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CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

 

BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME
OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT
FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY

HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE

 

 
Date Due

 

 

 

 

 

MAW. al igs,

 

 

_ BEC LW?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RETURN TO
ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY

ITHACA, N. Y.

Cornell University

QL 706.W8
| The life and habits of wild animals.

ini

924

i

01
 

HUNTED DOWN.
THE LIFE AND HABITS OF

WILD ANIMALS.

ILLUSTRATED BY DESIGNS BY JOSEPH WOLF.

 

BOSTON:
D. Lothrop & Co., Publishers,

30 AND 82 FRANKLIN STREET.

LB GOK NEAL

UNIVE RET Y
| toe ely
QL
106
Wisk

A183!)

Copyright by
D. LOTHROP & CO.
1877.
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
' THE

THE

ELEPHANT
TIGER
BEAR
Puma
RABBIT
WILp Boar
JAGUAR
Bison, OR BUFFALO
APE
WOLF

Lion

DEER
BABOON

CHAMOIS

-Lynx

WEASEL
SeEa-GULL
OwL
Crow

OSPREY

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

I2
17
22
27
32
37
42
47
52
57
62
67
72
77

82°

87
92
97
102

*
THE ELEPHANT.

RE-EMINENT among quadrupeds, both as
regards his size and his sagacity, the Ele-
phant claims our attention above all other animals.
Larger than his Asiatic relative, the African Ele-
phant also differs from him in many particulars.
One is the immense ears, which, when laid back,
reach beyond the shoulders and cover all his fore-
quarters, and when thrown forward conceal his
body from the view of any one in front of him, and
‘give to his head the appearance of being provided
with a pair of huge leathery wings. Both sexes
possess tusks, and the female has thus a great ad-
vantage over her Asiatic representative, which is
devoid of these valuable and useful appendages.
This great animal (belonging, with the Hippo-
potamus and Rhinoceros, to the class of pachy-
derms, so designated from the great thickness of
their hides), is always accustomed to go in large
troops, the old males taking up their position in
front and rear to protect from any sudden attack
the females and young, cluster together in the
centre. It has no cause to fear most of the wild
animals inhabiting its districts, although, as occa-
sionally happens, when it engages in conflict with
the unwieldly Rhinoceros, the latter will rush
upon, and getting beneath its huge adversary,
will plunge its long, sharp horn into the Ele-
hant’s body, and by repeated stabs bring it in a
short time lifeless to the earth. A species of tick
and many other insects infest its hide, and cause

 

the animal great annoyance. To rid itself of
these it has recourse to a very ingenious and ef-
fectual method. Seeking some half-dried pool, |
the mud of which is still soft, it lies down and
rolls in it, wallowing after the manner of a Pig in
a similar place. Having covered itself thoroughly.
with the sticky earth, it emerges entirely of an-
other color, according as the mud may be white,
red, or black, and, taking up its position in the
sun, remains motionless for hours, until the cov-
ering becomes dry and hard. Then by sudden
muscular efforts the mud is broken, and falls off
the hide, carrying with it all the insects that were
on the animal’s body, and which ,had become im-
bedded in the hardened earth, and the sagacious
animal moves off, freed for a time from his minute
tormentors. ;

As a general rule, Elephants live to a great
age, but whenever any one of a herd. becomes ill}

no matter from what cause, the others set upon

_it and drive it from their society, When thus

obliged to leave its companions, the poor animal
immediately seeks some chosen place, usually
known to hunters and travelers as the Elephants’
No
matter how far this particular place may be from

cemetery, and there remains until he dies.

the spot where the herd was living at the time
the invalid was obliged to leave, he will strive to
reach it, as though it was impossible for him to
die anywhere else.
8 THE ELEPHANT,

 

Within the past few years, on account of con-
tinued persecutions from the hunters who have
sought these animals, principally for their tusks,
which form one of the most valuable articles of
commerce, the Elephants have retired futher into
the interior of the continent, leaving merely a
remnant of their numbers in the localities where
they formerly abounded. A large herd of these
gigantic animals must present a magnificent spec-
tacle, and few Europeans who have witnessed
them enjoying the unrestrained freedom of their
native wilds have given most enthusiastic descrip-
tions of the excitement that took possession of
them when beholding the scene.

One Elephant hunter says:

“The whole face of the landscape was actually
covered with wild Elephants. There could not
have been fewer than three hundred within the
scope of our vision, Every height and green
knoll was dotted over with groups of them, while
the bottom of the glen exhibited a dense and sa-
ble living mass —their colossal forms being at
one moment partially concealed by the trees
which they were disfiguring with giant strength,
while others were seen majestically emerging into
the open glades, bearing in their trunks branches
of trees, with which they indolently protected
themselves from the flies.”

Many anecdotes are related of both the tame
and the wild Elephant. They would seem to
‘prove that the animal is gifted with intellectual
faculties akin to those of human beings.

When the British troops were beseiging Bhurb-
fon in India, the water in the ponds and tanks
‘becoming exhausted, it could only be obtained
from deep and large wells. In this service Ele-
phants were especially useful.

One day two of these animals,— one pf them

large and strong, the other much smaller,— came

 

together to a well. The smaller Elephant carried
by his trunk a bucket, which, the larger, not hav-
ing one, stole from him. The smaller animal
knew that he could not wrest it from the other,
but he eyed him, watching for an opportunity of
avenging himself. The larger Elephant now ap-
proached the edge of the well, when the smaller
one, rushing forward with all his might, pushed
him fairly into the water. .

Ludicrous as was the scene, the consequences
Should the huge

animal not be got out, the water would be spoiled;

might have been disastrous.

at all events, his floundering about would make
it very muddy. The Elephant, however, seemed
in no way disconcerted, and kept floating at his
ease, enjoying the cool liquid, and exhibiting no
wish to come out of it. At length a number of
fascines used in the siege were brought, and these
being lowered into the well, the Elephant was in-
duced by his driver to place them under his feet.
In this way a pile was raised sufficiently high to
enable him to rise. But, being ‘unwilling to
leave the water, he after a time would allow no
more fascines to be lowered ; and his driver had
to caress him, and promise him plenty of arrack
as a reward, to induce him to raise himself out of
the water. Thus incited, the Elephant permitted
more fascines to be thrown in; and at length,
after some masonry was removed from the mar-
gin of the well, he was able to step out —the
whole operation having occupied fourteen hours.
A large Elephant was sent a few years ago to
The offi-

cer who despatched it, suspecting the honesty of

assist in piling up timber at Nagercoil.

the driver, requested the wife of a missionary, to
whose house the animal was sent, to watch that
After
some time the lady, suspecting that her charge

he received his proper allowance of rice.

was being defrauded of his rice, intimated her
 

A TROPICAL BATHING—PLACE,
THE ELEPHANT. II

 

mistrust to the keeper, who, pretending surprise
at having such an imputation made against him,
exclaimed in his native tongue:

“ Madam, do you think I would rob my child?”

The Elephant, which was standing by, seemed

aware of the subject of the conversation, and kept
eying the keeper, who had on a bulky waist-cloth;
and no sooner had he uttered these words than
the animal threw his trunk round him, and unty-
ing the waist-cloth, a quantity of rice fell to the
ground.

An Elephant had been severely wounded, and
submitting to have his wound dressed, used, after
two or three times, to go alone to the hospital and
extend himself, so that the surgeon could easily
reaeh the injured part. Though the pain the ani-
mal suffered was so severe that he often uttered
the most plaintive groans, he never interrupted the
operation, but exhibited every token of submis-
sion to the surgeon, till his cure was effected.

Still more curious is the following:

A young Elephant which had accompanied its
mother Lo the battle-field received a severe wound
in the head. Nothing could induce it to allow
the injury to be attended to. At length, by cer-
tain signs and words, the keeper explained to the
mother what was wanted. The‘sagacious animal
immediately seized the young one with her trunk,
and, though it groaned with agony, held it to the
ground, while the surgeon was thus enabled to
dress the wound. Day after day she continued
to act in the same way, till the wound was per-
fectly healed.

The ancient Carthaginians used to employ Ele-
phants in war. The Romans took a number of
these animals prisoners, and used them in fight ;
but they were very dangerous helps. Hannibal,
on one occasion finding the battle long continu-

ing doubtful, ordered, says the historian Livy, the

 

Elephants to be brought to the front, hoping by
But Caius
Decimius Flavus, a Roman officer, ordered a band

their means to frighten the Romans.

of spearmen to follow him to the spot where the
Elephants were throwing all into confusion, and
to hurl javelins at the bulky beasts. Every
weapon hit, because they were crowded together.
They then rushed back in wild affright upon their
owners, and killed more of them than the enemy
against whom they had been brought.

Livy adds:

“As to the Elephants themselves, more were
killed by their guides than by the enemy. These
carried a knife, like that used by shoemakers,
with a mallet; and when the animals began to
grow furious, and to rush on their own party, the
manager of each, fixing this instrument between
his ears, on the joint which connects the head
and neck, drove it in with the strongest blow
that he could give. This had been found the
speediest method of killing animals of that great
size, when they became so unruly as to leave no
hope of managing them.”

One reason why Elephants are hunted is the
value of their tusks. They consist of delicate
ivory, which has long been used as an ornament
by man. Ivory statues, ivory ornaments for the
chimney-piece, crosses, bracelets, brooches, are
common in London and Paris. Dieppe has long
been famous for ornaments in ivory. Three hun-
dred years ago it was the most flourishing sea-port
of France, and one of the first in Europe.

The illustration admriably represents a drove
of Elephants going down to a forest lake.in the
tropic noonday for a cooling bath. Standing in
the water up to their bodies they draw great
quantities of it into their trunks and spurt it
over their own backs, or those of their neigh-

bors.
THE TIGER.

MONG the Ferez, or wild beasts of the

Cat tribe, inhabiting tropical regions the
most powerful and dangerous is unquestionably
the Tiger, the near relative of the Jaguar of
South America. Like this last, he also is pos-
sessed of a lovely skin, combining rich colors of
most opposite hues, but constituting an attractive
robe of elegant design.

The Tiger is widely distributed over almost the
whole of Asia. It is found in China, and of
course in India south of the Himalayas ; but not
in Ceylon, although it is an inhabitant of the
Malayan Peninsula, and of some of the great is-
The Tigers obtained

latitudes are remarkable for the

lands of the Archipelago.
in northern
length and density of their fur. This peculiarity
has also been observed among Leopards from
similar localities. It cannot, however, be con-
sidered as in any way denoting a specific value.

The natural prey of this animal in India is Cat-
tle, Deer, and the wild Hog. The Peacock is also
much sought after by the Tiger, and it is gener-
ally considered that any large flock of these birds
indicates the presence of their feline admirer,
who follows them stealthily, and springs upon
them whenever an opportunity offers.

It frequently, however, is itself slain in contests
with the wild Boar, being thrust through by the
tusks of this animal. The Elephant, too, when
guided by man in the hunts which are often or-

12

ganized to destroy this ferocious beast, displays
a savage joy in encountering the Tiger. A sports-
man writing of a tiger-hunt says that after the
Tiger had been wounded and had retreated intoa
junele:

“My Elephant appeared to see the Tiger as
soon as myself, and I had only time to fire one
shot, when he suddenly rushed with thé greatest
-fury into the thicket, and falling upon his knees,
nailed the Tiger with his tusks to the ground.

“Such was the violence of the shock, that my
servant, who sat behind, was thrown out, and one
of my guns went overboard. The struggles of
my Elephant to crush his still resisting foe, who
had fixed one paw on his eye, were so energetic,
that I was obliged to hold on with all my strength,
to keep myself in the houdah. The second bar-
rel, too, of the gun, which I still retained in my
hand, went off in the scuffle, the ball passing
close to the mahout’s ear, whose situation, poor
fellow, was anything but enviable. As soon as
my Elephant was prevailed upon to leave the kill-
ing part of the business to the sportsmen, they
gave the roughly-used tiger his death blow.”

By nature the Tiger is cowardly, and unless
wounded retreats from attack, even after having
seized upon its prey. A case is reported of a
herd-boy in India, who when pounced upon by
one of these animals was saved by the Buffaloes

 

which he was attending. They charged the Tiger
THE TIGER. 13

 

in a body and compelled him to take to an igno-
minious flight, leaving the lad in the midst of
his hard-headed protectors.

When his usual supply of food is scarce, it is
stated that the Tiger will feed on Frogs or almost
anything that comes in his way, and Sir Walter
Elliott relates that one was killed in the ‘province
of Kandleish in a state of extreme emaciation
from a Porcupine’s quill that had passed through
his gullet and prevented his swallowing, and
which had probably been planted there in his at-
tempts to make one of these animals his prey.
A cel-
ebrated sportsman records that once, when hav-

At times, also, it will feed upon carrion.

ing killed a Tigress, on returning to his tent he
sent a man with a pad Elephant to bring it home.
The messenger came back and stated that on his
her alive.

arrival he found They accordingly

went out next morning to the spot, and discovered

that she had been dragged into a ravine, and had.

been half devoured by another Tiger. They
found this last one close by, and killed him also.
It would thus seem that at times cannibalism
may be added to the other fine qualities of this
handsome beast.

Instances are numerous, however, of this terri-
ble beast having been tamed, and of its exhibit-
ing considerable affection toward its master ;
but even when accustomed to the restraints of
captivity, and to be fondled by those with whom
it lives, its savage nature may at any moment be
aroused, and with the quickness of light it will
turn upon and rend the person whose kind at-
tention a moment before it might have been ac-
knowledging with loud-breathed purrs of satis-
faction. Such an occurrence is recorded, which
shows the great danger of indulging in the pos-
session of pets of this kind, a fatal termination
probably being only averted by the presence of
mind exhibited by its owner.

 

A gentleman in India brought up an animal
of this species which he had obtained when
only a few weeks old. It was accustomed to fol-
low him about like a Dog, and allowed him to
play with it and fondle it at all times, never ex-
hibiting any trace of the fierceness which its par-
entage might naturally have allowed one to sup-
pose it possessed.

One day the gentleman was sitting upon the
verander reading, and the Tiger as usual was ly-
ing by the side of his chair. Suddenly his at-
tention was drawn from his book by feeling the
animal lick his hand, which he had allowed to
drop over the arm of the chair, uttering at the
same time low and threatening growls. Looking
down, he perceived his hand was covered with
blood, the taste of which had aroused all the la-
tent ferocity of the brute. Without attempting
to change his position, the gentleman called a
servant to get a gun, which fortunately was
loaded ‘and near by, and ordered him to shoot the
animal.

Another tale speaks well for the Tiger.

In India it is the cruel custom, when a wan-
dering Dog is found, to throw it into a Tiger’s
cage for the purpose of getting rid of it. It hap-
pened that one of these Pariah-dogs was thrust
into the den of the savage beast. The Dog, how-
ever, instead of giving himself up for logt, stood
on the defensive in the corner of the cage, and
whenever the Tiger approached, seized him by the
lip or neck, making him roar piteously. The
Tiger, savage for want of food, continued to renew
the attack, with the same result; till at length
the larger animal began to show a respect for the
courage of the smaller one, and an understanding
was finally arrived at between them.

At last a mess of rice and milk was put into
the cage of the Tiger, when he invited the Dog to

partake of it, and instead of treacherously spring-
14 THE TIGER.

 

ing on him, as some human beings would have
done on their foe, allowed him to feed in quiet.
From that day the animals not only became re-
conciled, but a strong attachment sprang up be-
tween them. The Dog used to run in and out of
the cage, looking upon it as his home; and when
the Tiger died, he long evidently mourned the
loss of his friend and former antagonist.
Although

strength, and moves through the thickets of the

the Tiger is possessed of great

jungle with the lithe, noiseless action, character-
istic of all the Cats (coming suddenly upon his
prey, which, unaware of the subtle approach of
its cunning foe, may be resting ‘in fancied secu-
rity), yet at times he too falls a victim to an ad-
versary as cruel and remorseless as himself.

Many of the rivers and lakes in the hot lands
where this animal dwells fairly swarm with Croc-
odiles. Those huge, repulsive reptiles are fre-
quently seen stretched at full length upon some
sand-bar sleeping in the rays of the mid-day sun,
or else submerged in the water, looking like the
dead trunk of some fallen tree.

The Tiger comes down to drink, unsuspecting.
With an imperceptible movement, that gives not
the slightest ripple to the surface, the scaly legs

of the Crocodile are drawn toward the body, and

 

as the Tiger stoops again to the water, witha
rush so rapid as to defy the eye to follow it, the
powerful reptile seizes the unfortunate animal's
head in its armed jaws.

With a half-stifled roar of rage and surprise,
the Tiger endeavors to withdraw himself from
the cruel grasp, while his foe, lashing the waters
into foam, strives to drag him into the stream,
unheeding the heavy. blows the Tiger deals it
with its paw, the sharp claws of which, however,
glance harmlessly from off the mailed covering of
the reptile’s head.

Step by step the animal is dragged away from
the bank, struggling against its horrible fate with
the energy of despair ; but, as the water deepens,
his power of resistance grows fecbler, while the
Crocodile, at home in his native element, redou-
bles its exertions, and forcing the Tiger’s head
beneath the stream by a few quickly repeated,
powerful efforts, disappears with its prey to the
bottom of the river. A few fast-widening circles
spreading toward the opposing banks, a few bub-
bles, brilliant in rainbow hues, floating with the
tide, and perhaps an occasional ominous red spot
rising to the surface, are the sole remaining wit-
nesses of the terrible, deadly struggle that had

just terminated,
 

THE STRUGGLE.
THE BEAR.

MONG the Plantigrades, or quadrupeds that

walk upon the sole of the foot, the Bear is

one of the most powerful of all those living at the
present time. When unmolested, he is an inof-
fensive animal, and busies himself chiefly with
prowling about the forest, seeking such berries
Although

possessed of great strength and tenacity of life,

and fruits as he particularly likes.

he shuns all conflict, and, when approached by
man, prefers rather to fly, if escape be possi-
ble, than to stand his ground and defend him-
self.

