matter, eggs, young birds, mice, snakes, and carrion.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page340"><span class="smaller">{340}</span></span></div> - - <p>The bony armour is disposed over the crown of the head, back, and flanks. It is made up of - numerous small, bony plates, buried deep in the skin, and each overlaid by a horny scale. The tail - is protected by bony rings. The plates covering the shoulders and those directly over the - hindquarters fuse into a solid mass, thus forming chambers into which the limbs can be withdrawn. - In the region of the body, between these two shields, the plates are arranged in rows encircling - the body, thus permitting the animal to roll itself up as occasion may require. Hairs grow out - between the plates, and in some cases give the animal quite a furry appearance.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_340.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_340.jpg" - alt="TWO-TOED ANT-EATER." title="TWO-TOED ANT-EATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TWO-TOED ANT-EATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Although the fore feet have four toes, only the second and third bear claws; - hence the name "Two-toed" Ant-eater.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Speaking of the burrowing powers of the armadillo, Darwin, in his most fascinating - "Voyage of the Beagle," tells us that "the instant one was perceived, it was necessary, in order - to catch it, almost to tumble off one's horse; for in soft soil the animal burrowed so quickly - that its hinder quarters would almost disappear before one could alight. It seems almost a pity to - kill such nice little animals; for as a Gaucho said, while sharpening his knife on the back of - one, 'Son tan mansos' (They are so quiet)." As a rule, armadillos are regarded as animals loving - dry, sandy wastes; nevertheless, they are said to be able to swim both well and swiftly. The flesh - of the armadillo is apparently by no means unpalatable.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Pichiciago.</span></p> - - <p class="sp3">One of the most remarkable of the armadillos is the <span - class="sc">Pichiciago</span>, or <span class="sc">Fairy Armadillo</span>. It is a tiny creature of - some 5 inches long, found in the sandy wastes of the western part of the Argentine Republic. The - horny covering of the bony plates is pinkish colour, and the hair is silky in texture and - snow-white. But it is not on this account that the fairy armadillo is remarkable: its claim to - notoriety rests on the peculiar arrangement of the bony plates constituting the armour. These bony - plates are small and thin, and covered, as in other species, with a horny coat; but instead of - being embedded in the skin, they are attached only along the middle of the back, and project - freely over the body on either side, leaving a space between the shield and the body. The hinder - end of the body is specially protected by a nearly circular vertical shield, firmly fixed to the - hip-girdle. This shield, it is said, is used as a plug to fill up its burrow with.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Peludo.</span></p> - - <p>Armadillos of the normal type, wherein the body armour is embedded in the skin, are represented - by numerous species. Of one, known as the <span class="sc">Peludo</span>, Mr. Hudson has given us - some interesting details. "It feeds," he tells us, "not only upon insects, but also upon vegetable - matter, eggs, young birds, and carrion. Its method of capturing mice was certainly ingenious. It - hunted by smell, and when nearing its prey became greatly agitated. The exact spot discovered, the - body was raised slowly to a sitting posture, and then flung suddenly forwards, so that the mouse - or nest of mice was imprisoned beneath, and promptly dispatched." "Still more remarkable," says - Mr. Lydekker, "is the manner in which a peludo has been observed to kill a snake, by rushing upon - it and proceeding to saw the unfortunate reptile in pieces by pressing upon it closely with the - jagged edges of its armour, and at the same time moving its body backwards and forwards. The - struggles of the snake were all in vain, as its fangs could make no impression upon the panoply of - its assailant, and eventually the reptile slowly dropped and died, to be soon afterwards devoured - by the armadillo, which commenced the meal by seizing the snake's tail in its mouth, and gradually - eating forwards."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page341"><span class="smaller">{341}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_341_tl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_341_tl.jpg" - alt="WEASEL-HEADED ARMADILLO." title="WEASEL-HEADED ARMADILLO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WEASEL-HEADED ARMADILLO.</p> - <p class="sp0">The weasel-headed armadillos have from six to eight movable bands in the bony - armour in which they are encased.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_341_tr.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_341_tr.jpg" - alt="HAIRY-RUMPED ARMADILLO." title="HAIRY-RUMPED ARMADILLO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HAIRY-RUMPED ARMADILLO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species, like the Peba Armadillo, varies its diet with carrion.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Pangolins.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Pangolins</span>, or <span class="sc">Scaly Ant-eaters</span>, are perhaps - even more curious creatures than the armadillos. They have been likened in appearance to animated - spruce fir-cones, to which indeed they bear a strange resemblance. This resemblance is due to the - wonderful armature of the skin, which takes the form of large overlapping, pointed, horny plates - or scales. The pangolins are confined to the Old World, occurring in South Africa and - South-eastern Asia. Like the American Ant-eaters, teeth are wanting, and the tongue is long and - worm-like, being employed in the capture of insects, as in the New World ant-eaters.</p> - - <p>The scales of the <span class="sc">Manis</span> are formed by the fusion together of fine - hairs. Like the spines of the hedgehog and porcupine, they serve the purpose of offensive defence; - for when the manis rolls itself up, these pointed scales project at right angles to the body, and - offer a formidable resistance to any enemy whatsoever. They also serve to break the force of a - fall, which, indeed, is often voluntary; for should the animal wish to descend from the branch of - a tree, it will often take a short cut to the ground by deliberately dropping, the force of the - fall being entirely broken by the elastic scales.</p> - - <p>In climbing, the tail is of the greatest service, its under-surface being clothed with pointed - scales, which serve as so many climbing-hooks. The grasp of a tree-trunk gained by the hind legs - and tail is so secure that the body can be moved to a horizontal position with ease. In a specimen - kept in captivity by Mr. Fraser, this horizontal movement was a form of exercise which appeared to - afford the greatest pleasure.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_341_bl.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_341_bl.jpg" - alt="PEBA ARMADILLO." title="PEBA ARMADILLO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PEBA ARMADILLO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species lives largely upon carrion, which it buries in its burrow till - wanted.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_341_br.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_341_br.jpg" - alt="KAPPLERS' ARMADILLO." title="KAPPLERS' ARMADILLO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">KAPPLERS' ARMADILLO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is a variety of the Peba Armadillo, inhabiting Surinam.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page342"><span class="smaller">{342}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Aard-vark.</span></p> - - <p>The custom of naming newly discovered animals after well-known forms to which they are supposed - to bear some resemblance, physically or otherwise, is a common one. The animal now under - consideration shows this once more, having originally received the name of <span - class="sc">Aard-vark</span> (Earth-pig) from the Boers of the Cape. The aard-vark is a most - decidedly ugly animal, and justifies its name in several particulars. It is hunted for the sake of - its hide, which is of great thickness and resembles that of the pig, but is sparsely covered with - hairs, the general shape of its body being not unlike that of a long-headed, short-legged, - heavy-tailed pig. The whole animal is about 6 feet long. In a wild state, or even in captivity, it - is but rarely seen, since it is a night-feeder, and passes the day in sleep deep down in a burrow. - This burrow it digs for itself with the aid of powerful claws borne on the fore feet. It lives - principally on ants and termites, breaking down their nests, and remorselessly sweeping up the - frightened occupants with a long, sticky tongue, as soon as they rush to the seat of the - disturbance which has broken up the harmony and order of their community. At one time it was - believed that the aard-vark was a close ally of the pangolin, but later researches have disproved - this, and have furthermore thrown doubt upon the probability of its relationship with any of the - members of this group of mammals at all.</p> - - <p>There are two species of this animal—the <span class="sc">Cape Aard-vark</span> of South - and South-east Africa, and the <span class="sc">Ethiopian Aard-vark</span> of North-east - Africa.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_342.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_342.jpg" - alt="CAPE AARD-VARK." title="CAPE AARD-VARK."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of the Hon. Walter Rothschild</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Tring.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">CAPE AARD-VARK.</p> - <p class="sp0">The ants upon which the aard-vark largely subsists appear to be very fattening, - and impart a delicate flavour to the flesh, especially to the hams, which are greatly - esteemed.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Where the nest-building ants are most common, there will the aard-vark—or Innagus, as the - Boers sometimes call it—be most plentiful. The nests of these ants are huge structures of - from 3 to 7 feet high, and often occupy vast areas of ground, extending as far as the eye can - reach. They are substantially built, and swarm with occupants, and consequently are quite worth - raiding. But the aard-vark has become much less common since a price has been set upon its skin. - The powers of digging of these animals are so great that they can completely bury their large - bodies in a few minutes, even when the ground has been baked by the sun into something like - adamantine hardness. In excavating their burrows, the ground is thrown out by the fore feet, in - huge lumps, through or rather between the hind legs. Shy and suspicious, the least unusual sound - will send them scuttling to earth, for their sense of hearing is very keen. They seem to change - their minds somewhat frequently, when engaged in digging out a new burrow; for half-excavated - burrows in the side of ant-hills are very commonly met with. A fully grown aard-vark is about 6 - feet long—generally rather more. Although this animal is frequently kept in captivity, it is - but rarely seen by visitors, owing to its nocturnal habits, of which we have already spoken.</p> - - <p>The teeth of the aard-vark are sufficiently remarkable to justify notice here. Only the - crushing teeth are represented—that is to say, the front or cutting teeth are conspicuous by - their absence. These crushing teeth number from eight to ten in the upper and eight in the lower - jaw, on each side; but in the adult fewer would be found, the number being reduced to five in each - side of the jaws—that is to say, there are but twenty all told. In structure these teeth are - quite remarkable, differing entirely from those of all other mammals, and resembling those of some - fishes; furthermore, they have no "roots," but instead grow continually throughout life, which - "rooted" teeth do not.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page343"><span class="smaller">{343}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_343.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_343.jpg" - alt="THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO." title="THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Billington</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Queensland.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">The massive hind limbs and tail of the animal constitute, in its characteristic - resting pose, a most efficient supporting tripod.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page344"><span class="smaller">{344}</span></span></div> - -<hr style="width:10em"/> - - <div id="chapterXXII."></div> - - <h2 class="ac" title="XXII. Marsupials and monotremes." style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span - class="larger">CHAPTER XXII.</span></h2> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><i>MARSUPIALS AND MONOTREMES.</i></p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="smaller">BY W. SAVILLE-KENT, F.L.S., F.Z.S.</span></p> - -<hr style="width:6em"/> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">MARSUPIALS.</span></p> - - <p>With the order of the Pouched Mammals we arrive—with the exception of the Echidna and - Platypus, next described—at the most simply organised representatives of the Mammalian - Class. In the two forms above named, egg-production, after the manner of birds and reptiles, - constitutes the only method of propagation. Although among marsupials so rudimentary a method of - reproduction is not met with, the young are brought into the world in a far more embryonic - condition than occurs among any of the mammalian groups previously enumerated. There is, as a - matter of fact, an entire absence of that vascular or blood connection betwixt the parent and - young previous to birth, known as placentation, common to all the higher mammals, though certain - of the more generalised forms have been recently found to possess a rudiment of such development. - In correlation with their abnormally premature birth, it may be observed that a special provision - commonly exists for the early nurture of the infant marsupials. In such a form as the Kangaroo, - for example, the young one is placed, through the instrumentality of its parent's lips, in contact - with the food-supplying teat, and to which for some considerable period it then becomes - inseparably attached. Special muscles exist in connection with the parent's mammary glands for - controlling the supply of milk to the young animal, while the respiratory organs of the little - creature are temporarily modified in order to ensure unimpeded respiration. The fact of the young - in their early life being commonly found thus inseparably adhering to the parent's nipple has - given rise to the falacious but still very widely prevalent idea among the Australian settlers - that the embryo marsupial is ushered into the world as a direct outgrowth from the mammary - region.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_344.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_344.jpg" - alt="SILVER-GREY KANGAROO." title="SILVER-GREY KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Billington</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Queensland.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SILVER-GREY KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">In general form the kangaroos are so like one another that one figure would - almost serve for all.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>At the present day, with the exception of the small group of the American Opossums and the - Selvas, the entire assemblage of marsupials, comprising some 36 genera and 150 species, are, - singularly to relate, exclusively found in Australia, New Guinea, and the few neighbouring islands - recognised by systematic zoologists as pertaining to the Australasian region. What is more, this - region of Australasia produces, with some few insignificant exceptions, chiefly rodents, no other - indigenous mammals.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page345"><span class="smaller">{345}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_345_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_345_t.jpg" - alt="BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY." title="BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BLACK-STRIPED WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Female with half-grown young in her pouch.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_345_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_345_b.jpg" - alt="BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GREY - KANGAROO." title="BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GREY - KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by J. T. Newman</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Berkhamsted.