HEADS AND TALES. PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY EDINBURGH AND LONDON [Illustration: The Tasmanian Wolf. (_Thylacinus Cynocephalus. _)] HEADS AND TALES; OR, ANECDOTES AND STORIES OF QUADRUPEDS AND OTHER BEASTS, CHIEFLY CONNECTED WITH INCIDENTS IN THE HISTORIES OF MORE OR LESS DISTINGUISHED MEN. COMPILED AND SELECTED BY ADAM WHITE, LATE ASSISTANT IN THE ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, BRITISH MUSEUM. Second Edition. LONDON: JAMES NISBET & CO. , 21 BERNERS STREET. MDCCCLXX. PREFACE. In this work, a part of which is, so far as it extends, a carefulcompilation from an extensive series of books, the great order mammalia, or, rather, a few of its subjects, is treated anecdotically. Theconnexion of certain animals with man, and the readiness with which mancan subdue even the largest of the mammalia, are very curious subjectsof thought. The dog and horse are our special friends and associates;they seem to understand us, and we get very much attached to them. Thecat or the cow, again, possess a different degree of attachment, andhave "heads and hearts" less susceptible of this education than thefirst mentioned. The anecdotes in this book will clearly show facts ofthis nature. In the Letter of the Gorilla, under an appearance ofexaggeration, will be found many facts of its history. We have a strongbelief that natural history, written as White of Selborne did his Letterof Timothy the Tortoise, would be very enticing and interesting to youngpeople. To make birds and other animals relate their stories has beendone sometimes, and generally with success. There are anecdotes hinging, however, on animals which have more to do with man than the othermammals referred to in the little story. These stories we have felt tobe very interesting when they occur in biographies of great men. Cowperand his Hares, Huygens and his Sparrow, are tales--at least theformer--full of interesting matter on the history of the lower animal, but are of most value as showing the influence on the man who amusedhimself by taming them. We like to know that the great Duke, aftergetting down from his horse Copenhagen, which carried him through thewhole battle of Waterloo, clapped him on the neck, when the war-chargerkicked out, as if untired. We could have added greatly to this book, especially in the part ofjests, puns, or cases of _double entendre_. The few selected maysuffice. The so-called conversations of "the Ettrick Shepherd" are fullof matter of this kind, treated by "Christopher North" with a happycombination of rare power of description and apt exaggeration of detail, often highly amusing. One or two instances are given here, such as theFox-hunt and the Whale. The intention of this book is primarily to beamusing; but it will be strange if it do not instruct as well. There ismuch in it that is _true_ of the habits of mammalia. These, with birds, are likely to interest young people generally, more than anecdotes ofmembers of orders like fish, insects, or molluscs, lower in the scale, though often possessing marvellous instincts, the accounts of which formintensely interesting reading to those who are fond of seeing or hearingof "the works of the Lord, " and who "take pleasure" in them. CONTENTS. MAMMALIA. [1] PAGE MAN 1 Gainsborough's Joke--Skull of Julius Cæsar when a boy 2 Sir David Wilkie's simplicity about Babies 3 James Montgomery translates into verse a description of Man, after the manner of Linnæus 4 Addison and Sir Richard Steele's Description of Gimcrack the Collector 5 MONKEYS 9 The Gorilla and its Story 9 The Orang-Utan 11 The Chimpanzee 12 Letter of Mr Waterton 20 Mr Mitchell and the Young Chimpanzee 22 Lady Anne Barnard pleads for the Baboons 24 S. Bisset and his Trained Monkeys 25 Lord Byron's Pets 26 The Ettrick Shepherd's Monkey 27 The Findhorn Fisherman and the Monkey 29 "We ha'e seen the _Enemy_!" 29 The French Marquis and his Monkey 30 George IV. And Happy Jerry. --Mr Cross's Rib-nosed Baboon at Exeter Change 31 The Young Lady's pet Monkey and the poor Parrot 33 Monkeys "poor relations" 34 Sydney Smith on Monkeys 34 Mrs Colin Mackenzie on the Apes at Simla 35 The Aye-Aye, or Cheiromys of Madagascar 36 BATS 38 One of Captain Cook's Sailors sees a Fox-Bat, and describes it as a devil 39 Fox Bats (_with a Plate_) 41 Dr Mayerne and his Balsam of Bats 47 HEDGEHOG 48 Robert Southey to his Critics 48 MOLE 49 Mole, cause of Death of William III. 49 BROWN BEAR 56 The Austrian General and the Bear--"Back, rascal, I am a general!" 58 Lord Byron's Bear at Cambridge 59 Charles Dickens on Bear's Grease and Bear-keepers 59 A Bearable Pun 60 A Shaved Bear 61 POLAR BEAR 61 General History and Anecdotes of Polar Bear, as observed on recent Arctic Expeditions (_with a Plate_) 61 Nelson and the Polar Bear 67 A Clever Polar Bear 67 Captain Ommaney and the Polar Bear 70 RACCOON 71 "A Gone Coon" 71 BADGER 71 Hugh Miller sees the "Drawing of the Badger" 72 The Laird of Balnamoon and the Brock 75 FERRET 75 Collins and the Rat-catcher, with the Ferret 76 POLE-CAT 76 Fox and the Poll-Cat 77 DOG 77 Phrases about Dogs 77 Cowper's Dog 79 Cowper and his dog Beau 81 Burns's "Twa Dogs" 81 Dog of Assyrian Monument 86 Bishop Blomfield bitten by a Dog 88 Sydney Smith's Remark on it 88 Bishop of Bristol--"Puppies never see till they are nine days old" 88 Mrs Browning, the Poetess, and her dog Flush 89 Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Bart. , and his dog Speaker 93 Lord Byron and his dog Boatswain 94 Lady's reason for calling her dog Perchance 96 Collins the Artist and his dog Prinny--the faithful Model 96 Soldier and Dog 97 Bark and Bite!--Curran on Lord Clare and his Dog 98 Mrs Drew and the two Dogs 98 Gainsborough and his Wife and their Dogs 100 Sir William Gell's Dog, which was said to speak 101 The Duke of Gordon's Wolf-hounds 102 Frederick the Great and his Italian Greyhounds 104 The Dog and the French Murderers 104 Hannah More on Garrick's Dog 105 Rev. Robert Hall and the Dog 106 A Queen (Henrietta Maria) and her Lap-Dog 106 The Clever Dog that belonged to the Hunters of Polmood 107 The Irish Clergyman and the Dogs 108 Washington Irving and the Dog 108 Douglas Jerrold and his Dog 109 Sheridan and the Dog 109 Charles Lamb and his dog "Dash" 110 French Dogs of Louis XII. 110 Martin Luther observes a Dog at Lintz 111 Poor Dog at the Grotta del Cane 111 Dog a Postman and Carrier 113 South and Sherlock--Dog-matic 113 General Moreau and his Greyhound 113 Duke of Norfolk and his Spaniels 114 Lord North and the Dog 115 Perthes derives Hints from his Dog 115 Peter the Great and his dog Lisette 116 The Light Company's Poodle and Sir F. Ponsonby 118 Admiral Rodney and his dog Loup 119 Ruddiman and his dog Rascal 119 Mrs Schimmelpenninck and the Dogs 120 Sir Walter Scott and his Dogs 122 Sheridan on the Dog-Tax 123 Sydney Smith dislikes Dogs. --An ingenious way of getting rid of them 124 Sydney Smith on Dogs 125 Sydney Smith. --"Newfoundland Dog that breakfasted on Parish Boys" 126 Robert Southey on his Dogs 126 A Dog that was a good judge of Elocution. --Mr True and his Pupil 127 Dog that tried to please a Crying Child 128 Horace Walpole's pet dog Rosette 128 Horace Walpole. --Arrival of his dog Tonton 129 Horace Walpole. --Death of his dog Tonton 130 Archbishop Whateley and his Dogs 131 Archbishop Whately on Dogs 132 Sir David Wilkie. --A Dog Rose 133 Ulysses and his Dog 133 WOLF 135 Polson and the Last Wolf in Sutherlandshire 135 "If the tail break, you'll find that" 137 FOX 138 An Enthusiastic Fox-hunting Surgeon 138 Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, on the Pleasures of Fox-hunting, and the gratification of the Fox 139 Arctic Foxes converted into Postmen, with Anecdotes (_with a plate_) 142 JACKAL 148 Burke on the Jackal and Tiger 149 CAT 149 Jeremy Bentham and his pet cat "Sir John Langborn 150 S. Bisset and his Musical Cats 152 Constant, Chateaubriand, and their Cats 153 Liston, the Surgeon, and his Cat 153 The Banker Mitchell's Antipathy to Kittens 154 James Montgomery and his Cats 155 David Ritchie's Cat 157 Sir Walter Scott's Visit to the Black Dwarf 157 Southey, the Poet, and his Cats 158 Archbishop Whateley and the Cat that used to ring the Bell 160 TIGER AND LION 161 Bussapa, the Tiger-slayer, and the Tiger 162 John Hunter and the Dead Tiger 164 Mrs Mackenzie on the Indian's regard and awe for the Tiger 165 Jolly Jack-tar on Lion and Tiger 166 Androcles and the Lion 167 Sir George Davis and the Lion 170 Canova's Lions and the Child 171 Admiral Napier and the Lion in the Tower 173 Old Lady and the Beasts on the Mound 173 SEALS 174 Dr Adam Clarke on Shetland Seals 175 Dr Edmonstone and the Shetland Seals 176 The Walrus or Morse (_with a Plate_) 182 KANGAROO 188 Charles Lamb on its Peculiarities 188 Captain Cooke's Sailor and the first Kangaroo seen 189 Charles Lamb on Kangaroos having Purses in front 189 Kangaroo Cooke 189 TIGER WOLF 190 SQUIRREL, &c. 194 Jekyll on a Squirrel 195 Pets of some of the Parisian Revolutionary Butchers 195 Sir George Back and the poor Lemming 196 McDougall and Arctic Lemming 197 RATS AND MICE 198 Duke of Wellington and Musk-Rat 200 Lady Eglinton and the Rats 200 General Douglas and the Rats 201 Hanover Rats 202 Irishman Shooting Rats 203 James Watt and the Rat's Whiskers 204 Gray the Poet compares Poet-Laureate to Rat-catcher 204 Jeremy Bentham and the Mice 205 Robert Burns and the Field Mouse 206 Fuller on Destructive Field Mice 208 Baron Von Trenck and the Mouse in Prison 209 Alexander Wilson, the American Ornithologist, and the Mouse 211 HARES, RABBITS, GUINEA-PIG 212 William Cowper on his Hares 213 Lord Norbury on the Exaggeration of a Hare-Shooter 220 Duke of L. Prefers Friends to Hares 221 S. Bisset and his Trained Hare and Turtle 221 Lady Anne Barnard on a Family of Rabbits all blind of one eye 222 Thomas Fuller on Norfolk Rabbits 222 Dr Chalmers and the Guinea-Pig 223 SLOTH 224 Sydney Smith on the Sloth--a Comparison 224 THE GREAT ANT-EATER (_with a Plate_) 225 ELEPHANT 229 Lord Clive--Elephant or Equivalent? 230 Canning on the Elephant and his Trunk 232 Sir R. Phillips and Jelly made of Ivory Dust 233 J. T. Smith and the Elephant 234 Sydney Smith on the Elephant and Tailor 235 Elephant's Skin--a teacher put down 236 FOSSIL PACHYDERMATA 236 Cuvier's Enthusiasm over Fossils 236 SOW 238 "There's a hantle o' miscellaneous eatin' aboot a Pig" 238 "Pig-Sticking at Chicago" 238 Monument to a Pig at Luneberg 239 WILD BOAR (_with a Plate_) 239 THE RIVER PIG (_with a Plate_) 245 S. Bisset and his Learned Pig 250 Quixote Bowles fond of Pigs 251 On Jekyll's treading on a small Pig 251 Good enough for a Pig 251 Gainsborough's Pigs 252 Theodore Hook and the Litter of Pigs 253 Lady Hardwicke's Pig--her Bailiff 253 Pigs and Silver Spoon 253 Sydney Smith on Beautiful Pigs 254 Joseph Sturge, when a boy, and the Pigs 255 RHINOCEROS 229 The Lord Keeper Guildford and the Rhinoceros in the City of London 230 HORSE 256 Horse shot under Albert 256 Bell-Rock Lighthouse Horse 257 Edmund Burke and the Horse 257 David Garrick and his Horse, "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" 258 Bernard Gilpin's Horses stolen and recovered 260 The Herald and George III. 's Horse 261 Rev. Rowland Hill and his Horse 261 Holcroft on the Horse 263 Lord Mansfield, his Joke about a Horse 267 Sir John Moore and his Horse at Corunna 268 Neither Horses nor Children can explain their Complaints 269 Horses with Names 270 Rennie the Engineer and the Horse Old Jack 270 Sydney Smith and his Horses 271 Sydney Smith. --He drugs his Domestic Animals 273 Horseback, an Absent Clergyman 273 Judge Story and the Names he gave his Horses 274 Short-tailed and Long-tailed Horses at Livery, difference of Charge 275 ASS AND ZEBRA 276 Coleridge on the Ass 276 Collins and the old Donkey at Odell 276 Gainsborough kept one to Study from 277 Irishman on the Ramsgate Donkeys 278 Douglas Jerrold and the Ass's Foal 278 The Judge and the Barrister 279 Ass that loved Poetry 279 Warren Hastings and the refractory Donkey 279 Northcote, an Angel at an Ass 281 Sydney Smith's Donkey with Jeffrey on his back 281 Sydney Smith on the Sagacity of the Ass 283 Sydney Smith's Deers, how he introduced them into his Grounds to gratify Visitors 284 Asses' Duty Free 284 Thackeray on Egyptian Donkey 285 Zebra, a Frenchman's _double-entendre_ 287 CAMELS 287 Captain William Peel, R. N. , on Camel 287 Captain in Royal Navy measures the progress of the Ship of the Desert 289 Lord Metcalfe on a Camel when a Boy 290 RED DEER 291 Earl of Dalhousie and the ferocious Stag 291 The French Count and the Stag 293 FALLOW DEER 294 Venison Fat, Reynolds and the Gourmand 294 Goethe on Stag-trench at Frankfort-on-Maine 294 GIRAFFE 295 "Fancy Two Yards of Sore Throat!" 295 SHEEP AND GOAT 295 How many Legs has a Sheep? 296 Goethe on Roos's Etchings of Sheep 296 Lord Cockburn and the Sheep 298 Erskine's Sheep--an Eye to the Woolsack 298 Sandy Wood and his Pet Sheep and Raven 298 General Carnac and She-goat 299 John Hunter and the Shawl-goat 300 Commodore Keppel _beards_ the Dey of Algiers 303 OX 304 Irish Bulls 304 A great Calf! "The more he sucked the greater Calf he grew!" 304 Veal _ad nauseam!_ too much of a good thing 304 James Boswell should confine himself to the Cow 305 Rev. Adam Clarke and his Bullock Pat 305 Samuel Foote and the Cows pulling the Bell of Worcester College 306 The General's Cow at Plymouth 308 Gilpin's Love of the Picturesque carried out--a reason for keeping three Cows 308 King James on a Cow getting over the Border 309 Duke of Montague and his Hospital for Old Cows and Horses 309 Philip IV. Of Spain in the Bull-ring 310 Sydney Smith and his "Universal Scratcher" 311 Rev. Augustus Toplady on the Future State of Animals--the Rev. William Bull 312 Windham on the Feelings of a Baited Bull 313 WHALE 315 A Porpoise not at Home 315 Whalebone 315 "What's to become o' the puir Whales?" 316 Very like a Whale! 316 Christopher North on the Whale 316 FOOTNOTES: [1] There are many anecdotes in this book not included in this list, which gives however, the principal. HEADS AND TALES. MAN. In this collection, like Linnæus, we begin with man as undoubtedly ananimal, as opposed to a vegetable or mineral. Like Professor Owen, weare inclined to fancy he is well entitled to separate rank from even theLinnæan order, _Primates_, and to have more systematic honour conferredon him than what Cuvier allowed him. That great French naturalist placedman in a section separate from his four-handed order, _Quadrumana_, and, from his two hands and some other qualities, enrolled our race in anorder, _Bimana_. Surely the ancients surpassed many modern naturalistsof the Lamarckian school, who would derive him from an ourang, achimpanzee, or a gorilla. One of them has nobly said-- "Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri. " Our own Sir William Hamilton, in a few powerful words has condensed whatwill ever be, we are thankful to suppose, the general idea of most men, be they naturalists or not, that mind and soul have much to distinguishus from every other animal:-- "What man holds of matter does not make up his personality. Man is notan organism. He is an intelligence served by organs. _They are_ HIS, _not_ HE. " As a mere specimen, we subjoin two or three anecdotes, although thespecies, _Homo sapiens_, has supplied, and might supply, many volumes ofanecdotes touching on his whims and peculiarities. As a good example ofthe Scottish variety, who is there that does not know Dean Ramsay's"Reminiscences?" Surely each nation requires a similar judiciousselection. Mr Punch, especially when aided by his late admirable artist, John Leech, shows seemingly that John Bull and his family are asdistinct from the French, as the French are from the Yankees. THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH THE ARTIST, AND THE TAILOR. Gainsborough, the painter, was very ready-witted. His biographer[2]records the following anecdote of him as very likely to be authentic. The great artist occasionally made sketches from an honest old tailor, of the name of Fowler, who had a picturesque countenance and silver-graylocks. On the chimney-piece of his painting-room, among othercuriosities, was a beautiful preparation of an infant _cranium_, presented to the painter by his old friend, Surgeon Cruickshanks. Fowler, without moving his position, continually peered at it askancewith inquisitive eye. "Ah! Master Fowler, " said the painter, "that is amighty curiosity. " "What might it be, sir, if I may be so bold?" "A_whale's eye_, " replied Gainsborough. "Oh! not so; never say so, MusterGainsborough. Laws! sir, it is a little child's skull!" "You have hitupon it, " said the wag. "Why, Fowler, you are a witch! But what will youthink when I tell you that it is the skull of _Julius Cæsar_ when he wasa little boy?" "Do you say so!" exclaimed Fowler, "what a phenomenon!" This reminds us of a similar story told of a countryman, who was shownthe so-called skull of Oliver Cromwell at the museum in Oxford, andexpressed his delight by saying how gratifying it was to see skulls ofgreat men at different ages, for he had just seen at Bath the skull ofthe Protector when a youth! SIR DAVID WILKIE AND THE BABY. A very popular novelist and author of the present day tells thefollowing anecdote of the simplicity of Sir David Wilkie, with regard tohis knowledge of _infant_ human nature:-- On the birth of his first son, at the beginning of 1824, WilliamCollins, [3] the great artist, requested Sir David Wilkie to become oneof the sponsors for his child. [4] The painter's first criticism on hisfuture godson is worth recording from its simplicity. Sir David, whosestudies of human nature extended to everything but _infant_ humannature, had evidently been refreshing his faculties for the occasion, bytaxing his boyish recollections of puppies and kittens; for, afterlooking intently into the child's eyes as it was held up for hisinspection, he exclaimed to the father, with serious astonishment andsatisfaction, "He _sees_!" MAN DEFINED SOMEWHAT IN THE LINNÆAN MANNER. One who is partial to the Linnæan mode of characterising objects ofnatural history has amused himself with drawing up the followingdefinition of man:--"_Simia sine cauda; pedibus posticis ambulans;gregarius, omnivorus, inquietus, mendax, furax, rapax, salax, pugnax, artium variarum capax, animalium reliquorum hostis, sui ipsius inimicusacerrimus. _" Montgomery translated the description thus:-- "Man is an animal unfledged, A monkey with his tail abridged; A thing that walks on spindle legs, With bones as brittle, sir, as eggs; His body, flexible and limber, And headed with a knob of timber; A being frantic and unquiet, And very fond of beef and riot; Rapacious, lustful, rough, and martial, To lies and lying scoundrels partial! By nature form'd with splendid parts To rise in science--shine in arts; Yet so confounded cross and vicious, A mortal foe to all his species! His own best _friend_, and you must know, His own worst _enemy_ by being so!"