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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #53764 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53764)
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tower Menagerie, by Edward Turner Bennett
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-Title: The Tower Menagerie
-
-Author: Edward Turner Bennett
-
-Release Date: December 18, 2016 [EBook #53764]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
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-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TOWER MENAGERIE ***
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-Produced by deaurider and the Online Distributed
-Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
-produced from images generously made available by The
-Internet Archive)
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-
-
-THE TOWER MENAGERIE.
-
-
-
-
-                                   THE
-                            TOWER MENAGERIE:
-
-                               COMPRISING
-                           THE NATURAL HISTORY
-                                 OF THE
-                ANIMALS CONTAINED IN THAT ESTABLISHMENT;
-
-                                  WITH
-               Anecdotes of their Characters and History.
-
-                             ILLUSTRATED BY
-         PORTRAITS OF EACH, TAKEN FROM LIFE, BY WILLIAM HARVEY;
-              AND ENGRAVED ON WOOD BY BRANSTON AND WRIGHT.
-
-                             [Illustration]
-
-                                 LONDON:
-                  PRINTED FOR ROBERT JENNINGS, POULTRY;
-                   AND SOLD BY W. F. WAKEMAN, DUBLIN.
-                              M DCCC XXIX.
-
-                                CHISWICK:
-                     PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM
-                             COLLEGE HOUSE.
-
-
-
-
-                             [Illustration]
-
-                                   TO
-                       HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY
-                         KING GEORGE THE FOURTH,
-                                   THE
-               MUNIFICENT PATRON OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,
-
-                              This Volume,
-
-        IN WHICH IT IS ATTEMPTED TO COMBINE BOTH ART AND SCIENCE
-                                 IN THE
-                  ILLUSTRATION OF HIS ROYAL MENAGERIE,
-
-                                   IS,
-               BY HIS MAJESTY’S MOST GRACIOUS PERMISSION,
-                            HUMBLY INSCRIBED.
-
-
-
-
-CONTENTS.
-
-
-                                         PAGE
-
-    INTRODUCTION                           ix
-
-    BENGAL LION                             1
-
-    LIONESS AND CUBS                       11
-
-    CAPE LION                              17
-
-    BARBARY LIONESS                        24
-
-    TIGER                                  25
-
-    LEOPARD                                35
-
-    JAGUAR                                 41
-
-    PUMA                                   49
-
-    OCELOT                                 53
-
-    CARACAL                                57
-
-    CHETAH, OR HUNTING LEOPARD             61
-
-    STRIPED HYÆNA                          71
-
-    HYÆNA-DOG                              77
-
-    SPOTTED HYÆNA                          81
-
-    AFRICAN BLOODHOUND                     83
-
-    WOLF                                   89
-
-    CLOUDED BLACK WOLF                     93
-
-    JACKAL                                 97
-
-    CIVET, OR MUSK CAT                     99
-
-    JAVANESE CIVET                        103
-
-    GRAY ICHNEUMON                        105
-
-    PARADOXURUS                           107
-
-    BROWN COATI                           109
-
-    RACOON                                111
-
-    AMERICAN BLACK BEAR                   115
-
-    GRIZZLY BEAR                          121
-
-    THIBET BEAR                           129
-
-    BORNEAN BEAR                          133
-
-    EGRET MONKEY?                         144
-
-    COMMON MACAQUE                        145
-
-    BONNETED MONKEY, VAR.                 146
-
-    BONNETED MONKEY                       147
-
-    PIG-FACED BABOON                      148
-
-    BABOON                                149
-
-    WHITE-HEADED MONGOOS                  151
-
-    KANGUROO                              155
-
-    PORCUPINE                             161
-
-    ASIATIC ELEPHANT                      163
-
-    ZEBRA OF THE PLAINS                   177
-
-    LLAMA                                 181
-
-    RUSA-DEER                             185
-
-    INDIAN ANTELOPE                       191
-
-    AFRICAN SHEEP                         197
-
-    GOLDEN EAGLE                          201
-
-    GREAT SEA-EAGLE                       202
-
-    BEARDED GRIFFIN                       203
-
-    GRIFFON VULTURE                       205
-
-    SECRETARY                             209
-
-    VIRGINIAN HORNED OWL                  213
-
-    DEEP-BLUE MACAW                       215
-
-    BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW                 217
-
-    YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOO               219
-
-    NEW HOLLAND EMEU                      221
-
-    CRESTED CRANE                         225
-
-    PELICAN                               227
-
-    ALLIGATOR                             231
-
-    INDIAN BOA                            233
-
-    ANACONDA                              237
-
-    RATTLESNAKE                           239
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTION.
-
-
-The origin of Menageries dates from the most remote antiquity. Their
-existence may be traced even in the obscure traditions of the fabulous
-ages, when the contests of the barbarian leader with his fellow-men were
-relieved by exploits in the chase scarcely less adventurous, and when
-the monster-queller was held in equal estimation with the warrior-chief.
-The spoils of the chase were treasured up in common with the trophies
-of the fight; and the captive brute occupied his station by the side
-of the vanquished hero. It was soon discovered that the den and the
-dungeon were not the only places in which this link of connexion might
-be advantageously preserved, and the strength and ferocity of the forest
-beast were found to be available as useful auxiliaries even in the
-battle-field. The only difficulty to be surmounted in the application
-of this new species of brute force to the rude conflicts of the times
-consisted in giving to it the wished-for direction; and for this purpose
-it was necessary that the animals to be so employed should be confined
-in what may be considered as a kind of Menagerie, there to be rendered
-subservient to the control, and obedient to the commands, of their
-masters.
-
-In the theology too of these dark ages many animals occupied a
-distinguished place, and were not only venerated in their own proper
-persons, on account of their size, their power, their uncouth figure,
-their resemblance to man, or their supposed qualities and influence,
-but were also looked upon as sacred to one or other of the interminable
-catalogue of divinities, to whose service they were devoted, and on
-whose altars they were sacrificed. For these also Menageries must
-have been constructed, in which not only their physical peculiarities
-but even their moral qualities must have been to a certain extent
-studied; although the passions and prejudices of the multitude would
-naturally corrupt the sources of information thus opened to them, by the
-intermixture of exaggerated perversions of ill observed facts and by the
-addition of altogether imaginary fables.
-
-If to these two kinds of Menageries we add that which has every where
-and under all circumstances accompanied the first dawn of civilization,
-and which constitutes the distinguishing characteristic of man emerging
-from a state of barbarism and entering upon a new and social state of
-existence, the possession of flocks and herds, of animals useful in his
-domestic economy, serviceable in the chase, and capable of sharing in his
-daily toils, a tolerable idea may be formed of the collections which were
-brought together in the earliest ages, and were more or less the subjects
-of study to a race of men who were careless of every thing that had no
-immediate bearing upon their feelings, their passions, or their interests.
-
-But as civilization advanced, and the progress of society favoured
-the developement of mind, when those who were no longer compelled by
-necessity to labour for their daily bread found leisure to look abroad
-with expanded views upon the wonders of the creation, the animal
-kingdom presented new attractions and awakened ideas which had before
-lain dormant. What was at first a mere sentiment of curiosity became
-speedily a love of science; known objects were examined with more minute
-attention; and whatever was rare or novel was no longer regarded with a
-stupid stare of astonishment and an exaggerated expression of wonder, but
-became the object of careful investigation and philosophic meditation.
-Such was the state of things in civilized Greece when the Macedonian
-conqueror carried his victorious arms to the banks of the Indus, and
-penetrated into countries, not altogether unknown to Europeans, but the
-natural productions of which were almost entirely new to the philosophers
-of the West. With the true spirit of a man of genius, whose sagacity
-nothing could escape, and whose views of policy were as profound as
-the success of his arms was splendid, Alexander omitted no opportunity
-of proving his devotion to the cause of science; and the extensive
-collections of rare and unknown animals which he transmitted to his old
-tutor and friend, in other words the Menagerie which he formed, laid the
-foundation of the greatest, the most extensive, and the most original
-work on zoology that has ever been given to the world. The first of
-moral philosophers did not disdain to become the historian of the brute
-creation, and Aristotle’s History of Animals remains a splendid and
-imperishable record of his qualifications for the task.
-
-Very different were the feelings by which the Roman generals and people
-were swayed even in their most civilized times and at the height of their
-unequalled power. Through all the gloss which history has thrown over
-the character of these masters of the universe there appears a spirit
-of unreclaimed barbarity which was never entirely shaken off. From the
-scenes of their distant conquests their prætors sent to the metropolis
-of the world bears and lions and leopards and tigers; but a love of
-science had no share in the motives for the gratification of which they
-were transmitted, and the chief curiosity manifested on such occasions by
-the people of Rome was to ascertain how speedily hundreds or thousands,
-as the case might happen, of these ferocious beasts would destroy each
-other when turned out half-famished into the public amphitheatre, or
-how long a band of African slaves, of condemned criminals, or of hired
-gladiators, would be able to maintain the unequal contest against them.
-The consul or emperor who exhibited at one time the greatest number of
-animals to be thus tortured before the eyes of equally brutal spectators
-was held in the highest esteem among a people who regarded themselves
-as civilized, and whose chief delight was in witnessing these wanton
-effusions of blood. It was only under the later Cæsars that a few private
-individuals brought together in their _vivaria_ a considerable number of
-rare and curious animals; and the Natural History of Pliny derives most
-of its zoological value from the opportunities which he had of consulting
-these collections. But the monstrous fables and the innumerable errors,
-which the most superficial examination would have taught him to correct,
-with which every page of this vast compilation absolutely teems, speak
-volumes with regard to the wretched state of natural science in the most
-splendid days of Roman greatness.
-
-From the unsuspecting credulity with which this textbook of the
-naturalists of the middle ages continued to be received, it is evident
-that the science remained stationary, if it did not actually retrograde,
-during the lapse of fourteen or fifteen centuries. The want of
-opportunities of investigation may be regarded as the principal cause
-of this lamentable deficiency. Some of the rarer animals, it is true,
-were occasionally to be seen in Europe; but Menageries constructed
-upon a broad and comprehensive plan were as yet unknown. The first
-establishment of modern days, in which such a plan can fairly be said to
-have been realised, was the Menagerie founded at Versailles by Louis the
-Fourteenth. It is to this institution that we owe the Natural History of
-Buffon and his coadjutor Daubenton; the one as eloquent as Pliny, with
-little of his credulity, but with a greater share of imagination; and the
-other a worthy follower of Aristotle in his habits of minute research
-and patient investigation, but making no pretensions to the powerful and
-comprehensive mind and the admirable facility of generalising his ideas
-which so preeminently distinguished that great philosopher.
-
-Of the characters of most of the institutions which we have noticed
-the Tower Menagerie has at various times partaken in a greater or
-less degree. Originally intended merely for the safe-keeping of those
-ferocious beasts, which were until within the last century considered as
-appertaining exclusively to the royal prerogative, it has occasionally
-been converted into a theatre for their contests, and has terminated
-by adapting itself to the present condition of society as a source of
-rational amusement and a school of zoological science.
-
-The first notice of a Royal Menagerie in England places this
-establishment at Woodstock, where King Henry the First had a collection
-of lions, leopards, and other strange beasts. Three leopards were
-presented to Henry the Third by the Emperor Frederic the Second, himself
-a zoologist of no mean rank. From Woodstock they were transferred to the
-Tower; and numerous orders issued in this and the succeeding reigns to
-the sheriffs of London and of the counties of Bedford and Buckingham to
-provide for the maintenance of the animals and their keepers are extant
-among the Records. Thus in the year 1252 the sheriffs of London were
-commanded to pay four pence a day for the maintenance of a white bear;
-and in the following year to provide a muzzle and chain to hold the said
-bear while fishing, or washing himself, in the river Thames. In 1255 they
-were directed to build a house in the Tower for an elephant which had
-been presented to the king by Louis king of France; and a second writ
-occurs in which they were ordered to provide necessaries for him and his
-keepers.
-
-From various orders during the reigns of Edward the First, Second, and
-Third, we learn that the allowance for each lion or leopard was six pence
-a day, and the wages of their keeper three halfpence. At later periods
-the office of keeper of the lions was held by some person of quality
-about the king, with a fee of six pence a day for himself, and the
-same for every lion or leopard under his charge. On these terms it was
-granted by King Henry the Sixth, first to Robert Mansfield, Esq. marshal
-of his hall, and afterwards to Thomas Rookes, his dapifer. It was not
-unfrequently held by the lieutenant or constable of the Tower himself,
-on the condition of his providing a sufficient deputy. There was also
-another office in the royal household somewhat resembling this in name,
-that of master, guider, and ruler of the king’s bears and apes; but the
-latter animals appear to have been kept solely for the royal “game and
-pleasure.”
-
-During all this period, and even almost down to our own times,
-the common phrase of “seeing the lions” in the Tower appears to
-have been almost literally correct, for we seldom hear of any other
-animals confined there than lions or leopards. Howel tells us in his
-Londinopolis, published in 1657, that there were then six lions in the
-Tower, and makes no allusion to any other animals as being at that time
-contained in it. In 1708 some improvement had taken place; for there were
-then, according to Strype, no fewer than eleven lions, two leopards or
-tigers (the worthy historian, it seems, knew not which), three eagles,
-two owls, two cats of the mountain, and a jackal. Maitland gives a much
-longer catalogue as existing there in 1754; and this is still further
-extended in a little pamphlet entitled “An Historical Description of the
-Tower of London and its Curiosities,” published in 1774. After this time,
-however, the collection had been so greatly diminished both in value and
-extent, that in the year 1822, when Mr. Alfred Cops, the present keeper,
-succeeded to the office, the whole stock of the Menagerie consisted of
-the grizzly bear, an elephant, and one or two birds. How rapidly and how
-extensively the collection has increased under his superintendence will
-best be seen by a reference to the numerous and interesting animals whose
-natural history forms the subject of the present work. By his spirited
-and judicious exertions the empty dens have been filled, and new ones
-have been constructed; and the whole of them being now kept constantly
-tenanted, the Menagerie affords a really interesting and attractive
-spectacle to the numerous visiters who are drawn thither either from
-motives of curiosity or by a love of science.
-
-Such is a brief outline of the history up to the present period of the
-establishment known as the Tower Menagerie. Of the animals contained
-in it during the summer of 1828, and of two others which had then
-recently died, the succeeding pages offer delineations, descriptions,
-and anecdotes. Among so numerous a collection of inhabitants, of such
-dissimilar habits, and brought together into one spot from such distant
-and various climes, some changes have almost necessarily taken place
-even while our work has been passing through the press; yet so excellent
-is the management of Mr. Cops, especially as regards cleanliness, that
-essential security of animal health, that not a single death has occurred
-from disease, and one only from an accidental cause: the secretary bird,
-having incautiously introduced its long neck into the den of the hyæna,
-was deprived of it and of its head at one bite. Other removals are owing
-to the spirit of commerce. The Cape lion, the chetahs, the Thibet bear,
-and the deep-blue macaw, have passed into foreign hands, and are now on
-the continent of Europe. Two of the wolves and one of the Javanese civets
-have been transferred to the Zoological Society; and the white antelope
-has also exchanged its habitation in the Tower for the delightful Garden
-created by that Society in the Regent’s Park.
-
-With the exceptions which have just been enumerated the whole of the
-animals which are here figured and described are actually living in the
-Tower Menagerie. Their continuance there affords a test of the fidelity
-of our work which could not be applied to any production on zoology that
-has yet appeared in this country, nor, to an equal extent, in any other.
-As a visit to the Menagerie will enable the reader at once to compare
-our representations and descriptions with their living prototypes, the
-imperative necessity of scrupulous accuracy has been deeply impressed
-throughout the whole undertaking on the minds of those who have been
-engaged in its completion. In this, it is trusted, they have fully
-succeeded. To explain the share which each has taken in the work, and to
-record a debt of gratitude to those kind friends who have assisted in it,
-is the pleasing duty which it now remains to fulfil.
-
-The whole of the drawings are from the pencil of MR. WILLIAM HARVEY, who,
-in seizing faithful and characteristic portraits of animals in restless
-and almost incessant motion, has succeeded in overcoming difficulties
-which can only be appreciated by those who have attempted similar
-delineations. In the portraits he has strictly confined himself to the
-chastity of truth; but in the vignettes, which have always some reference
-to the subject of the article which they conclude, he has occasionally
-held himself at liberty to give full scope to his imagination.
-
-The engravings have been executed throughout by MESSRS. BRANSTON and
-WRIGHT. Determined on securing the accuracy of the representations,
-they have in every instance compared the proofs with the animals, and
-have made corrections where necessary until the resemblance has been
-rendered perfect. In one case alone has a deviation from the original
-been indulged in: the tail of the ocelot has been figured of the length
-usual in the species, instead of the truncated state in which it exists
-in the specimen; the markings of the animal are, however, as noticed in
-its article, accurately represented.
-
-The literary department has been superintended by E. T. BENNETT, Esq.
-F.L.S., an active member of the Zoological Society, who has arranged
-for the press the whole of the materials collected from various and
-authentic sources. To JOHN BAYLEY, Esq. F.R. and A.S. M.R.I.A. &c. he
-is indebted for several suggestions in addition to the information
-contained in that gentleman’s valuable work, “The History and Antiquities
-of the Tower of London.” To MR. ALFRED COPS, the present KEEPER OF THE
-LIONS, whose meritorious exertions for the increase and improvement of
-the Menagerie have been already adverted to, he has also to tender his
-thanks and those of his coadjutors for the facilities constantly afforded
-to them in the most ready and obliging manner, and for much valuable
-information relative to the history and habits of the animals.
-
-But especially are his best thanks due for numerous suggestions and
-much valuable assistance to his friend N. A. VIGORS, Esq. A.M. F.R. and
-L.S., the zealous and talented SECRETARY of the ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. To
-that distinguished zoologist, whose extensive and intimate acquaintance
-with the animal kingdom at large, and particularly with its feathered
-tribes, is universally acknowledged, and to other leading Members of the
-Society to which he devotes his talents and his time, a work like the
-present appeared not ill adapted to advance the good cause in which they
-are engaged, the diffusion of knowledge. Under their auspices it was
-commenced, by their countenance it has been fostered, and it is with the
-sanction of their approval that it is now submitted to the public eye.
-
-LONDON, Nov. 1828.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BENGAL LION.
-
-_FELIS LEO._ LINN.--Var. BENGALENSIS.
-
-
-First in majesty as in might, the monarch of the brute creation asserts
-an undisputed claim to occupy the foremost place in our delineation of
-the inhabitants of this Royal Menagerie. Who is there to whom his stately
-mien, his unequalled strength, his tremendous powers of destruction,
-combined with the ideas generally entertained of his dauntless courage,
-his grateful affection, and his merciful forbearance, are not familiar
-“as household words?” When we speak of a Lion, we call up to our
-imaginations the splendid picture of might unmingled with ferocity,
-of courage undebased by guile, of dignity tempered with grace and
-ennobled by generosity; in a word, of all that combination of brilliant
-qualities, the imputation of which, by writers of all ages, has placed
-him by universal consent above other beasts, and invested him with regal
-attributes.
-
-Such, indeed, is the outline which we have been taught to frame to
-ourselves of this noble animal; and beautifully has this imaginary
-sketch, for such in a great measure it will be found on closer
-examination, been filled up by the magic pencil of Buffon, who, in this,
-as in too many other instances, suffered himself to be borne along by
-the strong tide of popular opinion. Yielding to the current, instead of
-boldly stemming it, he has added the weighty sanction of his authority
-to those erroneous notions which were already consecrated by their
-antiquity, and has produced a history of the Lion, which, however true
-in its main facts, and however eloquent in its details, is, to say the
-least, highly exaggerated and delusive in its colouring. The Lion of
-Buffon is, in fact, the Lion of popular prejudice; it is not the Lion,
-such as he appears to the calm observer, nor such as he is delineated in
-the authentic accounts of those naturalists and travellers who have had
-the best means of observing his habits, and recording the facts of which
-they have been themselves eye witnesses.
-
-The Lion, like all the other cats (the genus to which, in a natural
-arrangement, he obviously belongs) is armed in each jaw with six strong
-and exceedingly sharp cutting-teeth, with two formidable canine, and
-with six others, three on each side, occupying the places of the molar
-or grinding-teeth, but terminating in sharp protuberances to assist in
-the laceration of the animal food, which is the proper nutriment of his
-tribe. Besides these, he has, on each side of the upper jaw, a small
-tooth, or rather tubercle, placed immediately behind the rest. His tongue
-is covered with innumerable rough and elevated papillæ, the points of
-which are directed backwards: these also assist in comminuting his food,
-and not unfrequently leave their traces on the hand which has been
-offered him to lick. His claws, five in number on the fore feet, and four
-on the hind, are of great length, extremely hard, and much curved; they
-are retractile within a sheath enclosed in the skin which covers the
-extremity of his paws; and as they are only exposed when he has occasion
-to make use of them, they thus preserve the sharpness of their edge and
-the acuteness of their point unimpaired. In all these particulars the
-Lion essentially agrees with the rest of the cats; and it is these which
-constitute what naturalists have termed their generic character; in other
-words, they are the points of agreement which are common to the whole
-group or genus, and form the most prominent and striking characteristics,
-by which they may be at once connected together and separated from all
-other animals.
-
-The Lion is distinguished from other cats by the uniformity of his
-colour, which is pale tawny above, becoming somewhat lighter beneath,
-and never, except in his young state, exhibiting the least appearance
-of spots or stripes: by the long and flowing mane of the adult male,
-which, originating nearly as far forward as the root of his nose, extends
-backwards over his shoulders, and descends in graceful undulations on
-each side of his neck and face; and by the tuft of long and blackish
-hairs which terminates his powerful tail. These constitute what is termed
-his specific character, or that which is peculiar to the species or
-race; connecting the individuals together by marks common to them all,
-and at the same time separating them from the other animals of the same
-group or genus.
-
-In his moral and intellectual faculties, as well as in his external
-and physical characters, the Lion exhibits a close agreement with the
-strikingly distinct and well marked group to which he belongs, and of
-which he is unquestionably the first in rank and importance: and perhaps
-the most effectual means of guarding against the general prejudice,
-which has delighted in exalting him at the expense of his fellow beasts,
-will be found in the recollection that, both physically and morally, he
-is neither more nor less than a cat, of immense size and corresponding
-power it is true, but not on that account the less endowed with all the
-guileful and vindictive passions of that faithless tribe. His courage is
-proverbial: this, however, is not derived from any peculiar nobility of
-soul, but arises from the blind confidence inspired by a consciousness
-of his own superior powers, with which he is well aware that none of
-the inferior animals can successfully compete. Placed in the midst of
-arid deserts, where the fleet but timid antelope, and the cunning but
-powerless monkey fall his easy and unresisting prey; or roaming through
-the dense forests and scarcely penetrable jungles, where the elephant and
-the buffalo find in their unwieldy bulk and massive strength no adequate
-protection against the impetuous agility and fierce determination of
-his attacks, he sways an almost undisputed sceptre, and stalks boldly
-forth in fearless majesty. But change the scene, and view him in the
-neighbourhood of populous towns, or even near the habitations of
-uncultivated savages, and it will then be seen that he recognises his
-master, and crouches to the power of a superior being. Here he no longer
-shows himself openly in the proud consciousness of his native dignity,
-but skulks in the deepest recesses of the forest, cautiously watches his
-opportunities, and lies in treacherous ambush for the approach of his
-unwary prey. It is this innate feeling of his incapacity openly to resist
-the power of man, that renders him so docile in captivity, and gives him
-that air of mild tranquillity, which, together with the dignified majesty
-of his deportment, has unquestionably contributed not a little towards
-the general impression of his amiable qualities.
-
-His forbearance and generosity, if the facts be carefully investigated,
-will be found to resolve themselves into no more than this: that in
-his wild state he destroys only to satiate his hunger or revenge, and
-never, like the “gaunt wolves,” and “sullen tigers,” of whom the poet
-has composed his train, in the wantonness of his power and the malignity
-of his disposition; and that, when tamed, his hunger being satisfied and
-his feelings being free from irritation, he suffers smaller animals to
-remain in his den uninjured, is familiar with, and sometimes fond of, the
-keeper by whom he is attended and fed, and will even, when under complete
-control, submit to the caresses of strangers.
-
-But even this limited degree of amiability, which, in an animal of less
-formidable powers, would be considered as indicating no peculiar mildness
-of temper, is modified by the calls of hunger, by the feelings of
-revenge, which he frequently cherishes for a considerable length of time,
-and by various other circumstances which render it dangerous to approach
-him unguardedly, even in his tamest and most domesticated state, without
-previously ascertaining his immediate state of mind. On such occasions no
-keeper possessed of common prudence would be rash enough to venture upon
-confronting him: he knows too well that it is no boy’s play to
-
-            … seek the Lion in his den,
-    And fright him there, and make him tremble there;
-
-for in this state of irritation, from whatever cause it may have arisen,
-he gives free scope to his natural ferocity, unrestrained by that control
-to which at other times he submits with meek and unresisting patience.
-
-Happily for mankind the range of this tremendous animal is limited to
-the warmer climates of the earth; and even in these the extent of that
-range is constantly becoming more and more confined by the spread of
-human civilization, which, at the same time that it drives him to take
-refuge at a distance from the haunts of men, contributes greatly to thin
-his numbers and to diminish his power of annoyance. His true country
-is Africa, in the vast and untrodden wilds of which, from the immense
-deserts of the north to the trackless forests of the south, he reigns
-supreme and uncontrolled. In the sandy deserts of Arabia, in some of
-the wilder districts of Persia, and in the vast jungles of Hindostan,
-he still maintains a precarious footing: but from the classic soil of
-Greece, as well as from the whole of Asia Minor, both of which were once
-exposed to his ravages, he has been utterly dislodged and extirpated.
-
-There is some variation in the different races of Lions from these
-distant localities; but this is by no means of sufficient importance
-to establish a distinction between them. The Asiatic Lion, of which we
-are now treating, seldom attains a size equal to that of the full-grown
-Southern African; its colour is a more uniform and paler yellow
-throughout; and its mane is, in general, fuller and more complete, being
-furnished moreover with a peculiar appendage in the long hairs, which,
-commencing beneath the neck, occupy the whole of the middle line of the
-body below. All these distinctions are, however, modified by age, and
-vary in different individuals. Their habits are in essential particulars
-the same: we shall therefore defer what we have farther to say on this
-head until we come to speak of the Cape Lion, and proceed to the history
-of the Asiatic individual now exhibiting in this Menagerie, a striking
-likeness of which is given in the engraving at the head of the present
-article.
-
-This fine animal, although called by the keepers “the Old Lion,” is,
-in reality, little more than five years old; and that designation was
-adopted only for the purpose of distinguishing him from the Cape Lion,
-a comparatively modern resident of the Menagerie. His proper name, or
-rather that by which he has been known ever since his arrival at the
-Tower, is George. The following anecdotes relative to the mode of his
-capture, and to his habits and demeanour in his captivity, are given on
-the authority of Mr. Cops, who derived his information on the first point
-from General Watson himself, and speaks to the rest from his personal
-observation.
-
-It was in the commencement of the year 1823, when the General was on
-service in Bengal, that being out one morning on horseback, armed with a
-double-barrelled rifle, he was suddenly surprised by a large male Lion,
-which bounded out upon him from the thick jungle at the distance of only
-a few yards. He instantly fired, and, the shot taking complete effect,
-the animal fell dead almost at his feet. No sooner was this formidable
-foe thus disposed of than a second, equally terrible, made her appearance
-in the person of the Lioness, whom the General also shot at and wounded
-so dangerously that she retreated into the thicket. As her following
-so immediately in the footsteps of her mate afforded strong grounds
-for suspecting that their den could not be far distant, he determined
-upon pursuing the adventure to the end, and traced her to her retreat,
-where he completed the work of her destruction, by again discharging
-the contents of one of the barrels of his rifle, which he had reloaded
-for the purpose. In the den were found a beautiful pair of cubs, male
-and female, supposed to be then not more than three days old. These the
-General brought away with him, and succeeded by the assistance of a
-goat, who was prevailed upon to act in the capacity of foster-mother to
-the royal pair, in rearing them until they attained sufficient age and
-strength to enable them to bear the voyage to England. On their arrival
-in this country, in September, 1823, he presented them to his Majesty,
-who commanded them to be placed in the Tower. The male of this pair is
-the subject of the present, the female that of the succeeding article.
-
-The extreme youth of these Lions at the time of their capture, and the
-constant control to which they had been accustomed from that early period
-of their existence, rendered them peculiarly tame and docile, insomuch
-that, for twelve months after their arrival, they were frequently
-suffered to walk in the open yard among the visitors, who caressed them
-and played with them with impunity. The Duke of Sussex, in particular,
-was highly delighted with the unusual spectacle of a Lion and a Lioness
-bounding about him at perfect liberty, and with all their natural grace
-and agility. It must, however, be observed that they were not then fully
-grown, and that it was afterwards thought necessary to place them under
-greater restraint; but more with the view of guarding against possible
-mischief, than in consequence of any positive symptoms of rebellion. Of
-the change which has taken place in the character of the female, we shall
-have occasion to speak hereafter: the male still continues perfectly
-docile, and suffers himself to be treated with the greatest familiarity
-by his keepers and those to whom he is accustomed.
-
-Like all the other carnivorous animals in the Menagerie, he is fed but
-once in the twenty-four hours; and his meal usually consists of a piece
-of beef, of eight or nine pounds weight, exclusive of bone. This he
-seizes with avidity, tears it to pieces instantly with his claws, and
-ravenously devours it; contrary to the usual custom of his fellow lions
-in a state of nature, who are said generally to remain for a considerable
-time after they have struck the fatal blow, before proceeding to glut
-their appetite with the flesh and blood of their victim. This awful pause
-of suspense may, however, under such circumstances, be attributable to
-an instinctive desire completely to finish their work, or at least to
-preclude the possibility of resistance, prior to removing from the body
-of their prostrate prey the weapon with which his destruction has been
-inflicted.
-
-It has been generally remarked, that lions in captivity have certain
-constant and stated times for roaring: this observation is not, however,
-strictly true with regard to those now in the Tower. It may nevertheless
-be observed that in the summer time, especially when the atmospheric
-temperature is considerable, they uniformly commence roaring about dawn,
-one of them taking the lead, and the others joining in the concert in
-succession; and Mr. Cops has frequently had occasion to remark that
-whenever any one of them fails in accompanying the rest in their by no
-means harmonious performance, the cessation from the customary roar is
-an infallible symptom of actual or approaching illness. At no other time
-is there that regularity in their roaring which has been so frequently
-stated; although the chorus which has just been described is sometimes
-repeated after feeding, and also when they have been left alone for any
-length of time; hence it occurs particularly on Sundays, a day on which
-they have no company except from the occasional visits of the keepers.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS.
-
-
-Strikingly distinguished at the first glance from her royal mate by
-the absence of the flowing honours of the mane, which invest him with
-an air of superior dignity and gravity, the Lioness is also remarkable
-for her smaller size, her more slender and delicate make, and the
-superior grace and agility of her movements. Her inferiority in muscular
-strength to the Lion, and to him alone, is, however, fully compensated
-by the greater liveliness of her disposition, the unrestrained ardour
-of her passions, and the vigorous impetuosity of her motions, which all
-contribute to render her an equally formidable opponent with her more
-powerful, but less irritable, lord. They differ also in another obvious
-characteristic, the habitual position and direction of their heads, that
-of the Lion being almost uniformly elevated and thrown upwards with an
-air of mingled frankness and hauteur, agreeing well with the popular
-notions of his tranquil dignity of temper and deportment; while the
-Lioness as constantly carries her head on a level with the line of her
-back, thus giving to her otherwise expressive countenance a sullen and
-downcast look, and evincing a nearer approach to the inferior races of
-the feline tribe. This singular distinction appears to be in a great
-measure dependent on the absence of the mane; for it is observed that the
-young male cubs, until the period at which this badge of dignity begins
-to make its appearance, that is to say until they are about twelve months
-old, carry their heads in the same level position with the female.
-
-It cannot be doubted that the lighter and slenderer shape of the Lioness,
-and her consequently greater activity, tend in an especial manner to
-the formation of that more lively and sensitive character by which all
-her actions are so strongly marked: but there is another cause, no less
-powerful than these, which operates with peculiar force, in the vivid
-excitability of her maternal feelings, which she cherishes with an ardour
-almost unparalleled in the history of any other animal. From the moment
-that she becomes a mother, the native ferocity of her disposition is
-renovated as it were with tenfold vigour; she watches over her young with
-that undefined dread of danger to their weak and defenceless state, and
-that suspicious eagerness of alarm, which keep her in a constant state of
-feverish excitation: and woe be to the wretched intruder, whether man or
-beast, who should unwarily at such a time approach the precincts of her
-sanctuary. Even in a state of captivity, and however completely she may
-have been previously subjected to the control of her keeper, she loses
-all respect for his commands, and abandons herself occasionally to the
-most violent paroxysms of rage.
-
-Of this the individual Lioness now in the Tower affords a striking
-example. We have already observed in our account of the Lion that, for
-a considerable time after her arrival in England, she was so tame as to
-be allowed frequently to roam at large about the open yard; and even
-long after it had been judged expedient that this degree of liberty
-should no longer be granted, her disposition was far from exciting any
-particular fear in the minds of her keepers. As an instance of this, we
-may mention that when, on one occasion about a year and a half ago, she
-had been suffered through inadvertence to leave her den, and when she
-was by no means in good temper, George Willoughway, the under keeper,
-had the boldness, alone and armed only with a stick, to venture upon the
-task of driving her back into her place of confinement; which he finally
-accomplished, not however without strong symptoms of resistance on her
-part, as she actually made three springs upon him, all of which he was
-fortunate enough to avoid.
-
-But from the period when she gave birth to her Cubs a total alteration
-has taken place in her temper and demeanour. She no longer suffers the
-least familiarity even on the part of her keepers, but gives full scope
-to the violence of her passions. Intent solely on providing for the
-security of her young, she imagines that the object of every person
-who approaches her den is to rob her of her treasures, over which she
-watches with almost sleepless anxiety, exhibiting the truly beautiful but
-appalling picture of maternal tenderness combined with savage ferocity,
-each in their utmost intensity of force and colouring.
-
-The Cubs, which are three in number, two male and one female, were
-whelped on the 20th of October, 1827, the day of the battle of Navarino;
-and it is remarked by Mr. Cops, as a curious coincidence, that they are
-the only Lions which have been whelped in the Tower since the year 1794,
-rendered memorable by the great naval victory gained by Lord Howe over
-the French fleet. They are universally considered to be the finest ever
-bred in England, and are now in a most thriving condition. They have not,
-however, yet reached the period when the shedding of the milk-teeth takes
-place, a process which is perhaps more perilous to the brute creation
-than that of dentition to the offspring of the human race, and appears
-indeed to be attended with greater risks in proportion to the carnivorous
-propensities of the respective species. To the Lion it has always proved,
-at least in his state of captivity, a period of the greatest danger, very
-few individuals of the numerous whelps which have been produced either
-here or on the continent surviving its effects. Still there is good
-reason to hope, from the peculiarly healthy appearance of the present
-litter, that, by means of skilful management, the danger may be averted,
-and that a pair at least of these noble animals, “born and bred in
-England,” may in a few years rival their parents in size, in beauty, and
-in majesty.
-
-The mother and her whelps are admirably represented in the spirited
-group of portraits which heads the present article. The latter have all
-the playfulness of kittens, and are fondled by their dam in a similar
-manner to that in which the domestic cat caresses her young. While they
-were small enough she carried them from place to place in her mouth, and
-showed the greatest solicitude to keep them from the view of strangers;
-and even now that they are grown too large for this mode of treatment,
-she continues to pay the strictest attention to the cleanliness of their
-persons, and licks their fur, as they tumble about her, with all the
-matronly dignity and gravity of an accomplished nurse.
-
-The Cubs have hitherto exhibited very faint traces of the striped livery
-which is generally characteristic of the Lion’s whelp; but it is highly
-probable that when they lose their winter coat, this marking may become
-more obvious, although, on account of their advancing age, it will never
-show itself with that distinctness which has been observed in other
-instances. It consists of a blackish band, extending along the centre
-of the back, from the head almost to the extremity of the tail, and
-branching off into numerous other bands of the same colour, which are
-parallel to each other, and pass across the upper parts of the sides and
-tail. The very young lion consequently bears no small resemblance to the
-tiger; a circumstance which it is interesting to remark as one which
-furnishes additional evidence of the close affinity of these formidable
-animals. The colouring of its bands is, however, much less intense; and
-in addition to these it possesses on the head and on the limbs numerous
-irregular spots of a darker hue than the rest of the fur, which are never
-found in the neighbouring species. On the limbs of the present Cubs these
-spots and blotches are distinctly visible amidst the rough and half
-shaggy coat which covers them, and which is not exchanged for the smooth
-and sleek fur, with which they are subsequently invested, until they
-approach their full growth. As they advance towards the adult age, which
-takes place in the fifth or sixth year, the livery gradually disappears,
-and is then usually entirely lost. The Lioness herself, however, still
-retains some trifling vestiges of it. The Cubs are, as usual, destitute
-of the longer hairs which form the tuft at the extremity of the tail of
-the adult, which in them tapers to a black tip. Their voice is at present
-perfectly similar to the mewing of a cat; and it is not until they reach
-the age of eighteen months that it changes into that peculiar roar which
-afterwards becomes so tremendous. At that age the mane has already
-attained considerable developement. This appendage begins to make its
-appearance in the males when they are ten or twelve months old, having at
-first the shape of a slight frill or ruff, but gradually becoming more
-and more extensive, and at length assuming that striking form which gives
-to the full grown animal a graceful and dignified, and to the more aged a
-reverend and majestic, air.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CAPE LION.
-
-_FELIS LEO._--Var. CAPENSIS.
-
-
-Africa, as we have already observed, is truly the native country of
-the Lion; and in no part of that vast continent, we may add, does he
-attain greater size, or exhibit all his characteristic features in
-fuller and more complete developement, than in the immediate vicinity
-of the settlements which have been formed in the interior of its
-southern extremity by the Dutch and English colonists of the Cape. In
-speaking of the Bengal Lion, we have also pointed out the more striking
-characteristics by which the Asiatic race is distinguished from that of
-Southern Africa; consisting principally in the larger size, the more
-regular and graceful form, the generally darker colour, and the less
-extensive mane of the African. It remains, however, to be mentioned
-that, even in this latter race, there are two varieties, which have
-been long known to the settlers under the names of the Pale and the
-Black Lion, distinguished, as their appellations imply, by the lighter
-or darker colour of their coats, and more particularly of their manes.
-This variation, there can be little doubt, is entirely produced by the
-different character of the districts which they inhabit, and of the food
-which they are enabled to procure. The black Lion, as he is termed, is
-the larger and the more ferocious of the two, more frequently attacking
-man himself, if less noble prey should fail him; and sometimes measuring
-the enormous distance of eight feet from the tip of the nose to the
-origin of the tail, which is generally about half the length of the body.
-He is, however, of less frequent occurrence than the pale variety.
-
-It is in the night-time more particularly that the Lion prowls abroad in
-search of his prey, the conformation of his eyes not only, like those of
-the cat, allowing him to see with a very moderate degree of light, but
-even rendering the full glare of day distressing and intolerable to him.
-It is for this reason that travellers, who are compelled to sleep in the
-open air in countries infested by these animals, are careful to keep
-up a blazing fire, which the tenderness of their eyes deters them from
-approaching, unless when they are extremely hard pressed by the calls
-of hunger. These, it would appear, sometimes become paramount to every
-other consideration, and urge the Lion, as they do many more ignoble
-beasts, into the exhibition of a degree of courage, which, in despite
-of all that has been said on the subject, is by no means his natural
-characteristic.
-
-“At the time,” says Mr. Burchell, in his admirable Travels in Southern
-Africa, “when men first adopted the Lion as the emblem of courage, it
-would seem that they regarded great size and strength as indicating
-it; but they were greatly mistaken in the character they had given of
-this indolent skulking animal.” That an animal which seldom attacks
-by open force, but, stealing along with cautious and noiseless tread,
-silently approaches his victim, conceals himself in treacherous ambush,
-and at length, when he imagines his prey to be fairly within his reach,
-bounds forth upon him with an overwhelming leap, crushes him beneath the
-tremendous weight of his irresistible paw, tears him piece-meal with
-his talons, and, after having surfeited on his horrid meal, returns
-into the depths of his solitary concealment to sleep away the hours
-until his satiated appetite shall be again renewed, and his craving
-maw stimulate him to fresh exertion,--that such an animal should ever
-have been regarded as the type of courage and the emblem of magnanimity
-would indeed be most astonishing, were it not that men have in all ages
-been too prone to flatter superior power, and to offer at the shrine of
-greatness that homage which is due only to the good.
-
-True it is that on some occasions the Lion has been known, in the
-capriciousness of his disposition, to suffer his prostrate prey to
-escape but little injured from his clutch; but these instances are
-of rare occurrence, and may safely be referred either to his natural
-indolence, when excited neither by hunger nor by provocation, or to that
-intellectual debasement which among brutes is the usual concomitant
-of increased bulk and formidable strength. But to conclude from such
-whims and freaks, unaccountable as they may sometimes appear, that he is
-actuated by feelings of mercy, or by the natural impulse of a generous
-mind, would be about as reasonable as it would be to assume from the
-instances which are recorded of the justice and generosity of a Tamerlane
-or a Tippoo, that those monsters of sanguinary cruelty were in reality
-the mildest and most merciful of despots.
-
-We have said that the Lion generally chooses the night for his
-excursions; and this is in fact the only time at which he ventures to
-approach the habitations of man, from which he will frequently carry
-off horses or oxen, apparently with the greatest ease, and almost
-without seeming to be incumbered by his burthen. Beyond the precincts of
-European civilization, and out of the reach of the dreaded rifle, he will
-sometimes penetrate into the very hut of the Bushman, and prey upon its
-human inhabitants. It is even stated, and on very respectable authority,
-that in some of the most distant kraals, or villages, those wretched
-people purposely expose the old and the infirm among them in such
-situations as they consider most open to attack, as the Lion’s share, in
-the expectation that he will instinctively seize upon those who are first
-thrown in his way. When, however, the Lion finds his appetite thus easily
-satiated, it is said that he is sure to return night after night to the
-kraal for a fresh victim; until the miserable remnant of its inhabitants
-at length find it absolutely necessary to quit the ground, and to seek a
-precarious safety in flight.
-
-In the daytime, when pressed by hunger, the Lion takes his secret stand
-among the reeds and long grass in the neighbourhood of springs and
-rivers, and watches with unwearied patience for such animals as may, for
-the purpose of quenching their thirst, pass sufficiently near him to
-ensure the success of his attack. This is generally made in one enormous
-bound of fifteen, twenty, or even, it is said, thirty feet, and with a
-force capable of bearing to the ground and completely disabling the most
-formidable opponent. At times, however, he will pursue his prey somewhat
-more openly, and by quickly repeated springs; but this is an exertion
-which he is unable to continue for any considerable length of time, and
-which, consequently, any animal of moderate fleetness, that has fairly
-got the start of him, is certain to outstrip. Of this the Lion appears to
-be fully aware; for, if not successful in the commencement of the chase,
-he generally relinquishes it at once, and retires gradually, and step by
-step, to his place of ambush, to watch for a better opportunity and a
-more certain prey.
-
-It is rarely that the Lion of the Cape district ventures to attack a man,
-unless provoked, or impelled by urgent hunger. The colonists, however,
-who are very great sufferers (especially in their horses, for whose flesh
-he seems to have a peculiar taste) by his frequent visits, are his most
-determined and deadly foes, and omit no opportunity of wreaking their
-vengeance upon him for the injuries which he has inflicted upon their
-property. The frontier boors in particular, who are more exposed to
-his ravages, and who, being well trained to hunting, are most of them
-excellent marksmen, appear to take a peculiar pleasure in attacking
-the Lion, even when they meet him almost singly. They, however, more
-frequently make up parties for the chase, which is unquestionably
-attended with no little danger, even when the huntsmen are numerous and
-experienced; for although the Lion on such occasions almost always takes
-to his heels, and endeavours to make his escape without confronting his
-pursuers; yet, when he finds that flight is in vain, he turns upon them
-with a fierceness and determination that nothing could withstand, were it
-not for the well proved superiority possessed by them in the formidable
-rifle, which, on such an emergency, they know how to direct with a steady
-and almost unerring aim.
-
-The Cape Lion is seldom taken alive; his utter destruction and
-extermination forming the primary object of his pursuers. Occasionally,
-however, when a Lioness has been shot, and the hunters have been
-fortunate enough to trace out her den, the cubs are brought away, and
-in some measure domesticated, at least for a season, and until they
-acquire sufficient force to become dangerous. Up to this period some of
-the colonists will even suffer them to remain almost at large in their
-dwellings; but they have frequently occasion to rue the mercy they have
-shown, and are at length compelled, by the unequivocal manifestations of
-that ferocity which never fails to make its appearance when the animals
-have attained a certain age, to destroy the creatures whom they have
-nourished and caressed.
-
-Two male individuals of this breed are now exhibiting at the Tower: the
-one whose portrait illustrates the present article, and who, although
-scarcely more than two years and a half old, already rivals his adult
-Asiatic neighbour in size and majesty, while he exceeds him in grace and
-agility; and a second, of about ten months old, apparently belonging to
-the pale variety, and who is just beginning to exhibit the first faint
-outline of the mane. The former of these is remarkably beautiful and
-docile: he became an inmate of the Tower in May, 1827; and was, during
-his voyage from the Cape, being then very young, so tame and domesticated
-as to be allowed to run about the deck like a dog.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BARBARY LIONESS.
-
-_FELIS LEO._--Var. NUMIDA.
-
-
-In the male of this variety, which has been more frequently brought to
-Europe than any other, the mane attains as much developement and covers
-the under parts of the body as extensively as in the Lion of Eastern
-Asia, whom, however, at the adult age, he exceeds considerably in size.
-The Lioness has little to distinguish her from the other breeds.
-
-The specimen now in the Menagerie is a young female about three years
-and a half old. She was a present to his Majesty from the Emperor of
-Morocco. During some tempestuous weather, which occurred on her passage,
-the male who accompanied her was killed, and she herself met with an
-accident, from the falling of a spar, by which she was curtailed of her
-fair proportions, and deprived of the greater part of her tail. The
-disfigurement thus caused is, however, trifling, and she is still a very
-fine animal.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE TIGER.
-
-_FELIS TIGRIS._ LINN.
-
-
-Closely allied to the Lion, whom he resembles in size, in power, in
-external form, in internal structure, in zoological characters, in his
-prowling habits, and in his sanguinary propensities, the Tiger is at
-once distinguished from that king of beasts, and from every other of
-their common genus, by the peculiar marking of his coat. On a ground
-which exhibits in different individuals various shades of yellow, he is
-elegantly striped by a series of transverse black bands or bars, which
-occupy the sides of his head, neck, and body, and are continued upon his
-tail in the form of rings, the last of the series uniformly occupying the
-extremity of that organ, and giving to it a black tip of greater or less
-extent. The under parts of his body and the inner sides of his legs are
-almost entirely white; he has no mane; and his whole frame, though less
-elevated than that of the Lion, is of a slenderer and more graceful make.
-His head is also shorter and more rounded.
-
-Almost in the same degree that the Lion has been exalted and magnified,
-at the expense of his fellow brutes, has the Tiger been degraded and
-depressed below his just and natural level. While the one has been held
-up to admiration, as the type and standard of heroic perfection, the
-other has, with equal capriciousness of judgment and disregard of the
-close and intimate relationship subsisting between them, been looked
-upon by mankind in general with those feelings of unmingled horror and
-detestation which his character for untameable ferocity and insatiable
-thirst of blood was so well calculated to inspire. It requires, however,
-but little consideration to teach us that the broad distinction, which
-has thus been drawn, cannot by possibility exist; and the recorded
-observations of naturalists and travellers, both at home and abroad,
-will be found amply sufficient to prove that the difference in their
-characters and habits, on which so much stress has been laid, is in
-reality as slight and unessential as that which exists in their corporeal
-structure.
-
-Unquestionably the Tiger has not the majesty of the Lion; for he is
-destitute of the mane, in which that majesty chiefly resides. Neither
-has he the same calm and dignified air of imperturbable gravity which
-is at once so striking and so prepossessing in the aspect of the Lion.
-But, on the other hand, it will readily be granted, that in the superior
-lightness of his frame, which allows his natural agility its free and
-unrestricted scope, and in the graceful ease and spirited activity of his
-motions, to say nothing of the beauty, the regularity, and the vividness
-of his colouring, he far excels his competitor, whose giant bulk and
-comparative heaviness of person, added to the dull uniformity of his
-colour, detract in no small degree from the impression produced by his
-noble and majestic bearing.
-
-In comparing the moral qualities of these two formidable animals, we
-shall also find that the shades of difference, for at most they are but
-shades, which distinguish them, are, like their external characteristics,
-pretty equally balanced in favour of each. In all the leading features of
-their character, the habits of both are essentially the same. The Tiger,
-equally with the Lion, and in common indeed with the whole of the group
-to which he belongs, reposes indolently in the security of his den, until
-the calls of appetite stimulate him to look abroad for food. He then
-chooses a convenient ambush, in which to lie concealed from observation,
-generally amid the underwood of the forest, but sometimes even on the
-branches of a tree, which he climbs with all the agility of a cat. In
-this secret covert he awaits with patient watchfulness the approach of
-his prey, upon which he darts forth with an irresistible bound, and bears
-it off in triumph to his den. Unlike the Lion, however, if his first
-attack proves unsuccessful, and he misses his aim, he does not usually
-slink sullenly back into his retreat, but pursues his victim with a speed
-and activity which is seldom baffled even by the fleetest animals.
-
-It is only when this close and covert mode of attack has failed in
-procuring him the necessary supply, that, urged by those inward cravings,
-which are the ruling impulse of all his actions, he prowls abroad under
-the veil of night, and ventures to approach the dwellings of man, of whom
-he does not appear to feel that instinctive awe which the Lion has been
-known so frequently to evince. But even on such occasions, and although
-impelled by the strong stimulus of famine, he is in general far from
-unmindful of his own security; but creeps slowly along his silent path
-with all the stealthy caution so characteristic of the feline tribe.
-Occasionally, however, when the pangs of hunger have become intolerable,
-and can no longer be controlled even by the overpowering sway of
-instinct, he will boldly advance upon man himself in the open face of
-day, and brave every danger in the pursuit of that object which, to the
-exclusion of every other sentiment, appears under such circumstances
-wholly to engross his faculties.
-
-It is evident then that in the general outline of his habits, and even
-in most of the separate traits by which his character is marked, he
-differs but little from the Lion. His courage, if brute force stimulated
-by sensual appetite can deserve that honourable name, is at least
-equal; and as for magnanimity and generosity, the idea of attributing
-such noble qualities to either is in itself so absurd, and is so fully
-refuted by every particular of their authentic history, that it would
-be perfectly ridiculous to attempt a comparison where no materials for
-comparison exist. It may, however, be observed that in one point the
-disposition of the Tiger appears to be more cruel than that of the Lion;
-inasmuch as it is related, that he is not at all times satisfied with
-a single victim, but deals forth wholesale destruction, without mercy
-and without distinction, upon whatever may chance to be within the reach
-of his murderous talons. This, however, is by no means his constant or
-usual practice; his instinct being in general sufficient to teach him
-that his purpose is as effectually answered by one fatal bound as by the
-most extensive devastation; for neither he, nor any of the more powerful
-of his tribe, return to their prey after the first meal, but leave its
-mangled relics for the ignoble beasts which follow in their train.
-
-To what cause then, if the similarity between these two animals be so
-great, and the points of distinction between them so trifling, can we
-attribute the very different impressions which we have all received, and
-in all probability continue to cherish, with regard to their respective
-characters? Perhaps something like a plausible answer to this question
-may be found in the fact, that our notions of the Lion have been formed
-on the striking and exaggerated pictures of his noble qualities, for
-which we are indebted to the poets of antiquity, who contemplated him
-only in his captive and almost domesticated state; while our early ideas
-of the Tiger were derived in a great measure from the equally exaggerated
-statements of miserable and pusillanimous Hindoos, the spiritless and
-unresisting victims of every species of oppression, who regarded him with
-almost unspeakable horror as the merciless tyrant of their forests,--a
-tyrant whose ferocious temper and sanguinary ravages were equalled
-only by those of the human despots, to whom, as well as to their brute
-oppressors, they paid the base tribute of servile minds, in the fearful
-dread and crouching awe with which they prostrated themselves at the feet
-of both.
-
-Nothing in fact can exceed the terror which this formidable animal
-inspires in those countries which are liable to his devastations. More
-restricted, however, in this respect than the Lion, he is entirely
-unknown in Africa, and is rarely, if ever, to be met with in Asia on this
-side the Indus. In the south of China, and in the larger Asiatic Islands,
-such as Sumatra and Java, he is unhappily but too common; but it is
-said, we know not with what degree of truth, that in the last mentioned
-locality he is less ferocious than in the Peninsula of Hindostan. This is
-truly the cradle of his existence and the seat of his empire, in which
-he disputes dominion even with the Lion himself, who is comparatively
-rare in the Indian jungles, and with whom the Tiger has been sometimes
-known to join in deadly and successful struggle for the mastery. Endowed
-with a degree of force, which the Lion and the Elephant alone can
-equal, he carries off a buffalo in his tremendous jaws, almost without
-relaxing from his usual speed. With a single stroke of his claws he rips
-open the body of the largest animals; and is said to suck their blood
-with insatiable avidity. Of the correctness of this latter statement,
-at least in its full extent, there is however strong reason to doubt.
-The Tiger does not, according to the most credible accounts, exhibit
-this propensity to drinking the blood of his victims in any greater
-degree than the rest of his carnivorous and blood-thirsty companions.
-In this, as in other instances, fear has drawn largely on credulity,
-and the simple and sufficiently disgusting fact has been amplified and
-exaggerated with all the refinements upon horror which the terrified
-imagination could suggest.
-
-In making these observations it is far from our intention to become the
-apologists of this ferocious beast: our object is simply to place him in
-the rank which he deserves to hold, on a level with those animals with
-whom Nature has decreed that he should be associated no less in character
-than in form. In his wild and unrestricted state, he is unquestionably
-one of the most terrible of the living scourges, to whose fatal ravages
-the lower animals, and even man himself, are exposed. But in captivity,
-and especially if domesticated while young, his temper is equally pliant,
-his disposition equally docile, and his manners and character equally
-susceptible of amelioration, with those of any other animal of his class.
-All the stories that have been so frequently reiterated, until they
-have at length passed current without examination as accredited truths,
-of his intractable disposition and insensibility to the kind treatment
-of his keepers, towards whom it is alleged that he never exhibits the
-slightest feelings of gratitude, have been proved by repeated experience
-to be utterly false and groundless. He is tamed with as much facility,
-and as completely, as the Lion; and soon becomes familiarised with those
-who feed him, whom he learns to distinguish from others, and by whom he
-is fond of being noticed and caressed. Like the cat, which he resembles
-so closely in all his actions, he arches his broad and powerful back
-beneath the hand that caresses him; he licks his fur and smooths himself
-with his paws; and purrs in the same mild and expressive manner when he
-is particularly pleased. He remains perfectly quiet and undisturbed,
-unless when hungry or irritated, and passes the greater part of his time
-in listless repose. His roar is nearly similar to that of the Lion, and,
-like his, is by no means to be regarded as a symptom of anger, which he
-announces by a short and shrill cry, approaching to a scream.
-
-Two of these noble animals, the one male and the other female, are
-among the most striking and attractive ornaments of the Menagerie.
-The beautiful male, of which our figure offers a characteristic
-likeness, is a very recent importation, having arrived in England in
-the month of April of the present year, in the East India Company’s
-ship Buckinghamshire, to the commander of which, Captain Glasspool, we
-are indebted for the following particulars relative to his birthplace,
-capture, early life, and education. He was taken prisoner in company
-with two other cubs, supposed to be not more than three weeks old, on
-that part of the coast of the peninsula of Malacca which is opposite to
-the island of Penang, and is commonly known by the name of the Queda
-Coast. In our present imperfect acquaintance with this part of the
-farther peninsula of Hindoostan, it affords perhaps but little ground
-for surprise that none of these terrible animals should have previously
-reached this quarter of the globe from a locality so seldom visited by
-European vessels. Their existence in its extensive jungles and marshy
-plains has long, however, been notorious; and to judge from the specimen
-now before us, which, although barely two years old, already exceeds in
-size the full-grown Asiatic Lion which occupies the neighbouring den,
-they must in that situation be at least as formidable as their fellows of
-the hither peninsula. The dam of this individual had, it appears, made
-a nocturnal incursion into one of the towns of the district, from which
-she had carried off a large quantity of provisions. She was pursued and
-killed, and her three cubs were taken possession of by the conquerors
-in token of their victory and brought home in triumph. One of them,
-a female, died shortly after; the second, a male, is still living in
-the possession of a resident at Penang; and the third, the subject of
-the present article, also fell into the hands of a gentleman of that
-settlement, in whose paddock he was confined, in company with a pony
-and a dog, for upwards of twelve months, without evincing the least
-inclination to injure his companions or any one who approached him. By
-this gentleman he was presented to Captain Glasspool, who brought him to
-England: on the voyage he was remarkably tame, allowing the sailors to
-play with him, and appearing to take much pleasure in their caresses.
-On being placed in his present den he was rather sulky for a few days;
-but seems now to have recovered his good temper, and to be perfectly
-reconciled to his situation. The mildness of his temper may probably
-be in a great measure due to his having from a very early age been
-accustomed to boiled food; raw flesh never having been offered to him
-until after his arrival in the Menagerie. This change of food he seems
-particularly to enjoy, although he has by no means lost his appetite for
-soup, which he devours with much eagerness. Notwithstanding his immature
-age, Mr. Cops considers him the largest Tiger that he ever saw.
-
-The other individual at present in the Tower is a Tigress of great beauty
-from Bengal, scarcely a twelvemonth old, who also promises to become an
-exceedingly fine animal. During her passage from Calcutta she was allowed
-to range about the vessel unrestricted, became perfectly familiar with
-the sailors, and showed not the slightest symptom of ferocity. On her
-arrival, however, in the Thames, the irritation produced by the sight
-of strangers completely and instantly changed her temper, rendering her
-irascible and dangerous. Her deportment was so sulky and savage that Mr.
-Cops could scarcely be prevailed on by her former keeper, who saw her
-shortly afterwards, to allow him to enter her den: but no sooner did
-she recognise her old friend, than she fawned upon him, licked him, and
-caressed him, exhibiting the most extravagant signs of pleasure; and when
-he left her she cried and whined for the remainder of the day. To her new
-residence and her new keeper she is now perfectly reconciled.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE LEOPARD.
-
-_FELIS LEOPARDUS._ LINN.
-
-
-The race of this wily and sanguinary animal, which is unsurpassed in all
-the terrible characteristics of its tribe, and yields to the tremendous
-and ferocious beasts, to the illustration of whose habits and manners our
-previous pages have been devoted, in none of their dreaded attributes,
-excepting only in size and strength, is spread almost as extensively
-over the surface of the Old World as that of the Lion himself. From the
-shores of the Mediterranean to the immediate neighbourhood of the Cape
-he is familiar to every part of the monster-bearing continent of Africa;
-while in the east of Asia his fatal spring and murderous talons are
-equally known and dreaded by the mild and timid Hindoos, the polite but
-still barbarous Chinese, and the fierce and savage Islanders of the great
-Sumatran chain. Throughout this immense tract of country he varies but in
-a trifling degree, and that merely in his comparative magnitude, in the
-size, shape, and disposition of his markings, and in the greater or less
-intensity of his colouring: in the more essential particulars of form and
-structure, as well as in character and disposition, he is every where the
-same.
-
-It has already been mentioned that the Leopard is smaller than the Tiger;
-indeed he seldom exceeds from three to four feet from the tip of the nose
-to the root of the tail, which latter is somewhat shorter than the body.
-Perhaps the largest authentic measurement is that of an animal, spoken of
-under the designation of Panther, but in all probability truly a Leopard,
-which was killed by Colonel Denham’s party in the course of that zealous
-and successful traveller’s late expedition, and which is stated at eight
-feet two inches from the muzzle to the extremity of the tail. This savage
-creature, although twice impaled by the lances of his pursuers which
-he had snapped asunder in his rage, was still on the point of making a
-spring upon the foremost of the party, when a musket ball through the
-head completely deprived him of that vitality which his previous wounds,
-dangerous and fatal as they undoubtedly were, had not even appeared to
-diminish in any sensible degree.
-
-The ground colour of the fur of the Leopard, which is eminently and
-beautifully sleek, is a yellowish fawn above, which becomes paler on the
-sides, and is entirely lost in the pure white of the under part of the
-body. The top of the back, the head, neck, limbs, and under surface of
-the body, are irregularly covered with larger or smaller, roundish or
-oval, perfectly black spots; while the whole of the sides of the animal
-and a portion of his tail are occupied by numerous distinct roses, formed
-by the near approach of three or four elongated small black spots,
-which surround a central area, about an inch or an inch and a quarter
-in breadth, of a somewhat deeper colour than the ground on which it is
-placed. There are some black lines on the lips, and bands of the same
-colour on the inside of the legs; two or three imperfect black circles,
-alternating with white, also occur towards the extremity of the tail,
-which is entirely white beneath.
-
-It would be superfluous to enter into any detail of his habits, which
-correspond but too well with those of his fellow cats already described,
-and are only modified by his want of equal power. This deficiency is,
-however, in a great measure supplied by the extreme pliability of his
-spine, which gives to his motions a degree of velocity, agility, and
-precision combined, that is altogether unequalled by any other quadruped,
-and to which the greater lateral compression of his body, the increased
-length and more slender proportions of his limbs, and the suppleness of
-all his joints must of necessity materially contribute. Equally savage,
-equally dastardly, and equally cruel, he closely imitates the manners
-of the Lion and the Tiger, on a somewhat reduced, but still formidable,
-scale. Antilopes, monkeys, and the smaller quadrupeds constitute his
-usual prey, upon which he darts forth from his secret stand, and which
-he pertinaciously pursues even upon the trees where they may have taken
-refuge, climbing after them with surprising agility. Man he generally
-endeavours, if possible, to avoid; but, when hard pressed, he fears not
-to make head against the hunter; and it frequently requires the exertion
-of no common share of skill and intrepidity in the latter to save
-himself from the deadly fangs of the infuriated object of his pursuit.
-Occasionally, indeed, the cravings of hunger stimulate the treacherous
-animal to attack the unwary woodcutter, or the lone traveller whose path
-has led to his secret haunts; but in this case he rarely, if ever, shows
-himself openly in the face of day, but watches with insidious glare for
-the fatal opportunity of springing upon his wretched victim from behind,
-and of annihilating his power of resistance before it could possibly be
-exerted in his defence.
-
-In captivity, however, especially if taken while yet young, his character
-frequently undergoes a change as favourable as that which takes place
-under the same circumstances in the generality of his tribe. The pair at
-present in the Tower are male and female; they are both Asiatic, and are
-confined in the same den, but they differ very materially in temper and
-disposition. The female, which is the older of the two, and has been a
-resident in the Menagerie for upwards of four years, is exceedingly tame,
-suffering herself to be patted and caressed by the keeper, and licking
-his hands. Strangers, however, especially ladies, should be cautious of
-approaching her too familiarly, as she has always evinced a particular
-predilection for the destruction of umbrellas, parasols, muffs, hats,
-and such other articles of dress as may happen to come within her reach,
-seizing them with the greatest quickness and tearing them into pieces
-almost before the astonished visiter has become aware of the loss. To
-so great an extent has she carried this peculiar taste that Mr. Cops
-declares that he has no doubt that during her residence in the Tower she
-has made prey of at least as many of these articles as there are days in
-the year. The agility with which she bounds round her cell, which is of
-considerable size, touching at one leap, and almost with the velocity of
-thought, each of its four walls, and skimming along the ceiling with the
-same rapidity of action, which is scarcely to be followed by the eye,
-is truly wonderful, and speaks more forcibly of the muscular power and
-flexibility of limb by which such extraordinary motions are executed than
-language can express.
-
-The male, on the contrary, although he has been more than twelve months
-an inmate of the Tower, is still as sullen and as savage as on the day of
-his arrival. Notwithstanding the kind treatment which has been lavished
-upon him by the keepers, he yet refuses to become familiarised with them,
-and receives all their overtures at a nearer acquaintance with such sulky
-and even angry symptoms as plainly evince that it would be dangerous to
-tamper with his unreclaimed and unmanageable disposition. He is, as is
-usual in all these animals, larger than the female, and much richer and
-more beautiful in the style of his marking and depth of his colouring.
-The two animals, however, although differing so greatly in temper, agree
-together tolerably well, excepting only at meal times, when their usual
-harmony is in some measure broken in upon by the jealousy with which they
-regard each other’s share of the repast.
-
-Their food consists of about five pounds of beef per day for each: this
-the keeper generally tosses up in front of their den, at the distance
-of nearly two feet from the bars, and to the height of six or eight
-feet from the floor. The animals, who are on the alert for their dinner,
-immediately leap towards the bars, and, darting out their paws with
-incredible swiftness, almost uniformly succeed in seizing it before it
-falls to the ground. If, as it sometimes happens, the meat is thrown
-up at too great a distance, so as not to be fairly within reach, they
-remain perfectly stationary and make no attempt to spring upon it, but
-watch it with anxious avidity, apparently calculating and comparing the
-distance of the object and the extent of their own grasp. When they
-have, in this way, secured their meal, instead of ravenously falling
-to, like the other carnivorous animals in the collection, they stand
-growling over it for some minutes, leering upon each other with the most
-frightful contortions. This growling attitude of mistrust in feeding was
-constantly maintained by the female, even before she had a companion in
-her captivity, and when consequently there existed no immediate object
-for the excitement of her selfish or envious feelings.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE JAGUAR.
-
-_FELIS ONCA._ LINN.
-
-
-It can scarcely fail to have been remarked by those who have perused
-the preceding pages with moderate attention that the species of cats
-described in them, including the largest and most formidable of the whole
-genus, are exclusively natives of the Old World, and confined to the hot
-and burning climates of Southern Asia and of Africa. A second and more
-numerous class, of which, however, no example exists at present in the
-Tower Menagerie, and which, consequently, it does not fall within our
-province to illustrate, occupy the colder and northern regions of both
-hemispheres. These belong principally to the same subdivision with the
-Lynx (being, like him, distinguished by the pencils of long hairs which
-surmount their ears), and to that which comprehends the domestic cat; and
-are all of diminutive size and trifling power when compared with those
-monstrous productions of the torrid zone, the Lion, the Tiger, and the
-Leopard. The reader is not, however, to imagine that the smaller species
-exist only in the vicinity of the pole and in the temperate regions of
-the earth: he will find, on the contrary, that many of them are natives
-of more southern climes, and commit their petty ravages under as fierce
-a sun as that which fires their more dreaded competitors in the career
-of rapine and of blood. Of one of these, the true Lynx of antiquity, we
-shall have occasion to treat in a subsequent article.
-
-But there is also a third class which springs into existence in the
-warmer climates of America, some of whose representatives almost equal
-the Tiger in magnitude, in vigour, and in ferocity, while others rival
-the Leopard in the beauty and sleekness of their fur, and in the agility
-and gracefulness of their motions. Foremost of these, and holding the
-highest rank among the most formidable animals of the New World, stands
-the Jaguar, or, as he is sometimes called, the American Tiger. Superior
-to the Leopard in size as well as in strength, he approaches very nearly
-in both respects to the Lionesses of the smaller breeds: he is, however,
-less elevated on his legs, and heavier and more clumsy in all his
-proportions. His head is larger and rounder than that of the Leopard;
-and his tail is considerably shorter in proportion, being only of
-sufficient length to allow of its touching the ground when the animal is
-standing, while that of the Leopard, as we have before observed, is very
-nearly as long as his whole body. This disproportion between the length
-of their tails affords perhaps the most striking distinction between
-the two animals, offering, as it does, a constant and never-failing
-criterion; whereas the difference in the marking of their furs, although
-sufficiently obvious on a close examination, depends almost entirely
-on such minute particularities as would probably escape the notice of
-a superficial observer, and were in fact for a long time so completely
-neglected, even by zoologists, that it is only within a few years that
-we have been again taught accurately to distinguish between them. These
-particularities we shall now proceed to point out.
-
-On the whole upper surface of the body of the Jaguar the fur, which is
-short, close, and smooth, is of a bright yellowish fawn; passing on the
-throat, belly, and inside of the legs, into a pure white. On this ground
-the head, limbs, and under surface are covered with full black spots
-of various sizes; and the rest of the body with roses, either entirely
-bordered by a black ring or surrounded by several of the smaller black
-spots arranged in a circular form. The full spots are generally continued
-upon the greater part of the tail, the tip of which is black, and which
-is also encircled near its extremity by three or four black rings. So far
-there is little to distinguish the marking of the Jaguar from that of
-the Leopard; we come now to the differences observable between them. The
-spots which occupy the central line of the back in the former are full,
-narrow, and elongated; and the roses of the sides and haunches, which are
-considerably larger and proportionally less numerous than in the Leopard,
-are all or nearly all marked with one or sometimes two black dots or
-spots of smaller size towards their centre: an apparently trifling,
-but constant and very remarkable distinction, which exists in no other
-species. By this peculiarity alone the Jaguar may at once be recognised;
-and this external characteristic, together with the extreme shortness
-of his tail, his much greater size, his comparatively clumsy form, and
-the heaviness of all his motions, not to speak of the peculiarity of
-his voice, which has the sharp and harsh sound of an imperfect bark,
-are unquestionably fully sufficient to sanction his separation from
-a race of animals, from which, however much he may resemble them in
-general characters, he differs in so many and such essential particulars.
-That this separation has been made more complete by the hand of Nature
-herself, who has interposed the wide ocean between him and those of his
-fellows with whom alone there is any probability of his being confounded,
-is an additional proof, if any confirmation were wanting, of the
-soundness of the distinction which has been drawn between them.
-
-It is in the swampy forests of South America that the Jaguar commits
-his destructive ravages, which are spread over nearly the whole of
-that continent from Paraguay almost to the Isthmus of Darien. It has
-frequently been said that he is also to be found in Mexico; but this
-appears to be a mistake, originating probably in Buffon’s having
-confounded the Jaguar with the Ocelot, describing and figuring the latter
-under the name of the former, and intermingling with his description many
-of the peculiar traits of the real Jaguar derived from the relations
-of travellers. On the other hand he has erroneously figured the latter
-animal under the name of the Panther; a mistake in which he has been
-followed by Pennant and others, and with which the writings of zoologists
-are more or less infected even up to the present day. What the Panther of
-the ancients actually was, or whether there exists any real difference
-between it and the Leopard, is a much disputed question, into which we
-have neither space nor inclination to enter: certain it is that it could
-not possibly have been the present animal, which has never been found out
-of the limits of America; and that Buffon himself had no idea, while he
-was figuring the latter, that the specimen before him was not a native of
-Africa or the East. The name of Jaguar is corruptedly derived from the
-Brazilian appellation of the animal, to which the Portuguese have given
-the name of Onça; another blunder, for the Ounce of the Old World is now
-universally allowed to be identical with the Leopard, and with the latter
-we have already shown that it is impossible that the American species can
-be conjoined.
-
-Like the Cats already described, to whom, however, he is much inferior
-in the suppleness and elasticity of his motions, the Jaguar makes
-his solitary haunt in the recesses of the forest, especially in the
-neighbourhood of large rivers, which he swims with the greatest
-dexterity. Of the extent of this faculty, as well as of his extraordinary
-strength, some judgment may be formed from a circumstance related by
-D’Azara, which fell partly under that traveller’s personal observation;
-namely, that a Jaguar, after having attacked and destroyed a horse,
-carried the body of his victim for about sixty paces to the bank of a
-broad and deep river, over which he swam with his prey, and then dragged
-it into the adjoining wood. According to M. Sonnini he is as expert at
-climbing as at swimming. “I have seen,” he says, “in the forests of
-Guiana, the prints left by the claws of the Jaguar on the smooth bark of
-a tree from forty to fifty feet in height, measuring about a foot and a
-half in circumference, and clothed with branches near its summit alone.
-It was easy to follow with the eye the efforts which the animal had made
-to reach the branches: although his talons had been thrust deeply into
-the body of the tree, he had met with several slips, but he had always
-recovered his ground, and, attracted no doubt by some favourite object of
-prey, had at length succeeded in gaining the very top.”
-
-Endowed with such tremendous powers it is no wonder that this formidable
-animal is regarded with terror by the inhabitants of the countries which
-he infests. He seldom, however, attacks the human race; although he does
-not appear to shun it with any peculiar dread. His onset is always made
-from behind, and in the same treacherous manner as that of all his tribe;
-of a herd of animals or of a band of men passing within his reach, he
-uniformly singles out the last as the object of his fatal bound. When he
-has made choice of his victim he springs upon its neck, and, placing one
-of his paws upon the back of its head while he seizes its muzzle with
-the other, twists its head round with a sudden jerk, which dislocates
-its spine and deprives it instantaneously of life and motion. His
-favourite game appears to be the larger quadrupeds, such as oxen, horses,
-sheep, and dogs, whom he attacks indiscriminately and almost always
-successfully, when urged by the powerful cravings of his maw. At other
-times he is indolent and cowardly, secretes himself in caverns, skulks in
-the depths of the forest, and is scared by the most trifling causes.