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BENNETT'S WALLABY AND THE GREAT GREY KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph illustrates the relative sizes of these two species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>It is interesting to note that within the limits of this isolated and anciently founded - marsupial order we have an epitome, as it were, of many of the more important groups of an - equivalent classificatory value that are included among the higher mammalia previously described. - In this relationship we find in the so-called Tasmanian Wolf, the Tasmanian Devil, and the "Native - Cats" carnivorous and eminently predatory forms whose habits and general conformation are - immediately comparable to those of the typical Carnivora. The Bandicoots, Banded Ant-eater, and - Phascogales recall in a similar manner the higher Insectivora. In the tree-frequenting Opossums - and Phalangers the external likeness and conformity in habits to the arboreal rodents is notably - apparent, several of the species, moreover, possessing a parachute-like flying-membrane - essentially identical with that which is found in the typical Flying-squirrels. An example in - which the ground-frequenting or burrowing rodents are closely approached is furnished by the - Australian Wombat, an animal which may be appropriately likened to an overgrown and lethargic - Marmot. In this form, moreover, the rodent-like character of the dentition is especially - noteworthy. The higher grass-eating mammals find their counterparts in the family group of the - Kangaroos, in which, in addition to their essentially herbivorous habits, the contour of the head - and neck, together with the expressive eyes and large expanding ears, are wonderfully suggestive - of the various members of the Deer Family. The Cuscuses of New Guinea and the adjacent islands, - both in form and habits, somewhat resemble their geographical neighbours, the Lorises, belonging - to the Lemur Tribe, compared with which higher mammals, however, they possess the advantage of an - eminently serviceable prehensile tail. The Australian <span class="pagenum" id="page346"><span - class="smaller">{346}</span></span>Koala, or so-called "Native Bear," has been commonly compared - by zoologists with the Edentate Sloths; while in the most recently discovered marsupial, the - Pouched Mole, we have a counterpart, in both form and habits, of the familiar European species. - Finally, in the small American section of the Marsupialia, we meet with a type—the so-called - Yapock, or Water-opossum—in which the resemblances to an Otter, in both aspect and its - aquatic habits, are so marked that the animal was originally regarded as a species only of the - Otter Tribe.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_346.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_346.jpg" - alt="ALBINO RED KANGAROOS." title="ALBINO RED KANGAROOS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ALBINO RED KANGAROOS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Albino kangaroos and other Australian animals have been observed to be the - product of special, narrowly limited locations.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The character of the <i>marsupium</i>, or pouch, differs materially among the - various members of their order. It presents its most conspicuous and normal development in such - animals as the Kangaroos, Wallabies, and the Australian Opossums or Phalangers. In the Tasmanian - Wolf and the Bandicoots the pouch opens backwards. In such forms as the Phascogale, or Pouched - Mouse, the pouch is reduced to a few rudimentary skin-folds, while in the Banded Ant-eater its - position is occupied by a mere patch of longer hairs, to which the helpless young ones cling. On - the same <i>lucus a non lucendo</i> principle there is no trace of a pouch in the Koala, nor in - those smaller species of the American Opossums which habitually carry their young upon their back. - Even in these pouchless marsupials, however, the peculiar marsupial bones are invariably present, - and in all other essential details their accord with the marsupial type of organisation and - development is fully maintained.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Kangaroos.</span></p> - - <p>The typical and most familiar member of the Marsupial Order is the <span - class="sc">Kangaroo</span>—the heraldic mammal of that vast island-continent in the South - Seas, whose phenomenal advance by leaps and bounds, from what scarcely a century since was - represented by but a few isolated settlements, has been aptly likened to the characteristic - progression of this animal. Of kangaroos proper there are some twenty-four known species - distributed throughout the length and breadth of Australia, extending southwards to Tasmania, and - to the north as far as New Guinea and a few other adjacent islands.</p> - - <p>In point of size the <span class="sc">Great Grey Kangaroo</span> and the <span - class="sc">Red</span> or <span class="sc">Woolly</span> species run each other very closely. A - full-grown male of either species will weigh as much as 200 lbs., and measure a little over 5 feet - from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, this latter important member monopolising - another 4 or 4½ feet. The red or woolly species more especially affects the rocky districts of - South and East Australia, while the great grey kind is essentially a plain-dweller and widely - distributed throughout the grassy plains of the entire Australian Continent and also Tasmania. It - is to the big males of this species that the titles of "Boomer," "Forester," and "Old Man - Kangaroos" are commonly applied by the settlers, and the species with which the popular and - exciting sport of a kangaroo hunt—the Antipodean substitute for fox-hunting—is - associated. <a id="kangahunt"></a>The pace and staying power of an old man kangaroo are something - phenomenal. Our home country fox-hounds would have no chance with it; consequently a breed of - rough-haired greyhounds, known as kangaroo-dogs, are specially trained <span class="pagenum" - id="page347"><span class="smaller">{347}</span></span>for this sport. A run of eighteen miles, - with a swim of two in the sea at the finish, and all within the space of two brief crowded hours, - is one of the interesting records chronicled. The quarry, when brought to bay, is, moreover, a by - no means despicable foe. Erect on its haunches, with its back against a tree, the dogs approach it - at their peril, as, with a stroke of its powerful spur-armed hind foot, it will with facility - disembowel or otherwise fatally maim its assailant. Another favourite refuge of the hunted - "boomer" is a shallow water-hole, wherein, wading waist-deep, it calmly awaits its pursuers' - onslaught. On the dogs swimming out to the attack, it will seize them with its hand-like fore - paws, thrust them under water, and, if their rescue is not speedily effected, literally drown - them. Even man, without the aid of firearms, is liable to be worsted in an encounter under these - conditions, as is evidenced in the following anecdote.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_347.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_347.jpg" - alt="TASMANIAN WALLABY." title="TASMANIAN WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Reid</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span class="gap" - style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Wishaw, N.B.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TASMANIAN WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Has softer and thicker fur than its relative of the Australian mainland.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A newly arrived settler from the old country, or more precisely from the sister island, - ignorant of the strength and prowess of the wily marsupial, essayed his maiden kangaroo hunt with - only a single dog as company. A fine grey boomer was in due course started, and after an exciting - chase was cornered in a water-hole. The dog, rushing after it, was promptly seized and ducked; and - Pat, irate at the threatened drowning of his companion, fired, but missed his quarry, and - thereupon jumped into the water-hole, with the intention, as he afterwards avowed, "to bate the - brains out of the baste" with the butt-end of his gun. The kangaroo, however, very soon turned the - tables upon Pat. Before he had time to realise the seriousness of the situation he found himself - lifted off his feet, and soused and hustled with such vigour that both Pat and his dog most - narrowly escaped a watery grave. A couple of neighbours, by good luck passing that way, observed - the turmoil, and came to the rescue. <span class="pagenum" id="page348"><span - class="smaller">{348}</span></span>Between them they beat off and killed the kangaroo, and dragged - Pat to land in a half-drowned and almost insensible condition. Pat recovered, and vowed "niver to - meddle with such big bastes" again.</p> - - <p>The doe kangaroos, while of smaller size and possessing much less staying power than their - mates, can nevertheless afford a good run for horses and dogs, and are commonly known as "flyers." - When carrying a youngster, or "Joey," in her pouch, and hard pressed by the dogs, it is a common - thing for the parent to abstract her offspring from the pouch with her fore paws, and to throw it - aside into the bush. The instinct of self-preservation only, by the discharge of hampering - impedimenta, is usually ascribed to this act; but it is an open question whether the maternal one - of securing a chance of escape for her young, while feeling powerless to accomplish it for - herself, does not more often represent the actual condition of the case.</p> - - <p>In proportion to the size of its body the kangaroo yields but a limited amount of meat that is - esteemed for food. The tail represents the most highly appreciated portion, since from it can be - compounded a soup not only equal to ordinary ox-tail, but by gourmands considered so superior that - its conservation and export have proved a successful trade enterprise. The loins also are much - esteemed for the table, but the hind limbs are hard and coarse, and only appreciated by the native - when rations are abnormally short. "Steamer," composed of kangaroo-flesh mixed with slices of ham, - represented a standing and very popular dish with the earlier Australian settlers; but with the - rapid disappearance of the animal before the advance of colonisation this one time common - concoction possesses at the present day a greater traditional than actual reputation.</p> - - <p>The hunting of the kangaroo is conducted on several distinct lines, the method of its pursuit - being varied, according to whether the animal is required for the primary object of food, for the - commercial value of its skin, as a matter of pure sport, or to accomplish its wholesale - destruction in consequence of its encroachments on the pasturage required for sheep- and - cattle-grazing.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_348.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_348.jpg" - alt="ALBINO RED-BELLIED WALLABY." title="ALBINO RED-BELLIED WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ALBINO RED-BELLIED WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Many of the Marsupials, including Kangaroos and the Opossum-like Phalangers, - exhibit a tendency to albinism.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page349"><span class="smaller">{349}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_349.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_349.jpg" - alt="ROCK-WALLABY." title="ROCK-WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Billington</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Queensland.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ROCK-WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">The Rock-Wallabies, in contradistinction to the Kangaroos, are for the most - part nocturnal in their habits.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page350"><span class="smaller">{350}</span></span></div> - - <p>The greatest measure of healthy excitement in hunting the kangaroo, from the standpoint of pure - sport, is no doubt to be obtained when running the marsupial down with horse and hounds in - congenial company, as referred to on a <a href="#kangahunt">previous page</a>. The stalking of the - animal single-handed on horseback or on foot, much after the manner of the deer, has also its - enthusiastic votaries, and calls into play the greatest amount of patience and <i>savoir-faire</i> - on the part of the sportsman. It has been affirmed by a Queensland writer, "To kill kangaroos with - a stalking-horse requires the practice of a lifetime, and few 'new chums' have the patience to - learn it. It is, in fact, only stockmen, black-fellows, and natives of the bush who can by this - method expect to make kangaroo-shooting pay." The horse which is successfully employed by - experienced bushmen for stalking purposes is specially trained to its work, and, walking - apparently unconcernedly in the direction of the selected quarry, brings the gunners, if they are - experts in the art of keeping themselves well concealed, within easy range. In this manner two or - three kangaroos are not infrequently shot in the same stalk, the animals having a tendency, on - hearing the report of the gun, but not locating the direction from which it was discharged, to - rush about in an aimless manner, and, as frequently happens, in the immediate direction of the - hidden sportsman. In the good old times it is recorded that an experienced hand might kill as many - as seventy or eighty kangaroos in a day by this stalking method. The marsupials are at the present - date, however, so severely decimated that even in the most favourable settled districts a bag of - from twelve to twenty head must be regarded as exceptional. Stalking the kangaroo on foot without - the horse's aid is more strongly recommended to those to whom an occasional shot is considered - sufficiently remunerative. Taking full advantage of intervening bushes and other indigenous cover, - an approach to within a hundred yards or so of the quarry may be usually accomplished, though not - quite so easily, perhaps, as might be at first anticipated. It is the habit of the kangaroo to sit - up waist-high in the midst of the sun-bleached grass, which corresponds so closely in colour with - its own hide that unless the animal is silhouetted against the sky-line it readily escapes - detection.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_350_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_350_t.jpg" - alt="PARRY'S WALLABY." title="PARRY'S WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PARRY'S WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">In attitude of listening.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_350_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_350_b.jpg" - alt="PARRY'S WALLABY." title="PARRY'S WALLABY."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PARRY'S WALLABY.</p> - <p class="sp0">Characteristic feeding attitude.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The conditions under which the kangaroo is obtained for the main purpose of supplying the human - commissariat is perhaps most aptly illustrated in connection with its chase as prosecuted by the - Australian aborigines. In Tasmania and the Southern Australian States the primeval man is either - extinct or more rare than the kangaroo. In the extreme north and far north-west, however, he still - poses as "the lord of creation," and conducts his hunting expeditions on a lordly scale. The - food-supply of the Australian native is essentially precarious. Long intervals of "short commons" - are interspersed with brief periods of over-abundance, in which he indulges his appetite to its - fullest bent. A kangaroo drive on native lines represents to the Australian mind one of these - <span class="pagenum" id="page351"><span class="smaller">{351}</span></span>last-named - superlatively memorable occasions. The entire tribe, men, women, and all capable youths, - participate in the sport. Fires are lit by one section of the tribe, according to the direction of - the wind, encircling a vast area of the country, while the other section posts itself in - detachments in advantageous positions to intercept the terrified marsupials as they fly in the - presumed direction of safety to escape the devouring element. Spears and waddies and boomerangs, - in the hands of the expert natives, speedily accomplish a scene of carnage, and the after feast - that follows may perhaps be best left to the imagination of the reader. The encroachments of - neighbouring natives on the happy hunting-grounds that time and custom have conceded to be the - sole monopoly of any one particular tribe is most strenuously resented, and constitute one of the - commonest sources of their well-nigh perpetual inter-tribal battles.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_351.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_351.jpg" - alt="FOOT OF TREE-KANGAROO." title="FOOT OF TREE-KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef, Melbourne.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">FOOT OF TREE-KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">Underside, showing peculiar skin-corrugations and the united second and third - toes.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A kangaroo battue, as carried into practice by European settlers in those few remaining - districts where the animal is sufficiently abundant to constitute a pest by its wholesale - consumption of the much-prized pasturage, is far more deadly in its results to the unfortunate - marsupials. Existing sheep-fences, supplemented by a large suitably enclosed yard, are first - specially prepared for the reception of the expected victims. All the settlers, stockmen, and farm - hands from the country round are pressed into service, and assemble on horseback or on foot at the - appointed rendezvous at break of day. A widely spreading cordon of beaters being told off, a - systematic drive is then commenced, which results in all the animals being driven towards and - collected within the enclosed yard. The culminating scene is one of wholesale slaughter with club - and gun. From these battues none of the unfortunate animals escape, as they are so closely hemmed - in.</p> - - <p>The first record of the existence of the kangaroo, coupled with its characteristic name, is - found associated, it is interesting to observe, with the history of one of the earlier voyages of - Captain Cook. The neighbourhood of Cooktown, in Queensland, claims the honour of supplying the - first example of the animal which was brought to Europe and astonished the zoologists of that time - by the singularity of its form and reported habits. Captain Cook happened—in July, - 1770—to be laying up his ship, the <i>Endeavour</i>, for repairs, after narrowly escaping - total wreck on the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef, in the estuary of the river subsequently - coupled with his ship's name. Foraging parties, dispatched with the object of securing, if - possible, fresh meat or game for the replenishment of the ship's well-nigh exhausted larder, - returned with reports of a strange creature, of which they subsequently secured specimens. Skins - were preserved and brought to England, but it was some little time before the zoological position - and affinities of the creature were correctly allocated. By some naturalists it was regarded as - representing a huge species of Jerboa, its near relationship to the previously known American - Opossums being, however, eventually substantiated. The closer acquaintanceship with the peculiar - fauna of Australia that followed upon Captain Cook's memorable voyage of discovery along the - coast-line of that island-continent soon familiarised naturalists with many other of the allied - species of which the kangaroo constitutes the leading representative.