During the summer he becomes very fat, so
that he is able to live through the winter without
food. As the first snows warn him of the ap-
proach of the inclement season, he looks out for
a suitable lair, either in the hollow of some large
decayed tree, or in a cave hidden among the
rocks. In one of these he takes up his abode,
and prepares to sleep away the cheerless months.
If it is a tree in which he has decided to hiber-
nate, he climbs up to the mouth of the cavity,
and then backs down into it until the bottom is
reached, where he rolls himself up into a furry
ball, and, if not disturbed, does not emerge again
until spring.

The great Brown Bear is found in the cold re-
gion of the North, in the Alps and Pyrenees. It
is not unknown in North America. A back-
woodsman says that it is very fond of honey.

 

He speaks of it as “the knowingest varmint for
finding out a bee-tree, in the world.” He'll enaw
at the trunk, till he makes a hole big enough
to get in his paws, and then he drags out Bees,
honey, and all together.

If we look closely at the teeth of the Bear, we
should say that it was intended chiefly to live
upon fruits and vegetables, but, in point of fact,
it will devour almost anything that comes in its
way. In the Zoological Gardens it will munch a
bun with evident gusto. I am not quite sure
It will
crack a Crab with the cleverness of a Fishmon-
It cats Ants.

less pressed by hunger.

that it does not enjoy a sausage-roll.

ger. It does not devour flesh un-

The Laplanders used to call it the Dog of
God.
effect that the Bear has the strength of ten men,
To the Kamcatch-

dales the Bear seems to have given the necessa-

In Norway there is an old proverb to the
and the wisdom of twelve.
ries, not to say the comforts, of life. The skin,
we are told, is used for quilts and beds, hats and
bonnets for their heads, collars for their Dogs,
gloves for their hands, and an overall over their
boots, which keeps them from slipping on the
ice. They eat the flesh and fat as a dainty.
Asa general rule the Bear is a slow-moving
animal, and shuffles awkwardly along, advancing
both legs on the same side at a time, and is never

He can, on emergencies, make

17

known to trot,
18 THE BEAR.

very rapid progress; and when endeavoring to
escape, or when aroused to wrath, a good horse
cannot outstrip him in speed for a short distance.

It is only the female Bear that makes her win-
- ter lodging in the upper parts of trees, a practice
by which her young are secured from the attacks
of Wolves and other animals. She brings forth
in the winter season, and remains in her lodge till
The male

always lodges in the ground, under the roots of

the cubs have gained some strength.
trees. He takes to his habitation as soon as the
snow falls, and remains till it has disappeared.

Some of the North American Indians accom-
pany bear-hunting with curious ceremonies. A
traveler says:

“Tn January I observed a big pine tree much
torn by the claws of Bears going.up and down.
At last I found an opening near the top. From
these marks, and from the additional circum-
stance that there were no tracks in the snow,
there was reason to believe that a Bear lay con-
cealed in the tree,

“On returning to the lodge I communicated
my discovery; and it was agreed that all the
tamily should go together in the morning, to as-
sist in cutting down the tree, the girth of which
was not less than three fathoms. The women at
first opposed the undertaking, because our axes,
being only a pound and a half weight, were not
well adapted to so heavy a labor; but the hope
of finding a large Bear, and obtaining from its fat
a great quantity of oil, an article at the time
much wanted, at length prevailed.

“ Accordingly, in the morning, we surrounded
the tree, both men and women, as many at a
time as could convieniently work at it, and there
we toiled like Beavers till the sun went down.
This day’s work carried us about half-way through

the trunk ; and the next morning we renewed the

 

attack, continuing till about two o’clock in the
afternoon, when the tree fell to the ground. For
atew minutes everything remained quiet, and I
feared that all our expectations would be disap-
pointed: but, as I advanced to the opening, there
came out, to the great satisfaction of all our party,
a Bear of extraordinary size, which I shot.

“The Bear being dead, all my assistants ap-

| proached, and all, but particularly my old mother

(as 1 was wont to call her), took. the head in
their hands, stroking it and kissing it several
times, begging a thousand pardons for taking
away her life; calling ber their relation and
grandmother, and requesting her not to lay the
fault upon them, since .it was truly an English-
man that had put her to death. This ceremony
was not of long duration, and if it was I that
killed their grandmother, they were not them-
selves behindhand in what remained to be per-
formed.

“ The skin being taken off, we found the fat in
several places six inches deep.* This being di-
vided into two parts loaded two persons ; and the
flesh parts were as much as Tour persons could
carry. In all, the carcass must have exceeded
five hundred-weight. As soon as we reached the
lodge, the Bear's head was adorned with all the
trinkets in the possession of the family, such as
silver arm-bands and wrist-bands, and belts of
wampum, and then laid upon a scaffold set up
for its reception within the lodge. Near the
nose was placed a large quantity of tobacco.

“ The next morning no sooner appeared than
preparations were made for a feast to the manes.
The lodge was cleaned and swept; and the head
of the Bear lifted up and a new Stroud _ blankct,
which had never been used before spread under
it. The pipes were now lit, and Wawatam blew

tobacco-smoke into the nostrils of the Bear, tell-
 

BRUIN AT BAY,
THE

BEAR. 21

 

ing me to do the same, and thus appease the an-
ger of the Bear on account of my having killed
her.

“T endeavored to persuade my benefactor and
friendly adviser that she no longer had any life,
and assured him that I was under no apprehen-
sion from her displeasure ; but the first proposi-
tion obtained no credit, and the second gave but
little satisfaction.

“At length the feast being ready, Wawatam.
made a speech, resembling in many things his
address to the manes of his relations and de-
parted companions, but having this peculiarity,
that he here deplored the necessity under which
He
represented, however, that the misfortune was

men labored thus to destroy their friends.

unavoidable, since without doing so they could
by no means subsist. The speech ended, we all
eat heartily of the Bear’s flesh;.and even the
head itself, after remaining three days on the
scaffold, was put into the kettle.”

The Brown Bear, which lives in Siberia, may
be considered among the most good-natured of
his tribe. Mr. Atkinson, who traveled in. that
country, tells us that some peasants —a father
and mother — had one day lost two of their chil-
dren, between four and six years of age. It was.
soon evident that their young.ones had wandered
away to a distance from their home, and as soon
as this discovery was made they set off in search
of them.

Having proceeded some way through the wilds,
they caught sight in the distance of a large ani-
mal, which, as they got nearer, they discovered
to be a Brown Bear; and what was their horror
to see within its clutches their lost young ones!

Their sensations of dismay were exchanged for
astonishment, when they saw the children run-

ning about, laughing, round the Bear, sometimes

 

taking it by the paws, and sometimes. pulling it
by the tail. The monster, evidently amused with °
their behavior, treated them in the most affec-

tionate manner. One of the children now pro-

| duced some fruit, with which it fed its shagg

playfellow, while the other climbed up on its
back, and sat there, fearlessly urging its strange
steed to move on, The parents gave way to cries
of terror at seeing the apparent danger to which
The little boy,

however, having slipped off the Bear’s back, the

their offspring were exposed.

animal, hearing the sound of their voices, left the
children, and retreated quietly into the forest.

The picture illustrates an event which hap-
pened to a gentleman in Norway, who started out
one winter morning with some companions in
pursuit of Bears, accompanied by a number of
Dogs of all degrees. They soon came upon the
winter-quarters of a.large animal, and after re-
peated efforts, Bruin was dislodged from his warm
berth and wounded. Forced to defend himself,
he soon became the aggressor, and rushing upon
the narrator of the occurrence, struck him down
and lay upon. him. Fortunately the snow was
deep, and knowing his only chance was to lie
perfectly still, the gentleman buried himself as
much as possible in the snow and feigned to be
dead.

The Bear was very old, and his teeth were
worn down so close to the gums that they con-
tinually slipped off, and did no injury when he
While
this was going on the Bear was attacked by the

seized the hunter's head in his mouth.

Dogs, which set upon him from al] sides, and
prevented him from attending to the man be-
neath him. While thus engaged the other hunt-
ers arrived upon the scene, and quickly dis-

patching the animal, freed their companion from

his disagreeable and perilous position,
THE PUMA.

HIS animal is the largest and most power-
fultof the Cats which live in America. It

is native to both North and South America; and,
Although

chiefly nocturnal in its habits, it also prowls

like all Cats, it is fond of living alone.

about during the day, and with silent steps moves
through the forest, intently on the watch for
any luckless creature that may be in its vicin-
ity.

This animal more nearly resembles the Pan-
ther than the Lion; it has no mane, and no tuft
on the end of the tail, nor is the head of the same
shape or so massive as that of the African Lion ;
the head is very small in proportion to the body
and legs ; the latter being very large and muscu-
lar. Its average length is from five to six feet.
The Puma is of a fawn color, and when young is
marked with dark lines along the back; these
fade as it grows older.

In disposition they are ferocious when wild,
but they only attack man when driven to bay, at
which time it is very dangerous to approach
them; they are, however, easily tamed, and be-
come quite attached to their keepers. Besides
the Peccary, Capybara, and Deer, they destroy
Sheep, Hogs, and Cattle. One of them has been
known to kill fifty Sheep in one night.

This powerful animal is possessed of great

22

 

cunning, as the following instance will show. A
hunter, who had been in pursuit of a Puma for
the greater portion of a day, after proceeding
some time, observed that he came again and again
upon a man’s track, mingled with that of the
Puma; and he soon became conscious that the
crafty animal had made a circuit, and had got be-
hind, having thus become the pursuer in place of
remaining the pursued.

Instead of going any farther, he quietly stepped
behind a tree, and with his gun presented and
ready, awaited the approach of his disagreeable
attendant. Soon he saw the Puma coming care-
fully along, sniffing his tracks at intervals, and
endeavoring to catch a glimpse of him in front.
Waiting a favorable moment, he fired from his
concealment, and fortunately killed the animal on
the spot. It proved to he a male of the largest.
size.

During severe winters the Puma is frequently
obliged to go for long periods without food, as
the Deer, which often becomes its prey, are capa-
ble of serious resistance — the Does being usu-
ally accompanied by the Bucks, whose sharp
horns, wielded with great dexterity, render them
no despicable antagonists. At such times it will
pay a visit to the sheep-fold, and. make great
slaughter among its terrified and helpless in.
THE PUMA. 23

 

mates. For it is naturally cruel in disposition,
and slays when it has the opportunity, more than
is required for the moment’s consumption,

When pursued by the hunter with his Hounds,
if closely pressed, this active animal betakes it-
self to some lofty tree, where, snugly ensconced
in the fork of a large branch, generally lying
close to the trunk, it looks down quietly upon its
four-footed pursuers, that bark angrily at the
base of the tree, and bound against its sides in
their vain efforts to reach their natural enemy.
Even when shot and mortally wounded, so as to
be obliged to leave its place of refuge and to fall
headlong into the midst of the waiting pack, it is
capable ot making a serious defense, and is rarely
dispatched before some of the Dogs are killed, its
terrible teeth and claws making fearful and
ghastly wounds.

Such is the fierce animal portrayed in our il-
lustration. And now, having obtained an in-
sight into its habitst and mode of life, let us wit-
ness the manner in which tlre occurrence hap-
pened which made it necessary to bring into play
all the strategical power of the imperiled Deer to
free itself from the strength and fury of its un-
welcome rider.

Walking quietly through the forest, cropping
the tender leaves that hang above their heads, a
small troop of female Deer are seeking a suitable
place to pass the dark hours of the coming night.
Unaccompanied by their armed guardians, who
at this season are dwelling apart in chosen lone-
liness, they trust for protection to their quick
sense of smell and hearing, as well as to their
powers of speed. The pure soft breeze is borne
to them untainted by any lurking foe, amd no
hostile sound has arisen to startle their easily
awakened fears.

But, at no great distance away, their greatest

 

enemy is watching the unconscious Deer with
eyes of fire. He marks their projected course,
and, on velvet feet, steals softly away to the
overhanging branch of a lofty tree that spans
their chosen path, and, crouching close against
He lies like a

figure carved in stone, giving no sign of life save

the limb, waits for their coming.

by the unconscious movement of the claws as
they indent the yielding bark.

Slowly they come, those timid, graceful crea-
tures, ever and anon stopping to sniff the air, or
to catch with ample ears the sound of an enemy’s
foot. But there is nothing that they can hear or
scent, and unconscious of their great peril, they
limb.

needed to gather himself together, and with all

pass beneath the Only an instant is
his natural fierceness increasel many-fold by
long-continued fasting, the Puma descends upon
the broad back of his victim.

Paralyzed for an instant by the suddenness of
the shock, the poor Deer staggers beneath the
weight of the terrible beast; then fear and the
consciousness of imminent danger give it renewed
strength, and it bounds through the forest in the
wake of its terrified companions, with the cruel
rider tearing its tender flesh with both claws and
fangs.

The deep growls of the Puma, accompanied by
the bleating of the wounded Deer, arouse the
other creatures of the wood, which hurry away
from the scene; all save the great Horned Owls,
which, disturbed from their day-slumbers in the
hollow of some ancient tree, follow the flying an-
imal in hopes of a share in any approaching
feast.

Soon failing strength warns the Deer that it
must speedily free itself from its dangerous com-
panion, or else it will be obliged to succumb;
and as it passes the massive trunks of the trees
24 THE

PUMA.

 

standing along its course, it brushes against
them, vainly endeavoring: to sweep the Puma off.

When all: hope appears over, it suddenly sees
before it, lying across and but a few feet above
the path, the fallen trunk of a dead tree.
ing toward it, the Doe crouches until its back is

just on a level with the tree’s lower side, and

then with a mighty‘rush brings the Puma forci--

bly ag sainst the trunk, and the beast, obliged to:

loose his hold, is swept off, while the Deer, re-
joicing in its freedom, disappears: in the thick
woods.

The Puma growls over the loss of his prey,
and, lashing his sides with angry jerks of his
long tail, moves slowly away into the dense
bushes.

: Mr. Benedict

Revoil,;in speaking of the North American Puma

A French bunter and trapper,

or Panther says:

“ The first one I killed was enormous, and yet
he was far from resembling the Puma exhibited
in museums of natural history, which are as large
The Puma of the

United States seldom exceeds the size of a large

as a Tiger ora Leopard.

Fox, or at most, that of a small Wolf,

“The Puma’s skin ‘is highly esteemed by the
furriers of the United States, who fabricate it
into splendid carpets, trimmed with black bear’s

Speed- :

 

skin. I have seen at Philadelphia a saloon en-
‘tirely carpeted with Puma skins; it was a mag-
The

sofas, the cushions, the chairs, the fauteuils, the

nificent sight, and of inestimable value.

consoles, all were covered with this fur —as fan-
tastic as a page written in Arabic characters.
“At Mr. Pendleton’s house I had enjoyed the
most cordial hospitality ; and one evening, after
supper, four of us were seated round a table,
when the quiet tenor of our conversation was all
at once interrupted by terrible shrieks proceed-
Mrs.

Pendleton, it seems, liad been sitting there with

ing from a chamber near the dining-hall.

an invalid child and her nurse, when the latter
opening the window, a Puma leaped: from the
roof of the piazza, which ran all round the house,

to ‘the sill of the window, ready to spring upon

the infant’s cradle.

“The cries of the mother and nurse brought
us immediately to the chambér ; but.the animal
had taken fright, and we oe what had tran-

spired when it was too late to pursue him. The

house dogs were immediately let loose in his

traces; -but soon: returned, like cowards, with
tails between their legs, as’ if they had fled from

too imminentadanger. Next morning witha pack

of Hounds the fearful intruder was tracked to its

lair in a grotto and killed.”

'
STRATEGY VERSES STRENGTH.

 
THE RABBIT.

HESE little animals are very sociable, and

fond of living together, and their warrens,

as assemblages of their habitations are called, fre-
Their
galleries extend sometimes for great distances,

quently contain hundreds of individuals.

and little tunnels ramify in all directions, with
many an opening to the surface, thus affording
the inmates numerous avenues of escape. These
apertures do not always give direct access to the
nests, but they serve rather as entrance-halls,
from which, at intervals, other lanes lead to se-
cluded spots in which the young are reared.

The Rabbit likes to live in a country which
has deep dells and steep banks of red sandstone
They like these banks to be overhung
On the top of the

sandhill, if there is a thin layer of fine black

or sand.
with furze and brushwood.

mould, that helps the growth of rich, tender
grasses and sweet-smelling herbs, so much the
better for Bunny. He digs and burrows into this
sand until he has a house with a great many
chambers. It is said that ke takes a vast deal of
care about the drainage of his house, and that the
entrance is the lowest point in it.

Mrs. Bunny digs out a separate house for her
babies, at the bottom end of which she makes a
sweet little nest or nursery of dried grass, and
like a good mother, as she is, she lines it with
fur pulled from her own body. Her little babies

are born naked and blind, and totally helpless, so

 

that it is the more necessary that Mrs. Bunny
should show great forethought about them. Poor
Mother Bunny, it is a comfort to think that she
doesn’t know what will become of her children.

By-the-by, the flesh of wild Rabbits is much
better than the flesh of tame Rabbits, and no
Rabbit meat ought to be eaten at all unless it’s
thoroughly cooked, for the stomach of a Rabbit
allows certain forms of animal life to pass into
the flesh of the rabbit.

Rabbits are chiefly nocturnal in their habits,
although it is not unusual for them to seek their
food by day. But at the going down of the sun
they commence to be lively, and at the opening
of each small burrow an active little fellow will
suddenly appear, and sitting upon his haunches,
will attentively examine the field before him.
Apparently satisfied that all is right, he starts
forward on his first race for the evening, and with
the short white tail erect over his back, bounds
over the grass in leaps so similar to those of the
stately Buck as to cause him to be frequently
called a small Deer.