-
-The Spaniards and even the native Indians appear to take a pleasure in
-hunting the Jaguar, whom they attack in various ways. One of the most
-common is to chase him with a numerous pack of dogs, who, although they
-dare not attack so formidable an opponent, frequently succeed in driving
-him to seek refuge on a tree or in a thick copse. Should he trust himself
-to the former, he is usually destroyed by the musket or the lance; but
-if he has taken covert among the bushes, it is sometimes difficult to
-aim at him with precision. In this latter case some of the Indians are
-hardy enough to attack him single-handed; a perilous exploit, which,
-according to D’Azara, they perform in the following manner. Armed only
-with a lance, of five feet in length, they envelope their left arm
-in a sheep-skin, by means of which they evade the first onset of the
-furious animal, and gain sufficient time to plunge their weapon into his
-body before he can turn upon them for a second attack. Another mode of
-destroying him is by means of the lasso; but this method can of course
-be employed only when the animal roams abroad upon the plains, or can be
-driven by the dogs into an open space fit for the purpose. Riding at full
-gallop with the lasso coiled up in their hands, these excellent horsemen
-will throw the noose with such certainty and precision as infallibly to
-secure their formidable enemy at the distance of a hundred paces, and to
-place him completely at their mercy.
-
-The Jaguar is generally said to be quite untameable, and to maintain
-his savage ferocity even in a state of captivity, showing no symptoms
-of attachment to those who have the care of him. This assertion is
-amply contradicted by the fact that an individual confined in the Paris
-Menagerie, was exceedingly mild in his temper, and particularly fond
-of licking the hands of those with whom he was familiar; as was also
-remarkably the case with the specimen lately in the Tower, whose portrait
-ornaments the present article. This animal was obtained by Lord Exmouth
-while on the American station, and accompanied the expedition to Algiers
-at the memorable bombardment of that nest of pirates. On his return
-to England, his Lordship gave it to the Marchioness of Londonderry,
-who soon afterwards presented it to his Majesty, by whose order it was
-placed in the Tower; where it continued until a short time since, when it
-unfortunately died. Mr. Cops is, however, in expectation of being soon
-enabled to replace it. It was exhibited under the name of the Panther, an
-appellation which we have before stated that the Jaguar had erroneously
-obtained, not only among the furriers, by whom it is universally so
-called, but even among scientific zoologists.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE PUMA.
-
-_FELIS CONCOLOR._ LINN.
-
-
-Nearly approaching to the Jaguar in size and form, but obviously
-distinguished from him at the first glance, by the total absence of
-spots, the Puma, Couguar, or, as he was once called, the American Lion,
-occupies the second place among the cats of the New World, over nearly
-the whole of which he was formerly spread, from Canada and the United
-States in the North, to the very extremity of Patagonia in the South.
-From a large portion of this immense expanse of country he appears,
-however, to have been of late years in a great measure, if not entirely,
-rooted out; and it is seldom that he is now heard of in the vicinity
-of that civilization, which involves, as a necessary consequence,
-either the complete extinction, or, at least, the gradual diminution and
-dispersion to more secure and sheltered habitations, of all the more
-savage and obnoxious beasts. For his title of the American Lion he was,
-in a great degree, indebted to an absurd notion on the part of the early
-colonists, which was even shared by many naturalists, that he was, in
-reality, neither more nor less than a degenerate variety of that far more
-noble animal. This opinion has, however, long since given way before
-the prevalence of sounder views; and he is now universally recognised
-as forming a species clearly distinguishable from every other, by a
-combination of characters which it is impossible to mistake.
-
-Almost the only striking point of resemblance between him and the Lion
-consists in the uniform sameness of his colour, which on the upper parts
-of his body is of a bright silvery fawn, the tawny hairs being terminated
-by whitish tips: beneath and on the inside of the limbs he is nearly
-white, and more completely so on the throat, chin, and upper lip. The
-head has an irregular mixture of black and gray; the outside of the ears,
-especially at the base, the sides of the muzzle from which the whiskers
-take their origin, and the extremity of the tail, are black. The latter
-is not terminated, as in the Lion, by a brush of hair; neither has the
-Puma any vestige of a mane. His length from the tip of the nose to the
-root of the tail is commonly about four feet, and his tail measures above
-half as much more, being just sufficiently long to suffer its extremity
-to trail upon the ground. His head is remarkably small and rounded, with
-a broad and somewhat obtuse muzzle; and his body is proportionably more
-slender and less elevated than that of the Lion. His young, like those
-of the latter animal, have a peculiar livery, consisting in spots of a
-darker shade than the rest of their fur, scattered over every part of the
-body, but only visible in a particular light, and disappearing entirely
-at the adult age. There is no difference whatever in colour between the
-sexes, the fur of the female being in every respect similar to that of
-the male: in size the latter is superior to his mate; and his head, a
-part which in the female is disproportionately small, corresponds better
-with the general form of his body.
-
-More circumspect, or rather more cowardly, than any of the larger species
-of his cautious tribe, he is, notwithstanding his much greater magnitude,
-scarcely more dangerous than the common wild cat, preying only upon
-the smaller species of animals, seldom venturing to attack any living
-creature of greater size or courage than a sheep, and flying from the
-face of man with more than usual terror. But this cowardice is also, in a
-state of nature, connected with a degree of ferocity, fully equal to that
-which is developed in the most savage and blood-thirsty of his fellow
-cats. Unlike the Jaguar, which generally contents itself with a single
-victim, the Puma, if he should happen to find himself undisturbed in the
-midst of a flock of sheep, deserted by their guardians and left entirely
-at his mercy, is said never to spare, but to destroy every individual
-that he can reach, for the purpose of sucking its blood. He differs also
-from the Jaguar in his habit of frequenting the open plain rather than
-the forest and the river, in and near which the latter usually takes his
-secret and destructive stand. Hence he is more exposed to the pursuit of
-the skilful thrower of the lasso, from whom, as his swiftness is by no
-means great and his timidity excessive, he rarely escapes.
-
-In captivity the Puma readily becomes tame, and may even be rendered
-docile and obedient. His manners closely resemble those of the domestic
-cat; like it he is extremely fond of being noticed, raises his back and
-stretches his limbs beneath the hand that caresses him, and expresses
-his pleasure by the same quiet and complacent purring. They soon become
-attached to those with whom they are familiar; and numerous instances
-might be mentioned in which they have been suffered to roam almost at
-large about the house without any injurious results. One of these is no
-doubt familiar to many of our readers, occurring as it did under the
-roof of Mr. Kean, the tragedian, who possessed an animal of this species
-so tame as to follow him about almost like a dog, and to be frequently
-introduced into his drawing-room, when filled with company, at perfect
-liberty.
-
-The Puma figured above is a female, about three years old, exceedingly
-sleek in her fur and lively in her colours, and equally mild and
-good-tempered with any of her race.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE OCELOT.
-
-_FELIS PARDALIS._ LINN.
-
-
-“Of all the animals with tigrine skins,” says Buffon, “the male Ocelot
-has unquestionably the most beautiful and at the same time the most
-elegantly variegated robe; that of the Leopard himself does not approach
-it in liveliness of colour or regularity of design.” That this estimate
-is by no means exaggerated will readily be allowed by all who have
-had an opportunity of seeing this truly beautiful creature, which may
-unquestionably be regarded as the _beau ideal_ of a cat. Nearly equal
-in size to the Lynx of Europe, but shorter in its proportions and more
-graceful in its form, it holds, as it were, a middle station between
-the Leopard and the domestic cat. Its body, when full grown, is nearly
-three feet in length, and its tail rather more than one; while its medium
-height may be reckoned at about eighteen inches. The ground colour of
-its fur is gray mingled with a slight tinge of fawn; and on this it is
-elegantly marked with numerous longitudinal bands, the dorsal one being
-continuous and entirely black, and the lateral, to the number of six or
-seven on each side, consisting for the most part of a series of elongated
-spots with black margins, sometimes completely distinct, and sometimes
-running together. The centre of each of these spots offers a deeper tinge
-of fawn than the ground colour external to them; and this deeper tinge
-is also conspicuous on the upper part of the head and neck, and on the
-outside of the limbs, all of which parts are irregularly marked with
-full black lines and spots of various sizes. From the top of the head,
-between the ears, there pass backwards, towards the shoulders, two, or
-more frequently four, uninterrupted diverging bands, which are full black
-anteriorly, but generally bifurcate posteriorly and enclose a narrow
-fawn-coloured space within a black margin; between these there is a
-single longitudinal somewhat interrupted narrow black line, occupying the
-centre of the neck above. The ears are short and rounded, and externally
-margined with black, surrounding a large central whitish spot. The under
-parts of the body are whitish, spotted with black, and the tail, which is
-of the same ground colour with the body, is also covered with blackish
-spots.
-
-The description above given is chiefly derived from the comparison of
-two living specimens, the one existing in the Menagerie of the Tower,
-the other in that of the Zoological Society, at their gardens in the
-Regent’s Park. There is one circumstance, however, of which it may be
-necessary to offer some explanation. We have stated the length of the
-tail at more than a foot; and in all the known Ocelots, as well as in
-all the species (of which there are several) that approach it in form
-and colouring, the proportionate length of the tail is at least equal to
-that which we have given as its average measurement. That of the Tower
-specimen, however, does not exceed six or seven inches; its extremity is
-completely overgrown with hair, and there is no appearance of a cicatrix.
-Still its equality throughout, and its abrupt stumpiness, if we may so
-express ourselves, induce the belief that this abbreviation of the tail
-is purely accidental; and we feel by no means inclined to regard the
-specimen before us as belonging to a new species, to be distinguished by
-the excessive shortness of that appendage, by the unusually pale colour
-of its markings, and by some slight peculiarities in the mode of their
-arrangement, which varies indeed in every individual that we have seen.
-
-The animal in question, accurately represented in the portrait which is
-prefixed to the present article, was presented by the late Sir Ralph
-Woodford, governor of Trinidad, about six months since, under the name
-of the Peruvian Tiger; from which denomination we may presume that it
-was originally brought from that part of the continent of America. The
-species, however, is very widely spread, being found as well in Mexico,
-from the language of which country it derives its name, as in Paraguay.
-Its habits are similar to those of the other cats, keeping itself close
-in the depths of the forests during the day, and prowling abroad at
-night in search of victims, which it finds in the smaller quadrupeds
-and birds. In the chase of the latter it is particularly successful,
-pursuing them even to their nests amid the trees, which it climbs with
-the greatest agility. It is easily tamed, but seldom loses all trace
-of its natural ferocity. D’Azara, however, speaks of one which was so
-completely domiciliated as to be left at perfect liberty; it was strongly
-attached to its master, and never attempted to make its escape. The
-specimen in the Tower, which is a male, is perfectly good tempered,
-exceedingly fond of play, and has, in fact, much of the character and
-manners of the domestic cat. Its food consists principally of rabbits and
-of birds, the latter of which it plucks with the greatest dexterity, and
-always commences its meal with their heads, of which it appears to be
-particularly fond. It does not eat with the same ravenous avidity which
-characterizes nearly all the animals of his tribe.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CARACAL.
-
-_FELIS CARACAL._ LINN.
-
-
-The Caracal, which is unquestionably identical with the Lynx of the
-Ancients, but whose original name has been, in modern times, usurped
-by an animal of northern origin, utterly unknown to the Greeks, and
-distinguished by the Romans by a totally different appellation, is
-a native of most of the warmer climates of the Old World, infesting
-probably as large an extent of the surface of the earth as the Lion or
-the Leopard themselves. Throughout the whole of Africa, from Egypt and
-Barbary to the extremity of Caffraria, and in the southern half of Asia,
-at least as far eastwards as the Ganges, he follows, as it were, in the
-footsteps of those larger and more formidable beasts. So uniformly
-indeed has he been met with in the train of the Lion, that many early
-writers, determined to find a reason for every thing, laid it down as
-a settled fact that the Caracal, equally with the Jackal, although in
-a different manner, was the Lion’s purveyor; that he accompanied that
-terrible animal in the pursuit of his prey; pointed it out to him by
-means of his more delicate nostril and piercing sight; and, when his
-royal master had finished his meal, received a portion of the flesh in
-reward for his good and loyal service. But the greater part of this
-fanciful tale is now known to have had its origin only in the imagination
-of men who had caught a glimpse of the real truth, and made up for the
-want of accurate observation by the invention of a theory almost as
-fabulous as the stories of the ancients, which attributed to the same
-animal such wonderful powers of sight as to pierce even through stone
-walls. He follows, it is true, in the traces of the Lion; but, far from
-associating with him in the pursuit of game, he ventures not, any more
-than the other beasts of the forest, to trust himself within reach of his
-paw. His object is solely to satiate his appetite upon the remains of the
-mangled carcases which the Lion may leave; consequently the latter might
-with much greater truth and propriety be regarded as the purveyor of the
-Caracal, who depends perhaps more for his subsistence upon the food thus
-provided for him, than upon that which he can procure by the exercise of
-his own powers or sagacity. He frequently, however, indulges his native
-ferocity in petty ravages on the smaller and more timid quadrupeds, such
-as hares and rabbits: birds also form a favourite object of his attacks,
-and in pursuit of them he mounts the tallest trees with surprising
-swiftness and agility. It is even said that his qualifications for the
-chase are capable of cultivation; and it has been repeated by travellers,
-from the days of the celebrated Marco Polo downwards, that the princes
-of the East occasionally make use of his services in taking small game
-in nearly the same manner as they employ the subject of the succeeding
-article for the larger: but from all that we know of his disposition in a
-state of captivity, this statement appears, to say the least, extremely
-questionable.
-
-In size the Caracal is somewhat larger than the Fox. The whole of the
-upper surface of his body is of a deep and uniform brown, the hairs
-being for the most part slightly tipped with gray; the under and inner
-parts are nearly white; and the chin and lower lip, and two spots, one
-on the inner side of and above the eye, and the other beneath its outer
-angle, completely so. The neck and throat are of a lighter and brighter
-brown than the rest of the fur. The ears, which are long and upright,
-taper gradually to a fine tip, which is surmounted by a pencil of long
-black hairs; they are black externally and whitish within. It is to the
-striking character afforded by these organs that the animal is indebted
-for his modern name of Caracal, corrupted from his Turkish appellation,
-which, equally with that by which he is known in Persia, signifies
-“black ear.” His whiskers are short, and take their origin from a series
-of black lines which occupy the sides of the muzzle; at some distance
-behind them, in front of the neck on each side, is a short and thick tuft
-of lighter coloured hairs. The tail, which is eight or nine inches in
-length, is of the same uniform colour with the body from its base to its
-tip.
-
-The specimen in the Tower, from which our engraving was made and our
-description taken, is a native of Bengal, a locality from which these
-animals have been so rarely brought to Europe, that it has been a
-question among naturalists whether the Caracal of India and that of
-Africa really belonged to the same species. There is, however, no
-difference of any importance observable between the present animal and
-those which have been brought from the latter continent. It is extremely
-sulky, keeping constantly retired in one of the backward corners of
-its cage, and swearing, as we express it in the common cat, almost
-incessantly when conscious of being noticed. The Lynxes indeed appear,
-at least when in captivity, to exercise this peculiar faculty of voice
-to a much greater extent than any other species of the group. They are
-remarkably irascible and mistrustful, and are seldom completely tamed.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CHETAH, OR HUNTING LEOPARD.
-
-_FELIS JUBATA._ SCHREB.
-
-
-Uniting to the system of dentition, the general habit and many of the
-most striking peculiarities of the cats, some of the distinguishing
-features and much of the intelligence, the teachableness, and the
-fidelity of the dog, the Hunting Leopard forms a sort of connecting
-link between two groups of animals, otherwise completely separated, and
-exhibiting scarcely any other character in common than the carnivorous
-propensities by which both are, in a greater or less degree, actuated
-and inspired. Intermediate in size and shape between the leopard and the
-hound, he is slenderer in his body, more elevated on his legs, and less
-flattened on the fore part of his head than the former, while he is
-deficient in the peculiarly graceful and lengthened form, both of head
-and body, which characterize the latter. His tail is entirely that of a
-cat; and his limbs, although more elongated than in any other species
-of that group, seem better fitted for strong muscular exertion than
-for active and long-continued speed. From these indications it may be
-gathered that he approaches much more nearly to the feline than to the
-canine group: we shall therefore follow the example of zoologists in
-general, by referring him for the present and provisionally to the genus
-Felis, and proceed to point out more particularly the characters by which
-he is connected with, as well as those by which he is distinguished from,
-the rest of that formidable and extensive tribe.
-
-In the number and form of his teeth, in the asperity of his tongue, in
-the conformation of his organs of sense, and in the number of his claws,
-he accurately corresponds with the legitimate species of the genus Felis.
-The principal character in which he differs from them consists in the
-slight degree of retractility of these latter organs. Instead of being
-withdrawn within sheaths appropriated for the purpose, as in the whole of
-the cats properly so called, the claws of the Hunting Leopard are capable
-of only a very limited retraction within the skin, and are consequently
-exposed to the action of the ground on which they tread, their points and
-edges being thus rendered liable to be blunted by the constant pressure
-to which they are subjected, almost to the same extent as in the dogs.
-The slightest consideration of the uses to which the claws are applied by
-the whole of the feline tribe, in whom they are, in fact, in consequence
-of their extreme power and sharpness, organs of offence if possible
-more deadly and more destructive than the teeth, will teach us that the
-modification which has just been described in so important a part of
-their organization, must of necessity be accompanied by a corresponding
-change in manners and habits; and that convenience alone, and the want of
-analogous structure in any other animal, could justify us in continuing
-to class the Chetah among the cats, from whom he differs in so essential
-a particular.
-
-In outward form, however, notwithstanding his more slender make, the
-difference between them is by no means great. His head, although more
-elevated and prominent in front, exhibits the same broad lateral
-expansion, caused by the thick mass of muscle which acts so powerfully
-upon the short and dilated jaws of the cats, and imparts to them that
-tremendous force and effect for which they are so remarkable. His legs,
-notwithstanding their increased length and slender proportions, retain
-all the elastic springiness, by means of which the Leopard or the
-Tiger are enabled to bound with so much vigour and velocity upon their
-unsuspecting prey. His air and manners, too, are unquestionably those
-of the cats; and his mode of colouring, which we shall next proceed to
-describe, although exhibiting very peculiar and marked distinctions,
-offers so close an analogy to that of the Jaguar and the Leopard, that,
-were we to regard this character alone, it would be impossible to arrange
-him in a different group from that which comprehends those beautifully
-spotted, but ferocious, beasts. His fur, however, it must be remarked,
-has little of the sleekness which characterizes those animals, but
-exhibits, on the contrary, a peculiar crispness which is not to be found
-in any other of the tribe.
-
-His ground-colour is a bright yellowish fawn above, and nearly pure
-white beneath, covered above and on the sides by innumerable closely
-approximating spots, from half an inch to an inch in diameter, which are
-intensely black, and do not, as in the Leopard and others of the spotted
-cats, form roses with a lighter centre, but are full and complete. These
-spots, which are wanting on the chest and under part of the body, are
-larger on the back than on the head, sides, and limbs, where they are
-more closely set: they are also spread along the tail, forming on the
-greater part of its extent interrupted rings, which, however, become
-continuous as they approach its extremity, the three or four last rings
-surrounding it completely. The tip of the tail is white, as is also
-the whole of its under surface, with the exception of the rings just
-mentioned; it is equally covered with long hair throughout its entire
-length, which is more than half that of the body. The outside of the
-ears, which are short and rounded, is marked by a broad black spot at the
-base, the tip, as also the inside, being whitish. The upper part of his
-head is of a deeper tinge; and he has a strongly marked flexuous black
-line, of about half an inch in breadth, extending from the inner angle of
-the eye to the angle of the mouth. The extremity of the nose is black,
-like that of the dog. The mane, from which he derives his scientific
-name, is not very remarkable: it consists of a series of longer, crisper,
-and more upright hairs, which extend along the back of the neck and the
-anterior portion of the spine.
-
-Such are the outward and physical characteristics of this beautiful
-animal; in his moral and intellectual qualities he differs still more
-widely from that compound of unteachableness, malice, and mistrust, which
-is the necessary result of the low degree of intelligence possessed
-by the remainder of the group of animals with which he is at present
-associated. Of his habits in a state of nature we have no certain
-information; but in his tamed and domesticated condition he has been
-rendered, in some countries at least, auxiliary to man, by the successful
-cultivation of his mental faculties, which have been trained into a
-degree of subservience to the commands of his master, that can only
-be surpassed by the superior sagacity of the hound. Chardin, Bernier,
-Tavernier, and others of the older travellers had related that in several
-parts of Asia it was customary to make use of a large spotted cat in the
-pursuit of game, and that this animal was called Youze in Persia, and
-Chetah in India; but the statements of these writers were so imperfect,
-and the descriptions given by them so incomplete, that it was next to
-impossible to recognise the particular species intended. We now, however,
-know with certainty that the animal thus employed is the Felis jubata of
-naturalists, which inhabits the greater part both of Asia and of Africa.
-It is common in India and Sumatra, as well as in Persia; and is well
-known both in Senegal and at the Cape of Good Hope; but the ingenuity
-of the savage natives of the latter countries has not, so far as we
-know, been exerted in rendering its services available in the chase in
-the manner so successfully practised by the more refined and civilized
-inhabitants of Persia and of Hindostan. In Senegal it is valued only on
-account of its skin, which forms an important article in the commerce of
-that colony; while at the Cape, where it is known to the Dutch settlers
-by the misapplied name of Luipard (Leopard), it seems to be entirely
-neglected even in a commercial point of view. In the neighbourhood of the
-latter colony, it should be added, the animal appears from the testimony
-of travellers to be of rare occurrence; and Professor Lichtenstein,
-in particular, mentions an instance in which the skin of one was worn
-by the chief of a horde of Caffres as a badge of peculiar dignity and
-distinction.
-
-But even in the East, where the qualities of the Chetah appear to be
-best appreciated, and his faculties to be turned to most account, it
-would seem that he is not employed in hunting by all classes of the
-people indiscriminately; but, on the contrary, that he is reserved for
-the especial amusement and gratification of the nobles and princes of
-the land, rather than used for purposes of real and general advantage.
-In this respect, and indeed in many others, as will be seen by the
-following brief account of the mode in which the chase with the Hunting
-Leopard is conducted, it bears a close resemblance to the ancient sport
-of hawking, so prevalent throughout Europe in the days of feudal tyranny,
-but scarcely practised at the present day except by the more splendid
-slaves of Asiatic despotism. The animal or animals, for occasionally
-several of them are employed at the same time, are carried to the field
-in low chariots, on which they are kept chained and hooded, in order
-to deprive them of the power and temptation to anticipate the word of
-command by leaping forth before the appointed time. When they are thus
-brought within view of a herd of antelopes, which generally consists
-of five or six females and a male, they are unchained and their hoods
-are removed, their keepers directing their attention to the prey, which,
-as they do not hunt by smell, it is necessary that they should have
-constantly in sight. When this is done, the wily animal does not at once
-start forwards towards the object of his pursuit, but, seemingly aware
-that he would have no chance of overtaking an antelope in the fleetness
-of the race, in which the latter is beyond measure his superior, winds
-cautiously along the ground, concealing himself as much as possible
-from sight, and, when he has in this covert manner nearly reached the
-unsuspecting herd, breaks forth upon them unawares, and after five or six
-tremendous bounds, which he executes with almost incredible velocity,
-darts at once upon his terrified victim, strangles him in an instant, and
-takes his fill of blood. In the meanwhile the keeper quietly approaches
-the scene of slaughter, caresses the successful animal, and throws to
-him pieces of meat to amuse him and keep him quiet while he blinds him
-with the hood and replaces him upon the chariot, to which he is again
-attached by his chain. But if, as is not unfrequently the case, the herd
-should have taken the alarm, and the Chetah should prove unsuccessful in
-his attack, he never attempts to pursue them, but returns to his master
-with a mortified and dejected air, to be again let slip at a fresh quarry
-whenever a fit opportunity occurs.
-
-The Chetah has been until of late years very imperfectly known in
-Europe. Linnæus was entirely unacquainted with it, and Buffon described
-it from the fur alone under the name of Guêpard, the appellation by
-which its skin was distinguished in the commerce with Senegal, but
-evidently without suspecting its identity with the Asiatic animal, the
-trained habits of which, misled probably by the authority of Tavernier,
-he erroneously attributed to his imaginary Ounce. Subsequent French
-zoologists had rectified this error, and it was generally believed that
-the tamed Leopard of Bernier, the Youze, the Guêpard, and Tavernier’s
-Ounce, were one and the same animal; but it was not until a year or two
-ago that the possession of a living specimen, brought from Senegal, in
-the Menagerie of the Jardin du Roi, enabled M. F. Cuvier to ascertain
-its characters with precision. The comparison of this African specimen
-with the skins sent from India, and with the notes and drawings made in
-that country by M. Duvaucel, to whom we are indebted for a vast deal of
-interesting information relative to the zoology of the East of Asia, at
-once put an end to all doubts of the identity of the two animals.
-
-Several individuals have been brought alive to this country at various
-times; but, notwithstanding the opportunities thus afforded, it does not
-appear that English naturalists have paid any particular attention to the
-study of their character and habits. In all probability the earliest that
-arrived in Europe was one which was brought from India by Lord Pigot, and
-which was figured by Pennant under the name of the Hunting Leopard. Three
-others, found at the capture of Seringapatam among the rest of the state
-paraphernalia of the fallen Sultan, came into the possession of General,
-afterwards Lord, Harris, who, on his return to England, presented them
-to his late Majesty, by whose command they were placed in the Tower.
-They did not, however, long survive the effects of the passage and of
-the change of climate, which latter has proved equally fatal to the
-few specimens which have since been brought to this country for public
-exhibition. They appear, indeed, to be exceedingly delicate in their
-temperament, and to require considerable attention on the part of their
-keeper. The pair now in the Tower, if two individuals of the same sex,
-both of them being males, can be called a pair, were purchased by Mr.
-Cops a few months since from the captain of a vessel trading to Senegal,
-to whom they were brought by some of the natives when only a few weeks
-old and no larger than an ordinary cat. They were the constant inmates of
-his cabin, and soon became strongly attached to their master, never, as
-they grew up, exhibiting the slightest symptom of that savage ferocity
-to which all the larger cats are occasionally more or less prone, even
-under the most favourable circumstances. Much of this peculiar meekness
-of temper, which they still maintain, is doubtless owing to the very
-early age at which they were made captive, as well as to the mild and
-little stimulating nature of the food to which they have ever since been
-accustomed. This consists chiefly of boiled meat and meal; and during the
-winter season, in consequence of the delicacy of their habit, they are
-supplied with hot mashes, gruel, &c. Their mode of feeding is very like
-that of the dog.
-
-In size and stature these beautiful animals considerably exceed any that
-have been seen in this country of late years. They are truly, as may be
-judged from their portraits, an elegant and graceful pair, having, when
-led out into the yard in their couples, very much of the air and manners
-of a brace of greyhounds. When noticed or fondled they purr like a cat;
-and this is their usual mode of expressing pleasure. If, on the other
-hand, they are uneasy, whether that uneasiness arises from cold, from
-a craving after food, from a jealous apprehension of being neglected,
-or from any other cause, their note consists of a short, uniform, and
-repeated mew. They are extremely fond of play, and their manner of
-playing very much resembles that of the cat; with this difference,
-however, that it never, as in the latter animal, degenerates into
-malicious cunning or wanton mischief. Their character, indeed, seems to
-be entirely free from that sly and suspicious feeling of mistrust which
-is so strikingly visible in the manners and actions of all the cats, and
-which renders them so little susceptible of real or lasting attachment.
-The Chetahs, on the contrary, speedily become fond of those who are kind
-to them, and exhibit their fondness in an open, frank, and confiding
-manner. There can, in fact, be little doubt that they might with the
-greatest facility be reduced to a state of perfect domestication, and
-rendered nearly as familiar and as faithful as the dog himself.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE STRIPED HYÆNA.
-
-_HYÆNA VULGARIS._ DESM.
-
-
-From the strongly marked group, to the illustration of various species
-of which the foregoing pages have been dedicated, we pass by a natural
-and easy transition to an animal, which, although closely resembling
-them in its zoological characters, and in the cowardly ferocity of
-its disposition, bears nevertheless a stronger affinity to the dogs,
-with which it was associated by Linnæus. From each of these groups it
-is, however, readily distinguished by several obvious and essential
-characters, of sufficient importance to sanction its separation as a
-genus, now universally adopted among naturalists.
-
-Like both the cats and the dogs, the Hyænas are completely digitigrade;
-that is to say, they walk only on the extremities of their toes: but
-these toes are only four in number on each of their feet, and are
-armed with short, thick, strong, and truncated claws, which are not
-in the least retractile, and are evidently formed for digging in the
-earth, a practice to which they are impelled by a horrid and hateful
-propensity, which we shall have further occasion to notice in describing
-their habits and mode of life. Their body, in shape much resembling
-that of the wolf, to which they also approach very nearly in size, is
-considerably more elevated in front than behind, owing partly to their
-constant custom of keeping the posterior legs bent in a crouching and
-half recumbent posture. Beneath the tail, which is short and dependent,
-they are furnished with a pouch, in the interior of which is secreted
-a peculiar matter of a very strong and disagreeable smell. Their head
-is large and broad, flattened in front, and terminating in a short,
-thick, and obtuse muzzle. Like most carnivorous animals, they are armed
-in each jaw with six cutting teeth, and two canine, the latter of which
-are of considerable size and strength. The outermost pair of incisors in
-the upper jaw are much larger and stronger than the rest, and closely
-resemble the canine in form. The number of the molar or cheek teeth
-is five on each side in the upper jaw, and four in the lower; and all
-of them are remarkable for their extreme thickness and strength in
-comparison with those of the dogs and cats. Their tongue is similar to
-that of the latter animals in the roughness which it derives from the
-sharp and elevated papillæ with which it is covered.
-
-Of the genus thus characterized there exist two well marked and
-unquestionably distinct species, the Striped Hyæna, or Hyæna vulgaris
-of modern zoologists, which there can be no doubt is also the Hyæna of
-the ancients; and the Hyæna crocuta, or Spotted Hyæna, the Tiger Wolf
-of the colonists of the Cape of Good Hope. To these may probably be
-added a third species, which there is good ground for believing to be
-distinct, and which has lately been described by Dr. Andrew Smith, the
-superintendant of the South African Museum, under the name of Hyæna
-villosa: this is also a native of the vicinity of the Cape, and is
-denominated by the settlers the Strand Wolf, or Strand Jut. With the
-two latter we have, however, on the present occasion, no concern; the
-only animal of this genus in the Tower belonging to the striped race,
-which inhabits the greater part of Asia and of Africa, penetrating in
-the former as far as India, and extending over all the northern part of
-the latter continent. It does not appear that the striped and spotted
-races are ever found to occupy the same ground; but the territorial
-limits which separate the one from the other have not yet been distinctly
-ascertained.
-
-The striped Hyæna has for its ground colour a uniform brownish gray,
-which is somewhat darker above than beneath. On the sides of the body it
-is marked by several irregular distant transverse blackish stripes or
-bands, which are more distinct on the lower part. Towards the shoulders
-and haunches these stripes become oblique, and they are continued in
-regular transverse lines on the outside of the legs. The front of the
-neck is completely black, as are also the muzzle and the outsides of
-the ears; the latter being broad, moderately long, and nearly destitute
-of hairs, especially on the inside. The hair of the body is long,
-particularly on the back of the neck and on the spine, where it forms
-a full and thick mane, which may be said to be continued even upon the
-tail, the latter organ being furnished with strong tufted hairs of
-considerable length. The mane and the tail are both marked with blackish
-spots or stripes variously and irregularly placed. Much variety is indeed
-to be met with as well in the ground colour of the whole body as in the
-disposition of the markings, which are extremely different in different
-individuals.
-
-The habits of the Hyænas are entirely nocturnal: while in the daytime
-their cowardice is so excessive that they fly from the face of man,
-and suffer themselves, when taken, to be ill treated with impunity and
-even without attempting to avenge themselves, they prowl abroad in the
-stillness of the night with all the temerity of brutal daring. They
-will frequently make prey of the lesser animals, and will occasionally
-venture to attack dogs and even horses; but it is seldom that they muster
-up sufficient courage to contend with living man, unless stimulated by
-strong provocation, or impelled by the most violent cravings of hunger.
-Congregated in numerous bands they beset the encampment of the traveller,
-or infest the neighbourhood of villages or even of towns, which they
-enter with the fall of night and do not quit until the dawn of day;
-disturbing the inhabitants with their peculiar moaning or wailing, which
-is in some measure intermediate between a grunt and a howl. Parading the
-streets and penetrating into the houses in search of prey, they eagerly
-devour the offal of animals, the refuse of the daily meal, or whatever
-else that is in any way eatable may happen to fall in their way.
-Nothing, however filthy, comes amiss to their voracious appetites, which
-are indeed unbounded. They even break into the cemeteries of the dead,
-and tearing open the graves by means of their powerful claws, disinter
-the buried corpses, on which they glut that horrid propensity for feeding
-on carrion, which is at once the most striking and the most disgusting
-of their peculiarities. Their fondness for this polluted species of food
-tends of course not a little to increase the natural antipathy with
-which they are regarded by the natives of the countries in which they
-abound, and renders them objects of peculiar detestation and abhorrence.
-The great size and strength of their teeth and the immense power of
-their jaws enable them to crush the largest bones with comparative
-facility, and account for the avidity with which they prey upon an almost
-fleshless skeleton. In the daytime they retire into caves, from which
-they issue only when the shades of evening warn them that the hour for
-their depredations has arrived. Their gait is awkward and usually slow
-and constrained; when scared, however, from their prey, or when pursued
-by the hunter, they fly with tolerable swiftness, but still with an
-appearance of lameness in their motions, resulting from the constant
-bending of their posterior legs.
-
-Notwithstanding the brutal voracity of his habits and the savage
-fierceness of his disposition, there is scarcely any animal that
-submits with greater facility to the control of man. In captivity,
-especially when taken young, a circumstance on which much depends in
-the domestication of all wild animals, he is capable of being rendered
-exceedingly tame, and even serviceable. In some parts of Southern Africa
-the spotted species, which is by nature quite as ferocious in his
-temper as the striped inhabitant of the North, has been domiciliated
-in the houses of the peasantry, among whom he is preferred to the dog
-himself for attachment to his master, for general sagacity, and even, it
-is said, for his qualifications for the chase. That the Striped Hyæna
-might be rendered equally useful is highly probable from the docility
-and attachment which he manifests towards his keepers, especially when
-allowed a certain degree of liberty, which he shows no disposition to
-abuse. If more closely restricted his savage nature sometimes returns
-upon him; and it is for this reason that those which are carried about
-the country from fair to fair, pent up in close caravans, frequently
-become surly and even dangerous. The individual whose portrait we give
-is, on the contrary, remarkably tame; he is a native of the East Indies,
-and is confined in the same den with one of the American Bears, as we
-shall have occasion to notice more particularly when speaking of the
-latter animal.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE HYÆNA-DOG.
-
-_CANIS PICTUS._ DESM.
-
-
-It is not without much hesitation that we have adopted for this animal
-the generic name of Canis, and referred it, in conformity with the
-example of most of the leading zoologists of the day, to the same group
-with the Wolf, the Jackal, and the Fox; from all of which it differs in
-such important particulars as fully entitle it, in our estimation, to the
-rank of a distinct and separate genus. To this rank it has, indeed, been
-already raised by Mr. Brookes, under the generic appellation of Lycaon;
-but as we are not aware that it has been any where described under that
-name, or that any detailed account has been given of the characters
-on which that separation is founded, we cannot consider ourselves
-authorized in a work of this nature to make any innovations upon science,
-however much we may feel, as in the present instance, that they are
-called for by the exigency of the case. That its position is at least
-doubtful is proved by the fact that M. Temminck, one of the ablest of the
-continental zoologists, first described it from the living animal under
-the designation of a Hyæna, and, having subsequently changed his opinion,
-is now disposed to regard it as a species of dog.
-
-For the zoological characters of the latter genus the reader is referred
-to the following article: at present we shall confine ourselves to the
-description of the remarkable animal before us, pointing out, as we
-proceed, the marks by which it differs from both the groups to which
-it has hitherto been referred, and those by which it is assimilated to
-either the one or the other. In the shape and elevation of its body
-it is at first sight distinguished from them both, its legs being
-considerably longer in relation to its size, and the trunk of its body,
-as will be seen by the portrait prefixed, being very different in form
-and proportions. It is entirely destitute of the mane of the Hyæna, and
-its tail is very similar to that of certain dogs; but, on the other hand,
-its head approximates very closely, or rather bears a most striking
-resemblance, to the broad and flattened forehead, and the short and
-truncated muzzle, which characterize the former genus. It is this latter
-circumstance no doubt that has induced many naturalists, both popular and
-scientific, to identify the Wild Dog, as he is called by the settlers at
-the Cape, with a group of animals from which in every other particular
-of outward structure, excepting one, it is remarkably and obviously
-distinct. The only other point of agreement between them consists in
-the number of its toes, which, like those of the Hyæna, are only four
-to each foot. This peculiarity, combined with the form of the head,
-unquestionably affords some ground for placing these animals in close
-apposition; but is by no means so important, in the absence of other and
-more essential characteristics, as to warrant their union into a single
-group. Taken together, however, and in connexion with other features of
-distinction, these characters may fairly be regarded as sufficiently
-striking to sanction the separation of the animal now under consideration
-from the dogs. With the latter it corresponds most completely in the
-number and form of its teeth, and in the general structure of its
-skeleton, which differs remarkably from that of the Hyæna.
-
-In size and form it is smaller and more slender than either the Hyæna or
-the Wolf. Its ground colour is of a reddish or yellowish brown, which is
-variously mottled in large patches along the sides of the body and on the
-legs, with black and white intermingled together. Its nose and muzzle are
-completely black, and it has a strong black line passing from them up the
-centre of the forehead to between the ears, which are very large, black
-both within and without, and furnished with a broad and expanded tuft
-of long whitish hairs arising from their anterior margin and filling up
-a considerable part of their concavity. There is a lighter patch on the
-muzzle beneath each of the eyes. The tail is of moderate length, covered
-with long bushy hair, and divided in the middle by a ring of black, below
-which or towards the extremity it is nearly white, as are also the fore
-parts of the legs below the joint. These colours and markings are subject
-to variation in different individuals; but in their general disposition
-and appearance they constantly exhibit the greatest similarity.
-
-The Hyæna-Dog, if this compound term may be allowed, is a native of
-the South of Africa, and infests the frontier settlements at no great
-distance from the Cape to a very extensive and troublesome degree. Mr.
-Burchell, to whom we are indebted for the earliest specimen brought
-to this country, as well as for first pointing out its distinctive
-characters, informs us that it hunts in regular packs, preferring the
-night, but frequently pursuing its prey even by day. It is not only
-exceedingly fierce, but also remarkably swift and active, insomuch that
-none but the fleeter animals can escape from its pursuit. Sheep, oxen,
-and horses appear to be its favourite game: on the former it makes its
-onset openly and without fear, but of the latter it seems to stand
-in awe, and attacks them only by stealth, frequently surprising them
-in their sleep, biting off the tails of the oxen, for which it has a
-particular fancy, and inflicting such serious injuries upon the horses,
-especially the young colts, as they rarely survive.
-
-The individual brought home by Mr. Burchell was kept by that gentleman
-chained up in his stable-yard for more than a year; at the expiration
-of which its ferocity continued unabated; the man who fed it being so
-fearful of it that he “dared never to venture his hand upon it.” It is
-nevertheless highly probable that with a somewhat firmer and bolder
-treatment it might have been in some degree tamed, if not domesticated;
-for it is stated that it at length became familiar with a dog, which
-was its constant companion. That which is at present in the Tower was
-brought to England in company with the youngest of the Cape Lions. They
-agreed together extremely well; but as the Lion increased in size his
-play became too rough for his comparatively feeble companion, who was
-borne to the earth in a moment by the superior weight and strength of
-his antagonist. Mr. Cops therefore found it necessary to consign them to
-separate dens. Other companions for the Hyæna-Dog have, however, very
-recently been obtained, an interesting addition having been made to the
-stock of the Menagerie by the acquisition of a couple of Spotted Hyænas;
-a brief notice of which we subjoin, as well as their portraits by way
-of tail-piece, they having arrived during the progress of the present
-sheet through the press, and consequently too late for insertion in their
-proper place.
-
-In size the SPOTTED HYÆNA, the Hyæna Crocuta of naturalists, is somewhat
-inferior to the striped. Its muzzle, although short, is not so abruptly
-truncated; and its ears, which are short and broad, assume a nearly
-quadrilateral figure. Its ground colour is yellowish brown; and the whole
-body is covered with numerous spots of a deeper brown, tolerably uniform
-in size, but sometimes not very distinctly marked, and occasionally
-arranging themselves in longitudinal rows. Its hair is shorter than that
-of the Striped Hyæna, and although longer on the neck and in the central
-line of the back than elsewhere, does not form so distinct and well
-furnished a mane as in the latter animal. The tail is blackish brown, and
-covered with long bushy hair.
-
-This species appears to be peculiar to Southern Africa. In its wild state
-it is equally ferocious in its temper and disgusting in its habits with
-the common species of the North; but it has been found, as we have before
-mentioned, to be capable of domestication, and of rendering services
-to man equal to those which he derives from the dog. The pair which
-have just arrived in the Tower have been placed by Mr. Cops in one den
-with the Striped Hyæna and with the Hyæna-Dog; and this juxta-position
-affords an excellent opportunity for a comparison of their characters
-and disposition. They agree together tolerably well; but the new-comers
-are hardly as yet reconciled to their abode, and consequently appear
-shy and reserved. The Hyæna-Dog is the most lively of the group; and
-his playfulness appears occasionally to give no little annoyance to the
-Striped Hyæna, who generally returns his solicitations with a surly
-snarl, but does not seem disposed to resent them farther.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE AFRICAN BLOODHOUND.
-
-_CANIS DOMESTICUS._ LINN. VAR.
-
-
-The generic characters of this well known group, comprehending not
-only the various races of the Dog, the Wolf, and the Jackal, but also
-the numerous species of Foxes, which differ from the rest only in the
-form of the pupils of their eyes (which are round in the former, and
-transversely linear in the latter) may be shortly enumerated as follows.
-They are all furnished in the upper jaw with six sharp incisors and two
-canine teeth in front, and with six molars on each side; the same number
-of each description is also to be found in the lower, with the addition
-of a seventh grinder. Their tongue is perfectly smooth, the papillæ
-which cover it being soft and velvety to the touch, instead of rough
-and pointed as in the Hyænas and Cats. They have five toes to each of
-the fore feet, of which only the four outermost touch the ground, the
-fifth being always more or less elevated. On the hind feet the number of
-the toes is no more than four, for although the rudiment of a fifth is
-distinctly visible in the skeleton, it is rarely observable in the living
-animal. On these toes they constantly support themselves in walking, the
-soles of their feet, or rather that part of the legs which corresponds
-to the soles of plantigrade animals, never being applied to the surface
-of the ground on which they tread. Their claws are blunt, strong, but
-little curved, and not at all retractile; and their use is evidently
-limited to turning up the earth. Their muzzle is more or less elongated
-to afford space for the ample series of lateral teeth; and the strength
-of their jaws, as well as the extent of opening between them, is by
-this means much diminished. In most of these particulars they exhibit
-a striking contrast with the more perfect of the carnivorous races,
-and afford grounds for expecting an equally manifest falling off from
-their ferocious and sanguinary propensities. The dogs are in fact by no
-means equally carnivorous with the cats; and their teeth, especially the
-grinders, are fitted as well for the demolition of vegetable as of animal
-substances.
-
-In a wild state, however, they subsist themselves principally by preying
-upon the inferior animals, feeding with nearly equal relish upon the warm
-and palpitating fibres of a fresh and almost living victim, and upon the
-mangled carcass which taints the air with its unsavoury exhalations.
-Their habitation is in the depths of the forest, where the larger
-species form themselves dens in the close and thick underwood, while
-the smaller burrow in the earth for shelter. Their lengthened muzzle
-and the great extent to which all the cavities connected with the nose
-are dilated, are admirably fitted for giving to the organ of smell the
-fullest developement of which it is capable. It is the perfection of this
-organ, combined with the general lightness and muscularity of their frame
-and the firm agility of their elongated limbs, which renders many of the
-species such excellent hunters, by enabling them to scent their prey at
-an immense and sometimes almost incredible distance, and to run it down
-in the chase with indefatigable swiftness and unrelaxing pertinacity.
-
-The very terms of the specific character by which Linnæus attempted
-to distinguish the domesticated from the other dogs, “the tail curved
-upwards (towards the left),” may be regarded as affording in themselves
-a sufficient proof of the difficulty of the task, when so great a
-naturalist, after taking a complete review of all the particulars of
-their organization, was compelled to rest contented with a distinction
-drawn from so trifling and apparently insignificant a remark. It would
-in fact appear to be absolutely impossible to offer in any form of words
-whatever a character sufficiently comprehensive to combine the almost
-infinite varieties of this Protean race, and at the same time to separate
-them from those other races from which they are generally believed to be
-specifically distinct. To this observation of Linnæus almost the sole
-addition that has been made by later zoologists consists in a remark of
-M. Desmarest, that whenever a spot of white is found upon any part of
-the tail of a domestic dog, the tip of that very variable organ is also
-constantly white; so that we are still driven to recur to the tail alone
-for the only uniform physical characteristics that have been pointed out
-to distinguish an animal, which every one recognises at first sight, and
-which indeed it is impossible to mistake.
-
-But it is to the moral and intellectual faculties of the Dog that we
-must look for those remarkable peculiarities which distinguish him in so
-eminent a degree not only from his immediate neighbours, but also from
-every other quadruped. Unfortunately we have not the means of comparing
-him in a pure state of nature with the other animals of his tribe; for
-although it has been repeatedly attempted to determine his primitive
-stock, there can be no doubt that upon this point we are still as much as
-ever in the dark. There exist, however, in various parts of the world,
-considerable numbers of Dogs, the descendants unquestionably of races
-formerly domesticated, which, to all appearance, differ but little in
-their habits and manners from the Wolf and the Jackal, to one or other
-of which they frequently approach in form, and from each of which it
-has been confidently asserted that the domestic species was primarily
-derived. But the doubts to which this striking similarity might otherwise
-give rise are instantly removed by the readiness with which these wild
-Dogs submit to the control of man, and become familiarized with that
-state of servitude to which nature appears to have destined them from
-the first. Other animals may indeed be tamed; they may become playful,
-familiar, and even affectionate; but none of them have hitherto been
-taught, even by long-continued training, to exhibit qualities of mind
-in any degree comparable to the absolute subserviency, the undeviating
-attachment, the submissive docility, and the acute intelligence, which
-these invaluable animals almost spontaneously manifest, when placed in
-circumstances favourable to their developement.
-
-So much has been written by authors of every description, from the
-earliest ages down to the present time, upon every point connected with
-their history and habits, and the space which we could devote to their
-illustration in the present volume is so small, that we choose rather
-not to enter at all upon the subject than to treat of it in the very
-abrupt and imperfect manner to which we should necessarily be restricted.
-It only remains therefore to add a few observations relative to the
-extremely beautiful leash of hounds which are figured at the head of the
-present article, before passing to the consideration of the remaining
-species of the group which are at present contained in the Menagerie.
-
-These are two males and one female, belonging to the most elegant as
-well as the most intelligent variety of the species, that to which
-Linnæus, on account of the high degree to which the latter quality was
-carried in them, gave _par excellence_ the epithet of _sagax_. They
-were presented by Major, now Colonel Denham, on his return from the
-most successful expedition that has perhaps ever been made into the
-evil-omened regions of Central Africa, from whence they were brought by
-that gallant traveller, who also gave Mr. Cops the following account of
-their qualifications for the chase. He had repeatedly, he said, made use
-of them in hunting the Gazelle, in their pursuit of which he had observed
-that they displayed more cunning and sagacity than any dogs with which
-he was acquainted, frequently quitting the line of scent for the purpose
-of cutting off a double, and recovering it again with the greatest
-facility. They would follow a scent after an hour and a half or even
-two hours had elapsed; and the breed was therefore commonly employed in
-Africa for the purpose of tracing a flying enemy to his retreat. They are
-in fact, both for symmetry and action, perfect models; and there are few
-sportsmen who will not regret that there appears no chance of crossing
-our own pointers with this interesting breed. A mixed race, combining the
-qualifications of both, would unquestionably be one of the most valuable
-acquisitions to our sporting stock; but, unhappily, this union seems to
-be altogether hopeless; for although they have now been more than three
-years in England, and are in excellent health and condition, they appear,
-like many other animals restrained of their liberty and kept constantly
-together, to have no disposition to perpetuate their race. The males are
-remarkably good tempered; the female on the contrary is surly and ill
-natured.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE WOLF.
-
-_CANIS LUPUS._ LINN.
-
-
-This sullen and forbidding-looking animal, the most ravenous and
-ferocious that infests the more temperate regions of the earth, of many
-parts of which he is the terror and the scourge, is distinguished from
-the humble, generous, and faithful friend of man, the domestic dog, by
-no very remarkable or striking character; and yet there is something
-in his physiognomy, gait, and habit, which is at once so peculiar and
-so repulsive, that it would be almost impossible to confound a Wolf,
-however tame, with the most savage and the most wolflike of dogs. For the
-separation of the two species, Linnæus, as we have seen in the preceding
-article, had recourse to the tail; and having determined that that of
-the dog was uniformly curved upwards, he attributed to that of the Wolf
-a completely opposite direction, that is to say, a curvature inwards;
-assigning, at the same time, a straight or a deflected position to those
-of all the other animals of the group. The deflected, or down-pointing,
-direction is, however, equally common in the Wolf with the incurved;
-and this petty distinction, which has little to do with structure, and
-still less with habits, is hardly deserving of serious attention. More
-obvious and more essential differences will be found in the cast of his
-countenance, which derives a peculiar expression from the obliquity
-of his eyes; in the breadth of his head, suddenly contracting into a
-slender and pointed muzzle; in the size and power of his teeth, which
-are comparatively greater than those of any dog of equal stature; in the
-stiffness and want of pliability of his limbs; in his uniformly straight
-and pointed ears; and in a black stripe which almost constantly, and in
-nearly every variety of the species, occupies the front of the fore leg
-of the adult. His fur, which differs considerably in texture and colour,
-from the influence of climate and of seasons, is commonly of a grayish
-yellow, the shades of which are variously intermingled; as he advances in
-age it becomes lighter, and in high northern latitudes frequently turns
-completely white, a change which also takes place in many other animals
-inhabiting the polar regions.
-
-Entirely dependent upon rapine for his subsistence, the nose of the Wolf
-is fully equal to that of the sharpest-scented hound. The size and speed
-of the elk and of the stag are insufficient to protect them from his
-violence; he pursues them with equal swiftness and cunning, and, when he
-has succeeded in running them down, finds little difficulty in rendering
-them his prey. To effect this purpose with the greater certainty he
-frequently unites himself with a numerous train of his fellows, who are
-however bound together by no other tie than the common object of their
-pursuit; and when this is once attained immediately separate and proceed
-each to his own retreat, whence they again emerge to reunite in the
-common cause whenever the necessary stimulus is supplied. In inhabited
-countries he seldom ventures to show himself openly or in packs, but
-sleeps away the greater part of the day in the shelter of the forest,
-and only prowls abroad by night when impelled by the cravings of his
-appetite. The sheep-cote and the farm-yard become then the scenes of his
-ravages; and such is his ingenuity, and so great the rapidity of his
-motions, that he will frequently carry off his prey almost before the
-eyes of the shepherd, although the warning voice of the watchful dog had
-given timely notice of the approach of the marauder. His ferocity is
-sometimes carried to such a pitch that he becomes dangerous to man; and
-when hard pressed by famine, to which in spite of all his skill in the
-chase and his sagacity in the pursuit of meaner rapine he is by no means
-a stranger, he will fall at unawares upon the solitary and unprotected
-traveller, or, prowling about the habitation of the villager, carry off
-from it his unsuspecting and defenceless children.
-
-Happily for England this formidable beast has long been extirpated from
-its woods; but the comparative extent of his domain has been thereby but
-little reduced. It may be roughly stated as comprehending the whole
-northern hemisphere, of which only very small portions are exempted from
-his ravages. He is easily tamed when young, and may even (according to
-M. F. Cuvier, who has published a history of a domesticated individual
-bordering in many particulars very closely on the marvellous, but of the
-truth of which the well known character of that scientific naturalist is
-a sufficient guarantee) be rendered susceptible of the highest degree
-of attachment to his master, whom he will remember after prolonged and
-repeated absence, and caress with all the familiar fondness of a dog.
-Such traits as this are, however, to say the least, very uncommon; and
-he is, even in captivity, generally speaking, ill tempered and morose.
-The old male, the father of the litter now in the Tower, was extremely
-savage; the female, on the contrary, is very tame, and, which is more
-remarkable, continued so even during the period of suckling her young,
-which were five in number. Neither before, at, nor after this period did
-her temper undergo any change: she suffered her keepers to handle her
-cubs, of which she was excessively fond, and even to remove them from the
-den, without evincing the smallest symptom either of anger or alarm.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CLOUDED BLACK WOLF.
-
-_CANIS NUBILUS._ SAY.
-
-
-To distinguish between the numerous races of Wolves which are scattered
-more or less abundantly over nearly the entire surface of the earth;
-to determine that such and such variations are the result of original
-formation, and that such and such others are merely the product of
-accidental circumstances; in other words, to establish clear and
-tangible grounds of specific distinction between animals so varied in
-external appearance, but corresponding so perfectly in every essential
-particular, while the shades of character by which they differ, although
-in many cases strikingly marked, are for the most part so unimportant,
-or so little permanent, as scarcely to be deserving of notice,--is
-unquestionably one of the most difficult problems, to the solution of
-which the zoologist has to apply himself.
-
-In internal and anatomical structure, on which modern naturalists are
-agreed that the greatest reliance ought to be placed in the distinction
-of closely approximating species, there is in the various races of
-Wolves no deviation from the common type of sufficient importance to
-warrant their separation from each other; neither does their outward
-form, excepting only in size and in the comparative measurement of
-parts, differ in any remarkable degree. In colour it is true that the
-most striking variations are observable, their hair exhibiting almost
-every intermediate shade between the opposite extremes of black and
-white. But it must be obvious that on this character, taken by itself,
-it would be absurd to insist as a ground of specific distinction, when
-we reflect on the influence which climate and other external accidents
-must necessarily exercise on animals so extensively dispersed, and so
-variously circumstanced.
-
-There are, however, strong grounds for believing that the fine pair of
-animals, whose portraits are prefixed to the present article, exhibit
-real and substantial marks of distinction of sufficient value to sanction
-their separation from the other species. Considerably larger and more
-robust than the Common Wolf, and differing greatly in the expression
-of their physiognomy, neither in figure nor in countenance are they
-remarkable for that starved and gaunt appearance which is the common
-and well known attribute of the latter. In fact, they have altogether
-a more fierce and formidable, but at the same time a more noble and
-less sinister, aspect. Their hair, which is of considerable length,
-especially along the middle of the back and shoulders, where it forms a
-sort of indistinct and scattered mane, is mottled with various shades
-of black, gray, and white, giving to the whole animal that dark and
-clouded colour which constitutes one of its most peculiar and striking
-characteristics. The colouring, which, on the upper parts of the body,
-is deep black, becomes somewhat lighter on the sides, and assumes a yet
-lighter shade beneath: the chin and angles of the mouth are nearly white;
-the gray tinge predominating over the darker shades in various other
-parts, but by no means in so regular a manner as to merit a particular
-description. The ears are remarkably short; and the tail is also somewhat
-shorter in proportion than that of the common wolf, not reaching, in its
-solid form, beneath the posterior bend (which in all these animals is
-formed by the heel) of the hind legs.
-
-The animals at present in the Tower, the only individuals of this
-species that have been brought alive to Europe, were presented about
-four years since by the Hudson’s Bay Company, by some of whose hunters
-they had been trapped in the northern regions of America. A fine skin
-of the same species was brought home by the late overland expedition to
-those countries, under the command of Captain Franklin, and presented
-to the Museum of the Zoological Society. There is also another instance
-of its occurrence recorded in the capture of a solitary specimen, in
-the Missouri territory, by the party engaged in Major Long’s expedition
-from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains. This specimen was accurately
-described, in the notes to the published narrative of that expedition, by
-Mr. Say, who at once recognised it as a distinct species, and affixed to
-it the scientific name which we have adopted without hesitation for these
-animals, with the most striking peculiarities of which his description
-coincides in every essential particular.
-
-Their habits in a state of nature are, in all probability, perfectly
-similar to those which characterize their immediate neighbours, from
-which, in captivity, they differ in no remarkable degree. Like the common
-kind, they are exceedingly voracious, tearing their meat and swallowing
-it in large gobbets, and afterwards gnawing the bones (for which they
-frequently quarrel) with truly wolvish avidity. Although they have been
-so long confined, they retain their original ferocity undiminished: a
-circumstance, it may be mentioned by the way, which has prevented us
-from giving their measurement. Judging, however, from the eye, we may
-confidently venture to assert that their size, especially that of the
-male, is considerably superior to that of the specimen described by Mr.
-Say, which measured about four feet and a quarter from the tip of the
-nose to the origin of the tail.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE JACKAL.
-
-_CANIS AUREUS._ LINN.
-
-
-The Jackal, one of the greatest pests of the countries which he inhabits,
-is spread over nearly the whole of Asia and the north of Africa,
-occupying in the warmer regions of those continents the place of the
-Wolf, of whom in many particulars he may be considered as offering a
-miniature resemblance. In size he is about equal to the common fox, but
-he differs from that equally troublesome animal in the form of the pupils
-of his eyes, which correspond with those of the dog and of the wolf, in
-the comparative shortness of his legs and muzzle, in his less tufted and
-bushy tail, and in the peculiar marking of his coat. The colouring of
-his back and sides consists of a mixture of gray and black, which is
-abruptly and strikingly distinguished from the deep and uniform tawny of
-his shoulders, haunches, and legs: his head is nearly of the same mixed
-shade with the upper surface of his body, as is also the greater part of
-his tail, which latter, however, becomes black towards its extremity;
-his neck and throat are whitish, and the under surface of his body is
-distinguished by a paler hue.
-
-Unlike the wolf or the fox, he always associates himself with his species
-in numerous troops, which burrow together in the earth, hunt in concert,
-and act in conjunction for their mutual defence. These bands not only
-prey upon the smaller quadrupeds and domestic poultry, but, emboldened
-by their numbers, give chase to and attack the larger animals. They
-frequently follow in the train of more noble beasts, and make their meal
-off the remains of the carcases which have been half devoured by the Lion
-or the Tiger. When taken they become almost immediately tame and docile;
-offering no resistance and evincing no signs of ferocity. The specimen in
-the Tower is remarkably quiet; it is a male, and has been a resident for
-upwards of three years.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CIVET, OR MUSK CAT.
-
-_VIVERRA CIVETTA._ LINN.
-
-
-The group of animals to which we have next to turn our attention is
-perhaps the most puzzling, and certainly the least understood, among
-the true Carnivora; hence there exists no little difficulty in defining
-its limits and distinguishing the species which compose it. Under the
-generic name of Viverra, Linnæus comprehended a series, or, to speak
-more properly, a congeries, of quadrupeds, differing from each other
-so remarkably in form, in structure, and in habits, as to render
-it absolutely impossible to find characters by which they might be
-circumscribed and isolated from their fellows. His definition of the
-genus therefore, although purposely expressed in terms the most vague
-and indistinct, neither excludes such animals as from their obvious
-affinities he could not refrain from referring to other groups, nor
-includes full one half of the species which he has arranged beneath
-it. The Ichneumon of the Nile, the Suricate of the Cape, the Coati
-of South America, the Stinking Weasels of the North, the Civet of
-Barbary, the Genette of the East, the Ratel of South Africa, and others
-equally distant in affinity, were sweepingly compelled into this
-ample receptacle, which was converted into a genuine “refuge for the
-houseless,” in which every carnivorous quadruped, known, unknown, or
-imperfectly known, that appeared to be without a place elsewhere, was
-charitably afforded a temporary asylum.
-
-In this arrangement, which brought animals truly digitigrade, with
-retractile claws, tongues covered with sharp papillæ, canine teeth of
-great power, and molars formed for tearing flesh, consequently in a
-high degree sanguinary and carnivorous in their habits, into close and
-intimate contact with others, which are positively plantigrade, with
-exserted claws, smooth tongues, and teeth of little power and evidently
-incapable of lacerating animal food, and which are therefore in all cases
-more or less, and in several instances wholly, vegetable eaters, it
-was impossible for naturalists long to coincide. The genus thus formed
-presented so heterogeneous a combination, that the difficulty was rather
-where to stop in the dispersion of the dissimilar materials of which it
-was composed, than where to commence the necessary operation; and in
-consequence nearly a dozen genera, not hanging together in one continued
-series, but scattered through various parts of the system, and most of
-them essentially distinct, have been the result of the dismemberment of
-this single group.
-
-The true Civets, to which the genus Viverra is now restricted, yield in
-the extent of their carnivorous propensities to the cats alone, whom they
-approach very closely in many points of their zoological character, as
-well as in their predatory, sanguinary, and nocturnal habits. In addition
-to the six incisors and two canines, which are common to the whole of the
-true Carnivora, they have on each side and in each jaw six molars, one
-of which is peculiarly adapted for lacerating flesh, while the rest are
-more or less of the ordinary form. Their tongues are furnished with the
-same elevated and pointed papillæ which give so remarkable an asperity
-to those of the cats; and their claws are half retractile. The toes are
-five in number on each of the feet, and their extremities alone are
-applied to the ground in walking; the animals are consequently completely
-digitigrade. But the most distinctive character of the group consists in
-an opening near the tail, leading into a double cavity of considerable
-size, furnished with glands and follicles for the secretion of the
-peculiar odoriferous substance so well known as the produce of the Civet,
-and from which the animal derives his name.
-
-The present species is from two to three feet in length, exclusive of the
-tail, which is nearly half as much more; and stands from ten to twelve
-inches high. His body, which is more elongated in its form than that of
-any of the animals hitherto described, is covered with long hair, the
-ground colour of which is of a brownish gray intermingled with numerous
-transverse interrupted bands or irregular spots of black. A series of
-longer hairs of the latter colour occupy the middle line of the back,
-from between the shoulders to the extremity of the tail, and form a
-kind of mane, which may be raised or depressed at pleasure. The legs and
-greater part of the tail are perfectly black, and the upper lip and sides
-of the neck nearly white. A large patch of black surrounds each eye, and
-passes from it to the angle of the mouth; and two or three other bands
-of the same colour pass obliquely from the base of the ears towards the
-shoulder and neck, the latter of which is marked by a broad black patch.
-
-In his natural habits the Civet closely resembles the fox and the less
-powerful species of cats, subsisting by rapine, and attacking the birds
-and smaller quadrupeds, which form his principal food, rather by night
-and by surprise than by open force and in the face of day: reduced to a
-state of captivity, he becomes moderately tame, but not sufficiently so
-to allow himself to be handled with impunity. In many parts of Northern
-Africa large numbers of them are kept for the purpose of obtaining their
-perfume, which bears a high price and is much esteemed. The individual
-sketched above is a male of large size, and remarkable for never having
-deposited any of the perfume, although for more than twelve months an
-inhabitant of the Menagerie.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE JAVANESE CIVET.
-
-_VIVERRA RASSE._ HORSF.
-
-
-The present species is remarkably distinct from the preceding both in
-form and colour. Its ground is of a much lighter gray, on which it offers
-a broad longitudinal dorsal line of black, and two or three narrower ones
-of the same colour on each side, composed of confluent spots. These spots
-are also thickly but somewhat irregularly scattered over the rest of the
-body, and may be considered as forming a series of flexuous dotted lines.
-The legs are black externally; and the head is grayish and without spots.
-A deep longitudinal black line occupies the side of the neck above, and a
-second more oblique is placed below. The body, which is from fifteen to
-eighteen inches in length, is narrow and compressed, and more elevated
-behind than before; the back is strongly arched. The line of the profile
-is perfectly straight, the muzzle narrow and tapering, and the ears
-short and rounded. The tail is of equal length with the body, and tapers
-gradually to the tip; it is marked with eight or nine broad rings of
-black, alternating with an equal number of grayish.
-
-Like the other animals of its group, its habits are predatory; in
-confinement it retains much of its original ferocity, and is extremely
-spiteful and savage. The two individuals from which our figure was taken
-have inhabited the Menagerie for nearly twelve months; they are both
-males, and occupy different dens. They are fed, like the preceding, and
-indeed like all the carnivorous quadrupeds which it remains to mention,
-on a mixture of vegetable and animal food; and deposit large quantities
-of civet, which strongly impregnates the air of the apartment in which
-they are kept. This perfume is highly esteemed by the Javanese, who
-apply it not only to their dresses, but also to their persons. Even the
-apartments and furniture of the natives of rank are generally scented
-with it to such a degree as to be offensive to Europeans.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE GRAY ICHNEUMON.
-
-_ICHNEUMON GRISEUS._ GEOFF.
-
-
-From the Civets, to which it closely approaches in the number and in some
-degree also in the form of its teeth, in the asperity of its tongue, and
-in the semi-retractility of its claws, the group of which the Egyptian
-Ichneumon forms the type is distinguished by its narrower and more
-pointed muzzle, by the shortness of its lower lip, and more especially by
-the absence of the double cavity beneath the tail, which is replaced by
-a single pouch of considerable size, but destitute of secreting glands.
-Their hair is long, crisp, brittle, and always more or less variegated in
-colour, in consequence of each separate hair being marked by alternate
-rings of different shades.
-
-The colour of the species now before us, which is a native of India,
-is a pale gray, the hairs being for the most part of a dirty yellowish
-white, relieved towards their extremities by narrow rings of brown. The
-head and limbs are darker than the rest of the body.
-
-The habits of the Ichneumons are very similar to those of the ferret.
-In the localities where they abound, their sanguinary disposition and
-predatory inclinations render them a real pest to the farm-yard, to
-which they pay their nocturnal visits for the purpose of destroying
-the poultry. They also make war upon rats, birds, and reptiles, and
-devour the eggs of the latter with the greatest avidity. Endowed with a
-remarkable degree of courage in proportion to their size, they do not
-hesitate to attack any animal that is not obviously more than a match for
-them. Even in captivity they retain much of their native spirit; and so
-great is their activity and determination that the individual now in the
-Tower actually on one occasion killed no fewer than a dozen full grown
-rats, which were loosed to it in a room sixteen feet square, in less than
-a minute and a half. They are very easily tamed, become attached to those
-with whom they are familiar and to the house in which they live, and will
-follow their master about almost like a dog.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE PARADOXURUS.
-
-_PARADOXURUS TYPUS._ F. CUV.
-
-
-Although the division of the true Carnivora into digitigrade and
-plantigrade is in many respects objectionable, we feel compelled, in
-conformity with established rules, to remove the animal before us from
-its most obvious affinities, to arrange it among the latter; placing
-it, however, at the commencement of that division and nearly in contact
-with the viverrine groups, to which it is so intimately allied, as to
-have been actually confounded by Buffon with the common Genette; a
-mistake, which was first clearly pointed out by M. F. Cuvier, but which
-has obtained so generally among naturalists, that the Paradoxurus is
-still commonly exhibited under that erroneous name. From the Genettes
-and Civets it differs little in its general form and habits; its teeth
-are nearly similar; and its toes and nails closely correspond in number
-and in their degree of retractility. But it is entirely destitute of the
-secretory pouch; and, in addition to its plantigrade walk, it exhibits a
-very peculiar structure in the tail. This organ is as long as the body,
-and flattened above and below; when extended, the further half is turned
-over so as to place its lower side uppermost, and the animal has it in
-its power to roll it up into a spire, commencing from above downwards, to
-the very base.
-
-The colour of the species varies in different lights: in general it may
-be described as grayish black, with a tinge of yellow. On this ground it
-is marked with one broad dorsal, and on each side two or three narrower,
-indistinct black lines. The under jaw, the legs, and the greater part of
-the tail are entirely black; and there is a whitish spot above and under
-each of its eyes.
-
-India and the larger Asiatic Islands appear to be its native country; but
-nothing certain is known of its habits in a state of nature: in captivity
-it is sullen and irascible, and evinces no affection for its keeper,
-appearing in fact totally insensible to the attentions which it receives.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BROWN COATI.
-
-_NASUA NARICA._ F. CUV.
-
-
-The characters of the genus to which this curious little animal belongs
-resemble so closely in the most important particulars those of the other
-plantigrade Carnivora, that it will here be sufficient to explain those
-points alone in which the Coatis differ from their immediate affinities.
-From the Bears they are essentially distinguished by the general form
-of their body, which in some measure approaches that of the viverrine
-group; by their physiognomy, which is altogether peculiar, and by their
-elongated tail, which is nearly equal in length to their body. From the
-Racoons their generally lengthened form, and especially that of the
-snout, which is in fact their most obvious and striking characteristic,
-are fully sufficient to distinguish them. In the Coatis this organ is
-produced in a most remarkable degree; and it is terminated by a muzzle so
-extremely flexible that, when the attention of the animal is excited, it
-is kept in constant action and moved about in all directions.
-
-The Coatis are barely equal in size to the common fox: they inhabit the
-woods of South America, and live upon fruits, insects, and reptiles,
-climbing trees in pursuit of their prey with great agility. In captivity
-they are easily tamed, and are fond of being caressed; but exhibit no
-peculiar symptoms of attachment.
-
-Three supposed species have been described; but naturalists in general
-are at present inclined to admit of no more than two; and even with
-regard to these we have yet no sufficient proof that they are really more
-than strongly marked varieties. The one from which our figure was taken
-belongs to the brown kind, which is distinguished from the other chiefly
-by its darker colour both above and below, and by the blackness of the
-sides of its snout. The tails of both species are usually encircled by
-rings alternately black and fulvous; and each has the eye surrounded by
-three white spots.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE RACOON.
-
-_PROCYON LOTOR._ CUV.
-
-
-Larger in size and more robust in stature than the Coatis, and
-approximating still more closely in their physical characters to the
-Bears, which may be considered as the typical group of the plantigrade
-Carnivora, the Racoons naturally occupy an intermediate station between
-the playful, timid, and harmless little creatures just noticed, and
-the powerful, clumsy, and dangerous animals next to be described. Like
-both Bears and Coatis they have in each jaw six sharp incisors, two
-strong canines, and twelve cheek teeth, six on each side. But these
-latter differ from those of the Bears, inasmuch as the whole six form a
-regular series, the three anterior ones of which are small and pointed,
-and the three posterior broad and surmounted by prominent and blunted
-tubercles; while in the Bears the three anterior appear rather to form
-a supplemental appendage, being placed irregularly and at unequal
-distances, and not unfrequently falling out altogether as the animal
-advances in age: the tubercles on the crowns of the posterior ones are
-also much less strongly marked. The Coatis exhibit nearly the same mode
-of dentition as the Racoons; but striking marks of distinction between
-them are afforded by the comparative length of the tail, which in the
-latter is scarcely half as long as the body; and by that of the snout,
-which, instead of being prolonged into an extensible muzzle, capable
-of being moved about in all directions, as in the Coatis, is scarcely
-produced beyond the lower lip, and has very little motion. The strongly
-marked difference in physiognomy arising from this circumstance is
-increased by the width of the head posteriorly, which is so great as to
-give to the general outline of the face of the Racoons the form of a
-nearly equilateral triangle. Their ears are of moderate length, upright
-and rounded at the tip; their legs strikingly contrast in their slender
-and graceful form with the strong and muscular limbs of the Bears; and
-their nails, five in number on each of the feet, are long, pointed, and
-of considerable strength. The whole body is clothed with long, thick, and
-soft hair; and its general shape, notwithstanding its intimate connexion
-with the Bears, and its short and thickset proportions, is not without a
-certain degree of elegance and lightness.
-
-The Racoons are natives of America, and the species which has been most
-frequently observed by naturalists, and which we are now to describe, is
-most frequent in the northern division of that continent. Indeed it may
-admit of doubt whether it ever advances further south than the Isthmus
-of Darien, the animal described by M. D’Azara as identical with it being
-evidently a distinct species. Its fur is usually of a deep grayish black,
-resulting from the intermixture of those two colours in successive rings
-on each individual hair. The shades of colour vary on different parts
-of the body, and are as usual much lighter below and on the inside of
-the legs. The face, which is nearly white, is surrounded by a black band
-of unequal breadth, passing across the forehead, encircling the eyes,
-and descending obliquely on each side towards the angle of the jaw. The
-whiskers are of moderate length; and the hair of the face generally, as
-well as of the legs, is short and smooth. The tail, which is thick at
-the base, tapering gradually to the tip, and covered with long hairs,
-has five or six brownish rings, alternating with an equal number of the
-lighter colour which is prevalent on the lower parts of the body.
-
-All that we know of their habits in a state of nature may be comprehended
-in the single fact, that, in addition to the vegetable substances,
-and more particularly fruits, which form the principal part of their
-subsistence, they feed on the eggs of birds, and even on the birds
-themselves, their agility and the structure of their claws affording
-them the means of reaching the tops of the tallest trees with quickness
-and facility. In captivity they are easily tamed, and even appear
-susceptible of some degree of attachment; but they never entirely lose
-their sentiment of independence, and are consequently incapable of
-complete domestication. When placed under a certain degree of restraint
-they appear contented and happy, are fond of play, and take pleasure
-in the caresses of their friends, and even of strangers; but however
-long this kind of domestication may have continued, and how much soever
-they may seem reconciled to their confinement, the moment the restraint
-is withdrawn and they feel themselves again at liberty, the love of
-freedom prevails over every other consideration, and they become as wild
-as if they had never been reclaimed. In eating, they commonly support
-themselves on their hind legs, and carry their food to the mouth between
-their fore paws, having first plunged it in water, if the liquid element,
-of which they are remarkably fond, is within reach. This singular
-peculiarity, the object of which is not very obvious, but from which
-the animal derives his specific name, does not, however, appear to be
-constant and uniform, being frequently entirely neglected. The same may
-be said of their fondness for shell-fish and mollusca, for which they
-are generally stated to have a great partiality; some of them, like
-the handsome pair now living in the Menagerie, displaying the greatest
-address and dexterity in opening the shell of an oyster, and extracting
-its contents, while others absolutely refuse to touch it.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.