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page352"><span class="smaller">{352}</span></span></div> - - <p>Some considerable amount of obscurity is associated with the prime origin of the animal's - almost world-wide title of "Kangaroo." It is most commonly accepted as representing the native - name for the creature in that Queensland district from whence it was first reported by Captain - Cook. No later investigations and enquiries have, however, in any way established the correctness - of this hypothesis, those explorers who have made a special study of the dialects and habits of - the aboriginal inhabitants entirely failing to elicit anything even remotely coinciding with the - name in question. It has, in fact, been reluctantly concluded by one of the most experienced - Queensland authorities on these matters that the name originated as a mere miscomprehension of the - information elicited from the natives. Verbal communication with the native tribes under the most - favourable circumstances is liable to a vast amount of misunderstanding, and where other than - linguistic experts are present it frequently happens that much mongrel or "pidgin English" gets - mixed up with the native terms. Assuming this to have been the case in the present instance, it - has been suggested that the name of Kangaroo, or "Kanguroo," as it was originally spelt, implied - some form of negation of the knowledge which the enquiring white man was seeking to elicit, or, - maybe, partly even a phonetic and parrot-like repetition of the constantly recurring query that - was doubtless current among the "handy men" of the <i>Endeavour's</i> commission, such as "Can - you" tell me this or that concerning the many unfamiliar objects that greeted the eyes of the new - arrivals in this strange land. The writer retains a vivid recollection of a closely analogous - manner in which the rural inhabitants of Vigo Bay, on the Spanish coast, appropriated a common - phrase used by the crew of the yacht with whom he landed there. Having evidently noted that the - two words "I say" prefaced the majority of Jack-tar's speeches, this catch-phrase was adopted and - applied by them as a greeting and as a reply to almost every interrogation in dumb-show or - otherwise that was addressed to them. An unknown animal submitted to these rustic Solons would - doubtless have been dubbed the "I say"; and had the land been a new one—say, somewhere in - the South Seas—that name would probably have stuck to it. Applying this interpretation to - the kangaroo, and bearing in mind the fondness of the Australian native to duplicate his - name-words or syllables—e.g. <i>wagga-wagga</i>, <i>debil-debil</i>, and so forth—the - "Kang-you-you" or a closely resembling phonetic expression would present itself to the native mind - as a much more correct rendering of the simpler "Can you" or "Kang you" which he had picked up as - a catch-phrase from the <i>Endeavour's</i> crew. In the absence, at all events, of any more - rational interpretation of the mystery, this one would seem to merit consideration.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_352.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_352.jpg" - alt="BROWN TREE-KANGAROO." title="BROWN TREE-KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BROWN TREE-KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species represents the group in North Queensland.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>While the kangaroo is being speedily dethroned from the dominant position it originally - occupied in the indigenous Australian fauna, praiseworthy and highly successful attempts have been - made to acclimatise this marsupial on British soil. At Tring Park, Lord Rothschild's estate, - Woburn Abbey, and elsewhere, troops of these graceful creatures may be seen under conditions of - happiness and liberty scarcely inferior to those by which they are environed in their native - "bush."</p> - - <div id="fp353"></div> - - <div class="ac w50 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_353fp.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_353fp.jpg" - alt="THE GREAT KANGAROO LEAPING." title="THE GREAT KANGAROO LEAPING."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Ottomar Anschütz, Berlin.</i></span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span><i>Printed at Lyons, - France.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">THE GREAT KANGAROO LEAPING.</p> - <p class="sp0">In the posture in which this animal is represented the extraordinary size and - strength of the hind limbs and tail are displayed to the best advantage. Both features are - connected with the animal's marvellous powers of leaping.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page353"><span class="smaller">{353}</span></span></div> - - <p>Of smaller members of the Kangaroo Family, there are some thirty distinct forms, popularly - known in Australia as <span class="sc">Wallabies</span>, <span class="sc">Wallaroos</span>, <span - class="sc">Paddy-melons</span>, <span class="sc">Potoroos</span>, <span - class="sc">Kangaroo-hares</span>, <span class="sc">Kangaroo-rats</span>, etc. The wallabies, which - represent the most important group with regard to their larger size and economic utility, number - some fourteen or fifteen species, and are distinguished, with relation more especially to their - habitats or peculiar structure, as <span class="sc">Rock-</span>, <span - class="sc">Brush-tail</span>, and <span class="sc">Spur-tail Wallabies</span>, etc. Among the - rock-wallabies the yellow-footed species from South Australia is undoubtedly one of the handsomest - as well as the largest member of its group, the uniform grey characteristic of the majority of its - members being in this instance represented by an elegantly striped and banded form, in which the - several tints of brown, yellow, black, and white are pleasingly interblended. A very fine example - of this wallaby was included in the valuable collection of animals, formerly at Windsor, recently - presented to the Zoological Society by His Majesty King Edward, and is now on view at the Regent's - Park. The successful stalking of rock-wallabies in their native fastnesses entails no mean amount - of patience and agility. Although these animals are so abundant in favoured localities as to make - hard-beaten tracks to and fro betwixt their rock-dwellings and their pasture-grounds, one may - traverse the country in broad daylight without catching a glimpse of a single individual. One - species, about the size of a large rabbit, is very plentiful among the rocky bastion-like hills - that border the Ord River, which flows into Cambridge Gulf, in Western Australia. Efforts to stalk - examples in broad daylight proved fruitless; but by sallying out a little before daybreak, so as - to arrive at their feeding-grounds while the light was still dim, the writer succeeded in securing - several specimens. Many of these rock-wallabies are notable for the length, fine texture, and - pleasing tints of their fur, their skins on such account being highly esteemed for the composition - of carriage-rugs and other furry articles.</p> - - <div class="ac w20 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_353.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_353.jpg" - alt="TREE-KANGAROOS." title="TREE-KANGAROOS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TREE-KANGAROOS.</p> - <p class="sp0">Examples acclimatised in the Melbourne Zoological Gardens.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Of the larger brush or scrub varieties, the species known as the <span class="sc">Black - Wallaby</span> is the most familiar form. It is particularly abundant in the Southern Australian - States, and also in Tasmania. Its flesh is excellent eating, and, dressed and served up in the - orthodox manner of jugged hare, can scarcely be distinguished from that toothsome dish. Some of - the smaller species, such as the hare- and rat-kangaroos or potoroos, are, as their names denote, - of no larger dimensions than the familiar rodents from which they are popularly named. Several of - these smaller species, including notably the potoroo, or kangaroo-rat of New South Wales, are - addicted to paying marked attention to the settlers' gardens, and, being to a large extent <span - class="pagenum" id="page354"><span class="smaller">{354}</span></span>root-feeders, have acquired - a special predilection for the newly planted or more fully matured potato crops.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_354_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_354_t.jpg" - alt="GAIMARD'S RAT-KANGAROO." title="GAIMARD'S RAT-KANGAROO."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">GAIMARD'S RAT-KANGAROO.</p> - <p class="sp0">A species named after the French naturalist, Gaimard.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The most abnormal group of the Kangaroo Family is undoubtedly that of the <span - class="sc">Tree-kangaroos</span>, formerly supposed to have been limited in its distribution to - the island of New Guinea, but which has within recent years been found to be represented by one or - more species in Northern Queensland. At the Melbourne Zoo they have been found, except in the - coldest weather, to thrive well in the open—a moderate-sized tree, with a small fenced-in - enclosure around it, being admirably suited to their requirements, at the same time providing a - most instructive exhibition of their peculiar forms and idiosyncrasies. Seen at its best, however, - the tree-kangaroo, or "boongarry," as it is known amongst the Queensland natives, is a most - clumsy, melancholy-looking beast, which has apparently found itself "up a tree," not as the - outcome of its personal predilections, but owing to the <i>force majeure</i> of untoward pressure - in the form either of relentlessly persecuting enemies or the failure of its normal terrestrial - commissariat. Compared with the graceful and superlatively agile tree-frequenting phalangers, - between whom and the ordinary kangaroos it has been sometimes, but erroneously, regarded as - representing a connecting-link, the boongarry presents a most ungainly contrast. Its climbing - powers are of the slowest and most awkward description, the whole of its energies being - concentrated on its endeavour to preserve its balance and to retain a tight hold upon the branches - of the trees it frequents, and to which it clings with such tenacity with its long sharp claws - that it can with difficulty be detached. In its wild state, moreover, these claws can be very - effectively used as weapons of defence; and hence the natives, with whom the animal is highly - esteemed as an article of food, are careful to give it its quietus with their clubs or waddies - before venturing to handle it. The tree-kangaroos inhabit the densest parts of the forests or - "scrubs" of New Guinea and tropical Queensland, and appear to confine their movements chiefly to - the trees of moderate size, or the lower branches only of the taller ones.</p> - - <p>The species which constitutes the most natural known connecting-link between the typical - Kangaroos and the family of the Phalangers, next described, is the <span class="sc">Five-toed - Rat-kangaroo</span>, or <span class="sc">Potoroo</span>. As its name implies, it is a small - creature of rat-like aspect and dimensions, and possesses, like a rat, a long, cylindrical, naked, - scaly tail. It is the structure of the feet, however, that constitutes the important distinction. - In place of the four toes only to the hind limbs it possesses the full complement of five, and the - first toe, moreover, is set farther back, and is opposable for grasping purposes. This animal is - from Queensland.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_354_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_354_b.jpg" - alt="RAT-KANGAROO FROM NEW SOUTH WALES." title="RAT-KANGAROO FROM NEW SOUTH WALES."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">RAT-KANGAROO FROM NEW SOUTH WALES.</p> - <p class="sp0">One of the small jerboa-like species.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page355"><span class="smaller">{355}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Phalangers.</span></p> - - <p>The Phalanger Family of Marsupials, which next invites attention, is constituted of animals - especially adapted to lead an arboreal life, though among themselves they exhibit very - considerable structural variations. The species usually placed at the head of this group is the - essentially droll and in many respects abnormal form known as the <span class="sc">Koala</span>, - or <span class="sc">Australian Native Bear</span>. Its little podgy tailless body, short thick-set - head, and round tufted ears lend some countenance perhaps to the ursine analogy; but there the - likeness ends.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_355.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_355.jpg" - alt="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR AND - CUB." title="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR AND - CUB."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR AND CUB.</p> - <p class="sp0">An excellent illustration of the way in which the female koalas carry their - young securely perched on their backs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The koala is limited in its distribution to the south-eastern region of the Australian - Continent, and is there found inhabiting the loftiest gum-trees, on the leaves and flowers of - which it almost exclusively feeds. Compared with the opossum and squirrel-like phalangers, the - koala is a very slow and sedentary little animal, remaining stationary in and browsing upon the - leaves of the same gum-tree for days or even weeks at a stretch. Taking advantage of this - home-staying propensity, examples are established, with full liberty to wander at will among the - large gum-trees, in the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, and have never abused the confidence reposed - in them by surreptitiously absconding. The young koalas in particular make the most droll and - delightful of household pets, speedily becoming attached to and following their owners about the - premises, or contentedly settling down to the possession of an allotted corner of the verandah, in - which an improvised perch has been erected and a constant supply of its favourite gum-leaves is - daily assured. One such example, kept in Brisbane, Queensland, furnished the writer with the - material for the photograph on this page; also of another one that illustrated in an interesting - manner the very singular attitude assumed by the animal when asleep. Instead of creeping into the - hollow trunk or spout of a gum or other tree, as the opossums and other phalangers are wont to do, - the little "bear" simply sticks tight to his supporting branch, and, tucking in his head and ears - and limbs, converts himself into an apparently homogeneous rounded mass of fur or moss, and, thus - disguised, peacefully sleeps. Seen at some little distance, in fact, none but a trained eye could - distinguish this sleeping bear from one of the round woody excrescences or bunches of - misletoe-like parasitic growths that are of common occurrence on the trees in every gum forest. In - this way the little creature secures immunity from the <span class="pagenum" id="page356"><span - class="smaller">{356}</span></span>attacks of enemies by mimicking the characteristic - peculiarities of its environment, as obtains so generally among insects and other of the lower - orders of animated nature. A closely analogous sleeping attitude, it may be mentioned, is assumed - by one of the African lemurs or pottos, which have been dealt with in <a href="#potto">a previous - chapter</a>.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_356.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_356.jpg" - alt="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR." title="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">The koala has no tail, and is a stout, clumsily built animal, about 32 inches - in length, with thick woolly fur of a greyish colour.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Although in captivity the koala takes kindly to a mixed diet in which bread-and-milk and fruit - may form substantial elements, it can rarely be induced to altogether dispense with its customary - gum-leaf regimen, and it is this circumstance that mainly accounts for its rarity in European - menageries. Time and again, however, this interesting animal has put in an appearance at the - Regent's Park; but in spite of Kew Gardens and other sources being laid under contribution for a - supply of gum-tree leaves, its sojourn there has been but brief. As a matter of fact, the common - or blue gum-tree, which is alone cultivated and available in any quantity in this country, and - which is indigenous to Tasmania, is not the species on which the koala is accustomed to feed. Of - gum-trees there are some hundred species, every one differing in the peculiarity of its aromatic - scent and flavour, and having its special clientèle among the ranks of leaf-browsing animals. So - far as the writer's observations extended, it was the big Queensland "white" and "swamp" gums that - were especially patronised by the Australian bears, and these are not grown in England.</p> - - <p>Although at first sight, and normally so far as the younger individuals are concerned, the - koala would appear to represent the most perfect embodiment of peace and goodwill among mammals, - he is accredited at a maturer age, when crossed in love or goaded to resentment by some other - cause, to give way to fits of ungovernable rage. These temporary lapses are, however, very - transient, and our little friend soon recovers his customary bland placidity. While it is being - threshed out, nevertheless, the "burden of song" delivered by rival claimants for a partner's - favours is a remarkable phenomenon. The circumstance that the vocal duet is commonly executed high - up among the branches of the loftiest gums no doubt adds very considerably to both the timbre of - the "music" and the distance to which it is carried. The old-time phrase of "making the welkin - ring" would undoubtedly have been applied with alacrity and singular appropriateness by the poets - of the departed century to the love-song of the koala, had they been privileged to hear it.