Soon tired of his solitary excursion, as the
moon rises in the heavens and floods the land-
scape with her silver light, our lively friend joins
others of his companions, and their fun soon.
grows fast and furious. With many a lofty leap,
they bound over their fellow’s back and rapidly
chase each other around the fields. At times the

27
28 THE RABBIT.

 

males will stop suddenly in their race and im-
patiently strike the earth with their hind-legs
several times, and then bound away again more
swiftly than before.

Their active forms are pictured in many fan-
tastic shapes upon the surrounding banks and
rocks, while their shadows, as if caricaturing the
supple creatures, follow them every where and
And so

this dance of shadows is continued for hours, un-

imitate their motions upon the sward.

til their appetites, sharpened by the cool night |

and by their exertions, cause them to think upon
the evening meal, and in little groups they scat-
ter over the field and commence to crop the ten-
der grass. .

Even when thus occupied they cannot alto-
gether repress their inclination for a romp, and
ever and again some sprightly little fellow will
suddenly start forward, and after executing a few
exceedingly intricate and rapid evolutions, will
settle gravely down once more and continue his
repast. ,

Rabbits have many enemies, and are preyed
upon both by the birds of the air and by the
the field. Eagles and Owls seize
and carry them off to their nests by day and

beasts of

night.

Slowly sailing over the white fields, on noise-
less pinions, the great bird of the night is seeking
his evening’s meal. Many are the stoops and
curves he makes, as he investigates, in his pro-
gress, the different objects that catch his eye, to
learn if they are suitable for his purpose. Over
the frozen plants, each bearing on its few remain-
ing stems a load of the fleecy snow, he comes,
straightway steering toward the play-ground of
the little quadrupeds, who are all unconscious of
the vicinity of their foe, Like a swift cloud, his

shadow falls upon them, and the affrighted Rab-

 

bits dash toward their homes beneath the low
bank. But quick as is their speed, still more
rapid is their pursuer’s flight, and poor Bunny is
seized by the fur with the hooked claw.

One of the most dreaded foes is the Fox, which
is ever on the alert to seize them as they gambol
about in fancied security, His sharp nose easily
detects their whereabouts, and his ready cunning
and fertility of resource enable him to approach
and fall upon them unawares.

Even now one of these keen-scented animals is
apprised of the presence of such a little colony
as we have described, whose members are sport-
ing together in the early morning after a night of
The thickets that in-

tervene between him and his prey hide them

gamboling and feasting.

from his sight, but his nose tells him that there
can be no mistake, and so he crawls gradually
toward them.

How carefully he moves! Crouched low toward
the ground, the feet are lifted slowly in succes-
sion, and then are placed softly upon the grass
as if he was feeling his way, while his bright
eyes cast eager glances on every side, and the
pointed ears are thrown forward to catch the
slightest sound. Soon he sees before him, por-
trayed upon the side of a rock that glistens in the
bright light of early morning, the dancing shad-
ows of two of the graceful creatures that are
playing together just beyond him. All kinds of
movements ate depicted upon that novel mirror
by the lively animals, and the face of the stone
seems itself in motion as the shadowy forms pass
rapidly about its surface.

But Reynard is altogether too knowing to take
the shadow for the substance, and, disregarding
the show that is passing before him, he endeav-
ors to peer around the friendly bush that hides
the Rabbits from his view, and to ascertain their
 

THE SHADOW DANCE.
THE RABBIT. 31

 

true position. Soon he will see their nimble
figures as they draw closer to his vicinity, then
the spring will suddenly be made, and the shrill
scream of the victim will tell the story of the
Fox’s success ; and as the members of the fright-
ened colony disappear in their burrows, the
shadows too will flee away, and naught will re-
main save one dark form rapidly disappearing in
the distance, as the Fox bears away his lifeless
prey.

When the little creatures first came into Eng-
land is not known, It was probably more than six
hundred years ago, for at a feast in the year 1309

six hundred of them were bought and cooked for

 

the occasion. A few were taken to Australia a
few years ago, and let loose, and now they have
increased and multiplied to such a degree, that
men are actually employed to kill them.

Tame Rabbits are often kept in cages, called
Rabbit-hutches.

roam about the nursery, but children must be

They are sometimes allowed to

very careful how they handle them for they are
easily killed.

They are very pretty as pets, and are orna-
mental little creatures upon a lawn; yet their
owners soon tire of them as they are very des-
tructive to young and tender plants, and create

great havoc in the vegetable garden.
THE WILD BOAR.

HE Wild Boar is armed by Nature with
long white tusks on his under jaws. These
are kept sharp as razors by constant friction
against the upper ones. He also wears a coat of
mail in the form of a thick hide. .
This savage animal is a native of many countries;
‘and in many cases is possessed of the most hideous
physiognomy possible to conceive, its face being
covered with warts and excrescences, and its great
teeth springing outward and upward. The Wart
Hog of Africa, must bear away the palm for repul-
sive appearance. In some of. the Islands of the
Indian Archipelago is found a Pig called by the na-
tives the Babi-rusa, or Pig-deer, on account of the
singular and eccentric form of the tusks that
spring from the upper jaw. These are exceed-
ingly long and very sharp, and instead of grow-
ing outward, as is usual with these appendages
in this class of creatures, they shoot right up-
ward out of separate bony sockets, piercing
through the skin on either side of the nose, and
then curve backward over the eyes, reaching
a length in very old individuals of some ten
inches.
The use of.these extraordinary teeth is un-

known, as they would appear to be of no value

either for the purpose of offense or defense, and

must be at times much in the way of their own-
er’s movements.
The Babi-rusa does not dig and root up the
32

 

ground, as is the common habit with all its rela-
tives, but lives chiefly on the fallen fruits of the
dense forests it inhabits.

Although, as a rule, the color of the wild Pigs
is black on brown, there are instances when the
hue of the coat is not without beauty. Thus the
Red River Hog of Africa has long tufts to its
ears, which are pointed and slender, and the fur
is a rich reddish-brown, with the base of the hairs
grayish-white ; and this animal has a rather gay
appearance when seen among his more sombre-
looking brethren.

Boar-hunting was a very favorite amusement
in many parts of Europe, where these animals
are abundant. It used to bea favorite sport in
Germany. The Old Duke of Nassau cheerfully
The hunt

was carried on with all the paraphernalia incident

pursued a great herd of wild swine.

upon gay dresses and prancing steeds, baying
hounds, and blasts from the merrily winded horn ;
and many were the narrow escapes from the des-
perate charges of the infuriated creature, as, when
driven to a stand, with the hounds closing around
him, he strove to free himself from the ranks of
his pursuers.

It was a feat to go up to him and wait calmly
to receive him on the point of the short hunting-
spear. Were the aim badly taken, or the animal
able to thrust the point of the weapon on one

side, the glistening tusks would quickly deal a
THE WILD BOAR. 33

 

fatal wound as the object of his hatred was tram-
pled under the pointed hoofs.

It is a popular belief that Pigs are never in-
jured by the poison of snakes ; and it is custom-
ary to turn a drove of these animals into a dis-
trict infested by such reptiles, which in a short
It is

well known that Pigs will destroy any Rattle-

time is usually completely cleared of them.

snakes they meet with, and this serpent is cer-
tainly provided with one of the most deadly of
poisons, and it is a reptile not at all likely to sub-
mit to an attack from any quarter without using
all its powers of defense.

It is supposed that the Pig receives the bite of
the enraged snake on his cheek, where the fat
and gristle are thickest, and that, as there is lit-
tle or no blood in that part, the poison is not car-
ried through the system, so that the animal expe-
riences no ill effects from the virus. Whenever
a serpent is spied, the Pig, with erected bristles,
rushes right upon it, and, indifferent, to the for-
midable fangs that are perhaps sticking in its
own hide, bites the reptile in pieces, and then de-
vours it.

In the southern part of the American Conti-
nent a species of small Pig is found, generally
known as the Poocary.
ticulars from the members of the family Suzde,
and with some other allied species has been sep-
arated into another family.

These little animals generally go in troops, and
never hesitate a moment to attack any thing they
may meet, and so fierce and determined are their
charges that both man and beast are obliged to
flee before them, or else run the risk of being
gashed fearfully with their short, sharp tusks,
that cut Jike razors.
looking creatures for Pigs, the neck and shoul-

They are rather pretty-

ders being streaked with white.

It differs in several par-

 

‘In India the Wild Boar is a great trouble to

| the people because it destroys the farm crops

The

English residents have done much toward their

especially the plantations of sugar-cane.
extermination. English sportsmen are fond of
hunting them with the spear, mounted on horse-
back.

On the Continent of Europe the Wild Boar dis-
putes the mastery of the forests with the great
With

young porkers the Wolves have not much diffi-

Wolves that prowl amidst their recesses.

culty, and easily dispatch them, provided they
find them strayed away from the protection of
the grim father of the family, or their but little
less savage mother.

It is only in the depth of winter, when the
ground is buried in snow, and they are half mad-
dened by long fasts, that the Wolves, banding to-
gether, attempt to overcome the grizzly old patri-
arch that at other times they fear to approach.
Should they discover at such a season some soli-
tary old Boar roaming by himself, the howling
pack immediately follow on his track, bringing
others of their fellows to join them in the chase,
and, emboldened by numbers, hurry after their
wished-for prey.

Well does he know the whining cry, which
echoes and re-echoes through the gloomy woods ;
casting quick glances on every side from his
blood-shot eyes, he trots rapidly over the snow,
seeking some thicket where he can give battle to
his pursuers. He appreciates the danger that
menaces him, and is fully aware that, should they
overtake him in the open woods, their numbers
would be more than a match even for his great
strength; and when the shrill howls break clearer
on the frosty air, as the eager Wolves draw
nearer, he selects the matted base of some fallen
tree, where the roots, twisting about in fanciful
34

shapes, afford ample protection from any enemy
who may attack him from behind; and then,
backing himself against this natural fortress, he
awaits the onset of his foes.

His assailants do not tarry long. Encircling
his refuge, they try to avoid the dangerous teeth,
and to seize him from behind. All their efforts
to reach him are unavailing.

Angered at being so foiled, several rush on him
at once, hoping to distract his attention by num-
bers, but the massive head is quickly turned on
either side, and the nearest Wolf -is hurled help-
less on the ground, bleeding from several fearful
gashes, while the remainder recoil to a safer
distance to gnash their teeth with impotent rage,

The grim inhabitant of the jungle, in the mean-
while, his) small wicked-looking eyes glancing
fire, and the blood and froth falling from his open
mouth, with his short tail curled tightly over his
back, secure in his post of vantage, grunts aloud

his defiance,

 

THE WILD BOAR.

The cries of the discomfited Wolves’ bring
others to their aid, and over the moon-lit snow
the shadowy forms of many loping creatures are
Soon the
fight will become more desperate and furious.

seen advancing to help their brethren.

Urged on by long-experienced hunger, the Wolves
will forget the danger in their desire to secure
the prey, and, encouraged by numbers, will as-
sail the Boar on every side.

He will not be idle, but, impelled by the great
strength of his neck, the tusks will be used mer-
cilessly, and the prostrate bodies of his foes will
lie around and before him, crimsoning the snow
with their life-blood as it streams from many a
gaping wound, while the cries of the combatants
arouse the sleeping echoes of the wood. At
length, dismayed and discomfited by his valiant
defense, the few survivors among his assailants |
will gradually slink away, leaving him to emerge
from his secure position, a victor in this desper-
ate conflict at close quarters,
re
ery

 

AT CLOSE QUARTERS.
THE JAGUAR.

MONG the inhabitants of the tropical for-

ests the most formidable and dreaded is

the Jaguar, sometimes called the Tiger of South

America. Like many of the Cat family, of which

he is a member, he is possessed of a most beauti-

ful coat, the fur soft and of deep golden hue,

spotted with black rings. His padded feet ena-

ble him to steal upon and surprise his victim, and

so great is his strength, he can strike even an Ox
to the earth with one blow of his paw.

Stealthy, cunning, crafty, treacherous, he is
the terror of all that live in his vicinity ; and
when urged on by hunger, is not restrained by
the fear of man himself, but will seek him also,
and by a sudden spring seize upon and carry him
bodily off to the recesses of some tangled thicket,
where pursuit would be of no avail, and there en-
joy without fear of interruption his horrid repast
at his leisure.

He is extremely daring. The following story
is told of him:

“A Jaguar had struck down a Horse, The
traveler to whom he belonged gave orders that
the carcass should be drawn within musket-shot

of a tree, wherein he intended to pass the night,

 

in expectation that the Jaguar would return for
his prey. While the traveler was gone to pre-
pare himself, the Jaguar returned from the oppo-
site side of a broad and deep river, seized the
body of the Horse in his mouth, dragged it to the
water some sixty paces, swam across with it, and
drew it into a neighboring jungle, All this was
seen by a person whom the traveler had placed
in hiding, to watch till his return.”

They will openly seize Cattle, Horses, and
Sheep from the inclosures, and the havoc made
by them is great, as will be easily imagined, when
we learn from Humboldt that their numbers are
such that 4,000 were killed each year in the
Spanish colonies, and 2,000 were exported from
Buenos Ayres alone.

Nor are the reptiles free from its attacks. The
empty shells of Turtles were pointed out to Hum-
boldt as having been emptied of their contents
by the Jaguar, which, it seems, watches them as
they come to the sandy beaches to lay their eggs,
rushes on them, and turns them on their backs.
He then gets his paw between the shells, and
scoops out the contents as clean as if a surgeon’s

knife had been employed. As the beast turns
37
38 THE JAGUAR.

 

many more than he can devour at one meal, the
Indians often profit by his dexterious cunning.
He will, it is stated, pursue this persecuted race
into the water, where it is not very deep, and will
dig up and devour the eggs.

Humboldt also tells a little story which would
seem to suggest that like the Cat and the Dog,
and many other animals, indeed, this ferocious
Jaguar feels a certain gentleness toward little
children :

“Two Indian children, a girl and a boy, the
one about seven, and the other about nine years
old, were at play on the outskirts of a village,
about two o’clock in the afternoon, when a large
Jaguar came out of the woods bounding towards
them playfully, his head down and his back
arched, like a Cat. He approached the boy, who
was not sensible of his danger, and began to play
with him, till at last the Jaguar struck him so
hard on his head with his paw as to draw blood,
whereupon the little girl struck him smartly with
a small switch, and he was bounding back not at
all irritated, when the Indians, alarmed by the
cries of the girl, came up.”

The Jaguar is nocturnal in his habits, and, like
all dwellers of the tropics, whether man or beast,
is accustomed to pass the sultry hours of the day
asleep.

He likes to lie at the foot of a tree, and sharpen
his claws by scratching it,as you have seen Pussy
do on the legs of a chair when lying on the rug.
He loves the great woods by the side of large
rivers, which he swims across as easily as he can
climb a tree, and where he often basks upon the
bank, and pleases himself with catching Fish, of
which he is very fond.

When weary of that, he stretches himself on
some low limb overhanging some cool placid
river, and slumbers away the greater portion of

 

the day. Like all Cats, he is a great climber,
his sharp claws enabling him to ascend trees with
great facility.

Many an unfortunate Monkey, who may be
sitting in fancied security upon his beloved
perch, chattering and grimacing at the world be-
low, is suddenly seized by his crafty foe and
borne away in triumph.

He is said to make his attacks by springing
on the neck of his prey; then placing one of his
paws on the back of his head, while he turns
round the muzzle with the other, he dislocates
the neck and deprives it of life.

The

Spaniards and Indians hurt him in various ways.

He, in his turn, falls a victim to man.

Sometimes he is driven by Dogs “to tree,” in
which case he is dispatched with the musket or
lance; sometimes the pack force him among tie
bushes, and then is exhibited, sometimes, a dar-
ing feat.

A single Indian, with his left arm enveloped
in a sheep-skin, and with a five feet lance in his
right, goes boldly up to him. The hunter parries
the onset of the furious beast with the shielded
arm, and at the same time deals him such a
thrust with his lance as seldom requires being
repeated. The lasso is also used with the best
effect upon the plains.

Fortunately the solitary animal is only to
be met with; it is not generally in the habit of
going in troops, but as soon as it is old enough
to kill its own prey, it leaves the company of its
kind and leads a'solitary existence,

Were it accustomed to hunt in numbers, as do
Wolves, it would soon extinguish every living
quadruped within the country it inhabits; for
its powers of scent, stealthy approach, crafty dis-
position, fertility in resources of overreaching its

prey, and the capability of ascending trees as
 

THE SIESTA.
THE JAGUAR. , 4l

 

nimbly as it runs upon the ground, place almost
every living creature within its grasp.

Dreadful indeed would be its attacks were its
powers increased many times, as would be the
case did numbers of such formidable animals con-
sort and seek their prey together.

But nature is ever true to herself, and when-
ever any creature is endowed with special pow-

ers of destruction, it is held in check, as it were,

 

by the bestowal of desire for a solitary exis-
tence.

Beautiful and gentle indeed does this savage
animal appear, as depicted in the accompanying
illustration, and we can almost hear its low-
breathed purr of satisfaction as it enjoys the
cooling influence of the placid stream beneath its
retreat, and slumbers away the sultry hours in its

accustomed noonday siesta.
THE BISON, OR BUFFALO.

; HEN he has quitted Fort Leavenworth,

on the extreme frontier of the State of
Illinois, at the confluence of the Missouri, and
ascended northward the River Arkansas, the
traveler soon enters upon those great verdurous
savannahs, those Saharas full of freshness, those
undulating prairies, of which no description can
give a very complete or satisfactory idea.