-
-_URSUS AMERICANUS._ PALLAS.
-
-
-We have now arrived at the closing group of the true Carnivora; a group
-which, although less sanguinary in its habits than almost any of those
-which we have hitherto had occasion to notice, and endowed by nature with
-a capacity of subsisting entirely on vegetable substances, comprehends
-nevertheless, among the closely allied species of which it is composed,
-not merely the largest, but even some of the most formidable, of the
-carnivorous Mammalia.
-
-Both in outward shape and internal characters, these clumsy, sluggish,
-and uncouth animals offer a perfect contrast to the light, active,
-and elegant forms of the tribe with which we commenced our series.
-Instead of the compressed and lengthened body, with its soft, sleek,
-and variegated covering, and the long and graceful tail by which it
-is terminated, we have a broad, awkward, and thickset figure, covered
-with a rough, shaggy, and unattractive fur, and ending in a scarcely
-visible appendage, serving neither for ornament nor use. The difference
-in gait and motion is as remarkable as that of shape; for while the one
-glides gently along, as it were on tiptoe, or bounds onwards with the
-velocity of thought, the other appears to be oppressed by the weight
-of his ponderous and unwieldy bulk, and supporting himself on the full
-expansion of his dilated paws, scarcely moves without the semblance of
-an effort. The short and rounded jaws of the cats, with their close and
-regular series of powerful cutting and lacerating teeth, and their rough
-and rasplike tongue, are supplied by a broad and lengthened snout, teeth
-of a character totally different in almost every essential point, and a
-soft, smooth, and extensible tongue. The claws too, which in the cats are
-strongly curved, exceedingly sharp at their edges, tapering gradually
-to a fine point, and capable of being entirely retracted within their
-sheaths, are here indeed of great power, and sometimes even considerably
-arched, but rounded in their surfaces, more or less blunted at their
-extremities, and constantly protruded to their full extent. In this
-manner might the contrast be pursued through almost every organ; but our
-limits warn us that we must at once proceed to the enumeration of the
-essential characters which combine the Bears into a well marked group.
-
-These characters are derived, first, from their completely plantigrade
-walk, the whole sole being at all times closely applied to the surface
-on which they tread; secondly, from their claws, of which they have five
-on each foot; thirdly, from the extreme shortness of their tail; and
-lastly, from the form and arrangement of their teeth. These consist of
-the usual number of incisors and canines, the latter being in general
-very robust, and of a series of molars, which, when complete, amount
-to six on each side in each jaw; the posterior three having flat and
-expanded surfaces surmounted by broad and blunted tubercles, and lying
-closely in contact with each other. Between them and the canines exists a
-considerable space, which is or should be occupied by three smaller and
-obtusely pointed teeth; but this number is seldom found entire, one or
-more of them being generally absent, and the series being thus rendered
-incomplete.
-
-The Black Bear of America is distinguished from his fellows, and more
-especially from the brown bear of Europe, which he approaches most nearly
-in size and form, by few very striking external differences, except the
-colour of his fur. His forehead has a slight elevation; his muzzle is
-elongated, and somewhat flattened above; and his hair, though long and
-straight, has less shagginess than that of most of the other species of
-the group. In colour it is of a uniform shining jet-black, except on the
-muzzle, where it is short and fawn-coloured, becoming almost gray on the
-lips and sides of the mouth. This, however, it should be observed, is the
-character only of the full-grown animal: the young are first of a bright
-ash colour, which gradually changes to a deep brown, and finally fixes
-in the glossy black tint of mature age.
-
-The habits and manners of the Black Bear resemble those of the brown
-almost as closely as his physical characters. In a state of nature he
-seeks the recesses of the forest, and passes his solitary life in wild
-and uncultivated deserts, far from the society of man, and avoiding
-even that of the animal creation. His usual food consists of the young
-shoots of vegetables, of their roots, which he digs up with his strong
-and arcuated claws, and of their fruits, which he obtains by means
-of the facility with which the same organs enable him to climb the
-loftiest trees. He possesses indeed the faculty of climbing in a most
-extraordinary degree, and frequently exercises it in the pursuit of
-honey, of which he is passionately fond. When all these resources fail
-him, he will attack the smaller quadrupeds, and sometimes even animals
-of considerable size; familiarity with danger diminishing his natural
-timidity, and the use of flesh begetting a taste for its continued
-enjoyment. He is also said, like the Polar Bear, to have a peculiar
-fondness for fish, and is frequently met with on the borders of lakes and
-on the coast of the sea, to which he has resorted for the gratification
-of this appetite. Notwithstanding his apparent clumsiness, he swims with
-the greatest dexterity, the excessive quantity of fat with which he is
-loaded serving to buoy him up in the water; in this way he frequently
-crosses the broadest rivers, or even very considerable arms of the sea.
-
-The entire continent of North America, or perhaps it might be more
-correct to say, that immense portion of its surface which still remains
-uncultivated and desolate, furnishes an abode to this species of bear,
-which is consequently as widely dispersed as any of his tribe. As his
-fur is of some value in commerce, although not so much sought after at
-the present day as it was formerly, his race has become an object of the
-cupidity of man, by whom they are frequently hunted for the sake of their
-skins. This chase is principally followed by the Indians, who are also
-attracted by the flavour of his flesh, of which, and especially of the
-fat, they partake with an avidity truly disgusting. Travellers, however,
-who have been reduced to the necessity of having recourse to this sort
-of food, speak of it as by no means despicable: the fat yields moreover
-a quantity of oil, which is often extremely serviceable. The Indians
-will sometimes attack these animals single-handed; and if they can
-manage to keep beyond the reach of their powerful grasp, which is almost
-irresistible, are sure of gaining the victory; as the bears, in the
-rampant posture which they always assume in self-defence, unconsciously
-expose their most vulnerable parts to the attack of the hunter. Snares
-are sometimes laid for them; but these are most frequently unsuccessful;
-that extreme caution, which is so strongly portrayed in their actions
-and demeanour, rendering them mistrustful of every thing. Nevertheless
-their gluttony will sometimes get the better of their prudence, and the
-bait of honey offers too tempting an allurement to be always resisted.
-At other times a whole tribe of Indians will assemble for the chase,
-and after having performed a variety of superstitious observances, beat
-the entire country for their game, drive a great number of them into
-a spot selected for the purpose, and deal forth upon them wholesale
-destruction. They will also trace them to their retreats in the season of
-their lethargy, which occupies several of the winter months, and during
-which the bears are incapable of offering any effectual resistance.
-
-In captivity the Black Bear is distinguished from the brown only by
-the less degree of docility and intelligence which he evinces: and the
-habits of the latter are so universally known that it would be useless to
-dwell upon them here. The specimen figured at the head of this article
-was presented to the Menagerie, in 1824, by Sir George Alderson, and
-is remarkably tame and playful. He has, until very lately, shared his
-den with the Hyæna, with whom he maintained a very good correspondence,
-except at meal-times, when they would frequently quarrel, in a very
-ludicrous manner, for a piece of beef, or whatever else might happen to
-furnish a bone of contention between them. The Hyæna, though by far the
-smallest of the two, was generally master; and the Bear would moan most
-piteously, and in a tone somewhat resembling the bleating of a sheep,
-while his companion quietly consumed the remainder of his dinner.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
-
-_URSUS FEROX._ LEWIS AND CLARKE.
-
-
-A native also of the northern division of America, and more particularly
-of that extensive tract of country which constitutes the newly erected
-State of Missouri, the Grizzly Bear differs in many striking points, both
-of character and habits, from the subject of the preceding article, as
-well as from every other animal of the very natural group of which he
-forms part. By his elongated, narrowed, and flattened muzzle, added to
-the slight elevation of his forehead, he is closely connected with the
-Black Bear of America, and as remarkably distinguished from the common
-Brown Bear of Europe, and from the White Bear of the polar regions, which
-last, in size and general form, offers perhaps the nearest approximation
-to the present species. But his enormous magnitude, which may be stated
-as averaging twice the bulk of the Black Bear; the greatly increased
-size and power of his canine teeth; and, above all, the excessive length
-of his talons, on the fore feet especially, afford characteristic
-differences so obvious and so essential, that it is difficult to conceive
-how they could have been so long overlooked by naturalists as well as
-travellers, who have all, until within little more than twenty years of
-the present time, passed him over without even a casual hint that he
-presented any claims to be considered as distinct from the common species
-of his country.
-
-His hair, generally speaking, is longer, finer, and more abundant than
-that of the Black Bear, and varies in colour to an almost indefinite
-extent, passing through all the intermediate shades between a light gray
-and a black brown. The brown tinge is, however, the most common; and it
-is always more or less grizzled either by the intermixture of grayish
-hairs, or by the brown hairs being tipped with gray. The hair of the legs
-and feet is darker and coarser, and diminishes in length as it descends;
-on the muzzle it becomes remarkably pale, and is so much shortened as to
-give to the animal an appearance of baldness. His eyes are very small
-and hardly at all prominent; and the line of the profile is consequently
-nearly straight. His tail is scarcely visible, being almost entirely
-concealed by the long hairs which surround it. Of the great size of
-his feet and talons, some judgment may be formed from the measurements
-given by Captains Lewis and Clarke, the first travellers by whom the
-Grizzly Bear was accurately described. These gentlemen inform us that
-the breadth of the fore foot in one of the individuals observed by them
-exceeded nine inches, while the length of his hind foot, exclusive of
-the talons, was eleven inches and three quarters, and its breadth seven
-inches. The claws of the fore feet of another specimen measured more
-than six inches. The latter are considerably longer and less curved than
-those of the hind feet, and do not narrow in a lateral direction as they
-approach their extremity, but diminish only from beneath: the point
-is consequently formed by the shelving of the inferior surface alone,
-their breadth remaining the same throughout the whole of their enormous
-length, and their power being proportionally increased; an admirable
-provision for enabling the animal to exercise to the fullest extent his
-propensity for digging up the ground, either in search of food or for
-other purposes. It appears, however, on the other hand, to unfit him for
-climbing trees, which he never attempts; and this remarkable circumstance
-in his habits affords a striking distinction between him and all the
-other Bears, which are essentially climbers.
-
-Of all the quadrupeds which inhabit the northern regions of the American
-continent, the Grizzly Bear is unquestionably the most formidable and
-the most dreaded. Superior to the rest of his tribe, not excepting even
-the polar species, in bulk, in power, in agility, and in the ferocity of
-his disposition, it is not to be wondered at that he should be regarded
-by the native Indians with an almost superstitious terror, and that
-some portion of this feeling should have been communicated even to the
-civilized travellers, who have occasionally met with him in the wild and
-desolate regions which are subject to his devastations. In the Journals
-of some of these travellers we find recorded such astonishing instances
-of his strength, ferocity, and extraordinary tenacity of life as would
-indeed amaze us, were we not aware how much the human mind is prone,
-under certain circumstances, to fall into exaggeration, in many cases
-most certainly unintentional. Making, however, all due allowances for the
-existence of this very natural feeling, we are bound to acknowledge that
-there are few animals who can compete with this terrible beast; and that
-to be made the object of his pursuit is an occurrence well calculated to
-alarm the stoutest heart, even when provided with the most certain and
-deadly weapons of human invention, guided by the most experienced eye,
-and directed by the steadiest hand.
-
-This tremendous animal appears to be most commonly found in the
-neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, especially on the well wooded
-plains which skirt the eastern declivity of that lofty and extensive
-range, among thick copses of brush and underwood, and on the banks of
-the water-courses which descend in innumerable petty streams from their
-sources in the hills. In these wild solitudes, rarely trodden by the
-foot of civilized man, and visited only by the savage Indians of the
-neighbouring tribes, who have not yet learned to bow the neck beneath
-the yoke of the exterminating conqueror, he reigns the almost undisputed
-tyrant of the forest. Few among the animals which share with him his
-barbarous habitation are fleet enough to escape him in the chase; and
-none, when fairly placed within his reach, are powerful enough to
-withstand his overwhelming force. Even the sturdy and formidable Bison,
-the wild bull of North America, is incapable of offering any effectual
-resistance to the furious impetuosity of his attack; and an illustration
-of the extent of his muscular power is afforded by the fact that after
-having destroyed his victim, he will drag its ponderous carcase to some
-convenient spot, where he will dig a pit for its reception, and deposit
-it for a season, returning to his feast from time to time as the calls of
-hunger may dictate, until his store is exhausted and he is again reduced
-to the necessity of looking abroad for a fresh supply.
-
-But although endowed with so strong a propensity for animal food, as
-well as with the power to gratify the appetite thus grafted in his very
-nature, he is not, like the more perfect of the carnivorous tribe, left
-entirely dependent upon that which, in the climate in which he has
-been placed, must of necessity be a precarious, and frequently even
-an impossible, source of subsistence. Of a more fierce and sanguinary
-temper than the other bears, he does not hesitate to attack whatever
-living creature may fall in his way, and man himself seems to inspire him
-with little dread: but in the absence of his favourite food, he makes a
-less savoury, but equally congenial, meal of vegetable substances, of
-fruits, or more commonly of roots, the latter of which he digs up with
-the greatest facility with his enormous claws; and in some parts of the
-country these more simple productions form almost his sole subsistence.
-On the quality of his food depends much of the ferocity of his temper;
-for it appears that the bears of the western side of the Rocky Mountains,
-who live almost entirely upon vegetables, are of a much less fierce and
-savage disposition than their fellows of the eastern side, where animal
-food is more abundant and more easily procured.
-
-Next to his great size and excessive ferocity, one of the most striking
-peculiarities of this animal is his extreme tenacity of life. For the
-instances of this we are indebted almost wholly to the narrative of the
-Travels of Captains Lewis and Clarke, whose statements are no doubt
-founded in truth, although it may be suspected that they require to be
-received with some grains at least of allowance. According to these
-gentlemen one bear which had received five shots in his lungs, and five
-other wounds in various parts of his body, swam a considerable distance
-to a sand bank in the river, and survived more than twenty minutes;
-another that had been shot through the centre of the lungs, pursued at
-full speed the man by whom the wound was inflicted for half a mile, then
-returned more than twice that distance, dug himself a bed two feet deep
-and five feet long, and was perfectly alive two hours after he received
-the wound; and a third, although actually shot through the heart, ran
-at his usual pace nearly a quarter of a mile before he fell. There is
-no chance, they add, of killing him by a single shot, unless the ball
-goes directly through the brain; a single hunter runs consequently no
-little risk in venturing to attack an animal upon whom the most dangerous
-wounds, if not instantaneously fatal, produce no obvious immediate
-effects.
-
-Notwithstanding the horror with which the natives regard this animal,
-it is said that they sometimes succeed in rendering him tame; and a
-whimsical story is told by the late Governor Clinton, on the authority
-of an Indian trader, of an insult offered to a domesticated bear of this
-species by an Indian of a different tribe from that to which the master
-of the bear belonged, being regarded as a national affront, and producing
-a war between the two tribes. The same veracious trader, it should be
-added, did not scruple to affirm that the Grizzly Bear had actually been
-seen fourteen feet long: the greatest measurement given on any credible
-authority being somewhat less than nine feet. It may, however, well be
-doubted whether the Grizzly Bear is capable of being domesticated; for it
-would appear that all the known attempts that have hitherto been made to
-render him docile and obedient have completely failed. In the narrative
-of Major Long’s expedition, Mr. Say has given some particulars relative
-to the manners of a half-grown individual which was kept chained in the
-yard of one of the stations of the Missouri Fur Company; but which,
-though far from having attained his full strength, was by no means
-trusted even by those who were most familiar with him. They occasionally
-ventured to play with him; but this was always done with caution and
-reserve; and when, as was sometimes the case, he chanced to break loose
-from his confinement, the whole establishment was thrown into a state of
-confusion and alarm. The same gentleman also gives the history of two
-individuals which were presented when very young to the Philadelphia
-Museum, where they were kept for several years confined in a strong cage;
-until at length their strength and ferocity, which no kind of treatment
-appeared capable of subduing, had reached such a pitch that it was found
-absolutely necessary to destroy them.
-
-In no respect has the subject of the present notice, whose portrait
-admirably illustrates the peculiarities of his species, degenerated from
-the race of which he appears to be the sole representative in Europe.
-He was presented to his late majesty, more than seventeen years ago,
-by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and has long been the oldest inhabitant of
-the Tower Menagerie. The name of Martin, which was originally bestowed
-upon him, in imitation probably of that of the most celebrated bear
-ever exhibited in Europe, has consequently been of late years generally
-preceded by the epithet of antiquity, and Old Martin has become under
-that title almost as well known as his famous namesake. His size is
-far superior to that of any other bear that has ever been seen in this
-quarter of the globe; and his ferocity, in spite of the length of time
-during which he has been a prisoner, and of all the attempts that have
-been made to conciliate him, still continues undiminished. He does not
-offer the slightest encouragement to familiarity on the part of his
-keepers, but treats them with as much distance as the most perfect
-strangers; and although he will sometimes appear playful and good
-tempered, yet they know him too well to trust themselves within his
-clutch.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE THIBET BEAR.
-
-_URSUS THIBETANUS._ F. CUV.
-
-
-It is with no slight feelings of regret that we find ourselves unable
-to furnish a complete and satisfactory account of the animal from whom
-the portrait above given was taken. Very soon after the drawing was
-completed, and before we had availed ourselves of the opportunity of
-making the necessary examination, we were unfortunately precluded from so
-doing by his sudden transfer to another country. His likeness alone, and
-a faithful and spirited likeness we will venture to pronounce it, remains
-with us. From this, and from the very imperfect notes which we possess,
-we have little hesitation in referring it provisionally to the species
-first established by M. Duvaucel, and since published by M. F. Cuvier
-in his splendid Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères. The circumstance,
-however, of our animal, the only individual of his species ever seen in
-Europe, having been brought from the Island of Sumatra instead of the
-continent of India, in which alone the Ursus Thibetanus had hitherto
-been discovered, is so remarkable, that we should have felt bound, had
-the means still remained open to us, to institute a close and severe
-comparison between the living specimen and the figure and description
-furnished by M. Duvaucel and M. Cuvier. As it is, we can only repeat
-the characters of the Thibet Bear as given by them, and refer to our
-figure for all the proof which we have it in our power to offer of its
-identity with the present animal. We trust that M. Temminck, or some
-other competent naturalist of the country to which the latter has been
-conveyed, will amply supply a deficiency which certainly would not have
-existed had we received timely notice of the intended transfer.
-
-M. Duvaucel enumerates three species of bears inhabiting India and the
-neighbouring islands. The first of these is the Ursus labiatus, which was
-strangely mistaken on its first arrival in Europe, nearly forty years
-ago, for a Sloth, and received from the naturalists of that day the name
-of Bradypus pentadactylus, or ursinus, the Five-fingered, or Ursine,
-Sloth; an appellation which has been productive of no little confusion
-in nomenclature, and is still frequently employed in menageries and
-exhibitions to distinguish the same animal, and sometimes even nearly
-related species. With the true Sloths it has nothing in common; and the
-only circumstance which can at all account for the blunder, consists
-in the accidental deficiency of the incisor teeth in the animal first
-examined; a deficiency, which, according to the strict principles of
-the artificial system then adopted, was alone sufficient to convert a
-Bear into a Sloth. The second is the Ursus Malayanus, the Malay Bear,
-admirably illustrated, both with regard to character and habits, by
-the late lamented Sir Stamford Raffles in the thirteenth volume of the
-Linnean Transactions. Another species, intimately connected with this,
-and unknown to M. Duvaucel, will form the subject of the following
-article. In the present we must confine ourselves to his third form, the
-Thibet Bear, which, according to his observations, made on the living
-animal, is distinguished by the following characteristics.
-
-In size it is intermediate between the two other species which he
-describes. Its most remarkable distinction is derived from the thickness
-of its neck and the flatness of its head, its forehead forming almost
-a straight line with its muzzle. The latter is moderately thick and
-somewhat lengthened; and the ears are very large. The body is compact,
-and the limbs heavy; a conformation from which we might be led to infer
-great muscular strength, together with a capacity for climbing trees and
-performing other feats of a similar description, were it not for the
-comparative weakness of the claws, which are scarcely more than half as
-long as those of the other Indian bears. Like the latter, its colour
-is invariably of a uniform glossy jet-black, except on the lower lip,
-which is white; as is also a patch occupying the front of the neck, and
-in shape like a Y, the two upper limbs of which pass in front of the
-shoulders, while the lower one occupies the middle line of the chest.
-The upper part of the muzzle is black, with a slight reddish tint on
-the sides; and the edges of the lips flesh-coloured. The hair, which is
-smooth on the muzzle, becomes shaggy on the back part of the head, from
-the base of the ears downwards, and adds considerably to the apparent
-volume of that part, but not quite to the same extent as in the Ursus
-labiatus, in old individuals of which it almost touches the ground. It
-was found by Dr. Wallich in the mountains of Nepaul, and by M. Duvaucel
-in those of Sylhet; and from this limited range the latter gentleman
-infers, perhaps a little too hastily, that its habitat is less extensive
-than that of its fellows. He also regards it as being more ferocious in
-its habits.
-
-In this latter point alone, so far at least as we can at present judge,
-does the animal from which our figure was taken offer any remarkable
-discrepancy from the foregoing account. He could never be prevailed
-on to touch flesh either raw or cooked; and bread and fruits were the
-substances on which he was constantly fed. In his disposition he was
-moderately tame, and particularly fond of play, after his own rough and
-ludicrous fashion.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BORNEAN BEAR.
-
-_URSUS (HELARCTOS) EURYSPILUS._ HORSF.
-
-
-Of this very remarkable animal, the only individual of the species ever
-seen in Europe, and in fact the only one that has yet fallen under the
-notice of zoologists, so complete an account has been published by Dr.
-Horsfield, in the second volume of the Zoological Journal, that it would
-be presumptuous in us to attempt to add any thing to the masterly details
-which are there furnished both of its organization and habits. We shall
-therefore in the present instance, and with the less reluctance as the
-animal is no longer living for further reference, content ourselves with
-abstracting from that paper, as nearly as possible in the words of its
-author, the more interesting and prominent features of the history which
-is there given of the Bornean Bear; which, in conjunction with another
-closely related species, the Ursus Malayanus, Dr. Horsfield has separated
-from the other bears under the sub-generic title of Helarctos.
-
-One of the most striking points on which this distinction is founded
-consists in the form of the head, which, instead of being flattened,
-as in the more northern species of the group, is nearly hemispherical
-above, the forehead rising in a strong arch immediately behind the nose,
-which is obtuse and very gradually attenuated. The gape of the mouth is
-considerable; and the tongue, which is long, narrow, and very extensile,
-is capable of being protruded for nearly a foot, and then curved inwards
-in a spiral manner, a habit in which the animal appears frequently to
-indulge. In the teeth the difference between this subdivision of the
-genus and the rest of the animals which compose it is unessential, the
-incisors and canines having no distinguishing characters, and the molars
-being apparently subject to the same variations as in the genuine bears.
-
-The Bornean Bear is perhaps somewhat shorter in his proportions than the
-rest of the group, and the great proportional breadth of his head extends
-also to the neck and body. The claws are very long, strongly arched, and
-very gradually attenuated to the point, which is transversely truncated
-and chiefly fitted for digging the earth; but probably also enabling it
-to climb with great agility. The fur is short and glistening, somewhat
-rigid, but closely applied to the skin, and smooth to the touch. On
-the body, head, and extremities, the Bornean Bear has the same pure,
-saturated, jet-black tint which is observed in the Malayan. The muzzle,
-including the region of the eyes, has a yellowish brown colour; and the
-anterior part of the neck is marked by a large broad patch of a more
-vivid and nearly orange tint, which is of an irregular quadrangular form,
-and deeply notched above. The difference in the form and colour of this
-patch constitutes the chief distinction between the present animal and
-the Malayan species, in which latter it is crescent-shaped and white.
-
-The specimen from which this description was taken measured along the
-back, from the muzzle to the tail, three feet nine inches. It arrived in
-this country about four years ago, and formed until lately one of the
-most attractive and interesting spectacles among the animals confined in
-the Menagerie. It was brought from Borneo when very young, and during
-its passage was the constant associate of a monkey and of several other
-young animals. It was thus domesticated in early life, and its manners
-in confinement greatly resembled those of the Malayan Bear observed by
-Sir Stamford Raffles, to which it was probably not inferior in sagacity
-or intellect. It could rest entirely on its posterior feet, and could
-even raise itself without difficulty to a nearly erect posture; but was
-more generally seen in a sitting attitude at the door of its apartment,
-eagerly surveying the visiters and attracting their attention by the
-uncouthness of its form and the singularity of its motions. When a
-morsel of bread or cake was held at a small distance beyond its reach,
-it would expand the lateral aperture of its nostrils and thrust forwards
-its upper lip as a proboscis in a most ludicrous manner, at the same
-time making use of its paws to seize the object. After obtaining it and
-filling its mouth, it would place the remainder with great calmness on
-its posterior feet, and bring it in successive portions to its mouth.
-When craving for food, and also while consuming it, it emitted a coarse,
-but not unpleasant, whining sound, accompanied by a low grunting noise;
-but if teased at this time, it would suddenly raise its voice to a
-harsh and grating tone. It was excessively voracious, and appeared
-disposed to eat almost without cessation; a propensity which finally
-cost it its life, having overgorged itself at breakfast one morning in
-the course of last summer during the hot weather, and dying within ten
-minutes afterwards. This was a severe loss to Mr. Cops, who prized it
-highly, and to whom, in return, it was greatly attached. On seeing its
-keeper it would often place itself in a variety of attitudes, to court
-his attention and caresses, extending its nose and anterior feet, or,
-suddenly turning round, exposing its back and waiting for several minutes
-in this posture with its head placed on the ground. It delighted in being
-patted and rubbed, even by strangers; but violently resented abuse and
-ill treatment. Its principal food was bread.
-
-Our figure was taken from the stuffed skin which is preserved in the
-Museum of the Zoological Society.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-MONKEYS.
-
-_SIMIÆ._ LINN.
-
-
-It may perhaps seem to require some apology that we have ventured so
-far to depart from the ordinary system of arrangement as to remove the
-Monkeys from the station which they have hitherto usually been permitted
-to occupy at the head of the class, and to transfer them to their present
-position. We will not attempt to conceal that in so doing we were chiefly
-actuated by the desire of placing at the commencement of our series the
-largest and most attractive of the animals of which it was composed;
-and those which, in a Menagerie like that which we have undertaken to
-illustrate, always constitute the most imposing feature. But while we
-acknowledge the influence of this feeling to the fullest extent, we
-cannot refrain from expressing at the same time our firm conviction that
-the carnivorous quadrupeds possess in reality a better title to the place
-which we have assigned them, than the Monkeys which we have displaced
-to make room for them. The supposed transition from man, on which the
-received arrangement is founded, has little to do with the question;
-and it would surely require no great subtilty of argument to prove that
-the Carnivora are more highly typical of the great class, of which they
-form so important a part, than any other tribe whatever. But this is not
-the proper place for entering into so abstract a question; to which we
-have only referred _en passant_, for the sake of justifying ourselves
-upon broader principles for a deviation from established custom, which
-we should not have hesitated to adopt, in the present instance, on the
-narrow ground of expedience alone. Before, however, we take leave of
-it altogether, we cannot avoid asking, why, if the Monkeys are to take
-precedence of the Carnivora among Mammalia, the analogous tribe of Birds,
-the Pies and the Parrots, should not also rank above the ornithological
-representatives of the beasts of prey, the towering Eagle and the
-rapacious Vulture?
-
-To return, however, to our Monkeys; to which, be it observed, we do
-not pretend to assign this as a definite position. They form by far
-the largest portion of the Quadrumana; all the other animals of that
-order being comprehended, or rather confounded, in a distinct family,
-under the name of Lemurs, from the rightful owners of which appellation
-many of them differ most essentially. In addition to the hands on the
-posterior as well as anterior members, with long and flexible fingers
-and opposable thumbs, which constitute the primary characters of the
-order, the Monkey tribe in general is distinguished by the following
-peculiarities. Their incisor teeth are invariably four in each jaw, and
-their molars, like those of man, are flat and surmounted by blunted
-tubercles. The latter are five in number on each side of either jaw in
-all the Monkeys of the Old Continent, and in one very distinct tribe
-belonging to the New; but most of the American species are furnished
-with a sixth. Their canines vary considerably in size, from a trifling
-projection beyond the remaining teeth to a long and powerful tusk, almost
-equalling those of the most formidable Carnivora; and from this structure
-it necessarily follows that a vacant space is left between the incisors
-and the canines of the upper jaw, and between the canines and the molars
-of the lower, for the reception and lodgment of those organs when the
-mouth is closed. The nails of all their fingers, as well as those of the
-thumbs, are invariably flat and expanded.
-
-In almost every other point they are subject to infinite variations of
-form and structure. The shape of the head, which, in one or two species,
-offers a close approximation to the human form, passes through numerous
-intermediate gradations, until it reaches a point at which it can only be
-compared with that of the hound. The body, which is in general slight and
-well made, is in some few instances remarkably short and thickset, and
-in others drawn out to a surprising degree of tenuity. Their limbs vary
-greatly in their proportions; but in most of them the anterior are longer
-than the posterior: in all they are admirably adapted to the purposes to
-which they are applied, in climbing and leaping, by the slenderness of
-their form, the flexibility of their joints, and the muscular activity
-with which these qualities are so strikingly combined. But of all their
-organs there is perhaps none which exhibits so remarkable a discrepancy
-in every particular as the tail; which is entirely wanting in some, forms
-a mere tubercle in others, in a third group is short and tapering, in a
-fourth of moderate length and cylindrical, in a fifth extremely long but
-uniformly covered with hair; in others, again, of equal length, divested
-of hair beneath and near the tip, and capable of being twisted round the
-branch of a tree or any other similar substance in such a manner as to
-support the whole weight of the animal, even without the assistance of
-his hands.
-
-In none of them, it may be observed, are the hands formed for swimming,
-or the nails constructed for digging the earth; and in none of them is
-the naked callous portion, which corresponds to the sole or the palm,
-capable of being applied, like the feet of man or of the bear, to the
-flat surfaces on which they may occasionally tread. Even in those which
-have the greatest propensity to assume an upright posture, the body
-is, under such circumstances, wholly supported by the outer margins of
-the posterior hands. The earth, in fact, is not their proper place of
-abode; they are essentially inhabitants of trees, and every part of their
-organization is admirably fitted for the mode of life to which they were
-destined by the hand of nature herself. Throughout the vast forests of
-Asia, Africa, and South America, and more especially in those portions
-of the three continents which are comprehended within the tropics,
-they congregate in numerous troops, bounding rapidly from branch to
-branch, and from tree to tree, in search of the fruits and eggs which
-constitute their principal means of subsistence. In the course of these
-peregrinations, which are frequently executed with a velocity scarcely
-to be followed by the eye, they seem to give a momentary, and but a
-momentary, attention to every remarkable object that falls in their way,
-but never appear to remember it again; for they will examine the same
-object with the same rapidity as often as it recurs, and apparently
-without in the least recognising it as that which they had seen before.
-They pass on a sudden from a state of seeming tranquillity to the most
-violent demonstrations of passion and sensuality; and in the course of a
-few minutes run through all the various phases of gesture and action of
-which they are capable, and for which their peculiar conformation affords
-ample scope. The females treat their young with the greatest tenderness
-until they become capable of shifting for themselves; when they turn them
-loose upon the world, and conduct themselves towards them from that time
-forwards in the same manner as towards the most perfect strangers.
-
-The degrees of their so much vaunted intelligence, which is in general
-very limited, and rarely capable of being made subservient to the
-purposes of man, vary almost as much as the ever-changing outline of
-their form. From the grave and reflective Oran-Otang, whose docility and
-powers of imitation in his young state have been the theme of so much
-ridiculous exaggeration and sophistical argumentation, to the stupid
-and savage Baboon, whose gross brutality is scarcely relieved by a
-single spark of intelligence, the gradations are regular and easy. A
-remarkable circumstance connected with the developement of this faculty,
-or perhaps we should rather say, with its gradual extinction, consists
-in the fact that it is only in young animals which have not yet attained
-their full growth, that it is capable of being brought into play; the
-older individuals, even of the most tractable races, entirely losing the
-gaiety, and with it the docility, of their youth, and becoming at length
-as stupid and as savage as the most barbarous of the tribe.
-
-The Monkeys of the Old and of the New World differ from each other in
-several remarkable points, some of which are universally characteristic
-of all the species of each, while others, although affording good and
-tangible means of discrimination, are but partially applicable. Thus
-the nostrils of all the species inhabiting the Old World are anterior
-like those of man, and divided only by a narrow septum. In those of the
-New World, on the contrary, they are invariably separated by a broad
-division, and consequently occupy a position more or less lateral. In
-the former again the molar teeth are uniformly five in number, crowned
-with obtuse and flattened tubercles; while in the latter they are either
-six in number, or in the few anomalous cases in which they are limited
-to five, and which are peculiar to a group that ought to occupy an
-intermediate station between the Monkeys and the Insect-eating Carnivora,
-their crowns are surmounted by sharp and somewhat elevated points. The
-tails of all the American Monkeys are of great length, but they differ
-more or less from each other in the power of suspending themselves by
-means of that organ, a faculty which is nevertheless common to the
-greater number of them, and of which those of the Old World are entirely
-destitute. On the other hand the American species never exhibit any
-traces of the callosities or of the cheek-pouches, which are so common
-among the Asiatic and African races.
-
-Each of these grand divisions has been subdivided into several minor
-groups or genera; but zoologists have hitherto been by no means unanimous
-with respect to the principles on which this subdivision ought to be
-effected. The arrangement which appears to be most generally adopted
-at the present day is that of M. Cuvier and M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire,
-which is essentially founded on the application of an imaginary rule,
-first employed by Camper for ascertaining the degree of intelligence,
-and consequently of ideal beauty, expressed by the human face in its
-various gradations of elevation or debasement, and called by him the
-facial angle. Unfortunately, however, the operations of nature in the
-animal creation can never be subjected to geometrical laws; nor can her
-innumerable phases be expressed with the precision of a mathematical
-theorem. This assumed point of comparison varies almost indefinitely,
-not merely in different species, but even in the same individual; and
-the Oran-Otang himself, who is supposed to approach most nearly to the
-human form, offers the most striking illustration of the truth of this
-observation; inasmuch as in his young and intellectual state his facial
-angle is equal to 65°, while in his aged and debased condition, in which
-he has actually been repeatedly described as a different animal under the
-name of Pongo, it sinks below 30°; degrading him even beneath the level
-of the most savage and stupid of the Baboons.
-
-In the foregoing observations we may perhaps be considered as giving
-too much space to the generalities of the subject; an objection to
-which we can only answer that nearly the whole of our knowledge of the
-Monkey tribes consists in generalities. Of the great number of species,
-upwards of one hundred, which are now known and characterized, very
-few are distinguished from their immediate fellows by striking and
-strongly-marked characters, either physical or moral. The groups too are
-connected by such gradual and easy transitions, that although the typical
-forms of each, isolated from the mass and placed in contrast with each
-other, unquestionably exhibit many broadly distinguishing peculiarities,
-yet the entire series offers a chain so nearly complete and unbroken
-as scarcely to admit of being treated of in any other way than as one
-homogeneous whole.
-
-A no less striking than apposite instance of the close affinity between
-the species, and of the difficulty of distinguishing them from each
-other, especially in their young state, is furnished by the animals whose
-figures stand at the head of the present article. They are all three very
-evidently young individuals, and have not yet reached the period when it
-would be safe to pronounce with positiveness upon the species, or, were
-we to adopt the Cuvierian system in its full extent, upon the genera
-even, to which they respectively belong.
-
-The specimen from which the central figure was taken is in all
-probability the earlier age of a species of Cercopithecus; but to which
-of them it should be referred, or whether it belongs to any hitherto
-characterized species, we may not venture to determine until its
-characters shall have become more fully developed. The distinctive
-marks of this genus, which comprehends the smallest Monkeys of the
-Old Continent, consist in a depressed forehead, with a facial angle
-of 50°; a flat nose, with the nostrils directed upwards and outwards;
-cheek-pouches, generally of large size; callosities behind; and a tail
-of considerable length. The individual before us, in addition to these
-characters, is remarkable for the reddish brown colour of his upper
-parts, which gradually disappears in a lighter hue, mingled with a bluish
-tinge beneath; for the elevated and compressed toupet which advances
-considerably forwards on his forehead; for the hairs which are thinly
-scattered over his livid face; and for the spreading tufts of a somewhat
-lighter colour which occupy the sides of his head and face posteriorly.
-
-The animal which occupies the right hand in the cut appears to be the
-young of the Macacus cynomolgus, Cuv., the Common Macaque; or rather
-perhaps, if the colour of the face is to be regarded as affording a
-sufficient specific distinction, of a new species lately described by
-M. F. Cuvier under the name of Macacus carbonarius. The Macaques are
-characterized by the greater elongation of their muzzles, which reduces
-their facial angle to 40° or 45°; by the strong developement of their
-superciliary ridges; by the oblique position of their nostrils in the
-upper surface of their nose; and by the presence of cheek-pouches and
-callosities. The young animal figured is blackish brown above, and, as is
-very common among the Monkeys, lighter and of a bluish cast beneath; his
-hands and face are nearly black; the hairs which cover his forehead form
-a thick tuft advancing forwards; and his face is almost naked.
-
-We have little hesitation in referring the left hand figure to the
-Cercopithecus pileatus of M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire, the Guenon couronnée
-of Buffon, which M. Cuvier suspects, with great appearance of truth, to
-be nothing more than a variety of the Macacus Sinicus, the Bonnet Chinois
-of the same popular author. It differs from that in fact in little else
-than in a shorter muzzle, and in a less regularly radiated and depressed
-disposition of the hair of the upper part of the head; characters which
-may be fairly regarded as resulting from its immature age. We may also
-observe that the Macacus radiatus, Geoff., described in the succeeding
-article, does not appear to be by any means clearly distinguished from
-the Bonnet Chinois; and that it is highly probable that these three
-Monkeys form in reality but a single species.
-
-All these animals, which are at present confined in one cage along with
-several young individuals of the common species of Baboon and with the
-Bonneted Monkey, exhibit a mixture of playfulness and malice, which
-renders them extremely amusing. Their gambols with each other are often
-truly laughable.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BONNETED MONKEY.
-
-_MACACUS RADIATUS._ DESM.
-
-THE PIG-FACED BABOON.
-
-_CYNOCEPHALUS PORCARIUS._ DESM.
-
-
-The Monkey which occupies the left hand in the present cut forms part
-of the same group with the subjects noticed at the end of the preceding
-article, from which it is distinguished by the peculiar manner in
-which the hair of the upper part of its head diverges, and, as it
-were, radiates horizontally, from a central point towards an imaginary
-circumference, assuming a form not unlike the object to which it is
-usually compared, the round bonnet of a Chinese. Its forehead is also
-more flattened, its superciliary crests less developed, and its muzzle
-considerably lengthened and laterally compressed. The length of its body
-is from twelve to fifteen inches, and its tail when entire measures quite
-as much. The forehead, which is strongly wrinkled, is nearly naked, and
-the whole of the face is entirely destitute of hair. That of the upper
-parts of the body is of a uniform yellowish gray, the under surface
-deriving a bluish tinge from the skin, which is but thinly covered. Its
-native country is the east of Asia.
-
-The right hand figure represents the Chacma, or Pig-faced Monkey, one
-of the true Baboons, whose generic characters will be found in the
-succeeding article. The forehead of this species is remarkably depressed,
-and the nose much prolonged. Its general colour is dusky, approaching to
-black. Its body measures from two to three feet in length; but the tail
-is short, and does not reach the ground when the animal stands upon all
-fours. It is a native of Africa, and was formerly very troublesome in the
-neighbourhood of the Cape.
-
-Both these animals, although lively and tolerably good humoured when
-young, become mischievous in their dispositions and disgusting in their
-habits as they advance in age. The voice of the latter closely resembles
-the bark of a dog.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BABOON.
-
-_CYNOCEPHALUS PAPIO._ DESM.
-
-
-In the true Baboons the facial angle of the adult varies from 30° to 35°,
-and the superciliary crests are for the most part considerably elevated,
-as is also the ridge on the back of the head formed by the attachment
-of the temporal muscles, which, as well as the canine teeth, are large
-and powerful. The cheeks are furnished with pouches capable of much
-distension; and the muzzle terminates in a flattened extremity like that
-of the dog, on which the openings of the nostrils are situated. The tail
-is generally as long as, and sometimes even longer than, the body; but
-in several of the species it is extremely short. The callosities are
-frequently of large size and disgustingly conspicuous. This genus is
-generally considered as the lowest in organization, and consequently in
-capacity and intelligence, of the tribe to which it belongs.
-
-The colour of the common Baboon is reddish brown; his face and hands
-are black, and his upper eyelids white. The hair of his cheeks forms a
-considerable tuft on each side; and the under surface of his body is
-but sparingly covered. In bulk he is equal to a middle sized dog; his
-proportions are thickset and inelegant; but he is by no means dull or
-inactive. When young, he is gay, playful, and docile; but as he grows
-older he becomes untractable, malicious, and ferocious. He is sometimes
-even dangerous, his muscular strength and agility, together with the
-great power of his teeth and jaws, rendering him a formidable opponent.
-On this account it is absolutely necessary to keep him strictly confined.
-He is a native of Africa, and more especially of the tropical parts of
-its western coast.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE WHITE-HEADED MONGOOS.
-
-_LEMUR ALBIFRONS._ GEOFF.
-
-
-Belonging to a different tribe of the same grand division with the
-true Monkeys, from which they are more readily distinguished by their
-general form and habit than by any very remarkable deviation in their
-structure or organization, these agile and playful little creatures
-form a group which naturally follows in immediate succession. The
-technical peculiarities on which their separation from the Monkeys is
-founded are usually deduced from their teeth and nails; but other and
-more obvious characteristics are afforded by the form of their heads,
-of their tails, and of their hinder extremities, and these assist in
-confirming a distinction which might otherwise be regarded as arbitrary
-and unnecessary. The teeth of the Lemurs are, like those of man and
-of the Monkeys of the Old World, thirty-two in number, and consist of
-four incisors, two canines, and ten molars in the upper jaw, and of six
-incisors, two canines, and eight molars in the lower. Such at least is
-the usual statement with respect to their dentition; but M. Geoffroy
-maintains, on the other hand, that the number of incisors is equal in
-both jaws, and coincides with that of the Monkeys; the two outermost of
-the six, which are larger than the rest, being in his opinion the true
-canines; while the canines, commonly so called, are in fact only the
-first of the series of molars. This conjecture unquestionably derives
-considerable strength from the fact that, when the animal closes its
-mouth, the supposed canines of the lower jaw pass behind those of the
-upper, a position directly contrary to that which they uniformly assume
-in every other animal that is furnished with that kind of teeth. On
-each of their four hands they have four fingers of moderate length, and
-a thumb which is capable of being opposed to them almost equally well
-with that of the other Quadrumana; they are consequently enabled to
-grasp whatever they seize with the greatest precision. The peculiarity
-of their nails consists in the shape of that of the index of the hinder
-hands, which forms an elongated, curved, and pointed claw, approaching
-in some degree to those of the carnivorous quadrupeds. All the rest
-of their nails are broad and flat like those of the Monkeys. Their
-posterior extremities are longer than their anterior; and their body and
-limbs are light, graceful, and well proportioned. The tail, which is of
-uniform thickness throughout, is longer than the body, and, in common
-with it, is clothed with long, soft, and woolly hair. The head is long,
-triangular, and gradually tapering into a slender and pointed muzzle,
-which, in proportionate length, far exceeds that of any of the Monkeys;
-the ears are short and rounded; and the whiskers but little developed.
-
-The whole of the genus thus characterized are natives of Madagascar and
-of two or three of the smaller islands in its immediate vicinity. They
-appear to occupy in that remarkable and very imperfectly known country
-the place of the Monkeys, none of which have yet been detected within
-its precincts. They are said to live in numerous troops upon the trees,
-and to feed upon fruits and insects; but their habits in a state of
-nature have not yet been observed with sufficient accuracy to enable
-us to form any clear idea of their mode of existence. In captivity
-they are particularly tame and good tempered, fond of being noticed,
-delighting in motion, and climbing and leaping with surprising agility.
-They are, however, in some degree nocturnal; and when undisturbed pass a
-considerable portion of the day in sleep. If alone, they roll themselves
-up in the form of a ball, and wind their long tail in a very curious
-manner round their body, apparently for the purpose of keeping themselves
-warm; for they are naturally chilly, and delight in basking in the rays
-of the sun, or in creeping as close as possible to the fire. When two of
-them are confined together, they interlace their limbs and tails after a
-singular fashion, and placing their heads in such a position as that each
-may, if disturbed, see what is going on behind the other’s back, fall
-comfortably asleep.
-
-The species to which the beautiful pair in the Menagerie belong has all
-the habits of its group. It is characterized by the clear fulvous brown
-colour of the upper surface of the body and outer side of the limbs,
-gradually becoming lighter on the under and inner surfaces, and deepening
-in its shade towards the tail, the greater part of which is nearly black.
-The muzzle and the hands are bluish black. The male has the whole of the
-forehead, the sides of the cheeks, and the under part of the lower lip
-covered with a white fur, which in the female is of a blackish gray and
-much less developed; her general colour is also of a lighter tinge. This
-remarkable difference would lead us to question the specific identity
-of the two animals, were we not assured by M. F. Cuvier that he had
-verified the fact by what is usually regarded as an unequivocal test.
-Mr. M’Leay has, however, thrown considerable doubt upon the accuracy of
-the inference thus attempted to be drawn, by exhibiting to the Linnean
-Society a female, in whom the white fur of the head was as distinctly
-developed as in her male companion. The whole of the species of this
-group require, in fact, an accurate revision.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE KANGUROO.
-
-_MACROPUS MAJOR._ SHAW.
-
-
-The very peculiar structure from which the Marsupial animals derive their
-name has been regarded by almost every naturalist who has written on the
-subject as so essential a deviation from the common type, that, setting
-aside all considerations of form or habits, and regardless even of
-those technical characters on which so much reliance is usually placed,
-they have for the most part agreed in uniting under the same family
-designation every animal in which it occurred. This peculiarity consists
-in a folding or doubling of the skin and its appendages beneath the lower
-part of the belly in the females, in such a manner as to form an open
-pouch or bag, in which the young are contained from a very early period,
-in which the process of suckling takes place, and in which, even for some
-time after they have acquired sufficient size and strength to leave it,
-the little ones continue to take refuge.
-
-But the presence of this one anomalous characteristic is accompanied
-by so many striking discrepancies in other parts, that, limited as
-this tribe is in number, most of the principal forms of Mammalia find
-analogous representations among its groups. Thus the Opossums exhibit
-characters in some measure intermediate between the Quadrumana and the
-Carnivora, to which latter the Dasyuri, another Marsupial group, closely
-resembling the Civets in form and habits, approach very nearly; while
-the herbivorous races of the tribe might occupy a station between the
-Rodent and Ruminant Orders, with each of which they exhibit various
-degrees of relationship. This want of uniformity in the essential parts
-of their organization necessarily gives rise to much difficulty in
-determining their position in the system. The mode of classification now
-most generally followed is perhaps, under all the circumstances, the best
-that could at the present moment be adopted; although it must be owned
-that the purely herbivorous species arrange themselves with a very ill
-grace under a subdivision of the order Carnivora. Placed, however, as
-they are at the end of that order, and immediately before the Rodentia,
-the regular gradations from the type of the former to that of the latter,
-which occur in their different groups, become most distinctly manifest.
-
-With the exception of the Opossums, which are natives of America, the
-tribe is peculiar to New Holland and its appendages, and to some of the
-islands which form the great chain of connexion between that insular
-continent and South-eastern Asia. The former is, however, their head
-quarters, and the species which are found beyond its limits are few in
-number compared with those which people its territory, and, what is more
-remarkable, people it to the exclusion of nearly all the other Mammalia;
-the dog alone, the universal concomitant of man, and one or two species
-of rats, disputing with them their title to its exclusive possession; for
-those paradoxical creatures, the Ornithorhynchus and Echidna, if really
-mammiferous, approximate closely in structure to the Marsupial tribe.
-
-The largest of these animals are the Kanguroos, whose generic characters
-we shall now proceed to describe. Their teeth are only of two kinds,
-the canines being altogether wanting. The incisors are six in the
-upper jaw, and two only in the lower; the former short, and arranged
-in a curved line, and the latter long, pointed, closely applied to
-each other, and directed forwards. The molars are separated from the
-incisors by a considerable vacant space, and are five in number on
-each side of each jaw. The most remarkable peculiarity in the external
-form of these animals consists in the extreme disproportion of their
-limbs, the anterior legs being short and weak, while the posterior are
-extremely long and muscular. The tail too is excessively thick at its
-base, of considerable length, and gradually tapering; and this singular
-conformation enables it to act in some measure as a supplemental leg,
-when the animal assumes an erect or nearly erect posture, in which
-position he is supported as it were on a tripod by the joint action of
-these three powerful organs. By means of this combination they will,
-when flying from danger, take a succession of leaps of from twenty to
-thirty feet in length and six or eight in height; but even in their more
-quiet and gradual mode of progression they also make use of their tail
-in conjunction with their four extremities. The fore feet are furnished
-with five toes, each terminating in a moderately strong and arcuated
-claw. The hinder extremities, on the contrary, have only four toes, the
-two interior of which are united together so as to form the appearance
-of a single one furnished with two short and feeble claws; the third is
-long, of great strength, and terminated by a large and powerful claw
-having the form of a lengthened hoof; and the fourth, the most external
-of the series, is similar in character to the third, but of much smaller
-dimensions. The head and anterior part are small and delicate, and appear
-quite disproportioned to the robust posterior half of the body; and this
-disproportion is equally striking, whether the animal assumes an erect
-position or crouches forwards upon all fours. In either case the whole
-extent of the soles of the posterior feet, which are of great length, is
-applied to the surface of the ground. Although differing from all the
-Rodent animals in the number of the cutting teeth of the upper jaw, the
-Kanguroo has the deep fissure in the upper lip, with which nearly all
-that order are furnished, and of which the hare offers a familiar and
-proverbial instance.
-
-These singular animals were among the first fruits which accrued to
-natural history from the discovery of New South Wales, a country which
-has since proved so fertile in new and remarkable forms both of the
-animal and vegetable creations. Their natural habits in a wild state
-are still, however, very imperfectly known. They appear to live in small
-herds, perhaps single families, which are said to submit to the guidance
-of the older males, and to inhabit in preference the neighbourhood
-of woods and thickets. They are, as might be inferred from the small
-size of their mouths and the peculiar character of their teeth, purely
-herbivorous, feeding chiefly upon grass and roots. Their flesh is eaten
-by the colonists, by whom it is said to be nutritious and savoury,
-an assertion which is confirmed by those who have partaken of it in
-England. In order to procure this they are frequently hunted in their
-native country; but the dogs who are employed in this service sometimes
-meet with dangerous wounds, not only from the blows of their powerful
-tail, which is their usual weapon of defence, but also from the claws
-of their hind feet, with which they have been known to lacerate the
-bodies of their assailants in a shocking manner. But, unless when thus
-driven to make use of such powers of self-defence as they possess, they
-are perfectly harmless and even timid; and, when domesticated, are not
-in the least mischievous. In several collections in this country, and
-particularly in the Royal Park at Windsor, from which the specimens in
-the Menagerie were obtained, they have become almost naturalized, and
-appear to be but little affected by the change of climate. When confined
-in a small enclosure, they uniformly make their path round its circuit,
-seldom crossing it or passing in any other direction except for the
-purpose of procuring their food. Their whole appearance, and especially
-their mode of progression, is singularly curious and even to a certain
-extent ludicrous.
-
-Modern naturalists have attempted to distinguish several species among
-the Kanguroos; but as the characters on which these are founded consist
-merely in difference of size and slight modifications of colour, a much
-more complete acquaintance with them than we yet possess is requisite
-before they can safely be adopted. Our specimens are of a brownish gray
-above, somewhat lighter beneath, with the extremity of the muzzle, the
-back of the ear, the feet, and the upper surface of the tail, nearly
-black, and the front of the throat grayish white. Since they have
-been confined in the Menagerie, the female has once produced young; a
-circumstance by no means unfrequent even in this country among those
-which are less restricted of their liberty and are suffered to roam
-at large in a meadow or a park. They are fed, like the domesticated
-Ruminants, upon green herbage and hay; and are extremely tame and good
-tempered.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE AFRICAN PORCUPINE.
-
-_HYSTRIX CRISTATA._ LINN.
-
-
-Although the Rodent order, next to the Carnivorous, is the most numerous
-in species, the Porcupine is the only animal belonging to it which is
-at present contained in the Menagerie. The animals of this division,
-consisting chiefly of “rats and mice and such small deer,” have indeed,
-with some few exceptions, so little of interest for the mere casual
-visiter of an exhibition, that it is rarely that they are sought after
-unless by the scientific collector. They are at once distinguished
-from the Carnivora by the total absence of canine teeth; and have
-uniformly two incisors in each jaw, projecting forwards and generally
-of considerable size, separated from a variable number of grinders by a
-vacant space.
-
-From the other animals of the order the Porcupines are so readily
-distinguished by the long and pointed spines with which their body is
-armed, that it is unnecessary to dwell on their generic characters. The
-common Porcupine, when fully grown, as in the remarkably fine specimen
-figured over leaf, measures more than two feet from the tip of the nose
-to the origin of the tail. The spines, which are supported by a slender
-pedicel, thickly clothe the upper and posterior parts of the body, the
-largest being more than a foot in length; they are regularly surrounded
-by alternate rings of black and white. The head and neck are crested with
-long, bristly, black hairs, forming a kind of mane, and all the rest of
-the body is covered with short black hair.
-
-The Porcupine is a native of Africa and the south of Europe; he chooses
-for his abode the most arid and solitary situations, and passes the
-daytime secluded in the burrows which he digs for his habitation,
-quitting them only at night to provide his subsistence, which consists
-entirely of vegetable substances. He is a remarkably timid animal, and
-never makes use of his formidable weapons except in self-defence; if
-alarmed, his spines immediately become erected, and woe be to the enemy
-who should dare to attack him open-mouthed when in that posture.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT.
-
-_ELEPHAS INDICUS._ CUV.
-
-
-The opportune arrival of a beautiful little Elephant, an animal which has
-for some time been a desideratum to the Menagerie, fortunately enables us
-to add to our list of subjects that which in all probability presents the
-most generally attractive spectacle among the whole class of Mammiferous
-Quadrupeds. The strong and peculiar interest which the Elephant possesses
-above all other beasts arises in fact not so much from his gigantic bulk
-and immense muscular power, as from the high opinion usually entertained
-of those intellectual qualities with which he has long been supposed
-to be preeminently endowed, and which have rendered him a theme of
-exaggerated encomium to the careless observer, while even in some
-philosophic minds they have furnished the groundwork on which perverted
-ingenuity has built up theory after theory as baseless and imaginary
-as the foundation on which they have been made to rest, the reason and
-reflection of a brute.
-
-It is on this account that we feel it incumbent upon us, notwithstanding
-all that has been written on the subject, to dwell with some little
-detail on the natural history of this singular animal; but we shall
-nevertheless endeavour to compress our observations within the smallest
-possible compass. We shall commence as usual with his zoological
-characters, and shall then take a glance at his habits, such as they
-appear in a pure state of nature, unfettered by any laws but those
-of necessity, and uncontrolled except by the inevitable influence of
-the circumstances in which he is placed. And lastly we shall view him
-when under the control of man, and reduced to that half-domesticated
-condition to which even his stubborn nature is bowed by the application
-of those means which man alone can employ, and by which he maintains his
-ascendancy as undisputed lord of the creation over the mightiest even
-more effectually than over the meanest of its works.
-
-The Elephants belong to the Pachydermatous order, in which they
-constitute a family readily distinguishable from the other enormous
-beasts which form part of it, the Hippopotamus and the Rhinoceros, by
-a combination of characters of the most remarkable description. To the
-immense size and clumsy figure of the two last named animals, which
-indeed they commonly surpass in both those particulars, they add the
-following distinctive zoological characters. Their teeth consist of two
-formidable tusks, which, occupying the place of the incisors of the upper
-jaw, project forwards in a nearly horizontal direction, generally with
-a slight curvature upwards; and of one or occasionally two cheek teeth
-of considerable magnitude on each side of each jaw, formed of vertical
-layers of bony matter surrounded by enamel, and connected together by
-a third substance called cortical. These latter are not, as in almost
-all the other Mammalia, renewed for one only time and at a certain age
-by the growth of others to supply their places from the cavity of the
-jaw beneath them; but, on the contrary, are pushed forwards by the
-advance of those which are destined to replace them from behind, and are
-renewed, according to the statement of Mr. Corse, no less than eight
-times at different periods of the animal’s existence. On each successive
-change the number of laminæ of which they are composed is increased, the
-earliest not offering more than four, while the later ones frequently
-exceed twenty; and it is in consequence of the new teeth generally making
-their appearance for some time prior to the total failure of their
-predecessors that their number occasionally appears to be double its
-proper and more usual amount. The tusks on the contrary admit but of a
-single displacement and renewal; the first or milk pair seldom exceeding
-two inches in length, and falling out between the first and second year.
-The permanent ones which succeed are much larger and more powerful in
-the adult male than in the female, and not unfrequently project as much
-as two feet. They are well known as furnishing one of the most beautiful
-and ornamental productions which the animal kingdom affords, as well as
-a valuable article of commerce, in the pure and polished ivory of which
-they are formed. They have been known to weigh as much as one hundred and
-fifty pounds, but their usual average is from fifty to seventy.
-
-The ears of the Elephant are large, not elevated like those of other
-quadrupeds so as to form a kind of trumpet for the reception of sound,
-but flattened down upon the side of the head, and forming a broad
-and uninterruptedly expanded surface. His eyes, remarkably small in
-proportion to his bulk, are sheltered above by a cluster of long hairs,
-which, with a few others scattered over the head and still more rarely on
-the body, and a kind of brush at the extremity of the tail, constitute
-the only covering, if covering it may be called, with which he is
-provided. His skin in fact is throughout nearly destitute of hair; but
-in return it is, as in the rest of the order, of excessive thickness and
-extreme tenacity, insomuch as to be capable of repelling a common musket
-ball, which scarcely makes the slightest impression upon its surface.
-His feet are enveloped by a large hoof of a callous and almost horny
-consistence, and are divided, in the skeleton at least, into five toes,
-the extremities only of which, rendered obvious by the nails by which
-they are surmounted, are externally visible. On the hind feet the number
-of apparent toes varies from three to four.
-
-But of all the peculiarities by which the Elephant is distinguished, the
-most singular and at the same time the most useful is the projection
-which is formed by the blending and extension of the nose and upper
-lip into an elongated and tapering tube, considerably longer than
-the head, and truncated at the extremity, where it is surrounded by a
-slightly elevated margin, which is prolonged anteriorly and superiorly
-into a finger-like appendage of various and invaluable use. This trunk
-or proboscis, as it is called, is divided throughout its whole extent
-into two equal cavities, which are continuous with the nostrils, but
-appear to have no other connexion with the organ of smell than as being
-the medium of the passage of odours to the olfactory apparatus, which is
-confined within the bones of the head, and is indeed seated much higher
-than usual in consequence of the large space occupied by the roots of
-the tusks and by the cavities of the maxillary bones. The real uses of
-the trunk are far higher and more important; and it is to this unique
-and unexampled structure that the Elephant owes whatever superiority he
-possesses over other beasts. In general capacity he is inferior to most,
-and the intellectual qualities of a dog or a horse are unquestionably
-of a far more elevated order; but with the assistance of this curious
-organ, with some little sagacity, a tolerable memory, and a certain
-degree of docility, the Elephant is enabled to execute such a variety of
-actions, either of his own accord or at the command of his keeper, as
-have gained him the credit not only of being the cleverest of brutes, but
-of possessing qualities of a superior cast and even the divine gift of
-reason itself.
-
-The structure of the trunk is entirely muscular, and the fibres of which
-it is composed are arranged in such a manner that it is capable of being
-inflected in almost any direction; but to twist itself spirally inwards
-appears to be its most natural action. In this manner it will grasp with
-the utmost firmness, for its strength is fully equal to its flexibility,
-whatever it may seize; and it is by this means that the Elephant conveys
-his food to his mouth. Being purely herbivorous, but encumbered with
-a head and appendages so weighty as to require all the support to be
-derived from an excessively short and almost unyielding neck, it would
-be utterly impossible for him to browse upon the herbage from which his
-sustenance is chiefly derived, and he would consequently run no small
-risk of absolute starvation, were it not for this admirable provision,
-by means of which he collects and enfolds his food, and conveys it to
-his mouth with as much ease and precision as a Monkey would execute the
-same motions with his hands. In drinking too the trunk offers the same
-facilities and performs the same useful and necessary office. Placing its
-extremity in the fluid which he is about to drink, the Elephant pumps up,
-or rather inhales, a sufficient quantity to fill its cavities, and then
-transferring it to his mouth pours its contents quietly down his throat.
-When his thirst is satisfied he will frequently continue the same process
-of filling his trunk for the purpose of discharging the liquid contained
-in it over his body, an indulgence in which he appears to take no little
-pleasure; and will even sometimes amuse himself by directing the fluid to
-other objects.
-
-The Asiatic Elephant was until very lately considered as forming one
-species with the African, the clear and obvious distinctions which exist
-between them never having been noticed until pointed out by M. Cuvier,
-notwithstanding that both have been familiarly known for more than two
-thousand years to the nations of Europe, the former having formed an
-important part of the armament with which Porus withstood the conquering
-arms of Alexander, and having been subsequently introduced even into
-Italy by Pyrrhus; and the latter, as we may fairly presume, furnishing
-those individuals which were employed in the warlike array of the
-Carthaginians. The Asiatic animal appears when fully grown to attain a
-larger size than the African, the females commonly measuring from seven
-to eight, and the males from eight to ten feet in height, and sometimes
-weighing six or seven thousand pounds. His head is more oblong, and his
-forehead presents in the centre a deep concavity between two lateral and
-rounded elevations; that of the African being round and convex in all
-its parts. The teeth of the former are composed of transverse vertical
-laminæ of equal breadth, while those of the latter form rhomboidal or
-lozenge-shaped divisions. The ears of the Asiatic are also smaller and
-descend no lower than his neck, and he exhibits four distinct toes on his
-hind feet: the African on the contrary is furnished with ears of much
-greater size, descending to his legs, and no more than three toes are
-visible on his posterior extremities. These differences are so striking
-and important, and indeed, so far as regards the form of the head and
-the structure of the teeth, so essential, that it is impossible not to
-adopt the division which has been founded upon them, and to consider the
-natives of the two continents as originally and specifically distinct.
-
-The Asiatic Elephants themselves vary considerably in several minor
-particulars, such as the comparative length and thickness of their trunks
-and of their tusks, the latter of which are sometimes, even in the males,
-of very small dimensions. But these variations are evidently the result
-of locality and other fortuitous circumstances, the species appearing
-gradually to degenerate as it recedes from the tropics, and to improve as
-it advances towards the line. The Elephants of Ceylon are consequently
-in the highest esteem for size, beauty, and hardihood, and those of Pegu
-are but little inferior to them; while those of the northern districts of
-India are held in comparatively trifling estimation.
-
-These animals are by nature sociable, and congregate together in herds,
-which frequently amount to more than a hundred. The imposing spectacle
-furnished by such a collection of these immense masses of animated matter
-may well be imagined. They generally seek the shade of the forest, in
-which they find additional means of subsistence in the young shoots of
-the trees, which supply the place of other and more congenial herbs.
-They frequently issue from it, however, in quest of the latter, and
-also to indulge in a propensity possessed by them in common with all
-those animals which like them are furnished with thick and almost naked,
-or with bristly, skins, that of bathing in the water or wallowing in
-the mud. It is for this reason that they are usually met with in the
-neighbourhood of large streams, which their great size and the quantity
-of fat with which they are commonly loaded enable them to swim with
-facility. Their trunk is also extremely serviceable in this operation, as
-it enables them to bury as it were the whole of their body beneath the
-water, retaining above the surface no more than the extremity of that
-organ for the admission and expulsion of the air. After having been for
-some time in the water, it is said that their skin loses the dusky hue
-by which it is usually distinguished in consequence of the dirt and other
-matters with which it is incrusted, and assumes a perfect flesh-colour
-marked with numerous round and blackish spots. This natural colour is,
-however, lost almost immediately on their reaching the land, when they
-uniformly scatter themselves all over by means of their trunk with the
-mud or dust which first falls in their way. So fond are they of this
-process that they commonly recur to it whenever an opportunity offers.
-The bathing appears to be absolutely necessary in order to keep their
-skins to a certain extent supple and flexible; for which purpose their
-keepers, in captivity, occasionally have recourse to the smearing them
-with oil as a substitute.
-
-Like other herbivorous quadrupeds they are, generally speaking, quiet
-and harmless, intent solely upon providing for their wants, and never
-attacking man or other animals unless provoked or when under the
-influence of excitement. In this latter case they make use not only
-of their proboscis, which they wield with great dexterity as a weapon
-of offence, but also of their tusks, with which they inflict the most
-tremendous wounds. Their speed in pursuit corresponds rather with the
-cumbrousness than with the magnitude of their frame, the excessive weight
-of which soon renders them weary, and compels them to slacken their pace;
-which, when urged to the utmost, is barely equal to that of a horse
-of moderate fleetness. They will sometimes penetrate in quest of food
-into the rice fields and sugar plantations, in which they commit the
-most extensive ravages, not so much by the quantity which they consume
-as by that which they destroy. The solitary individuals, which are
-occasionally met with separate from the general herd, indulge perhaps
-more frequently in these excesses than the community, which generally
-avoids as much as possible the habitations of man. It has commonly been
-imagined that these stray Elephants were the younger and weaker males,
-who had been driven from the herd by their more powerful fellows; but
-the fact that they are usually adults of the largest size completely
-negatives this supposition, and proves that it is of their own free will
-that they wander thus alone. They attain their full growth between the
-ages of eighteen and twenty-four, and well authenticated instances have
-occurred in which they have reached the age of a hundred and thirty
-years. Indeed there is reason to believe that their life may be sometimes
-prolonged to two centuries.
-
-The usual mode of catching the wild Elephants for the purpose of
-domestication has been so often described that it would be superfluous
-to repeat it here. It may be sufficient to observe that a herd of them
-having been driven by the hunters into an enclosure surrounded by
-palisades and ditches, and provided only with a narrow pass by way of
-egress, they are there made prisoners one after the other, and attached
-to the tame elephants, which are employed on such occasions partly as
-decoys and partly as guards over their captive brethren. The necessity
-of having recourse to this mode of supplying the wants, or rather of
-ministering to the pride, of the sovereigns of the East, both native and
-European, who alike regard these animals as the indispensable appendages
-of their rank, arises from the circumstance of the breed being very
-rarely propagated in captivity; the Hindoos being either too ignorant
-or too careless to adopt the requisite measures for securing its
-continuance, and relying upon the certainty of being enabled by their
-hunting to keep up a sufficient supply. But there can be little doubt,
-from what we observe in other animals, that had a domesticated breed of
-Elephants existed from the times when their services were first made
-available to man, they would have been far superior both in sagacity and
-docility to the half-reclaimed individuals at present employed.
-
-It may readily be supposed that the taming of these wild and unwieldy
-creatures is a task of no little difficulty and delicacy: but the
-experienced keepers by whom it is undertaken seldom fail to execute it
-with success. It is effected partly by reducing the strength of the
-animal by restricting him in the quantity of his food, by the employment
-of caresses or of castigation according to the dispositions he may
-manifest, by occasionally indulging him in sweetmeats or in other dainty
-fare, and by subjecting him to the control of the tame elephants, and
-especially of the females, which are more commonly employed for this
-purpose. By the application of these means the space of a fortnight is
-generally sufficient to reduce him to a certain degree of tameness, and
-in less than six months he is trained to the various exercises which it
-is intended that he should perform, and his education is regarded as
-complete. They do not, however, always become familiar and habituated to
-their new mode of life even within this period of time; for, according
-to the statement of Mr. Corse, Elephants have been known to stand
-twelve months at their pickets without lying down to sleep; and this is
-regarded as a certain sign of want of confidence in their keepers and
-of a longing desire to regain their liberty. It is probably to some
-such circumstance as this that we are indebted for the erroneous idea so
-generally prevalent that these animals always sleep standing; whereas the
-truth is, that when perfectly at ease and reconciled to their fate, they
-lie down on their sides and sleep like other beasts.
-
-The purposes for which they are commonly employed are rather those of
-pomp, of luxury, and of ostentation, than of utility. As a means of
-warlike offence they have been, since the introduction of firearms,
-absolutely disused; and it is only as beasts of burden that they are
-turned to any useful account. In this respect the services of a single
-Elephant are equal to those of five or six horses, as they will carry
-from fifteen to twenty hundred weight, and travel from forty to fifty
-miles a day. They generally consume a hundred weight and a half or two
-hundred weight of solid food, and thirty or forty gallons of fluid,
-in the course of the day. They are fond of wine, spirits, and other
-intoxicating articles, by the attraction of which they are frequently
-induced to exert their powers, and to perform various feats of dexterity,
-when all other methods have failed to render them tractable. They become
-strongly attached to their keepers; but, if irritated by ill usage, their
-hatred is as violent as their affection, and is carefully stored up until
-a favourable opportunity occurs, when they seldom fail to remember an
-insult or an injury, even at very distant periods of time.
-
-With regard to their sagacity much has been written, and many exaggerated
-and many incredible stories have been told; but it would appear that
-those who have attributed to the Elephant a degree of intelligence
-superior to every other beast, have been misled by outward appearances,
-and by the natural prepossession arising from his gigantic and imposing
-figure. Without his trunk, upon the singular and admirable structure of
-which most of that skill and dexterity which have been regarded as the
-result of mental reflection is entirely dependent, he would be, in all
-probability, as very a brute as the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, or the
-hog. By means of that organ, however, he unquestionably acquires the
-capacity of performing feats of which other animals are incapable; but
-here his superiority ends. In intelligence, as in docility, he is far
-inferior to the dog; and many other quadrupeds might fairly compete with
-him in both. Thus to turn a key in a lock, to push back a bolt, to untie
-a rope, to uncork a bottle, to search in the pockets of his keepers for
-apples or oranges, these and many other tricks of a similar kind, for
-which he is famous, are evidently nothing more than mechanical actions,
-to the performance of which he is stimulated, like other beasts, at first
-by the promise of reward or the fear of chastisement, and afterwards
-by the mere force of habit. In like manner the dexterity with which he
-learns to load and unload himself, or to place a man or child upon his
-back by means of his trunk, without offering them the slightest injury;
-and on the other hand the precision with which he is made to execute the
-will of the Asiatic despot on the unhappy victims of his displeasure, by
-seizing them and casting them beneath his feet, to be there dispatched,
-according to the tenor of the orders which he receives, either with a
-single crush, or with all the horrors of a lingering death; these also
-are actions of no higher order than many other animals are equally
-capable of in a moral point of view, although not so well fitted for them
-by physical conformation.
-
-In conclusion we have only to add that the fine little Elephant from
-which our figure was taken appears from his dimensions and from the very
-small size of his tusks to be little more than three years old. He is
-extremely good tempered, and became reconciled to his situation almost
-from the very moment of his arrival.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE ZEBRA OF THE PLAINS.
-
-_EQUUS BURCHELLII._
-
-
-The well known group of which the Horse, the Ass, and the Zebra
-constitute the leading species, is distinguished from all other
-quadrupeds by the form of their hoof, which is single and undivided,
-rounded in front, of considerable thickness, and enveloping the extremity
-of their only apparent toe. They have in each jaw six powerful cutting
-teeth, accompanied on either side by the same number of grinders with
-square crowns flattened at the top: the males have two canines in the
-upper jaw, and frequently in the lower also; and this structure is
-sometimes shared by the females of the domesticated races. Between
-the canines and the molars there is a vacant space, which, our
-readers scarcely need to be reminded, receives the bit, the small but
-irresistible instrument by means of which man has for ages exercised
-the most complete control over the services of these useful animals.
-Although purely and essentially herbivorous, their anatomy, as well as
-their habits, separates them most thoroughly from the Ruminants, and
-approximates them in several respects to the Pachydermatous order, with
-which, in spite of their many discrepancies, both physical and moral, M.
-Cuvier has associated them. It is needless to point out the incongruity
-of this union, and it would be equally so to say more of the general form
-and external characteristics of a group, the principal species of which
-are so constantly before our eyes.