</p> - - <p>Among the examples of the koala which have been in residence at the Zoo, one of them came to a - pathetic end. As told to the writer by Mr. A. D. Bartlett, the late superintendent, it appears - that the little animal, on exhibition in the gardens during the day, was brought into the house at - night, and allowed the run of a room which, among other furniture, included a large swing - looking-glass. One morning the little creature was found crushed to death beneath the mirror, upon - which it had apparently climbed and over-balanced. The information that the animal was a female - evoked the suspicion that personal vanity and the admiration of its own image in the glass had - some share in compassing its untimely end. Possibly, however, it hailed in the reflection the - welcome advent of a companion to share its lone banishment from the land of the gum-tree, and in - its efforts to greet it thus came to grief.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page357"><span class="smaller">{357}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_357.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_357.jpg" - alt="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR." title="KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">KOALA, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE BEAR.</p> - <p class="sp0">These animals make a peculiarly plaintive cry when molested in any way by human - beings.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page358"><span class="smaller">{358}</span></span></div> - - <p>The female koala produces but one cub at a time. At an early period after its birth this is - transferred to its mother's back, and is thus transported until its dimensions are about one-half - of those of its parent. The pair as shown in the illustration on <a href="#page355">page 355</a> - presents, under these conditions, an essentially grotesque aspect.</p> - - <p>It is a noteworthy circumstance that, compared with the male, the female koala is but rarely to - be observed wandering abroad during broad daylight. As with the typical phalangers food is - consumed chiefly at night or during the brief Australian twilight hours. While the male at certain - periods, more especially the months of March and April, is much in evidence in daytime to both the - senses of sight and hearing, as attested to on a previous page, the female spends the whole or - greater portion of the day clinging as an inert sleeping mass to a convenient branch. - "Bear"-shooting in Australia, as might be anticipated from the description here given of the - animal's habits and temperament, affords but sorry sport. It may further be remarked that those - who have shot at and only disabled one of these inoffensive little creatures are scarcely likely - to repeat the experiment. The cry of a wounded koala has been aptly compared to that of a - distressed child, but still more pathetic. When fatally shot, it also more frequently than - otherwise clings tenaciously back-downwards, like the South American sloths, to the supporting - tree-branch, and is thus frequently irrecoverable. With the non-sentimental Australian furrier the - koala's pelt of soft, crisp, ashy-grey fur is unfortunately in considerable demand, being made up - mostly, with the quaint round head and tufted ears intact, into, it must be confessed, singularly - attractive and warm rugs.</p> - - <p>The correspondence of the koala in form and habits to the sloths among the higher mammalia has - been previously mentioned. The parallelism might be pursued in yet another direction. In earlier - times the small tree-inhabiting South American sloths were supplemented by ground-frequenting - species, such as the Megatherium, which were of comparatively titanic proportions. The epoch of - the accredited existence of these huge ground-sloths was so comparatively recent—the later - tertiaries—that it is even yet not regarded as altogether improbable that some existing - representative of the race may yet be discovered in the fastnesses of the South American forests, - and thus claim a niche in the pages of a subsequent edition of "<span class="sc">Living - Animals</span>." In a like manner the little sloth-like tree-frequenting "Australian Bear" had his - primeval ground-dwelling colossi, and there is yet a lurking hope among enthusiastic zoologists - that some surviving scion of the little koala's doughty forebears may yet turn up in the - practically unexplored Central Australian wildernesses. Some such anticipations, as a matter of - fact, stimulated the hopes and aspirations of the participators in one of the latest of these - exploring expeditions, which, while not successful in this instance in obtaining so great a prize, - secured for science that most interesting and previously unknown marsupial mammal the Pouched - Mole.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_358.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_358.jpg" - alt="SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING-PHALANGER OF - VICTORIA." title="SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING-PHALANGER OF - VICTORIA."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SQUIRREL-LIKE FLYING-PHALANGER OF VICTORIA.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal has soft grey fur like that of the chinchilla.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page359"><span class="smaller">{359}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Typical Phalangers.</span></p> - - <p>The typical <span class="sc">Phalangers</span>, or <span class="sc">Opossums</span>, as they - are familiarly known throughout Australia, include a very considerable number of representatives, - ranging in size from that of a small mouse to that of a full-grown cat. All are essentially - arboreal in their habits, feeding principally on the leaves and flowers of the various gums. They - are for the most part strictly nocturnal in their habits, and make their homes and retiring-places - during the day in the hollow trunks and limbs that are of such abundant occurrence in the - periodically fire-swept Australian forests. Almost all the larger species are notable for the - length, thickness, and exquisitely fine texture of their fur, a circumstance for which they are - consequently laid under heavy penalties for the sake of their pelts. The island colony of - Tasmania, in the extreme south, with its colder climate, as might be anticipated, produces the - finest qualities of these furs, that of the <span class="sc">Black</span> or <span - class="sc">Sooty Opossum</span>, which is peculiar to the island, being most highly prized. The - length and furry character of their in many instances prehensile tails also form a conspicuous - feature of this group. Nature, in fact, apparently distributed caudal material so over-liberally - among these marsupials that the little koala had to make shift without.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_359.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_359.jpg" - alt="LARGER FLYING-PHALANGER." title="LARGER FLYING-PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LARGER FLYING-PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A nearly pure white example.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The group of the Phalanger Family popularly known as <span class="sc">Flying-squirrels</span>, - or more correctly as <span class="sc">Flying-phalangers</span>, is almost universally admitted to - include some of the most beautiful of living mammals. In external structure, so far as their - peculiar so-called "flying" mechanism is concerned, these animals coincide in a remarkable manner - with the true flying-squirrels, belonging to the Rodent Order, indigenous to the Asiatic and - American Continents. In neither instance is there flight, in the true sense of the term, similar - to that of birds and bats, but the fore and hind limbs are connected by a parachute-like membrane, - which, outstretched when the animal leaps from tree to tree, buoys it up and enables its owner to - traverse, in a straight and gradually descending line only, very considerable distances.</p> - - <p>The smaller squirrel-like form common to the south-eastern districts of Australia, and on - account of its predilection for sweets commonly known as the <span - class="sc">Sugar-squirrel</span>, makes a most charming little pet. For the most part addicted to - sleep, and impatient at being disturbed during the day, towards sundown it wakes up, and is full - of frolic. One such example was the writer's travelling companion for a considerable interval in - Western Australia. While remaining packed conveniently away in a small box throughout the day, it - was accustomed to enjoy the liberty of whatever apartment its owner occupied in the evening and - throughout the night, returning of its own accord to its sleeping-box with the approach of dawn. - On one exceptional occasion, however, Master Tiny, as this individual was named, was missing in - the morning from his accustomed crib, and a prolonged search and examination of every <span - class="pagenum" id="page360"><span class="smaller">{360}</span></span>corner and article of - furniture that could afford shelter failed to recover him. That the little creature was lost - through some one having unwittingly left the door of the apartment open, permitting its escape, - was the only and much-deplored conclusion that could be arrived at. Towards evening, however, - there was a slight rustle close at hand, and Master Tiny was discovered emerging, like Minerva - from the head of Jupiter, from the top of one of the old-fashioned china dogs that decorated the - hotel-room mantelpiece. The ornament, seemingly intact from the front, had the back of the head - battered in. Through the resulting crevice the little animal had managed to squeeze itself, having - come to the conclusion, doubtless, that this newly chosen retreat more nearly resembled the - cavernous shelter of its native tree-spout than its accustomed artificially constructed box. This - singular domicile Master Tiny was permitted to monopolise for the remainder of his sojourn at that - hostelry. One of the favourite diversions of this little phalanger during the evenings was to - climb up the curtain and cornice of the room he occupied, and thence hurl himself through the air - with outspread parachute to the writer at the opposite end. The apartment, happening to be the - commercial room of the hotel, some thirty feet in length, gave him good scope for exercising his - characteristic flying leaps. The attitude invariably maintained during these flights is aptly - illustrated in the accompanying photograph; the body is never poised with the head inclined - downwards, as is commonly depicted in artists' fancy sketches of the animal contained in popular - natural histories. A friend of the writer's in Tasmania, who kept one of these flying-phalangers - as a household pet, was accustomed to leave a crevice of the window open at night, so that the - little fellow could go in and out as it liked. After the manner of most pets, however, a day - arrived upon which its box was found vacant, a marauding cat or other disaster having apparently - compassed its untimely end.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_360.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_360.jpg" - alt="LESSER FLYING-PHALANGER." title="LESSER FLYING-PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LESSER FLYING-PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Illustrating position maintained during its remarkable flying leaps.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page361"><span class="smaller">{361}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_361.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_361.jpg" - alt="PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER." title="PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PYGMY FLYING-PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">A life-size photograph. The hairs of the tail in this animal are arranged in - two parallel lines, like the vanes of a bird's feather.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The larger flying-phalanger, the dimensions of our domestic tabby, and with fur as long and as - soft as the Persian variety, is less frequently domesticated. It has, in fact, an evil reputation - for scratching, biting, and general untamableness. One that was kept for some little time by the - late Dr. Bennett, of Sydney, and brought to England, never entirely lost its innate savagery. On - the voyage from Australia it became sufficiently tame as to be allowed occasionally to run about - on the deck, and was so far amiable as to lay on its back and permit itself to be tickled. On - attempting to handle it, however, "it displayed its usual savage disposition, digging its sharp - claws and teeth into the bands of its captor." The writer was fortunate in being the recipient in - Queensland of a couple of these large phalangers which were exceptions to the usual rule. These - specimens—a mother and its young male offspring—also varied in colour from normal - examples, which are usually dark slate or blackish brown above and whitish underneath. The mother - in this instance was a beautiful cream-white throughout; and her young one, while dark - chinchilla-grey upon the back, limbs, and tail, had white ears and breast. Both were very - friendly, and would of their own accord climb over their owner's person, seeking in his pockets - for hidden lumps of sugar and other acceptable dainties. As with the smaller squirrel-like forms, - they slept throughout the greater portion of the day, waking to activity and making excursions in - search of their food as soon as the sun went down. The tail of this species of phalanger is - abnormally long and furry, but not prehensile. It was observed of them that when feeding leisurely - on the gum-tree leaves this appendage was permitted to hang or rest loosely, but that when walking - along the branches they would very frequently coil this member into a tight spiral coil, like a - watch-spring or the proboscis of a butterfly, against their hindquarters. This phenomenon is - apparently unique among mammals. Although generally seeking the darker retreat of their box for - their long daylight sleep, the female, more particularly, would frequently simply curl herself - <span class="pagenum" id="page362"><span class="smaller">{362}</span></span>up into a furry white - ball in one corner of the cage, the head, limbs, or other features being at such times altogether - indistinguishable. The aid of the magnesium flash-light was successfully called into service to - secure the photographic likeness of this animal, here reproduced, which was taken while it was - enjoying its evening meal.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_362.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_362.jpg" - alt="COMMON GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER." title="COMMON GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The fur of this species is in great demand for the manufacture of - carriage-rugs.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>As previously mentioned, some representatives of the flying-phalanger group are no larger than - mice, and are furnished in a similar manner with a parachute-like membrane that enables them to - take abnormally long flying leaps, or as it were to sail horizontally through the air. The <span - class="sc">Pygmy Flying-phalanger</span>, whose length of body does not exceed 2½ inches, is one - of the most interesting. The tail in this form is also adapted for aerial flotation, the long - hairs that grow upon this appendage being arranged in two parallel lines like the vanes of a - feather. Its distribution is limited to the south and eastern districts of the Australian - Continent. There are also a number of mouse- and squirrel-like phalangers destitute of the - flying-membrane, which in this respect very closely resemble in external aspect more typical - members of the Rodent Order. One form in particular, the <span class="sc">Striped Phalanger</span> - of New Guinea, decorated with broad longitudinal black and white stripes, is singularly suggestive - of some of the variously striped American squirrels. This interesting island of New Guinea also - produces a little <span class="sc">Pygmy Phalanger</span> with a feather-like tail which, except - for the absence of a parachute or flying-membrane, is the very counterpart of the Australian kind. - Another species, which in shape, size, and more especially with reference to its long, pointed - snout, closely resembles a shrew-mouse, is found in Western Australia. The tail of this species, - known as the <span class="sc">Long-snouted Phalanger</span>, is highly prehensile; and it is also - provided with a long, slender, protrusile tongue, with which it abstracts the honey from Banksias - and other flowers, upon which it customarily feeds.</p> - - <p>The two large phalangers known as the <span class="sc">Black</span> and <span - class="sc">Grey</span> or <span class="sc">Vulpine Opossums</span>, which are chiefly laid under - contribution for the Australian fur supplies, are provided with prehensile tails, the under side - of the extremity of which grasps the supporting fulcrum and is devoid of hair. The adaptation of - the tail for use as a fifth hand—as in the New World monkeys—is, however, much more - conspicuously manifested in what are known to the colonists as the <span class="sc">Ring-tailed - Opossums</span>, and to zoologists as <span class="sc">Crescent-toothed Phalangers</span>. In - these the tail tapers to a fine point, and the hair throughout the terminal third of this - appendage is so fine and short that it at first sight presents the appearance of being entirely - naked. This terminal third of the tail, moreover, in the greater number of species, contrasts with - the remaining portion by being white in hue. It occasionally happens, however, that individuals - occur which are entirely white. One such which came into the writer's possession was obtained from - the Bruni Islands, in the Derwent Estuary, Tasmania, and afterwards became a great pet with the - young people at Government House, Hobart. It is an interesting circumstance that the Bruni Islands - were noted for the production of albino animals of various descriptions, white kangaroos and white - emus having also been obtained from this locality. Probably some peculiarity of the soil, and its - action on the vegetable food the animals consumed, played an important part in the unusually - frequent occurrence of this phenomenon.