In these regions, so verdurous and fresh for
three parts of the year, the Bisons wander in nu-
merous troops. 7

Although possessed of great strength, the Bi-
son trusts more to its speed and to power of
numbers to escape from its pursuers than to any
means of defense which nature has given it. Un-
graceful in form, its huge head hanging low
toward the ground as if it were too heavy for the
body, and was even an impediment to its pro-
gress, the animal, nevertheless, speeds away in a
kind of lumbering gallop at so rapid a rate that a
good Horse is required to enable the hunter to
overtake it. As they dash along in serried
masses the old Bulls are always in front and on
the sides, while the Cows and Calves are huddled
together in the centre. Their small fiery eyes
flash from the midst of the tangled hair that falls
over the forehead, and the herd goes thundering
on, enveloped in a cloud of dust, and woe to
man or beast that falls in their way.

No other animated creature is.so tenacious of

42

 

life as the Bison; unless he be hit through the
lungs, or his spinal bone should be broken, he
almost invariable escapes the hunter’s pursuit.
Very often, even when mortally wounded in the
heart, the animal possesses sufficient vital force
to continue his flight for a considerable distance;
and he always makes this supreme effort if he
sees the hunter following up his track.

If, on the contrary, the hunter halts, and con-
ceals himself from the sight of the game, the lat-
ter ceases to run, and soon falls down never to
rise again. Horrible, indeed, are the last convul-
sions of a dying Bison; the noble beast appears
to understand that he ought not to touch the
ground, for that if he does all hope is lost.

Wounded in the lungs or heart, spouting blood
through mouth and nostrils, his eyes already dim
with the shadows of agony, he still sets wide his
legs the better to support his tottering bulk;
even to his last breath he resists the inevitable

death, and defies it courageously, making the air

resound with terrible roars,

The first time that a novice, however skilled he
may be as a hunter, attempts to kill a Bison, des-
pite his success in bringing down a Kid or a Goat,
he invariably misses his aim.

Seeing before him an enormous mass, five feet
in length from the summit of the hump to the
root of the tail, he thinks he ought to plant a

bullet right through the centre of the giant’s

 

eh
THE BISON, OR BUFFALO.

43

 

body to reach the vital parts. But this is a com-
plete mistake ; to slay a Bison, he must hit be-
tween the two omoplates, near the dorsal verte-
bree: The shot is then sure to be fatal.

It is much to be desired that the American
Government would find some means of prevent-
ing the disappearance of these noble quadrupeds,
which are so great an ornament of the rolling
praries, and so valuable a source of supply to the
caravans that venture into their depths ex route
for Santa Fé or California.

My readers will form some idea of the num-
bers killed, when I inform them that every year,
in Canada and the United States, upwards of
nine hundred thousand hides are sold; yet these
hides are all female, the hide of the male being
too thick, and not easily tanned.

The Indians, whose revenue wholly consists of
the proceeds obtained from the sale of these
hides, preserve, moreover, a certain quantity for
their own use, which they employ in their tents,
beds, canoes, and domestic utensils. I ought to
add, in concluding the statistics of this systematic
destruction, that the caravans which cross the
prairies seem to find a pleasure in strewing their
route with the carcasses of Bisons.

Finally, it is the mission of eagles of all sizes,
of the bustards and the vultures, to whiten the
skeletons of the bovine race, which in certain
passes westward of the Rocky Mountains are so
numerous, that the region has been appropriately
called the “ cemetery of the Buffaloes.”

In general the Bison has no reason to fear any
of the other animals that frequent the regions it
inhabits, for if an individual should be attacked,
the Bulls rally to its assistance, and compel the
assailant to flee before the blows which they in-
flict with their armed heads. It is only when

wounded by the Indian’s arrow, or by the bullet

 

of the white man’s rifle, or else from becoming
sick from any cause, that this great beast falls a
victim to its four-footed enemies,

The cunning White Wolf is the one it has the
most to dread; for these stealthy, thick-coated
Arabs of the Prairies soon ascertain when a Bison
is in feeble condition, and, banding together,
they pull it to the ground and tear it to pieces.

But the Bison does not succumb to its foes
without an effort to preserve its fast-ebbing life.
Bold and gallant to the last, staggering to his
sole remaining spot of vantage-ground, the feeble
knees bending beneath the weight of the mighty
body — weak with loss of blood, yet still uncon-
quered — the noble Bull tosses his fierce-looking
head and bids defiance to his lurking foes.

With eager, blood-shot eyes, and the keen
white fangs glistening in their powerful jaws, the
Wolves set on him from every side. By sudden
springs they seize and tear his flesh with their
sharp teeth, darting away too quickly to be in-
jured by horn or hoof.

Vain are his efforts to reach the nimble as-
sailants, until, summoning all his remaining
strength, he rushes upon one, that, more daring
than the rest, attacks him in front, and even in
the act of trampling him down, falls upon the
body of his prostrate foe, too feeble to carry on
the unequal combat. Never will he rise again,
for instantly the hungry Wolves fairly swarm
upon him, and soon nothing will be left to tell
of the once mighty Bison but a well-picked skel-
eton whitening in the summer sun.

But one other animal may, perhaps, be able to
dispute the mastery of his native fields with the
full-grown, powerful Bison-bull, and that one
is the terrible Grizzly Bear. Nearly if not
quite his equal in weight, armed with fearful

claws and strong teeth, this dreaded inhabitant
44

of the far West is an adversary that neither man
nor beast would wish to provoke.

Fortunately he rarely attacks first; but, if per-
mitted, will rather betake himself off than in-
dulge in any conflict. This, however, is not al-

ways the case, for if disturbed when feeding, or

if the means of escape are cut off, or, more seri-

ous still, if it should be a female with cubs that
is met with, then, indeed, any hunter or beast
that intrudes must look well to himself, for the
onslaught is both sudden and desperate.

Terrible would be the duel if, when aroused to
anger, these two great beasts, the Bear and the
Bison should meet and engage in conflict. Dif-
ficult indeed would it be to foretell which would

come off victorious. Their mode of life does not

 

THE BISON, OR BUFFALO.

often cause them to interfere with each other,

the Bear preferring the seclusion of the thick jun-
gle, while the Bison, as I have said, is a dweller
on the open plains,

It is possible, however, that they have fierce
disputes at times, and the moment has been se-
lected for illustration when a sharp-clawed Griz-
zly is overthrown by a blow delivered by the
armed head of his ferocious-looking adversary.
It is impossible to surmise the result of this con-
flict, for we may rest assured that one blow will
not put the Bear hors de combat. When he next
returns to the charge the position of the combat-
ants may be reversed, and terrible will be the
struggle for the mastery between such great and
powerful rival monarchs,
 

RIVAL MONARCHS.
THE APE.

N the deep recesses of the thickets of Africa,
where the rays of a tropical sun rarely pene-
trate, amidst the deadly miasma that is so fatal
to the European, the huge Gorilla with his family
is accustomed to take up his abode.

Largest of all known Apes, his appearance is
repulsive in the extreme. The enormous head,
joined to the huge body by a thick, short neck,
the immensely lengthened arms, and the feeble,
crooked legs, together with a countenance which
resembles much that of the Hippopotamus except
that it is not so flabby, and in which the lowest
animal passions are forcibly portrayed, unite in
forming a creature of the most ow¢ré and forbid-
ding appearance.

But little is known of the habits of this animal
as yet. In fact the Gorilla was long thought to
be a mere traveler’s tale, but now many of them
It used to be

said of them that they always walked on their

have been seen, and some caught.

hind fect, and had never been taken alive; that
they liked to carry the branch of a tree as a sort
of walking-stick ; that they liked to watch the
actions of men, and imitated them as much as
possible,

Mrs. Bowdich says of them :

“Like the ivory hunters, they pick up the fallen
tusks of Elephants, but not knowing where to de-
posit them, they carry their burdens about until
they themselves drop, and even die, from fatigue;

 

that they build huts nearly in the shape of those
of men, but live on the outside; and that when
one of their children dies, the mother carries it
in her arms until it falls to pieces ; that one blow
of their paw will kill a man, and that nothing
can exceed their ferocity.”

More than two thousand years ago, there is
reason to believe that Gorillas and other like
strange beasts that walked upright, and were
something like men, women, and children, were
seen by the sailors and passengers in a number
of Carthaginian ships, that sailed to the western
coast of Africa.

Although stories are told of its ferocity and
untamable disposition, and it is said the natives
are afraid to enter the woods where they are nu-
merous, yet we cannot but believe that the Go-
rilla will prove as harmless in character as the
other large Apes are known to be. It never eats
flesh, but feeds upon roots and different vegeta-
bles which it finds growing wild in its native
woods ; and whenever molested, tries to escape
from its. pursuers, only standing on the defen-
sive when wounded, or when retreat has been
made impossible. If angered, or in the act of
protecting its young, its great strength would
doubtless render it a formidable adversary. Yet
the Gorilla would seem to be possesse of a deli-
cate constitution since the young Gorillas when
taken alive, seldom have been reared.

47
48 THE

In stature, the Gorilla is considerably larger
than its relative the Chimpanzee, and, so far as
can be judged from such slight knowledge as we
have, it does not possess nearly as much intelli-
The

Chimpanzee is very sociable, and most affection-

gence as the latter bas frequently shown.

ate in disposition, having a strong attachment
for its keeper, and exhibiting every sign of un-
easiness when separated from him.

It is also exceeditigly playful, and tries every
variety of tricks with any other of its kind that
may be confined in the same inclosure. Of course
there is sometimes a great difference between in-
dividuals ; some being cross and surly, and show-
ing adisinclination to be handled much, although,
so far as I have seen them, this character appears
to be exceptional.

The Chimpanzees are also the cleverest of all the
They
build huts to protect them from the sun and

Apes. They live in society in the forest.
heavy rain; for this purpose they use the bark,
the large leaves, and the branches of trees.
They carry big clubs in their hands. They join
in parties, and so keep off the attacks of wild
beasts. The Elephant is no match for them,
though he is so big.

The following story, which I read some few
years since, shows some difference between the
habits of the two animals :

“ The Chimpanzee, though in a declining state
of health, and rendered peevish and irritable by
bodily suffering, exhibited much superior marks of
intelligence to his companions; he was active,
quick, and observant of everything that passed
around him; no visitor entered the apartment in
which he was kept, and no old one left it, with-
out attracting his attention.

“We took advantage of an opportunity, whilst

his head was turned to observe a person coming

APE,

in, to secrete his plate; for a few seconds he
looked round to see what had become of it, but
not finding it, began to pout and fret exactly like
a spoiled child; and perceiving a young lady who
happened to be standing near him, laughing, or,
perhaps, suspecting her to be the delinquent, he
flew at her in the greatest rage, and would have
probably bitten her had she not got beyond his
reach. Upon having his plate restored, he took
care to prevent the repetition of the joke by hold-
ing it firmly with one hand, while he fed himself
with the other.”

The large Apes do not generally go in troops;
a few individuels only being found together. The
old males are more savage than the females, and
resist all attempts to capture them, by biting se-
verely, and also by dealing heavy blows with
their powerful arms. They move rapidly, though
awkwardly, over the ground, going on all fours,
and walking on the knuckles of their front hands,
the hind ones being open and placed flat down
like a foot. The females carry their young upon
their backs, or else clinging to their breasts, their
long fur enabling the little ones to hold on with
a most tenacious grip, so as to make it almost
impossible to tear them away even after the dam
has been killed.

But it is upon the trees that the Apes appear
to the greatest advantage, their long, powerful
arms enabling them to reach considerable dis-
tances, and they swing themselves from branch
to branch with such easy strength and rapidity
that it is impossible for a man to keep up with
them in the forest. They pass the night in the
trees ; and several species are in the habit, after
selecting a fork in the highest part near the
trunk, of breaking off good-sized branches, and

by laying them across each other in every direc-

 

tion, constructing a rude kind of nest, in which
 

WHO COMES HERE?
. THE

-

APE, SI

 

they remain until dawn. Usually they fashion
one of these every evening, not returning to any
particular spot after roaming about all day, but
pass the night wherever they happen to be. The
large Apes are often met with in those districts
where the forests are of great extent ; for, being
accustomed to pass over the trees’ where their
tops interlace, by swinging themselves from
branch to-branch by means of their long arms,
they could not exist in open countries or where
the trees stood widely apart.

When passing along some large branch, these
animals walk in a semi-erect attitude, steadying
themselves at times by placing the knuckles of
the hand of one of the long arms upon the bark.
When the branches of an adjoining tree are
reached, they are seized with both hands, but be-
fore the animal is willing to trust himself to them
he pulls with all his: strength, and, satisfied that
they will bear his weight, swings himself in an
easy curve into the next tree, and in this way
soon traverses a large extent of the forest.

Apes do not have many enemies besides man,
particularly those species of such large size as
the Gorilla and its allies. In Borneo, where one
of the largest species dwells, the Orang-outang,
Wallace states that the natives declare it is never

attacked by any animal in the forest, with per-

 

haps two rare exceptions, these being the Croco-
dile and the Python, The way in which he
meets the former is explained as follows :

When the fruits fail in the forest, he goes to
the river-side to seek for young shoots of which
he is fond, or for such fruits as grow near the wa-
ter. There the Crocodile attempts to seize him,
but according to native testimony the Orang-
outang gets upon the reptile, beats it with’ its
hands, tears it, and pulling open its jaws, rips up
its throat and soon kills it.

Sbould a Python or Boa-constrictor attack it,
the Mias, as it is called in Borneo, seizes the ser-
pent in his hands, bites it, and kills it without
any difficulty. Such are the powerful though
usually peaceable animals to whose family the
He is
the largest Ape yet discovered, and of all the

one depicted in the illustration belongs.

known species the Gorilla is about the only one
that has never been brought alive to Europe in
an adult state.

The difficulty of keeping these creatures alive
when captured has been the chief reason why
they have not in common with other Apes been
inmates of our menageries; for once deprived of
the fruits to which they are accustomed in their
native wilds, or exposed to the colder climates of
northern lands, they soon droop and die.
THE WOLF.

MONG the most rapacious and most dan-
gerous animals of North America, the Wolf
(commonly called the Cayeute in some of the
Southern States) is one with which the hunters
consider an encounter to be as formidable as with
a Panther or a Grisly Bear. Wolves, far more nu-
merous in North America than in Europe, are
perhaps more horrible to the sight than they are
in the old continent. Everywhere along the tracks
of the dreary wilderness, as well as in inhabited
localities, in the environs of farms and villages,
in the prairies or in the woods, the Wolf — the
ghoul of the animal race—bursts.upon the
traveler with foaming jaws and glaring eyes, and
with a deep harsh growl, which betrays the min-
gled feelings of cowardice and audacity.

It is very difficult to ensnare the Cayeutes, but
they are frequently hunted with Dogs and Horses.
Their skin is of a dull reddish color, mixed with
white and gray hairs. Such is their ordinary
color; but, as in other animals, the varieties are
Their bushy tail, black at the tip, is

nearly as long as one-third of their whole body.

numerous.

They closely resemble the Dogs which one sees
in the Indian wigwams, and which are certainly

 

descended from the same species. We meet
with them in the regions between the Mississippi
and the Pacific, and to the south of Mexico.
They hunt in troops, like Jackals, and pursue
Goats and Bisons, and such other animals as
they think they can master.
to attack a herd of Bisons, but follow them in

They do not dare

numerous bands until some straggler falls off
from the main body —a young Calf, for example,
or an old male—then they pounce upon him,
and rend him in pieces. They accompany cara-
vans of travelers or parties of hunters, take pos-
session of the camps which they abandon, and
devour the fragments of the morning or evening
meal. Sometimes they steal into the encamp-
ment during the night, and seize the rations put
aside by the emigrants for the morrows’s break-
fast. These thefts sometimes exasperate their
victims, and, growing less greedy of powder and
shot, they pursue them with resolute anger until
several of the depredators have bit the dust.
This species of Wolf is the most numerous of
all the American carnivora, and hence the Ca-
yeutes are not infrequently decimated by famine.
Then, but only then, they feed upon fruits, roots,

52
THE WOLF

53

 

and vegetables, or upon anything else which can
satisfy their raging hunger.

The Cayeute ignores every sentiment of sym-
pathy, and for this reason inspires none.

During the first epoch of the colonization of
Kentucky, the Cayeutes were so numerous in the
prairie south of that State that the settlers durst
not quit their dwellings unless armed to the
teeth. The children and women were kept
strictly shut up within the house. The Cayeutes
which infested the country belonged to the race
with a dark’ gray skin; a species very abundant
in the districts of the north, in the centre of the
dense forests and unexplored mountains of the
Green River.

The village of Henderson, situated on the left
bank of the Ohio, near its point of confluence
with the Green River, was the cantonment most
frequented by these four-footed plunderers.

The Pigs, Calves, and Sheep of the planters
In the heart of

winter, when the snow lay thick upon the ground,

paid a heavy tribute to them.

and the Cattle were confined to their stalls, the
famished Cayeutes would even attack men; and
more than one belated farmer, as he returned to
his home in the evening, was surrounded by a
furious pack, from whom he escaped with diffi-
culty.

When Europe was covered with thick forests,
as it was once — yes, and Britain too — then the
Wolf lived in those forests in great numbers ; but
whenever man cuts down the forests, builds
cities, and cultivates vineyards and corn-fields,
then he begins a terrible war upon the Wolf, and
nothing will satisfy him but to get it entirely
destroyed. Many hundred years ago, there was
a Saxon king of England named Edgar, who

made the Welsh king, who paid him tribute, bring

 

him three hundred Wolves’ heads instead of gold
and silver; and when a criminal had done some
very bad thing worthy of death, instead of hang-
ing him or taking off his head, he was made to
bring in a certain number of Wolves’ tongues, to
show that he had killed the like number of these
animals. And so it was that England was quite
cleared of Wolves before any other country of
Europe. In Scotland, however, they remained
some time longer; and the very. last Wolf was
only killed in the far Highlands less than two
hundred years ago, by a Highland chief, called
Sir Evan Cameron.