-
-It may, however, be observed, that it has been proposed to divide it
-into two distinct genera, the one containing the Horse alone, and
-characterized by the flowing tail uniformly covered with long hair, by
-the absence of a line of darker coloured hairs along the back, and by
-the presence of callous protuberances on the hind legs as well as on the
-fore: the other comprehending the Asses and Zebras, and distinguished
-by the tail having a brush of long hairs at its extremity only, by the
-presence of the dorsal line, and the absence of the protuberances on the
-posterior legs. Such a division, resting as it does on striking but not
-very essential differences, may fairly be admitted for the purpose of
-separating the genus into sections; but can hardly be regarded as founded
-on characters of sufficient importance to disunite so well marked and
-strongly connected, as well as so limited, a group. In the same paper
-in which this new arrangement was proposed, the beautiful animal which
-we have now to describe was first specifically distinguished by Mr. Gray
-from the Common Zebra, with which it had previously been confounded,
-and characterized by him under the name of the Asinus Burchellii. Still
-there exists so much confusion between the two Zebras, many naturalists
-falling into the same error with Mr. Burchell, who first remarked the
-distinction between them, and regarding the present animal as the Zebra
-of zoologists, and the common one in reality as the new species; while
-others have absolutely counterchanged a part of the characters of each,
-and thus made confusion worse confounded; that we cannot do better than
-describe with some little detail the markings of the individual now
-before us.
-
-The ground colour of its whole body is white, interrupted by a regular
-series of broad black stripes extending from the back across the sides,
-with narrower and fainter ones intervening between each. Over the
-haunches and shoulders these stripes form a kind of bifurcation, between
-the divisions of which there are a few transverse lines of the same
-colour; but these suddenly and abruptly cease, and are not continued
-on the legs, which are perfectly white. Along the back there is a
-narrow longitudinal line, bordered on each side with white. The mane
-is throughout broadly and deeply tipped with black, and is marked by a
-continuation of the transverse bands of the neck. The lines of the face
-are narrow and beautifully regular; from the centre of the forehead they
-radiate downwards over the eyes; along the front of the muzzle they are
-longitudinal, the outer ones having a curve outwards; and on the sides
-they form broader transverse bands. From the confluence of these bands
-on the extremity of the muzzle, the nose, and the lower lip, those parts
-become of a nearly uniform blackish brown. The tail is white: there is no
-longitudinal ventral line: and a large black patch occupies the posterior
-part of the ear near the tip. The hoofs are moderately large, deep in
-front, shallow behind, and much expanded at their margin.
-
-Of the habits of these animals in a state of nature we know but little.
-They inhabit the flat parts near the Cape of Good Hope, the common Zebra
-being confined to the mountains. All the attempts that have been made to
-domesticate either the one or the other, and to render them serviceable,
-have hitherto failed; but there seems no good reason why they should not,
-with proper management, be brought as completely under subjection as the
-other species of the genus. The subject of the present article, which has
-now been about two years in the Menagerie, will suffer a boy to ride her
-about the yard, and is frequently allowed to run loose through the Tower,
-with a man by her side, whom she does not attempt to quit except to run
-to the Canteen, where she is occasionally indulged with a draught of ale,
-of which she is particularly fond.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE LLAMA.
-
-_LLAMA PERUVIANA._ CUV.
-
-
-In common with the Camels, the Llamas are distinguished from all other
-Ruminating animals chiefly by the absence of horns, by the structure of
-their feet, and by their mode of dentition, in all of which these two
-closely allied groups very nearly correspond with each other. In their
-general form there is also some similarity; but the latter are much
-lighter in their proportions, and far more lively and spirited in their
-motions. They exhibit no traces of the clumsy and unsightly humps which
-disfigure the backs of the former, and their necks and limbs, of greater
-comparative length, appear to be far less oppressed by the superincumbent
-weight of the head and body, which are consequently maintained in a more
-upright and graceful position. The principal difference in their internal
-structure consists in the want of that extensive appendage to the first
-stomach, which renders the Camel so peculiarly valuable in situations
-where water is with difficulty procured, by enabling him to lay in at
-once a sufficient stock of that indispensable necessary to supply his
-wants for many days. But even without this appendage the Llamas are
-observed to be by no means so much exposed to frequent thirst as the
-generality of animals, and to drink but rarely and in moderate quantity.
-
-The feet of the Camels and of the Llamas are very different in form
-from those of all the other Ruminants. They are, it is true, deeply
-divided, like those of the latter, into two apparent toes; but cannot be
-said, like them, to part the hoof, for they have no real hoof, and the
-extremities of their protruded toes are armed only with short, thick,
-and crooked claws. These toes are in the Camels united posteriorly by
-a horny process, which is wanting in the Llamas. The teeth of both are
-nearly similar: they consist of six incisors in the lower jaw and two in
-the upper; of two canines in each; and of six molars in the upper, and
-five in the lower, on each side. None of the other Ruminants exhibit the
-least appearance of cutting teeth in the upper jaw. The nostrils of both
-consist externally of mere fissures in the skin, which may be opened
-and closed at pleasure, and which are surrounded by a naked muzzle; and
-their upper lip is divided into two distinct portions, which are very
-extensible, and capable of much separate motion.
-
-The species of the group, of which the Llama forms the type, have
-been involved by the imperfect descriptions of naturalists in almost
-inextricable confusion. No less than five have been admitted; but the
-variations of colour and of size, and the degree of length and fineness
-of the wool, differences rather commercial than natural, afford almost
-the only positive distinctions that have yet been laid down between them;
-and when we consider that some of them have been for ages in a state of
-domestication, it will readily be allowed that such characters as these
-are, to say the least, trivial and uncertain. Our animals, which are
-nearly four feet in height at the shoulder, and somewhat more than five
-feet to the top of the head, have the neck, the back, the sides, and
-the tail, which is rather short, covered with a beautiful coat of long,
-bright brown, woolly hair. The long and pointed ears, and the small and
-attenuated head, on which the hair is short, close, and even, are of
-a grayish mouse-colour; the outside of the legs is of the same colour
-with the sides of the body; and their inside, as also the under part
-of the body and the throat, pure white. The hair on the limbs is short
-and smooth. In these respects they offer but little to distinguish them
-from any of the animals which have been exhibited in this country under
-the various names of Llamas, Pacos, and Guanacos. There is, however, at
-present in the Garden of the Zoological Society, an animal, which besides
-being of larger size, covered with longer and coarser wool, and entirely
-white (which latter circumstance may be purely accidental), differs
-remarkably in the form of the forehead, which in it is perfectly flat,
-while in our animals it rises in a strong curve. This character, it is
-probable, affords a permanent ground of distinction, although we venture
-not at present to speak decidedly respecting it.
-
-The Llamas congregate together in considerable herds on the sides of
-the Andes, and generally in the colder and more elevated regions. When
-the Spaniards first arrived in Peru they were the only beasts of burden
-employed by the natives; and even at the present day, when horses have
-become so excessively common, they are usually preferred for passing the
-mountains, on which their sureness of footing, exceeding even that of
-the mule, gives them a manifest superiority. Generally speaking they are
-quiet, docile and timid; but they occasionally exhibit much spitefulness,
-especially if teased or ill treated. Their mode of evincing this is very
-peculiar, and consists in darting their saliva through their nostrils
-with considerable force. Like all the other Ruminants they subsist
-entirely on vegetables. Those in the Tower Menagerie have a particular
-fondness for carrots; and if one of these is abstracted from them while
-they are eating, their anger is immediately roused, and they spit, as
-it is termed, with the greatest vehemence, covering with their saliva a
-surface of three or four yards in extent. One of the animals in the cut
-is represented in the act.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE MALAYAN RUSA-DEER.
-
-_CERVUS EQUINUS._ CUV.
-
-
-The Deer constitute a numerous and beautiful group of Ruminants, which
-are readily distinguished by the graceful symmetry of their form, by
-their long and slender, but firm and sinewy, legs, by their broad and
-pointed ears, and by the comparative shortness of their tails; but more
-especially by the generally large and branching horns which ornament the
-heads of the males. Like all the ruminating animals, with the exception
-of those mentioned in the preceding article, they are furnished with
-eight cutting-teeth in the lower jaw, opposed to a callous and toothless
-surface in the upper; and with expanded, flat, and deeply bifurcated
-hoofs, constituting two distinct and apparent toes, above which they
-have also the rudiments of two others. Some of the species have canine
-teeth in the upper jaw, generally in the males alone; and they have all
-six molars on each side. In the greater number of them the nostrils are
-surrounded by a naked muzzle; and most of them are also provided with a
-sinus or sac, of greater or less extent, immediately beneath the inner
-angle of the eye, called the sub-orbital sinus, the _larmier_ of the
-French zoologists.
-
-The horns, which form the most distinguishing character of the genus, are
-perfectly solid throughout their whole extent. Their form varies very
-considerably in the different races; but they are constantly uniform in
-the same species, unless accidentally or artificially perverted from
-their natural growth. In some they are simple at the base and terminate
-in a broad and palmate expansion, which is variously lobed and divided;
-in others they are more or less branched, giving off antlers in different
-directions; and in some few they are short and nearly simple. They
-fall off and are renewed annually in all the species which inhabit the
-northern and temperate regions of the earth, and in those in which they
-attain any considerable size; but Sir T. Stamford Raffles was of opinion,
-and his opinion has been in some measure confirmed by the observations of
-Major C. Hamilton Smith, that several of the tropical species with small
-and nearly simple horns are exempted from this general law. The horns are
-smaller and less developed in the young than in the full grown and adult
-animal, and diminish again in size, and frequently become irregular, as
-he advances in age. In one species alone, the Rein-Deer of the North, the
-female wears the same palmy honours with the male; but they do not in
-her reach the same enormous extent.
-
-The high degree of domestication to which this latter species has been
-brought, and the invaluable services which it renders to the Laplander,
-added to the tranquil content which most of the deer manifest in a
-state of captivity, afford sufficient proofs that there is nothing
-in the constitution of the group repugnant to their being tamed and
-familiarized with man; but from none of the other races have any real or
-essential advantages been as yet derived. The quiet confidence, mixed
-with a certain air of cautious timidity, which they exhibit in their
-half-restricted state, in the park or the chase, where they are kept
-more for ornament than use, is perfectly indicative of their general
-character. But the very mildness of their disposition has been turned to
-their disadvantage, and one of the gentlest of animals, because endowed
-by nature with a high degree of fleetness, with some sagacity, and with
-a certain share of timidity, has been marked out by man as the chosen
-victim of his cruelty, disguised under the captivating name of sport.
-
-The Samboo Deer, as the present species is called by his keepers, belongs
-to the Rusa group, which are distinguished from the rest of the genus by
-their horns being provided with a single antler at the base, and with a
-lateral snag which forms a kind of bifurcation towards the extremity.
-They are usually of large stature and nearly uniform colours, and are,
-for the most part, furnished with a rough and shaggy mane, a broad and
-expanded muzzle, and sub-orbital openings of considerable size. The
-handsome Stag now before us is dark cinereous brown above, nearly black
-on the throat and breast, and light fawn, intermixed with dirty white,
-on the inside of the limbs. His eyes are surrounded by a fawn-coloured
-disc, and patches of the same colour occupy the fore knees, and a space
-above each of the hoofs in front. His nose, which is black, is enveloped
-in an extensive muzzle; his ears are nearly naked on the inside, and
-marked by a patch of dirty white at the base externally; and his mane,
-which spreads downwards over the neck and throat, is remarkably thick and
-heavy. His tail is black above, and light fawn beneath; and a disc of the
-latter colour occupies the posterior part of the buttocks, having on each
-side a blackish line which separates it from the lighter tinge of the
-inside of the thighs. His horns, when properly grown, consist of a broad
-burr, from which the pointed basal antler rises almost perpendicularly
-to the extent of nine or ten inches; of a stem, which is first directed
-outwards, and then forms a bold curve inwards; and of a snag, or second
-antler of smaller size, arising from the stem near its extremity on the
-posterior and internal side, and forming with it a terminal fork, the
-branch however being shorter than the stem, and not exceeding five or six
-inches in length. The entire length of the horns is about two feet; they
-are of a dark colour, very strong, and deeply furrowed throughout.
-
-The foregoing description of the horns, it should be observed, is taken
-from those of the year before last, which were of the genuine or normal
-form. Those of the last year, which are represented in the cut prefixed,
-were from some cause or other remarkably different, that of the right
-side especially exhibiting a singular monstrosity in the production of
-additional branches of irregular form. Whether this was the effect
-of disease or of advancing age, or whether it arose solely from some
-temporary and accidental cause, will probably be determined by the growth
-of the present year, which is not yet sufficiently advanced to enable us
-to ascertain its probable form.
-
-With regard to the sub-orbital sinus, which in this and all the
-neighbouring species is of very considerable size, its uses are evidently
-connected with the function of respiration, and probably also with the
-sense of smell. It is denoted externally by a longitudinal fissure,
-placed beneath the inner angle of each of the eyes, and leading into a
-sac or cavity, which in some cases communicates internally with the nose;
-and its inner surface is lined by a membrane abundantly supplied with
-follicles for the secretion of mucus, which is sometimes produced in very
-large quantities. This latter circumstance has induced some naturalists
-to regard these openings as mere cuticular appendages. That they really,
-in some species at least, communicate with the nostrils, is proved by the
-observations of Mr. White of Selbourne, who states that in consequence
-of this communication the Fallow-Deer are enabled to take long-continued
-draughts with their noses deeply immersed in the water, the air in the
-mean time passing through the sub-orbital slits. So singular a statement
-was naturally enough doubted and called in question; but it has never,
-so far as we know, been impugned on ocular testimony; while it has
-received the fullest confirmation from other observations made upon the
-very species now under consideration, in which the air passing from the
-sub-orbital sinus, while the animal drinks, may be felt by the hand, and
-even affects the flame of a candle. Another proof of the connexion of
-these cavities with the nose is derived from the fact that the animals
-which are provided with them frequently apply their orifices, equally
-with those of the nostrils, to the food which they are about to take,
-opening and shutting them with great rapidity.
-
-The subject of the present article, which, like all the rest of the minor
-group of which he forms a part, is a native of India and of the Indian
-Islands, was a present to his Majesty, who kept him for some time, in
-company with another of the same species, at large in the great park
-at Windsor. As both, however, happened to be males, they disagreed so
-violently, and their quarrels at length rose to such a pitch, that in
-order to preserve peace it was found absolutely necessary to separate
-them; and our animal, as the most outrageous of the two, was dismissed
-the royal service, and condemned to the captivity of the Tower. Since
-this period he has become exceedingly tame, the cause of his former ill
-temper being removed, and demeans himself as quietly as the most harmless
-and gentlest of his tribe.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE INDIAN ANTELOPE.
-
-_ANTILOPE CERVICAPRA._ PALL.
-
-
-In the elegant symmetry of their form and the light and graceful agility
-of their motions, the Antelopes are superior even to the Deer, whom,
-however, they closely resemble, not merely in outward shape, but also
-in internal structure. Like them, in addition to the coincidence of a
-slightly made and beautifully proportioned figure, they are frequently
-furnished with a naked muzzle, and with the same remarkable sinus beneath
-the inner angle of the eye; and their ears are generally of considerable
-size, erect, and pointed. But they are strikingly distinguished from them
-and from all the other animals of the order by the peculiar character
-of their horns, which are formed of an elastic sheath enclosing a
-solid nucleus, and are for the most part common to the females as well
-as to the males. They have no canine teeth, and exhibit no appearance
-of a beard such as is seen in the Goats. The horns vary greatly in the
-different races; they are sometimes straight and upright, at other times
-slightly curved, and frequently spirally twisted with the most beautiful
-regularity: they are usually surrounded by elevated rings or by a spiral
-ridge, are constantly of the same form in the same species, and are not
-subject to an annual falling off and renewal, as in the Deer, from which
-they differ also in their mode of growth, the horns of the latter group
-lengthening at their apices, while those of the former receive their
-increase at the base.
-
-In their natural habits the numerous species of which this group
-is composed approach very closely to the Deer; there is, however,
-considerable variety in their mode of life. They inhabit almost every
-description of country; the sandy desert, the open plain, the thicket,
-the forest, the mountain, and the precipice, being, each in its turn, the
-favourite haunt of the different races; but, with the exception of a few
-species, they do not advance much beyond the limits of the tropics. The
-smaller ones usually prefer a solitary life, but the larger, for the most
-part, congregate together in herds, which are generally few in number.
-In their manners they exhibit much of that cautious vigilance and easily
-startled timidity, combined with a certain degree of occasional boldness
-and not a little curiosity, which are the natural consequences of their
-wild and unrestricted habits, of their trivial means of defence against
-the numerous enemies to whose attacks they are exposed, and of the
-unequalled fleetness of their speed. In some this latter quality consists
-of a continued and uniform gallop, which in others is interrupted at
-every third or fourth stroke by a long and generally a lofty bound,
-producing a beautiful effect by its constant and rapid recurrence.
-
-The Indian Antelope, of which the specimen in the Tower constitutes
-a remarkable and highly interesting variety, is not only one of the
-most beautiful, but also the most celebrated species of the group. It
-occupies the place of Capricorn in the Indian Zodiac, and is consecrated
-to the service of Chandra or the Moon. In size and form it closely
-resembles the Gazelle of the Arabs, the well known emblem of maiden
-beauty, typified, according to the poets, in the elastic lightness of its
-bound, the graceful symmetry of its figure, and the soft lustre of its
-full and hazel eye. From this truly elegant creature our Antelope is,
-however, essentially distinguished by several striking characters. Its
-horns, which are peculiar to the male, are spirally twisted, and form,
-when fully grown, three complete turns; they are closely approximated
-to each other at the base, but diverge considerably as they proceed
-upwards. They occasionally attain a length of nearly two feet, and are
-surrounded throughout by elevated and close-set rings. The two horns
-taken together have frequently been compared to the branches of a double
-lyre. The extremity of the nose is bare, forming a small and moist
-muzzle; the sub-orbital openings are larger and more distinct than in
-almost any other species; and the ears are pointed and of moderate size.
-The natural colours vary with the age of the animal, but correspond in
-general pretty closely with those of the common deer. They may be shortly
-described as fawn above and whitish beneath, becoming deeper with age,
-and lighter in the females than in the males. The occasional stripes of
-a lighter or darker colour, which are generally visible on various parts
-of the body, can scarcely be considered as occurring with sufficient
-regularity to allow of their being described as characteristic of the
-species.
-
-But for these shades of colour, or for any other, we should look in
-vain in the animal of the Tower Menagerie, which, in consequence of a
-particular conformation, not unfrequent in some species of animals, and
-occasionally met with even in the human race, is perfectly and purely
-white. In order to explain this phenomenon, which is one of the most
-curious, but at the same time one of the most simple in physiology, it
-is necessary to observe that there exists beneath the epidermis, or
-outer covering of the skin, both in man and animals, a peculiar membrane
-of very fine and delicate texture, which is scarcely visible in the
-European but sufficiently obvious in the Negro, termed by anatomists the
-rete mucosum. In this net-work is secreted, from the extremities of the
-minute vessels which terminate upon its surface, a mucous substance which
-varies in colour according to the complexion of the individual, of the
-varieties in which it is the immediate cause; and from the substance thus
-secreted the colouring matter of the hairs and of the iris is derived.
-The pure whiteness then of the covering of the animal in question, and
-of all those which exhibit a similar variation from their natural tinge,
-is attributable solely to the absence of this secretion from whatever
-cause. It is always accompanied, as in the present instance, by a redness
-of the eyes, arising from the blood-vessels of the iris being exposed
-to view in consequence of the want of the usual coating formed by this
-secretion, by which they are naturally protected from the too great
-influence of the light. In the human race the individuals who are thus
-afflicted, characterized by the dull whiteness of their skins, the deep
-redness of their eyes, and their colourless, or, as it is generally
-termed, flaxen, hair, are called Albinos. They are generally timid in
-disposition, languid in character, and weak both in mind and body. The
-same original conformation, for it is always born with the individual and
-never acquired in after life, although sometimes prolonged beyond its
-limits in the shape of an hereditary legacy, is common to many animals.
-Perhaps the most familiar instances among these are the white mice, the
-white rabbits, and the white pigeons, which are known to every one. But
-it has also been occasionally seen in many other species, as monkeys,
-squirrels, moles, pigs, and even cows and horses, and, to come a little
-closer to our present subject, in goats and deer. Not even that massive
-and stupendous beast the Elephant is exempted from its influence. It can
-hardly be necessary to recall to the reader the title on which the ruler
-of millions of not uncivilized Asiatics, the Burmese monarch, prides
-himself more than on any other, inasmuch as it is the emblem of power and
-prosperity, that of Lord of the White Elephant; a title, which, while it
-demonstrates the fact of the existence of this deviation in the Elephant
-as well as in other animals, proves also the extreme rarity of its
-occurrence. It has moreover been noticed in many species of birds.
-
-The present species of Antelope is spread over the whole of the Peninsula
-of Hindoostan and a part of Persia; but it is questionable whether it has
-been found in Africa, as is commonly asserted. They are said to bound
-with apparent ease over a distance of from twenty-five to thirty feet,
-and mounting to the height of ten or twelve. It is consequently useless
-to attempt to chase them in the common mode with hounds; and their
-pursuit is restricted to the higher nobility, who employ for the purpose
-either hawks, who pounce upon their quarry and detain it until the dogs
-can come up, or Chetahs, who attack them by surprise in the manner before
-described.
-
-The elegant Albino now in the Tower was brought from Bombay by Captain
-Dalrymple of the Vansittart, and remained for a considerable time at
-Sand Pit Gate, where it was an especial favourite with his Majesty, as
-well on account of the gentleness of its disposition, as for its rarity
-and beauty. It bears its confinement in the Menagerie with perfect
-resignation, and is remarkable for the mildness and tranquillity of its
-deportment.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE AFRICAN SHEEP.
-
-_OVIS ARIES._ LINN.--Var. _GUINEENSIS._
-
-
-In characterizing the present genus, were we to look solely at the
-animal such as we have it daily before our eyes, the distinction between
-it and all the other Ruminants is too striking to be for a moment
-mistaken. But the insensible gradations which connect this familiar
-denizen of our downs and pastures with the untamed native of the desert
-and the precipice, and the close affinity which subsists between the
-latter and the goats, render it almost impossible to isolate them by
-any satisfactory characters. On the present occasion we shall content
-ourselves with observing that the sheep may generally be distinguished by
-the direction of their horns, by the elevation of their profile, and by
-their want of beard: characters neither essential nor infallible, but the
-best that can be offered.
-
-The variety figured over leaf is in one of the many intermediate stages
-between unreclaimed barbarism and complete domestication. It is an
-awkward looking creature, high on the legs, narrow in the loins, and
-covered with a rough and shaggy coat. The back and sides are nearly
-black; the shoulders reddish brown; and the posterior part of the body,
-the haunches, the hind legs, and the tail, white; as are also the ears,
-which are rather large, the nose, and a spot over each eye. The horns,
-although the specimen is a male, are remarkably small, and enclose the
-ears within their curve. If the ears are freed from their confinement,
-the animal becomes very uneasy, and never rests until he has succeeded
-in replacing them, which he cannot accomplish without considerable
-difficulty. He was presented to the Menagerie by Lord Liverpool about six
-years ago, and is extremely mild in his temper.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE GREAT SEA-EAGLE.
-
-_HALIAETOS OSSIFRAGUS._ SAV.
-
-THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
-
-_AQUILA CHRYSAETOS._ SAV.
-
-
-Having in the preceding article terminated the series of Mammiferous
-Quadrupeds at present existing in the Tower Menagerie, we must next
-direct our attention to the illustration of the Birds, a Class which,
-although fully entitled to the second place in the arrangement of the
-Animal Kingdom, is separated by a wide and almost unoccupied interval
-from that which unquestionably claims the foremost rank.
-
-To commence then with the Eagles, which form a prominent group of the
-Rapacious Order, and are universally regarded as the most majestic, as
-well as the most powerful, of birds. In common with the whole Order,
-they are remarkable for the strong incurvation of their bill and talons,
-the latter of which are four in number on each of the feet, and are
-moved by means of a thick and strong muscular apparatus, which gives
-to the grasp of the larger species that extreme tenacity by which they
-are distinguished, enabling them to seize and carry off fish and birds,
-and even quadrupeds of moderate size. This innate propensity to rapine,
-derived from their peculiar conformation which renders them essentially
-flesh-eaters, indicates at once the analogical relationship borne by the
-Rapacious Birds to the Carnivorous Quadrupeds; and the high degree to
-which it is carried by the Eagles, their vast powers of flight, their
-towering majesty, their irresistible might, their uniform preference of
-living victims and rejection of the offal, render them superior to all
-other birds, in the same proportion as the Lion is allowed to take the
-lead among mammiferous quadrupeds.
-
-The Eagles, properly so called, are characterized by a head covered with
-plumage and flattened above; eyes large, lateral, and deep-seated; a
-bill of great strength, arched and hooked at its extremity alone, and
-furnished at its base with a naked membrane, called the cere, in which
-the openings of the nostrils are situated; the wings broad and powerful;
-the tarsus, or that joint of each leg which is immediately above the
-toes, strong, short, and covered with feathers down to the very base; the
-toes thick and naked, three of them pointing forwards, and the fourth
-constantly directed backwards; and the talons of great power and strongly
-curved. The Golden Eagle, which occupies the right hand in the cut, is
-frequently three feet and a half in length from the extremity of the
-beak to that of the tail. His general colour is blackish brown both above
-and below, assuming on the legs a grayish or sometimes a reddish tinge.
-His beak is bluish black, covered at the base by a yellow cere; and
-his toes, which are also yellow, terminate in strong black talons, the
-posterior one of which frequently attains an enormous length. He is met
-with throughout the Old Continent, and more especially within the limits
-of the temperate zone, building his aiery, which he shares with a single
-female, in the clefts of the loftiest rock, or among the topmost branches
-of the alpine forest. From this retreat he towers aloft in search of his
-prey, which he pursues by sight alone, subsisting principally on other
-birds and on the smaller quadrupeds, which he carries off in his powerful
-clutch. When his hunger is extreme he sometimes pounces upon the larger
-animals; but in such circumstances he is compelled to content himself
-with sucking their blood upon the spot, and with stripping off portions
-of their flesh, on which to satiate his appetite at home. Instances have
-been known of his attaining in captivity to an age of more than a hundred
-years.
-
-The principal distinguishing mark of the group which has been separated
-under the name of the Sea-Eagles, consists in the plumage of the tarsus,
-which in the latter extends only half way down, the lower part being
-consequently left entirely bare. The species figured on the left, at the
-head of this article, is commonly more than three feet in length, and
-the expansion of his wings measures seven or eight feet. His bill is
-usually of a bluish black colour towards the extremity, and yellow at
-the base. His general hue is blackish brown, deeper above than beneath,
-and relieved on the breast and under parts by numerous white spots. The
-larger feathers of his wings are nearly black; but those of the tail are
-not so deeply tinged. The naked portion of the legs, as also the toes,
-are covered with bright yellow scales; and the talons are of a bright
-black.
-
-The Great Sea-Eagle is a native of the Northern Hemisphere, in the colder
-regions of which he appears to be most at home. He builds his nest in
-similar situations with the last, but prefers the neighbourhood of the
-sea, or of lakes and rivers, over which he is frequently to be seen,
-especially in the morning and towards nightfall, hovering in quest of
-prey, and pouncing down upon the fish which rise to the surface, or even
-diving after those which are visible beneath. These form his principal
-sustenance; but he seldom suffers flesh or fowl to escape him if they
-chance to fall in his way. His flight is less rapid and less lofty than
-that of the Golden Eagle; and he neither perceives his prey at such a
-distance, nor pursues it with such pertinacity.
-
-The noble birds which illustrate the present article were presents from
-the Marchioness of Londonderry.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BEARDED GRIFFIN.
-
-_GYPAETOS BARBATUS._ STORR.
-
-
-The Bearded Griffin takes an intermediate station between the Eagles
-and the Vultures, with the former of which it agrees more closely in
-general appearance and external form, and with the latter in internal
-structure and habits. The principal point in which it differs from them
-both consists in the tuft of bristly hairs which take their origin partly
-from the cere that covers the base of the beak, and partly from the under
-mandible, and are directed outwards and downwards in such a manner as
-to give rise to that appearance from which the bird has received his
-epithet of Bearded. His beak is strongly arched at the extremity, and
-is remarkable for its great vertical thickness, more especially at the
-point where the curvature commences. His head, flat like that of the
-Eagle, is covered with short feathers, which are of a dirty white; and
-his eyes are nearly on the same plane with the surface of his head. The
-general tint of his plumage is blackish brown above and grayish fawn
-beneath, and his legs are feathered with the latter colour down to the
-very toes, which are long and grayish. His claws are of moderate length
-and curved; but the force of his clutch is far inferior to that of the
-Eagles.
-
-The Bearded Griffin is the largest European bird of prey, and builds its
-aiery among the loftiest precipices of nearly all the alpine chains of
-the Old Continent. Here it displays the tyranny, but not the courage, of
-the Eagle, attacking such living animals only as are likely to fall an
-easy prey, and gorging in troops with all the rapacity of Vultures upon
-the most corrupted carrion.
-
-The individual figured is a fine specimen, but is not yet in perfect
-plumage.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE GRIFFON VULTURE.
-
-_VULTUR FULVUS._ LINN.
-
-
-If the Eagles are considered as bearing a close analogy to the more
-noble and perfect among the Carnivorous Quadrupeds, such as the Lion and
-the Tiger, which live in solitary grandeur and attack none but living
-victims, the Vultures may, with equal propriety, be regarded as the
-representatives of the Jackal, the Wolf, the Hyæna, and other inferior
-animals of that Order, which hunt in packs and prey upon carrion. Endowed
-like these animals with an extreme fineness of scent, they are attracted
-by the smell of dead, and more especially of putrid, carcases, at an
-immense and almost incredible distance; and usually assemble in vast
-numbers to glut themselves upon the disgusting banquet on the field
-of recent battle, or wherever the work of carnage has been carried
-to any great extent. Under such circumstances, however horrible that
-propensity may appear which leads them to prey upon the unburied corpses,
-they unquestionably fulfil a wise provision of nature by removing from
-the surface of the earth a mass of corruption and putridity which in
-the warmer climates where they abound would otherwise taint the very
-atmosphere, and might possibly give rise to diseases still more fatal
-in their effects than the malignant passions of man himself, from which
-the destruction sprung. But although such a scene affords the greatest
-scope for the indulgence of their depraved appetites, and consequently
-congregates them together in the largest numbers, it is happily of rare
-occurrence, and their usual subsistence is derived from the bodies of
-dead animals. To these they are attracted by the smell, and frequently in
-flocks so numerous as actually to cover and conceal the object of their
-attack, from which they tear away large gobbets, and swallow them entire
-and with insatiable avidity, never ceasing while yet a morsel remains.
-It is only when hard pressed by hunger that they venture to attack a
-living creature; and their ravages of this kind are always confined to
-the peaceful and timid denizens of the poultry-yard. They never carry off
-their victims in their talons, but uniformly devour them upon the spot;
-and even that portion of their prey which they transport to their young
-is first swallowed, and afterwards disgorged in the nest.
-
-These peculiarities of habit, by which the Vultures are strikingly
-contrasted not merely with the Eagles, but even with the smallest of
-the Falcon tribe, are the necessary result of their organisation. Their
-beak, it is true, is like that of the Eagles strongly curved at the
-point alone, and they also possess all the technical characters of the
-Rapacious Order; but their talons are far inferior, both in size and in
-the degree of their curvature, and they are consequently unable to grasp
-their prey with sufficient force to transport it through the air. Their
-diminished power of flight renders them incapable of soaring upwards
-to search abroad with piercing eye for the objects of their rapacity;
-and they are therefore left dependent upon the acute sensibility of
-their nostrils, which amply supplies the deficiency. Of the external
-characters which they exhibit the most remarkable is derived from the
-want of plumage on the head and neck, which are covered in the greater
-number of the species by nothing more than a sort of down or by short and
-smooth hairs. The object of this provision appears to be to enable them
-to bury as it were their heads in the carrion on which they feed, without
-exposing their plumage to be soiled by the filth which it might otherwise
-contract. Their eyes are placed on a level with their cheeks; their heads
-are rounded above; they have most frequently a ruff of considerable
-extent round the lower part of their necks; and their legs are usually
-bare of feathers and covered with large scales. Their very attitudes
-offer the most perfect contrast to those of the Eagles; the latter
-constantly maintaining a bold upright posture, with their wings closely
-pressed to their sides, and their tails elevated, while the Vultures on
-the contrary are always seen bending forwards in a crouching position,
-with their wings depressed and separated from their bodies, and their
-tails trailing upon the ground.
-
-The Griffon Vulture is equal in size to the larger species of Eagle;
-his head and neck are covered with short white down, and the latter is
-ornamented at its base with an extensive ruff of long feathers of a
-clear and brilliant white. The plumage of the body is reddish gray; the
-quill-feathers of the wings and tail are of a blackish brown; and the
-beak and claws are nearly black. He is a native of the greater part of
-Europe and of Asia, and inhabits during the summer the more elevated
-regions of the two continents, building his nest in the rocks and among
-inaccessible precipices. In the winter he is said to migrate to warmer
-and more temperate climes. His habits are precisely those of the rest of
-the group to which he belongs.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE SECRETARY BIRD.
-
-_GYPOGERANUS SERPENTARIUS._ ILLIG.
-
-
-The singular conformation of this bird, so different in many respects
-from that of the Order to which both in its leading characters and in
-its habits it obviously belongs, rendered it for a long time one of the
-torments of ornithologists, who puzzled themselves in vain to assign it a
-definitive place in the system, and could not agree even with regard to
-the grand division of the class to which it ought to be referred. Thus M.
-Temminck was at one time inclined to refer it to the Gallinaceous Order;
-and M. Vieillot, after repeatedly changing his mind upon the subject,
-at last arranged it among the Waders, with which it has absolutely
-nothing in common except the length of its legs. It appears, however,
-to be now almost universally admitted that its closest affinity is with
-the Vultures, with which it agrees in the most essential particulars
-of its organization, and from which it differs chiefly in certain
-external characters alone, which unquestionably give to it an aspect
-exceedingly distinct, but are not of themselves of sufficient importance
-to authorize its removal to a distant part of the classification. It
-constitutes in fact one of those mixed and aberrant forms by means of
-which the arbitrary divisions of natural objects established by man
-are so frequently assimilated to each other in the most beautiful, and
-occasionally in the most unexpected, manner.
-
-The principal generic characters of the Secretary consist in the form
-of his beak, which is shorter than the head, thick, and curved nearly
-from the very base, where it is covered with a cere; in the long and
-unequal feathers which take their origin from the back of his head, and
-are susceptible of elevation and depression; in the naked skin which
-surrounds his eye, and which is shaded by a series of hairs in the form
-of an eyebrow; in the great length and slenderness of his tarsi, which
-form his most striking characteristic in an Order remarkable for a
-structure exactly the reverse; and in the shortness of his toes, which
-are terminated by blunted talons of little comparative size or curvature.
-The only known species measures upwards of three feet in length. Its
-plumage, when in a perfect state, is for the most part of a bluish gray,
-with a shade of reddish brown on the wings, the large quill-feathers of
-which are black. The throat and breast are nearly white, and the rest
-of the under surface of the body offers a mixture of black, red, and
-white, the plumage of the legs being of a bright black, intermingled
-with scarcely perceptible brownish rays. The plumes of the crest which
-ornaments the back of the head, and from the supposed resemblance of
-which to the pens frequently stuck behind the ears of clerks and other
-writers the name of Secretary was given to the bird, are destitute of
-barbs at the base, but spread out as they advance, and are coloured
-with a mixture of black and gray. Each of the wings is armed with three
-rounded bony projections, with which, as well as with his feet, the bird
-attacks and destroys his prey.
-
-In his habits he partly resembles both the Eagle and the Vulture, but
-differs from them most completely in the nature of his prey and in his
-mode of attacking it. Like the former he always prefers live flesh
-to carrion; but the food to which he is most particularly attached
-consists of snakes and other reptiles, for the destruction of which he
-is admirably fitted by his organization. The length of his legs not only
-enables him to pursue these creatures over the sandy deserts which he
-inhabits with a speed proportioned to their own, but also places his more
-vulnerable parts in some measure above the risk of their venomous bite;
-and the imperfect character of his talons, when compared with those of
-other rapacious birds, is in complete accordance with the fact that his
-feet are destined rather to inflict powerful blows, than to seize and
-carry off his prey. When he falls upon a serpent, he first attacks it
-with the bony prominences of his wings, with one of which he belabours
-it, while he guards his body by the expansion of the other. He then
-seizes it by the tail and mounts with it to a considerable height in the
-air, from which he drops it to the earth, and repeats this process until
-the reptile is either killed or wearied out; when he breaks open its
-skull by means of his beak, and tears it in pieces with the assistance of
-his claws, or, if not too large, swallows it entire.
-
-Like the Eagles these birds live in pairs, and not in flocks; they build
-their aiery, if so it may be termed, on the loftiest trees, or, where
-these are wanting, in the most bushy and tufted thickets. They run with
-extreme swiftness, trusting, when pursued, rather to their legs than to
-their wings; and as they are generally met with in the open country, it
-is with difficulty that they can be approached sufficiently near for
-the sportsman to obtain a shot at them. They are natives of the south
-of Africa, and appear to be tolerably numerous in the neighbourhood of
-the Cape; where, it is said, they have been tamed to such a degree as
-to render them useful inmates of the poultry-yard, in which they not
-only destroy the snakes and rats which are too apt to intrude upon those
-precincts, but even contribute to the maintenance of peace among its more
-authentic inhabitants by interposing in their quarrels and separating the
-furious combatants who disturb it by their brawls.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE VIRGINIAN HORNED-OWL.
-
-_STRIX VIRGINIANA._ LINN.
-
-
-All the preceding birds belong to that division of the Rapacious Order
-which pursue their prey in the open face of day, and are consequently
-termed Diurnal; but those which we have now to notice are on the contrary
-Nocturnal in their habits, and only venture abroad in the shades of the
-evening, or under cover of the darkness of the night. They are readily
-distinguished from the former by their short and compressed bill, curved
-from its very base; by the anterior position of their eyes, which are of
-great size and surrounded by a circular disc of stiff hairs and feathers,
-covering the base of the bill anteriorly and extending posteriorly over
-the ears, which, as well as the disc, vary considerably in size in the
-different races; by the great extent of dilatation of which their pupils
-are capable, a provision admirably calculated for enabling them to see by
-night; by the breadth and apparent bulk of their heads and bodies, both
-of which are thickly clothed with long and soft feathers; by the plumage
-of their legs, which in all the European species is continued down to
-the very toes, and sometimes even along them; by the direction of their
-toes, which are all naturally turned forwards, the external one being,
-however, capable of taking an opposite direction; and by the high degree
-of retractility and sharpness of their claws.
-
-All these birds were comprehended by Linnæus under the generic name
-of Strix, but later naturalists have subdivided them into several
-genera, dependent on the size of the ears and of the ocular discs, on
-the presence or absence of two remarkable tufts of feathers on the
-head having somewhat the appearance of horns, and on the covering of
-the legs and feet. The Virginian Horned Owl is spread over nearly the
-whole continent of America from north to south. Its plumage is brown
-above, marked with numerous transverse black stripes, and the feathers
-of the under surface are of a dirty white, transversely striped with
-blackish-brown.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE DEEP BLUE MACAW.
-
-_ANODORHYNCHUS MAXIMILIANI._ SPIX.
-
-
-The second Order of Birds, which comprehends both the Picæ and Passeres
-of Linnæus, is essentially distinguished from the rest of the class by
-the structure of the feet, which are formed for perching. Those of the
-Scansorial tribe in particular, to which all the species to be here
-noticed belong, have two of the toes directed forwards, and the remaining
-two directed backwards, in such a manner as to enable them to grasp
-the branch of a tree or other similar objects with peculiar firmness,
-and consequently to climb with more than usual agility. This section
-comprehends some of the most gorgeously coloured and splendid among
-birds, as well as those which evince the highest degree of intelligence,
-in the imitation especially of the human voice, for which they have been
-celebrated from the earliest times.
-
-The beautiful bird, the portrait of which is prefixed to the present
-article, is one of the rarest of its tribe, and has until very lately
-been confounded by ornithologists with the Hyacinthine Macaw, a fine but
-much less splendid species. It is figured by M. Spix in his Brazilian
-Birds under the name which we have adopted; but is there given without
-either characters or description. Its claim to generic distinction
-would seem to depend on the excessive length and powerful curvature of
-its claws and upper mandible, and on the slight developement of the
-toothlike process of the latter. Its colour is throughout of a deep and
-brilliant blue; the beak, legs, and claws, are black; and the cere and a
-naked circle round each of the eyes are of a bright yellow. Our specimen
-measures two feet four inches from the top of the head to the extremity
-of the tail, and the expansion of his wings is four feet. The length of
-the upper mandible is five inches, and that of the lower, two.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW.
-
-_MACROCERCUS ARARAUNA._ VIEILL.
-
-
-The genus Macrocercus is characterized by the robustness of its beak,
-which is extremely broad and powerful; by the nakedness of its face,
-which is sometimes entirely bare, and sometimes partially covered with
-lines of short and scattered feathers; and by the size and form of its
-tail, which is longer than the body, regularly graduated, and terminating
-in an acute apex. The whole of the species are American, and are
-remarkable for the brilliancy of their colours, which are perhaps more
-varied and more gaudy than those of any of the other modern divisions
-of the Linnean genus Psittacus. They are consequently more sought after
-as objects of luxury and elegance, and bear a higher comparative value
-than the rest of the Parrots. In common with the entire tribe, they
-inhabit the tropical regions of the earth, and live chiefly upon fruits
-and seeds. Among the latter they uniformly give the preference to such as
-are provided with a hard and shelly covering. These they crack with great
-dexterity, carefully rejecting the outer coat, and swallowing only the
-internal nut.
-
-The Blue and Yellow Macaw is one of the finest of the group. The whole of
-its upper surface is covered with plumage of the most beautiful azure;
-the feathers of the under parts on the contrary are of a brilliant
-yellow. The naked part of the cheeks, which are white slightly tinged
-with flesh colour, is ornamented with three lines of minute blackish
-feathers; and the throat is surrounded by a broad collar of greenish
-black. The forehead is yellowish green.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOO.
-
-_PLYCTOLOPHUS SULPHUREUS._ VIEILL.
-
-
-The Cockatoos have a strong, broad, and well curved beak; their eyes
-are surrounded by a naked space; their tail is short, square, and equal
-at the end; and their head is furnished with a remarkable crest of
-long and slender feathers, which may be raised or depressed at will,
-and are frequently of a different colour from the rest of the plumage.
-This latter character forms the most distinguishing mark of the group,
-which is partly indigenous to India and the Indian Islands, and partly
-to Australia. They are fond of damp and marshy situations, and usually
-inhabit the neighbourhood of rivers or of smaller streams, in which they
-indulge themselves with frequent bathing, a practice in which, even in
-captivity, they seem, in common with many others of the tribe, to take
-a particular pleasure. Like the rest of the Parrots they live entirely
-on vegetable substances, and chiefly upon seeds; some of them, however,
-are said to feed upon roots. Their usual nourishment, in a domesticated
-state, is the same with that of the other Parrots, consisting generally
-of nothing more than hemp-seed, from which they detach the outer covering
-with much adroitness. They have also a great relish for sweetmeats and
-pastry.
-
-The present species is pure white throughout, with the exception of its
-crest, the longer feathers of which are bright yellow; and of the under
-surface of the wings and tail, which are straw-coloured, as are also
-occasionally the cheeks. The beak is nearly black. It is a native of the
-Moluccas, and is not unfrequently brought to Europe. It is remarkably
-intelligent, and becomes attached to those who show it kindness.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE EMEU.
-
-_DROMICEIUS NOVÆ HOLLANDIÆ._ VIEILL.
-
-
-The New Holland Emeu, as well as the Ostrich and the Cassowary, to both
-of which it is nearly related, is now generally regarded as belonging to
-the Rasorial Order, the Gallinaæ of Linnæus, the feet of which are formed
-for running and for scratching up the earth in search of the seeds which
-constitute their usual subsistence. Some of the birds, however, which are
-referred to it, and particularly those now under consideration, feed upon
-fruits and roots. The whole of the Order are distinguished by a certain
-degree of convexity on the upper surface of the bill, the base of which
-is enveloped by a membrane, in which are situated the nostrils covered
-by a cartilaginous scale; by the muscular plumpness of their bodies,
-and especially of their legs; by the shortness of their wings, and the
-diminution of strength in their pectoral muscles; and by the thickness
-and strength of their anterior toes, generally three in number, united
-at the base alone by a connecting membrane, and roughened beneath. These
-characters conjoined sufficiently indicate that their proper place of
-abode is the surface of the earth, on which they are enabled to run
-with a greater or less degree of speed; and that the air, in which they
-are incapable of elevating themselves to any considerable height, or
-of propelling their flight with more than moderate swiftness, and into
-which some of them cannot even raise themselves at all, is an uncongenial
-element to which they can seldom resort. They furnish the principal and
-most useful breeds of our domestic poultry, and stock our farm-yards with
-their most valuable inhabitants.
-
-The distinctive generic characters of the New Holland Emeu, which forms
-part of the Ostrich family, and is, with the sole exception of the
-Ostrich, the largest bird known to exist, consist in the flattening of
-its bill from above downwards, instead of from side to side; in the
-absence of the bony process which crests the head of the Cassowary, of
-the wattles which depend from his neck, and of the long spurlike shafts
-which arm his wings; and in the equal, or nearly equal, length of all
-his claws. The Emeus, however, agree with the Cassowaries in the number
-of their toes, three on each foot, all of them directed forwards and
-extremely thick and short, the posterior toe, which is common to most of
-the Order, being in them entirely wanting; in the excessive shortness
-of their wings, which do not even, as is the case with the Ostriches,
-assist them in running, much less in flight, of which, in common with
-the latter, they are absolutely incapable; and in the structure of their
-feathers, which are for the most part double, each tube being divided
-near its origin into two shafts, the barbs of which are soft, downy, and
-distinct from each other, and assume at a distance rather the appearance
-of a silky covering of hair than that of the common plumage of birds.
-
-The New Holland bird has the head and upper part of the neck thinly
-covered with slender black feathers; the space around the ears alone
-being left bare, and exhibiting, as well as the neck and throat, which
-are but partially concealed by the scattered plumage with which they
-are provided, the blue tinge of the skin. The general colour of the
-plumage is grayish brown above, with a more plentiful intermixture of
-the gray and a consequent lighter tinge beneath. The young are striped
-longitudinally with brown and gray. Their bill is black, and their legs
-are remarkably thick and of a dull brown. The great length of the latter
-and of the neck, and the erect attitude and quiet demeanour of these
-birds, which sometimes attain as much as seven feet in height, give them
-altogether a noble and imposing appearance. They were formerly common
-in the neighbourhood of Botany Bay, subsisting, like the rest of their
-tribe, upon vegetable substances, chiefly fruits. They are extremely
-wild, and run with great swiftness when pursued, outstripping it is said
-the fleetness of the greyhound. Like the Kanguroos, they are sometimes
-hunted by the colonists as articles of food; and their flesh is stated to
-have much of the flavour of beef. The quantity of provision supplied by
-one of these birds is by no means inconsiderable.
-
-The animals of the part of New Holland from which these birds are derived
-appear in general to suffer little from their transportation to the
-climate of England. The Emeus, like the Kanguroos, have become to a
-certain extent naturalized in the Royal Park at Windsor, where they breed
-without difficulty and with no extraordinary precautions. Here they have
-assigned to them a sufficient space of ground to take ample exercise;
-and this circumstance contributes not a little to the thriving condition
-in which they are met with. They are perfectly harmless unless when
-irritated or pursued, in which case they sometimes strike very severe
-blows with their beaks, which are extremely hard. The pair in the Tower
-were obtained from this establishment, where they were bred.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE CROWNED CRANE.
-
-_ANTHROPOIDES PAVONINUS._ VIEILL.
-
-
-The fourth Order of Birds, the Waders, are strikingly characterized by
-the great length of their legs, the lower part of which is entirely bare
-of feathers; a peculiarity which is of essential service by enabling them
-to stand for a long time in the water without injury to their plumage,
-watching for the fish and reptiles, of which the larger species, and the
-worms and insects, of which the smaller among them, make their usual prey.
-
-The beautiful birds represented above, which formed part of the Linnean
-genus Ardea, since subdivided into numerous distinct groups, offer the
-following generic characters. Their bill is conical, pointed, scarcely
-longer than the head, and grooved along its upper surface; their head
-is ornamented with a crest of long and slender filamentous feathers,
-capable of being raised and depressed at pleasure; their wings are large
-and powerful; their legs are covered with large scales; the outer and
-middle toes are united at the base; and their claws are short and without
-denticulations.
-
-The Crowned Crane is remarkable for its light and elegant proportions,
-and for its graceful and varied attitudes. Its forehead is covered by a
-thick tuft of short velvety feathers of a soft and brilliant black; its
-naked cheeks and temples are of a delicate rose colour; and the yellow
-filaments of its crest terminate in blackish pencils. The long and
-slender feathers which descend upon its neck, and the broader ones which
-clothe the upper and under surface of its body are black with a slight
-tinge of lead-colour; the primary wing-feathers are also black, the
-secondary reddish-brown, and the wing-coverts white. The bill and legs
-are black. It is a native of Western Africa; is extremely tame, and may
-be readily domesticated. It frequently attains the height of four feet.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE PELICAN.
-
-_PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS._ LINN.
-
-
-The Pelican affords an excellent illustration of the fifth and last Order
-of Birds, the Swimmers; the essential character of which consists in the
-membranous union of the toes, which renders them what is usually termed
-web-footed, and enables them to propel themselves upon the surface of the
-water with greater or less rapidity in proportion to the greater or less
-comparative extent of the membrane in which their toes are enveloped.
-They are all consequently inhabitants of marshy situations, of the banks
-of rivers and lakes, or of the seacoast; and most of them seek their
-subsistence in their most congenial element, the water, notwithstanding
-that by far the greater number of them are also endowed with very
-considerable powers of flight.
-
-Linnæus united under the common title of Pelicans, the Cormorants, the
-Boobies, and several other birds, which differ from the typical species
-of the genus by many important characters, the chief point of agreement
-between them consisting in the form and extent of the membrane which
-unites the toes. The Linnean group has subsequently been raised to the
-rank of a family, and its component parts form several distinct genera,
-that which comprehends the true Pelicans, the genus Onocrotalus of
-Brisson, being characterized as follows. Their bill is of very great
-length, straight, broad, flattened above, and terminated by a slight
-hook; the lower mandible consists of two lateral branches, united at the
-point, and having interposed between them a membranous pouch capable of
-very great dilatation; their four toes are all enveloped to the very apex
-in the common membrane; their legs are short, strong, and maintain the
-body in a state of equilibrium, their lower part being entirely destitute
-of feathers.
-
-With the exception of the quill-feathers of the wings, which are black,
-the plumage of the Pelican in the Tower is throughout of an extremely
-light and delicate flesh-colour, varied only by occasional darker tinges.
-The head and upper part of the neck are clothed with a short down, except
-on the temples, which are naked and flesh-coloured; the upper mandible is
-of a dull yellow in the middle, with a reddish tinge towards the edges,
-and a blood-red spot on its curved extremity; and the pouch is of a
-bright straw-colour.
-
-The Pelican is one of the largest water-birds, considerably exceeding
-the size of the swan, and frequently measuring from five to six feet
-between the extremity of the bill and that of the tail, and from ten to
-twelve between the tips of the expanded wings. Its bill is nearly a foot
-and a half in length, and from an inch and a half to two inches broad;
-and its pouch is capable of containing, when stretched to its utmost
-extent, two or three gallons of water. The quantity of fish which it
-sometimes accumulates in the same serviceable repository is spoken of as
-enormous. Notwithstanding their great bulk and apparent clumsiness, the
-large extent of their wings, and the extreme lightness of their bones,
-which are so thin as to be almost transparent, enable these birds to rise
-to a lofty pitch in the air, to hover at a moderate elevation, or to skim
-rapidly along the surface of the water with as much facility as they
-dive into its depths in pursuit of their prey. They sometimes assemble
-in large numbers, and in this case are said by Buffon to act in concert,
-and to show no little skill in manœuvring with the view of securing a
-plentiful quarry, forming themselves into a circular line, and gradually
-narrowing the extent of the space enclosed, until they have driven the
-fishes into so small a compass as to render them a certain prey; when
-at a given signal they all at once plunge into the water and seize upon
-their terrified victims, filling their pouches with the spoil, and flying
-to the land, there to devour it at their leisure. This fishery is carried
-on both at sea and in fresh water.
-
-They are found in nearly every part of the globe, but are of rare
-occurrence in the north of Europe. The beautiful pair figured at the head
-of this article are said to be from Hungary. The female is now sitting
-upon three eggs, and has built herself a very perfect nest for the
-purpose. Should these be brought to maturity, as there is every reason
-to expect, they will probably be the first that were ever hatched in
-England. She never quits her charge; but is fed by the male, who crams
-his pouch with double his usual allowance, and then proceeds to shovel
-her fair share into his partner’s throat. It is in this manner also
-that the young are fed, the old bird pressing his full pouch against
-his chest, and contriving thus to disgorge a portion of its contents;
-an action which has no doubt given rise to the fabulous notion of the
-Pelican’s feeding its young with its own blood. In fact, the appearance
-of the bird when in this attitude, with the bloody spot on the end of
-its bill closely pressed against the delicate plumage of its breast,
-may readily account for the prevalence of such an idea in the minds of
-superficial observers. The first traces of this fable are to be found
-in the writings of some of the early fathers of the church, and it was
-eagerly adopted by the heralds of later days, whose unbounded credulity
-was ever on the watch for the marvellous, in natural history more
-especially.
-
-Our birds are commonly allowed three dozen of small live plaice each per
-day.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE ALLIGATOR.
-
-_CROCODILUS LUCIUS._ CUV.
-
-
-The enormous Reptile from which this genus derives its name belongs to
-the same subdivision of that class as the agile Lizard and the many-hued
-Chamæleon, with which it was comprehended by Linnæus under the single
-generic title of Lacerta. This group has subsequently been elevated to
-the rank of an order, consisting of numerous genera, among which the
-Crocodiles are distinguished by the following characters. Their toes are
-five in number on the anterior feet, and four on the posterior; their
-sharp and conical teeth are arranged in a single series in each jaw;
-their tongue is flat, fleshy, and closely attached almost to its very
-edge; and their bodies are clothed with large, thick, square scales, the
-upper of which are surmounted by a strong keel, those of the tail forming
-superiorly a dentated crest, double at its origin.
-
-The Alligators constitute a natural subdivision of the genus, in which
-the snout is broad, blunt, and less produced than in the true Crocodiles;
-the fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw enters a hole in the
-upper when the mouth is closed; and the toes are only half-webbed. They
-appear to be exclusively natives of America. The present species is
-distinguished by its broad and flat snout, with nearly parallel sides,
-united in front by a curved line; by the peculiar arrangement of its
-nuchal scales; and by the elevated internal margins of its orbits. Its
-colour is dark brown above, and somewhat lighter beneath. It is one of
-the most dreadful scourges of the countries which it inhabits, preying
-upon all kinds of animals that come within its reach, and sometimes even
-upon man himself. Our specimen was apparently very young, not measuring
-more than three feet in length; but during two years that it was kept in
-the Menagerie it was not observed to have at all increased in size. It
-was fed once a week upon raw beef.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE INDIAN BOA.
-
-_PYTHON TIGRIS._ DAUD.
-
-
-The Serpents form a division of the Reptile Class too well known by their
-elongated scaly bodies, and their total deprivation of external members,
-to require any minute description of their organization. They are also
-held by the generality of mankind in so much abhorrence, and regarded
-for the most part with such strong feelings of unmitigated disgust, that
-we feel but little inclined to dwell upon their history, how much soever
-they may on many accounts be considered as deserving of a more extended
-notice.
-
-They are frequently divided into two great sections; the one, which is by
-far the most numerous, comprehending all those in which the poison-fangs
-are wanting, and which are consequently dangerous only in proportion to
-the extent of their muscular force; and the other consisting of those
-in which the fangs are present, and the bite of which is accompanied
-with the pouring out of a venomous secretion. At the head of the first
-of these divisions rank the Boas, which in the Linnean arrangement
-comprehended all those snakes, whether venomous or not, whose under
-surface was covered with narrow transverse plates, and whose tail was
-destitute of rattle. Later zoologists have, however, confined that
-appellation to those among the Linnean Boas, which are without poisonous
-fangs and have claws near the vent, and have regarded as a distinct genus
-the snakes which in addition to these latter characters have the scales
-of the under surface of the tail so arranged as to form two distinct
-rows. To the latter, which inhabit the Old Continent exclusively (while
-the former are all of them natives of America), they have assigned the
-name of Python.
-
-The present species, which is commonly exhibited under the popular but
-erroneous title of the Boa Constrictor, appears to be the Pedda Poda of
-Dr. Russell’s Indian Serpents. It is said by that writer to attain a
-length of eight or ten feet; but living specimens have been brought to
-this country of twice that size, and some of those now in the Tower are
-fifteen or sixteen feet long. The number of transverse plates on the
-under surface of the body is stated to be two hundred and fifty-two,
-and that of the pairs of scales beneath the tail sixty-two. The back is
-elegantly marked with a series of large irregular brown blotches bordered
-with black; and numerous smaller spots are scattered along the sides.
-The ground colour is yellowish brown, lighter beneath.
-
-The extent of muscular power which these serpents possess in common
-with the Boas is truly wonderful. To the smaller among them the lesser
-quadrupeds and even birds fall an easy prey; but the larger, when excited
-by the stimulus of hunger, are capable of crushing within their spiral
-folds the largest and most powerful of beasts. The sturdy buffalo and the
-agile stag become alike the victims of their fatal embrace; and the bulk
-of these animals presents but little obstacle to their being swallowed
-entire by the tremendous reptile, which crushes them as it were into a
-mass, lubricates them with the fetid mucus secreted in its stomach, and
-then slowly distending its jaws and œsophagus to an extent proportioned
-to the magnitude of the object to be devoured, and frequently exceeding
-by many times its own previous size, swallows it by one gradual and
-long-continued effort.
-
-Of the mode in which this operation is effected, a detailed description
-is contained in Macleod’s Voyage of His Majesty’s Ship Alceste; and an
-excellent account has been subsequently given by Mr. Broderip in the
-second volume of the Zoological Journal from actual observation of the
-specimens now in the Tower. The vivid description of the latter almost
-brings before the reader’s eye the lightning dash of the serpent; the
-single scream of its instantly enfolded victim, whose heaving flanks
-proclaimed that it still breathed; and its last desperate effort,
-succeeded by the application of another and a deadly coil. With equal
-force and fidelity it sketches the continuation of the scene, when the
-serpent, after slowly disengaging his folds, placed his head opposite
-to that of his victim, coiled himself once more around it to compress it
-into the narrowest possible compass, and then gradually propelled it into
-his separated jaws and dilated throat; and finally presents a disgusting
-picture of the snake when his meal was at an end, with his loose and
-apparently dislocated jaws dropping with the superfluous mucus which had
-been poured forth.
-
-The individual figured at the head of the present article is a female;
-a fact which was proved by the remarkable circumstance of her producing
-in May last, after having been more than two years in the Menagerie, a
-cluster of eggs, fourteen or fifteen in number, none of which, however,
-were hatched, although the mother evinced the greatest anxiety for
-their preservation, coiling herself around them in the form of a cone,
-of which her head formed the summit, and guarding them from external
-injury with truly maternal solicitude. They were visible only when she
-was occasionally roused; in which case she raised her head, which formed
-as it were the cover of the receptacle in which they were enclosed, but
-replaced it again as quickly as possible, allowing to the spectator only
-a momentary glance at her cherished treasures.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE ANACONDA.
-
-_PYTHON TIGRIS_, Var.
-
-
-The Anaconda is a name which, like that of the Boa Constrictor, has been
-popularly applied to all the larger and more powerful snakes. It appears
-to be of Ceylonese origin, and may therefore belong of right, as well as
-of usage, to the present Indian species. The serpent which passes under
-this title at the Tower, and which is figured above, seems to differ in
-no essential respects from the Boa of the preceding article, the only
-appreciable distinctions between them consisting in the lighter colour,
-the greater comparative size of the head, and the acuteness of the tail
-of that which at present engages our attention.
-
-Happily the appetite of these gigantic snakes bears no proportion to
-their means of gratifying it, as a full meal is uniformly succeeded by
-a state of torpor, which frequently lasts for a month or six weeks, or,
-during the cold season, even for a longer period. Those in the Tower,
-which are kept in a state of artificial warmth, usually feed about every
-five or six weeks, and a fowl or a rabbit generally suffices for a meal.
-These are held by the keeper within view of the serpent to ascertain
-whether he is inclined to take his prey or not. About three years ago
-Mr. Cops, while thus engaged in offering a fowl to one of the Boas,
-had nearly met with a serious accident; the snake, which was almost
-blind from the approaching change of its skin, missing the fowl, and
-seizing upon the keeper’s thumb instead, around which and its own head
-it instantaneously threw two coils, and then, as if surprised at the
-unexpected resistance, cast an additional fold round his neck, and fixed
-itself by its tail to one of the posts of its cage in such a manner as
-nearly to throttle him. His own exertions, however, aided by those of the
-under keepers, at length disengaged him from his perilous situation; but
-so determined was the attack of the snake that it could not be compelled
-to relinquish its hold until two of its teeth had been broken off and
-left in the thumb.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration]
-
-
-
-
-THE RATTLESNAKE.
-
-_CROTALUS HORRIDUS._ LINN.
-
-
-If the Boas furnish the most terrible examples of the tremendous powers
-of destruction possessed by a few of that division of the Serpent tribe,
-whose bite is unattended with the effusion of venom, the Rattlesnakes
-afford a no less remarkable instance of the dreadful malignity of the
-poison with which others of the tribe are so abundantly supplied. This
-poison is secreted by a gland of considerable size situated beneath the
-eye, the excretory duct of which terminates on each side at the base
-of a long and tubular fang in the upper jaw, which is concealed while
-the animal is at rest in a fold of the gum, but is capable of being
-instantaneously erected when he is irritated, and affords at the same
-time the means of inflicting the wound and of insinuating into it the
-deadly fluid with which it is charged. In the Rattlesnakes these two
-fangs are the only visible teeth implanted in the upper jaw; but behind
-each of them are several rudiments of others by which they are from time
-to time replaced. Their other distinguishing characters consist in the
-whole of the transverse plates which cover the under surface of the body
-and of the tail being simple, and in the singular apparatus by which
-the latter is terminated, and which is formed of a series, more or less
-numerous according to the age of the individual, of flattened rings
-loosely attached one within the other in such a manner as to produce
-a peculiar rattling sound when the tail is moved with any degree of
-quickness. The number of rings commonly varies from five to twelve; but
-in very old specimens it is said to have been found to exceed forty.
-
-All the known species are natives of America, in the vast forests of
-which they may be said literally to swarm; but happily, like most of the
-other venomous snakes, they never exert their terrible qualities upon man
-except in self-defence, and the warning rattle is always heard to give
-notice of their approach. Their bite is almost uniformly fatal even to
-the largest animals, and the latter frequently evince such an instinctive
-dread of them, that, according to M. Bosc, it is almost impossible to
-compel a horse or a dog to advance towards them. Their food consists
-principally of the smaller quadrupeds, such as squirrels and rabbits, of
-other reptiles, and of birds, although they rarely climb trees in pursuit
-of their prey. It was long believed, and the notion is still popularly
-current, that they possessed the power of fascinating their victims,
-which were thought to be so completely under the influence of their
-glance as to precipitate themselves of their own accord into the open
-throat of their enemy; but the truth appears to be that they actually
-inspire so great a degree of terror that the animals selected for their
-attacks are commonly rendered incapable of offering such resistance as
-might otherwise be in their power, or even of attempting to escape from
-their pursuit.
-
-Like most reptiles they retire during the winter into holes, in which
-they remain in a torpid state until the return of spring; and during this
-period they may be taken or destroyed without danger. Their flesh is
-eaten by the negroes, who also apply their fat, as well as their rattles,
-to various medicinal or superstitious uses.
-
-The number at present in the Tower exceeds a hundred, varying from four
-to six feet in length, and differing very considerably from each other
-both in colour and markings.
-
-[Illustration]
-
-                                CHISWICK:
-                     PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM,
-                             COLLEGE HOUSE.
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Tower Menagerie, by Edward Turner Bennett
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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tower Menagerie, by Edward Turner Bennett
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
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-
-Title: The Tower Menagerie
-
-Author: Edward Turner Bennett
-
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-
-Language: English
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-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TOWER MENAGERIE ***
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-
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p>
-
-<h1><span class="smaller">THE</span><br />
-TOWER MENAGERIE.</h1>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p>
-
-<p class="titlepage larger">THE<br />
-TOWER MENAGERIE:</p>
-
-<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">COMPRISING</span><br />
-THE NATURAL HISTORY<br />
-<span class="smaller">OF THE</span><br />
-ANIMALS CONTAINED IN THAT ESTABLISHMENT;<br />
-<span class="smaller">WITH</span><br />
-Anecdotes of their Characters and History.</p>
-
-<p class="titlepage">ILLUSTRATED BY<br />
-PORTRAITS OF EACH, TAKEN FROM LIFE, BY WILLIAM HARVEY;<br />
-<span class="smaller">AND ENGRAVED ON WOOD BY BRANSTON AND WRIGHT.</span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 300px;">
-<img src="images/i_f03.jpg" width="300" height="200" alt="Two heraldic lions
-either side of a crest: ARS NATURAE MINISTRAT; the White Tower of the Tower
-of London in the background." />
-</div>
-
-<p class="titlepage">LONDON:<br />
-PRINTED FOR ROBERT JENNINGS, POULTRY;<br />
-AND SOLD BY W. F. WAKEMAN, DUBLIN.<br />
-<span class="smaller">M DCCC XXIX.</span></p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p>
-
-<p class="titlepage smaller">CHISWICK:<br />
-PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM<br />
-COLLEGE HOUSE.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter titlepage" style="width: 300px;">
-<img src="images/i_f05.jpg" width="300" height="160" alt="A lion and
-a unicorn seem to be fighting over the royal crest; the White Tower of
-the Tower of London in the background." />
-</div>
-
-<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">TO</span><br />
-HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY<br />
-<span class="larger">KING GEORGE THE FOURTH,</span><br />
-<span class="smaller">THE</span><br />
-MUNIFICENT PATRON OF THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,</p>
-
-<p class="titlepage larger">This Volume,</p>
-
-<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">IN WHICH IT IS ATTEMPTED TO COMBINE BOTH ART AND SCIENCE<br />
-IN THE</span><br />
-ILLUSTRATION OF HIS ROYAL MENAGERIE,<br />
-<span class="smaller">IS,<br />
-BY HIS MAJESTY’S MOST GRACIOUS PERMISSION,</span><br />
-HUMBLY INSCRIBED.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p>
-
-<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
-
-<table summary="Contents">
-  <tr>
-    <td></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><span class="smcap">Page</span></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#INTRODUCTION">ix</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Bengal Lion</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BENGAL_LION">1</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Lioness and Cubs</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_LIONESS_AND_HER_CUBS">11</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Cape Lion</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CAPE_LION">17</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Barbary Lioness</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BARBARY_LIONESS">24</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Tiger</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_TIGER">25</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Leopard</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_LEOPARD">35</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Jaguar</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_JAGUAR">41</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Puma</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_PUMA">49</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Ocelot</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_OCELOT">53</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Caracal</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CARACAL">57</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Chetah, or Hunting Leopard</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CHETAH_OR_HUNTING_LEOPARD">61</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Striped Hyæna</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_STRIPED_HYAENA">71</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Hyæna-Dog</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_HYAENA-DOG">77</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Spotted Hyæna</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_SPOTTED_HYAENA">81</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">African Bloodhound</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_AFRICAN_BLOODHOUND">83</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Wolf</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_WOLF">89</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Clouded Black Wolf</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CLOUDED_BLACK_WOLF">93</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Jackal</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_JACKAL">97</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Civet, or Musk Cat</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CIVET_OR_MUSK_CAT">99</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Javanese Civet</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_JAVANESE_CIVET">103</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Gray Ichneumon</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_GRAY_ICHNEUMON">105</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Paradoxurus</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_PARADOXURUS">107</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Brown Coati</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BROWN_COATI">109</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Racoon</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_RACOON">111</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">American Black Bear</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_AMERICAN_BLACK_BEAR">115</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span><span class="smcap">Grizzly Bear</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_GRIZZLY_BEAR">121</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Thibet Bear</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_THIBET_BEAR">129</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Bornean Bear</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BORNEAN_BEAR">133</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Egret Monkey?</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#MONKEYS">144</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Common Macaque</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#MACAQUE">145</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Bonneted Monkey, var.</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BONNETED_MONKEY">146</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Bonneted Monkey</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BONNETED_MONKEY">147</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Pig-faced Baboon</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#PIG_FACED_BABOON">148</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Baboon</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BABOON">149</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">White-headed Mongoos</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_WHITE-HEADED_MONGOOS">151</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Kanguroo</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_KANGUROO">155</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Porcupine</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_AFRICAN_PORCUPINE">161</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Asiatic Elephant</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_ASIATIC_ELEPHANT">163</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Zebra of the Plains</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_ZEBRA_OF_THE_PLAINS">177</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Llama</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_LLAMA">181</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Rusa-Deer</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_MALAYAN_RUSA-DEER">185</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Indian Antelope</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_INDIAN_ANTELOPE">191</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">African Sheep</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_AFRICAN_SHEEP">197</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Golden Eagle</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_GOLDEN_EAGLE">201</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Great Sea-Eagle</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_GREAT_SEA-EAGLE">202</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Bearded Griffin</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BEARDED_GRIFFIN">203</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Griffon Vulture</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_GRIFFON_VULTURE">205</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Secretary</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_SECRETARY_BIRD">209</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Virginian Horned Owl</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_VIRGINIAN_HORNED-OWL">213</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Deep-blue Macaw</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_DEEP_BLUE_MACAW">215</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Blue and Yellow Macaw</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_BLUE_AND_YELLOW_MACAW">217</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Yellow-crested Cockatoo</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_YELLOW-CRESTED_COCKATOO">219</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">New Holland Emeu</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_EMEU">221</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Crested Crane</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_CROWNED_CRANE">225</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Pelican</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_PELICAN">227</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Alligator</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_ALLIGATOR">231</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Indian Boa</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_INDIAN_BOA">233</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Anaconda</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_ANACONDA">237</a></td>
-  </tr>
-  <tr>
-    <td><span class="smcap">Rattlesnake</span></td>
-    <td class="tdr"><a href="#THE_RATTLESNAKE">239</a></td>
-  </tr>
-</table>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p>
-
-<h2 id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION.</h2>
-
-<p>The origin of Menageries dates from the most remote
-antiquity. Their existence may be traced even in the
-obscure traditions of the fabulous ages, when the contests
-of the barbarian leader with his fellow-men were relieved
-by exploits in the chase scarcely less adventurous, and
-when the monster-queller was held in equal estimation
-with the warrior-chief. The spoils of the chase were
-treasured up in common with the trophies of the fight;
-and the captive brute occupied his station by the side
-of the vanquished hero. It was soon discovered that the
-den and the dungeon were not the only places in which
-this link of connexion might be advantageously preserved,
-and the strength and ferocity of the forest beast
-were found to be available as useful auxiliaries even in
-the battle-field. The only difficulty to be surmounted
-in the application of this new species of brute force to
-the rude conflicts of the times consisted in giving to it
-the wished-for direction; and for this purpose it was
-necessary that the animals to be so employed should be
-confined in what may be considered as a kind of Menagerie,
-there to be rendered subservient to the control,
-and obedient to the commands, of their masters.</p>
-
-<p>In the theology too of these dark ages many animals
-occupied a distinguished place, and were not only venerated
-in their own proper persons, on account of their
-size, their power, their uncouth figure, their resemblance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span>
-to man, or their supposed qualities and influence, but
-were also looked upon as sacred to one or other of the
-interminable catalogue of divinities, to whose service
-they were devoted, and on whose altars they were sacrificed.
