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The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Tower Menagerie, by Edward Turner Bennett.
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<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 53764 ***</div>
<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. &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>—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>—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,—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>—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,—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, &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,—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>—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>
<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 53764 ***</div>
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