[5] ADDISON AND STEELE ON SOME OF THE PECULIARITIES OF THE NATURAL HISTORYCOLLECTORS OF THE DAY. In one of the early volumes of _Chambers's Edinburgh Journal_, there wasa very curious paper entitled "Nat Phin. " Although considerablyexaggerated, no one who had the happiness of knowing the learned, amiable, and excellent Dr Patrick Neill, could fail to recognise, in thetransposed title, an amusing description of his love of natural historypets, zoological and botanical. The fun of the paper is that "Nat" getsmarried, and, coming home one day from his office, finds that his youngwife has caused the gardener to clear out his ponds of tadpoles andzoophytes. Addison or Sir Richard Steele, or both of them, in the following paperof the _Tatler_ (No. 221, Sept. 7, 1710), has given one of those quietlysatiric pictures of many a well-known man of the day, some Petiver orHans Sloane. The widow Gimcrack's letter is peculiarly racy. Althoughold books, the _Tatler_ and _Spectator_ still furnish rare material tomany a popular magazine writer of the day, who sometimes does littlemore than dilute a paper in these and other rare repertories of thestyle and wit of a golden age. We meditated offering various extractsfrom Swift and Daniel Defoe; but our space limits us to one, and thefollowing may for the present suffice. "_From my own Apartment, September 6. _ "As I was this morning going out of my house, a little boy in a blackcoat delivered me the following letter. Upon asking who he was, he toldme that he belonged to my Lady Gimcrack. I did not at first recollectthe name, but, upon inquiry, I found it to be the widow of Sir Nicholas, whose legacy I lately gave some account of to the world. The letter ranthus:-- "'MR BICKERSTAFF, --I hope you will not be surprised to receive a letterfrom the widow Gimcrack. You know, sir, that I have lately lost a verywhimsical husband, who, I find, by one of your last week's papers, wasnot altogether a stranger to you. When I married this gentleman, he hada very handsome estate; but, upon buying a set of microscopes, he waschosen a _Fellow of the Royal Society; from which time I do not rememberever to have heard him speak as other people did_, or talk in a mannerthat any of his family could understand him. He used, however, to passaway his time very innocently in conversation with several members ofthat learned body: for which reason I never advised him against theircompany for several years, until at last I found his brain quite turnedwith their discourses. The first symptoms which he discovered of hisbeing a _virtuoso_, as you call him, poor man! was about fifteen yearsago; when he gave me positive orders to turn off an old weeding woman, that had been employed in the family for some years. He told me, at thesame time, that there was no such thing in nature as a weed, and that itwas his design to let his garden produce what it pleased; so that, youmay be sure, it makes a very pleasant show as it now lies. About thesame time he took a humour to ramble up and down the country, and wouldoften bring home with him his pockets full of moss and pebbles. This, you may be sure, gave me a heavy heart; though, at the same time, I mustneeds say, he had the character of a very honest man, notwithstandinghe was reckoned a little weak, until he began to sell his estate, andbuy those strange baubles that you have taken notice of. Uponmidsummerday last, as he was walking with me in the fields, he saw avery odd-coloured butterfly just before us. I observed that heimmediately changed colour, like a man that is surprised with a piece ofgood luck; and telling me that it was what he had looked for above thesetwelve years, he threw off his coat, and followed it. I lost sight ofthem both in less than a quarter of an hour; but my husband continuedthe chase over hedge and ditch until about sunset; at which time, as Iwas afterwards told, he caught the butterfly as she rested herself upona cabbage, near five miles from the place where he first put her up. Hewas here lifted from the ground by some passengers in a very faintingcondition, and brought home to me about midnight. His violent exercisethrew him into a fever, which grew upon him by degrees, and at lastcarried him off. In one of the intervals of his distemper he called tome, and, after having excused himself for running out his estate, hetold me that he had always been more industrious to improve his mindthan his fortune, and that his family must rather value themselves uponhis memory as he was a wise man than a rich one. He then told me that itwas a custom among the Romans for a man to give his slaves their libertywhen he lay upon his death-bed. I could not imagine what this meant, until, after having a little composed himself, he ordered me to bringhim a flea which he had kept for several months in a chain, with adesign, as he said, to give it its manumission. This was doneaccordingly. He then made the will, which I have since seen printed inyour works word for word. Only I must take notice that you have omittedthe codicil, in which he left a large _concha veneris_, as it is therecalled, to a _Member of the Royal Society_, who was often with him inhis sickness, and _assisted him in his will_. And now, sir, I come tothe chief business of my letter, which is to desire your friendship andassistance in the disposal of those many rarities and curiosities whichlie upon my hands. If you know any one that has an occasion for a parcelof dried spiders, I will sell them a pennyworth. I could likewise letany one have a bargain of cockle-shells. I would also desire your advicewhether I had best sell my beetles in a lump or by retail. The gentlemanabove mentioned, who was my husband's friend, would have me make anauction of all his goods, and is now drawing up a catalogue of everyparticular for that purpose, with the two following words in greatletters over the head of them, Auctio Gimcrackiana. But, upon talkingwith him, I begin to suspect he is as mad as poor Sir Nicholas was. Youradvice in all these particulars will be a great piece of charity to, Sir, your most humble servant, "'ELIZABETH GIMCRACK. ' "I shall answer the foregoing letter, and give the widow my best advice, as soon as I can find out chapmen for the wares which she has to putoff. " FOOTNOTES: [2] Life of Thomas Gainsborough, R. A. By the late George WilliamsFulcher. Edited by his Son. P. 157. [3] Memoir of the Life of William Collins, R. A. By W. Wilkie Collins. I. , p. 235. [4] The future author of "The Woman in White" and "The Dead Secret, " andmany other works of celebrity. [5] Memoirs of James Montgomery. By Holland and Everett. I. , p. 283. MONKEYS. THE GORILLA AND ITS STORY. In the British Museum, in handsome glass cases, and on the floors of thethree first rooms at the top of the stairs, may be seen the largestcollection of the skins and skeletons of quadrupeds ever broughttogether. In the third, or principal room, will be found a nearlycomplete series of the QUADRUMANA or four-handed Mammalia. Monkeys are_quadrumanous mammalia_. The resemblance of these animals to men is mostconspicuous, in the largest of them, such as the gorilla, orang-utan, chimpanzee, and the long-armed or gibbous apes. Such resemblance is mostdistant in the ferocious dog-faced baboons of Africa, the _Cynocephali_of the ancients. It is softened off, but not effaced, in the prettylittle countenances of those dwarf pets from South America, theouistities or marmosets, and other species of new-world monkeys, some ofwhich are not larger than a squirrel. They are well called MONKEYS, Monnikies, Mannikies--little men, "_Simiæquasi bestiæ hominibus similes_, " "monkeys, as if beasts resemblingman, " or "mon, " as the word man is pronounced in pure _Doric_ Saxon, whether in York or Peebles. "Monkey! you very degraded little brute, how much you resemble us!" saidold Ennius, without ever fancying that the day would come when some menwould regard their own race as little better than highly-advancedmonkeys. Let us never for a moment rest in such fallacious theories, or acceptthe belief of Darwin and Huxley, with a few active agitating disciples, that animals, and even plants, may pass into each other. "I think we are not wholly brain, Magnetic mockeries; ... Not only cunning casts in clay; Let science prove we are, and then What matters science unto men, At least to me! I would not stay: Let him, the wiser man who springs Hereafter, up from childhood shape His action, like the greater ape, But I was born to other things. " --_In Memoriam_, cxix. Darwin and Huxley cannot change nature. They may change their minds andopinions, as their fathers did before them. It is, we suspect, only theold heathen materialism cropping out, -- "Our little systems have their day-- They have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, And Thou, O Lord! art more than they. " --_In Memoriam. _ No artists or authors have ever pictured or described monkeys like SirEdwin Landseer and his brother Thomas. Surely a new edition of the_Monkeyana_ is wanted for the rising generation. Oliver Goldsmith, thatgreat writer, who was most feeble in knowledge of natural history fromalmost total ignorance of the subject, over which he threw the graces ofhis charming style, noticed, as remarkable, that in countries "where themen are barbarous and stupid, the brutes are the most active andsagacious. " He continues, that it is in the torrid tracts, inhabited bybarbarians, that animals are found with instinct so nearly approachingreason. Both in Africa and America, accordingly, he tells us, "thesavages suppose monkeys to be men; idle, slothful, rational beings, capable of speech and conversation, but obstinately dumb, for fear ofbeing compelled to labour. " For the present, I shall suppose that the gorilla, largest of all theapes, can not only speak, but write; and is speaking and writing to anorang-utan of Borneo. Even a Lamarckian will allow this to be within therange of possibility. Were it possible to get Gay or Cowper to write anew set of fables, animals, in the days of postoffices and letters, would become, like the age, epistolary. But a word on the imaginarycorrespondent. The orang, as the reader knows, is the great red-haired "Man of theWoods, " as the name may be rendered in English. My old friend, Mr AlfredWallace, lately in New Guinea, and the adjoining parts, collectingnatural history subjects, and making all kinds of valuable observationsand surveys, sent to Europe most of the magnificent specimens of this"ugly beast" now in the museum. He has detailed its habits and historyin an able account, published some years ago in "The Annals and Magazineof Natural History. " Its home seems to be the fine forests which cover many parts of thecoast of Borneo. The home of the gorilla and chimpanzee are in thetropical forests of the coasts of Western Africa. There would seem to be but three or four well established _species_ ofthese apes, though there are, as in man and most created beings, somemarked or decided varieties. These apes are altogether _quadrupeds_, adapted for a life among trees. The late Charles Waterton, of WaltonHall, whom I deem it an honour to have known for many years, personallyand in his writings, has well shown this in his "Essays on NaturalHistory. " Professor Owen, with his osteologies, and old Tyson, with hisanatomies, have each demonstrated that--draw what inferences thefollowers of Mr Darwin may choose--monkeys are not men, but quadrupeds. The structure of chimpanzee, orang, and gorilla considerably resemblesthat of man, but so more distantly does a frog's, so does Scheuchzer'sfossil amphibian in the museum, so does a squirrel's, so does aparrot's. Yet, because parrots, squirrels, frogs, and asses have skulls, a pelvis, and fore-arms, they are _not_ men any more than fish are. Linnæus has given the _real_ specific, the _real_ class, order, andgeneric character of man, unique as a species, as a genus, as an order, or as a class, as even the greatest comparative anatomist of Englandregards him; "Nosce teipsum:" "[Greek: Gnôthi seauton]"--KNOW THYSELF. Man alone expects a hereafter. He is immortal, and anticipates, hopesfor, or dreads a resurrection. Melancholy it is that he alone, as anAmerican writer curiously remarks, collects bodies of men of _one_ bloodto fight with each other. He alone can become a _drunkard_. The reader must leave rhapsody, and may now be reminded, in explanationof allusions in the following letter, that the arm of Dr Livingstone, the African traveller, was crushed and crunched by the bite and "chaw"of a lion. He will also please to notice, that the skeleton of thegorilla in the museum has the left arm broken by some dreadful accident. This injury may _possibly_ have been caused by a fall when young, ormore probably by the empoisoned bite of a larger gorilla, or of atree-climbing Leopard. So much may be premised before giving a letter, supposed to be intercepted on its way between the Gaboon and London, andLondon and Borneo, opened at St Martin's-le-Grand, and detained asunpaid. "I was born in a large baobab tree, on the west coast of Africa, notvery far from Calabar. We gorillas are good time-keepers, rise early andgo to bed early, guided infallibly by the sun. But though our family hasbeen in existence at least six thousand years, we have no chronology, and care not a straw about our grandfathers. I suppose I had agrandmother, but I never took _any_ interest in any but very closerelationships. "We never toiled for our daily food, and are not idle like these lazyblack fellows who hold their palavers near us, and whom I, for my part, heartily despise. They cannot climb a tree, as we do, although they cantalk to each other, and make one another slaves. At least they so treattheir countrymen far off where the fine sweet plantains grow, and someother juicy tit-bits, the memory of which makes my mouth water. Thesefellows have ugly wives, not nearly so big-mouthed as ours, without ournoble bony ridge, small ears, and exalted presence. They are actuallyforced to walk erect, and their fore-legs seldom touch the ground, except in the case of piccanninies. These little creatures crawl on theground, are much paler when born, and are then perfectly helpless; andhave no hair except on their heads, whereas our beautiful young arefine and hairy, and can swing among the branches, shortly after birth, nearly as well as their parents. When I was very young, I could soonhelp myself to fruits which abound on our trees. "Have you dates, plantains, and soursops--so sweet--at Sarawak, MasterRedhair? We have, and all kinds of them. I should like, for a variety, to taste yours. Mind you send me some of the _durian_. [6] Make haste andsend it, for Wallace's description makes my mouth water. "I have told you our little ones soon learn to help themselves, whereasI have seen the piccaninnies of the blacks nursed by their mothers tillmany rainy seasons had come and gone. I really think nothing of thetalking blacks who live near us. They put on bits of coloured rags, notnearly so bright, so regular, nor so _contrasting_ as the feathers ofour birds. "Beautifully coloured are the green touraco and the purpleplantain-eater, a rascally bird! who eats some of our finest plantains, and has bitten holes in many a one I thought to get entirely to myself. Why, our parrots beat these West-African negroes to sticks! Even ourcommon gray parrot, so prettily scaled with gray, and