-For these also Menageries must have been constructed,
-in which not only their physical peculiarities
-but even their moral qualities must have been to a
-certain extent studied; although the passions and prejudices
-of the multitude would naturally corrupt the
-sources of information thus opened to them, by the
-intermixture of exaggerated perversions of ill observed
-facts and by the addition of altogether imaginary fables.</p>
-
-<p>If to these two kinds of Menageries we add that which
-has every where and under all circumstances accompanied
-the first dawn of civilization, and which constitutes
-the distinguishing characteristic of man emerging
-from a state of barbarism and entering upon a new and
-social state of existence, the possession of flocks and
-herds, of animals useful in his domestic economy, serviceable
-in the chase, and capable of sharing in his
-daily toils, a tolerable idea may be formed of the collections
-which were brought together in the earliest ages,
-and were more or less the subjects of study to a race of
-men who were careless of every thing that had no immediate
-bearing upon their feelings, their passions, or their
-interests.</p>
-
-<p>But as civilization advanced, and the progress of
-society favoured the developement of mind, when those
-who were no longer compelled by necessity to labour
-for their daily bread found leisure to look abroad with
-expanded views upon the wonders of the creation, the
-animal kingdom presented new attractions and awakened
-ideas which had before lain dormant. What was at first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span>
-a mere sentiment of curiosity became speedily a love of
-science; known objects were examined with more minute
-attention; and whatever was rare or novel was no longer
-regarded with a stupid stare of astonishment and an
-exaggerated expression of wonder, but became the object
-of careful investigation and philosophic meditation. Such
-was the state of things in civilized Greece when the
-Macedonian conqueror carried his victorious arms to the
-banks of the Indus, and penetrated into countries, not
-altogether unknown to Europeans, but the natural productions
-of which were almost entirely new to the philosophers
-of the West. With the true spirit of a man of
-genius, whose sagacity nothing could escape, and whose
-views of policy were as profound as the success of his
-arms was splendid, Alexander omitted no opportunity
-of proving his devotion to the cause of science; and the
-extensive collections of rare and unknown animals which
-he transmitted to his old tutor and friend, in other
-words the Menagerie which he formed, laid the foundation
-of the greatest, the most extensive, and the most
-original work on zoology that has ever been given to the
-world. The first of moral philosophers did not disdain
-to become the historian of the brute creation, and Aristotle’s
-History of Animals remains a splendid and
-imperishable record of his qualifications for the task.</p>
-
-<p>Very different were the feelings by which the Roman
-generals and people were swayed even in their most
-civilized times and at the height of their unequalled
-power. Through all the gloss which history has thrown
-over the character of these masters of the universe there
-appears a spirit of unreclaimed barbarity which was
-never entirely shaken off. From the scenes of their
-distant conquests their prætors sent to the metropolis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span>
-of the world bears and lions and leopards and tigers;
-but a love of science had no share in the motives for the
-gratification of which they were transmitted, and the chief
-curiosity manifested on such occasions by the people of
-Rome was to ascertain how speedily hundreds or thousands,
-as the case might happen, of these ferocious
-beasts would destroy each other when turned out half-famished
-into the public amphitheatre, or how long a
-band of African slaves, of condemned criminals, or of
-hired gladiators, would be able to maintain the unequal
-contest against them. The consul or emperor who
-exhibited at one time the greatest number of animals to
-be thus tortured before the eyes of equally brutal spectators
-was held in the highest esteem among a people
-who regarded themselves as civilized, and whose chief
-delight was in witnessing these wanton effusions of
-blood. It was only under the later Cæsars that a few
-private individuals brought together in their <i>vivaria</i> a
-considerable number of rare and curious animals; and
-the Natural History of Pliny derives most of its zoological
-value from the opportunities which he had of
-consulting these collections. But the monstrous fables
-and the innumerable errors, which the most superficial
-examination would have taught him to correct, with
-which every page of this vast compilation absolutely
-teems, speak volumes with regard to the wretched state
-of natural science in the most splendid days of Roman
-greatness.</p>
-
-<p>From the unsuspecting credulity with which this textbook
-of the naturalists of the middle ages continued to
-be received, it is evident that the science remained
-stationary, if it did not actually retrograde, during the
-lapse of fourteen or fifteen centuries. The want of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span>
-opportunities of investigation may be regarded as the
-principal cause of this lamentable deficiency. Some of
-the rarer animals, it is true, were occasionally to be
-seen in Europe; but Menageries constructed upon a
-broad and comprehensive plan were as yet unknown.
-The first establishment of modern days, in which such
-a plan can fairly be said to have been realised, was the
-Menagerie founded at Versailles by Louis the Fourteenth.
-It is to this institution that we owe the Natural
-History of Buffon and his coadjutor Daubenton; the
-one as eloquent as Pliny, with little of his credulity, but
-with a greater share of imagination; and the other a
-worthy follower of Aristotle in his habits of minute
-research and patient investigation, but making no pretensions
-to the powerful and comprehensive mind and
-the admirable facility of generalising his ideas which so
-preeminently distinguished that great philosopher.</p>
-
-<p>Of the characters of most of the institutions which we
-have noticed the Tower Menagerie has at various times
-partaken in a greater or less degree. Originally intended
-merely for the safe-keeping of those ferocious beasts,
-which were until within the last century considered as
-appertaining exclusively to the royal prerogative, it has
-occasionally been converted into a theatre for their contests,
-and has terminated by adapting itself to the present
-condition of society as a source of rational amusement
-and a school of zoological science.</p>
-
-<p>The first notice of a Royal Menagerie in England
-places this establishment at Woodstock, where King
-Henry the First had a collection of lions, leopards, and
-other strange beasts. Three leopards were presented to
-Henry the Third by the Emperor Frederic the Second,
-himself a zoologist of no mean rank. From Woodstock<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</a></span>
-they were transferred to the Tower; and numerous orders
-issued in this and the succeeding reigns to the sheriffs of
-London and of the counties of Bedford and Buckingham
-to provide for the maintenance of the animals and their
-keepers are extant among the Records. Thus in the year
-1252 the sheriffs of London were commanded to pay four
-pence a day for the maintenance of a white bear; and in
-the following year to provide a muzzle and chain to hold
-the said bear while fishing, or washing himself, in the
-river Thames. In 1255 they were directed to build a
-house in the Tower for an elephant which had been
-presented to the king by Louis king of France; and
-a second writ occurs in which they were ordered to
-provide necessaries for him and his keepers.</p>
-
-<p>From various orders during the reigns of Edward the
-First, Second, and Third, we learn that the allowance
-for each lion or leopard was six pence a day, and the
-wages of their keeper three halfpence. At later periods
-the office of keeper of the lions was held by some person
-of quality about the king, with a fee of six pence a day
-for himself, and the same for every lion or leopard
-under his charge. On these terms it was granted by
-King Henry the Sixth, first to Robert Mansfield, Esq.
-marshal of his hall, and afterwards to Thomas Rookes,
-his dapifer. It was not unfrequently held by the lieutenant
-or constable of the Tower himself, on the condition
-of his providing a sufficient deputy. There was also
-another office in the royal household somewhat resembling
-this in name, that of master, guider, and ruler of
-the king’s bears and apes; but the latter animals appear
-to have been kept solely for the royal “game and pleasure.”</p>
-
-<p>During all this period, and even almost down to our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[xv]</a></span>
-own times, the common phrase of “seeing the lions” in
-the Tower appears to have been almost literally correct,
-for we seldom hear of any other animals confined there
-than lions or leopards. Howel tells us in his Londinopolis,
-published in 1657, that there were then six lions
-in the Tower, and makes no allusion to any other animals
-as being at that time contained in it. In 1708
-some improvement had taken place; for there were
-then, according to Strype, no fewer than eleven lions,
-two leopards or tigers (the worthy historian, it seems,
-knew not which), three eagles, two owls, two cats of the
-mountain, and a jackal. Maitland gives a much longer
-catalogue as existing there in 1754; and this is still
-further extended in a little pamphlet entitled “An Historical
-Description of the Tower of London and its
-Curiosities,” published in 1774. After this time, however,
-the collection had been so greatly diminished both
-in value and extent, that in the year 1822, when Mr. Alfred
-Cops, the present keeper, succeeded to the office,
-the whole stock of the Menagerie consisted of the grizzly
-bear, an elephant, and one or two birds. How rapidly
-and how extensively the collection has increased under
-his superintendence will best be seen by a reference to
-the numerous and interesting animals whose natural
-history forms the subject of the present work. By his
-spirited and judicious exertions the empty dens have
-been filled, and new ones have been constructed; and
-the whole of them being now kept constantly tenanted,
-the Menagerie affords a really interesting and attractive
-spectacle to the numerous visiters who are drawn thither
-either from motives of curiosity or by a love of science.</p>
-
-<p>Such is a brief outline of the history up to the present
-period of the establishment known as the Tower Menagerie.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span>
-Of the animals contained in it during the summer
-of 1828, and of two others which had then recently died,
-the succeeding pages offer delineations, descriptions, and
-anecdotes. Among so numerous a collection of inhabitants,
-of such dissimilar habits, and brought together
-into one spot from such distant and various climes, some
-changes have almost necessarily taken place even while
-our work has been passing through the press; yet so
-excellent is the management of Mr. Cops, especially as
-regards cleanliness, that essential security of animal
-health, that not a single death has occurred from disease,
-and one only from an accidental cause: the secretary
-bird, having incautiously introduced its long neck
-into the den of the hyæna, was deprived of it and of its
-head at one bite. Other removals are owing to the spirit
-of commerce. The Cape lion, the chetahs, the Thibet
-bear, and the deep-blue macaw, have passed into foreign
-hands, and are now on the continent of Europe. Two
-of the wolves and one of the Javanese civets have been
-transferred to the Zoological Society; and the white
-antelope has also exchanged its habitation in the Tower
-for the delightful Garden created by that Society in the
-Regent’s Park.</p>
-
-<p>With the exceptions which have just been enumerated
-the whole of the animals which are here figured and
-described are actually living in the Tower Menagerie.
-Their continuance there affords a test of the fidelity of
-our work which could not be applied to any production
-on zoology that has yet appeared in this country, nor,
-to an equal extent, in any other. As a visit to the
-Menagerie will enable the reader at once to compare
-our representations and descriptions with their living
-prototypes, the imperative necessity of scrupulous accuracy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">[xvii]</a></span>
-has been deeply impressed throughout the whole
-undertaking on the minds of those who have been
-engaged in its completion. In this, it is trusted, they
-have fully succeeded. To explain the share which each
-has taken in the work, and to record a debt of gratitude
-to those kind friends who have assisted in it, is the
-pleasing duty which it now remains to fulfil.</p>
-
-<p>The whole of the drawings are from the pencil of
-<span class="smcap">Mr. William Harvey</span>, who, in seizing faithful and
-characteristic portraits of animals in restless and almost
-incessant motion, has succeeded in overcoming difficulties
-which can only be appreciated by those who have
-attempted similar delineations. In the portraits he has
-strictly confined himself to the chastity of truth; but in
-the vignettes, which have always some reference to the
-subject of the article which they conclude, he has occasionally
-held himself at liberty to give full scope to his
-imagination.</p>
-
-<p>The engravings have been executed throughout by
-<span class="smcap">Messrs. Branston</span> and <span class="smcap">Wright</span>. Determined on
-securing the accuracy of the representations, they have
-in every instance compared the proofs with the animals,
-and have made corrections where necessary until the
-resemblance has been rendered perfect. In one case
-alone has a deviation from the original been indulged
-in: the tail of the ocelot has been figured of the length
-usual in the species, instead of the truncated state in
-which it exists in the specimen; the markings of the
-animal are, however, as noticed in its article, accurately
-represented.</p>
-
-<p>The literary department has been superintended by
-<span class="smcap">E. T. Bennett</span>, Esq. F.L.S., an active member of the
-Zoological Society, who has arranged for the press the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xviii" id="Page_xviii">[xviii]</a></span>
-whole of the materials collected from various and authentic
-sources. To <span class="smcap">John Bayley</span>, Esq. F.R. and A.S.
-M.R.I.A. &amp;c. he is indebted for several suggestions in
-addition to the information contained in that gentleman’s
-valuable work, “The History and Antiquities of the
-Tower of London.” To <span class="smcap">Mr. Alfred Cops</span>, the present
-<span class="smcap">Keeper of the Lions</span>, whose meritorious exertions for
-the increase and improvement of the Menagerie have
-been already adverted to, he has also to tender his
-thanks and those of his coadjutors for the facilities constantly
-afforded to them in the most ready and obliging
-manner, and for much valuable information relative to
-the history and habits of the animals.</p>
-
-<p>But especially are his best thanks due for numerous
-suggestions and much valuable assistance to his friend
-<span class="smcap">N. A. Vigors</span>, Esq. A.M. F.R. and L.S., the zealous
-and talented <span class="smcap">Secretary</span> of the <span class="smcap">Zoological Society</span>.
-To that distinguished zoologist, whose extensive and
-intimate acquaintance with the animal kingdom at large,
-and particularly with its feathered tribes, is universally
-acknowledged, and to other leading Members of the
-Society to which he devotes his talents and his time,
-a work like the present appeared not ill adapted to
-advance the good cause in which they are engaged, the
-diffusion of knowledge. Under their auspices it was
-commenced, by their countenance it has been fostered,
-and it is with the sanction of their approval that it is
-now submitted to the public eye.</p>
-
-<p class="right"><span class="smcap">London</span>, Nov. 1828.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p001.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lion" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BENGAL_LION">THE BENGAL LION.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Leo.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span>&mdash;Var. <span class="smcap">Bengalensis</span>.</p>
-
-<p>First in majesty as in might, the monarch of the brute
-creation asserts an undisputed claim to occupy the
-foremost place in our delineation of the inhabitants of
-this Royal Menagerie. Who is there to whom his stately
-mien, his unequalled strength, his tremendous powers
-of destruction, combined with the ideas generally entertained
-of his dauntless courage, his grateful affection,
-and his merciful forbearance, are not familiar “as household
-words?” When we speak of a Lion, we call up to
-our imaginations the splendid picture of might unmingled
-with ferocity, of courage undebased by guile, of
-dignity tempered with grace and ennobled by generosity;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>
-in a word, of all that combination of brilliant qualities,
-the imputation of which, by writers of all ages, has
-placed him by universal consent above other beasts, and
-invested him with regal attributes.</p>
-
-<p>Such, indeed, is the outline which we have been taught
-to frame to ourselves of this noble animal; and beautifully
-has this imaginary sketch, for such in a great measure it
-will be found on closer examination, been filled up by
-the magic pencil of Buffon, who, in this, as in too many
-other instances, suffered himself to be borne along by the
-strong tide of popular opinion. Yielding to the current,
-instead of boldly stemming it, he has added the weighty
-sanction of his authority to those erroneous notions which
-were already consecrated by their antiquity, and has
-produced a history of the Lion, which, however true in
-its main facts, and however eloquent in its details, is, to
-say the least, highly exaggerated and delusive in its
-colouring. The Lion of Buffon is, in fact, the Lion of
-popular prejudice; it is not the Lion, such as he appears
-to the calm observer, nor such as he is delineated
-in the authentic accounts of those naturalists and travellers
-who have had the best means of observing his habits,
-and recording the facts of which they have been themselves
-eye witnesses.</p>
-
-<p>The Lion, like all the other cats (the genus to which,
-in a natural arrangement, he obviously belongs) is armed
-in each jaw with six strong and exceedingly sharp cutting-teeth,
-with two formidable canine, and with six
-others, three on each side, occupying the places of the
-molar or grinding-teeth, but terminating in sharp protuberances
-to assist in the laceration of the animal food,
-which is the proper nutriment of his tribe. Besides<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>
-these, he has, on each side of the upper jaw, a small
-tooth, or rather tubercle, placed immediately behind the
-rest. His tongue is covered with innumerable rough
-and elevated papillæ, the points of which are directed
-backwards: these also assist in comminuting his food,
-and not unfrequently leave their traces on the hand
-which has been offered him to lick. His claws, five in
-number on the fore feet, and four on the hind, are of
-great length, extremely hard, and much curved; they
-are retractile within a sheath enclosed in the skin which
-covers the extremity of his paws; and as they are only
-exposed when he has occasion to make use of them, they
-thus preserve the sharpness of their edge and the acuteness
-of their point unimpaired. In all these particulars
-the Lion essentially agrees with the rest of the cats; and
-it is these which constitute what naturalists have termed
-their generic character; in other words, they are the
-points of agreement which are common to the whole
-group or genus, and form the most prominent and striking
-characteristics, by which they may be at once connected
-together and separated from all other animals.</p>
-
-<p>The Lion is distinguished from other cats by the
-uniformity of his colour, which is pale tawny above,
-becoming somewhat lighter beneath, and never, except
-in his young state, exhibiting the least appearance of
-spots or stripes: by the long and flowing mane of the
-adult male, which, originating nearly as far forward as
-the root of his nose, extends backwards over his shoulders,
-and descends in graceful undulations on each side
-of his neck and face; and by the tuft of long and blackish
-hairs which terminates his powerful tail. These constitute
-what is termed his specific character, or that which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>
-is peculiar to the species or race; connecting the individuals
-together by marks common to them all, and at
-the same time separating them from the other animals of
-the same group or genus.</p>
-
-<p>In his moral and intellectual faculties, as well as in
-his external and physical characters, the Lion exhibits a
-close agreement with the strikingly distinct and well
-marked group to which he belongs, and of which he is
-unquestionably the first in rank and importance: and
-perhaps the most effectual means of guarding against
-the general prejudice, which has delighted in exalting
-him at the expense of his fellow beasts, will be found
-in the recollection that, both physically and morally,
-he is neither more nor less than a cat, of immense size
-and corresponding power it is true, but not on that
-account the less endowed with all the guileful and vindictive
-passions of that faithless tribe. His courage is
-proverbial: this, however, is not derived from any peculiar
-nobility of soul, but arises from the blind confidence
-inspired by a consciousness of his own superior powers,
-with which he is well aware that none of the inferior
-animals can successfully compete. Placed in the midst
-of arid deserts, where the fleet but timid antelope, and
-the cunning but powerless monkey fall his easy and
-unresisting prey; or roaming through the dense forests
-and scarcely penetrable jungles, where the elephant and
-the buffalo find in their unwieldy bulk and massive
-strength no adequate protection against the impetuous
-agility and fierce determination of his attacks, he sways
-an almost undisputed sceptre, and stalks boldly forth
-in fearless majesty. But change the scene, and view
-him in the neighbourhood of populous towns, or even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>
-near the habitations of uncultivated savages, and it will
-then be seen that he recognises his master, and crouches
-to the power of a superior being. Here he no longer
-shows himself openly in the proud consciousness of his
-native dignity, but skulks in the deepest recesses of the
-forest, cautiously watches his opportunities, and lies in
-treacherous ambush for the approach of his unwary prey.
-It is this innate feeling of his incapacity openly to resist
-the power of man, that renders him so docile in captivity,
-and gives him that air of mild tranquillity, which, together
-with the dignified majesty of his deportment, has
-unquestionably contributed not a little towards the general
-impression of his amiable qualities.</p>
-
-<p>His forbearance and generosity, if the facts be carefully
-investigated, will be found to resolve themselves into no
-more than this: that in his wild state he destroys only
-to satiate his hunger or revenge, and never, like the
-“gaunt wolves,” and “sullen tigers,” of whom the poet
-has composed his train, in the wantonness of his power
-and the malignity of his disposition; and that, when
-tamed, his hunger being satisfied and his feelings being
-free from irritation, he suffers smaller animals to remain
-in his den uninjured, is familiar with, and sometimes
-fond of, the keeper by whom he is attended and fed, and
-will even, when under complete control, submit to the
-caresses of strangers.</p>
-
-<p>But even this limited degree of amiability, which, in
-an animal of less formidable powers, would be considered
-as indicating no peculiar mildness of temper, is modified
-by the calls of hunger, by the feelings of revenge, which
-he frequently cherishes for a considerable length of time,
-and by various other circumstances which render it dangerous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
-to approach him unguardedly, even in his tamest
-and most domesticated state, without previously ascertaining
-his immediate state of mind. On such occasions
-no keeper possessed of common prudence would be rash
-enough to venture upon confronting him: he knows too
-well that it is no boy’s play to</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
-<div class="verse indent6">… seek the Lion in his den,</div>
-<div class="verse">And fright him there, and make him tremble there;</div>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p class="noindent">for in this state of irritation, from whatever cause it may
-have arisen, he gives free scope to his natural ferocity,
-unrestrained by that control to which at other times he
-submits with meek and unresisting patience.</p>
-
-<p>Happily for mankind the range of this tremendous
-animal is limited to the warmer climates of the earth;
-and even in these the extent of that range is constantly
-becoming more and more confined by the spread of
-human civilization, which, at the same time that it drives
-him to take refuge at a distance from the haunts of men,
-contributes greatly to thin his numbers and to diminish
-his power of annoyance. His true country is Africa, in
-the vast and untrodden wilds of which, from the immense
-deserts of the north to the trackless forests of the south,
-he reigns supreme and uncontrolled. In the sandy
-deserts of Arabia, in some of the wilder districts of
-Persia, and in the vast jungles of Hindostan, he still
-maintains a precarious footing: but from the classic soil
-of Greece, as well as from the whole of Asia Minor, both
-of which were once exposed to his ravages, he has been
-utterly dislodged and extirpated.</p>
-
-<p>There is some variation in the different races of Lions
-from these distant localities; but this is by no means of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
-sufficient importance to establish a distinction between
-them. The Asiatic Lion, of which we are now treating,
-seldom attains a size equal to that of the full-grown
-Southern African; its colour is a more uniform and
-paler yellow throughout; and its mane is, in general,
-fuller and more complete, being furnished moreover with
-a peculiar appendage in the long hairs, which, commencing
-beneath the neck, occupy the whole of the
-middle line of the body below. All these distinctions
-are, however, modified by age, and vary in different
-individuals. Their habits are in essential particulars the
-same: we shall therefore defer what we have farther to
-say on this head until we come to speak of the Cape
-Lion, and proceed to the history of the Asiatic individual
-now exhibiting in this Menagerie, a striking likeness of
-which is given in the engraving at the head of the present
-article.</p>
-
-<p>This fine animal, although called by the keepers “the
-Old Lion,” is, in reality, little more than five years old;
-and that designation was adopted only for the purpose
-of distinguishing him from the Cape Lion, a comparatively
-modern resident of the Menagerie. His proper
-name, or rather that by which he has been known ever
-since his arrival at the Tower, is George. The following
-anecdotes relative to the mode of his capture, and to his
-habits and demeanour in his captivity, are given on the
-authority of Mr. Cops, who derived his information on
-the first point from General Watson himself, and speaks
-to the rest from his personal observation.</p>
-
-<p>It was in the commencement of the year 1823, when
-the General was on service in Bengal, that being out one
-morning on horseback, armed with a double-barrelled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
-rifle, he was suddenly surprised by a large male Lion,
-which bounded out upon him from the thick jungle at
-the distance of only a few yards. He instantly fired,
-and, the shot taking complete effect, the animal fell dead
-almost at his feet. No sooner was this formidable foe
-thus disposed of than a second, equally terrible, made
-her appearance in the person of the Lioness, whom the
-General also shot at and wounded so dangerously that
-she retreated into the thicket. As her following so immediately
-in the footsteps of her mate afforded strong
-grounds for suspecting that their den could not be far
-distant, he determined upon pursuing the adventure to
-the end, and traced her to her retreat, where he completed
-the work of her destruction, by again discharging
-the contents of one of the barrels of his rifle, which he
-had reloaded for the purpose. In the den were found a
-beautiful pair of cubs, male and female, supposed to be
-then not more than three days old. These the General
-brought away with him, and succeeded by the assistance
-of a goat, who was prevailed upon to act in the capacity
-of foster-mother to the royal pair, in rearing them until
-they attained sufficient age and strength to enable them
-to bear the voyage to England. On their arrival in this
-country, in September, 1823, he presented them to his
-Majesty, who commanded them to be placed in the
-Tower. The male of this pair is the subject of the present,
-the female that of the succeeding article.</p>
-
-<p>The extreme youth of these Lions at the time of their
-capture, and the constant control to which they had been
-accustomed from that early period of their existence,
-rendered them peculiarly tame and docile, insomuch
-that, for twelve months after their arrival, they were frequently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>
-suffered to walk in the open yard among the
-visitors, who caressed them and played with them with
-impunity. The Duke of Sussex, in particular, was highly
-delighted with the unusual spectacle of a Lion and a
-Lioness bounding about him at perfect liberty, and with
-all their natural grace and agility. It must, however, be
-observed that they were not then fully grown, and that
-it was afterwards thought necessary to place them under
-greater restraint; but more with the view of guarding
-against possible mischief, than in consequence of any
-positive symptoms of rebellion. Of the change which
-has taken place in the character of the female, we shall
-have occasion to speak hereafter: the male still continues
-perfectly docile, and suffers himself to be treated with
-the greatest familiarity by his keepers and those to whom
-he is accustomed.</p>
-
-<p>Like all the other carnivorous animals in the Menagerie,
-he is fed but once in the twenty-four hours; and his
-meal usually consists of a piece of beef, of eight or nine
-pounds weight, exclusive of bone. This he seizes with
-avidity, tears it to pieces instantly with his claws, and
-ravenously devours it; contrary to the usual custom of
-his fellow lions in a state of nature, who are said generally
-to remain for a considerable time after they have
-struck the fatal blow, before proceeding to glut their
-appetite with the flesh and blood of their victim. This
-awful pause of suspense may, however, under such
-circumstances, be attributable to an instinctive desire
-completely to finish their work, or at least to preclude
-the possibility of resistance, prior to removing from the
-body of their prostrate prey the weapon with which his
-destruction has been inflicted.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>It has been generally remarked, that lions in captivity
-have certain constant and stated times for roaring: this
-observation is not, however, strictly true with regard to
-those now in the Tower. It may nevertheless be observed
-that in the summer time, especially when the atmospheric
-temperature is considerable, they uniformly commence
-roaring about dawn, one of them taking the lead, and
-the others joining in the concert in succession; and
-Mr. Cops has frequently had occasion to remark that
-whenever any one of them fails in accompanying the
-rest in their by no means harmonious performance, the
-cessation from the customary roar is an infallible symptom
-of actual or approaching illness. At no other time
-is there that regularity in their roaring which has been
-so frequently stated; although the chorus which has just
-been described is sometimes repeated after feeding, and
-also when they have been left alone for any length of
-time; hence it occurs particularly on Sundays, a day on
-which they have no company except from the occasional
-visits of the keepers.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p010.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="(Indian?) hunters with guns stalking some kind of goat/antelope" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p011.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lioness and cubs" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_LIONESS_AND_HER_CUBS">THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS.</h2>
-
-<p>Strikingly distinguished at the first glance from her
-royal mate by the absence of the flowing honours of the
-mane, which invest him with an air of superior dignity
-and gravity, the Lioness is also remarkable for her
-smaller size, her more slender and delicate make, and
-the superior grace and agility of her movements. Her
-inferiority in muscular strength to the Lion, and to him
-alone, is, however, fully compensated by the greater
-liveliness of her disposition, the unrestrained ardour of
-her passions, and the vigorous impetuosity of her motions,
-which all contribute to render her an equally
-formidable opponent with her more powerful, but less
-irritable, lord. They differ also in another obvious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>
-characteristic, the habitual position and direction of their
-heads, that of the Lion being almost uniformly elevated
-and thrown upwards with an air of mingled frankness
-and hauteur, agreeing well with the popular notions of
-his tranquil dignity of temper and deportment; while
-the Lioness as constantly carries her head on a level
-with the line of her back, thus giving to her otherwise
-expressive countenance a sullen and downcast look, and
-evincing a nearer approach to the inferior races of the
-feline tribe. This singular distinction appears to be in
-a great measure dependent on the absence of the mane;
-for it is observed that the young male cubs, until the
-period at which this badge of dignity begins to make its
-appearance, that is to say until they are about twelve
-months old, carry their heads in the same level position
-with the female.</p>
-
-<p>It cannot be doubted that the lighter and slenderer
-shape of the Lioness, and her consequently greater activity,
-tend in an especial manner to the formation of that
-more lively and sensitive character by which all her
-actions are so strongly marked: but there is another
-cause, no less powerful than these, which operates with
-peculiar force, in the vivid excitability of her maternal
-feelings, which she cherishes with an ardour almost
-unparalleled in the history of any other animal. From
-the moment that she becomes a mother, the native
-ferocity of her disposition is renovated as it were with
-tenfold vigour; she watches over her young with that
-undefined dread of danger to their weak and defenceless
-state, and that suspicious eagerness of alarm, which keep
-her in a constant state of feverish excitation: and woe
-be to the wretched intruder, whether man or beast, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
-should unwarily at such a time approach the precincts
-of her sanctuary. Even in a state of captivity, and
-however completely she may have been previously subjected
-to the control of her keeper, she loses all respect
-for his commands, and abandons herself occasionally to
-the most violent paroxysms of rage.</p>
-
-<p>Of this the individual Lioness now in the Tower
-affords a striking example. We have already observed
-in our account of the Lion that, for a considerable time
-after her arrival in England, she was so tame as to be
-allowed frequently to roam at large about the open yard;
-and even long after it had been judged expedient that
-this degree of liberty should no longer be granted, her
-disposition was far from exciting any particular fear in
-the minds of her keepers. As an instance of this, we
-may mention that when, on one occasion about a year
-and a half ago, she had been suffered through inadvertence
-to leave her den, and when she was by no
-means in good temper, George Willoughway, the under
-keeper, had the boldness, alone and armed only with
-a stick, to venture upon the task of driving her back
-into her place of confinement; which he finally accomplished,
-not however without strong symptoms of
-resistance on her part, as she actually made three springs
-upon him, all of which he was fortunate enough to
-avoid.</p>
-
-<p>But from the period when she gave birth to her Cubs
-a total alteration has taken place in her temper and
-demeanour. She no longer suffers the least familiarity
-even on the part of her keepers, but gives full scope to
-the violence of her passions. Intent solely on providing
-for the security of her young, she imagines that the
-object of every person who approaches her den is to rob<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
-her of her treasures, over which she watches with almost
-sleepless anxiety, exhibiting the truly beautiful but
-appalling picture of maternal tenderness combined with
-savage ferocity, each in their utmost intensity of force
-and colouring.</p>
-
-<p>The Cubs, which are three in number, two male and
-one female, were whelped on the 20th of October, 1827,
-the day of the battle of Navarino; and it is remarked by
-Mr. Cops, as a curious coincidence, that they are the
-only Lions which have been whelped in the Tower since
-the year 1794, rendered memorable by the great naval
-victory gained by Lord Howe over the French fleet.
-They are universally considered to be the finest ever
-bred in England, and are now in a most thriving condition.
-They have not, however, yet reached the period
-when the shedding of the milk-teeth takes place, a process
-which is perhaps more perilous to the brute creation
-than that of dentition to the offspring of the human race,
-and appears indeed to be attended with greater risks in
-proportion to the carnivorous propensities of the respective
-species. To the Lion it has always proved, at least
-in his state of captivity, a period of the greatest danger,
-very few individuals of the numerous whelps which have
-been produced either here or on the continent surviving
-its effects. Still there is good reason to hope, from the
-peculiarly healthy appearance of the present litter, that,
-by means of skilful management, the danger may be
-averted, and that a pair at least of these noble animals,
-“born and bred in England,” may in a few years rival
-their parents in size, in beauty, and in majesty.</p>
-
-<p>The mother and her whelps are admirably represented
-in the spirited group of portraits which heads the present
-article. The latter have all the playfulness of kittens,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
-and are fondled by their dam in a similar manner to
-that in which the domestic cat caresses her young.
-While they were small enough she carried them from
-place to place in her mouth, and showed the greatest
-solicitude to keep them from the view of strangers; and
-even now that they are grown too large for this mode of
-treatment, she continues to pay the strictest attention to
-the cleanliness of their persons, and licks their fur, as
-they tumble about her, with all the matronly dignity
-and gravity of an accomplished nurse.</p>
-
-<p>The Cubs have hitherto exhibited very faint traces of
-the striped livery which is generally characteristic of the
-Lion’s whelp; but it is highly probable that when they
-lose their winter coat, this marking may become more
-obvious, although, on account of their advancing age, it
-will never show itself with that distinctness which has
-been observed in other instances. It consists of a blackish
-band, extending along the centre of the back, from the
-head almost to the extremity of the tail, and branching
-off into numerous other bands of the same colour, which
-are parallel to each other, and pass across the upper
-parts of the sides and tail. The very young lion consequently
-bears no small resemblance to the tiger; a
-circumstance which it is interesting to remark as one
-which furnishes additional evidence of the close affinity
-of these formidable animals. The colouring of its bands
-is, however, much less intense; and in addition to these
-it possesses on the head and on the limbs numerous
-irregular spots of a darker hue than the rest of the fur,
-which are never found in the neighbouring species. On
-the limbs of the present Cubs these spots and blotches
-are distinctly visible amidst the rough and half shaggy
-coat which covers them, and which is not exchanged for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
-the smooth and sleek fur, with which they are subsequently
-invested, until they approach their full growth.
-As they advance towards the adult age, which takes
-place in the fifth or sixth year, the livery gradually
-disappears, and is then usually entirely lost. The
-Lioness herself, however, still retains some trifling
-vestiges of it. The Cubs are, as usual, destitute of the
-longer hairs which form the tuft at the extremity of the
-tail of the adult, which in them tapers to a black tip.
-Their voice is at present perfectly similar to the mewing
-of a cat; and it is not until they reach the age of eighteen
-months that it changes into that peculiar roar which
-afterwards becomes so tremendous. At that age the
-mane has already attained considerable developement.
-This appendage begins to make its appearance in the
-males when they are ten or twelve months old, having
-at first the shape of a slight frill or ruff, but gradually
-becoming more and more extensive, and at length assuming
-that striking form which gives to the full grown
-animal a graceful and dignified, and to the more aged a
-reverend and majestic, air.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p016.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Zookeeper fending off a lion with a broom" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p017.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lion" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CAPE_LION">THE CAPE LION.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Leo.</i></span>&mdash;Var. <span class="smcap">Capensis</span>.</p>
-
-<p>Africa, as we have already observed, is truly the native
-country of the Lion; and in no part of that vast continent,
-we may add, does he attain greater size, or exhibit
-all his characteristic features in fuller and more complete
-developement, than in the immediate vicinity of the settlements
-which have been formed in the interior of its
-southern extremity by the Dutch and English colonists
-of the Cape. In speaking of the Bengal Lion, we have
-also pointed out the more striking characteristics by
-which the Asiatic race is distinguished from that of
-Southern Africa; consisting principally in the larger
-size, the more regular and graceful form, the generally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
-darker colour, and the less extensive mane of the African.
-It remains, however, to be mentioned that, even in this
-latter race, there are two varieties, which have been long
-known to the settlers under the names of the Pale and
-the Black Lion, distinguished, as their appellations imply,
-by the lighter or darker colour of their coats, and more
-particularly of their manes. This variation, there can
-be little doubt, is entirely produced by the different
-character of the districts which they inhabit, and of the
-food which they are enabled to procure. The black
-Lion, as he is termed, is the larger and the more ferocious
-of the two, more frequently attacking man himself, if
-less noble prey should fail him; and sometimes measuring
-the enormous distance of eight feet from the tip
-of the nose to the origin of the tail, which is generally
-about half the length of the body. He is, however, of
-less frequent occurrence than the pale variety.</p>
-
-<p>It is in the night-time more particularly that the Lion
-prowls abroad in search of his prey, the conformation of
-his eyes not only, like those of the cat, allowing him to
-see with a very moderate degree of light, but even rendering
-the full glare of day distressing and intolerable
-to him. It is for this reason that travellers, who are
-compelled to sleep in the open air in countries infested
-by these animals, are careful to keep up a blazing fire,
-which the tenderness of their eyes deters them from
-approaching, unless when they are extremely hard
-pressed by the calls of hunger. These, it would appear,
-sometimes become paramount to every other consideration,
-and urge the Lion, as they do many more ignoble
-beasts, into the exhibition of a degree of courage, which,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>
-in despite of all that has been said on the subject, is by
-no means his natural characteristic.</p>
-
-<p>“At the time,” says Mr. Burchell, in his admirable
-Travels in Southern Africa, “when men first adopted
-the Lion as the emblem of courage, it would seem that
-they regarded great size and strength as indicating it;
-but they were greatly mistaken in the character they had
-given of this indolent skulking animal.” That an animal
-which seldom attacks by open force, but, stealing along
-with cautious and noiseless tread, silently approaches
-his victim, conceals himself in treacherous ambush, and
-at length, when he imagines his prey to be fairly within
-his reach, bounds forth upon him with an overwhelming
-leap, crushes him beneath the tremendous weight of his
-irresistible paw, tears him piece-meal with his talons,
-and, after having surfeited on his horrid meal, returns
-into the depths of his solitary concealment to sleep
-away the hours until his satiated appetite shall be again
-renewed, and his craving maw stimulate him to fresh
-exertion,&mdash;that such an animal should ever have been
-regarded as the type of courage and the emblem of
-magnanimity would indeed be most astonishing, were it
-not that men have in all ages been too prone to flatter
-superior power, and to offer at the shrine of greatness
-that homage which is due only to the good.</p>
-
-<p>True it is that on some occasions the Lion has been
-known, in the capriciousness of his disposition, to suffer
-his prostrate prey to escape but little injured from his
-clutch; but these instances are of rare occurrence, and
-may safely be referred either to his natural indolence,
-when excited neither by hunger nor by provocation, or
-to that intellectual debasement which among brutes is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
-the usual concomitant of increased bulk and formidable
-strength. But to conclude from such whims and freaks,
-unaccountable as they may sometimes appear, that he is
-actuated by feelings of mercy, or by the natural impulse
-of a generous mind, would be about as reasonable as it
-would be to assume from the instances which are recorded
-of the justice and generosity of a Tamerlane or a Tippoo,
-that those monsters of sanguinary cruelty were in reality
-the mildest and most merciful of despots.</p>
-
-<p>We have said that the Lion generally chooses the
-night for his excursions; and this is in fact the only
-time at which he ventures to approach the habitations of
-man, from which he will frequently carry off horses or
-oxen, apparently with the greatest ease, and almost without
-seeming to be incumbered by his burthen. Beyond
-the precincts of European civilization, and out of the
-reach of the dreaded rifle, he will sometimes penetrate
-into the very hut of the Bushman, and prey upon its
-human inhabitants. It is even stated, and on very
-respectable authority, that in some of the most distant
-kraals, or villages, those wretched people purposely
-expose the old and the infirm among them in such
-situations as they consider most open to attack, as the
-Lion’s share, in the expectation that he will instinctively
-seize upon those who are first thrown in his way. When,
-however, the Lion finds his appetite thus easily satiated,
-it is said that he is sure to return night after night to
-the kraal for a fresh victim; until the miserable remnant
-of its inhabitants at length find it absolutely necessary
-to quit the ground, and to seek a precarious safety in
-flight.</p>
-
-<p>In the daytime, when pressed by hunger, the Lion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>
-takes his secret stand among the reeds and long grass in
-the neighbourhood of springs and rivers, and watches
-with unwearied patience for such animals as may, for
-the purpose of quenching their thirst, pass sufficiently
-near him to ensure the success of his attack. This is
-generally made in one enormous bound of fifteen, twenty,
-or even, it is said, thirty feet, and with a force capable of
-bearing to the ground and completely disabling the most
-formidable opponent. At times, however, he will pursue
-his prey somewhat more openly, and by quickly repeated
-springs; but this is an exertion which he is unable to
-continue for any considerable length of time, and which,
-consequently, any animal of moderate fleetness, that has
-fairly got the start of him, is certain to outstrip. Of
-this the Lion appears to be fully aware; for, if not
-successful in the commencement of the chase, he generally
-relinquishes it at once, and retires gradually, and
-step by step, to his place of ambush, to watch for a
-better opportunity and a more certain prey.</p>
-
-<p>It is rarely that the Lion of the Cape district ventures
-to attack a man, unless provoked, or impelled by urgent
-hunger. The colonists, however, who are very great
-sufferers (especially in their horses, for whose flesh he
-seems to have a peculiar taste) by his frequent visits, are
-his most determined and deadly foes, and omit no
-opportunity of wreaking their vengeance upon him for
-the injuries which he has inflicted upon their property.
-The frontier boors in particular, who are more exposed
-to his ravages, and who, being well trained to hunting,
-are most of them excellent marksmen, appear to take a
-peculiar pleasure in attacking the Lion, even when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
-meet him almost singly. They, however, more frequently
-make up parties for the chase, which is unquestionably
-attended with no little danger, even when the huntsmen
-are numerous and experienced; for although the Lion
-on such occasions almost always takes to his heels, and
-endeavours to make his escape without confronting his
-pursuers; yet, when he finds that flight is in vain, he
-turns upon them with a fierceness and determination
-that nothing could withstand, were it not for the well
-proved superiority possessed by them in the formidable
-rifle, which, on such an emergency, they know how to
-direct with a steady and almost unerring aim.</p>
-
-<p>The Cape Lion is seldom taken alive; his utter destruction
-and extermination forming the primary object
-of his pursuers. Occasionally, however, when a Lioness
-has been shot, and the hunters have been fortunate
-enough to trace out her den, the cubs are brought away,
-and in some measure domesticated, at least for a season,
-and until they acquire sufficient force to become dangerous.
-Up to this period some of the colonists will even
-suffer them to remain almost at large in their dwellings;
-but they have frequently occasion to rue the mercy they
-have shown, and are at length compelled, by the unequivocal
-manifestations of that ferocity which never fails to
-make its appearance when the animals have attained a
-certain age, to destroy the creatures whom they have
-nourished and caressed.</p>
-
-<p>Two male individuals of this breed are now exhibiting
-at the Tower: the one whose portrait illustrates the
-present article, and who, although scarcely more than
-two years and a half old, already rivals his adult Asiatic<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
-neighbour in size and majesty, while he exceeds him in
-grace and agility; and a second, of about ten months
-old, apparently belonging to the pale variety, and who
-is just beginning to exhibit the first faint outline of the
-mane. The former of these is remarkably beautiful and
-docile: he became an inmate of the Tower in May, 1827;
-and was, during his voyage from the Cape, being then
-very young, so tame and domesticated as to be allowed
-to run about the deck like a dog.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p023.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Lion hunt: dogs attacking a lion" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BARBARY_LIONESS">THE BARBARY LIONESS.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Leo.</i></span>&mdash;Var. <span class="smcap">Numida.</span></p>
-
-<p>In the male of this variety, which has been more frequently
-brought to Europe than any other, the mane
-attains as much developement and covers the under
-parts of the body as extensively as in the Lion of Eastern
-Asia, whom, however, at the adult age, he exceeds considerably
-in size. The Lioness has little to distinguish
-her from the other breeds.</p>
-
-<p>The specimen now in the Menagerie is a young female
-about three years and a half old. She was a present to
-his Majesty from the Emperor of Morocco. During
-some tempestuous weather, which occurred on her passage,
-the male who accompanied her was killed, and she
-herself met with an accident, from the falling of a spar,
-by which she was curtailed of her fair proportions, and
-deprived of the greater part of her tail. The disfigurement
-thus caused is, however, trifling, and she is still a
-very fine animal.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p025.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Tiger" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_TIGER">THE TIGER.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Tigris.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>Closely allied to the Lion, whom he resembles in size,
-in power, in external form, in internal structure, in
-zoological characters, in his prowling habits, and in his
-sanguinary propensities, the Tiger is at once distinguished
-from that king of beasts, and from every other
-of their common genus, by the peculiar marking of his
-coat. On a ground which exhibits in different individuals
-various shades of yellow, he is elegantly striped
-by a series of transverse black bands or bars, which
-occupy the sides of his head, neck, and body, and are
-continued upon his tail in the form of rings, the last of
-the series uniformly occupying the extremity of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
-organ, and giving to it a black tip of greater or less
-extent. The under parts of his body and the inner sides
-of his legs are almost entirely white; he has no mane;
-and his whole frame, though less elevated than that of
-the Lion, is of a slenderer and more graceful make. His
-head is also shorter and more rounded.</p>
-
-<p>Almost in the same degree that the Lion has been
-exalted and magnified, at the expense of his fellow
-brutes, has the Tiger been degraded and depressed below
-his just and natural level. While the one has been held
-up to admiration, as the type and standard of heroic
-perfection, the other has, with equal capriciousness of
-judgment and disregard of the close and intimate relationship
-subsisting between them, been looked upon by
-mankind in general with those feelings of unmingled
-horror and detestation which his character for untameable
-ferocity and insatiable thirst of blood was so well
-calculated to inspire. It requires, however, but little
-consideration to teach us that the broad distinction,
-which has thus been drawn, cannot by possibility exist;
-and the recorded observations of naturalists and travellers,
-both at home and abroad, will be found amply
-sufficient to prove that the difference in their characters
-and habits, on which so much stress has been laid, is in
-reality as slight and unessential as that which exists in
-their corporeal structure.</p>
-
-<p>Unquestionably the Tiger has not the majesty of the
-Lion; for he is destitute of the mane, in which that
-majesty chiefly resides. Neither has he the same calm
-and dignified air of imperturbable gravity which is at
-once so striking and so prepossessing in the aspect of
-the Lion. But, on the other hand, it will readily be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
-granted, that in the superior lightness of his frame, which
-allows his natural agility its free and unrestricted scope,
-and in the graceful ease and spirited activity of his
-motions, to say nothing of the beauty, the regularity,
-and the vividness of his colouring, he far excels his
-competitor, whose giant bulk and comparative heaviness
-of person, added to the dull uniformity of his colour,
-detract in no small degree from the impression produced
-by his noble and majestic bearing.</p>
-
-<p>In comparing the moral qualities of these two formidable
-animals, we shall also find that the shades of
-difference, for at most they are but shades, which distinguish
-them, are, like their external characteristics, pretty
-equally balanced in favour of each. In all the leading
-features of their character, the habits of both are essentially
-the same. The Tiger, equally with the Lion, and
-in common indeed with the whole of the group to which
-he belongs, reposes indolently in the security of his den,
-until the calls of appetite stimulate him to look abroad
-for food. He then chooses a convenient ambush, in
-which to lie concealed from observation, generally amid
-the underwood of the forest, but sometimes even on the
-branches of a tree, which he climbs with all the agility
-of a cat. In this secret covert he awaits with patient
-watchfulness the approach of his prey, upon which he
-darts forth with an irresistible bound, and bears it off in
-triumph to his den. Unlike the Lion, however, if his
-first attack proves unsuccessful, and he misses his aim,
-he does not usually slink sullenly back into his retreat,
-but pursues his victim with a speed and activity which
-is seldom baffled even by the fleetest animals.</p>
-
-<p>It is only when this close and covert mode of attack<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>
-has failed in procuring him the necessary supply, that,
-urged by those inward cravings, which are the ruling
-impulse of all his actions, he prowls abroad under the
-veil of night, and ventures to approach the dwellings of
-man, of whom he does not appear to feel that instinctive
-awe which the Lion has been known so frequently to
-evince. But even on such occasions, and although impelled
-by the strong stimulus of famine, he is in general
-far from unmindful of his own security; but creeps
-slowly along his silent path with all the stealthy caution
-so characteristic of the feline tribe. Occasionally, however,
-when the pangs of hunger have become intolerable,
-and can no longer be controlled even by the overpowering
-sway of instinct, he will boldly advance upon man
-himself in the open face of day, and brave every danger
-in the pursuit of that object which, to the exclusion of
-every other sentiment, appears under such circumstances
-wholly to engross his faculties.</p>
-
-<p>It is evident then that in the general outline of his
-habits, and even in most of the separate traits by which
-his character is marked, he differs but little from the
-Lion. His courage, if brute force stimulated by sensual
-appetite can deserve that honourable name, is at least
-equal; and as for magnanimity and generosity, the idea
-of attributing such noble qualities to either is in itself so
-absurd, and is so fully refuted by every particular of
-their authentic history, that it would be perfectly ridiculous
-to attempt a comparison where no materials for
-comparison exist. It may, however, be observed that in
-one point the disposition of the Tiger appears to be
-more cruel than that of the Lion; inasmuch as it is
-related, that he is not at all times satisfied with a single<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
-victim, but deals forth wholesale destruction, without
-mercy and without distinction, upon whatever may
-chance to be within the reach of his murderous talons.
-This, however, is by no means his constant or usual
-practice; his instinct being in general sufficient to teach
-him that his purpose is as effectually answered by one
-fatal bound as by the most extensive devastation; for
-neither he, nor any of the more powerful of his tribe,
-return to their prey after the first meal, but leave its
-mangled relics for the ignoble beasts which follow in
-their train.</p>
-
-<p>To what cause then, if the similarity between these
-two animals be so great, and the points of distinction
-between them so trifling, can we attribute the very different
-impressions which we have all received, and in all
-probability continue to cherish, with regard to their
-respective characters? Perhaps something like a plausible
-answer to this question may be found in the fact,
-that our notions of the Lion have been formed on the
-striking and exaggerated pictures of his noble qualities,
-for which we are indebted to the poets of antiquity, who
-contemplated him only in his captive and almost domesticated
-state; while our early ideas of the Tiger were
-derived in a great measure from the equally exaggerated
-statements of miserable and pusillanimous Hindoos, the
-spiritless and unresisting victims of every species of
-oppression, who regarded him with almost unspeakable
-horror as the merciless tyrant of their forests,&mdash;a tyrant
-whose ferocious temper and sanguinary ravages were
-equalled only by those of the human despots, to whom,
-as well as to their brute oppressors, they paid the base<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
-tribute of servile minds, in the fearful dread and crouching
-awe with which they prostrated themselves at the
-feet of both.</p>
-
-<p>Nothing in fact can exceed the terror which this formidable
-animal inspires in those countries which are liable
-to his devastations. More restricted, however, in this
-respect than the Lion, he is entirely unknown in Africa,
-and is rarely, if ever, to be met with in Asia on this side
-the Indus. In the south of China, and in the larger
-Asiatic Islands, such as Sumatra and Java, he is unhappily
-but too common; but it is said, we know not with
-what degree of truth, that in the last mentioned locality
-he is less ferocious than in the Peninsula of Hindostan.
-This is truly the cradle of his existence and the seat of
-his empire, in which he disputes dominion even with the
-Lion himself, who is comparatively rare in the Indian
-jungles, and with whom the Tiger has been sometimes
-known to join in deadly and successful struggle for the
-mastery. Endowed with a degree of force, which the
-Lion and the Elephant alone can equal, he carries off a
-buffalo in his tremendous jaws, almost without relaxing
-from his usual speed. With a single stroke of his claws
-he rips open the body of the largest animals; and is
-said to suck their blood with insatiable avidity. Of the
-correctness of this latter statement, at least in its full
-extent, there is however strong reason to doubt. The
-Tiger does not, according to the most credible accounts,
-exhibit this propensity to drinking the blood of his
-victims in any greater degree than the rest of his carnivorous
-and blood-thirsty companions. In this, as in
-other instances, fear has drawn largely on credulity, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>
-the simple and sufficiently disgusting fact has been
-amplified and exaggerated with all the refinements upon
-horror which the terrified imagination could suggest.</p>
-
-<p>In making these observations it is far from our intention
-to become the apologists of this ferocious beast: our
-object is simply to place him in the rank which he
-deserves to hold, on a level with those animals with
-whom Nature has decreed that he should be associated
-no less in character than in form. In his wild and unrestricted
-state, he is unquestionably one of the most terrible
-of the living scourges, to whose fatal ravages the
-lower animals, and even man himself, are exposed. But
-in captivity, and especially if domesticated while young,
-his temper is equally pliant, his disposition equally docile,
-and his manners and character equally susceptible of
-amelioration, with those of any other animal of his class.
-All the stories that have been so frequently reiterated,
-until they have at length passed current without examination
-as accredited truths, of his intractable disposition
-and insensibility to the kind treatment of his keepers,
-towards whom it is alleged that he never exhibits the
-slightest feelings of gratitude, have been proved by
-repeated experience to be utterly false and groundless.
-He is tamed with as much facility, and as completely,
-as the Lion; and soon becomes familiarised with those
-who feed him, whom he learns to distinguish from others,
-and by whom he is fond of being noticed and caressed.
-Like the cat, which he resembles so closely in all his
-actions, he arches his broad and powerful back beneath
-the hand that caresses him; he licks his fur and smooths
-himself with his paws; and purrs in the same mild and
-expressive manner when he is particularly pleased. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>
-remains perfectly quiet and undisturbed, unless when
-hungry or irritated, and passes the greater part of his
-time in listless repose. His roar is nearly similar to
-that of the Lion, and, like his, is by no means to be
-regarded as a symptom of anger, which he announces
-by a short and shrill cry, approaching to a scream.</p>
-
-<p>Two of these noble animals, the one male and the
-other female, are among the most striking and attractive
-ornaments of the Menagerie. The beautiful male, of
-which our figure offers a characteristic likeness, is a very
-recent importation, having arrived in England in the
-month of April of the present year, in the East India
-Company’s ship Buckinghamshire, to the commander of
-which, Captain Glasspool, we are indebted for the following
-particulars relative to his birthplace, capture, early
-life, and education. He was taken prisoner in company
-with two other cubs, supposed to be not more than three
-weeks old, on that part of the coast of the peninsula of
-Malacca which is opposite to the island of Penang, and
-is commonly known by the name of the Queda Coast.
-In our present imperfect acquaintance with this part of
-the farther peninsula of Hindoostan, it affords perhaps
-but little ground for surprise that none of these terrible
-animals should have previously reached this quarter of
-the globe from a locality so seldom visited by European
-vessels. Their existence in its extensive jungles and
-marshy plains has long, however, been notorious; and
-to judge from the specimen now before us, which,
-although barely two years old, already exceeds in size
-the full-grown Asiatic Lion which occupies the neighbouring
-den, they must in that situation be at least as
-formidable as their fellows of the hither peninsula. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
-dam of this individual had, it appears, made a nocturnal
-incursion into one of the towns of the district, from
-which she had carried off a large quantity of provisions.
-She was pursued and killed, and her three cubs were
-taken possession of by the conquerors in token of their
-victory and brought home in triumph. One of them, a
-female, died shortly after; the second, a male, is still
-living in the possession of a resident at Penang; and the
-third, the subject of the present article, also fell into the
-hands of a gentleman of that settlement, in whose paddock
-he was confined, in company with a pony and a
-dog, for upwards of twelve months, without evincing the
-least inclination to injure his companions or any one
-who approached him. By this gentleman he was presented
-to Captain Glasspool, who brought him to England:
-on the voyage he was remarkably tame, allowing
-the sailors to play with him, and appearing to take much
-pleasure in their caresses. On being placed in his present
-den he was rather sulky for a few days; but seems
-now to have recovered his good temper, and to be perfectly
-reconciled to his situation. The mildness of his
-temper may probably be in a great measure due to his
-having from a very early age been accustomed to boiled
-food; raw flesh never having been offered to him until
-after his arrival in the Menagerie. This change of food
-he seems particularly to enjoy, although he has by no
-means lost his appetite for soup, which he devours with
-much eagerness. Notwithstanding his immature age,
-Mr. Cops considers him the largest Tiger that he ever
-saw.</p>
-
-<p>The other individual at present in the Tower is a
-Tigress of great beauty from Bengal, scarcely a twelvemonth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
-old, who also promises to become an exceedingly
-fine animal. During her passage from Calcutta
-she was allowed to range about the vessel unrestricted,
-became perfectly familiar with the sailors, and showed
-not the slightest symptom of ferocity. On her arrival,
-however, in the Thames, the irritation produced by the
-sight of strangers completely and instantly changed her
-temper, rendering her irascible and dangerous. Her
-deportment was so sulky and savage that Mr. Cops
-could scarcely be prevailed on by her former keeper,
-who saw her shortly afterwards, to allow him to enter
-her den: but no sooner did she recognise her old friend,
-than she fawned upon him, licked him, and caressed
-him, exhibiting the most extravagant signs of pleasure;
-and when he left her she cried and whined for the
-remainder of the day. To her new residence and her
-new keeper she is now perfectly reconciled.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p034.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Bandits lying in wait behind a rock" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p035.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two leopards" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_LEOPARD">THE LEOPARD.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Leopardus.</i> Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>The race of this wily and sanguinary animal, which is
-unsurpassed in all the terrible characteristics of its tribe,
-and yields to the tremendous and ferocious beasts, to the
-illustration of whose habits and manners our previous
-pages have been devoted, in none of their dreaded attributes,
-excepting only in size and strength, is spread
-almost as extensively over the surface of the Old World
-as that of the Lion himself. From the shores of the
-Mediterranean to the immediate neighbourhood of the
-Cape he is familiar to every part of the monster-bearing
-continent of Africa; while in the east of Asia his fatal
-spring and murderous talons are equally known and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
-dreaded by the mild and timid Hindoos, the polite but
-still barbarous Chinese, and the fierce and savage Islanders
-of the great Sumatran chain. Throughout this immense
-tract of country he varies but in a trifling degree, and that
-merely in his comparative magnitude, in the size, shape,
-and disposition of his markings, and in the greater or
-less intensity of his colouring: in the more essential
-particulars of form and structure, as well as in character
-and disposition, he is every where the same.</p>
-
-<p>It has already been mentioned that the Leopard is
-smaller than the Tiger; indeed he seldom exceeds from
-three to four feet from the tip of the nose to the root of
-the tail, which latter is somewhat shorter than the body.
-Perhaps the largest authentic measurement is that of an
-animal, spoken of under the designation of Panther, but
-in all probability truly a Leopard, which was killed by
-Colonel Denham’s party in the course of that zealous
-and successful traveller’s late expedition, and which is
-stated at eight feet two inches from the muzzle to the
-extremity of the tail. This savage creature, although
-twice impaled by the lances of his pursuers which he
-had snapped asunder in his rage, was still on the point
-of making a spring upon the foremost of the party, when
-a musket ball through the head completely deprived him
-of that vitality which his previous wounds, dangerous
-and fatal as they undoubtedly were, had not even appeared
-to diminish in any sensible degree.</p>
-
-<p>The ground colour of the fur of the Leopard, which is
-eminently and beautifully sleek, is a yellowish fawn
-above, which becomes paler on the sides, and is entirely
-lost in the pure white of the under part of the body.
-The top of the back, the head, neck, limbs, and under<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
-surface of the body, are irregularly covered with larger
-or smaller, roundish or oval, perfectly black spots; while
-the whole of the sides of the animal and a portion of his
-tail are occupied by numerous distinct roses, formed by
-the near approach of three or four elongated small black
-spots, which surround a central area, about an inch or
-an inch and a quarter in breadth, of a somewhat deeper
-colour than the ground on which it is placed. There
-are some black lines on the lips, and bands of the same
-colour on the inside of the legs; two or three imperfect
-black circles, alternating with white, also occur towards
-the extremity of the tail, which is entirely white beneath.</p>
-
-<p>It would be superfluous to enter into any detail of his
-habits, which correspond but too well with those of his
-fellow cats already described, and are only modified by
-his want of equal power. This deficiency is, however,
-in a great measure supplied by the extreme pliability of
-his spine, which gives to his motions a degree of velocity,
-agility, and precision combined, that is altogether unequalled
-by any other quadruped, and to which the
-greater lateral compression of his body, the increased
-length and more slender proportions of his limbs, and
-the suppleness of all his joints must of necessity materially
-contribute. Equally savage, equally dastardly,
-and equally cruel, he closely imitates the manners of
-the Lion and the Tiger, on a somewhat reduced, but still
-formidable, scale. Antilopes, monkeys, and the smaller
-quadrupeds constitute his usual prey, upon which he
-darts forth from his secret stand, and which he pertinaciously
-pursues even upon the trees where they may
-have taken refuge, climbing after them with surprising
-agility. Man he generally endeavours, if possible, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>
-avoid; but, when hard pressed, he fears not to make
-head against the hunter; and it frequently requires the
-exertion of no common share of skill and intrepidity in
-the latter to save himself from the deadly fangs of the
-infuriated object of his pursuit. Occasionally, indeed,
-the cravings of hunger stimulate the treacherous animal
-to attack the unwary woodcutter, or the lone traveller
-whose path has led to his secret haunts; but in this case
-he rarely, if ever, shows himself openly in the face of
-day, but watches with insidious glare for the fatal opportunity
-of springing upon his wretched victim from
-behind, and of annihilating his power of resistance before
-it could possibly be exerted in his defence.</p>
-
-<p>In captivity, however, especially if taken while yet
-young, his character frequently undergoes a change as
-favourable as that which takes place under the same
-circumstances in the generality of his tribe. The pair at
-present in the Tower are male and female; they are both
-Asiatic, and are confined in the same den, but they differ
-very materially in temper and disposition. The female,
-which is the older of the two, and has been a resident in
-the Menagerie for upwards of four years, is exceedingly
-tame, suffering herself to be patted and caressed by the
-keeper, and licking his hands. Strangers, however,
-especially ladies, should be cautious of approaching her
-too familiarly, as she has always evinced a particular
-predilection for the destruction of umbrellas, parasols,
-muffs, hats, and such other articles of dress as may
-happen to come within her reach, seizing them with the
-greatest quickness and tearing them into pieces almost
-before the astonished visiter has become aware of the
-loss. To so great an extent has she carried this peculiar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
-taste that Mr. Cops declares that he has no doubt that
-during her residence in the Tower she has made prey of
-at least as many of these articles as there are days in the
-year. The agility with which she bounds round her
-cell, which is of considerable size, touching at one leap,
-and almost with the velocity of thought, each of its four
-walls, and skimming along the ceiling with the same
-rapidity of action, which is scarcely to be followed by
-the eye, is truly wonderful, and speaks more forcibly of
-the muscular power and flexibility of limb by which
-such extraordinary motions are executed than language
-can express.</p>
-
-<p>The male, on the contrary, although he has been more
-than twelve months an inmate of the Tower, is still as
-sullen and as savage as on the day of his arrival. Notwithstanding
-the kind treatment which has been lavished
-upon him by the keepers, he yet refuses to become
-familiarised with them, and receives all their overtures at
-a nearer acquaintance with such sulky and even angry
-symptoms as plainly evince that it would be dangerous
-to tamper with his unreclaimed and unmanageable disposition.
-He is, as is usual in all these animals, larger
-than the female, and much richer and more beautiful in
-the style of his marking and depth of his colouring. The
-two animals, however, although differing so greatly in
-temper, agree together tolerably well, excepting only at
-meal times, when their usual harmony is in some measure
-broken in upon by the jealousy with which they regard
-each other’s share of the repast.</p>
-
-<p>Their food consists of about five pounds of beef per
-day for each: this the keeper generally tosses up in
-front of their den, at the distance of nearly two feet from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
-the bars, and to the height of six or eight feet from the
-floor. The animals, who are on the alert for their dinner,
-immediately leap towards the bars, and, darting out their
-paws with incredible swiftness, almost uniformly succeed
-in seizing it before it falls to the ground. If, as it sometimes
-happens, the meat is thrown up at too great a
-distance, so as not to be fairly within reach, they remain
-perfectly stationary and make no attempt to spring upon
-it, but watch it with anxious avidity, apparently calculating
-and comparing the distance of the object and the
-extent of their own grasp. When they have, in this
-way, secured their meal, instead of ravenously falling to,
-like the other carnivorous animals in the collection, they
-stand growling over it for some minutes, leering upon
-each other with the most frightful contortions. This
-growling attitude of mistrust in feeding was constantly
-maintained by the female, even before she had a companion
-in her captivity, and when consequently there
-existed no immediate object for the excitement of her
-selfish or envious feelings.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p040.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Two leopards harnessed to pull a cart" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p041.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Jaguar" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_JAGUAR">THE JAGUAR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Onca.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>It can scarcely fail to have been remarked by those who
-have perused the preceding pages with moderate attention
-that the species of cats described in them, including
-the largest and most formidable of the whole genus, are
-exclusively natives of the Old World, and confined to
-the hot and burning climates of Southern Asia and of
-Africa. A second and more numerous class, of which,
-however, no example exists at present in the Tower
-Menagerie, and which, consequently, it does not fall
-within our province to illustrate, occupy the colder and
-northern regions of both hemispheres. These belong
-principally to the same subdivision with the Lynx<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
-(being, like him, distinguished by the pencils of long
-hairs which surmount their ears), and to that which
-comprehends the domestic cat; and are all of diminutive
-size and trifling power when compared with those monstrous
-productions of the torrid zone, the Lion, the
-Tiger, and the Leopard. The reader is not, however, to
-imagine that the smaller species exist only in the vicinity
-of the pole and in the temperate regions of the earth: he
-will find, on the contrary, that many of them are natives
-of more southern climes, and commit their petty ravages
-under as fierce a sun as that which fires their more
-dreaded competitors in the career of rapine and of blood.
-Of one of these, the true Lynx of antiquity, we shall
-have occasion to treat in a subsequent article.</p>
-
-<p>But there is also a third class which springs into
-existence in the warmer climates of America, some of
-whose representatives almost equal the Tiger in magnitude,
-in vigour, and in ferocity, while others rival the
-Leopard in the beauty and sleekness of their fur, and in
-the agility and gracefulness of their motions. Foremost
-of these, and holding the highest rank among the most
-formidable animals of the New World, stands the Jaguar,
-or, as he is sometimes called, the American Tiger. Superior
-to the Leopard in size as well as in strength, he
-approaches very nearly in both respects to the Lionesses
-of the smaller breeds: he is, however, less elevated on
-his legs, and heavier and more clumsy in all his proportions.
-His head is larger and rounder than that of the
-Leopard; and his tail is considerably shorter in proportion,
-being only of sufficient length to allow of its
-touching the ground when the animal is standing, while
-that of the Leopard, as we have before observed, is very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>
-nearly as long as his whole body. This disproportion
-between the length of their tails affords perhaps the
-most striking distinction between the two animals, offering,
-as it does, a constant and never-failing criterion;
-whereas the difference in the marking of their furs,
-although sufficiently obvious on a close examination,
-depends almost entirely on such minute particularities
-as would probably escape the notice of a superficial
-observer, and were in fact for a long time so completely
-neglected, even by zoologists, that it is only within a
-few years that we have been again taught accurately to
-distinguish between them. These particularities we shall
-now proceed to point out.</p>
-
-<p>On the whole upper surface of the body of the Jaguar
-the fur, which is short, close, and smooth, is of a bright
-yellowish fawn; passing on the throat, belly, and inside
-of the legs, into a pure white. On this ground the head,
-limbs, and under surface are covered with full black
-spots of various sizes; and the rest of the body with
-roses, either entirely bordered by a black ring or surrounded
-by several of the smaller black spots arranged
-in a circular form. The full spots are generally continued
-upon the greater part of the tail, the tip of which
-is black, and which is also encircled near its extremity
-by three or four black rings. So far there is little to
-distinguish the marking of the Jaguar from that of the
-Leopard; we come now to the differences observable
-between them. The spots which occupy the central line
-of the back in the former are full, narrow, and elongated;
-and the roses of the sides and haunches, which are considerably
-larger and proportionally less numerous than
-in the Leopard, are all or nearly all marked with one or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
-sometimes two black dots or spots of smaller size towards
-their centre: an apparently trifling, but constant and
-very remarkable distinction, which exists in no other
-species. By this peculiarity alone the Jaguar may at
-once be recognised; and this external characteristic,
-together with the extreme shortness of his tail, his much
-greater size, his comparatively clumsy form, and the
-heaviness of all his motions, not to speak of the peculiarity
-of his voice, which has the sharp and harsh sound of an
-imperfect bark, are unquestionably fully sufficient to
-sanction his separation from a race of animals, from
-which, however much he may resemble them in general
-characters, he differs in so many and such essential particulars.
-That this separation has been made more complete
-by the hand of Nature herself, who has interposed
-the wide ocean between him and those of his fellows
-with whom alone there is any probability of his being
-confounded, is an additional proof, if any confirmation
-were wanting, of the soundness of the distinction which
-has been drawn between them.</p>
-
-<p>It is in the swampy forests of South America that the
-Jaguar commits his destructive ravages, which are spread
-over nearly the whole of that continent from Paraguay
-almost to the Isthmus of Darien. It has frequently been
-said that he is also to be found in Mexico; but this
-appears to be a mistake, originating probably in Buffon’s
-having confounded the Jaguar with the Ocelot, describing
-and figuring the latter under the name of the former, and
-intermingling with his description many of the peculiar
-traits of the real Jaguar derived from the relations of
-travellers. On the other hand he has erroneously figured
-the latter animal under the name of the Panther; a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
-mistake in which he has been followed by Pennant and
-others, and with which the writings of zoologists are
-more or less infected even up to the present day. What
-the Panther of the ancients actually was, or whether
-there exists any real difference between it and the
-Leopard, is a much disputed question, into which we
-have neither space nor inclination to enter: certain it is
-that it could not possibly have been the present animal,
-which has never been found out of the limits of America;
-and that Buffon himself had no idea, while he was figuring
-the latter, that the specimen before him was not a native
-of Africa or the East. The name of Jaguar is corruptedly
-derived from the Brazilian appellation of the animal, to
-which the Portuguese have given the name of Onça;
-another blunder, for the Ounce of the Old World is now
-universally allowed to be identical with the Leopard, and
-with the latter we have already shown that it is impossible
-that the American species can be conjoined.</p>
-
-<p>Like the Cats already described, to whom, however, he
-is much inferior in the suppleness and elasticity of his
-motions, the Jaguar makes his solitary haunt in the
-recesses of the forest, especially in the neighbourhood of
-large rivers, which he swims with the greatest dexterity.
-Of the extent of this faculty, as well as of his extraordinary
-strength, some judgment may be formed from a
-circumstance related by D’Azara, which fell partly under
-that traveller’s personal observation; namely, that a
-Jaguar, after having attacked and destroyed a horse,
-carried the body of his victim for about sixty paces to
-the bank of a broad and deep river, over which he swam
-with his prey, and then dragged it into the adjoining
-wood. According to M. Sonnini he is as expert at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
-climbing as at swimming. “I have seen,” he says, “in
-the forests of Guiana, the prints left by the claws of the
-Jaguar on the smooth bark of a tree from forty to fifty
-feet in height, measuring about a foot and a half in
-circumference, and clothed with branches near its summit
-alone. It was easy to follow with the eye the efforts
-which the animal had made to reach the branches:
-although his talons had been thrust deeply into the
-body of the tree, he had met with several slips, but he
-had always recovered his ground, and, attracted no doubt
-by some favourite object of prey, had at length succeeded
-in gaining the very top.”</p>
-
-<p>Endowed with such tremendous powers it is no wonder
-that this formidable animal is regarded with terror
-by the inhabitants of the countries which he infests. He
-seldom, however, attacks the human race; although he
-does not appear to shun it with any peculiar dread.
-His onset is always made from behind, and in the same
-treacherous manner as that of all his tribe; of a herd of
-animals or of a band of men passing within his reach, he
-uniformly singles out the last as the object of his fatal
-bound. When he has made choice of his victim he
-springs upon its neck, and, placing one of his paws
-upon the back of its head while he seizes its muzzle
-with the other, twists its head round with a sudden jerk,
-which dislocates its spine and deprives it instantaneously
-of life and motion. His favourite game appears to be
-the larger quadrupeds, such as oxen, horses, sheep, and
-dogs, whom he attacks indiscriminately and almost
-always successfully, when urged by the powerful cravings
-of his maw. At other times he is indolent and
-cowardly, secretes himself in caverns, skulks in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
-depths of the forest, and is scared by the most trifling
-causes.</p>
-
-<p>The Spaniards and even the native Indians appear to
-take a pleasure in hunting the Jaguar, whom they attack
-in various ways. One of the most common is to chase
-him with a numerous pack of dogs, who, although they
-dare not attack so formidable an opponent, frequently
-succeed in driving him to seek refuge on a tree or in a
-thick copse. Should he trust himself to the former, he
-is usually destroyed by the musket or the lance; but if
-he has taken covert among the bushes, it is sometimes
-difficult to aim at him with precision. In this latter
-case some of the Indians are hardy enough to attack
-him single-handed; a perilous exploit, which, according
-to D’Azara, they perform in the following manner.
-Armed only with a lance, of five feet in length, they
-envelope their left arm in a sheep-skin, by means of
-which they evade the first onset of the furious animal,
-and gain sufficient time to plunge their weapon into his
-body before he can turn upon them for a second attack.
-Another mode of destroying him is by means of the
-lasso; but this method can of course be employed only
-when the animal roams abroad upon the plains, or can
-be driven by the dogs into an open space fit for the
-purpose. Riding at full gallop with the lasso coiled up
-in their hands, these excellent horsemen will throw the
-noose with such certainty and precision as infallibly to
-secure their formidable enemy at the distance of a hundred
-paces, and to place him completely at their mercy.</p>
-
-<p>The Jaguar is generally said to be quite untameable,
-and to maintain his savage ferocity even in a state of
-captivity, showing no symptoms of attachment to those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
-who have the care of him. This assertion is amply contradicted
-by the fact that an individual confined in the
-Paris Menagerie, was exceedingly mild in his temper,
-and particularly fond of licking the hands of those with
-whom he was familiar; as was also remarkably the case
-with the specimen lately in the Tower, whose portrait
-ornaments the present article. This animal was obtained
-by Lord Exmouth while on the American station, and
-accompanied the expedition to Algiers at the memorable
-bombardment of that nest of pirates. On his return to
-England, his Lordship gave it to the Marchioness of
-Londonderry, who soon afterwards presented it to his
-Majesty, by whose order it was placed in the Tower;
-where it continued until a short time since, when it
-unfortunately died. Mr. Cops is, however, in expectation
-of being soon enabled to replace it. It was exhibited
-under the name of the Panther, an appellation which
-we have before stated that the Jaguar had erroneously
-obtained, not only among the furriers, by whom it is
-universally so called, but even among scientific zoologists.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p048.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Man with a spear facing down a jaguar" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p049.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Puma" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_PUMA">THE PUMA.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Concolor.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>Nearly approaching to the Jaguar in size and form,
-but obviously distinguished from him at the first glance,
-by the total absence of spots, the Puma, Couguar, or,
-as he was once called, the American Lion, occupies the
-second place among the cats of the New World, over
-nearly the whole of which he was formerly spread, from
-Canada and the United States in the North, to the very
-extremity of Patagonia in the South. From a large
-portion of this immense expanse of country he appears,
-however, to have been of late years in a great measure,
-if not entirely, rooted out; and it is seldom that he is
-now heard of in the vicinity of that civilization, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
-involves, as a necessary consequence, either the complete
-extinction, or, at least, the gradual diminution and
-dispersion to more secure and sheltered habitations, of
-all the more savage and obnoxious beasts. For his title
-of the American Lion he was, in a great degree, indebted
-to an absurd notion on the part of the early colonists,
-which was even shared by many naturalists, that he
-was, in reality, neither more nor less than a degenerate
-variety of that far more noble animal. This opinion
-has, however, long since given way before the prevalence
-of sounder views; and he is now universally recognised
-as forming a species clearly distinguishable from every
-other, by a combination of characters which it is impossible
-to mistake.</p>
-
-<p>Almost the only striking point of resemblance between
-him and the Lion consists in the uniform sameness of
-his colour, which on the upper parts of his body is of a
-bright silvery fawn, the tawny hairs being terminated by
-whitish tips: beneath and on the inside of the limbs he
-is nearly white, and more completely so on the throat,
-chin, and upper lip. The head has an irregular mixture
-of black and gray; the outside of the ears, especially at
-the base, the sides of the muzzle from which the whiskers
-take their origin, and the extremity of the tail, are black.