Famished Wolves have different modes of at-
tacking different creatures, according to their
various habits; and rather than call this cunning
and treachery, we may see in it the rudiments of
that sagacity which makes the Dog so valuable.
If a troop of wild Horses is to be attacked, then
there is a drawn battle. The Horses place their
females and young ones, who tremble excessively,
in the middle, to keep them as safe as possible,
while the males form a ring as deep as they can
around them on the outside. The Wolves come
on, led by the wisest and strongest, and then the
fight becomes terrible. The Horses use their
hoofs to kick with; but as the Wolves are in
great numbers, and make their attack with the
utmost daring, troop after troop, it nearly always
ends in their having the victory. Many of the
Horses fall victims, and the rest save themselves
by flight as they best can. Again, if they have
Deer to attack, which can run faster than them-
selves they try if possible to get them driven
to the brink of a precipice, if there be such in
the neighborhood, and for this purpose they
form themselves into a crescent — that is, a line

curved in the shape of a half-moon. They ap-
54

os

THE WOLF.

 

proach very quietly towards the herd, who are
grazing without suspecting any danger, and make
not the least noise for fear of alarming them,
until they have completely enclosed them on all
sides, except that towards the precipice; and
when this is fairly done, they begin to run, set-
ting up a furious yell, which at once startles the
Deer, and makes them fly in the only direction
which is open to them, and where, unknown to
themselves, poor things, they must meet with
For those of the Deer that
are behind, in their terror and anxiety to get

certain destruction.

away, push on those that are foremost, until they
fall over the precipice, and many are dashed to
pieces. The wolves then go round to the bottom
by another way, and devour the fallen carcasses
at their leisure.

The engraving represents a desperate chase of
He

thinks. he has found a refuge for as he reaches

a noble Deer by a pack of famished Wolves.

the ridge of a line of low-lying hills, the river
bursts upon his view, and, as if his strength was
renewed by the sight, he increases his speed
toward its friendly banks. But his eager pur-
suers have seen it also, and, perceiving his inten-
tion, redouble their efforts to overtake him
before he can plunge into the stream. And now
the bank is gained, when, alas! instead of the
wished-for water, a wide expanse of glistening
ice stretches away far toward the centre of the
river, leaving comparatively but a narrow chan-

ne] through which the crowded waters are seen

 

to flow. Fora moment the gallant animal hesi-

tates, but his enemies, thirsting for his blood, |

are near him now; another moment and it will
be too late; so with the energy of despair he
springs from the bank, just escaping a vicious
snap from the jaws of the nearest Wolf, and
alights upon the smooth ice, which, breaking
beneath his weight, drops him struggling into
the deep water. Some of the more eager Wolves
follow him in his. leap, and are submurged with
him, One receives a blow from the sharp hoof,
which lays him helpless upon his back, to be
swept away beneath the river’s icy shroud; an-
other turns tail and makes for the bank, the
chilly bath having cooled his ardor; while the
pack squat upon the shore, howling their disap-
pointment as they watch the Deer's frantic efforts
By des-
perate plunges he breaks the ice in front of him

to free himself from his new danger.

with his fore-feet, and pushes it away toward the
clear water. Gradually the distance from his
enemies and the shore increases, and now but a
sitigle cake intervenes between him and safety.
Half rising, he places his fore-feet upon it, and
pushing it aside, opens a channel, through which
he floats into the open stream. Well and bravely
done! At his ease he swims with the current,
while the Wolves, with many a vengeful whine,
watch him and follow him along the opposite
shore, some even venturing on ice that bears
their weight; until at last, perceiving a curve of
thé bank where the ice is narrow, he pushes
through, and, dripping with water, slowly mounts
the friendly shore, and seeks some concealed

place where he may regain his strength in peace.
 

A RACE FOR LIFE.
THE

HE Lion, like the Tiger, belongs to the great
T race of Cats. He is sometimes called the
king of beasts, but it is doubtful if he is as brave
asthe Tiger. Still he is more completely armed
and fitted for carnage than any other we know of.
His tongue, as is the case with other feline ani-
mals, is furnished with a set of reversed prickles,
something like a Cat’s claws in shape, and so large
and so strong that they are capable of lacerating
the skin—that is, of tearing it and making it
bleed — if he does but lick it. His teeth are of
such strength that he breaks the bones of his
prey as easily as I might break the bones of a
Chicken, and he often swallows them together
with the flesh.

sufficient, it is said, to break the back of a Horse;

A single stroke of his paw is

and each paw has a sort of soft cushion or elas-
tic pad placed under each toe, which enables him
to tread so gently that his approach will not be
heard by the most watchful ear. Then, too, think
of his claws! Their strength is prodigious, and
they are curved like an Eagle’s bill, so that,
when once they have seized upon a victim, their
hold is not to be shaken off. 2

The muscles which raise his jaw are of enor-
mous size; and his entire frame is admirably

LION.

' adapted to blend both strength and agility. He
will carry off an Antelope or a Buffalo as easily
as pussy carries off a Rat; while he will spring
with a tremendous bound, which hardly a Deer or
a Goat will surpass for swiftness. :

His appetite, when made furious by hunger,
must be more terrible than we have any power
to conceive of; and his cunning and watchful-
ness as a Cat make him all the more perfect as a
savage watrior.

At the present day Lions are only found in
Africa and Asia.
to be in the south-east of Europe too.

Formerly, it is said, they used
Nor are
they any longer to be seen in the Holy Land,
though they are offen alluded to in the Bible.
The African Lion is different from the Asiatic,
and the African Lions themselves seem to con-
sist of four or five kinds. It was formerly be-
lieved that they had prickles in their tails, which
rendered them wilder when they lashed their sides
with them. They are not often found in for-
ests; they seem to like best the shelter of the
low common that creeps along the sides of
streams. The powerful brute sometimes carries

off men.

 

A Cape Lion has been known to seize a Heifer

57
58 THE LION.

 

in his mouth, and though the legs dragged upon
the ground, he carried her off as easily as a Cat
does a Rat. Another conveyed a Horse about a
mile from the spot where he had killed it. An-
other that had carried off a two-year old Heifer,
was followed on the spoor or track, for five hours,
by horsemen, when it was found that throughout
the long distance the Heifer had touched the
ground only once or twice.

To avoid these blood-thirsty beasts, whole vil-
lages are sometimes built in the upper branches
of trees, The African Lion generally lives upon
Cows, Calves, Antelopes, and such like animals.

The Arabs in the north of Africa, and the Hot-
tentots in the south, live in equal dread of the
Lion. The Arabs, you know, dwell in tents ; and
when a number of these tents are put up near
each other, soas to make a little village, they call
it a douar. Well, every night a Lion will come
and attack one of these douars,; not always the
same, but sometimes one and sometimes another.
He makes his home in one of the neighboring
mountains, perhaps twenty or thirty miles away.
A nice well-kept home it is, under the thickest
cover he can find; and there he clears out several
pieces of ground for rooms or chambers, and will
not allow so much as a stone or a bit of stick to
litter the ground.

Here he lies snug all day, and sleeps with his
wife and little ones ; but as sunset comes, he sall-
ies forth to find food for himself and his family,
Thirty or forty miles are only a nice walk for
him. Down he marchesfrom his mountain home,
sometimes uttering a roar which is heard at an
immense distance; and then all the animals be-
gin to fly, generally in the direction of the Arab
tents, wanting to find protection from man.

This is not wise, however; for the Lion, know-

 

ing very well where he is likely to find the most
plentiful meal, makes directly for one of the
tent-villages. What confusion there is then!
All the animals, — Horses, Oxen, Camels — come
rushing into the tents without ceremony, tramp-
ling upon. women and children, while the dogs
bark, the women scream, and the men light fires
all around, and toss about flaming torches, to try
and scare the Lion away. He minds them very
little.
noise, and he walks straight on to the place where

The thunder of his voice drowns all their

he intends to make his choice, and will there
slaughter three or four Bulls or Oxen at once.
Sometimes he will drive one or two home before
him all the way to his den, where his Cubs are
no doubt expecting such welcome visitors.

The Arabs very seldom fire on the Lion, be-
cause they have an idea that it is when made
angry that he is most likely to attack men ; sothey
just let themselves be plundered and ruined at
his majesty’s good pleasure. Some of them have
had the whole flocks and herds, in which their
wealth consists, carried off, till a man who was
once accounted rich finds himself a beggar.

Some very dreadful stories are told about this
most terrible of animals when he is enraged: by
An Arab once

watched for him inside the hedge which enclosed

any attempt to resist him.

his tent-village, and fired just at the moment
Although the
Lion’s shoulder was broken by the shot, this did

when he was bounding across.

not prevent him from tearing the man to pieces
He then killed all who were
in the tent except one woman, who managed to

in a single moment.
get out with her child in her arms, and reach
the
the
she was drawing it up, and killed both herself and

top of a neighboring tent in safety, when
Lion got hold of her by the leg, just as
 

THE KING OF BEASTS.
THE

LION. 61

 

her child. At the same time the weight of his
body broke down the tent below, and not content
with what he had already done, such was his rage,
that he tore to pieces through the canvas every
moving creature that gave sign of life.

The person who told us this story, and who
knows the Lion better, and has seen him face to
face oftener than any other man, is a French sol-
dier, called Julius Gerard, who has been sur-
named the Lion-killer; for when he was in the
north of Africa with the French army, which has
conquered a great part of that country, he made
it the business of his life to endeavor to free the
Arabs from this dreaded night-visitor. Formerly
it had been the custom to dig a deep pit by the
way-side, cover it with branches and brushwood,
and to lie concealed there, in order to get a shot
at the Lion as he passed: or else his footsteps
were tracked to his sleeping-place, during the
day, and he was surrounded and baited with dogs
till he was aroused from his slumbers. This was
by far the least dangerous way, because he dis-
likes exceedingly the glare of sunshine, probably
not seeing very clearly in it; and, besides, he
feels drowsy after his heavy meal and his long
walk, and wants very much to be let alone to
rest himself. :

Gerard, however, being a very brave man, went
out all alone in the moonlight or starlight nights,
tracked the Lion’s footsteps, and waited for him
night after night as patiently as the Lion him-
self watches for his prey. Then when he heard
the heavy footstep and the muttering roar which
bespoke his enemy at hand, he placed himself di-
rectly in his path, let him come as near as twenty,

 

or even twelve paces, looking steadfastly into
his glaring, fiery eyes, and then, just as he was
going to spring, shot him, if possible, directly
through the forehead. It needed very great

courage for any man to do this; because, if his
first and second shot missed the Lion’s brain
or his heart, there would be no time to fire again,
and without any doubt his assailant would be
torn to pieces. Gerard killed in this manner
more than twenty Lions.

The Lion rules over the various quadrupeds
that dwell in the same districts with himself,
meeting with but few that do not acknowledge
his authority. There are some, however, that do
not fear him, such as the colossal Elephant, the
mighty Rhinoceros, or the powerful Buffalo, and
these he seldom molests. Still, occasional in-
stances have been known of attacks by Lions on
the first-named of these great animals.

One day a traveler, while hunting Antelopes,
drew near a place where about a dozen Elephants
were quietly feeding, and saw a Lion and Lion-
ess rush upon one which was straying a little
apart from the rest. The Lion climbed up on
the Elephant’s hind-quarters, while the Lioness
attempted to seize the great animal by the throat.
As soon as the Elephant felt the claws of his as-
sailants tearing great gashes in his hide, he ut-
tered a loud cry and rushed toward a river which
was a short distance away, lashing his sides and
back furiously meanwhile with his trunk. So vi-
olent were his efforts, and so severe the blows he
dealt the Lions, that they were obliged to give
up the attempt upon his life, and to retreat from

him before he reached the water.
THE DEER.

HERE is nothing more beautiful in nature
T than the sight of a herd of Deer cropping
the sweet and fragrant greensward, or cantering
along some wavy upland of a gentleman’s park.
It is still one of the finest sights in England.
At Windsor, any day, you may see the graceful
creatures crouching or stealing through the for-
est-like glades of the Queen’s domains. The
Fallow-deer is the variety most common in Great
Britian.

There is always one Master Deer in the herd
He

keeps away from the rest, followed at a little dis-

that reigns like a king over his subjects.

tance by two or three favorite Does. In fact,

a,
the more we observe the habits of animals, the

more we shall perceive that they are under a sort
of government, and the unruly and disobedient
are punished with blows of various kinds.
Another variety of Deer is the Roebuck. It
is not like the Fallow-deer, fond of plains, but it
likes best the tops of hills. If caught when very
young, he is easily tamed, but at all times is a
dangerous pet. Some few years ago, a gentle-
man saw one at Brighton fastened with a heavy
chain. He asked the reason why the poor ani-

mal was thus fastened up — he looked so soft and

 

gentle, that it seemed cruel to load him with fet-
ters. But it came out in conversation that he
had killed a boy only a few days before by but-
ting him fifty or sixty times with his sharp-
pointed horns. So, my children, if ever you see
any of these elegant creatures, mind that you do
not carelessly go near them, or arouse their
anger by irritating them,

Now for the Reindeer.

between the Reindeer’s horns, and those of the

Observe the difference
Roebuck and Fallow-deer. Observe, too, how
thin and scraggy his form, as though he lived a
hard life.
which he dwells.

He is adapted to the cold country in
He is covered with long hair
so thick that the skin cannot be seen when it is
put aside. His horns grow in the usual way, but
when young they are very tender and sensitive,
and infested with Gnats.

Towards the end of November the male loses
his horns, but the female keeps them till she be-
comes a mother. Perhaps this a providential ar-
rangement, that she may be able to defend her
young against the attacks of other animals.
There linger a few wild herds of these use-
ful creatures in Finmark and Lapland, but

they become less and less every year. The natives
' 62
THE DEER.

63

 

of these cold and inhospitable regions use their
utmost ingenuity to catch and tame them ; for,
indeed, they are the only means of their support.

God has given a particular plant to the barren
deserts of the country and its gravelly and sandy
fields.
the Reindeer. The vast marshes of thecountry are

This is the lichen, the principal food of

covered with this plant, and it whitens the black
rock in every direction.

The Laplander is thought a rich man who has
a big desert producing this plant. When he sees
it whitening over his fields, he knows that there
is a winter store for his hungry Deer, and that he
need not trouble himself about gathering in any
crop of hay. The Deer do not like to eat any
dried vegetable; they grub like Swine for their
favorite food under the snow. Sometimes heavy
rains set in at the beginning of winter; these
freeze on the ground, and form a hard crust over
the lichens. Then comes the Reindeer, and if
he can, he breaks through the ice, and grazes on
the food below.

he is starved.

Sometimes it is too thick, and
It is said that the animal is very
fond of eating Mice, called Lemmings. :

In America the Indians hurt the wild ones,
sometimes with guns, and sometimes with bows
and arrows: or they take them in traps, ingeni-
ously formed of snow and ice. The Indians
sometimes cateh them for the sake of their
To the Laplander the Reindeer

is all in all, just as the Camel is fitted for the

tongues alone.

sandy desert, so the Reindeer is suited to the icy
waste,

The Elk is the largest kind of Deer. He is
actually higher in the shoulders than the Horse.
His horns sometimes weigh nearly fifty pounds,
To support this heavy weight his neck is short

and strong. His eyes are deeply sunk in his

 

head. He is not so stately or elegant as the Stag,
but those who have seen him careering in his na-
tive wilds, say that no animal can appear more
noble or more majestic. His ears are long,
hairy, and something like those of a Donkey.
His tail is not more than four inches long. His
legs, though very long, are remarkable clean and
firm. His hair is coarse and brittle, breaking
He does not leap, but steps without
His

flesh is not bad, though tougher than any other sort

when bent.
effort over a fallen tree, a gate, or a fence.
of venison. The trappers like his nose the best,
and next to that his tongue, though it is not so
He is

sometimes found feeding with the Buffaloes.

juicy and nice as the tongue of the Deer.

The hunter is obliged to be wary in trying to shoot
one of them. He cannot graze on level ground,
like other animals, because his legs are so long
and his neck is so short; so he is obliged to browse
on the tops of large plants, and eat the leaves of
trees in summer time. But in the winter he
feeds on the tops of willows and the small
branches of the birch-tree. Some ancient writers
thought that the Elk was a sort of mid-way ani-
mal between the Camel and the Stag.

In the accompanying engraving, slowly wend-
ing their way among the - passes of the Scottish
hills, a number of Red Deer are seeking better
pasturing ground. The antlered leader of the
little band moves carelessly along with lowered
head, intent, apparently, only upon the eatable
articles he may be able to gather. The more
timid Hinds frequently lift their graceful heads,
and throwing their pointed ears forward, snuff
the breeze in order to detect any danger that may
be lurking near.

So the Deer move on, to incur a danger they

are unable, with all their powers of sight to guard
64

THE DEER.

 

against. But a little distance before them, rising
above the narrow ledge that forms a winding
path at its base, a huge cliff towers upward,
bearing aloft a mantle of unsullied white. Harm-
less enough it appears in the sunlight, and gives
no evidence of its speedy release from thé moun-
tain’s side.

Yet, as the Deer approach, a few stones come
hurtling down, as the snow-field begins to yield,
and as they bound from side to side the Buck
stops, and tossing his armed head, blows sharply
through his nostrils as he gazes at the falling
rocks, while the Hinds crowd timidly about him.
But all is soon silent again, and the animals pro-
ceed on their way with confidence restored.

As they arrive beneath the cliff an indistinct,
uncertain, murmuring sound is heard, and then
suddenly, with the sound of distant thunder, the
whole side of the hill seems moving toward the
valley, and in a thick, tossing, fleecy cloud the
Ap-

prised too late of their danger, with frantic leaps

snow descends upon the luckless Deer.

they endeavor to escape; but the snow-fall is all
about them, and bears them to the earth with its
weight. However, struggling desperately, they
soon cut through the yielding mass with their
sharp hoofs, and although at first half stunned as
fhey emerge into the sunlight again, yet they
soon gather their senses and bound along the

 

path, happy to have escaped such unexpected
danger.