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page363"><span class="smaller">{363}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_363.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_363.jpg" - alt="AUSTRALIAN GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER." title="AUSTRALIAN GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Henry King</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Sydney.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">AUSTRALIAN GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">On account of its "foxy" appearance, this species is also known as the Vulpine - Phalanger.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page364"><span class="smaller">{364}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_364_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_364_t.jpg" - alt="FRONT VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR - PHALANGER." title="FRONT VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR - PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">FRONT VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">Displays the bare under-surface of the prehensile tail.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The ring-tailed opossums differ essentially from the common opossum or phalanger and its allies - in their life habits. While these latter habitually take up their abode and bring forth their - young in hollow trees, the ring-tailed species construct a regular nest of interlaced sticks, - leaves, grass, or any other available material for their domicile. The structure much resembles - the nest, or "drey," of our own familiar European squirrel, and may be perched high up among the - tree branches or within only a few feet from the ground among the scrub thickets. In New Guinea a - variety of these ring-tailed phalangers occurs, not found in Australia, which has no white tip to - its tail, and the ears are very short and wide. The group as represented by this species leads to - the consideration of the so-called <span class="sc">Cuscuses</span> or typical phalangers - indigenous to New Guinea and North Queensland, though but rarely seen there, which, as an - exception to the Marsupial Tribe, are distributed among the Indo-Malay Islands as far westward as - Celebes. In the cuscuses the tail is altogether naked, and pre-eminently prehensile throughout - almost its entire terminal moiety; the ears are round and, proportionately, exceedingly small; - while the fur is very short, thick, and woolly. Compared with the opossums or phalangers, the - cuscuses are very dull and sluggish in their movements, creeping slowly among the branches of the - trees to browse on the fruit and leaves which constitute their principal diet. Like the opossums, - however, or even to a greater extent, they vary this vegetarian regimen with insects or an - occasionally captured bird.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_364_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_364_b.jpg" - alt="PROFILE VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR - PHALANGER." title="PROFILE VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR - PHALANGER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">PROFILE VIEW OF GREY OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER.</p> - <p class="sp0">The opossums are usually shot by moonlight, as seen silhouetted against the - sky.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Cuscuses.</span></p> - - <p>The familiar <span class="sc">Spotted Cuscus</span> of New Guinea is the most ornate marsupial - mammal. The males, more especially, are as variegated in colour as a tortoiseshell cat, their - tints, moreover, closely corresponding in hue with those of the feline. No two individuals, - however, are precisely alike in this respect. Usually the ground-colour of the <span - class="pagenum" id="page365"><span class="smaller">{365}</span></span>back is a dirty or creamy - white, interspersed with various-shaped blotches of nut-brown or black; the chin, breast, and - under-parts are a purer white, and the limbs grey or reddish brown, or, as shown in the <a - href="#cuscus">photograph over-leaf</a>, mottled like the body. The <span class="sc">Black - Cuscus</span> of Celebes is, as its name denotes, a much more sombre-looking animal, and is also - the largest species, its dimensions equalling or exceeding those of a large cat. The uniformly - tinted <span class="sc">Grey Cuscus</span> of Timor, Amboina, and other of the Indo-Malay Islands - is very similar in size and aspect, excepting for the half-naked tail, to the common ring-tailed - phalanger. All the cuscuses are of rare occurrence in even their most favoured habitats. On one - occasion the writer came across an example of the grey species in the scrub forest of Thursday - Island, Torres Straits. In this instance, however, it is doubtful if the animal was not an escaped - pet brought over from the neighbouring coast of New Guinea.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_365.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_365.jpg" - alt="RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER, AND - NEST." title="RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER, AND - NEST."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of S. Sinclair, Esq.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Sydney.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RING-TAILED OPOSSUM, OR PHALANGER, AND NEST.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the only Australian opossum which builds a regular nest.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Much interesting information concerning different varieties of the cuscus is contained in Dr. - Alfred Wallace's interesting work "The Malay Archipelago." An anecdote of one which was brought to - this naturalist during his residence in the Aru Islands—the headquarters of the great bird - of paradise—is thus related: "Just as we had cleared away and packed up for the night, a - strange beast was brought, which had been shot by the natives. It resembled in size and in its - white woolly covering a small fat lamb, but had short legs, hand-like feet with large claws, and a - long prehensile tail. It was a Spotted Cuscus, one of the curious marsupial animals of the Papuan - region, and I was very desirous to obtain the skin. The owners, however, said they wanted to eat - it; and though I offered them a good price, and promised to give them all the meat, there was - great hesitation. Suspecting the reason, I offered, though it was night, to set to work - immediately, and get out the body for them, to which they agreed. The creature was much hacked - about, and the two hind feet almost cut off, but it was the largest and finest <span - class="pagenum" id="page366"><span class="smaller">{366}</span></span>specimen of the kind I had - seen; and after an hour's hard work I handed over the body to the owners, who immediately cut it - up and roasted it for supper."</p> - - <div id="cuscus"></div> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_366.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_366.jpg" - alt="SPOTTED CUSCUS." title="SPOTTED CUSCUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Croydon.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SPOTTED CUSCUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">The cuscuses are sleepy animals, with soft, woolly fur, which in this species - is curiously variegated in colour.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The remarkable tenacity of life possessed by the cuscus is fully attested to by Dr. Wallace. He - says: "They move about slowly, and are most difficult to kill, owing to the thickness of their - skins and tenacity of life. A heavy charge of shot will often lodge in the skin and do them no - harm, and even breaking the spine or piercing the brain will not kill them for some hours. The - natives everywhere eat their flesh; and as their motions are so slow, easily catch them by - climbing; so that it is wonderful that they have not been exterminated. It may be, however, that - their dense woolly fur protects them from birds of prey, and the islands they live in are too - thinly inhabited for man to be able to exterminate them."</p> - - <p class="sp3">One of the most notable circumstances respecting the cuscus is the fact that it is - one of the few marsupials whose geographical distribution extends so far east in the Malay - Archipelago as to be found associated with many of the higher mammalia which are altogether - unrepresented in Australia or New Guinea. The Moluccas, including notably the islands of Silolo, - Ceram, Boru, and many smaller ones, for example, produce no less than three species of cuscus, and - are also the home of a species of baboon, a civet-cat, a deer, and that remarkable pig the - babirusa. One other marsupial, a little flying-phalanger, is likewise a denizen of these islands. - It has been suggested by Dr. Wallace that none of the foregoing higher mammals are possibly - indigenous to the Moluccas. The baboon, he remarks, is only found in the island of Batchian, and - seems to be much out of place there. It probably originated from some individuals which escaped - from confinement, these and similar animals being often kept as pets by the Malay inhabitants and - carried about in their praus. The civet-cat, which is more common in the Philippines and - throughout the Indo-Malay region, is also carried about in cages from one island to another, and - not infrequently liberated after the civet has been abstracted from them. The deer, which is - likewise tamed and petted, its flesh also being much esteemed for food, might very naturally have - been brought by the Malays from Java with the express object of its acclimatisation. The babirusa, - whose headquarters are in the island of Celebes, is only found in Boru, its nearest neighbour in - the Moluccan group. Dr. Wallace anticipates that these two islands were in former times more - closely connected by land, and that under such conditions the babirusa may have swum across the - intervening channel. Should these several hypotheses be correct, the Molucca Islands must be - regarded, from a zoological standpoint, as an essentially Australasian or marsupial-producing - region.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Wombats.</span></p> - - <p>The Wombat Family, claiming the next position in the marsupial galaxy, constitutes the very - antithesis to the light and graceful arboreal phalangers. There are but three known species, one - of these inhabiting Tasmania and the adjacent islands, while the other two are peculiar to the - southern region of the Australian Continent. In forms and gait their thick-set tailless bodies - suggest a cross between a small bear and a capybara, and as "bears" and "badgers" <span - class="pagenum" id="page367"><span class="smaller">{367}</span></span>they are familiarly known by - the Australian colonists. The badger simile is perhaps the most pertinently applied with reference - to their habit of excavating huge earth-burrows as dwelling-places, and out of which they - customarily emerge only at night to feed. The <span class="sc">Tasmanian Wombat</span>, at all - events, is essentially gregarious in its habits; In the neighbourhood of Swansea, on the east - coast, it is, or was, particularly abundant, forming regular warrens among a light undergrowth of - vegetation, through which travelling on horseback is a distinctly risky proceeding. The - temperament of the wombat is peculiarly placid; and hence, as it might be anticipated, they are - essentially long-lived. One, Charlie by name, which has been domiciled at the Zoo for the past - thirty years, is still hale and hearty, and evidently disinclined yet awhile to immolate himself - on the altar of fame as a much-needed successor to the antique effigy which has for so long - represented his species in the British Natural History Museum. Waiting for dead men's shoes is a - proverbially tedious task, and for a coveted wombat's skin evidently more so.</p> - - <p>The tough hide, with its thick, harsh fur, of the Tasmanian wombat, or "badger," as it is - locally dubbed, is somewhat highly prized in the land of its birth. For floor- and door-mats and - rugs the pelt is practically indestructible; and as such, though scarcely a thing of beauty, the - special pride of the thrifty housewife. This animal is also not infrequently made a household pet, - and will waddle as complacently as an over-fed poodle around the premises after its owner. The - wombat, like the large majority of the marsupial animals, is for the most part nocturnal in - habits, and a strict vegetarian.</p> - - <p>The wombats present several interestingly distinct structural peculiarities. In the first - place, their teeth, which are twenty-four in number, all grow uninterruptedly throughout life, and - are consequently devoid of roots. The incisor teeth are represented by but a single pair in each - jaw, and, having enamel only on their front surfaces, wear away in a chisel-like form, as in the - beavers and other rodents. Superficially in both form and habits, as well as in the character of - their dentition, the wombats may in fact be aptly likened to some unwieldy representative of the - Rodent Order. Another structural peculiarity of the wombat is that it is the proud possessor of - two more pairs of ribs than any other marsupial.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_367.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_367.jpg" - alt="COMMON WOMBAT." title="COMMON WOMBAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON WOMBAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A burrowing animal about the size of a small pig.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Of the three known species, the <span class="sc">Common Wombat</span> of the South and Eastern - Australian States is the largest, attaining to a length of as much as 3 feet. The colour of this - form is subject to considerable variation, being sometimes yellow, yellow more or less mixed with - black, or completely black. Albinism, as in the kangaroos and phalangers, is of apparently rare - occurrence. The hair, while coarse, is less so than in the Tasmanian species. What is known as the - <span class="sc">Hairy-nosed Wombat</span>, inhabiting South Australia, is intermediate in size - between the common and the Tasmanian varieties; <span class="pagenum" id="page368"><span - class="smaller">{368}</span></span>its most distinctive features are the soft and silky character - of its brownish hair, and its longer and more pointed ears. The coarseness of the hair of the - Tasmanian species has been previously referred to; in colour it is most usually a dark greyish - brown, while the ears are small and rounded.</p> - - <p>The flesh of the wombat is somewhat esteemed for food, being regarded by some as equal to pork, - and much resembling it in flavour. The predilection of tame specimens for milk is very strong, and - it has been recorded of one animal that it was not only in the habit of seeking out the milk-pans - and pushing off the covers in order to drink the contents, but afterwards of taking a bath in what - was left.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_368.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_368.jpg" - alt="HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT." title="HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by E. Landor</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Ealing.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">A form peculiar to South Australia.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>A remarkable habit has been accredited to the wombat which invites scientific investigation. It - is said to be capable of sustaining life for an abnormally long period under water, and that when - in the course of its travels it meets with a pond or river it does not attempt to swim, but, - deliberately entering the water, walks along the bottom, and so emerges on the opposite bank.</p> - - <p class="sp3">The animals of Australia living in not very remote geological times included a near - ally of the wombat which equalled a tapir in dimensions.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Bandicoots.</span></p> - - <p>The Australian <span class="sc">Bandicoots</span>—not to be confounded with their - namesake of India, which is a big rat—constitute a very distinct little family group. They - number in all some eight or nine species, distributed throughout the length and breadth of - Australia and Tasmania, and found also in New Guinea. The largest member is about the size of a - rabbit; and as its general shape, long ears, and soft silky hair impart some slight resemblance to - that rodent, it is commonly known as the <span class="sc">Rabbit-bandicoot</span>. With the - above-enumerated points, however, the likeness ceases—its possession of a moderately long - tail, pointed snout, and feet modified on a plan closely resembling those of the kangaroo's - indicating its essentially distinct nature. In a second variety, having somewhat the same external - contour, but smaller in size, the fore limbs are very short, and the feet so modified that only - two toes are visible externally. With reference to this peculiar feature, it is known as the <span - class="sc">Pig-footed Bandicoot</span>. In a third kind of similar dimensions, with harsh brown - fur, the ears are comparatively short, and the snout is so abnormally prolonged that, it has been - appropriately named the <span class="sc">Long-nosed Bandicoot</span>. Superficially, in point of - fact, this and other allied species so closely resemble certain of the long-snouted insectivorous - mammals, such as the Tenrec and Solenodon, that they might be excusably mistaken by the - non-scientific for members of the same group. The bandicoots are chiefly nocturnal, and at all - events incorrigible "sun-downers," turning up for their meals when the evening shadows fall, and - taking a heavy and unwelcome toll of the farmers' potatoes, beets, or other root, crops. Like the - wombat, already described, they are earth-burrowers. Some of them, however, construct nests - above-ground in long coarse grass or low tangled shrubs, which are so ingeniously built in accord - with their environment as to readily escape detection. Insects and worms, in addition to a main - diet of vegetable matter, contribute to the bandicoot's somewhat heterogeneous menu.