-The latter is not terminated, as in the Lion, by a brush
-of hair; neither has the Puma any vestige of a mane.
-His length from the tip of the nose to the root of the
-tail is commonly about four feet, and his tail measures
-above half as much more, being just sufficiently long to
-suffer its extremity to trail upon the ground. His head
-is remarkably small and rounded, with a broad and
-somewhat obtuse muzzle; and his body is proportionably
-more slender and less elevated than that of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
-Lion. His young, like those of the latter animal, have a
-peculiar livery, consisting in spots of a darker shade
-than the rest of their fur, scattered over every part of the
-body, but only visible in a particular light, and disappearing
-entirely at the adult age. There is no difference
-whatever in colour between the sexes, the fur of the
-female being in every respect similar to that of the male:
-in size the latter is superior to his mate; and his head, a
-part which in the female is disproportionately small,
-corresponds better with the general form of his body.</p>
-
-<p>More circumspect, or rather more cowardly, than any
-of the larger species of his cautious tribe, he is, notwithstanding
-his much greater magnitude, scarcely more
-dangerous than the common wild cat, preying only
-upon the smaller species of animals, seldom venturing
-to attack any living creature of greater size or courage
-than a sheep, and flying from the face of man with more
-than usual terror. But this cowardice is also, in a state
-of nature, connected with a degree of ferocity, fully
-equal to that which is developed in the most savage and
-blood-thirsty of his fellow cats. Unlike the Jaguar, which
-generally contents itself with a single victim, the Puma,
-if he should happen to find himself undisturbed in the
-midst of a flock of sheep, deserted by their guardians
-and left entirely at his mercy, is said never to spare,
-but to destroy every individual that he can reach, for
-the purpose of sucking its blood. He differs also
-from the Jaguar in his habit of frequenting the open
-plain rather than the forest and the river, in and near
-which the latter usually takes his secret and destructive
-stand. Hence he is more exposed to the pursuit of the
-skilful thrower of the lasso, from whom, as his swiftness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
-is by no means great and his timidity excessive, he rarely
-escapes.</p>
-
-<p>In captivity the Puma readily becomes tame, and
-may even be rendered docile and obedient. His manners
-closely resemble those of the domestic cat; like it
-he is extremely fond of being noticed, raises his back
-and stretches his limbs beneath the hand that caresses
-him, and expresses his pleasure by the same quiet and
-complacent purring. They soon become attached to
-those with whom they are familiar; and numerous
-instances might be mentioned in which they have been
-suffered to roam almost at large about the house without
-any injurious results. One of these is no doubt familiar
-to many of our readers, occurring as it did under the
-roof of Mr. Kean, the tragedian, who possessed an
-animal of this species so tame as to follow him about
-almost like a dog, and to be frequently introduced into
-his drawing-room, when filled with company, at perfect
-liberty.</p>
-
-<p>The Puma figured above is a female, about three years
-old, exceedingly sleek in her fur and lively in her colours,
-and equally mild and good-tempered with any of her
-race.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p052.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Horse rider trying to lassoo a puma" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p053.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Ocelot" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_OCELOT">THE OCELOT.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Pardalis.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>“Of all the animals with tigrine skins,” says Buffon,
-“the male Ocelot has unquestionably the most beautiful
-and at the same time the most elegantly variegated robe;
-that of the Leopard himself does not approach it in
-liveliness of colour or regularity of design.” That this
-estimate is by no means exaggerated will readily be
-allowed by all who have had an opportunity of seeing
-this truly beautiful creature, which may unquestionably
-be regarded as the <i>beau ideal</i> of a cat. Nearly equal in
-size to the Lynx of Europe, but shorter in its proportions
-and more graceful in its form, it holds, as it were, a
-middle station between the Leopard and the domestic cat.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
-Its body, when full grown, is nearly three feet in length,
-and its tail rather more than one; while its medium
-height may be reckoned at about eighteen inches. The
-ground colour of its fur is gray mingled with a slight
-tinge of fawn; and on this it is elegantly marked with
-numerous longitudinal bands, the dorsal one being
-continuous and entirely black, and the lateral, to the
-number of six or seven on each side, consisting for the
-most part of a series of elongated spots with black
-margins, sometimes completely distinct, and sometimes
-running together. The centre of each of these spots
-offers a deeper tinge of fawn than the ground colour
-external to them; and this deeper tinge is also conspicuous
-on the upper part of the head and neck, and on
-the outside of the limbs, all of which parts are irregularly
-marked with full black lines and spots of various
-sizes. From the top of the head, between the ears, there
-pass backwards, towards the shoulders, two, or more frequently
-four, uninterrupted diverging bands, which are
-full black anteriorly, but generally bifurcate posteriorly
-and enclose a narrow fawn-coloured space within a black
-margin; between these there is a single longitudinal
-somewhat interrupted narrow black line, occupying the
-centre of the neck above. The ears are short and
-rounded, and externally margined with black, surrounding
-a large central whitish spot. The under parts of the
-body are whitish, spotted with black, and the tail, which
-is of the same ground colour with the body, is also
-covered with blackish spots.</p>
-
-<p>The description above given is chiefly derived from
-the comparison of two living specimens, the one existing
-in the Menagerie of the Tower, the other in that of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>
-Zoological Society, at their gardens in the Regent’s
-Park. There is one circumstance, however, of which it
-may be necessary to offer some explanation. We have
-stated the length of the tail at more than a foot; and
-in all the known Ocelots, as well as in all the species (of
-which there are several) that approach it in form and
-colouring, the proportionate length of the tail is at least
-equal to that which we have given as its average measurement.
-That of the Tower specimen, however, does
-not exceed six or seven inches; its extremity is completely
-overgrown with hair, and there is no appearance
-of a cicatrix. Still its equality throughout, and its
-abrupt stumpiness, if we may so express ourselves,
-induce the belief that this abbreviation of the tail is
-purely accidental; and we feel by no means inclined
-to regard the specimen before us as belonging to a new
-species, to be distinguished by the excessive shortness
-of that appendage, by the unusually pale colour of its
-markings, and by some slight peculiarities in the mode
-of their arrangement, which varies indeed in every
-individual that we have seen.</p>
-
-<p>The animal in question, accurately represented in the
-portrait which is prefixed to the present article, was
-presented by the late Sir Ralph Woodford, governor of
-Trinidad, about six months since, under the name of
-the Peruvian Tiger; from which denomination we may
-presume that it was originally brought from that part of
-the continent of America. The species, however, is very
-widely spread, being found as well in Mexico, from the
-language of which country it derives its name, as in
-Paraguay. Its habits are similar to those of the other
-cats, keeping itself close in the depths of the forests<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>
-during the day, and prowling abroad at night in search
-of victims, which it finds in the smaller quadrupeds
-and birds. In the chase of the latter it is particularly
-successful, pursuing them even to their nests amid the
-trees, which it climbs with the greatest agility. It is
-easily tamed, but seldom loses all trace of its natural
-ferocity. D’Azara, however, speaks of one which was so
-completely domiciliated as to be left at perfect liberty;
-it was strongly attached to its master, and never attempted
-to make its escape. The specimen in the Tower, which is
-a male, is perfectly good tempered, exceedingly fond of
-play, and has, in fact, much of the character and manners
-of the domestic cat. Its food consists principally of
-rabbits and of birds, the latter of which it plucks with
-the greatest dexterity, and always commences its meal
-with their heads, of which it appears to be particularly
-fond. It does not eat with the same ravenous avidity
-which characterizes nearly all the animals of his tribe.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p056.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Ocelot attacking a large bird" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p057.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Caracal" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CARACAL">THE CARACAL.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Caracal.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Caracal, which is unquestionably identical with the
-Lynx of the Ancients, but whose original name has been,
-in modern times, usurped by an animal of northern
-origin, utterly unknown to the Greeks, and distinguished
-by the Romans by a totally different appellation, is a
-native of most of the warmer climates of the Old World,
-infesting probably as large an extent of the surface of
-the earth as the Lion or the Leopard themselves.
-Throughout the whole of Africa, from Egypt and Barbary
-to the extremity of Caffraria, and in the southern
-half of Asia, at least as far eastwards as the Ganges, he
-follows, as it were, in the footsteps of those larger and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
-more formidable beasts. So uniformly indeed has he
-been met with in the train of the Lion, that many early
-writers, determined to find a reason for every thing, laid
-it down as a settled fact that the Caracal, equally with
-the Jackal, although in a different manner, was the
-Lion’s purveyor; that he accompanied that terrible
-animal in the pursuit of his prey; pointed it out to
-him by means of his more delicate nostril and piercing
-sight; and, when his royal master had finished his meal,
-received a portion of the flesh in reward for his good
-and loyal service. But the greater part of this fanciful
-tale is now known to have had its origin only in the
-imagination of men who had caught a glimpse of the
-real truth, and made up for the want of accurate observation
-by the invention of a theory almost as fabulous
-as the stories of the ancients, which attributed to the
-same animal such wonderful powers of sight as to pierce
-even through stone walls. He follows, it is true, in the
-traces of the Lion; but, far from associating with him in
-the pursuit of game, he ventures not, any more than the
-other beasts of the forest, to trust himself within reach of
-his paw. His object is solely to satiate his appetite upon
-the remains of the mangled carcases which the Lion may
-leave; consequently the latter might with much greater
-truth and propriety be regarded as the purveyor of the
-Caracal, who depends perhaps more for his subsistence
-upon the food thus provided for him, than upon that
-which he can procure by the exercise of his own powers
-or sagacity. He frequently, however, indulges his native
-ferocity in petty ravages on the smaller and more timid
-quadrupeds, such as hares and rabbits: birds also form
-a favourite object of his attacks, and in pursuit of them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
-he mounts the tallest trees with surprising swiftness and
-agility. It is even said that his qualifications for the
-chase are capable of cultivation; and it has been repeated
-by travellers, from the days of the celebrated Marco Polo
-downwards, that the princes of the East occasionally
-make use of his services in taking small game in nearly
-the same manner as they employ the subject of the
-succeeding article for the larger: but from all that we
-know of his disposition in a state of captivity, this statement
-appears, to say the least, extremely questionable.</p>
-
-<p>In size the Caracal is somewhat larger than the Fox.
-The whole of the upper surface of his body is of a deep
-and uniform brown, the hairs being for the most part
-slightly tipped with gray; the under and inner parts
-are nearly white; and the chin and lower lip, and two
-spots, one on the inner side of and above the eye, and
-the other beneath its outer angle, completely so. The
-neck and throat are of a lighter and brighter brown than
-the rest of the fur. The ears, which are long and
-upright, taper gradually to a fine tip, which is surmounted
-by a pencil of long black hairs; they are black
-externally and whitish within. It is to the striking
-character afforded by these organs that the animal is
-indebted for his modern name of Caracal, corrupted
-from his Turkish appellation, which, equally with that
-by which he is known in Persia, signifies “black ear.”
-His whiskers are short, and take their origin from a
-series of black lines which occupy the sides of the
-muzzle; at some distance behind them, in front of the
-neck on each side, is a short and thick tuft of lighter
-coloured hairs. The tail, which is eight or nine inches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
-in length, is of the same uniform colour with the body
-from its base to its tip.</p>
-
-<p>The specimen in the Tower, from which our engraving
-was made and our description taken, is a native of Bengal,
-a locality from which these animals have been so
-rarely brought to Europe, that it has been a question
-among naturalists whether the Caracal of India and that
-of Africa really belonged to the same species. There
-is, however, no difference of any importance observable
-between the present animal and those which have been
-brought from the latter continent. It is extremely sulky,
-keeping constantly retired in one of the backward corners
-of its cage, and swearing, as we express it in the
-common cat, almost incessantly when conscious of being
-noticed. The Lynxes indeed appear, at least when in
-captivity, to exercise this peculiar faculty of voice to a
-much greater extent than any other species of the group.
-They are remarkably irascible and mistrustful, and are
-seldom completely tamed.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p060.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Caracal attacking a rabbit/hare" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p061.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two cheetahs, or chetahs as this book will have it" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CHETAH_OR_HUNTING_LEOPARD">THE CHETAH, OR HUNTING LEOPARD.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Felis Jubata.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Schreb.</span></p>
-
-<p>Uniting to the system of dentition, the general habit
-and many of the most striking peculiarities of the cats,
-some of the distinguishing features and much of the
-intelligence, the teachableness, and the fidelity of the
-dog, the Hunting Leopard forms a sort of connecting
-link between two groups of animals, otherwise completely
-separated, and exhibiting scarcely any other
-character in common than the carnivorous propensities
-by which both are, in a greater or less degree, actuated
-and inspired. Intermediate in size and shape between
-the leopard and the hound, he is slenderer in his body,
-more elevated on his legs, and less flattened on the fore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
-part of his head than the former, while he is deficient
-in the peculiarly graceful and lengthened form, both of
-head and body, which characterize the latter. His tail
-is entirely that of a cat; and his limbs, although more
-elongated than in any other species of that group, seem
-better fitted for strong muscular exertion than for active
-and long-continued speed. From these indications it
-may be gathered that he approaches much more nearly
-to the feline than to the canine group: we shall therefore
-follow the example of zoologists in general, by referring
-him for the present and provisionally to the genus Felis,
-and proceed to point out more particularly the characters
-by which he is connected with, as well as those by which
-he is distinguished from, the rest of that formidable and
-extensive tribe.</p>
-
-<p>In the number and form of his teeth, in the asperity
-of his tongue, in the conformation of his organs of sense,
-and in the number of his claws, he accurately corresponds
-with the legitimate species of the genus Felis.
-The principal character in which he differs from them
-consists in the slight degree of retractility of these latter
-organs. Instead of being withdrawn within sheaths
-appropriated for the purpose, as in the whole of the cats
-properly so called, the claws of the Hunting Leopard
-are capable of only a very limited retraction within the
-skin, and are consequently exposed to the action of the
-ground on which they tread, their points and edges
-being thus rendered liable to be blunted by the constant
-pressure to which they are subjected, almost to the same
-extent as in the dogs. The slightest consideration of
-the uses to which the claws are applied by the whole of
-the feline tribe, in whom they are, in fact, in consequence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>
-of their extreme power and sharpness, organs of offence
-if possible more deadly and more destructive than the
-teeth, will teach us that the modification which has just
-been described in so important a part of their organization,
-must of necessity be accompanied by a corresponding
-change in manners and habits; and that
-convenience alone, and the want of analogous structure
-in any other animal, could justify us in continuing to
-class the Chetah among the cats, from whom he differs
-in so essential a particular.</p>
-
-<p>In outward form, however, notwithstanding his more
-slender make, the difference between them is by no
-means great. His head, although more elevated and
-prominent in front, exhibits the same broad lateral expansion,
-caused by the thick mass of muscle which acts
-so powerfully upon the short and dilated jaws of the
-cats, and imparts to them that tremendous force and
-effect for which they are so remarkable. His legs, notwithstanding
-their increased length and slender proportions,
-retain all the elastic springiness, by means of
-which the Leopard or the Tiger are enabled to bound
-with so much vigour and velocity upon their unsuspecting
-prey. His air and manners, too, are unquestionably
-those of the cats; and his mode of colouring, which we
-shall next proceed to describe, although exhibiting very
-peculiar and marked distinctions, offers so close an
-analogy to that of the Jaguar and the Leopard, that,
-were we to regard this character alone, it would be
-impossible to arrange him in a different group from that
-which comprehends those beautifully spotted, but ferocious,
-beasts. His fur, however, it must be remarked,
-has little of the sleekness which characterizes those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
-animals, but exhibits, on the contrary, a peculiar crispness
-which is not to be found in any other of the tribe.</p>
-
-<p>His ground-colour is a bright yellowish fawn above,
-and nearly pure white beneath, covered above and on
-the sides by innumerable closely approximating spots,
-from half an inch to an inch in diameter, which are
-intensely black, and do not, as in the Leopard and
-others of the spotted cats, form roses with a lighter
-centre, but are full and complete. These spots, which
-are wanting on the chest and under part of the body,
-are larger on the back than on the head, sides, and
-limbs, where they are more closely set: they are also
-spread along the tail, forming on the greater part of its
-extent interrupted rings, which, however, become continuous
-as they approach its extremity, the three or four
-last rings surrounding it completely. The tip of the
-tail is white, as is also the whole of its under surface,
-with the exception of the rings just mentioned; it is
-equally covered with long hair throughout its entire
-length, which is more than half that of the body. The
-outside of the ears, which are short and rounded, is
-marked by a broad black spot at the base, the tip, as
-also the inside, being whitish. The upper part of his
-head is of a deeper tinge; and he has a strongly marked
-flexuous black line, of about half an inch in breadth,
-extending from the inner angle of the eye to the angle
-of the mouth. The extremity of the nose is black, like
-that of the dog. The mane, from which he derives his
-scientific name, is not very remarkable: it consists of
-a series of longer, crisper, and more upright hairs, which
-extend along the back of the neck and the anterior portion
-of the spine.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Such are the outward and physical characteristics of
-this beautiful animal; in his moral and intellectual qualities
-he differs still more widely from that compound
-of unteachableness, malice, and mistrust, which is the
-necessary result of the low degree of intelligence possessed
-by the remainder of the group of animals with
-which he is at present associated. Of his habits in a
-state of nature we have no certain information; but in
-his tamed and domesticated condition he has been rendered,
-in some countries at least, auxiliary to man, by
-the successful cultivation of his mental faculties, which
-have been trained into a degree of subservience to the
-commands of his master, that can only be surpassed by
-the superior sagacity of the hound. Chardin, Bernier,
-Tavernier, and others of the older travellers had related
-that in several parts of Asia it was customary to make
-use of a large spotted cat in the pursuit of game, and
-that this animal was called Youze in Persia, and Chetah
-in India; but the statements of these writers were so
-imperfect, and the descriptions given by them so incomplete,
-that it was next to impossible to recognise the
-particular species intended. We now, however, know
-with certainty that the animal thus employed is the
-Felis jubata of naturalists, which inhabits the greater
-part both of Asia and of Africa. It is common in India
-and Sumatra, as well as in Persia; and is well known
-both in Senegal and at the Cape of Good Hope; but the
-ingenuity of the savage natives of the latter countries
-has not, so far as we know, been exerted in rendering
-its services available in the chase in the manner so
-successfully practised by the more refined and civilized
-inhabitants of Persia and of Hindostan. In Senegal it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
-is valued only on account of its skin, which forms an
-important article in the commerce of that colony; while
-at the Cape, where it is known to the Dutch settlers by
-the misapplied name of Luipard (Leopard), it seems to
-be entirely neglected even in a commercial point of
-view. In the neighbourhood of the latter colony, it
-should be added, the animal appears from the testimony
-of travellers to be of rare occurrence; and Professor
-Lichtenstein, in particular, mentions an instance in
-which the skin of one was worn by the chief of a horde
-of Caffres as a badge of peculiar dignity and distinction.</p>
-
-<p>But even in the East, where the qualities of the Chetah
-appear to be best appreciated, and his faculties to be
-turned to most account, it would seem that he is not
-employed in hunting by all classes of the people indiscriminately;
-but, on the contrary, that he is reserved
-for the especial amusement and gratification of the
-nobles and princes of the land, rather than used for
-purposes of real and general advantage. In this respect,
-and indeed in many others, as will be seen by the
-following brief account of the mode in which the chase
-with the Hunting Leopard is conducted, it bears a close
-resemblance to the ancient sport of hawking, so prevalent
-throughout Europe in the days of feudal tyranny,
-but scarcely practised at the present day except by the
-more splendid slaves of Asiatic despotism. The animal
-or animals, for occasionally several of them are employed
-at the same time, are carried to the field in low chariots,
-on which they are kept chained and hooded, in order to
-deprive them of the power and temptation to anticipate
-the word of command by leaping forth before the appointed
-time. When they are thus brought within view<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>
-of a herd of antelopes, which generally consists of five or
-six females and a male, they are unchained and their
-hoods are removed, their keepers directing their attention
-to the prey, which, as they do not hunt by smell, it is
-necessary that they should have constantly in sight.
-When this is done, the wily animal does not at once
-start forwards towards the object of his pursuit, but,
-seemingly aware that he would have no chance of overtaking
-an antelope in the fleetness of the race, in which
-the latter is beyond measure his superior, winds cautiously
-along the ground, concealing himself as much as
-possible from sight, and, when he has in this covert
-manner nearly reached the unsuspecting herd, breaks
-forth upon them unawares, and after five or six tremendous
-bounds, which he executes with almost incredible
-velocity, darts at once upon his terrified victim, strangles
-him in an instant, and takes his fill of blood. In the
-meanwhile the keeper quietly approaches the scene of
-slaughter, caresses the successful animal, and throws to
-him pieces of meat to amuse him and keep him quiet
-while he blinds him with the hood and replaces him
-upon the chariot, to which he is again attached by his
-chain. But if, as is not unfrequently the case, the herd
-should have taken the alarm, and the Chetah should
-prove unsuccessful in his attack, he never attempts to
-pursue them, but returns to his master with a mortified
-and dejected air, to be again let slip at a fresh quarry
-whenever a fit opportunity occurs.</p>
-
-<p>The Chetah has been until of late years very imperfectly
-known in Europe. Linnæus was entirely unacquainted
-with it, and Buffon described it from the fur
-alone under the name of Guêpard, the appellation by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
-which its skin was distinguished in the commerce with
-Senegal, but evidently without suspecting its identity
-with the Asiatic animal, the trained habits of which,
-misled probably by the authority of Tavernier, he erroneously
-attributed to his imaginary Ounce. Subsequent
-French zoologists had rectified this error, and it was
-generally believed that the tamed Leopard of Bernier,
-the Youze, the Guêpard, and Tavernier’s Ounce, were
-one and the same animal; but it was not until a year or
-two ago that the possession of a living specimen, brought
-from Senegal, in the Menagerie of the Jardin du Roi,
-enabled M. F. Cuvier to ascertain its characters with
-precision. The comparison of this African specimen
-with the skins sent from India, and with the notes and
-drawings made in that country by M. Duvaucel, to
-whom we are indebted for a vast deal of interesting
-information relative to the zoology of the East of Asia,
-at once put an end to all doubts of the identity of the
-two animals.</p>
-
-<p>Several individuals have been brought alive to this
-country at various times; but, notwithstanding the opportunities
-thus afforded, it does not appear that English
-naturalists have paid any particular attention to the
-study of their character and habits. In all probability
-the earliest that arrived in Europe was one which was
-brought from India by Lord Pigot, and which was
-figured by Pennant under the name of the Hunting
-Leopard. Three others, found at the capture of Seringapatam
-among the rest of the state paraphernalia of the
-fallen Sultan, came into the possession of General, afterwards
-Lord, Harris, who, on his return to England,
-presented them to his late Majesty, by whose command<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
-they were placed in the Tower. They did not, however,
-long survive the effects of the passage and of the change
-of climate, which latter has proved equally fatal to the few
-specimens which have since been brought to this country
-for public exhibition. They appear, indeed, to be exceedingly
-delicate in their temperament, and to require considerable
-attention on the part of their keeper. The
-pair now in the Tower, if two individuals of the same
-sex, both of them being males, can be called a pair, were
-purchased by Mr. Cops a few months since from the
-captain of a vessel trading to Senegal, to whom they
-were brought by some of the natives when only a few
-weeks old and no larger than an ordinary cat. They
-were the constant inmates of his cabin, and soon became
-strongly attached to their master, never, as they grew
-up, exhibiting the slightest symptom of that savage
-ferocity to which all the larger cats are occasionally
-more or less prone, even under the most favourable
-circumstances. Much of this peculiar meekness of temper,
-which they still maintain, is doubtless owing to the
-very early age at which they were made captive, as well
-as to the mild and little stimulating nature of the food
-to which they have ever since been accustomed. This
-consists chiefly of boiled meat and meal; and during
-the winter season, in consequence of the delicacy of their
-habit, they are supplied with hot mashes, gruel, &amp;c.
-Their mode of feeding is very like that of the dog.</p>
-
-<p>In size and stature these beautiful animals considerably
-exceed any that have been seen in this country of
-late years. They are truly, as may be judged from their
-portraits, an elegant and graceful pair, having, when led
-out into the yard in their couples, very much of the air<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
-and manners of a brace of greyhounds. When noticed
-or fondled they purr like a cat; and this is their usual
-mode of expressing pleasure. If, on the other hand,
-they are uneasy, whether that uneasiness arises from
-cold, from a craving after food, from a jealous apprehension
-of being neglected, or from any other cause,
-their note consists of a short, uniform, and repeated
-mew. They are extremely fond of play, and their manner
-of playing very much resembles that of the cat; with
-this difference, however, that it never, as in the latter
-animal, degenerates into malicious cunning or wanton
-mischief. Their character, indeed, seems to be entirely
-free from that sly and suspicious feeling of mistrust
-which is so strikingly visible in the manners and actions
-of all the cats, and which renders them so little susceptible
-of real or lasting attachment. The Chetahs, on the
-contrary, speedily become fond of those who are kind to
-them, and exhibit their fondness in an open, frank, and
-confiding manner. There can, in fact, be little doubt
-that they might with the greatest facility be reduced to a
-state of perfect domestication, and rendered nearly as
-familiar and as faithful as the dog himself.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p070.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Tame chetahs being used to hunt deer" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p071.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Striped hyæna" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_STRIPED_HYAENA">THE STRIPED HYÆNA.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Hyæna vulgaris.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Desm.</span></p>
-
-<p>From the strongly marked group, to the illustration of
-various species of which the foregoing pages have been
-dedicated, we pass by a natural and easy transition to
-an animal, which, although closely resembling them in
-its zoological characters, and in the cowardly ferocity of
-its disposition, bears nevertheless a stronger affinity to
-the dogs, with which it was associated by Linnæus.
-From each of these groups it is, however, readily distinguished
-by several obvious and essential characters, of
-sufficient importance to sanction its separation as a genus,
-now universally adopted among naturalists.</p>
-
-<p>Like both the cats and the dogs, the Hyænas are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
-completely digitigrade; that is to say, they walk only
-on the extremities of their toes: but these toes are only
-four in number on each of their feet, and are armed
-with short, thick, strong, and truncated claws, which are
-not in the least retractile, and are evidently formed for
-digging in the earth, a practice to which they are impelled
-by a horrid and hateful propensity, which we
-shall have further occasion to notice in describing their
-habits and mode of life. Their body, in shape much
-resembling that of the wolf, to which they also approach
-very nearly in size, is considerably more elevated in
-front than behind, owing partly to their constant custom
-of keeping the posterior legs bent in a crouching and
-half recumbent posture. Beneath the tail, which is short
-and dependent, they are furnished with a pouch, in the
-interior of which is secreted a peculiar matter of a very
-strong and disagreeable smell. Their head is large and
-broad, flattened in front, and terminating in a short,
-thick, and obtuse muzzle. Like most carnivorous animals,
-they are armed in each jaw with six cutting teeth,
-and two canine, the latter of which are of considerable
-size and strength. The outermost pair of incisors in the
-upper jaw are much larger and stronger than the rest,
-and closely resemble the canine in form. The number
-of the molar or cheek teeth is five on each side in the
-upper jaw, and four in the lower; and all of them are
-remarkable for their extreme thickness and strength in
-comparison with those of the dogs and cats. Their
-tongue is similar to that of the latter animals in the
-roughness which it derives from the sharp and elevated
-papillæ with which it is covered.</p>
-
-<p>Of the genus thus characterized there exist two well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
-marked and unquestionably distinct species, the Striped
-Hyæna, or Hyæna vulgaris of modern zoologists, which
-there can be no doubt is also the Hyæna of the ancients;
-and the Hyæna crocuta, or Spotted Hyæna, the Tiger
-Wolf of the colonists of the Cape of Good Hope. To
-these may probably be added a third species, which
-there is good ground for believing to be distinct, and
-which has lately been described by Dr. Andrew Smith,
-the superintendant of the South African Museum, under
-the name of Hyæna villosa: this is also a native of the
-vicinity of the Cape, and is denominated by the settlers
-the Strand Wolf, or Strand Jut. With the two latter
-we have, however, on the present occasion, no concern;
-the only animal of this genus in the Tower belonging to
-the striped race, which inhabits the greater part of Asia
-and of Africa, penetrating in the former as far as India,
-and extending over all the northern part of the latter
-continent. It does not appear that the striped and
-spotted races are ever found to occupy the same ground;
-but the territorial limits which separate the one from the
-other have not yet been distinctly ascertained.</p>
-
-<p>The striped Hyæna has for its ground colour a uniform
-brownish gray, which is somewhat darker above
-than beneath. On the sides of the body it is marked by
-several irregular distant transverse blackish stripes or
-bands, which are more distinct on the lower part. Towards
-the shoulders and haunches these stripes become
-oblique, and they are continued in regular transverse
-lines on the outside of the legs. The front of the neck
-is completely black, as are also the muzzle and the
-outsides of the ears; the latter being broad, moderately
-long, and nearly destitute of hairs, especially on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
-inside. The hair of the body is long, particularly on
-the back of the neck and on the spine, where it forms a
-full and thick mane, which may be said to be continued
-even upon the tail, the latter organ being furnished with
-strong tufted hairs of considerable length. The mane
-and the tail are both marked with blackish spots or
-stripes variously and irregularly placed. Much variety
-is indeed to be met with as well in the ground colour of
-the whole body as in the disposition of the markings,
-which are extremely different in different individuals.</p>
-
-<p>The habits of the Hyænas are entirely nocturnal: while
-in the daytime their cowardice is so excessive that they
-fly from the face of man, and suffer themselves, when
-taken, to be ill treated with impunity and even without
-attempting to avenge themselves, they prowl abroad in
-the stillness of the night with all the temerity of brutal
-daring. They will frequently make prey of the lesser
-animals, and will occasionally venture to attack dogs
-and even horses; but it is seldom that they muster up
-sufficient courage to contend with living man, unless
-stimulated by strong provocation, or impelled by the
-most violent cravings of hunger. Congregated in numerous
-bands they beset the encampment of the traveller,
-or infest the neighbourhood of villages or even of towns,
-which they enter with the fall of night and do not quit
-until the dawn of day; disturbing the inhabitants with
-their peculiar moaning or wailing, which is in some
-measure intermediate between a grunt and a howl.
-Parading the streets and penetrating into the houses in
-search of prey, they eagerly devour the offal of animals,
-the refuse of the daily meal, or whatever else that is in
-any way eatable may happen to fall in their way.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>
-Nothing, however filthy, comes amiss to their voracious
-appetites, which are indeed unbounded. They even
-break into the cemeteries of the dead, and tearing open
-the graves by means of their powerful claws, disinter the
-buried corpses, on which they glut that horrid propensity
-for feeding on carrion, which is at once the most striking
-and the most disgusting of their peculiarities. Their
-fondness for this polluted species of food tends of course
-not a little to increase the natural antipathy with which
-they are regarded by the natives of the countries in
-which they abound, and renders them objects of peculiar
-detestation and abhorrence. The great size and
-strength of their teeth and the immense power of their
-jaws enable them to crush the largest bones with comparative
-facility, and account for the avidity with which
-they prey upon an almost fleshless skeleton. In the
-daytime they retire into caves, from which they issue
-only when the shades of evening warn them that the
-hour for their depredations has arrived. Their gait is
-awkward and usually slow and constrained; when
-scared, however, from their prey, or when pursued by
-the hunter, they fly with tolerable swiftness, but still
-with an appearance of lameness in their motions, resulting
-from the constant bending of their posterior legs.</p>
-
-<p>Notwithstanding the brutal voracity of his habits and
-the savage fierceness of his disposition, there is scarcely
-any animal that submits with greater facility to the
-control of man. In captivity, especially when taken
-young, a circumstance on which much depends in the
-domestication of all wild animals, he is capable of being
-rendered exceedingly tame, and even serviceable. In
-some parts of Southern Africa the spotted species, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
-is by nature quite as ferocious in his temper as the
-striped inhabitant of the North, has been domiciliated in
-the houses of the peasantry, among whom he is preferred
-to the dog himself for attachment to his master, for
-general sagacity, and even, it is said, for his qualifications
-for the chase. That the Striped Hyæna might be
-rendered equally useful is highly probable from the
-docility and attachment which he manifests towards his
-keepers, especially when allowed a certain degree of
-liberty, which he shows no disposition to abuse. If
-more closely restricted his savage nature sometimes
-returns upon him; and it is for this reason that those
-which are carried about the country from fair to fair,
-pent up in close caravans, frequently become surly and
-even dangerous. The individual whose portrait we give
-is, on the contrary, remarkably tame; he is a native of
-the East Indies, and is confined in the same den with
-one of the American Bears, as we shall have occasion to
-notice more particularly when speaking of the latter
-animal.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p076.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Hyænas digging in a graveyard" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p077.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Hyæna-dog" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_HYAENA-DOG">THE HYÆNA-DOG.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Canis pictus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Desm.</span></p>
-
-<p>It is not without much hesitation that we have adopted
-for this animal the generic name of Canis, and referred
-it, in conformity with the example of most of the leading
-zoologists of the day, to the same group with the Wolf,
-the Jackal, and the Fox; from all of which it differs in
-such important particulars as fully entitle it, in our
-estimation, to the rank of a distinct and separate genus.
-To this rank it has, indeed, been already raised by
-Mr. Brookes, under the generic appellation of Lycaon;
-but as we are not aware that it has been any where
-described under that name, or that any detailed account
-has been given of the characters on which that separation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
-is founded, we cannot consider ourselves authorized in
-a work of this nature to make any innovations upon
-science, however much we may feel, as in the present
-instance, that they are called for by the exigency of the
-case. That its position is at least doubtful is proved by
-the fact that M. Temminck, one of the ablest of the
-continental zoologists, first described it from the living
-animal under the designation of a Hyæna, and, having
-subsequently changed his opinion, is now disposed to
-regard it as a species of dog.</p>
-
-<p>For the zoological characters of the latter genus the
-reader is referred to the following article: at present we
-shall confine ourselves to the description of the remarkable
-animal before us, pointing out, as we proceed, the
-marks by which it differs from both the groups to which
-it has hitherto been referred, and those by which it is
-assimilated to either the one or the other. In the shape
-and elevation of its body it is at first sight distinguished
-from them both, its legs being considerably longer in
-relation to its size, and the trunk of its body, as will be
-seen by the portrait prefixed, being very different in
-form and proportions. It is entirely destitute of the
-mane of the Hyæna, and its tail is very similar to that
-of certain dogs; but, on the other hand, its head
-approximates very closely, or rather bears a most
-striking resemblance, to the broad and flattened forehead,
-and the short and truncated muzzle, which characterize
-the former genus. It is this latter circumstance
-no doubt that has induced many naturalists, both popular
-and scientific, to identify the Wild Dog, as he is called
-by the settlers at the Cape, with a group of animals
-from which in every other particular of outward structure,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
-excepting one, it is remarkably and obviously
-distinct. The only other point of agreement between
-them consists in the number of its toes, which, like
-those of the Hyæna, are only four to each foot. This
-peculiarity, combined with the form of the head, unquestionably
-affords some ground for placing these animals
-in close apposition; but is by no means so important,
-in the absence of other and more essential characteristics,
-as to warrant their union into a single group. Taken
-together, however, and in connexion with other features
-of distinction, these characters may fairly be regarded
-as sufficiently striking to sanction the separation of the
-animal now under consideration from the dogs. With
-the latter it corresponds most completely in the number
-and form of its teeth, and in the general structure of its
-skeleton, which differs remarkably from that of the
-Hyæna.</p>
-
-<p>In size and form it is smaller and more slender than
-either the Hyæna or the Wolf. Its ground colour is of
-a reddish or yellowish brown, which is variously mottled
-in large patches along the sides of the body and on
-the legs, with black and white intermingled together.
-Its nose and muzzle are completely black, and it has a
-strong black line passing from them up the centre of the
-forehead to between the ears, which are very large, black
-both within and without, and furnished with a broad
-and expanded tuft of long whitish hairs arising from
-their anterior margin and filling up a considerable part
-of their concavity. There is a lighter patch on the
-muzzle beneath each of the eyes. The tail is of moderate
-length, covered with long bushy hair, and divided
-in the middle by a ring of black, below which or towards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
-the extremity it is nearly white, as are also the fore
-parts of the legs below the joint. These colours and
-markings are subject to variation in different individuals;
-but in their general disposition and appearance
-they constantly exhibit the greatest similarity.</p>
-
-<p>The Hyæna-Dog, if this compound term may be
-allowed, is a native of the South of Africa, and infests the
-frontier settlements at no great distance from the Cape
-to a very extensive and troublesome degree. Mr. Burchell,
-to whom we are indebted for the earliest specimen
-brought to this country, as well as for first pointing out
-its distinctive characters, informs us that it hunts in
-regular packs, preferring the night, but frequently pursuing
-its prey even by day. It is not only exceedingly
-fierce, but also remarkably swift and active, insomuch
-that none but the fleeter animals can escape from its
-pursuit. Sheep, oxen, and horses appear to be its
-favourite game: on the former it makes its onset openly
-and without fear, but of the latter it seems to stand in
-awe, and attacks them only by stealth, frequently surprising
-them in their sleep, biting off the tails of the
-oxen, for which it has a particular fancy, and inflicting
-such serious injuries upon the horses, especially the
-young colts, as they rarely survive.</p>
-
-<p>The individual brought home by Mr. Burchell was
-kept by that gentleman chained up in his stable-yard
-for more than a year; at the expiration of which its
-ferocity continued unabated; the man who fed it being
-so fearful of it that he “dared never to venture his hand
-upon it.” It is nevertheless highly probable that with
-a somewhat firmer and bolder treatment it might have
-been in some degree tamed, if not domesticated; for it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span>
-is stated that it at length became familiar with a dog,
-which was its constant companion. That which is at
-present in the Tower was brought to England in company
-with the youngest of the Cape Lions. They agreed
-together extremely well; but as the Lion increased in
-size his play became too rough for his comparatively
-feeble companion, who was borne to the earth in a
-moment by the superior weight and strength of his
-antagonist. Mr. Cops therefore found it necessary to
-consign them to separate dens. Other companions for
-the Hyæna-Dog have, however, very recently been obtained,
-an interesting addition having been made to the
-stock of the Menagerie by the acquisition of a couple of
-Spotted Hyænas; a brief notice of which we subjoin, as
-well as their portraits by way of tail-piece, they having
-arrived during the progress of the present sheet through
-the press, and consequently too late for insertion in their
-proper place.</p>
-
-<p id="THE_SPOTTED_HYAENA">In size the <span class="smcap">Spotted Hyæna</span>, the Hyæna Crocuta of
-naturalists, is somewhat inferior to the striped. Its
-muzzle, although short, is not so abruptly truncated;
-and its ears, which are short and broad, assume a nearly
-quadrilateral figure. Its ground colour is yellowish
-brown; and the whole body is covered with numerous
-spots of a deeper brown, tolerably uniform in size, but
-sometimes not very distinctly marked, and occasionally
-arranging themselves in longitudinal rows. Its hair is
-shorter than that of the Striped Hyæna, and although
-longer on the neck and in the central line of the back
-than elsewhere, does not form so distinct and well furnished
-a mane as in the latter animal. The tail is blackish
-brown, and covered with long bushy hair.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>This species appears to be peculiar to Southern Africa.
-In its wild state it is equally ferocious in its temper and
-disgusting in its habits with the common species of the
-North; but it has been found, as we have before mentioned,
-to be capable of domestication, and of rendering
-services to man equal to those which he derives from the
-dog. The pair which have just arrived in the Tower
-have been placed by Mr. Cops in one den with the
-Striped Hyæna and with the Hyæna-Dog; and this
-juxta-position affords an excellent opportunity for a
-comparison of their characters and disposition. They
-agree together tolerably well; but the new-comers are
-hardly as yet reconciled to their abode, and consequently
-appear shy and reserved. The Hyæna-Dog is the most
-lively of the group; and his playfulness appears occasionally
-to give no little annoyance to the Striped
-Hyæna, who generally returns his solicitations with a
-surly snarl, but does not seem disposed to resent them
-farther.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p082.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Two hyæna-dogs" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p083.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Three African bloodhounds" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_AFRICAN_BLOODHOUND">THE AFRICAN BLOODHOUND.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Canis domesticus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn. Var.</span></p>
-
-<p>The generic characters of this well known group, comprehending
-not only the various races of the Dog, the
-Wolf, and the Jackal, but also the numerous species of
-Foxes, which differ from the rest only in the form of the
-pupils of their eyes (which are round in the former, and
-transversely linear in the latter) may be shortly enumerated
-as follows. They are all furnished in the upper
-jaw with six sharp incisors and two canine teeth in
-front, and with six molars on each side; the same
-number of each description is also to be found in the
-lower, with the addition of a seventh grinder. Their
-tongue is perfectly smooth, the papillæ which cover it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
-being soft and velvety to the touch, instead of rough and
-pointed as in the Hyænas and Cats. They have five
-toes to each of the fore feet, of which only the four
-outermost touch the ground, the fifth being always more
-or less elevated. On the hind feet the number of the
-toes is no more than four, for although the rudiment of
-a fifth is distinctly visible in the skeleton, it is rarely
-observable in the living animal. On these toes they
-constantly support themselves in walking, the soles of
-their feet, or rather that part of the legs which corresponds
-to the soles of plantigrade animals, never being
-applied to the surface of the ground on which they
-tread. Their claws are blunt, strong, but little curved,
-and not at all retractile; and their use is evidently
-limited to turning up the earth. Their muzzle is more
-or less elongated to afford space for the ample series of
-lateral teeth; and the strength of their jaws, as well as
-the extent of opening between them, is by this means
-much diminished. In most of these particulars they
-exhibit a striking contrast with the more perfect of the
-carnivorous races, and afford grounds for expecting an
-equally manifest falling off from their ferocious and
-sanguinary propensities. The dogs are in fact by no
-means equally carnivorous with the cats; and their teeth,
-especially the grinders, are fitted as well for the demolition
-of vegetable as of animal substances.</p>
-
-<p>In a wild state, however, they subsist themselves
-principally by preying upon the inferior animals, feeding
-with nearly equal relish upon the warm and palpitating
-fibres of a fresh and almost living victim, and
-upon the mangled carcass which taints the air with its
-unsavoury exhalations. Their habitation is in the depths<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
-of the forest, where the larger species form themselves
-dens in the close and thick underwood, while the smaller
-burrow in the earth for shelter. Their lengthened muzzle
-and the great extent to which all the cavities connected
-with the nose are dilated, are admirably fitted for giving
-to the organ of smell the fullest developement of which
-it is capable. It is the perfection of this organ, combined
-with the general lightness and muscularity of their
-frame and the firm agility of their elongated limbs, which
-renders many of the species such excellent hunters, by
-enabling them to scent their prey at an immense and
-sometimes almost incredible distance, and to run it down
-in the chase with indefatigable swiftness and unrelaxing
-pertinacity.</p>
-
-<p>The very terms of the specific character by which
-Linnæus attempted to distinguish the domesticated from
-the other dogs, “the tail curved upwards (towards the
-left),” may be regarded as affording in themselves a
-sufficient proof of the difficulty of the task, when so
-great a naturalist, after taking a complete review of all
-the particulars of their organization, was compelled to
-rest contented with a distinction drawn from so trifling
-and apparently insignificant a remark. It would in fact
-appear to be absolutely impossible to offer in any form
-of words whatever a character sufficiently comprehensive
-to combine the almost infinite varieties of this Protean
-race, and at the same time to separate them from those
-other races from which they are generally believed to be
-specifically distinct. To this observation of Linnæus
-almost the sole addition that has been made by later
-zoologists consists in a remark of M. Desmarest, that
-whenever a spot of white is found upon any part of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
-tail of a domestic dog, the tip of that very variable organ
-is also constantly white; so that we are still driven to
-recur to the tail alone for the only uniform physical
-characteristics that have been pointed out to distinguish
-an animal, which every one recognises at first sight, and
-which indeed it is impossible to mistake.</p>
-
-<p>But it is to the moral and intellectual faculties of the
-Dog that we must look for those remarkable peculiarities
-which distinguish him in so eminent a degree not only
-from his immediate neighbours, but also from every
-other quadruped. Unfortunately we have not the means
-of comparing him in a pure state of nature with the
-other animals of his tribe; for although it has been
-repeatedly attempted to determine his primitive stock,
-there can be no doubt that upon this point we are still
-as much as ever in the dark. There exist, however, in
-various parts of the world, considerable numbers of
-Dogs, the descendants unquestionably of races formerly
-domesticated, which, to all appearance, differ but little
-in their habits and manners from the Wolf and the
-Jackal, to one or other of which they frequently approach
-in form, and from each of which it has been
-confidently asserted that the domestic species was primarily
-derived. But the doubts to which this striking
-similarity might otherwise give rise are instantly removed
-by the readiness with which these wild Dogs
-submit to the control of man, and become familiarized
-with that state of servitude to which nature appears to
-have destined them from the first. Other animals may
-indeed be tamed; they may become playful, familiar,
-and even affectionate; but none of them have hitherto
-been taught, even by long-continued training, to exhibit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
-qualities of mind in any degree comparable to the absolute
-subserviency, the undeviating attachment, the submissive
-docility, and the acute intelligence, which these
-invaluable animals almost spontaneously manifest, when
-placed in circumstances favourable to their developement.</p>
-
-<p>So much has been written by authors of every description,
-from the earliest ages down to the present time,
-upon every point connected with their history and habits,
-and the space which we could devote to their illustration
-in the present volume is so small, that we choose rather
-not to enter at all upon the subject than to treat of it in
-the very abrupt and imperfect manner to which we
-should necessarily be restricted. It only remains therefore
-to add a few observations relative to the extremely
-beautiful leash of hounds which are figured at the head
-of the present article, before passing to the consideration
-of the remaining species of the group which are at present
-contained in the Menagerie.</p>
-
-<p>These are two males and one female, belonging to the
-most elegant as well as the most intelligent variety of
-the species, that to which Linnæus, on account of the
-high degree to which the latter quality was carried in
-them, gave <i>par excellence</i> the epithet of <i>sagax</i>. They
-were presented by Major, now Colonel Denham, on his
-return from the most successful expedition that has
-perhaps ever been made into the evil-omened regions of
-Central Africa, from whence they were brought by that
-gallant traveller, who also gave Mr. Cops the following
-account of their qualifications for the chase. He had
-repeatedly, he said, made use of them in hunting the
-Gazelle, in their pursuit of which he had observed that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
-they displayed more cunning and sagacity than any
-dogs with which he was acquainted, frequently quitting
-the line of scent for the purpose of cutting off a double,
-and recovering it again with the greatest facility. They
-would follow a scent after an hour and a half or even
-two hours had elapsed; and the breed was therefore
-commonly employed in Africa for the purpose of tracing
-a flying enemy to his retreat. They are in fact, both
-for symmetry and action, perfect models; and there are
-few sportsmen who will not regret that there appears no
-chance of crossing our own pointers with this interesting
-breed. A mixed race, combining the qualifications of
-both, would unquestionably be one of the most valuable
-acquisitions to our sporting stock; but, unhappily, this
-union seems to be altogether hopeless; for although
-they have now been more than three years in England,
-and are in excellent health and condition, they appear,
-like many other animals restrained of their liberty and
-kept constantly together, to have no disposition to perpetuate
-their race. The males are remarkably good
-tempered; the female on the contrary is surly and ill
-natured.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p088.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="The Fates. Relevance? Left to the reader to decide." />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p089.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Wolf with cubs" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_WOLF">THE WOLF.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Canis Lupus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>This sullen and forbidding-looking animal, the most
-ravenous and ferocious that infests the more temperate
-regions of the earth, of many parts of which he is the
-terror and the scourge, is distinguished from the humble,
-generous, and faithful friend of man, the domestic dog,
-by no very remarkable or striking character; and yet
-there is something in his physiognomy, gait, and habit,
-which is at once so peculiar and so repulsive, that it
-would be almost impossible to confound a Wolf, however
-tame, with the most savage and the most wolflike
-of dogs. For the separation of the two species, Linnæus,
-as we have seen in the preceding article, had recourse to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>
-the tail; and having determined that that of the dog
-was uniformly curved upwards, he attributed to that of
-the Wolf a completely opposite direction, that is to say,
-a curvature inwards; assigning, at the same time, a
-straight or a deflected position to those of all the other
-animals of the group. The deflected, or down-pointing,
-direction is, however, equally common in the Wolf with
-the incurved; and this petty distinction, which has little
-to do with structure, and still less with habits, is hardly
-deserving of serious attention. More obvious and more
-essential differences will be found in the cast of his
-countenance, which derives a peculiar expression from
-the obliquity of his eyes; in the breadth of his head,
-suddenly contracting into a slender and pointed muzzle;
-in the size and power of his teeth, which are comparatively
-greater than those of any dog of equal stature; in
-the stiffness and want of pliability of his limbs; in his
-uniformly straight and pointed ears; and in a black stripe
-which almost constantly, and in nearly every variety of
-the species, occupies the front of the fore leg of the adult.
-His fur, which differs considerably in texture and colour,
-from the influence of climate and of seasons, is commonly
-of a grayish yellow, the shades of which are
-variously intermingled; as he advances in age it becomes
-lighter, and in high northern latitudes frequently turns
-completely white, a change which also takes place in
-many other animals inhabiting the polar regions.</p>
-
-<p>Entirely dependent upon rapine for his subsistence,
-the nose of the Wolf is fully equal to that of the sharpest-scented
-hound. The size and speed of the elk and
-of the stag are insufficient to protect them from his
-violence; he pursues them with equal swiftness and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
-cunning, and, when he has succeeded in running them
-down, finds little difficulty in rendering them his prey.
-To effect this purpose with the greater certainty he
-frequently unites himself with a numerous train of his
-fellows, who are however bound together by no other
-tie than the common object of their pursuit; and when
-this is once attained immediately separate and proceed
-each to his own retreat, whence they again emerge to
-reunite in the common cause whenever the necessary
-stimulus is supplied. In inhabited countries he seldom
-ventures to show himself openly or in packs, but sleeps
-away the greater part of the day in the shelter of the
-forest, and only prowls abroad by night when impelled
-by the cravings of his appetite. The sheep-cote and the
-farm-yard become then the scenes of his ravages; and
-such is his ingenuity, and so great the rapidity of his
-motions, that he will frequently carry off his prey almost
-before the eyes of the shepherd, although the warning
-voice of the watchful dog had given timely notice of the
-approach of the marauder. His ferocity is sometimes
-carried to such a pitch that he becomes dangerous to
-man; and when hard pressed by famine, to which in
-spite of all his skill in the chase and his sagacity in
-the pursuit of meaner rapine he is by no means a
-stranger, he will fall at unawares upon the solitary and
-unprotected traveller, or, prowling about the habitation
-of the villager, carry off from it his unsuspecting and
-defenceless children.</p>
-
-<p>Happily for England this formidable beast has long
-been extirpated from its woods; but the comparative
-extent of his domain has been thereby but little reduced.
-It may be roughly stated as comprehending the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
-northern hemisphere, of which only very small portions
-are exempted from his ravages. He is easily tamed
-when young, and may even (according to M. F. Cuvier,
-who has published a history of a domesticated individual
-bordering in many particulars very closely on the marvellous,
-but of the truth of which the well known
-character of that scientific naturalist is a sufficient guarantee)
-be rendered susceptible of the highest degree of
-attachment to his master, whom he will remember after
-prolonged and repeated absence, and caress with all the
-familiar fondness of a dog. Such traits as this are,
-however, to say the least, very uncommon; and he is,
-even in captivity, generally speaking, ill tempered and
-morose. The old male, the father of the litter now in
-the Tower, was extremely savage; the female, on the
-contrary, is very tame, and, which is more remarkable,
-continued so even during the period of suckling her
-young, which were five in number. Neither before, at,
-nor after this period did her temper undergo any change:
-she suffered her keepers to handle her cubs, of which
-she was excessively fond, and even to remove them from
-the den, without evincing the smallest symptom either
-of anger or alarm.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p092.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p093.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two clouded black wolves" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CLOUDED_BLACK_WOLF">THE CLOUDED BLACK WOLF.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Canis nubilus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Say.</span></p>
-
-<p>To distinguish between the numerous races of Wolves
-which are scattered more or less abundantly over nearly
-the entire surface of the earth; to determine that such
-and such variations are the result of original formation,
-and that such and such others are merely the product of
-accidental circumstances; in other words, to establish
-clear and tangible grounds of specific distinction between
-animals so varied in external appearance, but corresponding
-so perfectly in every essential particular, while
-the shades of character by which they differ, although in
-many cases strikingly marked, are for the most part so
-unimportant, or so little permanent, as scarcely to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
-deserving of notice,&mdash;is unquestionably one of the most
-difficult problems, to the solution of which the zoologist
-has to apply himself.</p>
-
-<p>In internal and anatomical structure, on which modern
-naturalists are agreed that the greatest reliance ought to
-be placed in the distinction of closely approximating
-species, there is in the various races of Wolves no deviation
-from the common type of sufficient importance to
-warrant their separation from each other; neither does
-their outward form, excepting only in size and in the
-comparative measurement of parts, differ in any remarkable
-degree. In colour it is true that the most striking
-variations are observable, their hair exhibiting almost
-every intermediate shade between the opposite extremes
-of black and white. But it must be obvious that on this
-character, taken by itself, it would be absurd to insist as
-a ground of specific distinction, when we reflect on the
-influence which climate and other external accidents
-must necessarily exercise on animals so extensively dispersed,
-and so variously circumstanced.</p>
-
-<p>There are, however, strong grounds for believing that
-the fine pair of animals, whose portraits are prefixed to
-the present article, exhibit real and substantial marks of
-distinction of sufficient value to sanction their separation
-from the other species. Considerably larger and more
-robust than the Common Wolf, and differing greatly in
-the expression of their physiognomy, neither in figure
-nor in countenance are they remarkable for that starved
-and gaunt appearance which is the common and well
-known attribute of the latter. In fact, they have altogether
-a more fierce and formidable, but at the same
-time a more noble and less sinister, aspect. Their hair,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
-which is of considerable length, especially along the
-middle of the back and shoulders, where it forms a sort
-of indistinct and scattered mane, is mottled with various
-shades of black, gray, and white, giving to the whole
-animal that dark and clouded colour which constitutes
-one of its most peculiar and striking characteristics. The
-colouring, which, on the upper parts of the body, is deep
-black, becomes somewhat lighter on the sides, and assumes
-a yet lighter shade beneath: the chin and angles of the
-mouth are nearly white; the gray tinge predominating
-over the darker shades in various other parts, but by no
-means in so regular a manner as to merit a particular
-description. The ears are remarkably short; and the
-tail is also somewhat shorter in proportion than that of
-the common wolf, not reaching, in its solid form, beneath
-the posterior bend (which in all these animals is formed
-by the heel) of the hind legs.</p>
-
-<p>The animals at present in the Tower, the only individuals
-of this species that have been brought alive to
-Europe, were presented about four years since by the
-Hudson’s Bay Company, by some of whose hunters they
-had been trapped in the northern regions of America. A
-fine skin of the same species was brought home by the
-late overland expedition to those countries, under the
-command of Captain Franklin, and presented to the
-Museum of the Zoological Society. There is also another
-instance of its occurrence recorded in the capture of a
-solitary specimen, in the Missouri territory, by the party
-engaged in Major Long’s expedition from Pittsburgh to
-the Rocky Mountains. This specimen was accurately
-described, in the notes to the published narrative of that
-expedition, by Mr. Say, who at once recognised it as a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
-distinct species, and affixed to it the scientific name which
-we have adopted without hesitation for these animals,
-with the most striking peculiarities of which his description
-coincides in every essential particular.</p>
-
-<p>Their habits in a state of nature are, in all probability,
-perfectly similar to those which characterize their immediate
-neighbours, from which, in captivity, they differ
-in no remarkable degree. Like the common kind, they
-are exceedingly voracious, tearing their meat and swallowing
-it in large gobbets, and afterwards gnawing the
-bones (for which they frequently quarrel) with truly
-wolvish avidity. Although they have been so long confined,
-they retain their original ferocity undiminished:
-a circumstance, it may be mentioned by the way, which
-has prevented us from giving their measurement. Judging,
-however, from the eye, we may confidently venture
-to assert that their size, especially that of the male, is
-considerably superior to that of the specimen described
-by Mr. Say, which measured about four feet and a quarter
-from the tip of the nose to the origin of the tail.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p096.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Wolf pack bringing down a stag" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p097.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Jackal" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_JACKAL">THE JACKAL.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Canis aureus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Jackal, one of the greatest pests of the countries
-which he inhabits, is spread over nearly the whole of
-Asia and the north of Africa, occupying in the warmer
-regions of those continents the place of the Wolf, of
-whom in many particulars he may be considered as
-offering a miniature resemblance. In size he is about
-equal to the common fox, but he differs from that equally
-troublesome animal in the form of the pupils of his eyes,
-which correspond with those of the dog and of the wolf,
-in the comparative shortness of his legs and muzzle, in
-his less tufted and bushy tail, and in the peculiar marking
-of his coat. The colouring of his back and sides consists<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
-of a mixture of gray and black, which is abruptly and
-strikingly distinguished from the deep and uniform
-tawny of his shoulders, haunches, and legs: his head is
-nearly of the same mixed shade with the upper surface
-of his body, as is also the greater part of his tail, which
-latter, however, becomes black towards its extremity;
-his neck and throat are whitish, and the under surface
-of his body is distinguished by a paler hue.</p>
-
-<p>Unlike the wolf or the fox, he always associates himself
-with his species in numerous troops, which burrow
-together in the earth, hunt in concert, and act in conjunction
-for their mutual defence. These bands not only
-prey upon the smaller quadrupeds and domestic poultry,
-but, emboldened by their numbers, give chase to and
-attack the larger animals. They frequently follow in
-the train of more noble beasts, and make their meal off
-the remains of the carcases which have been half devoured
-by the Lion or the Tiger. When taken they
-become almost immediately tame and docile; offering
-no resistance and evincing no signs of ferocity. The
-specimen in the Tower is remarkably quiet; it is a male,
-and has been a resident for upwards of three years.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p098.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Jackals among ancient ruins" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p099.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two civets" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CIVET_OR_MUSK_CAT">THE CIVET, OR MUSK CAT.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Viverra Civetta.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>The group of animals to which we have next to turn
-our attention is perhaps the most puzzling, and certainly
-the least understood, among the true Carnivora;
-hence there exists no little difficulty in defining its
-limits and distinguishing the species which compose it.
-Under the generic name of Viverra, Linnæus comprehended
-a series, or, to speak more properly, a congeries,
-of quadrupeds, differing from each other so remarkably
-in form, in structure, and in habits, as to render it
-absolutely impossible to find characters by which they
-might be circumscribed and isolated from their fellows.
-His definition of the genus therefore, although purposely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
-expressed in terms the most vague and indistinct, neither
-excludes such animals as from their obvious affinities he
-could not refrain from referring to other groups, nor
-includes full one half of the species which he has
-arranged beneath it. The Ichneumon of the Nile, the
-Suricate of the Cape, the Coati of South America, the
-Stinking Weasels of the North, the Civet of Barbary,
-the Genette of the East, the Ratel of South Africa, and
-others equally distant in affinity, were sweepingly compelled
-into this ample receptacle, which was converted
-into a genuine “refuge for the houseless,” in which
-every carnivorous quadruped, known, unknown, or imperfectly
-known, that appeared to be without a place
-elsewhere, was charitably afforded a temporary asylum.</p>
-
-<p>In this arrangement, which brought animals truly
-digitigrade, with retractile claws, tongues covered with
-sharp papillæ, canine teeth of great power, and molars
-formed for tearing flesh, consequently in a high degree
-sanguinary and carnivorous in their habits, into close
-and intimate contact with others, which are positively
-plantigrade, with exserted claws, smooth tongues, and
-teeth of little power and evidently incapable of lacerating
-animal food, and which are therefore in all cases more
-or less, and in several instances wholly, vegetable eaters,
-it was impossible for naturalists long to coincide. The
-genus thus formed presented so heterogeneous a combination,
-that the difficulty was rather where to stop in
-the dispersion of the dissimilar materials of which it was
-composed, than where to commence the necessary operation;
-and in consequence nearly a dozen genera, not
-hanging together in one continued series, but scattered
-through various parts of the system, and most of them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>
-essentially distinct, have been the result of the dismemberment
-of this single group.</p>
-
-<p>The true Civets, to which the genus Viverra is now
-restricted, yield in the extent of their carnivorous propensities
-to the cats alone, whom they approach very
-closely in many points of their zoological character, as
-well as in their predatory, sanguinary, and nocturnal
-habits. In addition to the six incisors and two canines,
-which are common to the whole of the true Carnivora,
-they have on each side and in each jaw six molars, one
-of which is peculiarly adapted for lacerating flesh, while
-the rest are more or less of the ordinary form. Their
-tongues are furnished with the same elevated and pointed
-papillæ which give so remarkable an asperity to those of
-the cats; and their claws are half retractile. The toes are
-five in number on each of the feet, and their extremities
-alone are applied to the ground in walking; the animals
-are consequently completely digitigrade. But the most
-distinctive character of the group consists in an opening
-near the tail, leading into a double cavity of considerable
-size, furnished with glands and follicles for the secretion
-of the peculiar odoriferous substance so well known as
-the produce of the Civet, and from which the animal
-derives his name.</p>
-
-<p>The present species is from two to three feet in length,
-exclusive of the tail, which is nearly half as much more;
-and stands from ten to twelve inches high. His body,
-which is more elongated in its form than that of any of
-the animals hitherto described, is covered with long hair,
-the ground colour of which is of a brownish gray intermingled
-with numerous transverse interrupted bands or
-irregular spots of black. A series of longer hairs of the
-latter colour occupy the middle line of the back, from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
-between the shoulders to the extremity of the tail, and
-form a kind of mane, which may be raised or depressed
-at pleasure. The legs and greater part of the tail are
-perfectly black, and the upper lip and sides of the neck
-nearly white. A large patch of black surrounds each
-eye, and passes from it to the angle of the mouth; and
-two or three other bands of the same colour pass obliquely
-from the base of the ears towards the shoulder
-and neck, the latter of which is marked by a broad black
-patch.</p>
-
-<p>In his natural habits the Civet closely resembles the
-fox and the less powerful species of cats, subsisting by
-rapine, and attacking the birds and smaller quadrupeds,
-which form his principal food, rather by night and by
-surprise than by open force and in the face of day:
-reduced to a state of captivity, he becomes moderately
-tame, but not sufficiently so to allow himself to be
-handled with impunity. In many parts of Northern
-Africa large numbers of them are kept for the purpose
-of obtaining their perfume, which bears a high price and
-is much esteemed. The individual sketched above is a
-male of large size, and remarkable for never having
-deposited any of the perfume, although for more than
-twelve months an inhabitant of the Menagerie.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p102.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Captioned Ovid B III: probably Tiresias disturbing mating snakes" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p103.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two civets" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_JAVANESE_CIVET">THE JAVANESE CIVET.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Viverra Rasse.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Horsf.</span></p>
-
-<p>The present species is remarkably distinct from the preceding
-both in form and colour. Its ground is of a
-much lighter gray, on which it offers a broad longitudinal
-dorsal line of black, and two or three narrower
-ones of the same colour on each side, composed of confluent
-spots. These spots are also thickly but somewhat
-irregularly scattered over the rest of the body, and may
-be considered as forming a series of flexuous dotted lines.
-The legs are black externally; and the head is grayish
-and without spots. A deep longitudinal black line
-occupies the side of the neck above, and a second more
-oblique is placed below. The body, which is from
-fifteen to eighteen inches in length, is narrow and compressed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
-and more elevated behind than before; the
-back is strongly arched. The line of the profile is perfectly
-straight, the muzzle narrow and tapering, and the
-ears short and rounded. The tail is of equal length
-with the body, and tapers gradually to the tip; it is
-marked with eight or nine broad rings of black, alternating
-with an equal number of grayish.</p>
-
-<p>Like the other animals of its group, its habits are predatory;
-in confinement it retains much of its original
-ferocity, and is extremely spiteful and savage. The two
-individuals from which our figure was taken have inhabited
-the Menagerie for nearly twelve months; they are
-both males, and occupy different dens. They are fed,
-like the preceding, and indeed like all the carnivorous
-quadrupeds which it remains to mention, on a mixture
-of vegetable and animal food; and deposit large quantities
-of civet, which strongly impregnates the air of the
-apartment in which they are kept. This perfume is
-highly esteemed by the Javanese, who apply it not only
-to their dresses, but also to their persons. Even the
-apartments and furniture of the natives of rank are
-generally scented with it to such a degree as to be offensive
-to Europeans.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p104.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Civets stealing eggs from a nest" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p105.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Ichneumon" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_GRAY_ICHNEUMON">THE GRAY ICHNEUMON.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ichneumon Griseus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Geoff.</span></p>
-
-<p>From the Civets, to which it closely approaches in the
-number and in some degree also in the form of its teeth,
-in the asperity of its tongue, and in the semi-retractility
-of its claws, the group of which the Egyptian Ichneumon
-forms the type is distinguished by its narrower and more
-pointed muzzle, by the shortness of its lower lip, and
-more especially by the absence of the double cavity
-beneath the tail, which is replaced by a single pouch of
-considerable size, but destitute of secreting glands. Their
-hair is long, crisp, brittle, and always more or less
-variegated in colour, in consequence of each separate hair
-being marked by alternate rings of different shades.</p>
-
-<p>The colour of the species now before us, which is a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
-native of India, is a pale gray, the hairs being for the
-most part of a dirty yellowish white, relieved towards
-their extremities by narrow rings of brown. The head
-and limbs are darker than the rest of the body.</p>
-
-<p>The habits of the Ichneumons are very similar to those
-of the ferret. In the localities where they abound, their
-sanguinary disposition and predatory inclinations render
-them a real pest to the farm-yard, to which they pay
-their nocturnal visits for the purpose of destroying the
-poultry. They also make war upon rats, birds, and
-reptiles, and devour the eggs of the latter with the
-greatest avidity. Endowed with a remarkable degree of
-courage in proportion to their size, they do not hesitate
-to attack any animal that is not obviously more than a
-match for them. Even in captivity they retain much of
-their native spirit; and so great is their activity and
-determination that the individual now in the Tower
-actually on one occasion killed no fewer than a dozen
-full grown rats, which were loosed to it in a room sixteen
-feet square, in less than a minute and a half. They are
-very easily tamed, become attached to those with whom
-they are familiar and to the house in which they live, and
-will follow their master about almost like a dog.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p106.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Ichneumon sinking its teeth into a rat" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p107.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Paradoxurus. Two of 'em. Eating a bird. Paradoxuri?" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_PARADOXURUS">THE PARADOXURUS.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Paradoxurus typus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">F. Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>Although the division of the true Carnivora into digitigrade
-and plantigrade is in many respects objectionable,
-we feel compelled, in conformity with established
-rules, to remove the animal before us from its most
-obvious affinities, to arrange it among the latter; placing
-it, however, at the commencement of that division and
-nearly in contact with the viverrine groups, to which it
-is so intimately allied, as to have been actually confounded
-by Buffon with the common Genette; a mistake,
-which was first clearly pointed out by M. F. Cuvier, but
-which has obtained so generally among naturalists, that
-the Paradoxurus is still commonly exhibited under that
-erroneous name. From the Genettes and Civets it differs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>
-little in its general form and habits; its teeth are nearly
-similar; and its toes and nails closely correspond in number
-and in their degree of retractility. But it is entirely
-destitute of the secretory pouch; and, in addition to its
-plantigrade walk, it exhibits a very peculiar structure in
-the tail. This organ is as long as the body, and flattened
-above and below; when extended, the further half is
-turned over so as to place its lower side uppermost, and
-the animal has it in its power to roll it up into a spire,
-commencing from above downwards, to the very base.</p>
-
-<p>The colour of the species varies in different lights: in
-general it may be described as grayish black, with a
-tinge of yellow. On this ground it is marked with one
-broad dorsal, and on each side two or three narrower,
-indistinct black lines. The under jaw, the legs, and the
-greater part of the tail are entirely black; and there is a
-whitish spot above and under each of its eyes.</p>
-
-<p>India and the larger Asiatic Islands appear to be its
-native country; but nothing certain is known of its
-habits in a state of nature: in captivity it is sullen and
-irascible, and evinces no affection for its keeper, appearing
-in fact totally insensible to the attentions which it
-receives.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p108.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Paradoxurus digging a burrow(?)" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p109.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Coati" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BROWN_COATI">THE BROWN COATI.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Nasua narica.</i></span> <span class="smcap">F. Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>The characters of the genus to which this curious little
-animal belongs resemble so closely in the most important
-particulars those of the other plantigrade Carnivora,
-that it will here be sufficient to explain those points
-alone in which the Coatis differ from their immediate
-affinities. From the Bears they are essentially distinguished
-by the general form of their body, which in
-some measure approaches that of the viverrine group;
-by their physiognomy, which is altogether peculiar, and
-by their elongated tail, which is nearly equal in length
-to their body. From the Racoons their generally lengthened
-form, and especially that of the snout, which is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
-in fact their most obvious and striking characteristic, are
-fully sufficient to distinguish them. In the Coatis this
-organ is produced in a most remarkable degree; and it
-is terminated by a muzzle so extremely flexible that,
-when the attention of the animal is excited, it is kept in
-constant action and moved about in all directions.</p>
-
-<p>The Coatis are barely equal in size to the common
-fox: they inhabit the woods of South America, and live
-upon fruits, insects, and reptiles, climbing trees in pursuit
-of their prey with great agility. In captivity they
-are easily tamed, and are fond of being caressed; but
-exhibit no peculiar symptoms of attachment.</p>
-
-<p>Three supposed species have been described; but
-naturalists in general are at present inclined to admit of
-no more than two; and even with regard to these we
-have yet no sufficient proof that they are really more
-than strongly marked varieties. The one from which
-our figure was taken belongs to the brown kind, which
-is distinguished from the other chiefly by its darker
-colour both above and below, and by the blackness of
-the sides of its snout. The tails of both species are
-usually encircled by rings alternately black and fulvous;
-and each has the eye surrounded by three white spots.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p110.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Coati killing a bird" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p111.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two racoons" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_RACOON">THE RACOON.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Procyon Lotor.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>Larger in size and more robust in stature than the
-Coatis, and approximating still more closely in their
-physical characters to the Bears, which may be considered
-as the typical group of the plantigrade Carnivora,
-the Racoons naturally occupy an intermediate station
-between the playful, timid, and harmless little creatures
-just noticed, and the powerful, clumsy, and dangerous
-animals next to be described. Like both Bears and
-Coatis they have in each jaw six sharp incisors, two
-strong canines, and twelve cheek teeth, six on each side.
-But these latter differ from those of the Bears, inasmuch
-as the whole six form a regular series, the three anterior<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
-ones of which are small and pointed, and the three
-posterior broad and surmounted by prominent and
-blunted tubercles; while in the Bears the three anterior
-appear rather to form a supplemental appendage, being
-placed irregularly and at unequal distances, and not
-unfrequently falling out altogether as the animal advances
-in age: the tubercles on the crowns of the posterior
-ones are also much less strongly marked. The
-Coatis exhibit nearly the same mode of dentition as the
-Racoons; but striking marks of distinction between them
-are afforded by the comparative length of the tail, which
-in the latter is scarcely half as long as the body; and by
-that of the snout, which, instead of being prolonged into
-an extensible muzzle, capable of being moved about in
-all directions, as in the Coatis, is scarcely produced
-beyond the lower lip, and has very little motion. The
-strongly marked difference in physiognomy arising from
-this circumstance is increased by the width of the head
-posteriorly, which is so great as to give to the general
-outline of the face of the Racoons the form of a nearly
-equilateral triangle. Their ears are of moderate length,
-upright and rounded at the tip; their legs strikingly
-contrast in their slender and graceful form with the
-strong and muscular limbs of the Bears; and their nails,
-five in number on each of the feet, are long, pointed, and
-of considerable strength. The whole body is clothed
-with long, thick, and soft hair; and its general shape,
-notwithstanding its intimate connexion with the Bears,
-and its short and thickset proportions, is not without a
-certain degree of elegance and lightness.</p>
-
-<p>The Racoons are natives of America, and the species
-which has been most frequently observed by naturalists,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
-and which we are now to describe, is most frequent in
-the northern division of that continent. Indeed it may
-admit of doubt whether it ever advances further south
-than the Isthmus of Darien, the animal described by
-M. D’Azara as identical with it being evidently a distinct
-species. Its fur is usually of a deep grayish black,
-resulting from the intermixture of those two colours in
-successive rings on each individual hair. The shades of
-colour vary on different parts of the body, and are as
-usual much lighter below and on the inside of the legs.