When parties go Deer-stalking in Scotland they
keep Hounds in leash, in order that, when a Stag
is wounded without being killed, and takes to flight,
they may be let slip after him, and run him down
until he is brought to bay. To pursue the Deer
on their native hills with Horse and Hound, as
the hunters follow the Fox, although a very ex-
citing business, is very dangerous for Horses and
men, and worst of all for the Dogs, which then be-
come the principal parties concerned in the chase.

The Deer knows perfectly every turning, every
corner, every hiding-place in the mountains where
he has spent his life, just as we know every tree
As

soon as he is aware that.the Hounds are in pur-

and bush in our own garden and grounds.

suit of him, he sets off to the most difficult fast-
nesses, he leaps great precipices, he swims across
the most rapid streams, in order that the Dogs
may break their necks, or be carried away by
the force of a torrent, or, at any rate may lose
the scent. And all these things sometimes hap-
pen.

If at length the poor Stag is exhausted and
brought to bay, then it is the duty of the Hounds
to surround him and keep him in that place until
the huntsman comes up and dispatches him with

dagger or hunting-knife.
 

 

Yy

yy, UV ilnap
eae

 

THE AVALANCHE
THE BABOON.

Bb live together in small colonies of |

one or more families, generally presided
over by some hoary-headed, grave old patriarch.
He preserves order in his little community by
the most summary methods; restraining the ju-
venile members from any unseemly tricks, and
awing them into silence by the dignity of his
presence, assisted in some degree by the inflic-
tion of sundry buffets and bites.

They are bold and cunning and frequently
commit great ravages in the gardens and corn-
fields that may be in the vicinity of their accus-
tomed abodes. The plundering parties are
formed and led with great skill; sentinels keep
watch to apprise the busy thieves of the approach
of unwelcome intruders, and the fields are strip-
ped of their crops with great rapidity, and the
booty carried away. Eatable articles are not the
only things they seize upon.

An instance is recorded of a number of Ba-
boons having carried an infant off to some
neighboring mountains. On being pursued they
were found seated gravely ina circle round the
child, which was rescued without having sus-
tained an injury. Doubtless they were having a
serious consultation over the new acquisition to

 

their numbers, and debating whether or not it
would make a creditable addition to their family.

These animals are generally very much afraid
of Snakes, and avoid them on every occasion by
getting upon some limb of a tree or on a high rock
at a safe distance, where they chatter forth their
anger and disgust at the crawling reptile be-
neath them.

Once upon a time a native of one of the Afri-
can tribes possessed a tame Baboon, and for
amusement twisted adead Serpent round its neck.
The animal sat for a long time motionless, trem-
bling in deadly fear, not daring to touch the re-
pulsive necklace that encircled it in many folds;
and it was only when the object of its terror was
removed that it crept timidly into its master’s hut
On being called

to scratch its owner’s head, as it was in the habit

and hid itself away in a corner.

of doing, the animal refused to move, and when
struck for its disobedience, flew at the native. A
severe struggle ensued, and nothing could be seen
of either combatant through the clouds of dust
that were raised, and the cinders that were struck
out of the flre which was burning in the centre
of the floor, until suddenly the Baboon ap-

peared outside the hut, and immediately betook

67
68

THE BABOON.

 

itself to the mountains. Its master was severely

As

soon, however, as he was well he sallied out with

bitten, anddid not recover for some weeks.

his gun, determined to have revenge upon his
former pet.

After seeking it for some time in vain, it was
discovered among some of its fellows, peeping at
its master over a crag. Instantly the gun was
aimed at the offending animal, which, however, im-
mediately withdrew its head, and held forward
one of its comrades as a target, completely
shielding its own body; and so cunning and suc-
cessful was it in its manoeuvres that the man was
obliged to give up his desire to punish it, and to
return home completely foiled.

Baboons resent the appearance of any new-
comer into their domain, and express their dis-
approbation by various methods, chief among
A trav-
eler says: “Their inhospitable treatment obliged

which are grimaces and hoarse shouts.

us on one occasion to make an example for public
edification, and we answered the challenge of an
Num-
bers assembled round the spot where the first

‘insolent detachment with two rifle-balls.

had struck, scraping off the lead with their fin-
ger-nails, and analyzing it with ludicrous gestures
and grimaces. The second missive happened,
however, to upset one of their elders, an enor-
mous ‘man,’ as the Hottentots termed it, fully
the size of a Newfoundland Dog, which was
strutting about erect, laying down the law upon
the abstruse science of projectiles, and which, to
judge from its venerable appearance, toothless
gums, and white whiskers, must have been at least
a great-grandsire. This national calamity did
not fail to cause incredible consternation, and
there ensued many affecting domestic scenes,

which made us almost question the nature of the

 

act we had committed. With prodigious whoops
and howlings off trooped the party in all direc-
tions — mammas snatching up their babies, press-
ing them to their maternal bosoms.and_ bearing
them away in their arms beyond the reach of
danger.”

The Baboon is very bold, and fights desper-
ately when attacked. The old males are very
savage, and inflict terrible wounds with their
long canine teeth, which project considerably be-
yond the jaws, and have the inner edges sharp as
a knife. They strike these into any animal that
provokes them, and grasping it with their arms,
thurst it away from them, making a long deep
gash. Some of the long-armed Apes have been
known to kill frequently in this way other Mon-
keys which had offended them and fallen into
their power. But, like all wild creatures, these
animals have also their dreaded foes, against
the wiles and stealthy approach of which even their
great cunning avails but little. The Leopard is the
one they hold most in fear, and he often succeeds
in snatching an individual from the midst of its
companions. Great is their consternation and
indescribable the commotion occasioned among
them.at such an event. Rage and fear possess
them at the same moment, and to the desire for
revenge at the loss of one of their number is ad-
ded the reluctance to approach too near their
sharp-clawed adversary, which exhibits the most
supreme indifference to their movements. “Hav-
ing gained a comparatively safe place of retreat,
they make all kinds of hideous grimaces at their
feline admirer, howling their anger, and making
a liberal exhibition of their white teeth.

At such times some important individual
strides up and down before the rest, conspicuous

for his exhibition of impotent rage, and occasion
 

A HAPPY FAMILY.
THE BABOON. 71

 

ally seizes some of the smaller of his brethren, and,
by a few savage bites that send them howling and
disgusted away, shows what he would gladly do
to his dangerous enemy below if he only dared.
They generally, however, live rather peaceable
lives, varied with a few predatory excursions into
the inviting fields of the farmers, where, having
eaten all they possibly can, they bear away as
much more in their cheek-pouches and hands, to
This

occupation, together with the enforcement of the

be attended to afterward at their leisure.

discipline necessary for the welfare of every well

ordered family, occupies the time of the adults.

They are very much in the habit of collecting
in numbers as closely as possible, and sleeping
away a part of the day, enjoying the warmth of
When

wedged together, so closely are they packed, a

the sun. thus

grouped they appear
head at intervals appearing from the midst of the
crowded bodies, and tails hanging down on every
side from apparently impossible places. Very
contented and happy they seem at such times, as
with eyes closed and hands tightly clasping each
other's fur, they utter at intervals low grunts of
intense satisfaction, and endeavor to crowd closer
the already impenetrable mass. Such is the bliss-
ful condition of those represented in the illustra-

tion. Evidently they highly approve of their com-

 

fortable perch, and are prepared for a lengthy
nap.

One old fellow, the monitor of the group, has
taken his position at the end of the squeezed-up
rank, and, embracing his knees, is considering
the desirability of inflicting summary chastise-
ment upon the mischievous youngsters which, at
a little distance, so irreverently disturb the slum-
bers of their seniors. Another, without doubt
the matron of the family, has risen up from be-
hind the others, and prepares to express in digni-
fied tones her disapproval of all gambols at this
serious time whenanafternoon’s nap should be the
first consideration. Some of the more youthful
members have been pilfering somewhere, and one
is apparently greatly shocked at all unseemly be-
havior, and shows his astonishment in his coun-
tenance.

Oh yes! we know all about it, you little thief,
and your well-counterfeited expression of surprise
has no effect on us! The prominent cheeks,
standing out on cither side of the head like well-
filled bags, tell a tale of stealing, at which, no
doubt, he is an adept; and soon, in a quiet corner
by himself, safe from the inquisitive investiga-
tions of his fellows, or the more abrupt overhaul-
ing of the stern old ruler above him, he will dis-
cuss to his great satisfaction the hidden contents

of his pouches.
THE CHAMOIS.

HE Chamois is a kind of Antelope, but
T very much like a Goat. They are getting
very scarce. The men who hunt them are a
brave and hardy race, and not unfrequently loge
their lives in the attempt to follow some fine
specimen. As to the animals themselves, when
pressed they will leap onto spots wheré it might
be supposed there was not room for one of their
hoofs. They have been known to jump down a
precipice, and hide themselves in deep cracks
and splits in the mountains, from which it would
seem they would never be able to get out. Their
flesh is considered a delicacy, but very often when
you think you are eating a joint of splendid
Chamois, you are, in point of fact, enjoying a
slice of common domestic Goat, which bears the
same likeness to Chamois that a haunch of in-
ferior mutton bears to a haunch of fine venison.

This agile inhabitant of the lofty Alps shows
the greatest affection for her young. A Swiss
hunter while pursuing his dangerous sport, ob-
served a mother Chamois and her two Kids on a
rock above him. They were sporting by her side,
While she

watched their gambols, she was ever on the alert

leaping here and there around her.

least an enemy should approach.

 

The hunter, climbing the rock, drew near, in-
tending, if possible, to capture one of the Kids
alive. Nosooner did the mother Chamois observe
him, than, dashing at him furiously, she endeav-
ored to hurl him with her horns down the cliff.
The hunter, knowing that he might kill her at
any moment, drove her off, fearing to fire, lest
the young ones should take to flight.

He was aware that a deep chasm existed be-
yond them, by which he believed the escape of
the animals to be’cut off. What was his surprise,
therefore, when he saw the old Chamois approach
the chasm, and, stretching out her fore and hind
legs, thus form with her body a bridge across it !

As soon as she had done this, she called on her
young ones, and they sprang, one at a time, on
her back, and reached the other side in safety !
By a violent effort, she sprang across after.them,
and soon conducted her charges beyond the
reach of the hunter’s bullets.

Besides the hunter, the Chamois hasalso another
formidable enemy in the Lammergeyer which be-
longs to the Vulture family. Its spread of wing
and powers of flight are great ; and this bandit of
the air does not hesitate to attack any object that is
So bold is it

re :

suitable for food which it may see.
THE CHAMOIS. 73

 

that man’s presence at times causes it no fear.

A well-known traveler relates that once when
camping at acertain place, during the preparation
of the noonday meal, one of these great birds
suddenly alighted near by, and walking up to the
kettle, thrust its foot into it and endeavored to
drag out a leg of mutton which was being

cooked, The boiling water, however, was a great

surprise to it; it let go its hold, and flew away a

short distance to ruminate over the warm recep-
Not satisfied with its re-
pulse, it soon returned again, and, unmindful of

tion it had met with.

the different persons sitting around seized upon

another piece of meat that was lying almost in

their midst, and was killed in the act of carrying
it away.
Its actions are ungraceful, and it appears to
. disadvantage when on the ground, although it
walks well, and it is only when launched in its
native clement, the air, that it moves with grace
and freedom. Behold it now, as on outstretched
wings it sails majestically along, ascending at
times above the snow-capped peaks of the
mighty Alps, gazing with undimmed eye even at
the fierce light of the noonday sun, or searching,
with penetrating gaze, every spot upon the rug-
ged mountain-side where perchance an animal
might find a resting-place, which by some sudden
stoop it might seize in its talons, and bear away,
to satisfy for a moment its voracious appetite.
Hardly a flap is needed of those mighty wings to
bear it onward, and the rudder-like tail, by almost
imperceptible movements, guides its swift course.
Monarch of those airy fastnesses is it, and as it
glides above the glistening lakes that mirror its
passing form, or looks down upon the valleys
nestling at the feet of the towering mountains far,

far beneath, it seems to rejoice in its pride of

 

strength and in its freedom, and screams forth at
intervals a shrill cry of exultation. But suddenly
its onward flight is arrested, for the quick eye has
discerned something, and it seems to consider
some course of action as it makes a few uncer-
tain movements. —

Springing lightly along the side of an almost
inaccessible cliff, jumping from point to point, and
alighting often upon ledges so narrow that even
the slender hoofs hardly find space to rest, a
Chamois with her single young is seeking a bet-
ter pasturing ground. The little thing follows
closely in the rear of its only protector, imitating
all her movements, and jumping at one and
the same time, at the apparent imminent risk of
dislodging both, and of falling headlong into the
awful abyss beneath. Yet nothing can be surer
than their foot-hold. and although the Kid has
seen but afew short weeks of life, it traverses the
difficult rocks as easily as though it possessed the
practice and experience of many summers, and
seems to feel as secure as if no precipice yawned
beneath, and no deadly foe soared above.

Who so watchful as a mother? Even as she
springs to a somewhat wider ledge, ever on her
guard that no harm should overtake her young,
she spies the mighty bird, checking its course,
and prepares to resist the attack which she knows
With raised

bead and outstretched nostrils she breathes defi-

so well her enemy is meditating.

ance, and impatiently strikes the ground with her
fore-foot, while the little one, apprised by its
mother’s movements that danger is near, cowers
Ah, that tender

creature would be a fine prize for the Lammer-

behind and partly beneath her.

geyer to bear away to some lofty crag and tear in
pieces at its leisure, and it does not long hesitate
to attempt its capture.
74

THE CHAMOIS.

 

Too cunning to stoop upon the old Chamois,
whose sharp, curved horns are presented towards
it, the mighty bird endeavors to distract her at-
tention and to draw her away from the Kid by
But the

Chamois is too knowing to be lured away from

feints and stoops only half executed.

her charge, and then the Vulture changes its
tactics, and, darting swiftly by, strives to push
with its powerful wings the watchful animal off
the narrow ledge, that she may be dashed to
pieces upon the rocks below. With legs apart
and feet firmly braced, shielding her young be-
hind her own body, the fearless Chamois success-
fully resists all these attempts; and then angered
at being so foiled, her daring assailant makes a
final effort

tus and strength for the plunge, it mounts above

Sailing away and aloft to gain impe-

the destined victim, and then, steadying itself for
a moment to make sure of its aim, descends with

the swiftness of a thunder-bolt, The sharp and

 

: X
cruel talons are curved and thrown forward, ready

to seize upon the cowering young. But as it
clutches at its prey it meets only the armed head
and rigil body of the undaunted dam, and is
hurled aside as though it had come into collision
with a rock.

Well done, brave mother! No prouder.decora-
tion could you wear than that tuft of feathers
torn from the breast of your cruel adversary by
the curved horn, and the floating plumes borne
away on the breeze bear witness to the strength
of your resistance. Dismayed, discomfited, de-
feated, the enraged Lammergeyer, shrieking its
disappointment as it rests for a moment on a
neighboring ledge, prepares to seek another prey
less vigorously defended, bearing away in its torn
plumage evidences of the power which even a
comparatively feeble animal may exert when called -
upon to shield its helpless offspring,
wn

 

 

MATERNAL COURAGE,
THE LYNX.

HE Lynx, which is the animal portrayed in
T the accompanying illustration, is one cf the
feebler members of the Cat tribe, of which the
Lion and the Tiger are the most majestic and
powerful representatives.

Some of the species of Lynx are of consider-
able size, but none are ever found so large as to
become formidable to man. They prey upon
Goats and Sheep and smaller animals, and also
pay frequent visits to the poultry, if not too near
the house; for, like all wild Cats, the Lynx is
very shy and fearful of trusting itself in the vicin-
ity of any habitation. Noctural in its ways, it
sleeps throughout the day in some rocky fastness,
coming forth at the going down of the sun to be-
gin its round of devastation and robbery. It
rarely ventures to attack large animals, and
then only after it has been rendered well-nigh
desperate by long-continued hunger. The claws,
though slender, are highly formidable, as they are
very sharply pointed, and are apparently far bet-
ter adapted -for prehension, or seizing the prey,
than for tearing away theskin. This latter oper-
ation seems to be the principal use to which the

large Cats, such as the Lion and Tiger, devote

 

the great talons that arm their paws; for usually
these animals strike their victims to the earth by
one powerful blow, and then employ their claws
for removing the skin and exposing bare the flesh.

In fact, the claws of the great Feles above al-
luded to are usually split and broken at their
points, but they can be pulled away from beneath
until they become sharp again. This is caused
by their constant growth, and as they are softer
beneath than above, the point becomes broken off
After this has taken
place the points frequently grow inconveniently

and a split commences.

long, and it is to free themselves from this an-
noyance that all Cats are in the habit of scratch-
ing at-the carpets and legs of chairs, or else, when
in a state of nature, upon the trunks and limbs
of trees. Mr. Darwin has stated that the Puma,

in Patagonia, where trees are scarce, when
troubled by lengthened claws, is accustomed to
make deep scores in the bare, hard soil.
Although some species are found in the warmer
countries of the globe, such as Spain and the
southern parts of North America, yet the Lynx
may be called an inhabitant of the boreal-regions

of the earth; its thick fur, which causes the ani-

77
78

THE LYNX.

 

mal to appear very much larger and heavier than
is actually the case, enabling it to withstand in-
tense cold without inconvenience.

Generally they are solitary in their habits; but
there are certain species, such as the Caracal of
Asia and Africa, which, unlike most Cats, hunts
in troops and overcomes its prey by force of num-
bers. It has a strange head with long, black
tapering ears. Its eyes are very large and bright,
and seem to scowl at you with a fierce, forbid-
ding expression. Near each eye it has two spots
of: white, one on the inner, the other on the outer
side. The edges of the upper lip, the chin, and
lower lip are white. So are the insides of the
limbs, but the general color of the body isa pale
reddish-brown.