with the redfeathers under his tail, is more natural than these blacks, with theirdirty-white, yellow, blue, green, and red rags. "Besides, that gray parrot beats them hollow both in its voice and inthe way it imitates. Do you know that when I have been giving my quickshort bark, to tell that I am not well pleased, I have heard one ofthese fellows near me actually make me startle--its bark was so like tothat of one of our kind! I cannot bear the blacks! I have had a grudgeagainst them since some little urchins shot at me when I was young, andmade my hand bleed. How it bled! My mother, with whom I had been, keptout of the way of these blackguards, but I was playing with anotherlittle gorilla, and forgot to keep a look-out. I have kept a goodlook-out ever since I got _that_ wound, I assure you. I licked it often, and so did my mother with her delicious mouth. It soon left off bleedingand healed. We gorillas have no brandy, no whisky, no wine, not evensmall beer, to inflame our blood. We sleep, too, among the trees, clearoff the ground, where there are dangerous vapours, so that we are freefrom all miasmata. West Africa is my lovely home, and I am big andbeautifully pot-bellied. It is the home of the large-eared chimpanzee, anear relative of ours, though we never marry. He is an active fellow, with rather large vulgar-looking ears; while mine, though I ought not tosay so, are beautifully small, and denote my more exalted birth. MasterChimpanzee needs all his ears, for he is not so strong as I, and as youwill hear, we anthropoids have enemies in our trees, just as you perhapshave, Master Redhair. We are both cautious of getting on the ground, andwhen there, I assure you I keep a sharp look-out. "I have told you of one adventure I had in my youth, and now listen toanother which I have not forgotten to this day. My left arm aches now asI think of it. "As I was one day gambolling with another playfellow in a large tree, with great branches standing out from the trunk, and at a good heightfrom the ground, my companion, another young gorilla, but with smallermouth, larger nose, and other features uglier than mine, suddenlyshrieked, and looked frightened and angry. No sooner had I noticed himthan my whole frame was shaken. I was seized by two paws in the small ofmy back--a very painful part to be dug into--by ten hooked claws, nearlyas long as tenpenny nails, but horribly sharp and hooked. --Oh my arm! "I tried to turn round, and there was a most ferocious leopard growlingat me. I tried to bite, and to scratch his eyes out, but the pain in thesmall of my back made me quite giddy. The spotted scoundrel seized myleft arm--how it aches!--and gave me a _crunch_ or two. I hear, I feelthe teeth against my bones as I write. My whole body is full of pain. "My mother came and released me. She was large, handsome, andwell-to-do, with _such_ long and strong arms, and with a magnificentbulging and pouting mouth. In those days of my infancy I used to fancy Ishould like to try to take as large a bite of a plantain as she could. Itried twice or thrice, but could only squash a tenth of the juice of thefruit into my mouth. She had glorious white teeth. Her grin clearlyfrightened the leopard, as well as a pinch she gave him in the 'scruff'of the neck with one of her hands, while with the other she caught holdof his tail and made him yell. How he roared! He fell off the branch onto another; but soon, like all the cats, recovered his hold and jumpeddown to the ground, when he skulked away with his tail behind him. "I must really leave off, warned both by my paper and your impatience. Well, I grew stronger and bigger every day, and swung by one arm almostas well as the rest did with their two. I got, in fact, so strong on myhind feet, that my toes were actually in time thicker than those of anyof my race. It is well, my dear Orang, to use what you have left you, and to try as soon as possible to forget what has been taken from you. "... Look at my portrait, I am as strong, and as bony, and as bonnie, asany gorilla. But I begin to boast, so I will leave off. " * * * * * No doubt that gorilla's injured arm affected its habits and its activityevery day of its life. The broken arm, never set by some gorilla surgeonof celebrity, formed a highly important feature in its biography. Reader! when next thou visitest the noble Museum in Bloomsbury, look atthe skeleton of that gorilla, whose probable story Arachnophilus hathtried to give thee, and remember that both skin and skeleton wereexhibited there before Du Chaillu became "a lion. " The gorilla is a native of West Africa. It is closely allied to thechimpanzee, but grows to a larger size, and has many striking anatomicalcharacters and external marks to distinguish it. It is certainly muchdreaded by the natives on the banks of the Gaboon, and, doubtless, dreads them equally. Dr Gray procured a large specimen in a tub fromthat district. It was skinned and set up by Mr Bartlett. I have seenphotographs in the hands of my excellent old friend--that admirablenatural history and anatomical draughtsman--Mr George Ford of HattonGarden. These photographs were taken from its truly ugly face as it waspulled out of the stinking brine. Life in death, or death in life, itwas most repulsive. Professor Owen read a most elaborate paper on the gorilla before theZoological Society. The great comparative anatomist and zoologist showsthat it _may_ have been the very species whose skins were brought byHanno to Carthage, in times before the Christian era, as the skins of_hairy wild men_. The historian refers to them as "gorullai" ([Greek:Gôryllai]. ) The natives of West Africa name it "N'Geena. " * * * * * The stuffed specimen at the Museum is a young male. Its preparation doesgreat credit to Mr Bartlett's care and knowledge, for the hair overnearly all the body was in patches among the spirit--thoroughlycorrupted in its alcoholic strength by animal matter. The peculiarlyanthropoid and morbidly-disagreeable look that even the face of theyoung gorilla had was, of course, perfect in the photograph. In the_Leisure Hour_, a tolerably good cut of it was given, but the artist didnot copy the label accurately, for on the photograph from which that cutwas derived, _another name_ was rendered by _that_ sun, who pays nocompliments and tells no lies. Professor Owen, the greatest ofcomparative anatomists, has made the subject of anthropoid apes his own, by the perfection of his researches, continued and continuous. He wouldhave liked, at least I may venture, I believe, to say so (if the mattergave him more than a moment's thought), that the name of Dr Gray hadbeen on that label. _Letter from C. Waterton, Esq. , mentioning a young gorilla. _ WALTON HALL, _Feb_. 4, 1856. "DEAR SIR, --As your favour of the 28th did not seem to require animmediate answer I put it aside for a while, having a multiplicity ofbusiness then on hand, and being obliged to be from home for a couple ofdays. "I beg to enclose you the letter to which you allude. "Pray do not suppose that for one single moment I should be illiberalenough to undervalue a 'closet naturalist. ' 'Non cuivis homini contingitadire corinthum. ' It does not fall to every one's lot to range throughthe forests of Guiana, still, a gentleman given to natural history maydo wonders for it in his own apartments on his native soil; and hadAudubon, Swainson, Jameson, &c. , not attacked me in all the pride ofpompous self-conceit, I should have been the last man in the world toexpose their gross ignorance. "You ask me 'If we are to have another volume of essays?' I beg toanswer, no. Last year, Mrs Loudon (to whom I made a present of theessays) wrote to me, and asked for a few papers to be inserted in aforthcoming edition. I answered, that as I had had some strange andawful adventures since the 'Autobiography' made its appearance, I wouldtack them on to it. But from that time to this, I have never had a line, either from Mrs Loudon or from her publishers. But some months ago, having made a present of a superb case of preserved specimens in naturalhistory to the Jesuits' College in Lancashire, I gave directions to mystationer at Wakefield to procure me from London the fourth or lastedition of the essays; and I made references to it accordingly. But, loand behold, when I had opened this supposed fourth edition, I sawprinted on the title page 'a new edition. ' Better had they printed a_fifth edition_. This threw all my references wrong. Should you bepassing by Messrs Longman, perhaps you will have the goodness to askwhen this 'new edition' was printed. "I am sorry you did not show me your drawing of the chimpanzee before itwas engraved. The artist has not done justice to it. He has made theears far too large. [7] The little brown chimpanzee has very small ears;fully as small in proportion as those of a genuine negro. I am halfinclined to give to the world a little treatise on the monkey tribe. Iam prepared to show that Linnæus, Buffon, and all our hosts ofnaturalists who have copied the remarks of these celebrated naturalists, are perfectly in the dark with regard to the true character of _all_ themonkey tribe. Yesterday, I sent up to the _Gardener's Chronicle_ a fewnotes on the woodpecker. --Believe me, dear sir, very truly yours, CHARLES WATERTON. "P. S. --Many thanks for your nice little treatise on the chimpanzee. " Mr Waterton enclosed me a copy of the following letter, which hepublished in a Yorkshire newspaper:-- _To Mrs Wombwell. _ "MADAM, --I am truly sorry that the inclemency of the weather hasprevented the inhabitants of this renowned watering-place from visitingyour wonderful gorilla, or brown orang-outang. "I have passed two hours in its company, and I have been gratifiedbeyond expression. "Would that all lovers of natural history could get a sight of it, as, possibly, they may never see another of the same species in thiscountry. "It differs widely in one respect from all other orang-outangs whichhave been exhibited in England--namely, that, when on the ground, itnever walks on the soles of its fore-feet, but on the knuckles of thetoes of those feet; and those toes are doubled up like the closed fistof a man. This must be a painful position; and, to relieve itself, theanimal catches hold of visitors, and clings caressingly to Miss Bright, who exhibits it. Here then, it is at rest, with the toes of thefore-feet performing their natural functions, which they never do whenthe animal is on the ground. "Hence I draw the conclusion that this singular quadruped, like thesloth, is not a walker on the ground of its own free-will, but byaccident only. "No doubt whatever it is born, and lives, and dies aloft, amongst thetrees in the forests of Africa. "Put it on a tree, and then it will immediately have the full use of thetoes of its fore-feet. Place it on the ground, and then you will seethat the toes of the fore-feet become useless, as I have alreadydescribed. "That it may retain its health, and thus remunerate you for the largesum which you have expended in the purchase of it, is, madam, thesincere hope of your obedient servant and well-wisher, CHARLES WATERTON. " Scarborough Cliff, No. 1, _Nov. 1, 1855_. "_P. S. _--You are quite at liberty to make what use you choose of thisletter. I have written it for your own benefit, and for the good ofnatural history. "[8] MR MITCHELL ON A YOUNG CHIMPANZEE. The writer of a most readable article on the acclimatisation of animalsin the _Edinburgh Review_, [9] gives an amusing recital of the arrival ofa chimpanzee at the Zoological Gardens. It was related to him by thelate Mr Mitchell, who was long the active secretary of the society, andwho did much to improve the Gardens. "One damp November evening, justbefore dusk, there arrived a French traveller from Senegal, with acompanion closely muffled up in a burnoose at his side. On going, at hisearnest request, to speak to him at the gate, he communicated to me theinteresting fact that the stranger in the burnoose was a young chim, whohad resided in his family in Senegal for some twelve months, and who hadaccompanied him to England. The animal was in perfect health; but fromthe state of the atmosphere required good lodging, and more tender carethan could be found in a hotel. He proposed to sell his friend. I washard; did not like pulmonic property[10] at that period of the year, having already two of the race in moderate health, but could not refrainfrom an offer of hospitality during Chim's residence in London. Chim wasto go to Paris if I did not buy him. So we carried him, burnoose andall, into the house where the lady chims were, and liberated him in thedoorway. They had taken tea, and were beginning to think of their earlycouch. When the Senegal Adonis caught sight of them, he assumed a jauntyair and advanced with politeness, as if to offer them the last news fromAfrica. A yell of surprise burst from each chimpanzella as theysuccessively recognised the unexpected arrival. One would have supposedthat all the Billingsgate of Chimpanzeedom rolled from the volubletongues of these unsophisticated and hitherto unimpressible youngladies; but probably their gesticulations, their shrill exclamations, their shrinkings, their threats, were but well-mannered expressions ofwelcome to a countryman thus abruptly revealed in the foreign land oftheir captivity. Sir Chim advanced undaunted, and with the composure ofa high-caste pongo; if he had had a hat he would have doffed itincontinently, as it was, he only slid out of his burnoose and ascendedinto the apartment which adjoined his countrywomen with agile grace, andthen, through the transparent separation, he took a closer view. Julianayelled afresh. Paquita crossed her hands, and sat silently with faceabout three quarters averted. Sir Chim uttered what may have been atranquillising phrase, expressive of the great happiness he felt on thusbeing suddenly restored to the presence of kinswomen in the moment ofhis deepest bereavement. Juliana calmed. Paquita diminished her angle ofaversion, and then Sir Chim, advancing quite close to the division, began what appeared to be a recollection of a minuet. He executedmarvellous gestures with a precision and aplomb which were quiteenchanting, and when at last he broke out into a quick movement withloud smacking stamps, the ladies were completely carried away, and gavehim all attention. Friendship was established, refreshments were served, notwithstanding the previous tea, and everybody was apparentlysatisfied, especially the stranger. Upon asking the Senegal proprietorwhat the dance meant, he told me that the animal had voluntarily takento that imitation of his slaves, who used to dance every evening in thecourtyard. " So far Mr Mitchell's narrative; the reviewer relates how a chimpanzee, placed for a short time in the society of the children of his owner inthis country, not only throve in an extraordinary manner, was perfectlydocile and good-tempered, but learnt to imitate them. When the eldestlittle boy wished to tease his playfellow, he used, childlike, to makefaces at him. Chim soon outdid him, and one of the funniest thingsimaginable was to see him blown at and blowing in return; hisprotrusible lips converted themselves into a trumpet-shaped instrument, which reminded one immediately of some of the devils of Albert Dürer, orthose incredible forms which the old painters used to delight in pilingtogether in their temptations of Saint Anthony. LADY ANNE BARNARD PLEADS FOR THE BABOONS. Lady Anne Barnard, whose name as the writer of "Auld Robin Gray" isfamiliar to every one who knows that most pathetic ballad, spent fiveyears with her husband at the Cape (1797-1802). Her journal letters toher sisters are most amusing, and full of interesting observations. [11]After describing "Musquito-hunting" with her husband, she writes:--"Inreturn, I endeavoured to effect a treaty of peace for the baboons, whoare apt to come down from the mountain in little troops to pillage ourgarden of the fruit with which the trees are loaded. I told him he wouldbe worse than Don Carlos if he refused the children of the sun and thesoil the use of what had descended from ouran-outang to ouran-outang;but, alas! I could not succeed. He had pledged himself to thegardener, [12] to the slaves, and all the dogs, not to baulk them oftheir sport; so he shot a superb man-of-the-mountain one morning, whowas marauding, and electrified himself the same moment, so shocked washe at the groan given by the poor creature as he limped off the ground. I do not think I shall hear of another falling a sacrifice to Barnard'sgun; they come too near the human race" (p. 408). In another letter she says (p. 391), "The best way to get rid of them isto catch one, whip him, and turn him loose; he skips off chattering tohis comrades, and is extremely angry, but none of them return the seasonthis is done. I have given orders, however, that there may be nowhipping. " S. BISSET AND HIS TRAINED MONKEYS. We have elsewhere referred to S. Bisset as a trainer of animals. Amongthe earliest of his trials, this Scotchman took two monkeys as pupils. One of these he taught to dance and tumble on the rope, whilst the otherheld a candle with one paw for his companion, and