-The face, which is nearly white, is surrounded by a
-black band of unequal breadth, passing across the forehead,
-encircling the eyes, and descending obliquely on
-each side towards the angle of the jaw. The whiskers
-are of moderate length; and the hair of the face generally,
-as well as of the legs, is short and smooth. The
-tail, which is thick at the base, tapering gradually to the
-tip, and covered with long hairs, has five or six brownish
-rings, alternating with an equal number of the lighter
-colour which is prevalent on the lower parts of the body.</p>
-
-<p>All that we know of their habits in a state of nature
-may be comprehended in the single fact, that, in addition
-to the vegetable substances, and more particularly
-fruits, which form the principal part of their subsistence,
-they feed on the eggs of birds, and even on the birds
-themselves, their agility and the structure of their claws
-affording them the means of reaching the tops of the
-tallest trees with quickness and facility. In captivity
-they are easily tamed, and even appear susceptible of
-some degree of attachment; but they never entirely lose
-their sentiment of independence, and are consequently
-incapable of complete domestication. When placed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
-under a certain degree of restraint they appear contented
-and happy, are fond of play, and take pleasure
-in the caresses of their friends, and even of strangers;
-but however long this kind of domestication may have
-continued, and how much soever they may seem reconciled
-to their confinement, the moment the restraint is
-withdrawn and they feel themselves again at liberty, the
-love of freedom prevails over every other consideration,
-and they become as wild as if they had never been
-reclaimed. In eating, they commonly support themselves
-on their hind legs, and carry their food to the
-mouth between their fore paws, having first plunged it
-in water, if the liquid element, of which they are remarkably
-fond, is within reach. This singular peculiarity,
-the object of which is not very obvious, but from which
-the animal derives his specific name, does not, however,
-appear to be constant and uniform, being frequently
-entirely neglected. The same may be said of their
-fondness for shell-fish and mollusca, for which they are
-generally stated to have a great partiality; some of them,
-like the handsome pair now living in the Menagerie,
-displaying the greatest address and dexterity in opening
-the shell of an oyster, and extracting its contents, while
-others absolutely refuse to touch it.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p114.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Racoons looking for prey: shellfish, spiders" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p115.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bear" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_AMERICAN_BLACK_BEAR">THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ursus americanus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Pallas.</span></p>
-
-<p>We have now arrived at the closing group of the true
-Carnivora; a group which, although less sanguinary in
-its habits than almost any of those which we have
-hitherto had occasion to notice, and endowed by nature
-with a capacity of subsisting entirely on vegetable substances,
-comprehends nevertheless, among the closely
-allied species of which it is composed, not merely the
-largest, but even some of the most formidable, of the
-carnivorous Mammalia.</p>
-
-<p>Both in outward shape and internal characters, these
-clumsy, sluggish, and uncouth animals offer a perfect
-contrast to the light, active, and elegant forms of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
-tribe with which we commenced our series. Instead of
-the compressed and lengthened body, with its soft, sleek,
-and variegated covering, and the long and graceful tail
-by which it is terminated, we have a broad, awkward,
-and thickset figure, covered with a rough, shaggy, and
-unattractive fur, and ending in a scarcely visible appendage,
-serving neither for ornament nor use. The difference
-in gait and motion is as remarkable as that of
-shape; for while the one glides gently along, as it were
-on tiptoe, or bounds onwards with the velocity of thought,
-the other appears to be oppressed by the weight of his
-ponderous and unwieldy bulk, and supporting himself
-on the full expansion of his dilated paws, scarcely moves
-without the semblance of an effort. The short and
-rounded jaws of the cats, with their close and regular
-series of powerful cutting and lacerating teeth, and their
-rough and rasplike tongue, are supplied by a broad and
-lengthened snout, teeth of a character totally different in
-almost every essential point, and a soft, smooth, and
-extensible tongue. The claws too, which in the cats are
-strongly curved, exceedingly sharp at their edges, tapering
-gradually to a fine point, and capable of being
-entirely retracted within their sheaths, are here indeed
-of great power, and sometimes even considerably arched,
-but rounded in their surfaces, more or less blunted at
-their extremities, and constantly protruded to their full
-extent. In this manner might the contrast be pursued
-through almost every organ; but our limits warn us that
-we must at once proceed to the enumeration of the
-essential characters which combine the Bears into a well
-marked group.</p>
-
-<p>These characters are derived, first, from their completely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
-plantigrade walk, the whole sole being at all
-times closely applied to the surface on which they tread;
-secondly, from their claws, of which they have five on
-each foot; thirdly, from the extreme shortness of their
-tail; and lastly, from the form and arrangement of their
-teeth. These consist of the usual number of incisors
-and canines, the latter being in general very robust, and
-of a series of molars, which, when complete, amount to
-six on each side in each jaw; the posterior three having
-flat and expanded surfaces surmounted by broad and
-blunted tubercles, and lying closely in contact with each
-other. Between them and the canines exists a considerable
-space, which is or should be occupied by three
-smaller and obtusely pointed teeth; but this number is
-seldom found entire, one or more of them being generally
-absent, and the series being thus rendered incomplete.</p>
-
-<p>The Black Bear of America is distinguished from his
-fellows, and more especially from the brown bear of
-Europe, which he approaches most nearly in size and
-form, by few very striking external differences, except the
-colour of his fur. His forehead has a slight elevation;
-his muzzle is elongated, and somewhat flattened above;
-and his hair, though long and straight, has less shagginess
-than that of most of the other species of the group.
-In colour it is of a uniform shining jet-black, except on
-the muzzle, where it is short and fawn-coloured, becoming
-almost gray on the lips and sides of the mouth.
-This, however, it should be observed, is the character
-only of the full-grown animal: the young are first of a
-bright ash colour, which gradually changes to a deep<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
-brown, and finally fixes in the glossy black tint of mature
-age.</p>
-
-<p>The habits and manners of the Black Bear resemble
-those of the brown almost as closely as his physical
-characters. In a state of nature he seeks the recesses of
-the forest, and passes his solitary life in wild and uncultivated
-deserts, far from the society of man, and avoiding
-even that of the animal creation. His usual food consists
-of the young shoots of vegetables, of their roots,
-which he digs up with his strong and arcuated claws,
-and of their fruits, which he obtains by means of the
-facility with which the same organs enable him to climb
-the loftiest trees. He possesses indeed the faculty of
-climbing in a most extraordinary degree, and frequently
-exercises it in the pursuit of honey, of which he is passionately
-fond. When all these resources fail him, he
-will attack the smaller quadrupeds, and sometimes even
-animals of considerable size; familiarity with danger
-diminishing his natural timidity, and the use of flesh
-begetting a taste for its continued enjoyment. He is
-also said, like the Polar Bear, to have a peculiar fondness
-for fish, and is frequently met with on the borders
-of lakes and on the coast of the sea, to which he has
-resorted for the gratification of this appetite. Notwithstanding
-his apparent clumsiness, he swims with the
-greatest dexterity, the excessive quantity of fat with
-which he is loaded serving to buoy him up in the water;
-in this way he frequently crosses the broadest rivers, or
-even very considerable arms of the sea.</p>
-
-<p>The entire continent of North America, or perhaps it
-might be more correct to say, that immense portion of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
-its surface which still remains uncultivated and desolate,
-furnishes an abode to this species of bear, which is
-consequently as widely dispersed as any of his tribe.
-As his fur is of some value in commerce, although not
-so much sought after at the present day as it was formerly,
-his race has become an object of the cupidity of
-man, by whom they are frequently hunted for the sake
-of their skins. This chase is principally followed by the
-Indians, who are also attracted by the flavour of his
-flesh, of which, and especially of the fat, they partake with
-an avidity truly disgusting. Travellers, however, who
-have been reduced to the necessity of having recourse
-to this sort of food, speak of it as by no means despicable:
-the fat yields moreover a quantity of oil, which
-is often extremely serviceable. The Indians will sometimes
-attack these animals single-handed; and if they
-can manage to keep beyond the reach of their powerful
-grasp, which is almost irresistible, are sure of gaining
-the victory; as the bears, in the rampant posture which
-they always assume in self-defence, unconsciously expose
-their most vulnerable parts to the attack of the
-hunter. Snares are sometimes laid for them; but these
-are most frequently unsuccessful; that extreme caution,
-which is so strongly portrayed in their actions and
-demeanour, rendering them mistrustful of every thing.
-Nevertheless their gluttony will sometimes get the better
-of their prudence, and the bait of honey offers too
-tempting an allurement to be always resisted. At other
-times a whole tribe of Indians will assemble for the
-chase, and after having performed a variety of superstitious
-observances, beat the entire country for their
-game, drive a great number of them into a spot selected<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
-for the purpose, and deal forth upon them wholesale
-destruction. They will also trace them to their retreats
-in the season of their lethargy, which occupies several of
-the winter months, and during which the bears are
-incapable of offering any effectual resistance.</p>
-
-<p>In captivity the Black Bear is distinguished from the
-brown only by the less degree of docility and intelligence
-which he evinces: and the habits of the latter are
-so universally known that it would be useless to dwell
-upon them here. The specimen figured at the head of
-this article was presented to the Menagerie, in 1824, by
-Sir George Alderson, and is remarkably tame and playful.
-He has, until very lately, shared his den with the
-Hyæna, with whom he maintained a very good correspondence,
-except at meal-times, when they would frequently
-quarrel, in a very ludicrous manner, for a piece
-of beef, or whatever else might happen to furnish a bone
-of contention between them. The Hyæna, though by far
-the smallest of the two, was generally master; and the
-Bear would moan most piteously, and in a tone somewhat
-resembling the bleating of a sheep, while his companion
-quietly consumed the remainder of his dinner.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p120.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A bear-keeper showing off his bear in front of a crowd" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p121.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bear" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_GRIZZLY_BEAR">THE GRIZZLY BEAR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ursus Ferox.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Lewis and Clarke.</span></p>
-
-<p>A native also of the northern division of America, and
-more particularly of that extensive tract of country
-which constitutes the newly erected State of Missouri,
-the Grizzly Bear differs in many striking points, both
-of character and habits, from the subject of the preceding
-article, as well as from every other animal of the very
-natural group of which he forms part. By his elongated,
-narrowed, and flattened muzzle, added to the slight
-elevation of his forehead, he is closely connected with
-the Black Bear of America, and as remarkably distinguished
-from the common Brown Bear of Europe, and
-from the White Bear of the polar regions, which last, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
-size and general form, offers perhaps the nearest approximation
-to the present species. But his enormous magnitude,
-which may be stated as averaging twice the bulk
-of the Black Bear; the greatly increased size and power
-of his canine teeth; and, above all, the excessive length
-of his talons, on the fore feet especially, afford characteristic
-differences so obvious and so essential, that it is
-difficult to conceive how they could have been so long
-overlooked by naturalists as well as travellers, who have
-all, until within little more than twenty years of the
-present time, passed him over without even a casual
-hint that he presented any claims to be considered as
-distinct from the common species of his country.</p>
-
-<p>His hair, generally speaking, is longer, finer, and more
-abundant than that of the Black Bear, and varies in
-colour to an almost indefinite extent, passing through
-all the intermediate shades between a light gray and a
-black brown. The brown tinge is, however, the most
-common; and it is always more or less grizzled either
-by the intermixture of grayish hairs, or by the brown
-hairs being tipped with gray. The hair of the legs and
-feet is darker and coarser, and diminishes in length as it
-descends; on the muzzle it becomes remarkably pale,
-and is so much shortened as to give to the animal an
-appearance of baldness. His eyes are very small and
-hardly at all prominent; and the line of the profile is
-consequently nearly straight. His tail is scarcely visible,
-being almost entirely concealed by the long hairs which
-surround it. Of the great size of his feet and talons,
-some judgment may be formed from the measurements
-given by Captains Lewis and Clarke, the first travellers
-by whom the Grizzly Bear was accurately described.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
-These gentlemen inform us that the breadth of the fore
-foot in one of the individuals observed by them exceeded
-nine inches, while the length of his hind foot, exclusive
-of the talons, was eleven inches and three quarters, and
-its breadth seven inches. The claws of the fore feet of
-another specimen measured more than six inches. The
-latter are considerably longer and less curved than those
-of the hind feet, and do not narrow in a lateral direction
-as they approach their extremity, but diminish only
-from beneath: the point is consequently formed by the
-shelving of the inferior surface alone, their breadth
-remaining the same throughout the whole of their enormous
-length, and their power being proportionally
-increased; an admirable provision for enabling the
-animal to exercise to the fullest extent his propensity
-for digging up the ground, either in search of food or
-for other purposes. It appears, however, on the other
-hand, to unfit him for climbing trees, which he never
-attempts; and this remarkable circumstance in his habits
-affords a striking distinction between him and all the
-other Bears, which are essentially climbers.</p>
-
-<p>Of all the quadrupeds which inhabit the northern
-regions of the American continent, the Grizzly Bear is
-unquestionably the most formidable and the most dreaded.
-Superior to the rest of his tribe, not excepting even the
-polar species, in bulk, in power, in agility, and in the
-ferocity of his disposition, it is not to be wondered at
-that he should be regarded by the native Indians with
-an almost superstitious terror, and that some portion of
-this feeling should have been communicated even to
-the civilized travellers, who have occasionally met with
-him in the wild and desolate regions which are subject
-to his devastations. In the Journals of some of these<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
-travellers we find recorded such astonishing instances of
-his strength, ferocity, and extraordinary tenacity of life
-as would indeed amaze us, were we not aware how much
-the human mind is prone, under certain circumstances,
-to fall into exaggeration, in many cases most certainly
-unintentional. Making, however, all due allowances
-for the existence of this very natural feeling, we are
-bound to acknowledge that there are few animals who
-can compete with this terrible beast; and that to be
-made the object of his pursuit is an occurrence well
-calculated to alarm the stoutest heart, even when provided
-with the most certain and deadly weapons of
-human invention, guided by the most experienced eye,
-and directed by the steadiest hand.</p>
-
-<p>This tremendous animal appears to be most commonly
-found in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains,
-especially on the well wooded plains which skirt the
-eastern declivity of that lofty and extensive range, among
-thick copses of brush and underwood, and on the banks
-of the water-courses which descend in innumerable petty
-streams from their sources in the hills. In these wild
-solitudes, rarely trodden by the foot of civilized man,
-and visited only by the savage Indians of the neighbouring
-tribes, who have not yet learned to bow the neck
-beneath the yoke of the exterminating conqueror, he
-reigns the almost undisputed tyrant of the forest. Few
-among the animals which share with him his barbarous
-habitation are fleet enough to escape him in the chase;
-and none, when fairly placed within his reach, are
-powerful enough to withstand his overwhelming force.
-Even the sturdy and formidable Bison, the wild bull of
-North America, is incapable of offering any effectual
-resistance to the furious impetuosity of his attack; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>
-an illustration of the extent of his muscular power is
-afforded by the fact that after having destroyed his
-victim, he will drag its ponderous carcase to some convenient
-spot, where he will dig a pit for its reception,
-and deposit it for a season, returning to his feast from
-time to time as the calls of hunger may dictate, until
-his store is exhausted and he is again reduced to the
-necessity of looking abroad for a fresh supply.</p>
-
-<p>But although endowed with so strong a propensity
-for animal food, as well as with the power to gratify the
-appetite thus grafted in his very nature, he is not, like
-the more perfect of the carnivorous tribe, left entirely
-dependent upon that which, in the climate in which he
-has been placed, must of necessity be a precarious, and
-frequently even an impossible, source of subsistence.
-Of a more fierce and sanguinary temper than the other
-bears, he does not hesitate to attack whatever living
-creature may fall in his way, and man himself seems to
-inspire him with little dread: but in the absence of his
-favourite food, he makes a less savoury, but equally
-congenial, meal of vegetable substances, of fruits, or
-more commonly of roots, the latter of which he digs up
-with the greatest facility with his enormous claws; and
-in some parts of the country these more simple productions
-form almost his sole subsistence. On the quality
-of his food depends much of the ferocity of his temper;
-for it appears that the bears of the western side of the
-Rocky Mountains, who live almost entirely upon vegetables,
-are of a much less fierce and savage disposition
-than their fellows of the eastern side, where animal food
-is more abundant and more easily procured.</p>
-
-<p>Next to his great size and excessive ferocity, one of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
-the most striking peculiarities of this animal is his extreme
-tenacity of life. For the instances of this we are
-indebted almost wholly to the narrative of the Travels of
-Captains Lewis and Clarke, whose statements are no
-doubt founded in truth, although it may be suspected
-that they require to be received with some grains at
-least of allowance. According to these gentlemen one
-bear which had received five shots in his lungs, and five
-other wounds in various parts of his body, swam a considerable
-distance to a sand bank in the river, and
-survived more than twenty minutes; another that had
-been shot through the centre of the lungs, pursued at
-full speed the man by whom the wound was inflicted
-for half a mile, then returned more than twice that
-distance, dug himself a bed two feet deep and five feet
-long, and was perfectly alive two hours after he received
-the wound; and a third, although actually shot through
-the heart, ran at his usual pace nearly a quarter of a
-mile before he fell. There is no chance, they add, of
-killing him by a single shot, unless the ball goes directly
-through the brain; a single hunter runs consequently
-no little risk in venturing to attack an animal upon
-whom the most dangerous wounds, if not instantaneously
-fatal, produce no obvious immediate effects.</p>
-
-<p>Notwithstanding the horror with which the natives
-regard this animal, it is said that they sometimes succeed
-in rendering him tame; and a whimsical story is
-told by the late Governor Clinton, on the authority of
-an Indian trader, of an insult offered to a domesticated
-bear of this species by an Indian of a different tribe
-from that to which the master of the bear belonged,
-being regarded as a national affront, and producing a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
-war between the two tribes. The same veracious trader,
-it should be added, did not scruple to affirm that the
-Grizzly Bear had actually been seen fourteen feet long:
-the greatest measurement given on any credible authority
-being somewhat less than nine feet. It may,
-however, well be doubted whether the Grizzly Bear is
-capable of being domesticated; for it would appear that
-all the known attempts that have hitherto been made to
-render him docile and obedient have completely failed.
-In the narrative of Major Long’s expedition, Mr. Say
-has given some particulars relative to the manners of
-a half-grown individual which was kept chained in the
-yard of one of the stations of the Missouri Fur Company;
-but which, though far from having attained his
-full strength, was by no means trusted even by those
-who were most familiar with him. They occasionally
-ventured to play with him; but this was always done
-with caution and reserve; and when, as was sometimes
-the case, he chanced to break loose from his confinement,
-the whole establishment was thrown into a state
-of confusion and alarm. The same gentleman also gives
-the history of two individuals which were presented
-when very young to the Philadelphia Museum, where
-they were kept for several years confined in a strong
-cage; until at length their strength and ferocity, which
-no kind of treatment appeared capable of subduing,
-had reached such a pitch that it was found absolutely
-necessary to destroy them.</p>
-
-<p>In no respect has the subject of the present notice,
-whose portrait admirably illustrates the peculiarities of
-his species, degenerated from the race of which he
-appears to be the sole representative in Europe. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
-was presented to his late majesty, more than seventeen
-years ago, by the Hudson’s Bay Company, and has long
-been the oldest inhabitant of the Tower Menagerie. The
-name of Martin, which was originally bestowed upon
-him, in imitation probably of that of the most celebrated
-bear ever exhibited in Europe, has consequently been of
-late years generally preceded by the epithet of antiquity,
-and Old Martin has become under that title almost as
-well known as his famous namesake. His size is far
-superior to that of any other bear that has ever been
-seen in this quarter of the globe; and his ferocity, in
-spite of the length of time during which he has been a
-prisoner, and of all the attempts that have been made to
-conciliate him, still continues undiminished. He does
-not offer the slightest encouragement to familiarity on
-the part of his keepers, but treats them with as much
-distance as the most perfect strangers; and although he
-will sometimes appear playful and good tempered, yet
-they know him too well to trust themselves within his
-clutch.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p128.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A bear in chains being made to dance" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p129.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bear" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_THIBET_BEAR">THE THIBET BEAR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ursus Thibetanus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">F. Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>It is with no slight feelings of regret that we find ourselves
-unable to furnish a complete and satisfactory
-account of the animal from whom the portrait above
-given was taken. Very soon after the drawing was
-completed, and before we had availed ourselves of the
-opportunity of making the necessary examination, we
-were unfortunately precluded from so doing by his
-sudden transfer to another country. His likeness alone,
-and a faithful and spirited likeness we will venture to
-pronounce it, remains with us. From this, and from
-the very imperfect notes which we possess, we have little
-hesitation in referring it provisionally to the species first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
-established by M. Duvaucel, and since published by
-M. F. Cuvier in his splendid Histoire Naturelle des
-Mammifères. The circumstance, however, of our animal,
-the only individual of his species ever seen in
-Europe, having been brought from the Island of Sumatra
-instead of the continent of India, in which alone the
-Ursus Thibetanus had hitherto been discovered, is so
-remarkable, that we should have felt bound, had the
-means still remained open to us, to institute a close and
-severe comparison between the living specimen and the
-figure and description furnished by M. Duvaucel and
-M. Cuvier. As it is, we can only repeat the characters
-of the Thibet Bear as given by them, and refer to our
-figure for all the proof which we have it in our power to
-offer of its identity with the present animal. We trust
-that M. Temminck, or some other competent naturalist
-of the country to which the latter has been conveyed,
-will amply supply a deficiency which certainly would
-not have existed had we received timely notice of the
-intended transfer.</p>
-
-<p>M. Duvaucel enumerates three species of bears inhabiting
-India and the neighbouring islands. The first of
-these is the Ursus labiatus, which was strangely mistaken
-on its first arrival in Europe, nearly forty years ago, for
-a Sloth, and received from the naturalists of that day
-the name of Bradypus pentadactylus, or ursinus, the
-Five-fingered, or Ursine, Sloth; an appellation which
-has been productive of no little confusion in nomenclature,
-and is still frequently employed in menageries
-and exhibitions to distinguish the same animal, and
-sometimes even nearly related species. With the true
-Sloths it has nothing in common; and the only circumstance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
-which can at all account for the blunder, consists
-in the accidental deficiency of the incisor teeth in the
-animal first examined; a deficiency, which, according to
-the strict principles of the artificial system then adopted,
-was alone sufficient to convert a Bear into a Sloth. The
-second is the Ursus Malayanus, the Malay Bear, admirably
-illustrated, both with regard to character and
-habits, by the late lamented Sir Stamford Raffles in the
-thirteenth volume of the Linnean Transactions. Another
-species, intimately connected with this, and unknown to
-M. Duvaucel, will form the subject of the following
-article. In the present we must confine ourselves to his
-third form, the Thibet Bear, which, according to his
-observations, made on the living animal, is distinguished
-by the following characteristics.</p>
-
-<p>In size it is intermediate between the two other species
-which he describes. Its most remarkable distinction is
-derived from the thickness of its neck and the flatness
-of its head, its forehead forming almost a straight line
-with its muzzle. The latter is moderately thick and
-somewhat lengthened; and the ears are very large. The
-body is compact, and the limbs heavy; a conformation
-from which we might be led to infer great muscular
-strength, together with a capacity for climbing trees and
-performing other feats of a similar description, were it
-not for the comparative weakness of the claws, which are
-scarcely more than half as long as those of the other
-Indian bears. Like the latter, its colour is invariably of
-a uniform glossy jet-black, except on the lower lip,
-which is white; as is also a patch occupying the front
-of the neck, and in shape like a Y, the two upper limbs
-of which pass in front of the shoulders, while the lower<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>
-one occupies the middle line of the chest. The upper
-part of the muzzle is black, with a slight reddish tint on
-the sides; and the edges of the lips flesh-coloured. The
-hair, which is smooth on the muzzle, becomes shaggy on
-the back part of the head, from the base of the ears downwards,
-and adds considerably to the apparent volume of
-that part, but not quite to the same extent as in the
-Ursus labiatus, in old individuals of which it almost
-touches the ground. It was found by Dr. Wallich in
-the mountains of Nepaul, and by M. Duvaucel in those
-of Sylhet; and from this limited range the latter gentleman
-infers, perhaps a little too hastily, that its habitat
-is less extensive than that of its fellows. He also regards
-it as being more ferocious in its habits.</p>
-
-<p>In this latter point alone, so far at least as we can at
-present judge, does the animal from which our figure
-was taken offer any remarkable discrepancy from the
-foregoing account. He could never be prevailed on to
-touch flesh either raw or cooked; and bread and fruits
-were the substances on which he was constantly fed.
-In his disposition he was moderately tame, and particularly
-fond of play, after his own rough and ludicrous
-fashion.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p132.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A bear climbing a tree" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p133.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Bear" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BORNEAN_BEAR">THE BORNEAN BEAR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ursus (Helarctos) euryspilus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Horsf.</span></p>
-
-<p>Of this very remarkable animal, the only individual of
-the species ever seen in Europe, and in fact the only
-one that has yet fallen under the notice of zoologists, so
-complete an account has been published by Dr. Horsfield,
-in the second volume of the Zoological Journal,
-that it would be presumptuous in us to attempt to add
-any thing to the masterly details which are there furnished
-both of its organization and habits. We shall
-therefore in the present instance, and with the less
-reluctance as the animal is no longer living for further
-reference, content ourselves with abstracting from that
-paper, as nearly as possible in the words of its author,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>
-the more interesting and prominent features of the history
-which is there given of the Bornean Bear; which,
-in conjunction with another closely related species, the
-Ursus Malayanus, Dr. Horsfield has separated from the
-other bears under the sub-generic title of Helarctos.</p>
-
-<p>One of the most striking points on which this distinction
-is founded consists in the form of the head, which,
-instead of being flattened, as in the more northern
-species of the group, is nearly hemispherical above, the
-forehead rising in a strong arch immediately behind the
-nose, which is obtuse and very gradually attenuated.
-The gape of the mouth is considerable; and the tongue,
-which is long, narrow, and very extensile, is capable of
-being protruded for nearly a foot, and then curved
-inwards in a spiral manner, a habit in which the animal
-appears frequently to indulge. In the teeth the difference
-between this subdivision of the genus and the rest
-of the animals which compose it is unessential, the
-incisors and canines having no distinguishing characters,
-and the molars being apparently subject to the same
-variations as in the genuine bears.</p>
-
-<p>The Bornean Bear is perhaps somewhat shorter in his
-proportions than the rest of the group, and the great
-proportional breadth of his head extends also to the
-neck and body. The claws are very long, strongly
-arched, and very gradually attenuated to the point,
-which is transversely truncated and chiefly fitted for
-digging the earth; but probably also enabling it to climb
-with great agility. The fur is short and glistening,
-somewhat rigid, but closely applied to the skin, and
-smooth to the touch. On the body, head, and extremities,
-the Bornean Bear has the same pure, saturated,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
-jet-black tint which is observed in the Malayan. The
-muzzle, including the region of the eyes, has a yellowish
-brown colour; and the anterior part of the neck is
-marked by a large broad patch of a more vivid and
-nearly orange tint, which is of an irregular quadrangular
-form, and deeply notched above. The difference
-in the form and colour of this patch constitutes the chief
-distinction between the present animal and the Malayan
-species, in which latter it is crescent-shaped and white.</p>
-
-<p>The specimen from which this description was taken
-measured along the back, from the muzzle to the tail,
-three feet nine inches. It arrived in this country about
-four years ago, and formed until lately one of the most
-attractive and interesting spectacles among the animals
-confined in the Menagerie. It was brought from Borneo
-when very young, and during its passage was the constant
-associate of a monkey and of several other young
-animals. It was thus domesticated in early life, and its
-manners in confinement greatly resembled those of the
-Malayan Bear observed by Sir Stamford Raffles, to which
-it was probably not inferior in sagacity or intellect. It
-could rest entirely on its posterior feet, and could even
-raise itself without difficulty to a nearly erect posture;
-but was more generally seen in a sitting attitude at the
-door of its apartment, eagerly surveying the visiters and
-attracting their attention by the uncouthness of its form
-and the singularity of its motions. When a morsel of
-bread or cake was held at a small distance beyond its
-reach, it would expand the lateral aperture of its nostrils
-and thrust forwards its upper lip as a proboscis in a
-most ludicrous manner, at the same time making use of
-its paws to seize the object. After obtaining it and filling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
-its mouth, it would place the remainder with great calmness
-on its posterior feet, and bring it in successive
-portions to its mouth. When craving for food, and also
-while consuming it, it emitted a coarse, but not unpleasant,
-whining sound, accompanied by a low grunting
-noise; but if teased at this time, it would suddenly raise
-its voice to a harsh and grating tone. It was excessively
-voracious, and appeared disposed to eat almost without
-cessation; a propensity which finally cost it its life,
-having overgorged itself at breakfast one morning in the
-course of last summer during the hot weather, and dying
-within ten minutes afterwards. This was a severe loss
-to Mr. Cops, who prized it highly, and to whom, in
-return, it was greatly attached. On seeing its keeper it
-would often place itself in a variety of attitudes, to court
-his attention and caresses, extending its nose and anterior
-feet, or, suddenly turning round, exposing its back
-and waiting for several minutes in this posture with its
-head placed on the ground. It delighted in being patted
-and rubbed, even by strangers; but violently resented
-abuse and ill treatment. Its principal food was bread.</p>
-
-<p>Our figure was taken from the stuffed skin which is
-preserved in the Museum of the Zoological Society.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p136.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A bear with its head on the ground" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p137.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Three monkeys" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="MONKEYS">MONKEYS.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Simiæ.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>It may perhaps seem to require some apology that we
-have ventured so far to depart from the ordinary system
-of arrangement as to remove the Monkeys from the
-station which they have hitherto usually been permitted
-to occupy at the head of the class, and to transfer them
-to their present position. We will not attempt to conceal
-that in so doing we were chiefly actuated by the
-desire of placing at the commencement of our series the
-largest and most attractive of the animals of which it
-was composed; and those which, in a Menagerie like
-that which we have undertaken to illustrate, always
-constitute the most imposing feature. But while we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
-acknowledge the influence of this feeling to the fullest
-extent, we cannot refrain from expressing at the same
-time our firm conviction that the carnivorous quadrupeds
-possess in reality a better title to the place which
-we have assigned them, than the Monkeys which we
-have displaced to make room for them. The supposed
-transition from man, on which the received arrangement
-is founded, has little to do with the question; and it
-would surely require no great subtilty of argument to
-prove that the Carnivora are more highly typical of the
-great class, of which they form so important a part, than
-any other tribe whatever. But this is not the proper
-place for entering into so abstract a question; to which
-we have only referred <i>en passant</i>, for the sake of justifying
-ourselves upon broader principles for a deviation
-from established custom, which we should not have
-hesitated to adopt, in the present instance, on the narrow
-ground of expedience alone. Before, however, we
-take leave of it altogether, we cannot avoid asking, why,
-if the Monkeys are to take precedence of the Carnivora
-among Mammalia, the analogous tribe of Birds, the Pies
-and the Parrots, should not also rank above the ornithological
-representatives of the beasts of prey, the towering
-Eagle and the rapacious Vulture?</p>
-
-<p>To return, however, to our Monkeys; to which, be it
-observed, we do not pretend to assign this as a definite
-position. They form by far the largest portion of the
-Quadrumana; all the other animals of that order being
-comprehended, or rather confounded, in a distinct family,
-under the name of Lemurs, from the rightful owners of
-which appellation many of them differ most essentially.
-In addition to the hands on the posterior as well as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
-anterior members, with long and flexible fingers and
-opposable thumbs, which constitute the primary characters
-of the order, the Monkey tribe in general is distinguished
-by the following peculiarities. Their incisor
-teeth are invariably four in each jaw, and their molars,
-like those of man, are flat and surmounted by blunted
-tubercles. The latter are five in number on each side of
-either jaw in all the Monkeys of the Old Continent, and
-in one very distinct tribe belonging to the New; but
-most of the American species are furnished with a sixth.
-Their canines vary considerably in size, from a trifling
-projection beyond the remaining teeth to a long and
-powerful tusk, almost equalling those of the most formidable
-Carnivora; and from this structure it necessarily
-follows that a vacant space is left between the incisors
-and the canines of the upper jaw, and between the
-canines and the molars of the lower, for the reception
-and lodgment of those organs when the mouth is closed.
-The nails of all their fingers, as well as those of the
-thumbs, are invariably flat and expanded.</p>
-
-<p>In almost every other point they are subject to infinite
-variations of form and structure. The shape of the head,
-which, in one or two species, offers a close approximation
-to the human form, passes through numerous intermediate
-gradations, until it reaches a point at which it can
-only be compared with that of the hound. The body,
-which is in general slight and well made, is in some few
-instances remarkably short and thickset, and in others
-drawn out to a surprising degree of tenuity. Their limbs
-vary greatly in their proportions; but in most of them
-the anterior are longer than the posterior: in all they
-are admirably adapted to the purposes to which they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
-are applied, in climbing and leaping, by the slenderness
-of their form, the flexibility of their joints, and the muscular
-activity with which these qualities are so strikingly
-combined. But of all their organs there is perhaps none
-which exhibits so remarkable a discrepancy in every
-particular as the tail; which is entirely wanting in some,
-forms a mere tubercle in others, in a third group is short
-and tapering, in a fourth of moderate length and cylindrical,
-in a fifth extremely long but uniformly covered
-with hair; in others, again, of equal length, divested of
-hair beneath and near the tip, and capable of being
-twisted round the branch of a tree or any other similar
-substance in such a manner as to support the whole
-weight of the animal, even without the assistance of his
-hands.</p>
-
-<p>In none of them, it may be observed, are the hands
-formed for swimming, or the nails constructed for
-digging the earth; and in none of them is the naked
-callous portion, which corresponds to the sole or the
-palm, capable of being applied, like the feet of man
-or of the bear, to the flat surfaces on which they may
-occasionally tread. Even in those which have the greatest
-propensity to assume an upright posture, the body is,
-under such circumstances, wholly supported by the
-outer margins of the posterior hands. The earth, in
-fact, is not their proper place of abode; they are essentially
-inhabitants of trees, and every part of their organization
-is admirably fitted for the mode of life to which
-they were destined by the hand of nature herself.
-Throughout the vast forests of Asia, Africa, and South
-America, and more especially in those portions of the
-three continents which are comprehended within the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
-tropics, they congregate in numerous troops, bounding
-rapidly from branch to branch, and from tree to tree, in
-search of the fruits and eggs which constitute their
-principal means of subsistence. In the course of these
-peregrinations, which are frequently executed with a
-velocity scarcely to be followed by the eye, they seem
-to give a momentary, and but a momentary, attention to
-every remarkable object that falls in their way, but never
-appear to remember it again; for they will examine the
-same object with the same rapidity as often as it recurs,
-and apparently without in the least recognising it as
-that which they had seen before. They pass on a
-sudden from a state of seeming tranquillity to the most
-violent demonstrations of passion and sensuality; and
-in the course of a few minutes run through all the
-various phases of gesture and action of which they are
-capable, and for which their peculiar conformation
-affords ample scope. The females treat their young
-with the greatest tenderness until they become capable
-of shifting for themselves; when they turn them loose
-upon the world, and conduct themselves towards them
-from that time forwards in the same manner as towards
-the most perfect strangers.</p>
-
-<p>The degrees of their so much vaunted intelligence,
-which is in general very limited, and rarely capable of
-being made subservient to the purposes of man, vary
-almost as much as the ever-changing outline of their
-form. From the grave and reflective Oran-Otang, whose
-docility and powers of imitation in his young state have
-been the theme of so much ridiculous exaggeration and
-sophistical argumentation, to the stupid and savage
-Baboon, whose gross brutality is scarcely relieved by a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
-single spark of intelligence, the gradations are regular
-and easy. A remarkable circumstance connected with
-the developement of this faculty, or perhaps we should
-rather say, with its gradual extinction, consists in the fact
-that it is only in young animals which have not yet
-attained their full growth, that it is capable of being
-brought into play; the older individuals, even of the
-most tractable races, entirely losing the gaiety, and with
-it the docility, of their youth, and becoming at length as
-stupid and as savage as the most barbarous of the tribe.</p>
-
-<p>The Monkeys of the Old and of the New World differ
-from each other in several remarkable points, some of
-which are universally characteristic of all the species of
-each, while others, although affording good and tangible
-means of discrimination, are but partially applicable.
-Thus the nostrils of all the species inhabiting the Old
-World are anterior like those of man, and divided only
-by a narrow septum. In those of the New World, on
-the contrary, they are invariably separated by a broad
-division, and consequently occupy a position more or
-less lateral. In the former again the molar teeth are
-uniformly five in number, crowned with obtuse and
-flattened tubercles; while in the latter they are either
-six in number, or in the few anomalous cases in which
-they are limited to five, and which are peculiar to a
-group that ought to occupy an intermediate station
-between the Monkeys and the Insect-eating Carnivora,
-their crowns are surmounted by sharp and somewhat
-elevated points. The tails of all the American Monkeys
-are of great length, but they differ more or less from
-each other in the power of suspending themselves by
-means of that organ, a faculty which is nevertheless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>
-common to the greater number of them, and of which
-those of the Old World are entirely destitute. On the
-other hand the American species never exhibit any
-traces of the callosities or of the cheek-pouches, which
-are so common among the Asiatic and African races.</p>
-
-<p>Each of these grand divisions has been subdivided into
-several minor groups or genera; but zoologists have
-hitherto been by no means unanimous with respect to
-the principles on which this subdivision ought to be
-effected. The arrangement which appears to be most
-generally adopted at the present day is that of M. Cuvier
-and M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, which is essentially
-founded on the application of an imaginary rule, first
-employed by Camper for ascertaining the degree of
-intelligence, and consequently of ideal beauty, expressed
-by the human face in its various gradations of elevation
-or debasement, and called by him the facial angle.
-Unfortunately, however, the operations of nature in the
-animal creation can never be subjected to geometrical
-laws; nor can her innumerable phases be expressed
-with the precision of a mathematical theorem. This
-assumed point of comparison varies almost indefinitely,
-not merely in different species, but even in the same
-individual; and the Oran-Otang himself, who is supposed
-to approach most nearly to the human form, offers
-the most striking illustration of the truth of this observation;
-inasmuch as in his young and intellectual state
-his facial angle is equal to 65°, while in his aged and
-debased condition, in which he has actually been repeatedly
-described as a different animal under the name
-of Pongo, it sinks below 30°; degrading him even beneath
-the level of the most savage and stupid of the Baboons.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>In the foregoing observations we may perhaps be considered
-as giving too much space to the generalities of
-the subject; an objection to which we can only answer
-that nearly the whole of our knowledge of the Monkey
-tribes consists in generalities. Of the great number of
-species, upwards of one hundred, which are now known
-and characterized, very few are distinguished from their
-immediate fellows by striking and strongly-marked characters,
-either physical or moral. The groups too are
-connected by such gradual and easy transitions, that
-although the typical forms of each, isolated from the
-mass and placed in contrast with each other, unquestionably
-exhibit many broadly distinguishing peculiarities,
-yet the entire series offers a chain so nearly complete
-and unbroken as scarcely to admit of being treated of in
-any other way than as one homogeneous whole.</p>
-
-<p>A no less striking than apposite instance of the close
-affinity between the species, and of the difficulty of distinguishing
-them from each other, especially in their
-young state, is furnished by the animals whose figures
-stand at the head of the present article. They are all
-three very evidently young individuals, and have not
-yet reached the period when it would be safe to pronounce
-with positiveness upon the species, or, were we
-to adopt the Cuvierian system in its full extent, upon
-the genera even, to which they respectively belong.</p>
-
-<p>The specimen from which the central figure was taken
-is in all probability the earlier age of a species of Cercopithecus;
-but to which of them it should be referred,
-or whether it belongs to any hitherto characterized species,
-we may not venture to determine until its characters
-shall have become more fully developed. The distinctive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>
-marks of this genus, which comprehends the smallest
-Monkeys of the Old Continent, consist in a depressed
-forehead, with a facial angle of 50°; a flat nose, with the
-nostrils directed upwards and outwards; cheek-pouches,
-generally of large size; callosities behind; and a tail of
-considerable length. The individual before us, in addition
-to these characters, is remarkable for the reddish
-brown colour of his upper parts, which gradually disappears
-in a lighter hue, mingled with a bluish tinge
-beneath; for the elevated and compressed toupet which
-advances considerably forwards on his forehead; for the
-hairs which are thinly scattered over his livid face; and
-for the spreading tufts of a somewhat lighter colour
-which occupy the sides of his head and face posteriorly.</p>
-
-<p id="MACAQUE">The animal which occupies the right hand in the cut
-appears to be the young of the Macacus cynomolgus,
-Cuv., the Common Macaque; or rather perhaps, if the
-colour of the face is to be regarded as affording a sufficient
-specific distinction, of a new species lately described
-by M. F. Cuvier under the name of Macacus carbonarius.
-The Macaques are characterized by the greater
-elongation of their muzzles, which reduces their facial
-angle to 40° or 45°; by the strong developement of their
-superciliary ridges; by the oblique position of their
-nostrils in the upper surface of their nose; and by the
-presence of cheek-pouches and callosities. The young
-animal figured is blackish brown above, and, as is very
-common among the Monkeys, lighter and of a bluish
-cast beneath; his hands and face are nearly black; the
-hairs which cover his forehead form a thick tuft advancing
-forwards; and his face is almost naked.</p>
-
-<p>We have little hesitation in referring the left hand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
-figure to the Cercopithecus pileatus of M. Geoffroy
-St. Hilaire, the Guenon couronnée of Buffon, which
-M. Cuvier suspects, with great appearance of truth, to
-be nothing more than a variety of the Macacus Sinicus,
-the Bonnet Chinois of the same popular author. It
-differs from that in fact in little else than in a shorter
-muzzle, and in a less regularly radiated and depressed
-disposition of the hair of the upper part of the head;
-characters which may be fairly regarded as resulting
-from its immature age. We may also observe that the
-Macacus radiatus, Geoff., described in the succeeding
-article, does not appear to be by any means clearly distinguished
-from the Bonnet Chinois; and that it is
-highly probable that these three Monkeys form in reality
-but a single species.</p>
-
-<p>All these animals, which are at present confined in
-one cage along with several young individuals of the
-common species of Baboon and with the Bonneted
-Monkey, exhibit a mixture of playfulness and malice,
-which renders them extremely amusing. Their gambols
-with each other are often truly laughable.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p146.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A troupe of itinerant performers, with monkeys (one riding on a dog)" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p147.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two monkeys, adult patting juvenile on head" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BONNETED_MONKEY">THE BONNETED MONKEY.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Macacus Radiatus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Desm.</span></p>
-
-<h2 id="PIG_FACED_BABOON">THE PIG-FACED BABOON.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Cynocephalus Porcarius.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Desm.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Monkey which occupies the left hand in the present
-cut forms part of the same group with the subjects
-noticed at the end of the preceding article, from which
-it is distinguished by the peculiar manner in which the
-hair of the upper part of its head diverges, and, as it
-were, radiates horizontally, from a central point towards
-an imaginary circumference, assuming a form not unlike
-the object to which it is usually compared, the round
-bonnet of a Chinese. Its forehead is also more flattened,
-its superciliary crests less developed, and its muzzle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
-considerably lengthened and laterally compressed. The
-length of its body is from twelve to fifteen inches, and
-its tail when entire measures quite as much. The forehead,
-which is strongly wrinkled, is nearly naked, and
-the whole of the face is entirely destitute of hair. That
-of the upper parts of the body is of a uniform yellowish
-gray, the under surface deriving a bluish tinge from the
-skin, which is but thinly covered. Its native country is
-the east of Asia.</p>
-
-<p>The right hand figure represents the Chacma, or Pig-faced
-Monkey, one of the true Baboons, whose generic
-characters will be found in the succeeding article. The
-forehead of this species is remarkably depressed, and
-the nose much prolonged. Its general colour is dusky,
-approaching to black. Its body measures from two to
-three feet in length; but the tail is short, and does not
-reach the ground when the animal stands upon all fours.
-It is a native of Africa, and was formerly very troublesome
-in the neighbourhood of the Cape.</p>
-
-<p>Both these animals, although lively and tolerably
-good humoured when young, become mischievous in
-their dispositions and disgusting in their habits as they
-advance in age. The voice of the latter closely resembles
-the bark of a dog.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p148.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A group of monkeys" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p149.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two baboons" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BABOON">THE BABOON.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Cynocephalus Papio.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Desm.</span></p>
-
-<p>In the true Baboons the facial angle of the adult varies
-from 30° to 35°, and the superciliary crests are for the
-most part considerably elevated, as is also the ridge on
-the back of the head formed by the attachment of the
-temporal muscles, which, as well as the canine teeth, are
-large and powerful. The cheeks are furnished with
-pouches capable of much distension; and the muzzle
-terminates in a flattened extremity like that of the dog,
-on which the openings of the nostrils are situated. The
-tail is generally as long as, and sometimes even longer
-than, the body; but in several of the species it is
-extremely short. The callosities are frequently of large<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
-size and disgustingly conspicuous. This genus is generally
-considered as the lowest in organization, and consequently
-in capacity and intelligence, of the tribe to
-which it belongs.</p>
-
-<p>The colour of the common Baboon is reddish brown;
-his face and hands are black, and his upper eyelids
-white. The hair of his cheeks forms a considerable tuft
-on each side; and the under surface of his body is but
-sparingly covered. In bulk he is equal to a middle
-sized dog; his proportions are thickset and inelegant;
-but he is by no means dull or inactive. When young,
-he is gay, playful, and docile; but as he grows older he
-becomes untractable, malicious, and ferocious. He is
-sometimes even dangerous, his muscular strength and
-agility, together with the great power of his teeth and
-jaws, rendering him a formidable opponent. On this
-account it is absolutely necessary to keep him strictly
-confined. He is a native of Africa, and more especially
-of the tropical parts of its western coast.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p150.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A man, dressed in the style of a Cavalier,
-surrounded by a group of baboons. I have no idea what is going on here." />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p151.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two mongooses. Mongeese. Whatever." />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_WHITE-HEADED_MONGOOS">THE WHITE-HEADED MONGOOS.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Lemur Albifrons.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Geoff.</span></p>
-
-<p>Belonging to a different tribe of the same grand division
-with the true Monkeys, from which they are more
-readily distinguished by their general form and habit
-than by any very remarkable deviation in their structure
-or organization, these agile and playful little creatures
-form a group which naturally follows in immediate
-succession. The technical peculiarities on which their
-separation from the Monkeys is founded are usually
-deduced from their teeth and nails; but other and more
-obvious characteristics are afforded by the form of their
-heads, of their tails, and of their hinder extremities, and
-these assist in confirming a distinction which might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
-otherwise be regarded as arbitrary and unnecessary.
-The teeth of the Lemurs are, like those of man and of
-the Monkeys of the Old World, thirty-two in number,
-and consist of four incisors, two canines, and ten molars
-in the upper jaw, and of six incisors, two canines, and
-eight molars in the lower. Such at least is the usual
-statement with respect to their dentition; but M. Geoffroy
-maintains, on the other hand, that the number of
-incisors is equal in both jaws, and coincides with that of
-the Monkeys; the two outermost of the six, which are
-larger than the rest, being in his opinion the true
-canines; while the canines, commonly so called, are in
-fact only the first of the series of molars. This conjecture
-unquestionably derives considerable strength from
-the fact that, when the animal closes its mouth, the
-supposed canines of the lower jaw pass behind those of
-the upper, a position directly contrary to that which
-they uniformly assume in every other animal that is
-furnished with that kind of teeth. On each of their four
-hands they have four fingers of moderate length, and a
-thumb which is capable of being opposed to them almost
-equally well with that of the other Quadrumana; they
-are consequently enabled to grasp whatever they seize
-with the greatest precision. The peculiarity of their
-nails consists in the shape of that of the index of the
-hinder hands, which forms an elongated, curved, and
-pointed claw, approaching in some degree to those of
-the carnivorous quadrupeds. All the rest of their nails
-are broad and flat like those of the Monkeys. Their
-posterior extremities are longer than their anterior; and
-their body and limbs are light, graceful, and well proportioned.
-The tail, which is of uniform thickness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
-throughout, is longer than the body, and, in common
-with it, is clothed with long, soft, and woolly hair. The
-head is long, triangular, and gradually tapering into a
-slender and pointed muzzle, which, in proportionate
-length, far exceeds that of any of the Monkeys; the
-ears are short and rounded; and the whiskers but little
-developed.</p>
-
-<p>The whole of the genus thus characterized are natives
-of Madagascar and of two or three of the smaller islands
-in its immediate vicinity. They appear to occupy in
-that remarkable and very imperfectly known country
-the place of the Monkeys, none of which have yet been
-detected within its precincts. They are said to live in
-numerous troops upon the trees, and to feed upon fruits
-and insects; but their habits in a state of nature have
-not yet been observed with sufficient accuracy to enable
-us to form any clear idea of their mode of existence.
-In captivity they are particularly tame and good tempered,
-fond of being noticed, delighting in motion, and
-climbing and leaping with surprising agility. They are,
-however, in some degree nocturnal; and when undisturbed
-pass a considerable portion of the day in sleep.
-If alone, they roll themselves up in the form of a ball,
-and wind their long tail in a very curious manner round
-their body, apparently for the purpose of keeping themselves
-warm; for they are naturally chilly, and delight
-in basking in the rays of the sun, or in creeping as close
-as possible to the fire. When two of them are confined
-together, they interlace their limbs and tails after a singular
-fashion, and placing their heads in such a position
-as that each may, if disturbed, see what is going on
-behind the other’s back, fall comfortably asleep.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>The species to which the beautiful pair in the Menagerie
-belong has all the habits of its group. It is
-characterized by the clear fulvous brown colour of the
-upper surface of the body and outer side of the limbs,
-gradually becoming lighter on the under and inner surfaces,
-and deepening in its shade towards the tail, the
-greater part of which is nearly black. The muzzle and
-the hands are bluish black. The male has the whole of
-the forehead, the sides of the cheeks, and the under part
-of the lower lip covered with a white fur, which in the
-female is of a blackish gray and much less developed;
-her general colour is also of a lighter tinge. This
-remarkable difference would lead us to question the
-specific identity of the two animals, were we not assured
-by M. F. Cuvier that he had verified the fact by what is
-usually regarded as an unequivocal test. Mr. M’Leay
-has, however, thrown considerable doubt upon the accuracy
-of the inference thus attempted to be drawn, by
-exhibiting to the Linnean Society a female, in whom the
-white fur of the head was as distinctly developed as in
-her male companion. The whole of the species of this
-group require, in fact, an accurate revision.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p154.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Mongoos curled up in a nest of branches" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p155.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two kangaroos, or kanguroos" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_KANGUROO">THE KANGUROO.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Macropus Major.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Shaw.</span></p>
-
-<p>The very peculiar structure from which the Marsupial
-animals derive their name has been regarded by almost
-every naturalist who has written on the subject as so
-essential a deviation from the common type, that, setting
-aside all considerations of form or habits, and regardless
-even of those technical characters on which so much
-reliance is usually placed, they have for the most part
-agreed in uniting under the same family designation
-every animal in which it occurred. This peculiarity
-consists in a folding or doubling of the skin and its
-appendages beneath the lower part of the belly in the
-females, in such a manner as to form an open pouch or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
-bag, in which the young are contained from a very early
-period, in which the process of suckling takes place, and
-in which, even for some time after they have acquired
-sufficient size and strength to leave it, the little ones
-continue to take refuge.</p>
-
-<p>But the presence of this one anomalous characteristic
-is accompanied by so many striking discrepancies in
-other parts, that, limited as this tribe is in number, most
-of the principal forms of Mammalia find analogous
-representations among its groups. Thus the Opossums
-exhibit characters in some measure intermediate between
-the Quadrumana and the Carnivora, to which latter the
-Dasyuri, another Marsupial group, closely resembling
-the Civets in form and habits, approach very nearly;
-while the herbivorous races of the tribe might occupy a
-station between the Rodent and Ruminant Orders, with
-each of which they exhibit various degrees of relationship.
-This want of uniformity in the essential parts of
-their organization necessarily gives rise to much difficulty
-in determining their position in the system. The
-mode of classification now most generally followed is
-perhaps, under all the circumstances, the best that could
-at the present moment be adopted; although it must be
-owned that the purely herbivorous species arrange themselves
-with a very ill grace under a subdivision of the
-order Carnivora. Placed, however, as they are at the
-end of that order, and immediately before the Rodentia,
-the regular gradations from the type of the former to
-that of the latter, which occur in their different groups,
-become most distinctly manifest.</p>
-
-<p>With the exception of the Opossums, which are natives
-of America, the tribe is peculiar to New Holland and its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
-appendages, and to some of the islands which form the
-great chain of connexion between that insular continent
-and South-eastern Asia. The former is, however, their
-head quarters, and the species which are found beyond
-its limits are few in number compared with those which
-people its territory, and, what is more remarkable, people
-it to the exclusion of nearly all the other Mammalia;
-the dog alone, the universal concomitant of man, and
-one or two species of rats, disputing with them their
-title to its exclusive possession; for those paradoxical
-creatures, the Ornithorhynchus and Echidna, if really
-mammiferous, approximate closely in structure to the
-Marsupial tribe.</p>
-
-<p>The largest of these animals are the Kanguroos, whose
-generic characters we shall now proceed to describe.
-Their teeth are only of two kinds, the canines being
-altogether wanting. The incisors are six in the upper
-jaw, and two only in the lower; the former short, and
-arranged in a curved line, and the latter long, pointed,
-closely applied to each other, and directed forwards.
-The molars are separated from the incisors by a considerable
-vacant space, and are five in number on each
-side of each jaw. The most remarkable peculiarity in
-the external form of these animals consists in the extreme
-disproportion of their limbs, the anterior legs being short
-and weak, while the posterior are extremely long and
-muscular. The tail too is excessively thick at its base,
-of considerable length, and gradually tapering; and this
-singular conformation enables it to act in some measure
-as a supplemental leg, when the animal assumes an
-erect or nearly erect posture, in which position he is
-supported as it were on a tripod by the joint action of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>
-these three powerful organs. By means of this combination
-they will, when flying from danger, take a succession
-of leaps of from twenty to thirty feet in length
-and six or eight in height; but even in their more quiet
-and gradual mode of progression they also make use of
-their tail in conjunction with their four extremities. The
-fore feet are furnished with five toes, each terminating in
-a moderately strong and arcuated claw. The hinder
-extremities, on the contrary, have only four toes, the two
-interior of which are united together so as to form the
-appearance of a single one furnished with two short and
-feeble claws; the third is long, of great strength, and
-terminated by a large and powerful claw having the
-form of a lengthened hoof; and the fourth, the most
-external of the series, is similar in character to the third,
-but of much smaller dimensions. The head and anterior
-part are small and delicate, and appear quite disproportioned
-to the robust posterior half of the body; and
-this disproportion is equally striking, whether the animal
-assumes an erect position or crouches forwards upon all
-fours. In either case the whole extent of the soles of
-the posterior feet, which are of great length, is applied
-to the surface of the ground. Although differing from
-all the Rodent animals in the number of the cutting
-teeth of the upper jaw, the Kanguroo has the deep
-fissure in the upper lip, with which nearly all that order
-are furnished, and of which the hare offers a familiar
-and proverbial instance.</p>
-
-<p>These singular animals were among the first fruits
-which accrued to natural history from the discovery of
-New South Wales, a country which has since proved so
-fertile in new and remarkable forms both of the animal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>
-and vegetable creations. Their natural habits in a wild
-state are still, however, very imperfectly known. They
-appear to live in small herds, perhaps single families,
-which are said to submit to the guidance of the older
-males, and to inhabit in preference the neighbourhood
-of woods and thickets. They are, as might be inferred
-from the small size of their mouths and the peculiar
-character of their teeth, purely herbivorous, feeding
-chiefly upon grass and roots. Their flesh is eaten by the
-colonists, by whom it is said to be nutritious and savoury,
-an assertion which is confirmed by those who have partaken
-of it in England. In order to procure this they
-are frequently hunted in their native country; but the
-dogs who are employed in this service sometimes meet
-with dangerous wounds, not only from the blows of their
-powerful tail, which is their usual weapon of defence,
-but also from the claws of their hind feet, with which
-they have been known to lacerate the bodies of their
-assailants in a shocking manner. But, unless when thus
-driven to make use of such powers of self-defence as
-they possess, they are perfectly harmless and even timid;
-and, when domesticated, are not in the least mischievous.
-In several collections in this country, and particularly
-in the Royal Park at Windsor, from which the specimens
-in the Menagerie were obtained, they have become almost
-naturalized, and appear to be but little affected by the
-change of climate. When confined in a small enclosure,
-they uniformly make their path round its circuit, seldom
-crossing it or passing in any other direction except for
-the purpose of procuring their food. Their whole appearance,
-and especially their mode of progression, is
-singularly curious and even to a certain extent ludicrous.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p>
-
-<p>Modern naturalists have attempted to distinguish
-several species among the Kanguroos; but as the characters
-on which these are founded consist merely in
-difference of size and slight modifications of colour, a
-much more complete acquaintance with them than we
-yet possess is requisite before they can safely be adopted.
-Our specimens are of a brownish gray above, somewhat
-lighter beneath, with the extremity of the muzzle, the
-back of the ear, the feet, and the upper surface of the
-tail, nearly black, and the front of the throat grayish
-white. Since they have been confined in the Menagerie,
-the female has once produced young; a circumstance by
-no means unfrequent even in this country among those
-which are less restricted of their liberty and are suffered
-to roam at large in a meadow or a park. They are fed,
-like the domesticated Ruminants, upon green herbage
-and hay; and are extremely tame and good tempered.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p160.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A rural, riverside or lakeside scene" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p161.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Porcupine" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_AFRICAN_PORCUPINE">THE AFRICAN PORCUPINE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Hystrix Cristata.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>Although the Rodent order, next to the Carnivorous, is
-the most numerous in species, the Porcupine is the only
-animal belonging to it which is at present contained in
-the Menagerie. The animals of this division, consisting
-chiefly of “rats and mice and such small deer,” have
-indeed, with some few exceptions, so little of interest for
-the mere casual visiter of an exhibition, that it is rarely
-that they are sought after unless by the scientific collector.
-They are at once distinguished from the Carnivora
-by the total absence of canine teeth; and have
-uniformly two incisors in each jaw, projecting forwards
-and generally of considerable size, separated from a
-variable number of grinders by a vacant space.</p>
-
-<p>From the other animals of the order the Porcupines<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
-are so readily distinguished by the long and pointed
-spines with which their body is armed, that it is unnecessary
-to dwell on their generic characters. The common
-Porcupine, when fully grown, as in the remarkably fine
-specimen figured over leaf, measures more than two feet
-from the tip of the nose to the origin of the tail. The
-spines, which are supported by a slender pedicel, thickly
-clothe the upper and posterior parts of the body, the
-largest being more than a foot in length; they are regularly
-surrounded by alternate rings of black and white.
-The head and neck are crested with long, bristly, black
-hairs, forming a kind of mane, and all the rest of the
-body is covered with short black hair.</p>
-
-<p>The Porcupine is a native of Africa and the south of
-Europe; he chooses for his abode the most arid and
-solitary situations, and passes the daytime secluded in
-the burrows which he digs for his habitation, quitting
-them only at night to provide his subsistence, which
-consists entirely of vegetable substances. He is a remarkably
-timid animal, and never makes use of his
-formidable weapons except in self-defence; if alarmed,
-his spines immediately become erected, and woe be to
-the enemy who should dare to attack him open-mouthed
-when in that posture.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p162.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Something... exploding? Like a porcupine?" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p163.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Elephant" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_ASIATIC_ELEPHANT">THE ASIATIC ELEPHANT.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Elephas Indicus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>The opportune arrival of a beautiful little Elephant, an
-animal which has for some time been a desideratum to
-the Menagerie, fortunately enables us to add to our list
-of subjects that which in all probability presents the
-most generally attractive spectacle among the whole
-class of Mammiferous Quadrupeds. The strong and
-peculiar interest which the Elephant possesses above all
-other beasts arises in fact not so much from his gigantic
-bulk and immense muscular power, as from the high
-opinion usually entertained of those intellectual qualities
-with which he has long been supposed to be preeminently
-endowed, and which have rendered him a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
-theme of exaggerated encomium to the careless observer,
-while even in some philosophic minds they have furnished
-the groundwork on which perverted ingenuity
-has built up theory after theory as baseless and imaginary
-as the foundation on which they have been made
-to rest, the reason and reflection of a brute.</p>
-
-<p>It is on this account that we feel it incumbent upon
-us, notwithstanding all that has been written on the
-subject, to dwell with some little detail on the natural
-history of this singular animal; but we shall nevertheless
-endeavour to compress our observations within the smallest
-possible compass. We shall commence as usual with
-his zoological characters, and shall then take a glance at
-his habits, such as they appear in a pure state of nature,
-unfettered by any laws but those of necessity, and
-uncontrolled except by the inevitable influence of the
-circumstances in which he is placed. And lastly we
-shall view him when under the control of man, and
-reduced to that half-domesticated condition to which
-even his stubborn nature is bowed by the application of
-those means which man alone can employ, and by which
-he maintains his ascendancy as undisputed lord of the
-creation over the mightiest even more effectually than
-over the meanest of its works.</p>
-
-<p>The Elephants belong to the Pachydermatous order,
-in which they constitute a family readily distinguishable
-from the other enormous beasts which form part of it,
-the Hippopotamus and the Rhinoceros, by a combination
-of characters of the most remarkable description. To the
-immense size and clumsy figure of the two last named
-animals, which indeed they commonly surpass in both
-those particulars, they add the following distinctive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>
-zoological characters. Their teeth consist of two formidable
-tusks, which, occupying the place of the incisors
-of the upper jaw, project forwards in a nearly horizontal
-direction, generally with a slight curvature upwards;
-and of one or occasionally two cheek teeth of considerable
-magnitude on each side of each jaw, formed of
-vertical layers of bony matter surrounded by enamel,
-and connected together by a third substance called cortical.
-These latter are not, as in almost all the other
-Mammalia, renewed for one only time and at a certain
-age by the growth of others to supply their places from
-the cavity of the jaw beneath them; but, on the contrary,
-are pushed forwards by the advance of those which are
-destined to replace them from behind, and are renewed,
-according to the statement of Mr. Corse, no less than
-eight times at different periods of the animal’s existence.
-On each successive change the number of laminæ of
-which they are composed is increased, the earliest not
-offering more than four, while the later ones frequently
-exceed twenty; and it is in consequence of the new teeth
-generally making their appearance for some time prior
-to the total failure of their predecessors that their number
-occasionally appears to be double its proper and
-more usual amount. The tusks on the contrary admit
-but of a single displacement and renewal; the first or
-milk pair seldom exceeding two inches in length, and
-falling out between the first and second year. The permanent
-ones which succeed are much larger and more
-powerful in the adult male than in the female, and not
-unfrequently project as much as two feet. They are
-well known as furnishing one of the most beautiful and
-ornamental productions which the animal kingdom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
-affords, as well as a valuable article of commerce, in the
-pure and polished ivory of which they are formed. They
-have been known to weigh as much as one hundred and
-fifty pounds, but their usual average is from fifty to
-seventy.</p>
-
-<p>The ears of the Elephant are large, not elevated like
-those of other quadrupeds so as to form a kind of trumpet
-for the reception of sound, but flattened down upon
-the side of the head, and forming a broad and uninterruptedly
-expanded surface. His eyes, remarkably small
-in proportion to his bulk, are sheltered above by a cluster
-of long hairs, which, with a few others scattered over the
-head and still more rarely on the body, and a kind of
-brush at the extremity of the tail, constitute the only
-covering, if covering it may be called, with which he
-is provided. His skin in fact is throughout nearly destitute
-of hair; but in return it is, as in the rest of the
-order, of excessive thickness and extreme tenacity, insomuch
-as to be capable of repelling a common musket
-ball, which scarcely makes the slightest impression upon
-its surface. His feet are enveloped by a large hoof of a
-callous and almost horny consistence, and are divided,
-in the skeleton at least, into five toes, the extremities
-only of which, rendered obvious by the nails by which
-they are surmounted, are externally visible. On the
-hind feet the number of apparent toes varies from three
-to four.</p>
-
-<p>But of all the peculiarities by which the Elephant is
-distinguished, the most singular and at the same time
-the most useful is the projection which is formed by the
-blending and extension of the nose and upper lip into
-an elongated and tapering tube, considerably longer than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
-the head, and truncated at the extremity, where it is
-surrounded by a slightly elevated margin, which is prolonged
-anteriorly and superiorly into a finger-like appendage
-of various and invaluable use. This trunk or
-proboscis, as it is called, is divided throughout its whole
-extent into two equal cavities, which are continuous with
-the nostrils, but appear to have no other connexion with
-the organ of smell than as being the medium of the
-passage of odours to the olfactory apparatus, which is
-confined within the bones of the head, and is indeed
-seated much higher than usual in consequence of the
-large space occupied by the roots of the tusks and by
-the cavities of the maxillary bones. The real uses of
-the trunk are far higher and more important; and it
-is to this unique and unexampled structure that the
-Elephant owes whatever superiority he possesses over
-other beasts. In general capacity he is inferior to most,
-and the intellectual qualities of a dog or a horse are
-unquestionably of a far more elevated order; but with
-the assistance of this curious organ, with some little
-sagacity, a tolerable memory, and a certain degree of
-docility, the Elephant is enabled to execute such a
-variety of actions, either of his own accord or at the
-command of his keeper, as have gained him the credit
-not only of being the cleverest of brutes, but of possessing
-qualities of a superior cast and even the divine gift
-of reason itself.</p>
-
-<p>The structure of the trunk is entirely muscular, and
-the fibres of which it is composed are arranged in such
-a manner that it is capable of being inflected in almost
-any direction; but to twist itself spirally inwards appears
-to be its most natural action. In this manner it will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
-grasp with the utmost firmness, for its strength is fully
-equal to its flexibility, whatever it may seize; and it is
-by this means that the Elephant conveys his food to his
-mouth. Being purely herbivorous, but encumbered with
-a head and appendages so weighty as to require all the
-support to be derived from an excessively short and
-almost unyielding neck, it would be utterly impossible
-for him to browse upon the herbage from which his
-sustenance is chiefly derived, and he would consequently
-run no small risk of absolute starvation, were it not for
-this admirable provision, by means of which he collects
-and enfolds his food, and conveys it to his mouth with
-as much ease and precision as a Monkey would execute
-the same motions with his hands. In drinking too the
-trunk offers the same facilities and performs the same
-useful and necessary office. Placing its extremity in the
-fluid which he is about to drink, the Elephant pumps
-up, or rather inhales, a sufficient quantity to fill its
-cavities, and then transferring it to his mouth pours its
-contents quietly down his throat. When his thirst is
-satisfied he will frequently continue the same process of
-filling his trunk for the purpose of discharging the liquid
-contained in it over his body, an indulgence in which he
-appears to take no little pleasure; and will even sometimes
-amuse himself by directing the fluid to other
-objects.</p>
-
-<p>The Asiatic Elephant was until very lately considered
-as forming one species with the African, the clear and
-obvious distinctions which exist between them never
-having been noticed until pointed out by M. Cuvier,
-notwithstanding that both have been familiarly known
-for more than two thousand years to the nations of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
-Europe, the former having formed an important part of
-the armament with which Porus withstood the conquering
-arms of Alexander, and having been subsequently
-introduced even into Italy by Pyrrhus; and the latter,
-as we may fairly presume, furnishing those individuals
-which were employed in the warlike array of the Carthaginians.
-The Asiatic animal appears when fully grown
-to attain a larger size than the African, the females
-commonly measuring from seven to eight, and the males
-from eight to ten feet in height, and sometimes weighing
-six or seven thousand pounds. His head is more oblong,
-and his forehead presents in the centre a deep concavity
-between two lateral and rounded elevations; that of the
-African being round and convex in all its parts. The
-teeth of the former are composed of transverse vertical
-laminæ of equal breadth, while those of the latter form
-rhomboidal or lozenge-shaped divisions. The ears of the
-Asiatic are also smaller and descend no lower than his
-neck, and he exhibits four distinct toes on his hind feet:
-the African on the contrary is furnished with ears of
-much greater size, descending to his legs, and no more
-than three toes are visible on his posterior extremities.
-These differences are so striking and important, and
-indeed, so far as regards the form of the head and the
-structure of the teeth, so essential, that it is impossible
-not to adopt the division which has been founded upon
-them, and to consider the natives of the two continents
-as originally and specifically distinct.</p>
-
-<p>The Asiatic Elephants themselves vary considerably
-in several minor particulars, such as the comparative
-length and thickness of their trunks and of their tusks,
-the latter of which are sometimes, even in the males, of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
-very small dimensions. But these variations are evidently
-the result of locality and other fortuitous circumstances,
-the species appearing gradually to degenerate
-as it recedes from the tropics, and to improve as it
-advances towards the line. The Elephants of Ceylon
-are consequently in the highest esteem for size, beauty,
-and hardihood, and those of Pegu are but little inferior
-to them; while those of the northern districts of India
-are held in comparatively trifling estimation.</p>
-
-<p>These animals are by nature sociable, and congregate
-together in herds, which frequently amount to more
-than a hundred. The imposing spectacle furnished by
-such a collection of these immense masses of animated
-matter may well be imagined. They generally seek the
-shade of the forest, in which they find additional means
-of subsistence in the young shoots of the trees, which
-supply the place of other and more congenial herbs.
-They frequently issue from it, however, in quest of the
-latter, and also to indulge in a propensity possessed by
-them in common with all those animals which like them
-are furnished with thick and almost naked, or with
-bristly, skins, that of bathing in the water or wallowing
-in the mud. It is for this reason that they are usually
-met with in the neighbourhood of large streams, which
-their great size and the quantity of fat with which they
-are commonly loaded enable them to swim with facility.
-Their trunk is also extremely serviceable in this operation,
-as it enables them to bury as it were the whole of
-their body beneath the water, retaining above the surface
-no more than the extremity of that organ for the admission
-and expulsion of the air. After having been for
-some time in the water, it is said that their skin loses the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
-dusky hue by which it is usually distinguished in consequence
-of the dirt and other matters with which it is
-incrusted, and assumes a perfect flesh-colour marked
-with numerous round and blackish spots. This natural
-colour is, however, lost almost immediately on their
-reaching the land, when they uniformly scatter themselves
-all over by means of their trunk with the mud or
-dust which first falls in their way. So fond are they of
-this process that they commonly recur to it whenever
-an opportunity offers. The bathing appears to be absolutely
-necessary in order to keep their skins to a certain
-extent supple and flexible; for which purpose their
-keepers, in captivity, occasionally have recourse to the
-smearing them with oil as a substitute.</p>
-
-<p>Like other herbivorous quadrupeds they are, generally
-speaking, quiet and harmless, intent solely upon providing
-for their wants, and never attacking man or other
-animals unless provoked or when under the influence of
-excitement. In this latter case they make use not only
-of their proboscis, which they wield with great dexterity
-as a weapon of offence, but also of their tusks, with
-which they inflict the most tremendous wounds. Their
-speed in pursuit corresponds rather with the cumbrousness
-than with the magnitude of their frame, the excessive
-weight of which soon renders them weary, and
-compels them to slacken their pace; which, when urged
-to the utmost, is barely equal to that of a horse of moderate
-fleetness. They will sometimes penetrate in quest
-of food into the rice fields and sugar plantations, in
-which they commit the most extensive ravages, not so
-much by the quantity which they consume as by that
-which they destroy. The solitary individuals, which are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
-occasionally met with separate from the general herd,
-indulge perhaps more frequently in these excesses than
-the community, which generally avoids as much as possible
-the habitations of man. It has commonly been
-imagined that these stray Elephants were the younger
-and weaker males, who had been driven from the herd
-by their more powerful fellows; but the fact that they
-are usually adults of the largest size completely negatives
-this supposition, and proves that it is of their own
-free will that they wander thus alone. They attain their
-full growth between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four,
-and well authenticated instances have occurred in
-which they have reached the age of a hundred and thirty
-years. Indeed there is reason to believe that their life
-may be sometimes prolonged to two centuries.</p>
-
-<p>The usual mode of catching the wild Elephants for the
-purpose of domestication has been so often described that
-it would be superfluous to repeat it here. It may be sufficient
-to observe that a herd of them having been driven
-by the hunters into an enclosure surrounded by palisades
-and ditches, and provided only with a narrow pass
-by way of egress, they are there made prisoners one after
-the other, and attached to the tame elephants, which are
-employed on such occasions partly as decoys and partly
-as guards over their captive brethren. The necessity of
-having recourse to this mode of supplying the wants, or
-rather of ministering to the pride, of the sovereigns of
-the East, both native and European, who alike regard
-these animals as the indispensable appendages of their
-rank, arises from the circumstance of the breed being
-very rarely propagated in captivity; the Hindoos being
-either too ignorant or too careless to adopt the requisite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>
-measures for securing its continuance, and relying upon
-the certainty of being enabled by their hunting to keep
-up a sufficient supply. But there can be little doubt,
-from what we observe in other animals, that had a
-domesticated breed of Elephants existed from the times
-when their services were first made available to man,
-they would have been far superior both in sagacity and
-docility to the half-reclaimed individuals at present employed.</p>
-
-<p>It may readily be supposed that the taming of these
-wild and unwieldy creatures is a task of no little difficulty
-and delicacy: but the experienced keepers by
-whom it is undertaken seldom fail to execute it with
-success. It is effected partly by reducing the strength
-of the animal by restricting him in the quantity of his
-food, by the employment of caresses or of castigation
-according to the dispositions he may manifest, by occasionally
-indulging him in sweetmeats or in other dainty
-fare, and by subjecting him to the control of the tame
-elephants, and especially of the females, which are more
-commonly employed for this purpose. By the application
-of these means the space of a fortnight is generally
-sufficient to reduce him to a certain degree of tameness,
-and in less than six months he is trained to the various
-exercises which it is intended that he should perform,
-and his education is regarded as complete. They do not,
-however, always become familiar and habituated to their
-new mode of life even within this period of time; for,
-according to the statement of Mr. Corse, Elephants have
-been known to stand twelve months at their pickets
-without lying down to sleep; and this is regarded as a
-certain sign of want of confidence in their keepers and of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
-a longing desire to regain their liberty. It is probably
-to some such circumstance as this that we are indebted
-for the erroneous idea so generally prevalent that these
-animals always sleep standing; whereas the truth is,
-that when perfectly at ease and reconciled to their fate,
-they lie down on their sides and sleep like other beasts.</p>
-
-<p>The purposes for which they are commonly employed
-are rather those of pomp, of luxury, and of ostentation,
-than of utility. As a means of warlike offence they have
-been, since the introduction of firearms, absolutely disused;
-and it is only as beasts of burden that they are
-turned to any useful account. In this respect the services
-of a single Elephant are equal to those of five or
-six horses, as they will carry from fifteen to twenty hundred
-weight, and travel from forty to fifty miles a day.