It is long-legged and slender-bodied, and runs
with considerable swiftness, which is not usually
the case with Cats of this section of the family.
The Caracal, too, is fond of dwelling upon the
plains, while the other species affect the dense
forests, where their stealthy ways enable them to
surprise their prey, and where they most easily
find places of concealment, in which they love to
remain,

It leaps upon its victim with a sudden bound,
and holds it so tenaciously that its struggles to
It is said to follow the

Lion and other beasts of prey, and feed upen

escape are all in vain.

what they are too dainty to consume.

The fur of the Lynx is much sought after as
an article of commerce, and so many thousands
of these animals are killed every year in the far
northern portion of North America by the hunters
attached to the great fur companies that they are
fast decreasing in numbers, and will probably
soon become rare where formerly they were most
abundant.

 

The fur of the European Lynx is long and fine.
It is of a dull reddish grey above, with oblong
spots of reddish-grey down the sides. The spots
on the limbs are smaller and rounder. In winter
the fur is longer than in summer; in fact, the
colder the climate, the fuller and.more valuable

is the fur.

The fur of the Canada Lynx forms a consider-
able article in the yearly importation of the Hud-
son’s Bay Company. It is easily frightened. It
makes a poor fight when it is found by a hunter
up a tree, although it spits like a Cat, and sets
its hair up. A blow on the back with a big stick
kills it instantly. It is said that the Lynx drops
from trees on the backs of Deer, and kills them
by tearing their throats, just like the Chetah, and

ravenously drinking their blood,

The motions of this animal are made with
great caution, as if it considered every step it
took, particularly when it has perceived any
game ; and if it is not able to ascertain the exact
position of its prey, it will jump with lightning
speed into some low branches, and there, crouch-
ing beneath the overhanging foilage, will wait
the favorable moment for a spring.

Such is the attitude of the animal in the en-
graving, The Goats, all unmindful of the vicin-
ity of their fierce enemy, are browsing, in strag-
gling parties, nearer and nearer the fatal spot.
Too cunning to lean forward lest he may be seen
by the approaching animals, the Lynx trusts to
his ears to tell him of their position, while he
crouches closer within his ambush. The green
eyes, that exhibit so little real intelligence, glare
with suppressed excitement, and one velvet paw,
hiding the sharp claws, all ready to be thrust out,
is pushed slightly forward upon the branch, and
THE AMBUSCADE.

 
THE LYNX.

the entire animal is gathered for the onslaught.
Soon the opportunity will come.

Gradually the unsuspecting Kids will arrive
beneath the tree, browsing on the tender leaves,
or cropping the mossy sward; and while the
playful animals gambol in fancied security, one
will be selected from the flock, and then, like a
flash, the Lynx will descend upon his victim,
tearing it at once with both teeth and claws, and
bearing it to the gound, while its more fortunate
companions, frightened at the unlooked-for at-
tack, scamper away in all directions.

If not too heavy for him to lift, the Lynx will

carry his prey into some thicket where he may

81

satisfy his appetite concealed from all eyes, and
will emerge once more, when aroused by the pangs
of hunger, to seek his victim again from out
another ambuscade.

The negroes of the Southern States, in their
picturesque, familiar language, describe the char-
acter of the Lynx in the following manner :—A
vermin as voracious as a pawn-broker, stingy as -
a briefless lawyer, wild as a Peccary, and as in-
sensible to pain as a Southern planter or a tur-
tle. Finally, say they, to shorten the picture,
this wild beast is like a woman, because you can-
not compare her with any other than herself.

 
THE WEASEL.

F Weasels, there are several kinds.
O of them are certainly not pleasant ani-
The Stoat is
Its tail is always black at the tip,

mals —the Skunk, for example.
another kind.
and longer and more bushy than that of the com-
The

Stoat is much the more mischievous animal of

mon Weasel, but then it is twice his size.

the two, and dearly likes to devour a Cock or a
Hen.

The Weasel preys upon smaller game. It does
not play with the Mice which it catches, but gives
them at once a bite on the head which pierces
the brain, and kills them in a moment and with-
If the Weasel thinks that it

has not killed the Mouse, it throws its long, little

out apparent pain.

body over it, so as to secure it, should the first
bite have failed —an accident, however, which
rarely happens. Some people say that Weasels
eat Snakes; this seems to be a mistake.

One

day, while riding over his grounds, he saw a Kite

A curious story is told by a Mr. Pindar.

suddenly pounce down and take up something in
its talons. Shortly, however, the Kite began to
show signs of great distress; at one moment ris-

ing swiftly in the air, at another flying down with

 

Some ! all its might, wheeling round and round, and try-

ing to shake off something that was fastened un-
derits wings. After a sharp fight, down came
the Kite with a flap, quite dead; and Mr. Pindar,
who had been watching close at hand, came up,
and saw a Weasel quietly running away, appar-
ently unhurt. On turning the bird over, it was
found the Weasel had eaten a hole through the
skin under the wing, and torn through the large
blood-vessels.

Weasels are very kind to their young, and if
a Dog comes near their nest, they will attack
him, and even a man, with the greatest boldness.
The nest is made of dried grass and soft leaves.
Sometimes in a warm, comfortable, hollow old
tree; sometimes in a snug hole in a bank.

There is a sort of Weasel called the Ermine.
Observe the picture. You see that the animal
has a different jacket in the winter from that
which he has in the summer. Some say that
the brown hair of summer turns to white in the
winter, the whole being of the purest white at
that season, except a black tip at the end of the
tail, But others say that new hairs grow.

Captain Ross tried an experiment upon another

82
THE

WEASEL. 83

 

animal, which led him to form the opinion that
the fur is actually blanched. He put it on deck
in a cage on a very cold morning, and at the
But this

after all, proves little or

end of a week it was nearly all white.
cruel experiment,
nothing. Perhaps the whiteness was due to
fright, as when men’s hair has turned white ina
single night.

Mr. Wood quotes an excellent story of a lady
who took a fancy to a Weasel. The tale shows
how much may be done by children in taming
animals, if they are always tender and kind to
them. After you have heard it you will learn
what stupid notions ignorant people have about
wild animals, and what needless sufferings the
poor animals have to endure in consequence.

“If I were to pour some milk into my hand,”
says this lady, “it will drink a good deal, but if
I do not pay it this compliment it will scarcely
take a drop. When satisfied, it generally goes to
sleep. My chamber is the place of its residence,
and I have found a method of dispelling its
strong smell by perfumes. By day it sleeps in a
quilt, into which it gets by an unsewn place which
it has discovered on the edge; during the night
it is kept in a wired box or cage, which it always
enters with reluctance, and leaves with pleasure.
If it be set at liberty before my time of rising,
after a thousand little playful tricks, it gets into
my bed, and goes to slgep in my hand or on my
bosom. If Iam up first, it spends a full half-
hour in caressing me, playing with my fingers
like a little Dog, jumping on my head and on my
neck, and running round on my arms and body
with a lightness and elegance which I have never
found in any other animal. If I present my
hands at the distance of three feet, it jumps into

them without missing.

 

“It exhibits great address and cunning to com-
pass its ends, and seems to disobey certain prohi-
bitions merely through caprice. During all its

actions it seems solicitous to divert and to be no-
ticed ; looking at every jump and at every turn
to see whether it be observed or not. If no notice
be taken of its gambols it ceases them immedi-
ately, and betakes itself to sleep. and even when
awakened from the soundest sleep it instantly re-
sumes its gaiety, and frolics about in as sprightly
a manner as before. It never shows any ill-hu-
mor, unless when confined or teased too much,
in which case it expresses its displeasure by a sort
of murmur, very different from that which it ut-
ters when pleased.

“Tn the midst of twenty people this little ani-
mal distinguishes my voice, seeks me out, and
springs over everybody tocome at me. His play
with me is the most lively and carressing imagin-
able. With his two little paws he pats me on the
chin, with an air and manner expressive of de-
This, and a thousand other preferences,
When

he sees me dressed for going out he will not leave

light.

show that his attachment to me is real.

me, and it is not without some trouble that I can
disengage myself from him; he then hides him-
self behind a cabinet near the door, andas I pass
jumps upon me with so much swiftness that I
often can scarcely perceive him. He seems to
resemble a squirrel in vivacity, agility, voice, and
manner of murmuring. During the summer
he squeaks and runs about the house all the night
long; but since the beginning of the cold weather
I have not observed this. Sometimes, when the
sun shines while he is playing on the bed, he
turns and tumbles about, and murmurs for a
while,

“From his delight in drinking milk out of my
84

THE WEASEL.

 

hand, into which I pour very little at a time, and
his custom of sipping the little drops and edges
of the fluid, it seems probable that he drinks dew
in the same manner. He seldom drinks water,
and then only-for want of milk, and with great
caution, seeming only to refresh his tongue once
‘or twice, and even to be afraid of that fluid.
During the hot weather it rained a good deal; I
presented to him some rain-water in a dish, and
endeavored to make him go into it, but could not
succeed. I then wetted a piece of linen cloth in
it, and put it near him, and he rolled upon it
with extreme delight.

“One singularity in this charming animal is
his curiosity. It is impossible to open a drawer or
a box, or even to look at a paper, but he will ex-
amine it also. If he gets into any place where I
am afraid of permitting him to stay, I take a pa-
per or a book, and look attentively at it, on which
he immediately runs upon my hand, and surveys
with an inquisitive air whatever I happen to hold.
I must further observe, that he plays with a
young Cat and Dog, both of considerable size

 

getting about their necks, backs, and paws, with-
out their doing him the slightest injury.”

Chief among the enemies of this cunning lit-
tle creature is the Owl.. Often when he is out
after Chickens, the Owl is out after him. Once
spied by the Owl, and, faster than the eye can
follow, the stoop is made, and the nimble quadru-
ped is a prisoner in the sharp claws of its winged
foe. Rising ‘again, the Owl mounts above the
trees, and pursues his way toward a ruined tower
that has served the purpose of a dining-room to
him many times before.

But suddenly, even in mid-air, his strokes be-
come feeble, a single harsh note is uttered, the
wings then cease to beat and become fixed, and
the upward course changes to a downward one;
and, with outstretched claws and stiffened body,

the bird falls headlong to the earth, a long line of

“escaped feathers floating lightly away from him

as he descends. The Weasel having twisted itself
around as it was borne aloft, seized the bird
by the throat, and slew him with its sharp
teeth,
SSeS =
== SS SEE ee
SSE

 

CATCHING A TARTAR.
THE SEA-GULL.

GALLANT ship that has survived the

fury of many storms is brought at last to
its death upon the stretches of a sandy coast.
The fierce waves have found many a crevice in
its worn sides, and with resistless power have torn
the planks from its frame and strewn them along
the shore. The cargo, floating through the yawn-
ing chasms, is borne along by the waters, and the
fairy Gulls are attracted toward it.

Lightly they skim above detached morsels of the
eatable portion of the ship’s stores, or settling
down upon the waters near some particularly
tempting piece, with shrill cries dispute for its
possession, and endeavor to bear it away in their
ivory bills. They swarm about the wreck in
countless numbers, and lighten, with their silvery
dress, the dark background of the clouds.

Amidst all the winged tribes that find their
homes upon the bosom of the ocean, and seek
their subsistence amidst the tossing crests of its
waves, none are more attractive and beautiful,
with their graceful forms and pure white dress,
than the active, lively Gulls, or Gleaners of the
Sea.

erratic movement, more like the fleecy snow-flakes

Coming at times in flocks, with every kind of

 

borne by the wintry wind than creatures endued
with life, they flit over their billowy home, or
cover in silent ranks the bleak wastes of its sandy
bounds. Lonely indeed would be the wide ex-
panse of ocean, teeming as it is with unnumbered
inhabitants of beautiful and curious form, were
there no feathered creatures to sport over its
waves, and to gambol on its surface.

As we look upon their structure, so adapted to
the life they are destined to live, so wonderfully
fitted to the sphere they are formed to fill, how
limitless appear the resources of Creative Power,
which, having bestowed upon the land its count-
less forms of beauty, brings to the deep its own
creatures made to dwell amidst the mighty waves,
or to sport over their ever-changing surface! Of
all shapes and sizes—from the Great Black-
backed Gull that moves among his brethren of
the air like a feathery monarch, exacting tribute
from every newly discovered feast, to the delicate
little beings no larger than the Swallow — these
long-winged sprites are met with upon every
shore that bounds old Ocean’s waves.

In tropical lands they remain all the year
round; but they depart from the more northern

87
88

THE SEA-GULL.

 

climes when the chill blasts betokerf the advent of
winter, coming to cover their accustomed fish-
ing grounds with ice, and to hide their finny
prey.

Graceful are their evolutions when, in noisy
groups, assembled over some school of little Fish,
they plunge into the sea in rapid succession,
throwing jets of sparkling drops into the air as
each fairy body strikes the yielding surface. Shrill
cri¢s of triumph — sometimes of angry, petulent
scolding, as one stronger than his fellow snatches
away a well-earned prize — resound on every side.
The eye becomes dazzled and wearied in following
the innumerable curves of the white bodies of the
excited throng, though the spectator is filled with
pleasurable emotions at the variety and beauty
of their swift and easy movements.

Not only along the reaches of the sandy shore
are these attractive birdsfound. Far out at sea,
hundreds of miles distant from any land, they
flit over the bleak waters and glean a scanty meal
from off the crests of the angry wavs, or follow
in the wake of swiftly sailing ships, watchful for
Although
so light of body as to seem to be the sport of

every morsel thrown over their sides.

every passing breeze, they battle successfully
with the storm, steadying themselves against the
furious blast on balanced wings, and with re-
peated tacks, like well-guided vessels, making
headway in the very face of the tempest.

The Sea-Gull is always at home upon the deep,
and, when wearied by a long-continued flight, set-
tles itself upon the water, and folding carefully
its long wings over its back, quietly rests, un-
mindful of the waves that toss its light form
about, as they swing to the power of the wind.

Some of the breeding resorts of the Sea-Gulls

are most wonderful places to visit; for although

 

-

many merely deposit their eggs in hollows in the
sand, yet sometimes they associate (for the pur-
pose of rearing their young) with other sea-birds
which are accustomed to breed on cliffs over-
hanging the sea. At such places every shelf and
narrow ledge is hidden by myriads of Auks,
Guillemots, and Puffins, which lay their unpro-
tected eggs upon the bare rocks, or in slight
holes on the faces of the cliffs; while farther in
the chasms the Gulls resort, and, forming col-
onies of their own, hatch and rear their young in
peace. All day long the rocks are alive with the
countless winged inhabitants, some arriving with
food for their young, and others departing to
seek it; and should they be suddenly disturbed
by any unwelcome intruder, the whole population
rises on wing, with a noise like the sound of dis-
tant thunder, in numbers that fairly darken the
sky. Although so crowded, the different species
dwell together in amity, and when their arduous
duties are over, depart, each to seek its accus-
tomed haunts, and to enter upon its usual mode
of life, enlivening with its presence the bleak
shores of the watery world.

Occasionally this wild Sea-Bird makes acquaint-
ance with human beings. From the lofty cliffs
at the back of the Isle of Wight, numerous wild-
fowl may be seen whirling in rapid flight through
the air, now rising above the green downs, now
descending to the blue surface of the water.
Towards the west end of that romantic island, in
a hollow between the cliffs, is the village of Cal-
bourne. Here, some time since, might have
been seen, sailing over the village green, Old
Phil, one of the white-winged birds I have de-
scribed. Abandoning the wild freedom of his
brethren, he had associated himself with the hu-

man inhabitants of the place. His chief friend
 

GLEANERS OF THE SEA,
THE SEA-GULL.

gt

 

was a grocer, near whose shop he would alight on
a neighboring wall, and receive with gratitude
the bits of cheese and other dainties which were
offered him.

At certain times of the year, however, he
would take his departure, and generally return
with a wife, whom he used to introduce to his old
friends, that she might partake of their hospital-
ity. Not, indeed, that she would venture so close
to the grocer’s shop, even for the sake of the
cheese-parings ; but she used to enter the village,
and frequently spent her time at a pond hard by,
while Old Phil went to pay his respects to the
purveyor of groceries.

The Gulls called Mouetées, are as large as Ravens. .

 

They are brown above, rusty red below, and have
on the wings transverse bands of white. These
birds are found -everywhere, but abound in Ice-
land and Greenland, where they brood among the
rocks,

They are very prolific, several hundred young
Mouettes are often seen in a flock, over which
the old keep a careful watch. Itis a hazardous
exploit to go after the eggs; not only is the life
of the seeker endangered by climbing the steep
crags which overhang the sea, but also from the
fierce attacks of the birds, for so furiously do they
contend in defending their possessions, that they
often impale themselves on the sharp knife which

the invader holds over his head.
THE

F all the inhabitants of the air none move
O on such noiseless wings as the night-lov-
ing, hoarse-voiced Owl. Its downy plumage
makes no resistance to the atmosphere, but yield-
.ing, like the wave, to every breath that blows,
enables the bird to glide like a sprite over the
star-lit landscape. The Owl’s approach is un-
heralded, and its victims are snatched up or lifted
from the earth without a moment’s warning, and
borne away in triumph.

Nearly every portion of the earth can claim
the Owl as an inhabitant. Amidst the gloomy
recesses of the polar regions, beyond the farthest
point that the foot of civilized man has ever
trod, robed in a dress of white that rivals in
purity the snow around, the great Snowy Owl
dwells, a king even amidst the monarchs of the
air.