with the other playeda barrel organ. These animals he also instructed to play severalfanciful tricks, such as drinking to the company, riding and tumblingupon a horse's back, and going through several regular dances with adog. The horse and dog referred to, were the first animals on which thisingenious person tried his skill. Although Bisset lived in the lastcentury, few persons seem to have surpassed him in his power of teachingthe lower animals. We have seen a man in Charlotte Square, in 1865, makea new-world monkey go through a series of tricks, ringing a bell, firinga pea-gun, and such like. Poor Jacko was to be pitied. His want of heartin his labours was very evident. Poor fellow, no time for reflection wasallowed him. Like some of the masters in the Old High School, --suchcruelty dates back more than thirty years, --a ferule, or a pair of tawsekept Jacko to his work. It was play to the onlookers, but no sport tomaster Cebus. Had he possessed memory and reflection, how his thoughtsmust have wandered from Edinburgh to the forests of the Amazon! LORD BYRON'S PETS. Beside horses and dogs, the poet Byron, like his own Don Juan, had akind of inclination, or weakness, for what most people deem mere vermin, _live animals_. Captain Medwin records, in one of his conversations, that the poetremarked that it was troublesome to travel about with so much live anddead stock as he did, and adds--"I don't like to leave behind me any ofmy pets, that have been accumulating since I came on the Continent. Onecannot trust to strangers to take care of them. You will see at thefarmer's some of my pea-fowls _en pension_. Fletcher tells me that theyare almost as bad fellow-travellers as the monkey, which I will showyou. " Here he led the way to a room where he played with and caressedthe creature for some time. He afterwards bought another monkey in Pisa, because he saw it ill-used. [13] Lord Byron's travelling equipage to Pisa in the autumn of 1821, consisted, _inter cætera_, of nine horses, a monkey, a bull-dog, and amastiff, two cats, three pea-fowls, and some hens. [14] THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD'S MONKEY. (_From the "Noctes Ambrosianæ, " Dec. 1825. _[15]) _Shepherd. _ I wish that you but saw my monkey, Mr North. He would makeyou hop the twig in a guffaw. I ha'e got a pole erected for him, o'about some 150 feet high, on a knowe ahint Mount Benger; and the way thecretur rins up to the knob, looking ower the shouther o' him, andtwisting his tail roun' the pole for fear o' playin' thud on the grun', is comical past a' endurance. _North. _ Think you, James, that he is a link? _Shepherd. _ A link in creation? Not he, indeed. He is merely a monkey. Only to see him on his observatory, beholding the sunrise! or weeping, like a Laker, at the beauty o' the moon and stars! _North. _ Is he a bit of a poet? _Shepherd. _ Gin he could but speak and write, there can be nae manner o'doubt that he would be a gran' poet. Safe us! what een in the head o'him! Wee, clear, red, fiery, watery, malignant-lookin een, fu' o'inspiration. _Tickler. _ You should have him stuffed. _Shepherd. _ Stuffed, man! say, rather, embalmed. But he's no likely todee for years to come--indeed, the cretur's engaged to be married;although he's no in the secret himsel yet. The bawns are published. _Tickler. _ Why really, James, marriage I think ought to be simply acivil contract. _Shepherd. _ A civil contract! I wuss it was. But, oh! Mr Tickler, to seethe cretur sittin wi' a pen in 's hand, and pipe in 's mouth, jottingdown a sonnet, or odd, or lyrical ballad! Sometimes I put that blackvelvet cap ye gied me on his head, and ane o' the bairns's auldbig-coats on his back; and then, sure aneugh, when he takes his strollin the avenue, he is a heathenish Christian. _North. _ Why, James, by this time he must be quite like one of thefamily? _Shepherd. _ He's a capital flee-fisher. I never saw a monkey throw alighter line in my life.... Then, for rowing a boat! _Tickler. _ Why don't you bring him to Ambrose's? _Shepherd. _ He's sae bashfu'. He never shines in company; and the leastthing in the world will make him blush. THE FINDHORN FISHERMAN AND THE MONKEY. Sir Thomas Dick Lauder[16] records the adventures of a monkey inMorayshire, whose wanderings sadly alarmed the inhabitants who saw him, all unused as they were to the sight of such an exotic stranger. "We knew a large monkey, which escaped from his chain, and was abroad inMorayshire for some eight or ten days. Wherever he appeared he spreadterror among the peasantry. A poor fisherman on the banks of theFindhorn was sitting with his wife and family at their frugal meal, whena hairy little man, as they in their ignorance conceived him to be, appeared on the window sill and grinned, and chattered through thecasement what seemed to them to be the most horrible incantations. Horror-struck, the poor people crowded together on their knees on thefloor, and began to exorcise him with prayers most vehemently, untilsome external cause of alarm made their persecutor vanish. Theneighbours found the family half dead with fear, and could withdifficulty extract from them the cause. 'Oh! worthy neebours!' at lastexclaimed the goodman with a groan, 'we ha'e seen the _Enemy_ glowrin'at us through that vera wundow there. Lord keep us a'!!' He next alarmeda little hamlet near the hills; appearing and disappearing to variousindividuals in a most mysterious manner; till at last a clown, with afew grains of more courage than the rest, loaded his gun and put asixpence into it, with the intention of stealing upon him as he sat mostmysteriously chattering on the top of a cairn of stones, and thenshooting him with silver, which is known never to fail in finishing theimps of the Evil One. And lucky indeed was it for pug that he chanced, through whim, to abscond from that quarter; for if he had not sodisappeared, he might have died by the lead, if not by the silver. As itwas, the bold peasant laid claim to the full glory of compelling thisdreaded goblin to flee. " Sir Thomas Lauder kept several pets in his beautiful seat at the Grange, long occupied by the Messrs Dalgleish of Dreghorn Castle as a genteelboarding-school, and now by the Misses Mouatt as one for young ladies. We have often seen the tombstones to his dogs, which were buried to thesouth of that mansion, in which Principal Robertson the historian died, and where Lord Brougham, his relation, used to go when a boy at the HighSchool. THE FRENCH MARQUIS AND HIS MONKEY. Dr John Moore, the father of General Moore, who fell at Corunna, in oneof the graphic sketches of a Frenchman which he gives in his work onItaly, records a visit he paid to the Marquis de F---- at Besançon. After many questions, he says, "Before I could make any answer, Ichanced to turn my eyes upon a person whom I had not before observed, who sat very gravely upon a chair in a corner of the room, with a largeperiwig in full dress upon his head. The marquis, seeing my surprise atthe sight of this unknown person, after a very hearty fit of laughter, begged pardon for not having introduced me sooner to that gentleman (whowas no other than a large monkey), and then told me, he had the honourof being attended by a physician, who had the reputation of possessingthe greatest skill, and who _certainly_ wore the largest periwigs of anydoctor in the province. That one morning, while he was writing aprescription at his bedside, this same monkey had catched hold of hisperiwig by one of the knots, and instantly made the best of his way outat the window to the roof of a neighbouring house, from which post hecould not be dislodged, till the doctor, having lost patience, had senthome for another wig, and never after could be prevailed on to accept ofthis, which had been so much disgraced. That, _enfin_, his valet, towhom the monkey belonged, had, ever since that adventure, obliged theculprit by way of punishment to sit quietly, for an hour every morning, with the periwig on his head. --Et pendant ces moments de tranquillité jesuis honoré de la société du venerable personage. Then, addressinghimself to the monkey, "Adieu, mon ami, pour aujourdhui--au plaisir devous revoir;" and the servant immediately carried Monsieur le Médicinout of the room. [17] This is a most characteristic bit, which could scarcely have occurredout of France, where monkeys and dogs are petted as we never saw thempetted elsewhere. These things were so when we knew Paris underLouis-Philippe. Frenchmen, surely, have not much changed under LouisNapoleon. THE MANDRILL AND GEORGE THE FOURTH. One of the attractive sights of Mr Cross's menagerie, some forty yearsor so ago, was a full-grown baboon, to which had been given the name of"Happy Jerry. " He was conspicuous from the finely-coloured rib-likeridges on each side of his cheeks, the clear blue and scarlet hue ofwhich, on such a hideous long face and muzzle, with its small, deeply-sunk malicious eyes, and projecting brow and cheeks, seemedalmost as if beauty and bestiality were here combined. But Jerry had ahabit which would have made Father Matthew loathe him and those whoencouraged him. He had been taught to sit in an armchair and to drinkporter out of a pot, like a thirsty brickmaker; and, as an addition tohis accomplishments, he could also smoke a pipe, like a trained pupil ofSir Walter Raleigh. This rib-nosed baboon, or mandrill, as he is oftencalled, obtained great renown; and among other distinguished personageswho wished to see him was his late majesty King George the Fourth. Asthat king seldom during his reign frequented places of public resort, MrCross was invited to bring Jerry to Windsor or Brighton, to display thetalents of his redoubtable baboon. I have heard Mr Cross say, that theking placed his hands on the arm of one of the ladies of the Court, atwhich Jerry began to show such unmistakable signs of ferocity, that themild, kind menagerist was glad to get Jerry removed, or at least theking and his courtiers to withdraw. He showed his great teeth andgrinned and growled, as a baboon in a rage is apt to do. Jerry was apowerful beast, especially in his fore-legs or arms. When he died, MrCross presented his skin to the British Museum, where it has been longpreserved. The mandrill is a native of West Africa, where he is muchdreaded by the negroes. In Cross's menagerie at Walworth, nearly twenty years ago, there wasgenerally a fine mandrill. We remember the sulky ferocity of thatrestless eye. How angry the mild menagerist used to be at the ladies inthe monkey-room with their parasols! These appendages were the feelerswith which some of the softer sex used to touch Cross's monkeys, and, asthe old gentleman used to insist, helped to kill them. Parasols werefreely used to touch the boas and other snakes feeding in the same warmroom. No doubt a boa-constrictor could not live comfortably if his soft, muscular sides got fifty pokes a day from as many sticks or parasols. Edward Cross, mild, gentle, gentlemanly, Prince of show-keepers, used tobe very indignant at the inquisitorial desire possessed, especially bysome of the fairer sex, to try the relative hardness and softness ofserpents and monkeys, and other mammals and creatures. This story of themandrill may excuse this pendant of an episode. THE YOUNG LADY'S PET MONKEY AND HER PARROT. Horace Walpole tells an anecdote of a fine young French lady, a Madamede Choiseul. She longed for a parrot that should be a miracle ofeloquence. A parrot was soon found for her in Paris. She also becameenamoured of General Jacko, a celebrated monkey, at Astley's. But thepossessor was so exorbitant in his demand for Jacko, that the Generaldid not change proprietors. Another monkey was soon heard of, who hadbeen brought up by a cook in a kitchen, where he had learned to pluckfowls with inimitable dexterity. This accomplished pet was bought andpresented to Madame, who accepted him. The first time she went out, thetwo animals were locked up in her bed-chamber. When the lady returned, the monkey was alone to be seen. Search, was made for Pretty Poll, andto her horror she was found at last under bed, shivering and cowering, and without a feather. It seems that the two pets had been presented byrival lovers of Madame. Poll's presenter concluded that his rival hadgiven the monkey with that very view, challenged him; they fought, andboth were wounded: and a heroic adventure it was![18] MONKEYS POOR RELATIONS. One of Luttrell's sayings, recorded by Sydney Smith, was, -- "I hate the sight of monkeys, they remind me so of poor relations. " Herefollows a fine passage of Sydney Smith, which he might have writtenafter hearing the lectures of Professor Huxley. [19] "I confess I feelmyself so much at my ease about the superiority of mankind, --I have sucha marked and decided contempt for the understanding of every baboon Ihave yet seen, --I feel so sure that the blue ape without a tail willnever rival us in poetry, painting, and music, --that I see no reasonwhatever why justice may not be done to the few fragments of soul, andtatters of understanding, which they may really possess. I havesometimes, perhaps, felt a little uneasy at Exeter 'Change, fromcontrasting the monkeys with the 'prentice boys who are teasing them;but a few pages of Locke, or a few lines of Milton, have always restoredmy tranquillity, and convinced me that the superiority of man hadnothing to fear. "[20] MRS COLIN MACKENZIE OBSERVES APES AT SIMLA. [21] The monkey she alludes to seems to be the _Semnopithecus Entellus_, ablack-faced, light-haired monkey, with long legs and tail, muchvenerated by the Hindoos. "Mrs L. And I were very much amused, early this morning (July 5), bywatching numbers of huge apes, the size of human beings, with white hairall round their faces, and down their backs and chests, who weredisporting themselves and feeding on the green leaves, on the sides ofthe precipice close to the house. Many of them had one or two littleones--the most amusing, indefatigable little creatures imaginable--whowere incessantly running up small trees, jumping down again, andperforming all sorts of antics, till one felt quite wearied with theirperpetual activity. When the mother wished to fly, she clutched thelittle one under her arm, where, clinging round her body with all itsarms, it remained in safety, while she made leaps of from thirty toforty feet, and ran at a most astonishing rate down the khad, catchingat any tree or twig that offered itself to any one of her four arms. There were two old grave apes of enormous size sitting together on thebranch of a tree, and deliberately catching the fleas in each other'sshaggy coats. The patient sat perfectly still, while his brother apedivided and thoroughly searched his beard and hair, lifted up one armand then the other, and turned him round as he thought fit; and then thepatient undertook to perform the same office for his friend. " THE AYE-AYE (_Chiromys Madagascariensis_). Zoologists used to know a very curious animal from Madagascar, by name, or by an indifferent specimen preserved in the Paris Museum. Sonnerat, the naturalist, obtained it from that great island so well known togeographical boys in former days by its being, so they were told, thelargest island in the world. This strange quadruped was named by a wordwhich meant "handed-mouse, " for such is the signification of _chiromys_, or _cheiromys_, as it used to be spelled. This creature, when itshistory was better known, was believed to be not far removed in thesystem from the lemurs and loris. Its soft fur, long tail, large eyes, and other features and habits connected it with these quadrumana, whileits rodent dentition seemed to refer it to the group containing oursquirrels, hares, and mice. It has been the subject of a profound memoirby Professor Owen, our greatest comparative anatomist; and I remember, with pleasure, the last time I saw him at the Museum he was engaged inits dissection. I may here refer to one of the Professor's lighterproductions--a lecture at Exeter Hall on some instances of the "power ofGod as manifested in His animal creation"--for a very nice notice ofthis curious quadruped. In one of the French journals, there was anexcellent account given of the peculiar habits of the little nocturnalcreature. In those tropical countries the trees are tenanted bycountless varieties of created things. Their wood affords rich feedingto the large, fat, pulpy grubs of beetles of the families _Buprestidæ_, _Dynastidæ_, _Passalidæ_, and, above all, that glorious group the_Longicornia_. These beetles worm their way into the wood, making oftenlong tunnels, feeding as they work, and leaving their _ejecta_ in theshape of agglomerated sawdust. It is into the long holes drilled bythese beetles that the Aye-Aye searches with his long fingers, one ofwhich, on the fore-hand, is specially thin, slender, and skeleton-like. It looks like the tool of some lock-picker. Our large-eyed littlefriend, like the burglar, comes out at night and finds these holes onthe trees where he slept during the day. His sensitive thin ears, madeto hear every scratch, can detect the rasping of the retired grub, feasting in apparent security below. Naturalists sometimes hear atnight, so Samouelle