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page369"><span class="smaller">{369}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_369.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_369.jpg" - alt="COMMON WOMBAT." title="COMMON WOMBAT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by G. W. Wilson & Co., Ltd.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Aberdeen.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON WOMBAT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The Wombats may be said to hold the place occupied in other parts of the world - by the Badgers.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page370"><span class="smaller">{370}</span></span></div> - - <p>The wood- and root-boring larvæ of a moth which infests the Australian wattle- or acacia-trees - are a very favourite food with several of the species, and it is worthy of remark that the - bandicoots are not alone in displaying a penchant for this delicacy. Under the title of "bardies" - they are collected and highly esteemed for food by the natives of Western Australia, who eat them - either cooked or raw. These larvæ are, moreover, acceptable to many European palates, and the - writer has witnessed little faggot-like bundles of them brought round by the natives to the hotels - at Geraldton, Western Australia, for sale or barter to chance customers. It may be observed in - this connection that the analogous wood-boring larvæ of the goat-moth, which were kept and - specially fattened for the occasion, constituted one of the dainty dishes of the luxurious - Romans.</p> - - <p>One of the commonest species found in Tasmania is known as the <span class="sc">Banded</span> - or <span class="sc">Striped-backed Bandicoot</span>, being so named on account of the - characteristic markings of its fur. The general ground-colour of the coat is an almost equal - admixture of black and yellow hairs, the black tint, however, prevailing on the back, and the - lighter one on the sides. The hindquarters are, however, variegated by the presence of some three - or four broad transverse stripes that are almost entirely black, while the intervening spaces are - a light whitish yellow. A few shorter stripes are sometimes continued as far as the root of the - tail, this appendage also having a dark line running along its upper surface. The head is of a - somewhat lighter tint than the remainder of the body, while the breast, abdomen, and feet are - white, slightly tinged with grey. The transversely striped pattern of ornamentation of the - hindquarters of this bandicoot is of interest with relation to the circumstance that a similarly - located banded variegation of the fur occurs also in the Tasmanian wolf, or thylacine, and in the - banded ant-eater, described in a following section. As a colour-pattern it would appear to be - quite peculiar to these marsupials, no such restriction of the markings occurring among the higher - or placental mammals. In the South African suricate, a member of the Ichneumon Tribe, in which the - nearest approach to this dorsal banding is met with, the stripes are equally developed as far - forward as the base of the neck.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_370.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_370.jpg" - alt="LONG-NOSED AUSTRALIAN BANDICOOT." title="LONG-NOSED AUSTRALIAN BANDICOOT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">LONG-NOSED AUSTRALIAN BANDICOOT.</p> - <p class="sp0">Bandicoots, although larger, have somewhat the appearance of shrews.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Both the banded and other species of bandicoots are extremely swift and active in their - movements, and are at the same time noted for the singularity of their gait. This consists of a - half-running and half-jumping action, induced by the peculiar structure of their feet and greater - length of the hind legs, which are modified on a plan intermediate between that of the kangaroos - and the dasyures, or native cats. The back of the animal while running being highly arched, adds - to the grotesqueness of its appearance. Like the native cats, the pouch in the bandicoots opens - backwards; it is furnished with eight teats, but not more than two young are usually produced at a - birth.</p> - - <p>The striped-backed bandicoot is not infrequently adopted as a household pet, in spite of its - notorious garden depredations. When thus domesticated, it appears to be capable of developing a - strong attachment for its owner. One that was owned by friends of the writer especially attached - itself to the lady of the house. It was acquired when quite young, having escaped from the pouch - of an adult <span class="pagenum" id="page371"><span class="smaller">{371}</span></span>female - which the dogs had killed, and being then about the size of a mouse. It speedily learned to lap - milk, and throve on a diet of bread and raw potato. As it grew larger it was allowed the run of - the house, and also of the garden, but habitually returned to the sleeping-quarters selected by - itself, and represented by the woolly depths of its mistress's work-basket. In this haven of rest - it slept all day, scolding and snapping at any intruding hand. Towards dusk it would waken up and - bustle about in a most energetic manner, with the air, in fact, of having an immense amount of - business to transact within the very shortest limits of time. Its first dart was always towards a - corner where a supper of bread-and-milk and potato was usually placed. This meal discussed, its - evening's occupation commenced of scampering around the room and over every accessible article of - furniture. Nor was it shy of climbing up and resting for a few seconds on the shoulders of its - human friends, being always, however, in too great a hurry to prolong the visit. Finally, as with - all pets, "Coota," as he was familiarly named, came to an untimely end—not a cat, however, - on this occasion, but, if rumour whispers true, through over-indulgence in a too liberally - furnished meal of custard pudding.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_371.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_371.jpg" - alt="RABBIT-BANDICOOT." title="RABBIT-BANDICOOT."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">RABBIT-BANDICOOT.</p> - <p class="sp0">The largest of the bandicoots; about the size of a rabbit.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The flesh of this and other species of bandicoots is esteemed for food both by the - natives and the white settlers in Australia. It is noteworthy of the banded variety, more - especially, that the skin adheres so tightly to the flesh that its removal is a matter of some - considerable difficulty. When full grown, this species measures as much as 18 inches in total - length, and is little inferior to a rabbit with regard to the amount of good meat it provides for - the larder.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Pouched Mole.</span></p> - - <p>A still more essentially insectivorous marsupial is represented by the little mammal discovered - only a few years since in the wild sandy wastes of Central Australia. In form and habits it so - nearly resembles the familiar European mole that the title of the <span class="sc">Pouched - Mole</span> has been very suitably given to it. At the same time, with regard to its remarkable - organisation, it constitutes the sole representative of its peculiar family group. The first - suspicions of the existence of this singular little animal were raised by the observation of - peculiar sinuous three-lined tracks at irregular intervals on the surface of the sandy regions it - inhabits.</p> - - <p>After a long quest, with the aid of the aborigines, the first specimen was discovered reposing - under a tuft of coarse porcupine-grass. A further investigation elicited the fact that its - burrowing proclivities were much less pronounced than those of the ordinary moles, the little - creature progressing alternately over the surface of the sand, and then ploughing its way, for - several feet or yards, two or three inches only beneath the surface. All efforts to preserve - examples of this marsupial alive for longer periods than three or four days proved abortive; for - though the remains of ants and other insects were found within its viscera, it refused to feed - upon the living supplies that were provided for it. In fact, the animal itself apparently ran the - greater risk of being eaten.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page372"><span class="smaller">{372}</span></span></div> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_372_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_372_t.jpg" - alt="POUCHED MOLE." title="POUCHED MOLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.</i></span> </p> - <p>POUCHED MOLE.</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This animal is of a pale golden-red colour, and - about 5 inches long. It spends most of its time burrowing, which it can do with great - rapidity, in the sand of the Australian deserts in search of insects.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The colour of the pouched mole is for the most part light fawn, varying in parts to golden - yellow. One of its most conspicuous features, as illustrated in the accompanying photographs, is - the abnormal size of the third and fourth toes of the fore limbs, their peculiar scoop-like - character proving of eminent service to the animal in its customary sand-burrowing habits.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_372_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_372_b.jpg" - alt="UNDER SURFACE OF POUCHED MOLE." title="UNDER SURFACE OF POUCHED MOLE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S., Milford-on-Sea.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">UNDER SURFACE OF POUCHED MOLE.</p> - <p class="sp0">Notice the abnormal size of the third and fourth toe of the fore limbs, and - their peculiar scoop-like shape.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Tasmanian Wolf.</span></p> - - <p>The remaining family of the Australian marsupials constitutes a parallel to the carnivorous - order of the higher mammalia, all its members being more or less flesh-eaters, and having their - dentition modified with relation to such habits. One of these (the <span class="sc">Tasmanian - Wolf</span>, or <span class="sc">Tiger</span> of the colonists, better known to zoologists as the - <span class="sc">Thylacine</span>) is an animal of considerable size. Its dimensions equal those - of a wolf or mastiff, with which the contour of its body and more especially that of the head very - nearly correspond. In common with the true dogs, the thylacine hunts its prey by scent. This is - well attested to by the following incident, as related by eye-witnesses. While camping out among - the hills in Tasmania their attention was attracted very early one morning by a brush-kangaroo - hopping past their fire in an evidently highly excited state. Some ten minutes later up cantered a - she thylacine with her nose down exactly on the track, evidently following the scent, and in - another quarter of an hour her two cubs came by also in the precise track. While not very swift, - the Tasmanian "tigers" possess immense staying power, and will keep up a long, steady canter for - many hours on end. Accustomed in its primitive state to run down and prey upon the kangaroos, - wallabies, and other weaker marsupial mammals indigenous to the regions it inhabits, the Tasmanian - wolf speedily acquired a predilection for the imported flocks of the settlers, and proved almost - as destructive to them as its Old World namesake. To check its ravages, a price was put upon its - head by the Tasmanian Government; and this measure, in conjunction with the rapid advances towards - the complete settlement of the country which have been accomplished within later years, has - compassed this animal's extermination in all but the wildest and <span class="pagenum" - id="page373"><span class="smaller">{373}</span></span>most inaccessible mountain districts. The - colour-markings of this animal are somewhat striking, the grey-brown tints which characterise the - ground-hues of the body and limbs being varied by a series of dark bands traversing the buttocks, - these being widest in this region, and continued forwards to the middle of the back. A somewhat - similar cross-stripe pattern of ornamentation occurs in the relatively small member of the same - family described later on as the <a href="#linkbae">Banded Ant-eater</a>.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_373_t.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_373_t.jpg" - alt="TASMANIAN WOLF." title="TASMANIAN WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S., North Finchley.</i></span> </p> - <p class="sp3">TASMANIAN WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">This photograph shows the great width of gape of this ferocious animal.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Examples of the Tasmanian wolf have frequently been on view at the Regent's Park Gardens, a - very fine young male specimen being at present located in the marsupial section. Within a few - weeks of its arrival it was on excellent terms with its keeper, though, owing to its somewhat - imperfect sense of vision during the daytime, it was apt to snap somewhat promiscuously at those - attempting to cultivate its close acquaintanceship. That a bite from its formidable teeth is not - to be lightly risked will be made abundantly apparent by a glance at the successful yawning pose - photograph secured of this example by Mr. Medland, and here reproduced. Although the thylacine is - at the present time entirely limited in its distribution to Tasmania, it occurs in the fossil - state on the Australian mainland; while, singularly to relate, the remains of a closely allied - form have within recent years been unearthed in Patagonia. This circumstance, taken in conjunction - with the fact that many other fossil types with Australian and New Zealand affinities have been - discovered in the same South American strata, has strengthened the supposition maintained by many - zoologists that in bygone ages a vast Antarctic continent, spreading through the areas now - occupied by the Southern Indian and Pacific Oceans, temporarily united the now distinct lands of - South America and Australasia.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_373_b.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_373_b.jpg" - alt="TASMANIAN WOLF." title="TASMANIAN WOLF."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by L. Medland, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>North Finchley.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TASMANIAN WOLF.</p> - <p class="sp0">In this photograph are shown nearly all the chief characteristic points of the - Tasmanian wolf.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Tasmanian Devil.</span></p> - - <p>Next in size to the thylacine, but possessing a more unenviable notoriety for the - uncompromising sulkiness and savagery of its disposition, is the animal which, in virtue of the - aforesaid qualities, is known by the title of the <span class="sc">Tasmanian Devil</span>. In - shape and dimensions this marsupial carnivore somewhat resembles a badger; but the head is - abnormally large, the masseter muscles which control the action of the powerful jaws monopolising - a very considerable share of the face area. The limbs are short and also very powerful, the front - paws being well adapted to its burrowing habits. There is some slight variation in the colours of - this marsupial Apollyon; and, as the <span class="pagenum" id="page374"><span - class="smaller">{374}</span></span>aphorism runs concerning his sable namesake, he is not always - so black as he is painted. More or less or in fact mostly black he always is, but there is usually - a redeeming thread or patch of white upon his coat. This may take the form of a small star-like - spot only on the front of its chest, which not infrequently extends to a narrow crescent-shaped - band or line continued round the neck almost to the shoulders. One or more supplementary spots of - white may also be developed upon the flanks and hindquarters.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_374.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_374.jpg" - alt="TASMANIAN DEVIL." title="TASMANIAN DEVIL."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by York & Son</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Notting Hill.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TASMANIAN DEVIL.</p> - <p class="sp0">A small, but stout and powerful animal, very destructive, and absolutely - untamable.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The destructive propensities of the Tasmanian devil, wherein the farmers' sheep and poultry are - concerned, are in no way inferior to those of the Tasmanian wolf, and in consequence of their - former much greater abundance the havoc these animals committed was the more serious. Placed, like - the last-named type, under Government ban, these native devils have, in comparison with the - earlier days of colonisation, very considerably ceased from troubling, and with the - ever-progressing march of settlement and civilisation will probably be altogether exterminated at - a no very distant date. A bag of no less than 150 of these marauders, in the course of one winter, - was recorded from an upland sheep-station some twenty or thirty years ago. In common with the - thylacine, it has been observed that the Tasmanian devil has a marked predilection for prowling - along the seashore in search apparently of crabs, fish, or any acceptable flotsam and jetsam that - may be cast up by the waves.