Feathered to the bill and claws, no freezing
blast has any effect on him; and amidst the twi-
light of an arctic winter his vision is as clear and
far-reaching as is the Eagle’s beneath the rays of
a tropical sun. Fearless, and confident in his
own powers, he roams over the bleak fields of his

northern home, or follows the Bears in their

 

OWL.

search for the Walrus and Seal, and shares their
banquet with them.

The great Owls of more southern latitudes
are usually provided with a mottled dress, and
some have long tufts over the ears, which, when
erected beyond the huge staring eyes, give to the
bird a very comical aspect.

Besides the familiar birds of this family, there
are also Ground or Burrowing Owls, which live
in holes in the earth, and do not shun the light
of day. In these strange subterranean dwellings
the bird lives in company with the Marmot (com-
monly knawn as the Prairie-dog) and the Rattle-
snake. It is doubtful if the latter is a welcome
sharer of the abode, and it may be imagined
that at times it makes a meal of one or the
other of the occupants of the burrow. These
little Ground Owls are frequently seen sitting at
the mouth of their dwellings, into which, how-
ever, they disappear with astonishing rapidity at
the first note of alarm. Colonies of the three
creatures here named, so unsuitable and antagon-
istic to each other, are frequently met with on
the prairies of the Western world.

In Southern lands the echoes of the night are

92
THE OWL.

93

 

often aroused by the guttural notes of this noc-
tural wanderer. As the sun declines below the
horizon, from his place in the hollow of some
tree where he has been sleeping away the day,
the Owl begins to open wide his great eyes, and
to bestir himself preparatory to the evening’s
campaign.

After a few quick snaps of his mandibles, to
prove to himself that they are in good working
order, and a few lazy shakes of his plumage, the
bird, apparently still only half awake, comes forth
to the entrance of his home. Many are the queer
contortions he makes as he stretclies his neck
about and peers around on every side, as though,
like some near-sighted person, he stood in need
of his eye-glasses, while occasionally he places
his bill in the centre of his back, at the appar-
ent imminent risk of dislocating his neck, and
takes a good look into the burrow he has just
quitted.

As the night comes on, and the darkness,

deepens, he becomes more lively, and, as if dis-
liking the silence of the grand old woods, shrieks
forth an unearthly cry, or a few deep notes, as if
undergoing strangulation, and then stares around
him, evidently highly satisfied with what he con-
siders a very musical and meritorious perform-
ance.

And now the moon has risen, tipping the
waving leaves and penciling the rugged trunks of
the forest trees with many a silver line, while the
stars crowd in myriads the tropical sky, and
All na-

ture is hushed to repose, and no sound disturbs

twinkle like diamonds in its clear vault.

the silence that reigns around, save the quiet rust-
ling of the lofty branches as they move gently to
the breeze.

This is the moment which our friend considers

 

propitious to sally forth, and, after a few feints at
starting, and a few elevations of his pinions he
quetly glides away. Noiselessly he sails among
the trees, mindful of every object beneath him,
his wonderfully constructed eyes, that can not
bear the light of day, permitting him to see, as
through a telescope, into the darkness of the for-
est. He swiftly threads the leafy lanes, avoiding,
as if by magic, the innumerable twigs and
branches that intercept his flight, and is watch-
ful at the same time for any thing that may serve
to break his long fast since the previous night.

Some Owls, contrary to the generally received
idea, and also contrary to the usual habits of these
birds, are accustomed to seek their prey, and be
much abroad, when the sun is high in the
heavens; so that we have two classes of these
animals — day and night Owls.

No members of the feathered tribes have been
so closely connected with superstitious ideas and
fears as the Owls, and none have ever been sub-
jects of dislike with so little cause. In the
olden time the call of these birds at night was
considered a portent of evil, particularly if uttered
(Thus

Casca, speaking of the omens that preceded

near, or worse still, on any habitation.

Czesar’s death, says : —

“ Vesterday the bird of night did sit
Even at noonday upon the market-place,
Hooting and shrieking.’

Among the ancient Egyptians, it was custom-
ary for the Monarch to send an image of the
Owl to any person whose death had been decided
upon, and the unfortunate ‘individual was ex-
pected at once to become his own executioner.
Any delay or objection from the doomed man was

considered a great disgrace, not only upon him-
94 THE

OWL.

 

self but for all his family, and it therefore be-
came a point of honor that the Pharaoh’s wishes
It is related

that on one occasion the victim, having shown

should be complied with at once.

ereat reluctance to dispose of his own life, was
put to death by one of his parents, and so the
honor of his relative was saved.

Many are the accounts of sickness, and even
death, having followed the sudden appearance of
Owls in places where they were never known
before, and the boding cry, which the bird no
doubt deemed sweetest. of songs, has always been
heard with fear and aversion. Yet no creature is
more harmless.

Happily, in these enlightened days, much of

the superstition connected with these feathered

 

creatures is disappearing, and they are regarded
more in their true light of useful scavengers that
destroy much vermin, and free the fields from
many destructive pests, than as heralds of mis-
fortune and woe. The early writers and poets
associated our wise-looking friends with disasters
of some sort, but later ones, more in keeping
with the spirit of their times, have sung of them
as birds of the night in harmony with other
creatures. Thus Coleridge, in an opening chorus

in Christabel, says:

“Tis the middle of the night by the Castle clock,
And the Owls have awakened the Crowing cock,
Tu-whit !
And hark again! the crowing Cock,

Tu-whoo 1 —

How drowsily he crew.”
 

A HAIR-BREADTH ESCAPE,
THE CROW.

HE members of the Crow family are gen- |

erally associated with gloomy thoughts and
funereal events, chiefly perhaps from their dress of
black, that seems to array them in a garb of
mourning; and if it was to indicate the want of
many good qualities that their sable plumage was
bestowed upon them, it certainly was not given
unnecessarily.

Thieves by nature, they make away with
every thing that attracts their attention, when it
is not too bulky for them to remove, and, with
the same instincts as those possessed by their
relatives, the Magpie and Jay, they hide their
booty in some chosen place of concealment. The
anxiously watched contents of the nest placed
amidst the heather on the hill-side is a great
treasure-trove for the wandering Crows, and many
a pair of Grouse have been roughly despoiled by
these winged robbers.

They regard the field newly planted with corn as
prepared for their special benefit ; and so great is
their impatience, they can hardly restrain them-
selves from digging up the grain with their
strong bills until the laborers have left the
ground. But added to their unattractive robes

 

is the discordant voice that, seemingly in mock-
ery of all tuneful notes, grates upon the ear at
every moment, as though its owner was ever de-
riding the warblers that make the groves re-
sound with their melody.

Being also about the only feathered creatures
that remain in certain localities all the year, un-
mindful of the changing seasons, and always
familiar objects, swaying upon the dead limb,
when all nature lies lifeless beneath the white
robe of winter, we associate with these birds the
saddest period of the year, when all the flowers
have drooped and died, and nature bereft of her
summer beauty, awaits the resurrection of the
spring-time.

And they are suitable inhabitants of the gloomy
scene, flitting over the pure snow, their black
forms casting still blacker shadows, as with harsh
cries and labored effort they wing their way over
theland. Quick of eye they are too, and cun-
ning withal; nothing escapes their piercing gaze,
and well indeed must that object be hidden which
they pass by unnoticed. No poor wearied crea-
ture, sinking under the fierce blast, wounded

perhaps, need hope to escape these pilferers ; for

97
98

THE CROW.

 

quickly spying it out, they stoop around it, only
delaying their attacks until the evidence of all
active life is gone.

And so they seem unsuited for the bright sum-
mer, when all nature is*smiling in her cheerful
dress, bringing their black robes amidst the gay
‘flowers, but more in consonance with bleak De-
cember.

Night is drawing slowly on, the sun is setting
in clouds and thick mist, and the wind moans
sadly over the cheerless landscape. The trees,
holding their uncovered arms toward the wintery
sky, are rocking in the blast, earth is clad in a
winding-sheet of white, and all nature lies lifeless
beneath the tread of the storm-king who holds in
his hands the ice treasures of the north.

Swiftly, as though hurrying to some trysting-
place, the clouds fly across the heavens, jostling
cach other in their rapid course as if anxious to
reach their goal; the bushes bend beneath their
snowy load, while from numberless swaying twigs
the transparent icicles hang in long glittering
lances.

At such a time one would suppose every ani-
mal would keep under shelter, and that nothing
but the pangs of hunger could induce any of the
wild dwellers of the woods to brave the chill blast
But

yonder, moving slowly, evidently in pain, one

that is sweeping over the face of the land.

small limb hanging useless, struck perhaps by the
pellets from some sportman’s-.gun, a wounded
Hare is seeking some friendly shelter to hide
herself from the cutting wind and her no less re-
lentless pursuer.

How she must long for the warm form from
which she was so suddenly startled but a short
time since by the Dog which had discovered her

retreat, and where she had sat thinking, perhaps,

 

of the moonlight night in the pleasant summer-
time when she had played upon the soft green-
sward —and then, as the snow went whirling by,
nestled all the closer in her warm nest.

But the spot she is accustomed to regard as
home (for even the lower animals have such to
which they constantly resort) is far away now,
and weary with her efforts to escape, and faint
from the deadly wound, she struggles on, if only
perchance she may reach a place of safety. And
now she can gono farther, and by the side of a

slender stalk, that of itself can give no protec-

tion, she has drawn herself up, and, with her

long ears laid upon her back, remains exposed to
all the severity of the approaching winter’s
night. Alas! poor Hare, not even there can
you be left at peace; for the scavengers of the
air have already found you out, and with wonder-
ful instinct have discovered your failing strength.
and come swiftly, with many a boding croak, to
Well they

know that soon your bright eye will grow dim,

sweep over your crouching form.

and undeterred by even any semblance of life,
they may feast upon that which was only lately
so replete with vigor and graceful activity.

Crows are considered wise birds; but, while
understanding how to take care of themselves,
they are not celebrated for their affectionate dis-
position, Still a Crow may become fond of its
owner.

A gentleman had reared one from the nest,
and it had long dwelt with him, coming at his call,
and feeding from his hand. At length it disap-
peared, and lhe supposed it had been killed.
About a year afterwards, as he was out walking
one day, he observed several Crows flying over-
head; when, what was his surprise to see one of
them leave the flock, fly towards him, and perch
 

HUNTED DOWN.
THE CROW.

IOI

 

on-his shoulder! He at once recognized his old
friend, and spoke to it as he had been in the
habit of doing. The Crow cawed in return, but
kept carefully beyond reach of his hand: show.
ing that, having enjoyed a free existence, it did
not intend to submit again to captivity.

A few more caws were uttered. Its compan-
ions cawed likewise, and the Crow understood
their call. Probably its mate, and perhaps its
young ones, were among them. Glancing  to-
wards them, and with a farewell caw at its old
master, it spread its wings and joined the flock ;
nor did it ever again return to its former abode.

Crows sometimes display great reasoning
powers, and act in a way that would do credit to
human beings, as the following anecdote will il-
lustrate:

In places where Pheasants are preserved it is
customary to give them their food in such a way
that other birds can not get at it. This is done
by placing it in a feeding-box, which is closed by

a lid, communicating by a lever with a perch.

‘pected the box to open.

 

The weight of the lid is so adjusted that when a
Pheasant stands on the perch the lid is raised,
and the bird can get at the food.

The Pheasant soon learns the object of the
perch, for, when the boxes are first introduced, a
few beaus are laid on the outside of the lid. The
bird gets on the perch in order to reach them,
and so exposes the stores of food in the box.

Such an arrangement is made at Mountquhar-
rie, Cupar, Fife; and one day a gentleman was
watching the Pheasants and their boxes on the
lawn just before the house, and saw a Crow also
watching them. Presently the Crow flew to one
of the boxes, settled upon the perch, and ex-
The bird, however,

being much lighter than a Pheasant, was, unable

to lift the lid in spite of all its efforts. After
several ineffectual attempts it flew off to a trec
where there was another Crow, and a grand jab-
bering ensued. The two Crows then flew to the
feeding-box, both settled on the perch, and their

united weight was sufficient to raise the lid,
THE OSPREY.

N isolated island has long been the resort
of the Osprey or Fish-hawk.

In the illustration we see one winging its way
homeward, bearing in its talons a morning’s meal
to its hungry young.

Season after season has that unapproachable cliff
afforded the necessary protection to the inof-
fensive Hawks while hatching and rearing their

young ; and the broad space upon its summit is

S3
nearly covered with the nest, which has grown
year by year until it has reached enormous pro-
portions. No human foot has ever scaled that
height, no energetic egg-collector ever taken the
speckled treasures from that island home ; and
from their secure refuge the young have watched
their parents depart upon their fishing excursions
and return again, with labored flight, bearing the
fruits of industry with them.

It isa beautiful sight to witness the Fish-
hawk pursuing his finny prey. Behold with what
grace he leaves his rocky sanctuary, launching
himself into the air upon his broad wings, and
circling with easy, powerful sweeps around and
Satisfied that all

is well, he wends his way toward the shores of

above his impregnable home.

 

the loch, where the water is less deep, and where
his keen eye can perceive the objects of his
search swimming at but a little depth below the
surface.

Slowly he proceeds, scanning closely all that
passes beneath; suddenly he checks his course, |
and, with quick repeated flappings of his wings,
holds himself: stationary for a moment, then falls
like a dart, and disappears in a cloud of spray.
Soon, however, he emerges, rising heavily, for
his talons grasp firmly a large Fish (which is held
lengthwise with his body, never across), and, af-
ter gaining a slight elevation above the water, he
shakes his plumage free from the glittering drops
that still cling to it, much as a Dog would on leav-
ing the water, and wings his way homeward, an-
nouncing his success by shrill, oft-repeated cries.

The young hear the welcome notes, and with
many hisses, expressive of their gratification at
the coming feast, drag their half-fledged bodies
to the edge of the nest, and with outstretched
necks and raised wings impatiently await the ap-
proaching parent bird. As he rises slowly to the
height of the nest, he makes one half-circle to
see that all is right, and then alights with his

102
THE OSPREY.

103

 

burden, which is speedily torn to pieces by the
sharp beaks of the hungry brood,

Although possessed of very powerful talons,
and capable of inflicting severe wounds, the Fish-
hawk is one of the most peaceable and harm-

less of birds, and is never known to assume the

aggressive, but prefers to betake himself away,

from, rather than to become a participant in, any
strife,

It is anative of almost every part of the world.
Along the sea-board of North America, and occa-
sionally upon some of the inland lakes, it is fre-
quently seen. The colder regions of Greenland,
too, are visited by the Fish-hawk, and in the au-
tumn of 1872, Mr. Edward Whymper, while ex-
ploring that still little known land, obtained a fine
example.

It must, however, but rarely wing its way so
far to the north, for Mr. Whymper’s specimen is
the only one yet known to have been procured in
that country. As may be supposed, the Islands
of the Antilles are often visited by the Osprey
when leaving the northern latitudes on the ap-
proach of winter.

In Great Britain it is still met with, though not
nearly so often as formerly, while on the conti-
nent of Europe it is‘a familiar bird. In the far-
off regions of, Australia, the Islands of the In-
dian Archipelago, and in India, the Osprey is
very common; but wherever it is found, it is ap-
parently always an inoffensive bird, bent only on
minding its own affairs, and is disinclined to in-

About five

or six spécies are recognized among naturalists.

terfere with those of its neighbors.

In America, the Osprey has ‘a formidable
enemy in the powerful Bald Eagle, which often
robs him of the Fish he may succeed in catching.

The way in which this is accomplished is very

 

exciting to witness, and is effected in the following
manner:

As
to fish, the Eagle, perched upon some lofty tree,

he proceeds toward his chosen haunt
watches him with eager gaze, never losing sight
of his destined victim for a moment.

As he rises from the successful plunge, and
utters his triumphant cry, the Eagle stoops
his body, and with wings half opened, sways
upon his perch. Then, as the Osprey gains a
moderate height, with a shrill scream he launches
himself forth in pursuit.

Too well does the Osprey know whence that
cry proceeds and immediately he commences to
rise in the air in wide circles, the Eagle doing the
same, each striving to get above the other.
Beautiful are their evolutions as with easy, erace-
ful sweeps they mount toward the heavens,

Soon, however, the weight of the Fish be-
gins to tell upon the Osprey, which, thus encum-
bered rises less rapidly than his powerful, long-
winged adversary. As he gains the ascendency,
the Eagle poises himself for a moment and stoops
down upon the Osprey, which, thus placed upon
his defense, drops the Fish to which he had so per-
sistently clung. Steadying himself for an instant,
as if to make sure of his aim, the bold robber of
the air darts down with lightning speed, seizes
the Fish before it reaches the water, and with

‘many a triumphant scream bears his ill-gotten

booty to the nearest tree, to devour it at his
leisure; while the unfortunate Osprey betakes
himself to other grounds, to seek, free from mo-
lestation, another supper to replace the one he
has just lost.

But in the quiet lake depicted in the illus-
tration there are no swift-winged depredators to

rule over the gentle birds, who pursue the call-
104

ings of their peaceful natures undisturbed ; and
year after year the young start on their life-
journey from the secure fastnesses of that lonely
rock, which has been to them indeed an Island
Sanctuary.

A variety of the Osprey can be tamed, and
taught to catch Fish for its keeper. Its head and
the under surface of its body are white, the other
part of the plumage is dark brown, with the cere
and feet of a bluish hue. Its nest is perched
high up among the branches of tall trees, and

 

THE OSPREY.

serves to contain three white eggs marbled with
This bird is found on the margins of
He darts forth from

his unapproachable haunt in lofty trees or inac-

brown.

large rivers and the sea.

cessible crags, upon his living prey, and seizing it
in his beak, carries it off without stopping a mo-

ment in his flight. Sometimes the Fish is too

-large to be readily carried, and struggles to get

free; in this case, however, the conqueror is
dragged by his victim into the sea, and drowned.
 

 

THE ISLAND SANCTUARY.
 

Sale accmaee eee re
Sa acai ack oa