once told me, the grubs of moths munching the dewyleaves. Our aye-aye is no collector, but he has eyes, ears, and fingerstoo, that see, hear, and get larvæ that, when grown and changed intobeetles, are the valued prizes of entomologists. Into that tunnelledhole he inserts his long finger, and squash it goes into a large, pulpy, fat, sweet grub. It takes but a moment to draw it out; and if it be apupa near the bark, so much the better for the aye-aye, so much theworse for the beetle or cossus. I might dilate on this subject, butprefer referring the reader to Professor Owen's memoir, and to hislecture. [22] The aye-aye, in every point of its structure, like everycreated thing, is full of design. Its curious fingers, especially theskeleton-like chopstick of a digit referred to, attract especial notice, from their evident adaptation to the condition of its situation andexistence, as one of the works of an omnipotent and beneficent Creator. FOOTNOTES: [6] The Durian, a peculiarly favourite fruit in several of the EasternIslands. [7] Mr Wolf's drawing was taken from a chimpanzee. Mr Waterton's youngchimpanzee was in reality a small-eared gorilla. The ears of thechimpanzee are large. [8] Written in 1861. Skins and skeletons of the gorilla are to be foundnow in many museums. [9] For Jan. 1860, vol. Iii. , p. 177. [10] Monkeys are very liable to lung diseases in this climate, and allmenagerie keepers are aware of the bad effects of the winter on thesedenizens of a warm climate. [11] See "Lives of the Lindsays, " by Lord Lindsay, vol. Iii. , pp. 371-476. [12] At Paradise. She describes some plants, one, evidently a Stapelia, is a fine large star-plant, yellow and spotted like the skin of aleopard, over which there grows a crop of glossy brown hair, at oncehandsome and horrible; it crawls flat on the ground, and its leaves arethick and fat (p. 407). [13] "Conversations of Lord Byron" (p. 9). [14] _Loc. Cit. _ (p. 1). [15] "Works of Professor Wilson, " vol. I. , p. 73. [16] Gilpin's "Forest Scenery, " edited by Sir T. D. Lauder, vol. I. , p. 354. [17] "View of Society and Manners in Italy, " vol. Ii. , p. 475. [18] Extracted from the late Mr Cunningham's complete edition; weneglected to quote the page, and have altered and shortened the words. [19] "Memoirs of Rev. Sydney Smith, " i. , p. 377. [20] "Wit and Wisdom of Rev. Sydney Smith" (it is from a lecture at theRoyal Institution), p. 259. [21] "Life in the Mission, the Camp, and the Zenánà; or, Six Years inIndia, " by Mrs Colin Mackenzie, vol. Ii. , p. 126. [22] Published by James Nisbet & Co. , in 1863, 1864. BATS. A highly curious, if not the strangest, order of the class are theseflying creatures called bats. It is evident from Noel Paton's fairypictures that he has closely studied their often fantastic faces. Thewriter could commend to his attention an African bat, lately figured byhis friend Mr Murray. [23] Its enormous head, or rather muzzle, comparedwith its other parts, gives it an outrageously hideous look. In the lateexcellent Dr Horsfield's work on the animals of Java, there are someengravings of bats by Mr Taylor, who acquired among engravers the titleof "Bat Taylor, " so wonderfully has he rendered the exquisite pileage orfur of these creatures. It is wonderful how numerous the researches ofnaturalists, such as Mr Tomes, of Welford, near Stratford, have shownthe order _Cheiroptera_ to be in genera and species. Their profiles andfull faces, even in outline, are often most bizarre and strange. Theirinterfemoral membranes, we may add, are actual "unreticulated" nets, with which they catch and detain flies as they skim through the air. They pick these out of this bag with their mouths, and "make no bones"of any prey, so sharp and pointed are their pretty insectivorous teeth. Their flying membranes, stretched on the elongated finger-bones of theirfore-legs, are wonderful adaptations of Divine wisdom, a capital subjectfor the natural theologian to select. Our poet-laureate must be a close observer of natural history. In his"In Memoriam, " xciv. , he distinctly alludes to some very curious WestAfrican bats first described by the late amiable Edward T. Bennett, longthe much-valued secretary of the Zoological Society. These bats areclosely related to the fox bats, and form a genus which is named, fromtheir shoulder and breast appendages, _Epomophorus_:-- "Bats went round in fragrant skies, And wheel'd or lit the filmy shapes That haunt the dusk, with ermine capes, And woolly breasts and beaded eyes. " The species Mr Bennett named _E. Whitei_, after the good Rev. GilbertWhite, that well-known worthy who wrote "The Natural History ofSelborne, " wherein are many notices of bats. CAPTAIN COOK'S SAILOR AND HIS DESCRIPTION OF A FOX-BAT. It is curious, now that Australia is almost as civilised, and in partsnearly as populous, as much of Europe, to read "Lieutenant Cook's VoyageRound the World, " in vol. Iii. Of Hawkesworth's quartos, detailing thediscoveries of June, July, and August 1770--that is close upon acentury ago. What progress has the world made since that period! We donot require long periods of ages to alter, to adapt, to develop thecustoms and knowledge of man. At p. 156 we get an account of a largebat. On the 23d June 1770 Cook says:--"This day almost everybody hadseen the animal which the pigeon-shooters had brought an account of theday before; and one of the seamen, who had been rambling in the woods, told us, at his return, that he verily believed he had seen the devil. We naturally inquired in what form he had appeared, and his answer wasin so singular a style that I shall set down his own words. 'He was, 'says John, 'as large as a one-gallon keg, and very like it; he had hornsand wings, yet he crept so slowly through the grass, that if I had notbeen _afeared_ I might have touched him. ' This formidable apparition weafterwards discovered to have been a bat, and the bats here must beacknowledged to have a frightful appearance, for they are nearly black, and full as large as a partridge; they have indeed no horns, but thefancy of a man who thought he saw the devil might easily supply thatdefect. " * * * * * Having seen some of the very curious fox-bats alive, and given somecondensed information about them in Dr Hamilton's series of volumescalled "Excelsior, " the writer may extract the account, with some slightadditions, especially as the article is illustrated with a trulyadmirable figure of a fox-bat, from a living specimen by Mr Wolf. In SirEmerson Tennent's "Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon, " p. 14, MrWolf has represented a whole colony of the "flying-foxes, " as they arecalled. [Illustration: Flying Fox. (Pteropus ruficollis. )] FOX-BATS (_Pteropus_). In this country that bat is deemed a large one whose wings, whenmeasured from tip to tip, exceed twelve inches, or whose body is abovethat of a small mouse in bulk. In some parts of the world, however, there are members of this well-marked family, the wings of which, whenstretched and measured from one extremity to the other, are five feetand upwards in extent, and their bodies large in proportion. These arethe fox-bats, a pair of which were lately procured for the ZoologicalGardens. It is from one of this pair that the very characteristic figureof Mr Wolf has been derived. [24] There is something very odd in theappearance of such an animal, suspended as it is during the day headdownwards, in a position the very sight of which suggests to thelooker-on ideas of nightmare and apoplexy. As the head peers out fromthe membrane, contracted about the body and investing it as in a bag, and the strange creature chews a piece of apple presented by its keeper, the least curious observer must be struck with the peculiarity of theposition, and cannot fail to admire the velvety softness and greatelasticity of the membrane which forms its wings. It must have been froman exaggerated account of the fox-bats of the Eastern Islands that theancients derived their ideas of the dreaded Harpies, those fabulouswinged monsters sent out by the relentless Juno, and whose names aresynonymous with rapine and cruelty. Some of these bats, before they were thoroughly known, frightenedBritish sailors not a little when they met with them. We have given ananecdote, illustrative of this, in a preceding page. Dr Forster, who accompanied Captain Cook on the voyage round the worldfrom 1772 to 1775, observed fox-bats at the Friendly Islands, where theywere seen in large groups of hundreds. Our traveller even notices thatsome of them flew about the whole day, doubtless from being disturbed bythe wandering crews of the British discovery ships. He saw a Casuarinatree of large size, the branches of which were festooned with at leastfive hundred of these pendent Cheiroptera in various attitudes of ease, according to the habits and notions of the bat tribes, who can hangeither by the hind or by the fore-feet. He noticed that they skimmedover the water with wonderful facility, and he saw one in the act ofswimming, though he cannot say that it did so with either ease orexpertness; they are known, however, to frequent the water in order towash themselves from any impurities on their fur and wings, as well asto get rid of the vermin which may be infesting them. Captain Lort Stokes found the red-necked species to be very abundant, during his survey of the north coast of Australia in H. M. S. _Beagle_. Asthe boats were engaged in the survey, flights of these bats kepthovering over them, uttering a disagreeable screeching noise and fillingthe air with a faint mildewy odour, far from agreeable to the smell. Thesailors gave these bats the name of "monkey-birds, " without being awarethat naturalists in their system consider them as following closely theorder which contains these four-handed lovers of trees. Captain Stokesobserves that the leathern wings have a singular heavy flap, and that aflight of bats would suddenly alight on a bamboo and bend it to theground with their weight. Each individual struggles on alighting tosettle on the same spot, and like rooks or men in similar circumstances, they do not succeed in fixing themselves without making a great deal ofnoise. When first they clung to the bamboo, they did so by means of theclaw on the outer edge of the flying membrane, and then they graduallysettled. Among the wild and varied scenery of those groups of islands called theFriendly Islands, the Feejees, and the Navigators, species of fox-batform one of the characteristics of the place to the observant eye;while, if the traveller should happen to be blind, their presence amongthe otherwise fragrant forests would be readily perceived from thestrong odour which taints the atmosphere, and which, says the Naturalistof the United States Exploring Expedition, "will always be remembered bypersons who have visited the regions inhabited by these animals. " MrTitian Peale mentions that a specimen of the fox-bat was kept inPhiladelphia for several years; and like most creatures, winged as wellas wingless, was amiable to those persons who were constantly near it, while it showed clearly and unmistakably its dislike to strangers. On its voyage, this strange passenger was fed on boiled rice, sweetenedwith sugar; while at the Museum, it was solaced and fed during itscaptivity chiefly on fruit, and now and then appeared to enjoy thepicking from the bones of a boiled fowl. The fox-bat is but seldombrought alive to this country. The late Mr Cross of the SurreyZoological Gardens kept one for a short time, and deemed it one of hisgreatest rarities; and, till the arrival lately of the pair alluded toat the Gardens in the Regent's Park, we have not heard of otherspecimens having been exhibited in this country. They are difficult tokeep, and seem to feel very sensibly the changes of our climate, whileit is a hard thing to get for them the food on which they live when in astate of liberty. Mr Macgillivray discovered a new species of fox-bat on Fitzroy Island, off the coast of Australia, when he was naturalist of H. M. S. _Rattlesnake_. [25] He fell in with this large fruit-eating bat(_Pteropus conspicillatus_) on the wooded slope of a hill. They were inprodigious numbers, and presented the appearance, as they flew along inthe bright sunshine, of a large flock of rooks. As they were approached, a strong musky odour became apparent, and a loud incessant chatteringwas heard. He describes the branches of some of the trees as bendingbeneath the loads of bats which clung to them. Some of these were in astate of inactivity, sleeping or composing themselves to sleep, whilemany specimens scrambled along among the boughs and took to flight onbeing disturbed. He shot several specimens, three or four at a time, asthey hung in clusters. Unless they were killed outright, they continuedsuspended for some time; when wounded they are difficult to handle, asthey bite severely, and at such times their cry resembles somewhat thesqualling of a child. The flesh of these bats is described to beexcellent, and no wonder, when they feed on the sweetest fruits; thenatives regard it as nutritious food, and travellers in Australia, likethe adventurous Leichhardt on his journey to Port Essington, sometimesare furnished with a welcome meal from the fruit-eating fox-bats whichfall in their way. Even the polished French, in the Isle of Bourbon, asthey used to call the Mauritius, sometimes stewed a Pteropus, in their_bouillon_ or broth to give it a relish. Travellers observe that in a state of nature the fox-bats only eat theripest and the best fruit, and in their search for it they climb withgreat facility along the under side of the branches. In Java, as DrHorsfield observes, these creatures, from their numbers and fruit-eatingpropensities, occasion incalculable mischief, as they attack every kindthat grows there, from the cocoa-nut to the rarer and more delicateproductions, which are cultivated with care in the gardens of princesand persons of rank. The doctor observes, that "delicate fruits, as theyapproach to maturity, are ingeniously secured by means of a loose net orbasket, skilfully constructed of split bamboo. Without this precautionlittle valuable fruit would escape the ravages of the kalong. " We have mentioned that the fox-bats are occasionally eaten in Australia. Colonel Sykes alludes to the native Portuguese in Western India eatingthe flesh of another species of Pteropus; and it would seem that but forprejudice, their flesh, like that of the young of the South Americanmonkeys, is extremely delicate; the colonel says, writing of the_Pteropus medius_, a species found in India, "I can personally testifythat their flesh is delicate and without disagreeable flavour. " The Javanese fox-bat occasionally affords amusement to the colonists aswell as natives, who chase it, according to Dr Horsfield, "during themoonlight nights, which, in the latitude of Java, are uncommonly serene. He is watched in his descent to the fruit-trees, and a discharge ofsmall shot readily brings him to the ground. By this means I frequentlyobtained four or five individuals in the course of an hour. " The nativesof New Caledonia, according to Dr Forster, use the hair of these greatbats in ropes, and in the tassels to their clubs, while they interweavethe hair among the threads of the _Cyperus squarrosus_, a grassy-lookingplant which they employ for that purpose. William Dampier, [26] in 1687, observed the habits of a fox-bat on one ofthe Philippine Islands, though he has exaggerated its size when hejudged "that the wings stretched out in length, could not be lessasunder than seven or eight foot from tip to tip. " He records that "inthe evening, as soon as the sun was set, these creatures would begin totake their flight from this island in swarms like bees, directing theirflight over to the main island. Thus we should see them rising up fromthe island till night hindered our sight; and in the morning, as soon asit was light, we should see them returning again like a cloud to thesmall island till sunrising. This course they kept constantly while welay here, affording us every morning and evening an hour's diversion ingazing at them and talking about them. " Dr Horsfield describes thespecies, which is abundant in the lower parts of Java, as having thesame habit. During the day it retreats to the branches of a tree of thegenus _Ficus_, where it passes the greater portion of the day in sleep, "hanging motionless, ranged in succession, and often in close contact, they have little resemblance to living beings, and by a person notaccustomed to their economy, are readily mistaken for a part of thetree, or for a fruit of uncommon size suspended from its branches. " Thedoctor describes their society as being generally silent during the day, except when a contention arises among them to get out of the influenceof the sun, when they utter a sharp piercing shriek. Their claws are sosharp, and their attachment is consequently so strong, that they cannotreadily leave their hold without the assistance of their wings, and ifshot when in this position, they remain suspended. DR MAYERNE AND HIS BALSAM OF BATS. Dr Mayerne, a learned English physician, who died, aged eighty-two, in1655, showed by