-They generally consume a hundred weight and a half
-or two hundred weight of solid food, and thirty or forty
-gallons of fluid, in the course of the day. They are fond
-of wine, spirits, and other intoxicating articles, by the
-attraction of which they are frequently induced to exert
-their powers, and to perform various feats of dexterity,
-when all other methods have failed to render them tractable.
-They become strongly attached to their keepers;
-but, if irritated by ill usage, their hatred is as violent as
-their affection, and is carefully stored up until a favourable
-opportunity occurs, when they seldom fail to remember
-an insult or an injury, even at very distant periods
-of time.</p>
-
-<p>With regard to their sagacity much has been written,
-and many exaggerated and many incredible stories have
-been told; but it would appear that those who have
-attributed to the Elephant a degree of intelligence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
-superior to every other beast, have been misled by
-outward appearances, and by the natural prepossession
-arising from his gigantic and imposing figure. Without
-his trunk, upon the singular and admirable structure of
-which most of that skill and dexterity which have been
-regarded as the result of mental reflection is entirely
-dependent, he would be, in all probability, as very a
-brute as the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, or the hog.
-By means of that organ, however, he unquestionably
-acquires the capacity of performing feats of which other
-animals are incapable; but here his superiority ends.
-In intelligence, as in docility, he is far inferior to the
-dog; and many other quadrupeds might fairly compete
-with him in both. Thus to turn a key in a lock, to push
-back a bolt, to untie a rope, to uncork a bottle, to search
-in the pockets of his keepers for apples or oranges, these
-and many other tricks of a similar kind, for which he
-is famous, are evidently nothing more than mechanical
-actions, to the performance of which he is stimulated,
-like other beasts, at first by the promise of reward or the
-fear of chastisement, and afterwards by the mere force of
-habit. In like manner the dexterity with which he learns
-to load and unload himself, or to place a man or child
-upon his back by means of his trunk, without offering
-them the slightest injury; and on the other hand the
-precision with which he is made to execute the will of
-the Asiatic despot on the unhappy victims of his displeasure,
-by seizing them and casting them beneath his
-feet, to be there dispatched, according to the tenor of the
-orders which he receives, either with a single crush, or
-with all the horrors of a lingering death; these also are
-actions of no higher order than many other animals are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
-equally capable of in a moral point of view, although
-not so well fitted for them by physical conformation.</p>
-
-<p>In conclusion we have only to add that the fine little
-Elephant from which our figure was taken appears from
-his dimensions and from the very small size of his tusks
-to be little more than three years old. He is extremely
-good tempered, and became reconciled to his situation
-almost from the very moment of his arrival.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p176.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="War-elephants in battle" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p177.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Zebra" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_ZEBRA_OF_THE_PLAINS">THE ZEBRA OF THE PLAINS.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Equus Burchellii.</i></span></p>
-
-<p>The well known group of which the Horse, the Ass, and
-the Zebra constitute the leading species, is distinguished
-from all other quadrupeds by the form of their hoof,
-which is single and undivided, rounded in front, of considerable
-thickness, and enveloping the extremity of
-their only apparent toe. They have in each jaw six
-powerful cutting teeth, accompanied on either side by
-the same number of grinders with square crowns flattened
-at the top: the males have two canines in the
-upper jaw, and frequently in the lower also; and this
-structure is sometimes shared by the females of the
-domesticated races. Between the canines and the molars<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
-there is a vacant space, which, our readers scarcely need
-to be reminded, receives the bit, the small but irresistible
-instrument by means of which man has for ages
-exercised the most complete control over the services of
-these useful animals. Although purely and essentially
-herbivorous, their anatomy, as well as their habits, separates
-them most thoroughly from the Ruminants, and
-approximates them in several respects to the Pachydermatous
-order, with which, in spite of their many
-discrepancies, both physical and moral, M. Cuvier has
-associated them. It is needless to point out the incongruity
-of this union, and it would be equally so to say
-more of the general form and external characteristics of
-a group, the principal species of which are so constantly
-before our eyes.</p>
-
-<p>It may, however, be observed, that it has been proposed
-to divide it into two distinct genera, the one
-containing the Horse alone, and characterized by the
-flowing tail uniformly covered with long hair, by the
-absence of a line of darker coloured hairs along the
-back, and by the presence of callous protuberances on
-the hind legs as well as on the fore: the other comprehending
-the Asses and Zebras, and distinguished by the
-tail having a brush of long hairs at its extremity only,
-by the presence of the dorsal line, and the absence of
-the protuberances on the posterior legs. Such a division,
-resting as it does on striking but not very essential
-differences, may fairly be admitted for the purpose of
-separating the genus into sections; but can hardly be
-regarded as founded on characters of sufficient importance
-to disunite so well marked and strongly connected,
-as well as so limited, a group. In the same paper in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
-which this new arrangement was proposed, the beautiful
-animal which we have now to describe was first specifically
-distinguished by Mr. Gray from the Common Zebra,
-with which it had previously been confounded, and characterized
-by him under the name of the Asinus Burchellii.
-Still there exists so much confusion between the
-two Zebras, many naturalists falling into the same error
-with Mr. Burchell, who first remarked the distinction
-between them, and regarding the present animal as the
-Zebra of zoologists, and the common one in reality as
-the new species; while others have absolutely counterchanged
-a part of the characters of each, and thus made
-confusion worse confounded; that we cannot do better
-than describe with some little detail the markings of the
-individual now before us.</p>
-
-<p>The ground colour of its whole body is white, interrupted
-by a regular series of broad black stripes extending
-from the back across the sides, with narrower and
-fainter ones intervening between each. Over the haunches
-and shoulders these stripes form a kind of bifurcation,
-between the divisions of which there are a few transverse
-lines of the same colour; but these suddenly and abruptly
-cease, and are not continued on the legs, which are perfectly
-white. Along the back there is a narrow longitudinal
-line, bordered on each side with white. The mane
-is throughout broadly and deeply tipped with black, and
-is marked by a continuation of the transverse bands of
-the neck. The lines of the face are narrow and beautifully
-regular; from the centre of the forehead they
-radiate downwards over the eyes; along the front of the
-muzzle they are longitudinal, the outer ones having a
-curve outwards; and on the sides they form broader<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
-transverse bands. From the confluence of these bands
-on the extremity of the muzzle, the nose, and the lower
-lip, those parts become of a nearly uniform blackish
-brown. The tail is white: there is no longitudinal ventral
-line: and a large black patch occupies the posterior
-part of the ear near the tip. The hoofs are moderately
-large, deep in front, shallow behind, and much expanded
-at their margin.</p>
-
-<p>Of the habits of these animals in a state of nature we
-know but little. They inhabit the flat parts near the
-Cape of Good Hope, the common Zebra being confined
-to the mountains. All the attempts that have been made
-to domesticate either the one or the other, and to render
-them serviceable, have hitherto failed; but there seems
-no good reason why they should not, with proper management,
-be brought as completely under subjection
-as the other species of the genus. The subject of the
-present article, which has now been about two years in
-the Menagerie, will suffer a boy to ride her about the
-yard, and is frequently allowed to run loose through
-the Tower, with a man by her side, whom she does not
-attempt to quit except to run to the Canteen, where she
-is occasionally indulged with a draught of ale, of which
-she is particularly fond.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p180.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Zebras in harness pulling a chariot" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p181.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two llamas" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_LLAMA">THE LLAMA.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Llama Peruviana.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>In common with the Camels, the Llamas are distinguished
-from all other Ruminating animals chiefly by
-the absence of horns, by the structure of their feet, and
-by their mode of dentition, in all of which these two
-closely allied groups very nearly correspond with each
-other. In their general form there is also some similarity;
-but the latter are much lighter in their proportions,
-and far more lively and spirited in their motions. They
-exhibit no traces of the clumsy and unsightly humps
-which disfigure the backs of the former, and their necks
-and limbs, of greater comparative length, appear to be far
-less oppressed by the superincumbent weight of the head<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
-and body, which are consequently maintained in a more
-upright and graceful position. The principal difference
-in their internal structure consists in the want of that
-extensive appendage to the first stomach, which renders
-the Camel so peculiarly valuable in situations where
-water is with difficulty procured, by enabling him to
-lay in at once a sufficient stock of that indispensable
-necessary to supply his wants for many days. But even
-without this appendage the Llamas are observed to be
-by no means so much exposed to frequent thirst as the
-generality of animals, and to drink but rarely and in
-moderate quantity.</p>
-
-<p>The feet of the Camels and of the Llamas are very
-different in form from those of all the other Ruminants.
-They are, it is true, deeply divided, like those of the
-latter, into two apparent toes; but cannot be said, like
-them, to part the hoof, for they have no real hoof, and
-the extremities of their protruded toes are armed only
-with short, thick, and crooked claws. These toes are in
-the Camels united posteriorly by a horny process, which
-is wanting in the Llamas. The teeth of both are nearly
-similar: they consist of six incisors in the lower jaw and
-two in the upper; of two canines in each; and of six
-molars in the upper, and five in the lower, on each side.
-None of the other Ruminants exhibit the least appearance
-of cutting teeth in the upper jaw. The nostrils of
-both consist externally of mere fissures in the skin, which
-may be opened and closed at pleasure, and which are
-surrounded by a naked muzzle; and their upper lip is
-divided into two distinct portions, which are very extensible,
-and capable of much separate motion.</p>
-
-<p>The species of the group, of which the Llama forms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
-the type, have been involved by the imperfect descriptions
-of naturalists in almost inextricable confusion. No
-less than five have been admitted; but the variations of
-colour and of size, and the degree of length and fineness
-of the wool, differences rather commercial than natural,
-afford almost the only positive distinctions that have
-yet been laid down between them; and when we consider
-that some of them have been for ages in a state
-of domestication, it will readily be allowed that such
-characters as these are, to say the least, trivial and
-uncertain. Our animals, which are nearly four feet in
-height at the shoulder, and somewhat more than five
-feet to the top of the head, have the neck, the back, the
-sides, and the tail, which is rather short, covered with a
-beautiful coat of long, bright brown, woolly hair. The
-long and pointed ears, and the small and attenuated
-head, on which the hair is short, close, and even, are of
-a grayish mouse-colour; the outside of the legs is of the
-same colour with the sides of the body; and their inside,
-as also the under part of the body and the throat, pure
-white. The hair on the limbs is short and smooth. In
-these respects they offer but little to distinguish them
-from any of the animals which have been exhibited in
-this country under the various names of Llamas, Pacos,
-and Guanacos. There is, however, at present in the
-Garden of the Zoological Society, an animal, which
-besides being of larger size, covered with longer and
-coarser wool, and entirely white (which latter circumstance
-may be purely accidental), differs remarkably in
-the form of the forehead, which in it is perfectly flat,
-while in our animals it rises in a strong curve. This
-character, it is probable, affords a permanent ground of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
-distinction, although we venture not at present to speak
-decidedly respecting it.</p>
-
-<p>The Llamas congregate together in considerable herds
-on the sides of the Andes, and generally in the colder
-and more elevated regions. When the Spaniards first
-arrived in Peru they were the only beasts of burden
-employed by the natives; and even at the present day,
-when horses have become so excessively common, they
-are usually preferred for passing the mountains, on
-which their sureness of footing, exceeding even that of
-the mule, gives them a manifest superiority. Generally
-speaking they are quiet, docile and timid; but they
-occasionally exhibit much spitefulness, especially if
-teased or ill treated. Their mode of evincing this is
-very peculiar, and consists in darting their saliva through
-their nostrils with considerable force. Like all the other
-Ruminants they subsist entirely on vegetables. Those
-in the Tower Menagerie have a particular fondness for
-carrots; and if one of these is abstracted from them
-while they are eating, their anger is immediately roused,
-and they spit, as it is termed, with the greatest vehemence,
-covering with their saliva a surface of three or
-four yards in extent. One of the animals in the cut is
-represented in the act.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p184.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Mountain travellers, llamas as pack-animals" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p185.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Deer" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_MALAYAN_RUSA-DEER">THE MALAYAN RUSA-DEER.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Cervus Equinus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Deer constitute a numerous and beautiful group of
-Ruminants, which are readily distinguished by the graceful
-symmetry of their form, by their long and slender,
-but firm and sinewy, legs, by their broad and pointed
-ears, and by the comparative shortness of their tails;
-but more especially by the generally large and branching
-horns which ornament the heads of the males. Like
-all the ruminating animals, with the exception of those
-mentioned in the preceding article, they are furnished
-with eight cutting-teeth in the lower jaw, opposed to a
-callous and toothless surface in the upper; and with
-expanded, flat, and deeply bifurcated hoofs, constituting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
-two distinct and apparent toes, above which they have
-also the rudiments of two others. Some of the species
-have canine teeth in the upper jaw, generally in the
-males alone; and they have all six molars on each side.
-In the greater number of them the nostrils are surrounded
-by a naked muzzle; and most of them are also provided
-with a sinus or sac, of greater or less extent, immediately
-beneath the inner angle of the eye, called the sub-orbital
-sinus, the <i>larmier</i> of the French zoologists.</p>
-
-<p>The horns, which form the most distinguishing character
-of the genus, are perfectly solid throughout their
-whole extent. Their form varies very considerably in
-the different races; but they are constantly uniform in
-the same species, unless accidentally or artificially perverted
-from their natural growth. In some they are
-simple at the base and terminate in a broad and palmate
-expansion, which is variously lobed and divided; in
-others they are more or less branched, giving off antlers
-in different directions; and in some few they are short
-and nearly simple. They fall off and are renewed
-annually in all the species which inhabit the northern
-and temperate regions of the earth, and in those in
-which they attain any considerable size; but Sir T. Stamford
-Raffles was of opinion, and his opinion has been in
-some measure confirmed by the observations of Major
-C. Hamilton Smith, that several of the tropical species
-with small and nearly simple horns are exempted from
-this general law. The horns are smaller and less developed
-in the young than in the full grown and adult
-animal, and diminish again in size, and frequently
-become irregular, as he advances in age. In one species
-alone, the Rein-Deer of the North, the female wears the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
-same palmy honours with the male; but they do not in
-her reach the same enormous extent.</p>
-
-<p>The high degree of domestication to which this latter
-species has been brought, and the invaluable services
-which it renders to the Laplander, added to the tranquil
-content which most of the deer manifest in a state of
-captivity, afford sufficient proofs that there is nothing in
-the constitution of the group repugnant to their being
-tamed and familiarized with man; but from none of the
-other races have any real or essential advantages been as
-yet derived. The quiet confidence, mixed with a certain
-air of cautious timidity, which they exhibit in their half-restricted
-state, in the park or the chase, where they are
-kept more for ornament than use, is perfectly indicative
-of their general character. But the very mildness of
-their disposition has been turned to their disadvantage,
-and one of the gentlest of animals, because endowed
-by nature with a high degree of fleetness, with some
-sagacity, and with a certain share of timidity, has been
-marked out by man as the chosen victim of his cruelty,
-disguised under the captivating name of sport.</p>
-
-<p>The Samboo Deer, as the present species is called by
-his keepers, belongs to the Rusa group, which are distinguished
-from the rest of the genus by their horns being
-provided with a single antler at the base, and with a
-lateral snag which forms a kind of bifurcation towards
-the extremity. They are usually of large stature and
-nearly uniform colours, and are, for the most part, furnished
-with a rough and shaggy mane, a broad and
-expanded muzzle, and sub-orbital openings of considerable
-size. The handsome Stag now before us is dark
-cinereous brown above, nearly black on the throat and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
-breast, and light fawn, intermixed with dirty white, on
-the inside of the limbs. His eyes are surrounded by
-a fawn-coloured disc, and patches of the same colour
-occupy the fore knees, and a space above each of the
-hoofs in front. His nose, which is black, is enveloped
-in an extensive muzzle; his ears are nearly naked on
-the inside, and marked by a patch of dirty white at the
-base externally; and his mane, which spreads downwards
-over the neck and throat, is remarkably thick and
-heavy. His tail is black above, and light fawn beneath;
-and a disc of the latter colour occupies the posterior part
-of the buttocks, having on each side a blackish line
-which separates it from the lighter tinge of the inside of
-the thighs. His horns, when properly grown, consist of
-a broad burr, from which the pointed basal antler rises
-almost perpendicularly to the extent of nine or ten inches;
-of a stem, which is first directed outwards, and then
-forms a bold curve inwards; and of a snag, or second
-antler of smaller size, arising from the stem near its
-extremity on the posterior and internal side, and forming
-with it a terminal fork, the branch however being shorter
-than the stem, and not exceeding five or six inches in
-length. The entire length of the horns is about two
-feet; they are of a dark colour, very strong, and deeply
-furrowed throughout.</p>
-
-<p>The foregoing description of the horns, it should be
-observed, is taken from those of the year before last,
-which were of the genuine or normal form. Those of
-the last year, which are represented in the cut prefixed,
-were from some cause or other remarkably different, that
-of the right side especially exhibiting a singular monstrosity
-in the production of additional branches of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
-irregular form. Whether this was the effect of disease
-or of advancing age, or whether it arose solely from
-some temporary and accidental cause, will probably be
-determined by the growth of the present year, which is
-not yet sufficiently advanced to enable us to ascertain
-its probable form.</p>
-
-<p>With regard to the sub-orbital sinus, which in this
-and all the neighbouring species is of very considerable
-size, its uses are evidently connected with the function
-of respiration, and probably also with the sense of smell.
-It is denoted externally by a longitudinal fissure, placed
-beneath the inner angle of each of the eyes, and leading
-into a sac or cavity, which in some cases communicates
-internally with the nose; and its inner surface is lined
-by a membrane abundantly supplied with follicles for
-the secretion of mucus, which is sometimes produced
-in very large quantities. This latter circumstance has
-induced some naturalists to regard these openings as
-mere cuticular appendages. That they really, in some
-species at least, communicate with the nostrils, is proved
-by the observations of Mr. White of Selbourne, who
-states that in consequence of this communication the
-Fallow-Deer are enabled to take long-continued draughts
-with their noses deeply immersed in the water, the air
-in the mean time passing through the sub-orbital slits.
-So singular a statement was naturally enough doubted
-and called in question; but it has never, so far as we
-know, been impugned on ocular testimony; while it has
-received the fullest confirmation from other observations
-made upon the very species now under consideration, in
-which the air passing from the sub-orbital sinus, while
-the animal drinks, may be felt by the hand, and even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
-affects the flame of a candle. Another proof of the
-connexion of these cavities with the nose is derived from
-the fact that the animals which are provided with them
-frequently apply their orifices, equally with those of the
-nostrils, to the food which they are about to take, opening
-and shutting them with great rapidity.</p>
-
-<p>The subject of the present article, which, like all the
-rest of the minor group of which he forms a part, is a
-native of India and of the Indian Islands, was a present
-to his Majesty, who kept him for some time, in company
-with another of the same species, at large in the great
-park at Windsor. As both, however, happened to be
-males, they disagreed so violently, and their quarrels at
-length rose to such a pitch, that in order to preserve
-peace it was found absolutely necessary to separate
-them; and our animal, as the most outrageous of the
-two, was dismissed the royal service, and condemned to
-the captivity of the Tower. Since this period he has
-become exceedingly tame, the cause of his former ill
-temper being removed, and demeans himself as quietly
-as the most harmless and gentlest of his tribe.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p190.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Stags fighting" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p191.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Antelope" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_INDIAN_ANTELOPE">THE INDIAN ANTELOPE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Antilope Cervicapra.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Pall.</span></p>
-
-<p>In the elegant symmetry of their form and the light
-and graceful agility of their motions, the Antelopes are
-superior even to the Deer, whom, however, they closely
-resemble, not merely in outward shape, but also in
-internal structure. Like them, in addition to the coincidence
-of a slightly made and beautifully proportioned
-figure, they are frequently furnished with a naked
-muzzle, and with the same remarkable sinus beneath
-the inner angle of the eye; and their ears are generally
-of considerable size, erect, and pointed. But they are
-strikingly distinguished from them and from all the
-other animals of the order by the peculiar character of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
-their horns, which are formed of an elastic sheath enclosing
-a solid nucleus, and are for the most part common
-to the females as well as to the males. They have
-no canine teeth, and exhibit no appearance of a beard
-such as is seen in the Goats. The horns vary greatly in
-the different races; they are sometimes straight and
-upright, at other times slightly curved, and frequently
-spirally twisted with the most beautiful regularity: they
-are usually surrounded by elevated rings or by a spiral
-ridge, are constantly of the same form in the same
-species, and are not subject to an annual falling off and
-renewal, as in the Deer, from which they differ also in
-their mode of growth, the horns of the latter group
-lengthening at their apices, while those of the former
-receive their increase at the base.</p>
-
-<p>In their natural habits the numerous species of which
-this group is composed approach very closely to the
-Deer; there is, however, considerable variety in their
-mode of life. They inhabit almost every description of
-country; the sandy desert, the open plain, the thicket,
-the forest, the mountain, and the precipice, being, each
-in its turn, the favourite haunt of the different races;
-but, with the exception of a few species, they do not
-advance much beyond the limits of the tropics. The
-smaller ones usually prefer a solitary life, but the
-larger, for the most part, congregate together in herds,
-which are generally few in number. In their manners
-they exhibit much of that cautious vigilance and easily
-startled timidity, combined with a certain degree of
-occasional boldness and not a little curiosity, which are
-the natural consequences of their wild and unrestricted
-habits, of their trivial means of defence against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>
-numerous enemies to whose attacks they are exposed,
-and of the unequalled fleetness of their speed. In some
-this latter quality consists of a continued and uniform
-gallop, which in others is interrupted at every third or
-fourth stroke by a long and generally a lofty bound,
-producing a beautiful effect by its constant and rapid
-recurrence.</p>
-
-<p>The Indian Antelope, of which the specimen in the
-Tower constitutes a remarkable and highly interesting
-variety, is not only one of the most beautiful, but also
-the most celebrated species of the group. It occupies
-the place of Capricorn in the Indian Zodiac, and is consecrated
-to the service of Chandra or the Moon. In size
-and form it closely resembles the Gazelle of the Arabs,
-the well known emblem of maiden beauty, typified,
-according to the poets, in the elastic lightness of its
-bound, the graceful symmetry of its figure, and the soft
-lustre of its full and hazel eye. From this truly elegant
-creature our Antelope is, however, essentially distinguished
-by several striking characters. Its horns, which
-are peculiar to the male, are spirally twisted, and form,
-when fully grown, three complete turns; they are closely
-approximated to each other at the base, but diverge
-considerably as they proceed upwards. They occasionally
-attain a length of nearly two feet, and are
-surrounded throughout by elevated and close-set rings.
-The two horns taken together have frequently been
-compared to the branches of a double lyre. The extremity
-of the nose is bare, forming a small and moist
-muzzle; the sub-orbital openings are larger and more
-distinct than in almost any other species; and the ears
-are pointed and of moderate size. The natural colours<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
-vary with the age of the animal, but correspond in
-general pretty closely with those of the common deer.
-They may be shortly described as fawn above and
-whitish beneath, becoming deeper with age, and lighter
-in the females than in the males. The occasional stripes
-of a lighter or darker colour, which are generally visible
-on various parts of the body, can scarcely be considered
-as occurring with sufficient regularity to allow of their
-being described as characteristic of the species.</p>
-
-<p>But for these shades of colour, or for any other, we
-should look in vain in the animal of the Tower Menagerie,
-which, in consequence of a particular conformation,
-not unfrequent in some species of animals, and occasionally
-met with even in the human race, is perfectly
-and purely white. In order to explain this phenomenon,
-which is one of the most curious, but at the same time
-one of the most simple in physiology, it is necessary to
-observe that there exists beneath the epidermis, or outer
-covering of the skin, both in man and animals, a peculiar
-membrane of very fine and delicate texture, which is
-scarcely visible in the European but sufficiently obvious
-in the Negro, termed by anatomists the rete mucosum.
-In this net-work is secreted, from the extremities of the
-minute vessels which terminate upon its surface, a mucous
-substance which varies in colour according to the
-complexion of the individual, of the varieties in which
-it is the immediate cause; and from the substance thus
-secreted the colouring matter of the hairs and of the iris
-is derived. The pure whiteness then of the covering of
-the animal in question, and of all those which exhibit a
-similar variation from their natural tinge, is attributable
-solely to the absence of this secretion from whatever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>
-cause. It is always accompanied, as in the present
-instance, by a redness of the eyes, arising from the
-blood-vessels of the iris being exposed to view in consequence
-of the want of the usual coating formed by this
-secretion, by which they are naturally protected from
-the too great influence of the light. In the human race
-the individuals who are thus afflicted, characterized by
-the dull whiteness of their skins, the deep redness of
-their eyes, and their colourless, or, as it is generally
-termed, flaxen, hair, are called Albinos. They are
-generally timid in disposition, languid in character, and
-weak both in mind and body. The same original conformation,
-for it is always born with the individual and
-never acquired in after life, although sometimes prolonged
-beyond its limits in the shape of an hereditary
-legacy, is common to many animals. Perhaps the most
-familiar instances among these are the white mice, the
-white rabbits, and the white pigeons, which are known
-to every one. But it has also been occasionally seen
-in many other species, as monkeys, squirrels, moles,
-pigs, and even cows and horses, and, to come a little
-closer to our present subject, in goats and deer. Not
-even that massive and stupendous beast the Elephant
-is exempted from its influence. It can hardly be necessary
-to recall to the reader the title on which the ruler
-of millions of not uncivilized Asiatics, the Burmese
-monarch, prides himself more than on any other, inasmuch
-as it is the emblem of power and prosperity, that
-of Lord of the White Elephant; a title, which, while it
-demonstrates the fact of the existence of this deviation
-in the Elephant as well as in other animals, proves also<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
-the extreme rarity of its occurrence. It has moreover
-been noticed in many species of birds.</p>
-
-<p>The present species of Antelope is spread over the
-whole of the Peninsula of Hindoostan and a part of
-Persia; but it is questionable whether it has been found
-in Africa, as is commonly asserted. They are said to
-bound with apparent ease over a distance of from twenty-five
-to thirty feet, and mounting to the height of ten or
-twelve. It is consequently useless to attempt to chase
-them in the common mode with hounds; and their pursuit
-is restricted to the higher nobility, who employ for
-the purpose either hawks, who pounce upon their quarry
-and detain it until the dogs can come up, or Chetahs,
-who attack them by surprise in the manner before
-described.</p>
-
-<p>The elegant Albino now in the Tower was brought
-from Bombay by Captain Dalrymple of the Vansittart,
-and remained for a considerable time at Sand Pit Gate,
-where it was an especial favourite with his Majesty, as
-well on account of the gentleness of its disposition, as
-for its rarity and beauty. It bears its confinement in
-the Menagerie with perfect resignation, and is remarkable
-for the mildness and tranquillity of its deportment.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p196.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Hunters on horseback, dog, dead antelope" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p197.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sheep" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_AFRICAN_SHEEP">THE AFRICAN SHEEP.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Ovis Aries.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span>&mdash;Var. <span class="smcap"><i>Guineensis.</i></span></p>
-
-<p>In characterizing the present genus, were we to look
-solely at the animal such as we have it daily before our
-eyes, the distinction between it and all the other Ruminants
-is too striking to be for a moment mistaken. But
-the insensible gradations which connect this familiar
-denizen of our downs and pastures with the untamed
-native of the desert and the precipice, and the close
-affinity which subsists between the latter and the goats,
-render it almost impossible to isolate them by any
-satisfactory characters. On the present occasion we shall
-content ourselves with observing that the sheep may
-generally be distinguished by the direction of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
-horns, by the elevation of their profile, and by their
-want of beard: characters neither essential nor infallible,
-but the best that can be offered.</p>
-
-<p>The variety figured over leaf is in one of the many
-intermediate stages between unreclaimed barbarism and
-complete domestication. It is an awkward looking creature,
-high on the legs, narrow in the loins, and covered
-with a rough and shaggy coat. The back and sides are
-nearly black; the shoulders reddish brown; and the
-posterior part of the body, the haunches, the hind legs,
-and the tail, white; as are also the ears, which are rather
-large, the nose, and a spot over each eye. The horns,
-although the specimen is a male, are remarkably small,
-and enclose the ears within their curve. If the ears are
-freed from their confinement, the animal becomes very
-uneasy, and never rests until he has succeeded in replacing
-them, which he cannot accomplish without
-considerable difficulty. He was presented to the Menagerie
-by Lord Liverpool about six years ago, and is
-extremely mild in his temper.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p198.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Herd of sheep grazing near an African village" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p199.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two eagles" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_GREAT_SEA-EAGLE">THE GREAT SEA-EAGLE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Haliaetos ossifragus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Sav.</span></p>
-
-<h2 id="THE_GOLDEN_EAGLE">THE GOLDEN EAGLE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Aquila Chrysaetos.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Sav.</span></p>
-
-<p>Having in the preceding article terminated the series of
-Mammiferous Quadrupeds at present existing in the
-Tower Menagerie, we must next direct our attention to
-the illustration of the Birds, a Class which, although
-fully entitled to the second place in the arrangement of
-the Animal Kingdom, is separated by a wide and almost
-unoccupied interval from that which unquestionably
-claims the foremost rank.</p>
-
-<p>To commence then with the Eagles, which form a
-prominent group of the Rapacious Order, and are universally
-regarded as the most majestic, as well as the
-most powerful, of birds. In common with the whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
-Order, they are remarkable for the strong incurvation of
-their bill and talons, the latter of which are four in number
-on each of the feet, and are moved by means of a
-thick and strong muscular apparatus, which gives to the
-grasp of the larger species that extreme tenacity by which
-they are distinguished, enabling them to seize and carry
-off fish and birds, and even quadrupeds of moderate
-size. This innate propensity to rapine, derived from
-their peculiar conformation which renders them essentially
-flesh-eaters, indicates at once the analogical relationship
-borne by the Rapacious Birds to the Carnivorous
-Quadrupeds; and the high degree to which it is carried
-by the Eagles, their vast powers of flight, their towering
-majesty, their irresistible might, their uniform preference
-of living victims and rejection of the offal, render
-them superior to all other birds, in the same proportion
-as the Lion is allowed to take the lead among mammiferous
-quadrupeds.</p>
-
-<p>The Eagles, properly so called, are characterized by a
-head covered with plumage and flattened above; eyes
-large, lateral, and deep-seated; a bill of great strength,
-arched and hooked at its extremity alone, and furnished
-at its base with a naked membrane, called the cere, in
-which the openings of the nostrils are situated; the
-wings broad and powerful; the tarsus, or that joint of
-each leg which is immediately above the toes, strong,
-short, and covered with feathers down to the very base;
-the toes thick and naked, three of them pointing forwards,
-and the fourth constantly directed backwards;
-and the talons of great power and strongly curved. The
-Golden Eagle, which occupies the right hand in the cut,
-is frequently three feet and a half in length from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
-extremity of the beak to that of the tail. His general
-colour is blackish brown both above and below, assuming
-on the legs a grayish or sometimes a reddish tinge.
-His beak is bluish black, covered at the base by a yellow
-cere; and his toes, which are also yellow, terminate in
-strong black talons, the posterior one of which frequently
-attains an enormous length. He is met with throughout
-the Old Continent, and more especially within the limits
-of the temperate zone, building his aiery, which he
-shares with a single female, in the clefts of the loftiest
-rock, or among the topmost branches of the alpine forest.
-From this retreat he towers aloft in search of his prey,
-which he pursues by sight alone, subsisting principally
-on other birds and on the smaller quadrupeds, which he
-carries off in his powerful clutch. When his hunger is
-extreme he sometimes pounces upon the larger animals;
-but in such circumstances he is compelled to content
-himself with sucking their blood upon the spot, and
-with stripping off portions of their flesh, on which to
-satiate his appetite at home. Instances have been known
-of his attaining in captivity to an age of more than a
-hundred years.</p>
-
-<p>The principal distinguishing mark of the group which
-has been separated under the name of the Sea-Eagles,
-consists in the plumage of the tarsus, which in the latter
-extends only half way down, the lower part being consequently
-left entirely bare. The species figured on the
-left, at the head of this article, is commonly more than
-three feet in length, and the expansion of his wings
-measures seven or eight feet. His bill is usually of a
-bluish black colour towards the extremity, and yellow
-at the base. His general hue is blackish brown, deeper<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
-above than beneath, and relieved on the breast and
-under parts by numerous white spots. The larger
-feathers of his wings are nearly black; but those of the
-tail are not so deeply tinged. The naked portion of the
-legs, as also the toes, are covered with bright yellow
-scales; and the talons are of a bright black.</p>
-
-<p>The Great Sea-Eagle is a native of the Northern
-Hemisphere, in the colder regions of which he appears
-to be most at home. He builds his nest in similar
-situations with the last, but prefers the neighbourhood
-of the sea, or of lakes and rivers, over which he is
-frequently to be seen, especially in the morning and
-towards nightfall, hovering in quest of prey, and pouncing
-down upon the fish which rise to the surface, or
-even diving after those which are visible beneath. These
-form his principal sustenance; but he seldom suffers
-flesh or fowl to escape him if they chance to fall in his
-way. His flight is less rapid and less lofty than that of
-the Golden Eagle; and he neither perceives his prey at
-such a distance, nor pursues it with such pertinacity.</p>
-
-<p>The noble birds which illustrate the present article
-were presents from the Marchioness of Londonderry.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p202.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Roman crest, SPQR and an eagle" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p203.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Griffin" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BEARDED_GRIFFIN">THE BEARDED GRIFFIN.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Gypaetos barbatus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Storr.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Bearded Griffin takes an intermediate station between
-the Eagles and the Vultures, with the former of
-which it agrees more closely in general appearance and
-external form, and with the latter in internal structure
-and habits. The principal point in which it differs from
-them both consists in the tuft of bristly hairs which take
-their origin partly from the cere that covers the base of
-the beak, and partly from the under mandible, and are
-directed outwards and downwards in such a manner as
-to give rise to that appearance from which the bird has
-received his epithet of Bearded. His beak is strongly
-arched at the extremity, and is remarkable for its great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>
-vertical thickness, more especially at the point where
-the curvature commences. His head, flat like that of
-the Eagle, is covered with short feathers, which are of a
-dirty white; and his eyes are nearly on the same plane
-with the surface of his head. The general tint of his
-plumage is blackish brown above and grayish fawn beneath,
-and his legs are feathered with the latter colour
-down to the very toes, which are long and grayish. His
-claws are of moderate length and curved; but the force
-of his clutch is far inferior to that of the Eagles.</p>
-
-<p>The Bearded Griffin is the largest European bird of
-prey, and builds its aiery among the loftiest precipices
-of nearly all the alpine chains of the Old Continent.
-Here it displays the tyranny, but not the courage, of
-the Eagle, attacking such living animals only as are
-likely to fall an easy prey, and gorging in troops with
-all the rapacity of Vultures upon the most corrupted
-carrion.</p>
-
-<p>The individual figured is a fine specimen, but is not
-yet in perfect plumage.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p204.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Griffin killing a snake" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p205.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two griffon vultures" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_GRIFFON_VULTURE">THE GRIFFON VULTURE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Vultur fulvus.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>If the Eagles are considered as bearing a close analogy
-to the more noble and perfect among the Carnivorous
-Quadrupeds, such as the Lion and the Tiger, which live
-in solitary grandeur and attack none but living victims,
-the Vultures may, with equal propriety, be regarded as
-the representatives of the Jackal, the Wolf, the Hyæna,
-and other inferior animals of that Order, which hunt in
-packs and prey upon carrion. Endowed like these
-animals with an extreme fineness of scent, they are
-attracted by the smell of dead, and more especially of
-putrid, carcases, at an immense and almost incredible
-distance; and usually assemble in vast numbers to glut<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
-themselves upon the disgusting banquet on the field of
-recent battle, or wherever the work of carnage has been
-carried to any great extent. Under such circumstances,
-however horrible that propensity may appear which
-leads them to prey upon the unburied corpses, they
-unquestionably fulfil a wise provision of nature by
-removing from the surface of the earth a mass of corruption
-and putridity which in the warmer climates
-where they abound would otherwise taint the very atmosphere,
-and might possibly give rise to diseases still
-more fatal in their effects than the malignant passions
-of man himself, from which the destruction sprung.
-But although such a scene affords the greatest scope for
-the indulgence of their depraved appetites, and consequently
-congregates them together in the largest numbers,
-it is happily of rare occurrence, and their usual
-subsistence is derived from the bodies of dead animals.
-To these they are attracted by the smell, and frequently
-in flocks so numerous as actually to cover and conceal
-the object of their attack, from which they tear away
-large gobbets, and swallow them entire and with insatiable
-avidity, never ceasing while yet a morsel remains.
-It is only when hard pressed by hunger that they venture
-to attack a living creature; and their ravages of this
-kind are always confined to the peaceful and timid
-denizens of the poultry-yard. They never carry off
-their victims in their talons, but uniformly devour them
-upon the spot; and even that portion of their prey
-which they transport to their young is first swallowed,
-and afterwards disgorged in the nest.</p>
-
-<p>These peculiarities of habit, by which the Vultures
-are strikingly contrasted not merely with the Eagles,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
-but even with the smallest of the Falcon tribe, are the
-necessary result of their organisation. Their beak, it is
-true, is like that of the Eagles strongly curved at the
-point alone, and they also possess all the technical
-characters of the Rapacious Order; but their talons are
-far inferior, both in size and in the degree of their curvature,
-and they are consequently unable to grasp their
-prey with sufficient force to transport it through the air.
-Their diminished power of flight renders them incapable
-of soaring upwards to search abroad with piercing eye
-for the objects of their rapacity; and they are therefore
-left dependent upon the acute sensibility of their nostrils,
-which amply supplies the deficiency. Of the
-external characters which they exhibit the most remarkable
-is derived from the want of plumage on the head
-and neck, which are covered in the greater number of the
-species by nothing more than a sort of down or by short
-and smooth hairs. The object of this provision appears
-to be to enable them to bury as it were their heads in
-the carrion on which they feed, without exposing their
-plumage to be soiled by the filth which it might otherwise
-contract. Their eyes are placed on a level with
-their cheeks; their heads are rounded above; they have
-most frequently a ruff of considerable extent round the
-lower part of their necks; and their legs are usually
-bare of feathers and covered with large scales. Their
-very attitudes offer the most perfect contrast to those of
-the Eagles; the latter constantly maintaining a bold
-upright posture, with their wings closely pressed to their
-sides, and their tails elevated, while the Vultures on the
-contrary are always seen bending forwards in a crouching
-position, with their wings depressed and separated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
-from their bodies, and their tails trailing upon the
-ground.</p>
-
-<p>The Griffon Vulture is equal in size to the larger
-species of Eagle; his head and neck are covered with
-short white down, and the latter is ornamented at its
-base with an extensive ruff of long feathers of a clear
-and brilliant white. The plumage of the body is reddish
-gray; the quill-feathers of the wings and tail are of a
-blackish brown; and the beak and claws are nearly
-black. He is a native of the greater part of Europe
-and of Asia, and inhabits during the summer the more
-elevated regions of the two continents, building his nest
-in the rocks and among inaccessible precipices. In the
-winter he is said to migrate to warmer and more temperate
-climes. His habits are precisely those of the rest
-of the group to which he belongs.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p208.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Griffon vultures hunting a snake" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p209.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Secretary bird" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_SECRETARY_BIRD">THE SECRETARY BIRD.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Gypogeranus serpentarius.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Illig.</span></p>
-
-<p>The singular conformation of this bird, so different in
-many respects from that of the Order to which both in
-its leading characters and in its habits it obviously
-belongs, rendered it for a long time one of the torments
-of ornithologists, who puzzled themselves in vain to
-assign it a definitive place in the system, and could not
-agree even with regard to the grand division of the class
-to which it ought to be referred. Thus M. Temminck
-was at one time inclined to refer it to the Gallinaceous
-Order; and M. Vieillot, after repeatedly changing his
-mind upon the subject, at last arranged it among the
-Waders, with which it has absolutely nothing in common<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
-except the length of its legs. It appears, however, to be
-now almost universally admitted that its closest affinity
-is with the Vultures, with which it agrees in the most
-essential particulars of its organization, and from which
-it differs chiefly in certain external characters alone,
-which unquestionably give to it an aspect exceedingly
-distinct, but are not of themselves of sufficient importance
-to authorize its removal to a distant part of the
-classification. It constitutes in fact one of those mixed
-and aberrant forms by means of which the arbitrary
-divisions of natural objects established by man are so
-frequently assimilated to each other in the most beautiful,
-and occasionally in the most unexpected, manner.</p>
-
-<p>The principal generic characters of the Secretary consist
-in the form of his beak, which is shorter than the
-head, thick, and curved nearly from the very base, where
-it is covered with a cere; in the long and unequal
-feathers which take their origin from the back of his
-head, and are susceptible of elevation and depression;
-in the naked skin which surrounds his eye, and which is
-shaded by a series of hairs in the form of an eyebrow;
-in the great length and slenderness of his tarsi, which
-form his most striking characteristic in an Order remarkable
-for a structure exactly the reverse; and in the
-shortness of his toes, which are terminated by blunted
-talons of little comparative size or curvature. The only
-known species measures upwards of three feet in length.
-Its plumage, when in a perfect state, is for the most part
-of a bluish gray, with a shade of reddish brown on the
-wings, the large quill-feathers of which are black. The
-throat and breast are nearly white, and the rest of the
-under surface of the body offers a mixture of black, red,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
-and white, the plumage of the legs being of a bright
-black, intermingled with scarcely perceptible brownish
-rays. The plumes of the crest which ornaments the
-back of the head, and from the supposed resemblance
-of which to the pens frequently stuck behind the ears of
-clerks and other writers the name of Secretary was given
-to the bird, are destitute of barbs at the base, but spread
-out as they advance, and are coloured with a mixture of
-black and gray. Each of the wings is armed with three
-rounded bony projections, with which, as well as with
-his feet, the bird attacks and destroys his prey.</p>
-
-<p>In his habits he partly resembles both the Eagle and
-the Vulture, but differs from them most completely in
-the nature of his prey and in his mode of attacking it.
-Like the former he always prefers live flesh to carrion;
-but the food to which he is most particularly attached
-consists of snakes and other reptiles, for the destruction
-of which he is admirably fitted by his organization. The
-length of his legs not only enables him to pursue these
-creatures over the sandy deserts which he inhabits with
-a speed proportioned to their own, but also places his
-more vulnerable parts in some measure above the risk of
-their venomous bite; and the imperfect character of his
-talons, when compared with those of other rapacious
-birds, is in complete accordance with the fact that his
-feet are destined rather to inflict powerful blows, than to
-seize and carry off his prey. When he falls upon a
-serpent, he first attacks it with the bony prominences of
-his wings, with one of which he belabours it, while he
-guards his body by the expansion of the other. He
-then seizes it by the tail and mounts with it to a considerable
-height in the air, from which he drops it to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
-earth, and repeats this process until the reptile is either
-killed or wearied out; when he breaks open its skull by
-means of his beak, and tears it in pieces with the assistance
-of his claws, or, if not too large, swallows it entire.</p>
-
-<p>Like the Eagles these birds live in pairs, and not in
-flocks; they build their aiery, if so it may be termed, on
-the loftiest trees, or, where these are wanting, in the most
-bushy and tufted thickets. They run with extreme
-swiftness, trusting, when pursued, rather to their legs
-than to their wings; and as they are generally met with
-in the open country, it is with difficulty that they can
-be approached sufficiently near for the sportsman to
-obtain a shot at them. They are natives of the south of
-Africa, and appear to be tolerably numerous in the
-neighbourhood of the Cape; where, it is said, they have
-been tamed to such a degree as to render them useful
-inmates of the poultry-yard, in which they not only
-destroy the snakes and rats which are too apt to intrude
-upon those precincts, but even contribute to the maintenance
-of peace among its more authentic inhabitants by
-interposing in their quarrels and separating the furious
-combatants who disturb it by their brawls.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p212.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Secretary birds hunting snakes" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p213.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two owls" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_VIRGINIAN_HORNED-OWL">THE VIRGINIAN HORNED-OWL.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Strix Virginiana.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>All the preceding birds belong to that division of the
-Rapacious Order which pursue their prey in the open
-face of day, and are consequently termed Diurnal; but
-those which we have now to notice are on the contrary
-Nocturnal in their habits, and only venture abroad in
-the shades of the evening, or under cover of the darkness
-of the night. They are readily distinguished from the
-former by their short and compressed bill, curved from
-its very base; by the anterior position of their eyes,
-which are of great size and surrounded by a circular
-disc of stiff hairs and feathers, covering the base of the
-bill anteriorly and extending posteriorly over the ears,
-which, as well as the disc, vary considerably in size in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
-the different races; by the great extent of dilatation of
-which their pupils are capable, a provision admirably
-calculated for enabling them to see by night; by the
-breadth and apparent bulk of their heads and bodies,
-both of which are thickly clothed with long and soft
-feathers; by the plumage of their legs, which in all the
-European species is continued down to the very toes,
-and sometimes even along them; by the direction of
-their toes, which are all naturally turned forwards, the
-external one being, however, capable of taking an opposite
-direction; and by the high degree of retractility and
-sharpness of their claws.</p>
-
-<p>All these birds were comprehended by Linnæus under
-the generic name of Strix, but later naturalists have subdivided
-them into several genera, dependent on the size
-of the ears and of the ocular discs, on the presence or
-absence of two remarkable tufts of feathers on the head
-having somewhat the appearance of horns, and on the
-covering of the legs and feet. The Virginian Horned
-Owl is spread over nearly the whole continent of America
-from north to south. Its plumage is brown above,
-marked with numerous transverse black stripes, and the
-feathers of the under surface are of a dirty white, transversely
-striped with blackish-brown.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p214.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="An owl on a leaning tombstone, in a graveyard, at night" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p215.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Macaw" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_DEEP_BLUE_MACAW">THE DEEP BLUE MACAW.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Anodorhynchus Maximiliani.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Spix.</span></p>
-
-<p>The second Order of Birds, which comprehends both
-the Picæ and Passeres of Linnæus, is essentially distinguished
-from the rest of the class by the structure of the
-feet, which are formed for perching. Those of the Scansorial
-tribe in particular, to which all the species to be
-here noticed belong, have two of the toes directed forwards,
-and the remaining two directed backwards, in
-such a manner as to enable them to grasp the branch of
-a tree or other similar objects with peculiar firmness,
-and consequently to climb with more than usual agility.
-This section comprehends some of the most gorgeously
-coloured and splendid among birds, as well as those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>
-which evince the highest degree of intelligence, in the
-imitation especially of the human voice, for which they
-have been celebrated from the earliest times.</p>
-
-<p>The beautiful bird, the portrait of which is prefixed to
-the present article, is one of the rarest of its tribe, and
-has until very lately been confounded by ornithologists
-with the Hyacinthine Macaw, a fine but much less
-splendid species. It is figured by M. Spix in his
-Brazilian Birds under the name which we have adopted;
-but is there given without either characters or description.
-Its claim to generic distinction would seem to
-depend on the excessive length and powerful curvature
-of its claws and upper mandible, and on the slight
-developement of the toothlike process of the latter. Its
-colour is throughout of a deep and brilliant blue; the
-beak, legs, and claws, are black; and the cere and a
-naked circle round each of the eyes are of a bright
-yellow. Our specimen measures two feet four inches
-from the top of the head to the extremity of the tail, and
-the expansion of his wings is four feet. The length of
-the upper mandible is five inches, and that of the lower,
-two.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p216.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Macaw perched on top of a cage" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p217.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two macaws" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_BLUE_AND_YELLOW_MACAW">THE BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Macrocercus Ararauna.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Vieill.</span></p>
-
-<p>The genus Macrocercus is characterized by the robustness
-of its beak, which is extremely broad and powerful;
-by the nakedness of its face, which is sometimes entirely
-bare, and sometimes partially covered with lines of short
-and scattered feathers; and by the size and form of its
-tail, which is longer than the body, regularly graduated,
-and terminating in an acute apex. The whole of the
-species are American, and are remarkable for the brilliancy
-of their colours, which are perhaps more varied
-and more gaudy than those of any of the other modern
-divisions of the Linnean genus Psittacus. They are
-consequently more sought after as objects of luxury and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
-elegance, and bear a higher comparative value than the
-rest of the Parrots. In common with the entire tribe,
-they inhabit the tropical regions of the earth, and live
-chiefly upon fruits and seeds. Among the latter they
-uniformly give the preference to such as are provided
-with a hard and shelly covering. These they crack with
-great dexterity, carefully rejecting the outer coat, and
-swallowing only the internal nut.</p>
-
-<p>The Blue and Yellow Macaw is one of the finest of
-the group. The whole of its upper surface is covered
-with plumage of the most beautiful azure; the feathers
-of the under parts on the contrary are of a brilliant
-yellow. The naked part of the cheeks, which are white
-slightly tinged with flesh colour, is ornamented with
-three lines of minute blackish feathers; and the throat
-is surrounded by a broad collar of greenish black. The
-forehead is yellowish green.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p218.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A fine lady in a conservatory, with a pet macaw perched on her hand" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p219.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two cockatoos" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_YELLOW-CRESTED_COCKATOO">THE YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOO.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Plyctolophus sulphureus.</span></i> <span class="smcap">Vieill.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Cockatoos have a strong, broad, and well curved
-beak; their eyes are surrounded by a naked space; their
-tail is short, square, and equal at the end; and their
-head is furnished with a remarkable crest of long and
-slender feathers, which may be raised or depressed at
-will, and are frequently of a different colour from the
-rest of the plumage. This latter character forms the
-most distinguishing mark of the group, which is partly
-indigenous to India and the Indian Islands, and partly
-to Australia. They are fond of damp and marshy situations,
-and usually inhabit the neighbourhood of rivers
-or of smaller streams, in which they indulge themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>
-with frequent bathing, a practice in which, even in captivity,
-they seem, in common with many others of the
-tribe, to take a particular pleasure. Like the rest of the
-Parrots they live entirely on vegetable substances, and
-chiefly upon seeds; some of them, however, are said to
-feed upon roots. Their usual nourishment, in a domesticated
-state, is the same with that of the other Parrots,
-consisting generally of nothing more than hemp-seed,
-from which they detach the outer covering with much
-adroitness. They have also a great relish for sweetmeats
-and pastry.</p>
-
-<p>The present species is pure white throughout, with
-the exception of its crest, the longer feathers of which
-are bright yellow; and of the under surface of the wings
-and tail, which are straw-coloured, as are also occasionally
-the cheeks. The beak is nearly black. It is a
-native of the Moluccas, and is not unfrequently brought
-to Europe. It is remarkably intelligent, and becomes
-attached to those who show it kindness.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p220.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A cockatoo chained to a perch by its cage, eyeing a cat warily" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p221.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two emeu" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_EMEU">THE EMEU.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Dromiceius Novæ Hollandiæ.</span></i> <span class="smcap">Vieill.</span></p>
-
-<p>The New Holland Emeu, as well as the Ostrich and the
-Cassowary, to both of which it is nearly related, is now
-generally regarded as belonging to the Rasorial Order,
-the Gallinaæ of Linnæus, the feet of which are formed
-for running and for scratching up the earth in search of
-the seeds which constitute their usual subsistence. Some
-of the birds, however, which are referred to it, and particularly
-those now under consideration, feed upon fruits
-and roots. The whole of the Order are distinguished by
-a certain degree of convexity on the upper surface of the
-bill, the base of which is enveloped by a membrane, in
-which are situated the nostrils covered by a cartilaginous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>
-scale; by the muscular plumpness of their bodies,
-and especially of their legs; by the shortness of their
-wings, and the diminution of strength in their pectoral
-muscles; and by the thickness and strength of their
-anterior toes, generally three in number, united at
-the base alone by a connecting membrane, and roughened
-beneath. These characters conjoined sufficiently
-indicate that their proper place of abode is the surface
-of the earth, on which they are enabled to run with a
-greater or less degree of speed; and that the air, in
-which they are incapable of elevating themselves to any
-considerable height, or of propelling their flight with
-more than moderate swiftness, and into which some of
-them cannot even raise themselves at all, is an uncongenial
-element to which they can seldom resort. They
-furnish the principal and most useful breeds of our
-domestic poultry, and stock our farm-yards with their
-most valuable inhabitants.</p>
-
-<p>The distinctive generic characters of the New Holland
-Emeu, which forms part of the Ostrich family, and is,
-with the sole exception of the Ostrich, the largest bird
-known to exist, consist in the flattening of its bill from
-above downwards, instead of from side to side; in the
-absence of the bony process which crests the head of the
-Cassowary, of the wattles which depend from his neck,
-and of the long spurlike shafts which arm his wings;
-and in the equal, or nearly equal, length of all his claws.
-The Emeus, however, agree with the Cassowaries in the
-number of their toes, three on each foot, all of them
-directed forwards and extremely thick and short, the
-posterior toe, which is common to most of the Order,
-being in them entirely wanting; in the excessive shortness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
-of their wings, which do not even, as is the case
-with the Ostriches, assist them in running, much less in
-flight, of which, in common with the latter, they are
-absolutely incapable; and in the structure of their feathers,
-which are for the most part double, each tube
-being divided near its origin into two shafts, the barbs
-of which are soft, downy, and distinct from each other,
-and assume at a distance rather the appearance of a
-silky covering of hair than that of the common plumage
-of birds.</p>
-
-<p>The New Holland bird has the head and upper part
-of the neck thinly covered with slender black feathers;
-the space around the ears alone being left bare, and
-exhibiting, as well as the neck and throat, which are but
-partially concealed by the scattered plumage with which
-they are provided, the blue tinge of the skin. The
-general colour of the plumage is grayish brown above,
-with a more plentiful intermixture of the gray and a
-consequent lighter tinge beneath. The young are striped
-longitudinally with brown and gray. Their bill is black,
-and their legs are remarkably thick and of a dull brown.
-The great length of the latter and of the neck, and the
-erect attitude and quiet demeanour of these birds, which
-sometimes attain as much as seven feet in height, give
-them altogether a noble and imposing appearance. They
-were formerly common in the neighbourhood of Botany
-Bay, subsisting, like the rest of their tribe, upon vegetable
-substances, chiefly fruits. They are extremely
-wild, and run with great swiftness when pursued, outstripping
-it is said the fleetness of the greyhound. Like
-the Kanguroos, they are sometimes hunted by the colonists
-as articles of food; and their flesh is stated to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>
-much of the flavour of beef. The quantity of provision
-supplied by one of these birds is by no means inconsiderable.</p>
-
-<p>The animals of the part of New Holland from which
-these birds are derived appear in general to suffer little
-from their transportation to the climate of England.
-The Emeus, like the Kanguroos, have become to a
-certain extent naturalized in the Royal Park at Windsor,
-where they breed without difficulty and with no extraordinary
-precautions. Here they have assigned to them
-a sufficient space of ground to take ample exercise; and
-this circumstance contributes not a little to the thriving
-condition in which they are met with. They are perfectly
-harmless unless when irritated or pursued, in
-which case they sometimes strike very severe blows with
-their beaks, which are extremely hard. The pair in the
-Tower were obtained from this establishment, where
-they were bred.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p224.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Deer and emeu in the Royal Park" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p225.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Two cranes" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_CROWNED_CRANE">THE CROWNED CRANE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Anthropoides pavoninus.</span></i> <span class="smcap">Vieill.</span></p>
-
-<p>The fourth Order of Birds, the Waders, are strikingly
-characterized by the great length of their legs, the lower
-part of which is entirely bare of feathers; a peculiarity
-which is of essential service by enabling them to stand
-for a long time in the water without injury to their
-plumage, watching for the fish and reptiles, of which
-the larger species, and the worms and insects, of which
-the smaller among them, make their usual prey.</p>
-
-<p>The beautiful birds represented above, which formed
-part of the Linnean genus Ardea, since subdivided into
-numerous distinct groups, offer the following generic
-characters. Their bill is conical, pointed, scarcely longer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>
-than the head, and grooved along its upper surface;
-their head is ornamented with a crest of long and slender
-filamentous feathers, capable of being raised and
-depressed at pleasure; their wings are large and powerful;
-their legs are covered with large scales; the outer
-and middle toes are united at the base; and their claws
-are short and without denticulations.</p>
-
-<p>The Crowned Crane is remarkable for its light and
-elegant proportions, and for its graceful and varied
-attitudes. Its forehead is covered by a thick tuft of
-short velvety feathers of a soft and brilliant black; its
-naked cheeks and temples are of a delicate rose colour;
-and the yellow filaments of its crest terminate in blackish
-pencils. The long and slender feathers which descend
-upon its neck, and the broader ones which clothe the
-upper and under surface of its body are black with a
-slight tinge of lead-colour; the primary wing-feathers
-are also black, the secondary reddish-brown, and the
-wing-coverts white. The bill and legs are black. It is
-a native of Western Africa; is extremely tame, and may
-be readily domesticated. It frequently attains the height
-of four feet.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p226.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Mounted men hunting cranes" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p227.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Several pelicans" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_PELICAN">THE PELICAN.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Pelecanus Onocrotalus.</span></i> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Pelican affords an excellent illustration of the fifth
-and last Order of Birds, the Swimmers; the essential
-character of which consists in the membranous union of
-the toes, which renders them what is usually termed
-web-footed, and enables them to propel themselves upon
-the surface of the water with greater or less rapidity in
-proportion to the greater or less comparative extent of
-the membrane in which their toes are enveloped. They
-are all consequently inhabitants of marshy situations, of
-the banks of rivers and lakes, or of the seacoast; and
-most of them seek their subsistence in their most congenial
-element, the water, notwithstanding that by far<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>
-the greater number of them are also endowed with very
-considerable powers of flight.</p>
-
-<p>Linnæus united under the common title of Pelicans,
-the Cormorants, the Boobies, and several other birds,
-which differ from the typical species of the genus by
-many important characters, the chief point of agreement
-between them consisting in the form and extent of the
-membrane which unites the toes. The Linnean group
-has subsequently been raised to the rank of a family,
-and its component parts form several distinct genera,
-that which comprehends the true Pelicans, the genus
-Onocrotalus of Brisson, being characterized as follows.
-Their bill is of very great length, straight, broad, flattened
-above, and terminated by a slight hook; the lower
-mandible consists of two lateral branches, united at the
-point, and having interposed between them a membranous
-pouch capable of very great dilatation; their
-four toes are all enveloped to the very apex in the common
-membrane; their legs are short, strong, and maintain
-the body in a state of equilibrium, their lower part
-being entirely destitute of feathers.</p>
-
-<p>With the exception of the quill-feathers of the wings,
-which are black, the plumage of the Pelican in the
-Tower is throughout of an extremely light and delicate
-flesh-colour, varied only by occasional darker tinges.
-The head and upper part of the neck are clothed with a
-short down, except on the temples, which are naked and
-flesh-coloured; the upper mandible is of a dull yellow
-in the middle, with a reddish tinge towards the edges,
-and a blood-red spot on its curved extremity; and the
-pouch is of a bright straw-colour.</p>
-
-<p>The Pelican is one of the largest water-birds, considerably<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span>
-exceeding the size of the swan, and frequently
-measuring from five to six feet between the extremity of
-the bill and that of the tail, and from ten to twelve
-between the tips of the expanded wings. Its bill is
-nearly a foot and a half in length, and from an inch and
-a half to two inches broad; and its pouch is capable of
-containing, when stretched to its utmost extent, two or
-three gallons of water. The quantity of fish which it
-sometimes accumulates in the same serviceable repository
-is spoken of as enormous. Notwithstanding their
-great bulk and apparent clumsiness, the large extent of
-their wings, and the extreme lightness of their bones,
-which are so thin as to be almost transparent, enable
-these birds to rise to a lofty pitch in the air, to hover at a
-moderate elevation, or to skim rapidly along the surface
-of the water with as much facility as they dive into its
-depths in pursuit of their prey. They sometimes assemble
-in large numbers, and in this case are said by Buffon
-to act in concert, and to show no little skill in manœuvring
-with the view of securing a plentiful quarry, forming
-themselves into a circular line, and gradually narrowing
-the extent of the space enclosed, until they have driven
-the fishes into so small a compass as to render them a
-certain prey; when at a given signal they all at once
-plunge into the water and seize upon their terrified
-victims, filling their pouches with the spoil, and flying
-to the land, there to devour it at their leisure. This
-fishery is carried on both at sea and in fresh water.</p>
-
-<p>They are found in nearly every part of the globe, but
-are of rare occurrence in the north of Europe. The
-beautiful pair figured at the head of this article are said
-to be from Hungary. The female is now sitting upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>
-three eggs, and has built herself a very perfect nest for the
-purpose. Should these be brought to maturity, as there
-is every reason to expect, they will probably be the first
-that were ever hatched in England. She never quits her
-charge; but is fed by the male, who crams his pouch
-with double his usual allowance, and then proceeds to
-shovel her fair share into his partner’s throat. It is in
-this manner also that the young are fed, the old bird
-pressing his full pouch against his chest, and contriving
-thus to disgorge a portion of its contents; an action
-which has no doubt given rise to the fabulous notion of
-the Pelican’s feeding its young with its own blood. In
-fact, the appearance of the bird when in this attitude,
-with the bloody spot on the end of its bill closely pressed
-against the delicate plumage of its breast, may readily
-account for the prevalence of such an idea in the minds
-of superficial observers. The first traces of this fable are
-to be found in the writings of some of the early fathers
-of the church, and it was eagerly adopted by the heralds
-of later days, whose unbounded credulity was ever on
-the watch for the marvellous, in natural history more
-especially.</p>
-
-<p>Our birds are commonly allowed three dozen of small
-live plaice each per day.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p230.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Pelican and young in nest" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p231.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Alligator" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_ALLIGATOR">THE ALLIGATOR.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Crocodilus Lucius.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Cuv.</span></p>
-
-<p>The enormous Reptile from which this genus derives its
-name belongs to the same subdivision of that class as
-the agile Lizard and the many-hued Chamæleon, with
-which it was comprehended by Linnæus under the single
-generic title of Lacerta. This group has subsequently
-been elevated to the rank of an order, consisting of
-numerous genera, among which the Crocodiles are distinguished
-by the following characters. Their toes are
-five in number on the anterior feet, and four on the
-posterior; their sharp and conical teeth are arranged in
-a single series in each jaw; their tongue is flat, fleshy,
-and closely attached almost to its very edge; and their
-bodies are clothed with large, thick, square scales, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
-upper of which are surmounted by a strong keel, those
-of the tail forming superiorly a dentated crest, double
-at its origin.</p>
-
-<p>The Alligators constitute a natural subdivision of the
-genus, in which the snout is broad, blunt, and less produced
-than in the true Crocodiles; the fourth tooth on
-each side of the lower jaw enters a hole in the upper
-when the mouth is closed; and the toes are only half-webbed.
-They appear to be exclusively natives of
-America. The present species is distinguished by its
-broad and flat snout, with nearly parallel sides, united in
-front by a curved line; by the peculiar arrangement of
-its nuchal scales; and by the elevated internal margins
-of its orbits. Its colour is dark brown above, and somewhat
-lighter beneath. It is one of the most dreadful
-scourges of the countries which it inhabits, preying
-upon all kinds of animals that come within its reach,
-and sometimes even upon man himself. Our specimen
-was apparently very young, not measuring more than
-three feet in length; but during two years that it was
-kept in the Menagerie it was not observed to have at all
-increased in size. It was fed once a week upon raw
-beef.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p232.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Alligator and some variety of big cat,
-each attempting to prey on the other" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p233.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Boa" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_INDIAN_BOA">THE INDIAN BOA.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><span class="smcap"><i>Python Tigris.</i></span> <span class="smcap">Daud.</span></p>
-
-<p>The Serpents form a division of the Reptile Class too
-well known by their elongated scaly bodies, and their
-total deprivation of external members, to require any
-minute description of their organization. They are also
-held by the generality of mankind in so much abhorrence,
-and regarded for the most part with such strong
-feelings of unmitigated disgust, that we feel but little
-inclined to dwell upon their history, how much soever
-they may on many accounts be considered as deserving
-of a more extended notice.</p>
-
-<p>They are frequently divided into two great sections;
-the one, which is by far the most numerous, comprehending<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span>
-all those in which the poison-fangs are wanting,
-and which are consequently dangerous only in proportion
-to the extent of their muscular force; and the other
-consisting of those in which the fangs are present, and
-the bite of which is accompanied with the pouring out of
-a venomous secretion. At the head of the first of these
-divisions rank the Boas, which in the Linnean arrangement
-comprehended all those snakes, whether venomous
-or not, whose under surface was covered with narrow
-transverse plates, and whose tail was destitute of rattle.
-Later zoologists have, however, confined that appellation
-to those among the Linnean Boas, which are without
-poisonous fangs and have claws near the vent, and have
-regarded as a distinct genus the snakes which in addition
-to these latter characters have the scales of the under
-surface of the tail so arranged as to form two distinct
-rows. To the latter, which inhabit the Old Continent
-exclusively (while the former are all of them natives of
-America), they have assigned the name of Python.</p>
-
-<p>The present species, which is commonly exhibited
-under the popular but erroneous title of the Boa Constrictor,
-appears to be the Pedda Poda of Dr. Russell’s
-Indian Serpents. It is said by that writer to attain a
-length of eight or ten feet; but living specimens have
-been brought to this country of twice that size, and
-some of those now in the Tower are fifteen or sixteen
-feet long. The number of transverse plates on the under
-surface of the body is stated to be two hundred and
-fifty-two, and that of the pairs of scales beneath the tail
-sixty-two. The back is elegantly marked with a series
-of large irregular brown blotches bordered with black;
-and numerous smaller spots are scattered along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>
-sides. The ground colour is yellowish brown, lighter
-beneath.</p>
-
-<p>The extent of muscular power which these serpents
-possess in common with the Boas is truly wonderful.
-To the smaller among them the lesser quadrupeds and
-even birds fall an easy prey; but the larger, when excited
-by the stimulus of hunger, are capable of crushing
-within their spiral folds the largest and most powerful of
-beasts. The sturdy buffalo and the agile stag become
-alike the victims of their fatal embrace; and the bulk
-of these animals presents but little obstacle to their
-being swallowed entire by the tremendous reptile, which
-crushes them as it were into a mass, lubricates them
-with the fetid mucus secreted in its stomach, and then
-slowly distending its jaws and œsophagus to an extent
-proportioned to the magnitude of the object to be
-devoured, and frequently exceeding by many times its
-own previous size, swallows it by one gradual and
-long-continued effort.</p>
-
-<p>Of the mode in which this operation is effected, a
-detailed description is contained in Macleod’s Voyage
-of His Majesty’s Ship Alceste; and an excellent account
-has been subsequently given by Mr. Broderip in the
-second volume of the Zoological Journal from actual
-observation of the specimens now in the Tower. The
-vivid description of the latter almost brings before the
-reader’s eye the lightning dash of the serpent; the single
-scream of its instantly enfolded victim, whose heaving
-flanks proclaimed that it still breathed; and its last
-desperate effort, succeeded by the application of another
-and a deadly coil. With equal force and fidelity it
-sketches the continuation of the scene, when the serpent,
-after slowly disengaging his folds, placed his head opposite<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>
-to that of his victim, coiled himself once more around
-it to compress it into the narrowest possible compass,
-and then gradually propelled it into his separated jaws
-and dilated throat; and finally presents a disgusting
-picture of the snake when his meal was at an end, with
-his loose and apparently dislocated jaws dropping with
-the superfluous mucus which had been poured forth.</p>
-
-<p>The individual figured at the head of the present
-article is a female; a fact which was proved by the
-remarkable circumstance of her producing in May last,
-after having been more than two years in the Menagerie,
-a cluster of eggs, fourteen or fifteen in number, none
-of which, however, were hatched, although the mother
-evinced the greatest anxiety for their preservation, coiling
-herself around them in the form of a cone, of which
-her head formed the summit, and guarding them from
-external injury with truly maternal solicitude. They
-were visible only when she was occasionally roused; in
-which case she raised her head, which formed as it were
-the cover of the receptacle in which they were enclosed,
-but replaced it again as quickly as possible, allowing to
-the spectator only a momentary glance at her cherished
-treasures.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p236.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Coiled boa" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p237.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Anaconda" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_ANACONDA">THE ANACONDA.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Python Tigris</span></i>, Var.</p>
-
-<p>The Anaconda is a name which, like that of the Boa
-Constrictor, has been popularly applied to all the larger
-and more powerful snakes. It appears to be of Ceylonese
-origin, and may therefore belong of right, as well
-as of usage, to the present Indian species. The serpent
-which passes under this title at the Tower, and which is
-figured above, seems to differ in no essential respects
-from the Boa of the preceding article, the only appreciable
-distinctions between them consisting in the lighter
-colour, the greater comparative size of the head, and the
-acuteness of the tail of that which at present engages
-our attention.</p>
-
-<p>Happily the appetite of these gigantic snakes bears<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>
-no proportion to their means of gratifying it, as a full
-meal is uniformly succeeded by a state of torpor, which
-frequently lasts for a month or six weeks, or, during the
-cold season, even for a longer period. Those in the
-Tower, which are kept in a state of artificial warmth,
-usually feed about every five or six weeks, and a fowl or
-a rabbit generally suffices for a meal. These are held
-by the keeper within view of the serpent to ascertain
-whether he is inclined to take his prey or not. About
-three years ago Mr. Cops, while thus engaged in offering
-a fowl to one of the Boas, had nearly met with a serious
-accident; the snake, which was almost blind from the
-approaching change of its skin, missing the fowl, and
-seizing upon the keeper’s thumb instead, around which
-and its own head it instantaneously threw two coils, and
-then, as if surprised at the unexpected resistance, cast
-an additional fold round his neck, and fixed itself by its
-tail to one of the posts of its cage in such a manner as
-nearly to throttle him. His own exertions, however,
-aided by those of the under keepers, at length disengaged
-him from his perilous situation; but so determined
-was the attack of the snake that it could not be compelled
-to relinquish its hold until two of its teeth had been
-broken off and left in the thumb.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p238.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="Anaconda coiled around a big cat of some variety" />
-</div>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
-<img src="images/i_p239.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Several rattlesnakes" />
-</div>
-
-<h2 id="THE_RATTLESNAKE">THE RATTLESNAKE.</h2>
-
-<p class="scientific-name"><i><span class="smcap">Crotalus Horridus.</span></i> <span class="smcap">Linn.</span></p>
-
-<p>If the Boas furnish the most terrible examples of the
-tremendous powers of destruction possessed by a few of
-that division of the Serpent tribe, whose bite is unattended
-with the effusion of venom, the Rattlesnakes
-afford a no less remarkable instance of the dreadful
-malignity of the poison with which others of the tribe
-are so abundantly supplied. This poison is secreted by
-a gland of considerable size situated beneath the eye,
-the excretory duct of which terminates on each side at
-the base of a long and tubular fang in the upper jaw,
-which is concealed while the animal is at rest in a fold
-of the gum, but is capable of being instantaneously<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span>
-erected when he is irritated, and affords at the same time
-the means of inflicting the wound and of insinuating
-into it the deadly fluid with which it is charged. In the
-Rattlesnakes these two fangs are the only visible teeth
-implanted in the upper jaw; but behind each of them are
-several rudiments of others by which they are from time
-to time replaced. Their other distinguishing characters
-consist in the whole of the transverse plates which cover
-the under surface of the body and of the tail being
-simple, and in the singular apparatus by which the
-latter is terminated, and which is formed of a series,
-more or less numerous according to the age of the individual,
-of flattened rings loosely attached one within the
-other in such a manner as to produce a peculiar rattling
-sound when the tail is moved with any degree of quickness.
-The number of rings commonly varies from five
-to twelve; but in very old specimens it is said to have
-been found to exceed forty.</p>
-
-<p>All the known species are natives of America, in the
-vast forests of which they may be said literally to swarm;
-but happily, like most of the other venomous snakes,
-they never exert their terrible qualities upon man except
-in self-defence, and the warning rattle is always heard
-to give notice of their approach. Their bite is almost
-uniformly fatal even to the largest animals, and the latter
-frequently evince such an instinctive dread of them, that,
-according to M. Bosc, it is almost impossible to compel
-a horse or a dog to advance towards them. Their food
-consists principally of the smaller quadrupeds, such as
-squirrels and rabbits, of other reptiles, and of birds,
-although they rarely climb trees in pursuit of their prey.
-It was long believed, and the notion is still popularly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span>
-current, that they possessed the power of fascinating
-their victims, which were thought to be so completely
-under the influence of their glance as to precipitate
-themselves of their own accord into the open throat of
-their enemy; but the truth appears to be that they
-actually inspire so great a degree of terror that the
-animals selected for their attacks are commonly rendered
-incapable of offering such resistance as might otherwise
-be in their power, or even of attempting to escape from
-their pursuit.</p>
-
-<p>Like most reptiles they retire during the winter into
-holes, in which they remain in a torpid state until the
-return of spring; and during this period they may be
-taken or destroyed without danger. Their flesh is eaten
-by the negroes, who also apply their fat, as well as their
-rattles, to various medicinal or superstitious uses.</p>
-
-<p>The number at present in the Tower exceeds a hundred,
-varying from four to six feet in length, and differing
-very considerably from each other both in colour and
-markings.</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
-<img src="images/i_p241.jpg" width="400" height="250" alt="A toddler looking at a rattlesnake coiled around a tree" />
-</div>
-
-<p class="titlepage">CHISWICK:<br />
-PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM,<br />
-COLLEGE HOUSE.</p>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Tower Menagerie, by Edward Turner Bennett
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