</p> - - <p class="sp3">Examples of this most unamiable of mammals were brought in alive on several - occasions to the Hobart Museum during the writer's residence in Tasmania, but in all cases - obstinately resisted every attempt towards the establishment of a friendly footing. Their ultimate - relegation to the specimen-cases was, under the circumstances, unattended by any very poignant - manifestations of regret. A fact brought into prominent notice during subsequent post-mortem - investigations was the extraordinary extent to which these animals are infested with vermin. - Possibly this circumstance is to a considerable extent accountable for the creature's - unconquerable irritability. The experiment as to whether a course of disinfecting treatment, by - baths or otherwise, would not conduce towards the taming of this native devil, where all other - applied methods have failed, would at all events be worth the trial. The bath pure and simple is a - wonderful soporific for unruly tempers. As most schoolboys know, a pail of water, from which the - patient is withdrawn when a watery grave is apparently inevitable, is an unfailing specific for - the taming of mice and other "small deer." The writer's experience with a villainously savage cat - which one night fell incontinently into an uncovered cistern, and was rescued by him at almost the - last gasp, will not be readily forgotten. That cat, though still a vixen to the ordinary members - of the household, forthwith attached itself affectionately to its rescuer, and would sit for hours - awaiting his arrival on the doorstep when the business of the day was over. Other fierce - creatures, including the Tasmanian devil, would possibly prove amenable to the judicious - application of the "water cure."</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page375"><span class="smaller">{375}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Native Cats.</span></p> - - <p>The animals common in Tasmania and throughout the greater portion of the Australian Continent, - and familiarly known as <span class="sc">Spotted</span> or <span class="sc">Native Cats</span>, - and to zoologists as <span class="sc">Dasyures</span>, enjoy also an unenviable reputation for - their depredations among the settlers' hen-roosts. To look at, these native cats are the most - mild-mannered and inoffensive of creatures. Actually, however, they possess the most bloodthirsty - proclivities, and may be aptly compared in their habits to the stoats, weasels, polecats, and - other Old World carnivora. There are some five known species, the largest being equal to an - ordinary cat in size, and the smaller ones about half these dimensions. All of them are - distinguished by their spotted pattern of ornamentation, such spots being white or nearly so, and - more or less abundantly sprinkled over a darker background which varies from light grey to - chocolate-brown. In the commonest form, represented in the accompanying photograph, the ears and - the under surface of the body are also often white. No two individuals, however, are to be found - precisely alike in the pattern of their markings. The dasyures differ from the two preceding - types, the Tasmanian wolf and the devil, in being essentially arboreal in their habits, living by - day and breeding, as the majority of the Australian opossums, in the hollow gum-tree trunks, from - which they emerge at nightfall to seek their food. This, in their native state, when hen-roosts - are not accessible, consists mainly of birds and such smaller marsupial forms as they can readily - overpower.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_375.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_375.jpg" - alt="SPOTTED DASYURES, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE - CATS." title="SPOTTED DASYURES, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE - CATS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>By permission of S. Sinclair, Esq.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Sydney.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">SPOTTED DASYURES, OR AUSTRALIAN NATIVE CATS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This species is rather smaller than an ordinary-sized cat. All the dasyures are - arboreal in their habits, and very destructive to birds.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Pouched Mice.</span></p> - - <p>The so-called <span class="sc">Pouched Mice</span> represent a group of smaller-sized - carnivorous mammals which have much in common with the dasyures, but are devoid of their spotted - ornamentation. None of them exceed a rat in size. They number about twelve or fourteen known - species, and are distributed throughout the greater part of Australia and New Guinea, and extend - thence to the Aru Islands. They are said not to occur in the extreme north of the Australian - Continent. The writer, however, obtained an example of the brush-tailed species, <span - class="pagenum" id="page376"><span class="smaller">{376}</span></span>here illustrated, from the - neighbourhood of Broome, in the farthest north or Kimberley district of Western Australia. This - specimen, which was caught alive in a rat-trap, exhibited astonishingly potent gnawing powers, - almost succeeding one night in eating its way through the wooden box in which it was temporarily - confined. The habits of this species are omnivorous, and chiefly akin to those of the ordinary - rats, it being accustomed to prowl round the out-buildings at night, picking up any unconsidered - trifles in the way of food that may be left unprotected.</p> - - <div class="ac w35 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_376.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_376.jpg" - alt="BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE, OR - PHASCOGALE." title="BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE, OR - PHASCOGALE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BRUSH-TAILED POUCHED MOUSE, OR PHASCOGALE.</p> - <p class="sp0">A slender and graceful animal, the largest of the thirteen known species, and - about the size of an ordinary rat.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">Many of the smaller members of this tribe are no larger than mice; and in one form, - known as the <span class="sc">Jerboa Pouched Mouse</span>, inhabiting Queensland and New South - Wales, the hind limbs are abnormally prolonged, and the animal progresses by leaps and bounds, - after the fashion of the true jerboas, or its nearer relatives, the ordinary kangaroos and - rat-kangaroos.</p> - - <div id="linkbae"></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Banded Ant-Eater.</span></p> - - <p>One of the most interesting from the zoologist's standpoint, and the last on our list of the - Australian marsupials, is the little creature, limited in its habitat to Western Australia, - locally known as the <span class="sc">Squirrel</span>. The <span class="sc">Banded - Ant-eater</span>, with reference to its striped ornamentation and ant-eating habits, is the name - by which it is usually chronicled in natural history works. In size and shape, except for its more - pointed snout, its squirrel-like aspect is certainly somewhat striking. Like the true ant-eaters - of the Edentate Mammalian Order, it, however, possesses a long protrusile tongue, with which it is - accustomed in a similar manner to lick up the ants which constitute its main food-supply.</p> - - <p>The most interesting biological peculiarity of this animal is the abnormal development of its - teeth. These number as many as from fifty-two to fifty-six, and exceed the dental formula of any - other known existing marsupial. The usual colour of this interesting little animal is a warm - chestnut-brown, banded transversely over the back with white, these stripes being widest and most - conspicuous over the hindquarters. This somewhat paradoxical marsupial possesses no pouch, the - young, when first born and attached to the nipples in the manner characteristic of ordinary - marsupials, being covered over and concealed among the longer hairs that clothe the abdominal - region. In the dasyures, or native cats, previously described, the pouch exists only in a - rudimentary condition, its function being fulfilled by merely a few skin-folds; while in the - "tiger" and native devil the pouch, contrary to that of the kangaroos, opens backwards.</p> - - <p class="sp3">In disposition the banded ant-eater presents a marked contrast to that of many of - the preceding types. Caught in its native habitat, it does not attempt to bite, and soon becomes - reconciled to captivity. The peculiar nature of its diet, however, militates against its being - easily transported over-sea from the Antipodes.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page377"><span class="smaller">{377}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The American Opossums.</span></p> - - <p>The little group of the American marsupials contains some three or four generically distinct - types whose relationship with the Australian members of the order is in the direction of the - dasyures and bandicoots rather than with the kangaroos and phalangers. Included in one family, - they are popularly known as Opossums, but differ among themselves very considerably both in aspect - and habits. The most remarkable among them is undoubtedly the so-called <span - class="sc">Yapock</span>, or <span class="sc">Water-opossum</span>, an inhabitant of South - America, and ranging in its distribution from Guatemala to Brazil. In both form and habits this - animal so closely resembles an otter that it was referred by the earlier naturalists to the Otter - Tribe. It tunnels holes in the banks of the rivers it frequents, and feeds entirely upon fish, - crustacea, and aquatic insects. The feet, and more especially the hind ones, are distinctly - webbed; the tail is naked, scaly, and non-prehensile; and the fur is short and thick, as in the - ordinary otters. The ground-tint of the fur is a light grey: this is diversified by a black or - dark brown stripe that runs down the centre of the back, and expands over the shoulders, loins, - and hindquarters into saddle-shaped patches or bands of the same dark hue.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_377.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_377.jpg" - alt="BANDED ANT-EATER." title="BANDED ANT-EATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">BANDED ANT-EATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">From an anatomical point of view, this is one of the most remarkable of the - pouched mammals.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Common</span> or <span class="sc">Virginian Opossum</span>, while the only - representative of the Marsupial Order found in the temperate latitudes of the North American - Continent, has a very considerable range of distribution, occurring in equal abundance throughout - the tropical regions of South America. In these warmer latitudes it differs to such an extent in - the character of its fur and other minor points that it was for some time regarded as a distinct - species, and was distinguished by the title of the <span class="sc">Crab-eating Opossum</span>. - Biologists are, however, now agreed that the supposed species is only a local variety. As a matter - of fact, a very considerable amount of variation in the colour and markings is found to exist - among the individuals of the most familiarly known northern race. In form the animal may be - suitably compared to a huge rat, nearly equalling a cat in size, with an abnormally large head and - pointed snout. The tail is long, almost naked for the greater portion of its length, and - pre-eminently prehensile. The fur is of a mixed character, consisting of an undergrowth of a fine, - close, woolly texture, through which protrudes a less dense series of long bristle-like hairs. The - colour of the fur ranges from black to white, and includes all varieties of intermixture. The - face, more especially in the northern race, is usually much the lightest or altogether white, - while in the tropical South American examples it is more often darker, or it may be completely - black.</p> - - <p>The opossum, like the rat, is an omnivorous feeder; and being of so much larger size, and - possessing an insatiable appetite, constitutes itself a veritable pest to the fruit-grower, the - agriculturist, and the poultry-farmer. In effecting its entrance to hen-roosts or other - food-yielding enclosures, it exhibits an amount of cunning and pertinacity possessed by no other - mammal. Caught red-handed in these depredations, it has recourse to stratagems which have won for - it a reputation that has long since passed into a household word. Feigning death, or "playing - 'possum," is a game at which it is well known to be a past-master, but by <span class="pagenum" - id="page378"><span class="smaller">{378}</span></span>which it still frequently succeeds in - hoodwinking the unwary, and so saves its skin. Discovered thieving, and receiving perhaps a - haphazard but by no means disabling blow, it at once collapses, and with film-covered eyes and - protruding tongue is to all intents and purposes dead. It may be kicked round the premises, and - finally probably taken up by the tail and flung ignominiously outside, without betraying vitality - by even so much as a wink. But no sooner is the coast thoroughly clear of the avenger than the - stiffened limbs relax, the eyes reopen, and Brer 'Possum trots off, as fresh as ever. Maybe it is - the ripening maize or the persimmon-patch that next engages his attention, and in either case he - walks in and feeds right royally, laying up a goodly store of fat against the approaching winter - months of scarcity.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_378.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_378.jpg" - alt="YAPOCK, OR WATER-OPOSSUM." title="YAPOCK, OR WATER-OPOSSUM."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">YAPOCK, OR WATER-OPOSSUM.</p> - <p class="sp0">In habits, although not in size and colour, this marsupial may be compared to a - wolf.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>Away from human habitations the opossum is an essentially arboreal animal, living and breeding - for the most part, like his Australian cousins, in hollow trees, and making excursions therefrom - in all directions in quest of food. His much-mixed natural diet may consist of tender shoots and - leaves, and the wild grapes and the many other berries and fruits the forest produces. He craves, - however, after a due admixture of animal pabulum, and birds and their eggs, insects, lizards, and - the smaller mammals furnish their quota to his menu. Crustacea, such as crabs and the crayfish - which abound in the American streams and marshes, have an irresistible attraction for him; and it - is on this account that, in the southern area of his distribution, where these crustacea are so - plentiful as to constitute his main diet, and his face is browned by the more glowing sun, he is - known by the title of the Crab-eater.</p> - - <p>Although fattening up against the winter, he, even in his most northern limits, does not - hibernate, but may even be seen leisurely picking his way over the snow, probably tracking some - unfortunate squirrel to its lair, which in due time is located, dragged out, and devoured. While - assimilating his meal of flesh or fruit, Brer 'Possum likes to have all four hands at liberty, his - hind feet being also graspers; and so he twists his tail round a convenient branch, and, hanging - <i>perdu</i>, leisurely enjoys his feast. The opossum, like the rat—to which it has in - aspect and many of its habits been likened—is a most prolific breeder, as many as from six - to sixteen young being comprised in the litter. When born, they are immediately transferred to the - somewhat capacious pouch, and remain there without venturing outside until they are about the size - of an ordinary mouse.</p> - - <p class="sp3">A third and very distinct type of American opossums is the one represented on <a - href="#page380">page 380</a>, which, from its mouse-like size and aspect, is commonly known as the - <span class="sc">Murine Opossum</span>. The most distinct feature of this little animal is that, - though a genuine marsupial, it has no pouch, but carries its young on its back, the little - creatures twining their tails round that of their mother, and so securing a stable anchorage. - Although thus loaded up and transformed for the time being into a sort of combination perambulator - and feeding-flask, the happy but anxious parent pursues the even tenor of her way among the - tree-branches and thicket-growths with almost unabated agility. This species, in common with <span - class="sc">Meriam's Opossum</span> and the <span class="sc">Woolly Opossum</span> and several - others which carry their young, to as many as a dozen <span class="pagenum" id="page379"><span - class="smaller">{379}</span></span>in number, on their backs, are denizens of tropical South - America. One of these, named the <span class="sc">Philander Opossum</span>, attains to the - somewhat larger size of about 2 feet in total length, the long prehensile tail representing, - however, the greater moiety of these dimensions.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Selva.</span></p> - - <p>South America has one other marsupial—the <span class="sc">Selva</span>—an animal - which, while possessing the dimensions and much of the aspect of an ordinary rat, is remarkable as - differing so materially in the character of its teeth and other structural points that it cannot - be referred to any existing marsupial family. On the other hand, this type is found to coincide in - the above particulars with species hitherto only known in the fossil state, and excavated from the - same tertiary deposits in Patagonia which have been productive of the distant ally of the - Tasmanian wolf. It is yet hoped by zoologists that the discovery of other interesting and possibly - some supposed extinct mammals may reward the thorough exploration of the vast South American - forests. The capture in the flesh of some form allied to the huge ground-sloths, such as the - Mylodon and Megatherium, is, however, now considered to be quite beyond the pale of - possibility.</p> - - <div class="ac w25 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_379.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_379.jpg" - alt="YOUNG OPOSSUM (NATURAL SIZE)." title="YOUNG OPOSSUM (NATURAL SIZE)."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Washington.</i></span></p> - <p>YOUNG OPOSSUM (NATURAL SIZE).