his prescriptions that his enlightenment was not morethan that of the prevailing ignorance of the period. The chiefingredient in his gout-powder was "raspings of a human skull unburied;""but, " writes Mr Jeaffreson, [27] "his sweetest compound was his 'balsamof bats, ' strongly recommended as an unguent for hypochondriacalpersons, into which entered adders, bats, sucking whelps, earth-worms, hogs' grease, the marrow of a stag, and the thigh-bone of an ox. " No doubt the doctor imagined that a combination of the virulence, flightiness, swiftness, strength, and other qualities of all theseanimals would in some mysterious way be communicated to his melancholypatient; and, indeed, by acting on the imagination of such persons afavourable direction is given to their thoughts, and in this way theirsevere malady may at times have been removed. FOOTNOTES: [23] Illustrated Proceedings of Zoological Society. [24] This was written some years ago; but I was glad to see when last inthe Zoological Gardens, June 1866, another live specimen of a species offox bat. [25] "Narrative of the Voyage, " i. , p. 96 (1852). [26] "New Voyage round the World" (1698), p. 381. [27] "A Book about Doctors, " by J. Cordy Jeaffreson, i. , p. 23. HEDGEHOG. This well-armed genus of insect-eating quadruped has sometimes given todescribing zoologists, at least so it is said, an opportunity of payinga sly compliment, concealing an allusion to the _touchy_ or supposedirritable disposition of the party after whom the species has beennamed. When Southey wrote the following paragraph, he happily expressedwhat is too commonly the meaning and wish of critics and criticised. Ifmy readers look into any system of mammalia of recent date, under thearticle _Erinaceus_, he will see one or more instances of concealedallusions to touchiness of disposition in the persons of thenaturalists, _honoured_ by the seeming compliment. The hedgehog isitself a very useful and very harmless quadruped. It is of great use ina garden, and also in a kitchen frequented by crickets or black-beetles. Its food is chiefly grubs, insects, worms, and such like. The creatureis easily tamed, and becomes a lovable and not a touchy pet. It iseminently nocturnal. SOUTHEY AND HIS CRITICS. Robert Southey ("Common-Place Book, " 4th series, p. 44) writes:-- "I intend to be a hedgehog, and roll myself up in my own prickles: all Iregret is that I am not a porcupine, and endowed with the property ofshooting them to annoy the beasts who come near enough to annoy me. " MOLE. This is perhaps the most remarkable of all our quadrupeds. Itssubterranean haunts and curious aptitudes for a life below the surfaceof the ground are peculiarly worthy of study. The little hillocks itturns up in its excavations are noticed by every one. Its pursuit ofworms and grubs, its nest, its soft plush-like fur, the pointed nose, the strong digging fore-feet, the small all but hidden eyes, andhundreds of other properties, render it a noticeable creature. Thefollowing passage from Lord Macaulay's latest writings, although ratherlong, may interest some in the story of this curious creature:-- THE MOLE AND KING WILLIAM. "A fly, if it had God's message, could choke a king. "[28] I never knewtill the 9th January 1862, when reading vol. V. Of Macaulay's England, that a horse, stumbling on a mole-hill, was the immediate cause of thedeath of the great William III. Lady Trevelyan, the sister of Macaulay, published vol. V. Of herbrother's work, and added an account of the death of the illustriousDutchman, who did so much for our religious and civil liberties. Thehistorian was very partial to William, and the account of that monarch'slast days is Macaulay's last finished piece: it is here quoted in fullfrom the history:[29]-- "Meanwhile reports about the state of the king's health were constantlybecoming more and more alarming. His medical advisers, both English andDutch, were at the end of their resources. He had consulted by letterall the most eminent physicians of Europe; and, as he was apprehensivethat they might return flattering answers if they knew who he was, hehad written under feigned names. To Fagon he had described himself as aparish priest. Fagon replied, somewhat bluntly, that such symptoms couldhave only one meaning, and that the only advice which he had to give tothe sick man was to prepare himself for death. Having obtained thisplain answer, William consulted Fagon again without disguise, andobtained some prescriptions which were thought to have a little retardedthe approach of the inevitable hour. But the great king's days werenumbered. Headaches and shivering fits returned on him almost daily. Hestill rode, and even hunted; but he had no longer that firm seat, orthat perfect command of the bridle, for which he had once been renowned. Still all his care was for the future. The filial respect and tendernessof Albemarle had been almost a necessary of life to him. But it was ofimportance that Heinsius should be fully informed both as to the wholeplan of the next campaign, and as to the state of the preparations. Albemarle was in full possession of the king's views on these subjects. He was therefore sent to the Hague. Heinsius was at that time sufferingfrom indisposition, which was indeed a trifle when compared with themaladies under which William was sinking. But in the nature of Williamthere was none of that selfishness which is the too common vice ofinvalids. On the 20th of February he sent to Heinsius a letter, in whichhe did not even allude to his own sufferings and infirmities. 'I am, 'he said, 'infinitely concerned to learn that your health is not yetquite re-established. May God be pleased to grant you a speedy recovery. I am unalterably your good friend, WILLIAM. ' These were the last linesof that long correspondence. "On the 20th of February, William was ambling on a favourite horse namedSorrel through the park of Hampton Court. He urged his horse to strikeinto a gallop just at the spot where a mole had been at work. Sorrelstumbled on the mole-hill, and went down on his knees. The king felloff, and broke his collar-bone. The bone was set, and he returned toKensington in his coach. The jolting of the rough roads of that timemade it necessary to reduce the fracture again. To a young and vigorousman such an accident would have been a trifle; but the frame of Williamwas not in a condition to bear even the slightest shock. He felt thathis time was short, and grieved, with a grief such as only noble spiritsfeel, to think that he must leave his work but half finished. It waspossible that he might still live until one of his plans should becarried into execution. He had long known that the relation in whichEngland and Scotland stood to each other was at best precarious, andoften unfriendly, and that it might be doubted whether, in an estimateof the British power, the resources of the smaller country ought not tobe deducted from those of the larger. Recent events had proved thatwithout doubt the two kingdoms could not possibly continue for anotheryear to be on the terms on which they had been during the precedingcentury, and that there must be between them either absolute union ordeadly enmity. Their enmity would bring frightful calamities, not onthemselves alone, but on all the civilised world. Their union would bethe best security for the prosperity of both, for the internaltranquillity of the island, for the just balance of power among Europeanstates, and for the immunities of all Protestant countries. On the 28thof February, the Commons listened, with uncovered heads, to the lastmessage that bore William's sign-manual. An unhappy accident, he toldthem, had forced him to make to them in writing a communication which hewould gladly have made from the throne. He had, in the first year of hisreign, expressed his desire to see a union accomplished between Englandand Scotland. He was convinced that nothing could more conduce to thesafety and happiness of both. He should think it his peculiar felicityif, before the close of his reign, some happy expedient could be devisedfor making the two kingdoms one; and he, in the most earnest manner, recommended the question to the consideration of the Houses. It wasresolved that the message should be taken into consideration on Saturdaythe 7th of March. "But, on the 1st of March, humours of menacing appearance showedthemselves in the king's knee. On the 4th of March he was attacked byfever; on the 5th, his strength failed greatly; and on the 6th he wasscarcely kept alive by cordials. The Abjuration Bill and a money billwere awaiting his assent. That assent he felt that he should not be ableto give in person. He therefore ordered a commission to be prepared forhis signature. His hand was now too weak to form the letters of hisname, and it was suggested that a stamp should be prepared. On the 7thof March the stamp was ready. The Lord Keeper and the Clerks of theParliament came, according to usage, to witness the signing of thecommission. But they were detained some hours in the ante-chamber whilehe was in one of the paroxysms of his malady. Meanwhile the Houses weresitting. It was Saturday the 7th, the day on which the Commons hadresolved to take into consideration the question of the union withScotland. But that subject was not mentioned. It was known that the kinghad but a few hours to live; and the members asked each other anxiouslywhether it was likely that the Abjuration and money bills would bepassed before he died. After sitting long in the expectation of amessage, the Commons adjourned till six in the afternoon. By that timeWilliam had recovered himself sufficiently to put the stamp on theparchment which authorised his commissioners to act for him. In theevening, when the Houses had assembled, Black Rod knocked. The Commonswere summoned to the bar of the Lords; the commission was read, theAbjuration Bill and the Malt Bill became law, and both Houses adjournedtill nine o'clock in the morning of the following day. The following daywas Sunday. But there was little chance that William would live throughthe night. It was of the highest importance that, within the shortestpossible time after his decease, the successor designated by the Bill ofRights and the Act of Succession should receive the homage of theEstates of the Realm, and be publicly proclaimed in the Council: and themost rigid Pharisee in the Society for the Reformation of Manners couldhardly deny that it was lawful to save the state, even on the Sabbath. "The king meanwhile was sinking fast. Albemarle had arrived atKensington from the Hague, exhausted by rapid travelling. His masterkindly bade him go to rest for some hours, and then summoned him to makehis report. That report was in all respects satisfactory. The StatesGeneral were in the best temper; the troops, the provisions, and themagazines were in the best order. Everything was in readiness for anearly campaign. William received the intelligence with the calmness of aman whose work was done. He was under no illusion as to his danger. 'Iam fast drawing, ' he said, 'to my end. ' His end was worthy of his life. His intellect was not for a moment clouded. His fortitude was the moreadmirable because he was not willing to die. He had very lately said toone of those whom he most loved, 'You know that I never feared death;there have been times when I should have wished it, but, now that thisgreat new prospect is opening before me, I do wish to stay here a littlelonger. ' Yet no weakness, no querulousness disgraced the noble close ofthat noble career. To the physicians the king returned his thanksgraciously and gently. 'I know that you have done all that skill andlearning could do for me, but the case is beyond your art; and Isubmit. ' From the words which escaped him he seemed to be frequentlyengaged in mental prayer. Burnet and Tenison remained many hours in thesick-room. He professed to them his firm belief in the truth of theChristian religion, and received the sacrament from their hands withgreat seriousness. The antechambers were crowded all night with lordsand privy-councillors. He ordered several of them to be called in, andexerted himself to take leave of them with a few kind and cheerfulwords. Among the English who were admitted to his bedside wereDevonshire and Ormond. But there were in the crowd those who felt as noEnglishman could feel, friends of his youth, who had been true to him, and to whom he had been true, through all vicissitudes of fortune; whohad served him with unalterable fidelity when his Secretaries of State, his Treasury, and his Admiralty had betrayed him; who had never on anyfield of battle, or in an atmosphere tainted with loathsome and deadlydisease, shrunk from placing their own lives in jeopardy to save his, and whose truth he had at the cost of his own popularity rewarded withbounteous munificence. He strained his feeble voice to thankAuverquerque for the affectionate and loyal services of thirty years. ToAlbemarle he gave the keys of his closet and of his private drawers. 'You know, ' he said, 'what to do with them. ' By this time he couldscarcely respire. 'Can this, ' he said to the physicians, 'last long?' Hewas told that the end was approaching. He swallowed a cordial, and askedfor Bentinck. Those were his last articulate words. Bentinck instantlycame to the bedside, bent down, and placed his ear close to the king'smouth. The lips of the dying man moved, but nothing could be heard. Theking took the hand of his earliest friend, and pressed it tenderly tohis heart. In that moment, no doubt, all that had cast a slight passingcloud over their long and pure friendship was forgotten. It was nowbetween seven and eight in the morning. He closed his eyes, and gaspedfor breath. The bishops knelt down and read the commendatory prayer. When it ended William was no more!" It was assuredly the stumbling of his horse against a mole-hill that ledmore immediately to the death of this great monarch. It is but one linkin the chain of many providences affecting his life. We all remember theschoolboy ditty-- "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; For want of a shoe the rider was lost; For want of the rider the battle was lost; For want of the battle the kingdom was lost. " How much the death of King William retarded progress in Great Britaincan never be judged or determined. His appointed hour had come. It wasno bullet with its billet on the banks of the Boyne that laid theDutchman low, but the cast-up earth of a specimen of a littleinsectivorous quadruped called the mole, which laid him on that bed fromwhich he never arose. FOOTNOTES: [28] Jeremy Taylor, if I remember aright. [29] Vol. V. , pp. 305-310. BEARS. A most comfortably clad set of plantigrade creatures, as fond, most ofthem, of fruits as they are of flesh. No creatures are more amusing inzoological gardens to children, who wonder at their climbing powers. Whois so heartless as not to have pitied the roving polar bear, caged, on asultry July day, in a small paddock with a puddle, and wandering aboutrestlessly in his few feet of ground, as the well-dressed mob lounged tohear the military band performing in the Regent's Park ZoologicalGardens? Even young bears have an _adult_ kind of look about them. Thewriter remembers the manner of one, disappointed at its bread sap, mostof the milk of which had been absorbed. A little girl standing by, nottwo years old, perfectly understood what the little creature wassearching for, and, looking up, said "milka, " or something closelyresembling it. We recently saw a little brown bear, on board a Russianship at Leith. He acted as a capital guard. The little creature had agrown-up face, more easily observed than described. Bear hams, we speak from rare experience, are truly excellent. Bears, inour early London days, were kept by many hairdressers and perfumers. Theanecdote or passage from Dickens's "Humphrey's Clock" is verycharacteristic. In one of Wilkie's pictures the brown bear is figured on its way withits owners to the parish beadle's "house of detention. " We remember thevery bear and its owners. A fine chapter might be written on the animalsthat used to be led about the country by wandering foreigners. Our firstsight of guinea-pigs, our first view of the black-bellied hamster, ourfirst sight of the camel and dromedary, with a monkey on his neck, andour first bear, were seen in this way. Boys and girls in those daysseldom saw menageries. A muzzled bear on its hind legs in NicolsonStreet, or at the Sciennes, was an exotic sight seldom witnessed, andnot easily forgotten. The last we saw was in Bernard Street, Leith, in1869. That very day, the police were hunting for Bruin and its leadersall over Edinburgh. Bears are now debarred from parading our streets. AN AUSTRIAN GENERAL AND A BEAR. [30] Mr Paget was told an excellent story of a bear hunt, which took place inthe mountains of Transylvania, and in the presence of the gentleman whotold him the story. "General V----, the Austrian commander of the forces in this district, had come to Cronstadt to inspect the troops, and had been invited by ourfriend, in compliment to his rank, to join him in a bear hunt. Now, thegeneral, though more accustomed to drilling