</p> - <p style="text-align:justify;" class="sp0"> This is an interesting photograph, as it is - reproduced life-size, and gives an excellent idea of the animal in its native land.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page380"><span class="smaller">{380}</span></span></div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="fine">MONOTREMES, OR EGG-LAYING MAMMALS.</span></p> - - <p>With this group or order of the Mammalian Class we arrive, as it were, on the borderland - between the mere typical Mammals and Reptiles. In the last group, that of the Marsupials, it was - observed that the young were brought into the world at an abnormally early and helpless phase of - their existence, and usually consigned, until able to see and walk, to a variously modified - protective pouch. With the Monotremes a yet lower rung in the evolutional ladder is reached, and - we find that the young are brought into the outer world as eggs, these being in the one case - deposited in a nest or burrow, and in the other carried about by the parent in a rudimentary sort - of pouch until they are hatched.</p> - - <div class="ac w30 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_380.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_380.jpg" - alt="WOOLLY AMERICAN OPOSSUM." title="WOOLLY AMERICAN OPOSSUM."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">WOOLLY AMERICAN OPOSSUM.</p> - <p class="sp0">This animal is about the size of a large mouse. It carries its young on its - back, their tails being entwined round that of their parent.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="sp3">The living representatives of this singular mammalian order are but few in number, - being restricted, in point of fact, to only two distinctly differentiated family types—the - Echidna or Porcupine Ant-eater, and the Platypus. These monotremes, moreover, like the majority of - the existing marsupials, are limited in their distribution to the Australasian region. The single - species of the Platypus is only found in Tasmania and the southern and eastern districts of the - Australian Continent, while the Echidna numbers some three recognised species, two of which belong - to Australia and Tasmania and the third to New Guinea.</p> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Echidna.</span></p> - - <p>The <span class="sc">Echidna</span>, <span class="sc">Porcupine Ant-eater</span>, or "<span - class="sc">Porcupine</span>," as it is commonly called by the Australian colonists, would seem at - first sight to represent an animal in which the characters of the hedgehog and the common - porcupine are interblended, the innumerable spines being longer than those of the former, but less - in length than those of the last-named animal. The head, with no externally visible ears and - remarkable elongated beak-like snout, however, at once proclaims it to be altogether distinct from - these. The animal has no teeth, and the tiny mouth at the termination of the beak-like snout - simply constitutes an aperture for the extrusion of the worm-like glutinous tongue, wherewith, - after the manner of the true ant-eaters, it licks up the inhabitants of the ants' nests upon which - it feeds. For tearing down the ants' nests and obtaining its customary food, as also for its - inveterate burrowing propensity, the feet, and more especially the front ones, are provided with - strong, blunt, and very powerful claws. The male animal is in addition armed on the hind feet with - a peculiar supplementary spur, which is, however, still more conspicuously developed in the - platypus.</p> - - <p>Three distinct species of the echidna are recognised by zoologists. The one peculiar to the - cooler climate of Tasmania is remarkable for its more slender spines, the much greater abundance - of the long bristle-like hairs, and the thickness of the seal-brown under-fur, as compared with - the typical Australian form. In North-west New Guinea the largest and most aberrant form is met - with. Normally it has only three toes in place of five to each foot, the spines are very long and - thick, the body is deeper and more compressed, and the animal stands comparatively high upon its - feet.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page381"><span class="smaller">{381}</span></span></div> - - <p>The writer, during his residence in Tasmania, had several examples of the local species as - domestic pets. For the first few days they were very shy and untractable, burrowing into the earth - and seeking to escape, or presenting an impenetrable <i>cheval de frise</i> of sharp-pointed - spines to the hands that sought to caress them. After a short interval, however, the creatures - became entirely reconciled to human society and the small amount of restraint to which they were - subjected. They would follow their owner about the garden, or, flattening their bodies and - spreading out their limbs to the greatest extent, lie basking in the sun close to where he might - be seated. They also apparently appreciated being carried, slung across their owner's arm after - the manner of a lap-dog. Living in the near vicinity of unreclaimed bush-land, it was found - possible to keep these echidnas well supplied with their customary food; they were, in fact, - permitted to forage on their own account. Liberated amidst their normal surroundings, they would - walk leisurely from one ant-hill to another, tearing down the side of it with their powerful front - claws, and appropriating its living contents with the greatest relish. It was observed, however, - in this connection that the echidna paid attention entirely to the succulent white larvæ and pupal - phases of the insects with which the inner chambers of the ant-hills are customarily crowded, and - that adult ants, as they abounded in the tracts near at hand or elsewhere, were altogether - neglected. In addition to this natural food these animals were supplied daily with a saucer of - either well-softened bread or porridge and milk, for which they evinced a decided appreciation, - assimilating this food dexterously, though somewhat slowly, with the aid of their long protrusile - tongues. Allowed to wander about the house, they displayed a most inquisitive turn of mind, - peering into every crevice, and climbing upon every accessible article of furniture.</p> - - <p>The echidna usually produces only one egg at a time; it is relatively small, not larger than a - sparrow's egg, but equally and obtusely rounded at both extremities, and with a white leathery - shell like that of a reptile. For some time previous to hatching, this egg is carried in a - skin-fold or rudimentary pouch in the parent's abdomen, much similar to that possessed by many of - the marsupials. The young one is also retained in this pouch for some weeks after escaping from - the egg. When finally leaving the pouch, it is between three and four inches in length, and the - spines are in an altogether rudimentary condition.</p> - - <p>Examples of the Australian echidna have on several occasions been "in residence" at the Zoo; - while the Hon. Walter Rothschild has been fortunate in keeping living specimens of both this and - the very rare three-toed New Guinea variety in his admirably appointed menagerie at Tring.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp3"> - <a href="images/i_c_381.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_381.jpg" - alt="COMMON OR VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM." title="COMMON OR VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">COMMON OR VIRGINIAN OPOSSUM.</p> - <p class="sp0">The only marsupial animal found north of Mexico.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p class="ac"><span class="sc">The Platypus.</span></p> - - <p>The egg-laying mammal known as the <span class="sc">Duck-billed Platypus</span> differs very - essentially from the echidna both in aspect and habits. It is adapted especially for an amphibious - life, and for feeding on molluscs, worms, and insects, which it abstracts from the muddy bed or - banks of the rivers that it frequents. The somewhat depressed ovate body is covered with short - dense fur much resembling in colour and texture that of an otter. The tail is short and flattened - like that of a beaver, but in place of being naked and scaly, as in that animal, is covered, on - the upper surface more <span class="pagenum" id="page382"><span - class="smaller">{382}</span></span>particularly, with long, coarse, bristle-like hairs that - intercross one another in all directions. Neither is this tail used, as with the beaver, as a - mason's trowel, it being simply subservient as a steer-oar. The feet are all four distinctly - webbed, the membranes of the front feet in particular projecting to some distance beyond the - extremities of the claws, and so communicating to these members a singular resemblance to the feet - of a duck. The head of the platypus tapers off from the body without any conspicuous neck, and - terminates in a most remarkable duck-like beak, having at its base a supplementary membranous - ferrule-like structure which would seem to serve the purpose of limiting the distance into which - the beak of the animal is thrust into the mud during the quest for its accustomed food, and at the - same time protecting the creature's eyes. The mouth of the adult platypus contains no teeth, - simply a few horny plates; but, singularly to relate, rudimentary teeth exist temporarily in the - young animals. These provisional teeth, moreover, correspond in a marked manner with those of some - ancient types of mammals which occur as fossils in the tertiary deposits of North America. The - platypus, with relation to the obliteration of its teeth in the adult state, is regarded as a very - exceptionally modified form and not as the immediate prototype of the ordinary mammals.</p> - - <p>The platypus is found in Tasmania and in the south and eastern districts of Australia only, - being altogether unknown in the west and north. Being especially shy and retiring, and to a large - extent nocturnal in its habits, it is not frequently seen even in districts where it may be rather - abundant. The animal excavates burrows of so great a length as from thirty to fifty feet in the - river-banks that it frequents, and at the extreme end of these burrows it constructs a loose nest - of weeds and root-fibres, which it uses as its retreat, and also for the production of its eggs - and young. There are invariably two entrances to these burrows, the one being under water, and the - other usually opening into a tangle of brushwood at some little distance from the water's edge. As - many as from one to four eggs and young may be produced at a time, but two is the more general - number. From the first it would appear that the eggs and young are deposited and nursed in the - nest, not being retained or carried about in a pouch, as observed of the echidna.</p> - - <div class="ac w40 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_382.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_382.jpg" - alt="ECHIDNA, OR ANT-EATING PORCUPINE." title="ECHIDNA, OR ANT-EATING PORCUPINE."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by D. Le Souef</i>]</span> <span class="flr"><span - class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Melbourne.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">ECHIDNA, OR ANT-EATING PORCUPINE.</p> - <p class="sp0">The female echidna can carry two eggs in her pouch, which in due course are - hatched by the heat of her body.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The late Dr. George Bennett, of Sydney, New South Wales, has probably placed on record the most - detailed account of the ways and life-habits of these remarkable animals, though it did not fall - to him to solve the much-vexed question as to whether or not they were oviparous. This discovery, - as applied also to the like phenomenon in the case of the echidna, was the outcome within quite - recent years of the researches of Mr. Caldwell. After much indefatigable exploration, in which he - was ably assisted by the natives, Dr. Bennett obtained from the extremity of an exceptionally long - burrow a mother and pair of half-grown young. The young ones survived several weeks, and proved - most droll and interesting pets. In playful habits they much resembled puppies, chasing and - rolling one another over, and pretending to bite with their toothless bills. They were also much - addicted to climbing every scalable article of furniture, including even a tall book-case, which - they would negotiate by "swarming" up behind it as a sweep climbs a chimney, with their backs to - the wall and their feet against the back of the book-case. The sleeping and waking hours <span - class="pagenum" id="page383"><span class="smaller">{383}</span></span>that both these and other - examples kept were observed to be very irregular; for while usually most lively and disposed to - ramble after it grew dusk, they would at other times come out of their own accord in the daytime, - or perhaps one would ramble about while the other slept. When going to sleep, they would roll - themselves up in a perfect ball, the head, tail, and limbs being closely folded over the - abdomen.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_383.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_383.jpg" - alt="TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE - ANT-EATER." title="TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE - ANT-EATER."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">TASMANIAN ECHIDNA, OR PORCUPINE ANT-EATER.</p> - <p class="sp0">This is the largest variety of the five-toed species; it grows to a length of - 20 inches, and has the fur so long as almost to conceal the spines.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The food question appears to have presented almost insurmountable difficulties so far against - the permanent acclimatisation of these interesting animals in any of our European zoological - gardens. At the Melbourne Zoo some considerable success was obtained by fencing off a small pond - abounding with insects and well-established water-plants for their reception, and in this instance - they had also the advantage of being brought speedily and within a few hours of their capture to - their new home. For their long voyage to Europe the provision of an adequate quantity of living - insects or other aquatic organisms is a by no means easy task. They have, however, been known to - thrive on broken-up river-mussels for the space of two or three weeks, and would probably have - done so for a longer period. This material might easily be stored for their use on board ship.</p> - - <p>An incident concerning the natural predilections of the platypus that fell within the writer's - observation in Tasmania might also be utilised in their experimental transportation. At the trout- - and salmon-rearing establishment on the river Plenty—of which the writer was at the time - superintendent—the platypuses proved to be most destructive to the spawn both deposited in - the hatching-boxes and upon the natural spawning-beds, or "redds," and they had in consequence to - be systematically destroyed. This being the case, it is probable that they would be found to - thrive well on a diet consisting to a large extent of the preserved roes or spawn of any easily - procurable fish—such as the Murray perch and cod—and of which adequate supplies might - with facility be stored aboard ship. The admixture in all cases of a certain amount of sand or mud - with their provided pabulum would appear to be essential for digestive purposes, such material - being always found in considerable quantities in their stomachs when dissected.</p> - - <div><span class="pagenum" id="page384"><span class="smaller">{384}</span></span></div> - - <p>A distinguishing feature which the male platypus shares in common with the echidna is the - peculiar spur developed on its hind foot. It is in this case, however, much larger and sharper, - and has been accredited with aggressive functions and poisonous properties. There can be little - doubt, however, that they are normally used by the animal only as clasping or retaining - instruments during intercourse with the female at the breeding-season. At the same time, undoubted - cases of persons receiving severe wounds from these animals' spurs have been placed on record. One - such that fell within the writer's cognisance happened on the Murray River, on the Victorian and - New South Wales boundary. A young fisher-lad, on taking up his nets, found a half-drowned platypus - entangled in them, and, whilst disengaging it, it convulsively gripped his hand between the two - spurs, the points penetrating deeply into the flesh on either side. The result was a festering - wound that refused to heal for many months, and for such time entirely deprived the lad of his use - of that hand.</p> - - <div class="ac w45 fcenter sp2"> - <a href="images/i_c_384.jpg"><img style="width:100%" src="images/i_c_384.jpg" - alt="DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS." title="DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS."/></a> - <div class="x-smaller sp1 m025 ac"> - <p><span class="fll"><i>Photo by W. Saville-Kent, F.Z.S.</i>]</span> <span - class="flr"><span class="gap" style="width:2em"> </span>[<i>Milford-on-Sea.</i></span></p> - <p class="sp3">DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.</p> - <p class="sp0">This curious egg-laying mammal, the only representative of its family, is - mainly nocturnal in habits.</p> - </div> - </div> - - <p>The fur of the platypus, dressed so as to remove the outer and longer series of hairs, nearly - resembles that of the fur-seal in both colour and texture, and as a rare local product is highly - prized for the manufacture of carriage-rugs and other articles.</p> - - <p> </p> - - <p class="sp3">With the egg-laying Echidna and Platypus we terminate the Mammalian Series, and - they pave the way to the typical egg-laying animals which follow.</p> - - <p class="sp3 ac"><span class="sc">End of Vol. I.</span></p> - - <p class="ac" style="margin-bottom:1.6ex;"><span class="larger">Note</span></p> - - <div class="foot"> - <a class="fnote" id="Nt_1" href="#NtA_1">[1]</a> - <p>Since this was in type, Sir Harry Johnston has reported the existence in the Congo forest, on - the borders of Uganda, of a large unknown type of ruminant, the Akapi of the natives.</p> - </div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Living Animals of the World, -Volume 1 (of 2), by C. 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