than hunting, accepted theinvitation, and appeared in due time in a cocked hat and long graygreatcoat, the uniform of an Austrian general. When they had taken uptheir places, the general, with half a dozen rifles arrayed before him, paid such devoted attention to a bottle of spirits he had brought withhim, that he quite forgot the object of his coming. At last, however, ahuge bear burst suddenly from the cover of the pine forest, directly infront of him. At that moment the bottle was raised so high that it quiteobscured the general's vision, and he did not perceive the intruder tillhe was close upon him. Down went the bottle, up jumped the astonishedsoldier, and, forgetful of his guns, off he started, with the bearclutching at the tails of his greatcoat as he ran away. What strangeconfusion of ideas was muddling the general's intellect at the moment itis difficult to say, but I suspect he had some notion that the attackwas an act of insubordination on the part of Bruin, for he called outmost lustily, as he ran along, 'Back, rascal! back! I am a general!'Luckily, a poor Wallack peasant had more respect for the epaulettesthan the bear, and, throwing himself in the way, with nothing but aspear for his defence, he kept the enemy at bay till our friend and thejägers came up, and finished the contest with their rifles. " BYRON'S BEAR AT CAMBRIDGE. When at Trinity College, Cambridge, Lord Byron had a strange pet. He"brought up a bear for a degree. " He said to Captain Medwyn, [31] "I hada great hatred of college rules, and contempt for academical honours. How many of their wranglers have ever distinguished themselves in theworld? There was, by the by, rather a witty satire founded on my bear. Afriend of Shelley's made an ourang-outang (Oran Hanton, Esq. ) the heroof a novel ('Melincourt'), had him created a baronet, and returned forthe borough of One Vote. " CHARLES DICKENS ON BEARS' GREASE AND ITS PRODUCERS. Any one who has been long resident in London, or who has passed throughFenchurch Street, or Everett Street, Russell Square, must have beenstruck with the way in which "bears' grease" is or used to be advertisedin these localities. Dickens makes Mr Samuel Weller tell of anenthusiastic tradesman of this description. [32] "His whole delight was in his trade. He spent all his money in bears, and run in debt for 'em besides, and there they wos a growling away inthe front cellar all day long and ineffectually gnashing their teeth, vile the grease o' their relations and friends wos being retailed ingallipots in the shop above, and the first floor winder wos ornamentedwith their heads; not to speak o' the dreadful aggrawation it must havebeen to 'em to see a man always a walkin' up and down the pavementoutside, with the portrait of a bear in his last agonies, andunderneath, in large letters, 'Another fine animal was slaughteredyesterday at Jenkinson's!' Hous'ever, there they wos, and thereJenkinson wos, till he was took very ill with some inward disorder, lostthe use of his legs, and wos confined to his bed, vere he laid a werylong time; but sich wos his pride in his profession even then, thatwenever he wos worse than usual the doctor used to go down-stairs, andsay, 'Jenkinson's wery low this mornin', we must give the bears a stir;'and as sure as ever they stirred 'em up a bit, and made 'em roar, Jenkinson opens his eyes, if he wos ever so bad, calls out, 'There's thebears!' and rewives agin. " The author of a most amusing article in the seventy-seventh volume ofthe _Edinburgh Review_, on the modern system of advertising, recordsthat, in his puff, the first vendor of bears' grease cautioned hiscustomers to wash their hands in warm water after using it, to preventthem from assuming the hairy appearance of a paw. A BEARABLE PUN. An illiterate vendor of beer wrote over his door at Harrowgate, "_Bear_sold here. " "He spells the word quite correctly, " said Theodore Hook, "if he means to apprise us that the article is his own _Bruin_. "[33] [Illustration: Polar Bear. (Thalassarctos maritimus. )] SHAVED BEAR. Robert Southey ("Common-Place Book, " 4th ser. , p. 359) says:--"AtBristol I saw a shaved monkey shown for a fairy; and a shaved bear, in acheck waistcoat and trousers, sitting in a great chair as an Ethiopiansavage. This was the most cruel fraud I ever saw. The unnatural positionof the beast, and the damnable brutality of the woman-keeper, who satupon his knee, put her arm round his neck, called him husband andsweetheart, and kissed him, made it the most disgusting spectacle I everwitnessed. Cottle was with me. " He also tells of a fellow exhibiting a dragon-fly under a magnifier at acountry fair, and calling it the great High German "Heiter-Keiter. " THE POLAR BEAR. (_Thalassarctos maritimus. _[34]) Notwithstanding ice and snow, and the darkness of a nine months' winter, the Arctic regions are tenanted by several mammalia. Some of these areconstant residents, the rest are migratory visitors. Of the formerdivision, one of the most conspicuous, as it is certainly the mostformidable, is the polar bear, --a creature between eight and nine feetin length, which, shuffling along the snow at a very quick pace, andbeing an excellent swimmer besides, cannot fail to inspire dread. Thelarge wide head and fearfully armed jaws are united by a strong neck topowerful shoulders, from which spring the thick and muscular fore-legs. The paws, both of the fore and of the hind feet, are broad and admirablyadapted, with their long hairy covering, to keep the polar bear fromsinking in the snow. Although the creature has an appearance ofclumsiness, it is the reverse of inactive. Every one who knows theboundless spaces it has to traverse, when in a state of liberty and the"monarch of all it surveys, " cannot but pity it as a prisoner in theRegent's Park, where a tolerably capacious den, supplied with a bath ofwater of very limited dimension, affords the restless creature lessliberty than a squirrel has in its round-about, or a poor lark in itscage. Voyagers to the Arctic regions describe it as wandering over the fieldsof ice, mounting the hummocks, [35] and looking around for prey. Withoutstretched head, its little but keen eye directed to the variouspoints of a wide horizon, the polar bear looks out for seals; or scentswith its quick nostrils the luscious smell of some stinkingwhale-blubber or half-putrid whale-flesh. Dr Scoresby relates[36] that apiece of the _kreng_ of a whale thrown into the fire drew a bear to aship from the distance of miles. Captain Beechey mentions, that hisparty in 1818, as they were off the coast of Spitzbergen, by setting onfire some fat of the walrus, soon attracted a bear to their closevicinity. This polar Bruin was evidently unaccustomed to the sight ofmasts, and, when approaching, occasionally hesitated, and seemed halfinclined to turn round and be off. So agreeable a smell as burningwalrus fat dispelled all distrust, and brought him within musket-shot. On receiving the first ball, he sprang round, growled terrifically, andhalf raised himself on his hind-legs, as if expecting to seize theobject which had caused so much pain; woe to any one who had at thatmoment been within reach of his merciless paws! Although a second andthird ball laid him writhing on the ice, he was not mastered; and on thebutt end of a musket directed at his head breaking short off, the bearquickly seized the thigh of his assailant, and, but for the immediateassistance of two or three of his shipmates, the man would have beenseriously injured. In these very seas--nearly fifty years before--thehero of Trafalgar encountered this Arctic tyrant, and, when missed fromhis ship, was discovered with a comrade attacking a large specimen, separated from them by a chasm in the ice. On being reprimanded by hiscaptain for his foolhardiness, "Sir, " said the young middy, pouting hislips, as he used to do when excited, "I wished to kill the bear that Imight carry the skin to my father. "[37] Barentz, in his celebrated voyage in 1595, had two of his men killed by"a great leane white beare. " In these early days, so unused were polarbears to man, that though thirty of their comrades attempted a rescue, the prey was not abandoned. The purser, "stepping somewhat fartherforward, and seeing the beare to be within the length of a shot, presently levelled his peece, and discharging it at the beare, shot herinto the head, betweene both the eyes, and yet shee held the man stillfast by the necke, and lifted up her head with the man in her mouth, butshee beganne somewhat to stagger; wherewith the purser and a Scottishmandrew out their courtlaxes (cutlasses), and stroke at her so hard, thattheir courtlaxes burst, and yet shee would not leave the man. At lastWm. Geysen went to them, and with all his might stroke the beare uponthe snowt with his peece, at which time the beare fell to the ground, making a great noyse, and Wm. Geysen leaping upon her cut her throat. The 7th of September wee buried the dead bodies of our men in the StatesIsland, and having fleaed the beare, carryed her skinne to Amsterdam. " This is about the earliest record of an encounter with this formidablecreature; sailors now find that they can be attacked with most advantagein the water. When in this element, they try to escape by swimming tothe ice, and when the ice is in the form of loose and detached smallfloes, Dr Sutherland has seen them dive underneath, and appear on theopposite side. Scoresby records, that when shot at a distance, and ableto escape, the bear has been observed to retire to the shelter of ahummock, and, as if aware of the styptical effect of cold, apply snow tothe wound. In common with nearly every animal, this huge despot of the North isstrongly attached to its young. Captain Inglefield, on his return homefrom Baffin's Bay in 1852, pursued three bears, as he was anxious to geta supply of fresh meat for his Esquimaux dogs. The trio were evidently amother and twins. The captain was anxious to secure the cubs alive astrophies, and was cautious in shooting at the mother. All three fell, and were brought on board the _Isabel_. He records that it was quiteheartrending to see the affection that existed between them. When thecubs saw their mother was wounded, they commenced licking her wounds, regardless of their own sufferings. At length the mother began to eatthe snow, a sure sign that she was mortally wounded. "Even then her carefor the cubs did not cease, as she kept continually turning her headfrom one to the other, and, though roaring with pain, she seemed to warnthem to escape if possible. Their attachment was as great as hers, and Iwas thus obliged to destroy them all. It went much against my feelings, but the memory of my starving dogs reconciled me to the necessity. " The female bear when pursued carries or pushes her cubs forwards, andthe little creatures are described as placing themselves across her pathto be shoved forwards. Scoresby mentions an instance where, whenprojected some yards in advance, the cubs ran on until she overtookthem, when they alternately adjusted themselves for a second throw. It is chiefly on the seal that this bear feeds, and it displays greatcunning in catching them as they sleep on the ice, or come to the holesin the ice to breathe, when it destroys them with one blow of itsformidable and heavy paw. For its mode of getting the walrus we referthe reader to "Excelsior, " vol. I. P. 37. Notwithstanding his strengthand ferocity, the Esquimaux frequently kill the polar bear, as theyesteem its flesh and fat, and highly prize its skin. The flesh is not soprized by Saxons, whether they be European or American. Dr Kane'sopinion would differ but little from that of Arctic voyagers on our sideof the Atlantic. The surgeon to the "Grinnell Expedition" in search ofSir John Franklin thus characterises its flesh: "Bear is strong, verystrong, and withal most capricious meat; you cannot tell where to findhim. One day he is quite beefy and bearable; another, hircine, hippuric, and detestable. " It is but fair to say that Captain Parry[38] regards the flesh of thepolar bear to be as wholesome as any other, though not quite sopalatable. His men suffered from indigestion after eating it; but thishe attributes to the quantity, and not to the quality, of the meat theyhad eaten. There seems to be little doubt that the liver is highly deleterious. Some of the sailors of Barentz, who made a meal of it, were very sick, "and we verily thought we should have lost them, for all their skinscame off from the foot to the head. " The skin of the bear is covered with long yellowish white hair, which, is very close, and forms a wonderful defence against the cold, andagainst the tusk of the animals on which it feeds. We heard of anotheruse of this hair from an officer on one of the late Arctic searchingexpeditions. A bear was seen to come down a tolerably high and steepdeclivity by sliding down on its hinder quarters, in an attitude known, in more than one part of the British Islands, by the expressive name of"katy-hunkers;" the shaggy hair with which it was covered serving like athick mat to protect the creature from injury. The Esquimaux prepare theskin sometimes without ripping it up, and turning the hairy side inwarda warm sack-like bed is formed, into which they creep, and lie verycomfortably. Otho Fabricius, in his "Fauna Grænlandica" (p. 24), informsus that the tendons are converted into sewing threads. The female bearhas one or two, and sometimes three, cubs at a time. They are born inthe winter, and the mother generally digs for them and for herself asnug nestling-place in the snow. The males in the winter time leave thecoast, and go out on the ice-fields, to the edge of the open water afterseals. --_Adam White, in "Excelsior" (with additions). _ NELSON AND THE POLAR BEAR. In 1773, Captain Phipps, afterwards Lord Mulgrave, sailed on a voyage ofdiscovery towards the North Pole. In this expedition sailed two Norfolkyoung men, one in his twenty-third year, the other a mere lad in hisfifteenth year. The former sailed from a spirit of curiosity, and beingsorely distressed by sea-sickness was landed in Norway. He afterwardsbecame famous in the British Parliament, and the speeches of the RightHon. William Windham, Secretary at War, are often referred to even now. The younger man was Horatio Nelson, cockswain under Captain Lutwidge, who was killed at the battle of Trafalgar, thirty-two years after hisPolar expedition, and left a name which is synonymous with the glory ofthe British navy. Southey, in his admirable life, [39] records an instance of his hardihoodon this expedition:--"One night, during the mid-watch, he stole from theship with one of his comrades, taking advantage of a rising fog, and setoff over the ice in pursuit of a bear. It was not long before they weremissed. The fog thickened, and Captain Lutwidge and his officers becameexceedingly alarmed for their safety. Between three and four in themorning the weather cleared, and the two adventurers were seen at aconsiderable distance from the ship attacking a huge bear. The signalfor them to return was immediately made; Nelsons' comrade called uponhim to obey it, but in vain; his musket had flashed in the pan; theirammunition was expended; and a chasm in the ice, which divided him fromthe bear, probably preserved his life. 'Never mind, ' he cried; 'do butlet me get a blow at this devil with the butt-end of my musket, and weshall have him. ' Captain Lutwidge, however, seeing his danger, fired agun, which had the desired effect of frightening the beast; and the boythen returned, somewhat afraid of the consequences of his trespass. Thecaptain reprimanded him sternly for conduct so unworthy of the officewhich he filled, and desired to know what motive he could have forhunting a bear. 'Sir, ' said he, pouting his lip, as he was wont to dowhen agitated, 'I wished to kill the bear, that I might carry the skinto my father. '" A CLEVER POLAR BEAR. Mr Markham, [40] when the ship _Assistance_ was in the WellingtonChannel, observed several bears prowling about in search of seals. "Onone occasion, " he writes, "I saw a bear swimming across a lane of water, and pushing a large piece of ice before him. Landing on the floe, headvanced stealthily towards a couple of seals, which were basking in thesun at some little distance, still holding the ice in front to hide hisblack muzzle; but this most sagacious of bears was for once outwitted, for the seals dived into a pool of water before he could get withinreach. On another occasion, a female Bruin having been shot from thedeck of the _Intrepid_, her affectionate cub, an animal about the sizeof a large Newfoundland dog, remained resolutely by the side of itsmother, and on the approach of the commander of the _Intrepid_ with partof his crew, a sort of tournament ensued, in which the youthful bear, although belaboured most savagely, showed a gallant resistance, and atlength rushing between the legs of the corporal of marines, laid himprostrate on the ice, floored another man, who had seized hold of histail, and effected his escape. " CAPTAIN OMMANEY AND THE POLAR BEAR. Captain Ommaney, [41] who led one of the travelling parties in 1851 sentout from the ships under Austin in search of Franklin on the 12th ofJune, the day before he arrived at the ships, met with a laughableaccident, although it might have had a serious termination. They had allof them but just got into their blanket bags, when a peculiar noise, asif something was rubbing up the snow, was heard outside. The gallantcaptain instantly divined its cause, seized, loaded, and cocked his gun, and ordered the tent door to be opened, upon which a huge bear was seenoutside. Captain Ommaney fired at the animal, but, whether from thebenumbed state of his limbs, or the dim glimmering light, heunfortunately missed him, and shot away the rope that supported the tentinstead. The enraged monster then poked his head against the poles, andthe tent fell upon its terrified inmates, and embraced them in itsfolds. Their confusion and dismay can more easily be imagined thandescribed, but at length one man, with more self-possession than therest, slipped out of his bag, scrambled from under the prostrate tent, and ran to the sledge for another gun; and it was well that he did so, for no sooner had he vacated his sleeping sack than Bruin seized itbetween his teeth, and shook it violently, with the evident intention ofwreaking his vengeance on its inmate. He was, however, speedilydespatched by a well-aimed shot from the man, the tent was repitched, and tranquillity restored. FOOTNOTES: [30] "Hungary and Transylvania, " &c. , by John Paget, Esq. , vol. Ii. P. 445. [31] "Conversations of Lord Byron, " p. 72. [32] "Master Humphrey's Clock. " [33] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 331 [34] [Greek: Thalassa], sea; [Greek: arktos], bear. [35] Those "Arctic hedge-rows, " as Mr David Walker calls them, when, onthe 30th November 1857, he was on board the Arctic yacht _Fox_, wintering in the floe-ice of Baffin's Bay. "The scene apparent on goingon deck after breakfast was splendid, and unlike anything I ever sawbefore. The subdued light of the moon thrown over such a vast expanse ofice, in the distance the loom of a berg, or the shadow of the hummocks(the Arctic hedge-rows), the only thing to break the even surface, a fewstars peeping out, as if gazing in wonder at the spectacle, --all unitedto render the prospect striking, and lead one to contemplate thegoodness and power of the Creator. " On the 2d November, they had killeda bear, which had been bayed and surrounded by their Esquimaux dogs. Captain M'Clintock shot him. He was 7 feet 3 inches long. Only one ofthe dogs was injured by his paws. Much did the hungry beasts enjoy theirfeast, for they "were regaled with the entrails, which they polished offin a very short time. "--_Mr Walker, in_ _"Belfast News Letter, " quotedin "Dublin Natural History Review, " 1858_, p. 180. [36] "Account of Arctic Regions, " i. 517. [37] The anecdote is given with more detail at p. 67. [38] "Attempt to Reach the North Pole, " p. 115. [39] "Life of Nelson, " by Robert Southey, Esq. , LL. D. , Poet Laureate, p. 11. [40] "Franklin's Footsteps, " by Clement R. Markham, p. 65. [41] "Franklin's Footsteps, " by Clement Robert Markham, late of H. M. S. _Assistance_, p. 93. RACCOON. A strikingly pretty, well-clad, and pleasingly coloured North Americanquadruped, of which many zoological anecdotes might be given. Linnæusnamed it _Ursu lotor_, or the Washer, from its curious habit of puttingany food offered to it, at least when in confinement, into water, beforeattempting to eat it. "A GONE COON. " An American phrase for "the last extremity, " or, "it's all up. " They saythat a Major, or Colonel, or General Scott "down South" was notorious asa dead shot. Once on a time, when out with his gun, he espied a raccoonon a lofty tree. The poor raccoon, noticing the gun pointed at him, cried to the dead shot, "Air _you_ General Scott?"--"I air. "--"Thenwait, I air a comin' down, for I air _a gone coon_. " BADGER. The badger, or brock, as it is called in Scotland, is yearly becomingmore and more rare. In a few years, this curious and powerful member ofthe _feræ_, will figure, like the bear and beaver, as among the extinctquadrupeds of these islands. Naturalists will be recording that in thedays of Robert Burns it must have been not at all uncommon, and not rarein those of Hugh Miller, since low dram-shops kept them for theentertainment of their guests. The Ayrshire bard makes the Newfoundlanddog, Cæsar, say to his comrade Luath, the collie, when, speaking of mostof the gentry of his day-- "They gang as saucy by poor folk As I wad by a stinking brock. "[42] The author of "Old Red Sandstone" and "My Schools and Schoolmasters, "has recorded in the latter work the history of his employment as a hewerof great stones under the branching foliage of the elm and chestnuttrees of Niddry Park, near Edinburgh, and how, in the course of a strikeamong the masons, he marched into town with several of them to a meetingon the Links, where, conspicuous from the deep red hue of their clothesand aprons, they were cheered as a reinforcement from a distance. Onadjourning, Hugh Miller, in his racy style, gives the following accountof a badger-baiting more than forty years ago:-- HUGH MILLER AND THE BADGER-BAITING IN THE CANONGATE. "My comrades proposed that we should pass the time until the hour ofmeeting in a public-house, and, desirous of securing a glimpse of thesort of enjoyment for which they sacrificed so much, I accompanied them. Passing not a few more inviting-looking places, we entered a low tavernin the upper part of the Canongate, kept in an old half-ruinousbuilding, which has since disappeared. We passed on through a narrowpassage to a low-roofed room in the centre of the erection, into whichthe light of day never penetrated, and in which the gas was burningdimly in a close, sluggish atmosphere, rendered still more stifling bytobacco-smoke, and a strong smell of ardent spirits. In the middle ofthe crazy floor there was a trap-door, which lay open at the time; and awild combination of sounds, in which the yelping of a dog, and a fewgruff voices that seemed cheering him on, were most noticeable, rosefrom the apartment below. It was customary at this time for dram-shopsto keep badgers housed in long narrow boxes, and for working men to keepdogs; and it was part of the ordinary sport of such places to set thedogs to unhouse the badgers. The wild sport which Scott describes in his'Guy Mannering, ' as pursued by Dandy Dinmont and his associates amongthe Cheviots, was extensively practised twenty-nine years ago amid thedingier haunts of the High Street and Canongate. Our party, like mostothers, had its dog, --a repulsive-looking brute, with an earth-directedeye; as if he carried about with him an evil conscience; and mycompanions were desirous of getting his earthing ability tested upon thebadger of the establishment; but on summoning the tavern-keeper, we weretold that the party below had got the start of us. Their dog was, as wemight hear, 'just drawing the badger; and before our dog could bepermitted to draw him, the poor brute would require to get an hour'srest. ' I need scarce say, that the hour was spent in hard drinking inthat stagnant atmosphere; and we then all descended through thetrap-door, by means of a ladder, into a bare-walled dungeon, dark anddamp, and where the pestiferous air smelt like that of a burial vault. The scene which followed was exceedingly repulsive and brutal, --nearlyas much so as some of the scenes furnished by those otter-hunts in whichthe aristocracy of the country delight occasionally to indulge. Amidshouts and yells the badger, with the blood of his recent conflict stillfresh upon him, was again drawn to the box-mouth; and the partyreturning satisfied to the apartment above, again betook themselves tohard drinking. In a short time the liquor began to tell, not first, asmight be supposed, on our younger men, who were mostly tall, vigorousfellows, in the first flush of their full strength, but on a few of themiddle-aged workmen, whose constitutions seemed undermined by a previouscourse of dissipation and debauchery. The conversation became very loud, very involved, and though highly seasoned with emphatic oaths, veryinsipid; and leaving with Cha--who seemed somewhat uneasy that my eyeshould be upon their meeting in its hour of weakness--money enough toclear off my share of the reckoning, I stole out to the King's Park, andpassed an hour to better purpose among the trap rocks than I couldpossibly have spent it beside the trap-door of that tavern party. I amnot aware that a single individual, save the writer, is now living; itsvery dog did not live out half his days. His owner was alarmed onemorning, shortly after this time, by the intelligence that a dozen ofsheep had been worried during the night on a neighbouring farm, and thata dog very like his had been seen prowling about the fold; but in orderto determine the point, he would be visited, it was added, in the courseof the day, by the shepherd and a law-officer. The dog meanwhile, however, conscious of guilt, --for dogs do seem to have consciences insuch matters, --was nowhere to be found, though, after the lapse ofnearly a week, he again appeared at the work; and his master, slipping arope round his neck, brought him to a deserted coal-pit half-filled withwater, that opened in an adjacent field, and flinging him in, left theauthorities no clue by which to establish his identity with the robberand assassin of the fold. "[43] THE LAIRD OF BALNAMOON AND THE BROCK. The laird, so Dean Ramsay had the story sent him, once riding past ahigh steep bank, stopped opposite a hole in it, and said, "John, I saw abrock gang in there. "--"Did ye?" said John; "wull ye haud my horse, sir?"--"Certainly, " said the laird, and away rushed John for a spade. After digging for half an hour, he came back, nigh speechless to thelaird, who had regarded him musingly. "I canna find him, sir, " saidJohn. --"'Deed, " said the laird, very coolly, "I wad ha' wondered if yehad, for it's ten years sin' I saw him gang in there. "[44] FOOTNOTES: [42] Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, 1787, p. 14, "The TwaDogs. " FERRET. A truly blood-thirsty member of that slim-bodied but active race, theweasel tribe. He is certainly an inhabitant of a warmer climate thanthis, being very sensitive to cold. He is used in killing rats and_ferreting out_ rabbits, a verb indeed derived from his name. He hasbeen known to attack sleeping infants. COLLINS AND THE RAT-CATCHERS _grip_ OF HIS FERRETS. That delightful painter of cottage life, says his son, [45] often foundcottagers who gloried in being painted, and who sat like professionalmodels, under an erroneous impression that it was for their personalbeauties and perfections that their likenesses were portrayed. Theremarks of these and other good people, who sat to the painter inperfect ignorance of the use or object of his labours, were oftenexquisitely original. He used to quote the criticism of a celebratedcountry rat-catcher, on the study he had made from him, with heartytriumph and delight. When asked whether he thought his portrait like, the rat-catcher, who--perhaps in virtue of his calling--was a gruff andunhesitating man, immediately declared that the face was "not a morsellike, " but vowed with a great oath, that nothing could ever be equal tothe correctness of the _dirt shine on his old leather breeches_, and the_grip_ that he had of _the necks of his ferrets_! FOOTNOTES: [43] "My Schools and Schoolmasters; or, The Story of my Education, " byHugh Miller, fifth edition, 1856, pp. 321-323. [44] "Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character, " tenth edition, 1864, p. 183. POLE-CAT. An equally blood-thirsty member of the weasel family, with the subjectof the preceding paragraph. FOX AND THE POLE-CAT. --(POLL-CAT. [46]) Francis Grose relates the following as having happened during one of thefamous Westminster elections:--"During the poll, a dead cat being thrownon the hustings, one of Sir Cecil Wray's party observed it stunk worsethan a fox, to which Mr Fox replied, there was nothing extraordinary inthat, considering it was a poll-cat. " FOOTNOTES: [45] "Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, R. A, " by his son, W. Wilkie Collins, i. P. 222. DOGS. One who seems to love the race of dogs, and who has written a mostreadable book on them, [47] remarks, that the dog "even now is rarely thecompanion of a Jew, or the inmate of his house. " He quotes various termsof reproach still common among us, and which seem to have originatedfrom a similar feeling to that of the Jew. For instance, we say of avery cheap article, that it is "dog cheap. " To call a person "a dog, " or"a cur, " or "a hound, " means something the very opposite ofcomplimentary. A surly person is said to have "a dogged disposition. "Any one very much fatigued is said to be "dog weary. " A wretched room orhouse is often called "a dog hole, " or said to be only fit for "a dog. "Very poor verse is "doggerel. " It is told of Lady Mary WortleyMontague, that when a young nobleman refused to translate someinscription over an alcove, because it was in "dog-latin, " she observed, "How strange a puppy shouldn't understand his mother tongue. " What, too, can be more expressive of a man being on the verge of ruin, than the common phrase, that "such a one is going to the dogs. " Ofmodern describers of the very life and feelings of dogs, who can surpassDr John Brown of Edinburgh? His "Rab, " and his "Our Dogs, " are worthy ofthe brush of Sir Edwin Landseer. Who has not heard the answer _said_ tohave been given by Sydney Smith to the great painter, when he wanted tomake a portrait of the witty canon, "_Is thy servant a dog, that heshould do this thing?_" There is great diversity of standard in matters of taste. In China, awell-roasted pup, of any variety of the very variable _Canisfamiliaris_, is a dainty dish. In London the greatest exquisite delightsin the taste of a half-cooked woodcock, but would scruple to eat alady's lap-dog, even though descended, by indubitable pedigree, from agenuine "liver-and-tan" spaniel, that followed King Charles II. In hisstrolls through St James's Park; and which was given to her ladyship'sancestress on a day recorded, perhaps, in the diary of Mr Samuel Pepys. Again, in the country of the Esquimaux, who has not read in theintensely interesting narratives of the Moravian missionaries, how thedogs of the "Innuit"--of "the men, " as they call themselves--are, inwinter, indispensable to their very existence? Parry, Lyon, Franklin, Richardson, Ross, Rae, Penny, Sutherland, Inglefield, and Kane, havetold us what excellent "carriage"-pullers these hardy children of thesnow become from early infancy; and how the more they work, like thewives of savages in Australia, the more they are kicked. Passing overthe dogs of the Indian tribes of North America and the gaunt race inPatagonia, the reader may remember that the Roman youth, like the youngBriton, had, in the days of Horace, his outer marks--one was, that heloved to have a dog, or a whole pack beside him--"_gaudet canibus_. "This attachment to the dog is given us "from above, " and is one of themany "good gifts" which proceed from Him, who made man and dog"familiar, " as the apt specific name of Linnæus denominates the latter. One of our greatly-gifted poets, in a cynical mood, could write anepitaph on a favourite Newfoundlander, and end it with the dismal lineson his views of "earthly friends"-- "He never knew but one, --and here he lies. " Our genial and home-loving Cowper has made his dog Beau classical. Wemust beg our readers to refresh their memories, by looking into theOlney bard's exquisite story, "My spaniel, prettiest of his race, And high in pedigree, " and they will find that _that_ story of "The Dog and the Water-lily" was"no fable, " and that Beau really understood his master's wish when hefetched him a water-lily out of "Ouse's silent tide. " How graceful arethe last two stanzas of that sweet little poem-- "Charm'd with the sight, 'The world, ' I cried, 'Shall hear of this thy deed; My dog shall mortify the pride Of man's superior breed. 'But chief myself I will enjoin, Awake at duty's call, To show a love as prompt as thine To Him who gives me all. '"[48] [Illustration: BEAU. ] That the world might know the very "mark and figure" of this spaniel, the late able illustrator of so many topographical works (Mr JamesStorer) published in his "Rural Walks of Cowper"[49] a figure of Beau, from the stuffed skin in the possession of Cowper's kinsman, the Rev. Dr Johnson. Mr Montague, in a letter to the son and biographer of Sir JamesMackintosh, [50] gives many reminiscences of that eminent man, who wasmuch attached to the memory of Cowper. He says, "We reached Derehamabout mid-day (it was in 1801), and wrote to Mr Johnson, the clergyman, who had protected Cowper in the last years of his life, and in whosehouse he died. He instantly called upon us, and we accompanied him tohis house. In the hall, we were introduced to a little red and whitespaniel, in a glass case--the little dog Beau, who, seeing thewater-lily which Cowper could not reach, 'plunging, left the shore. '" "I saw him with that lily cropp'd, Impatient swim to meet My quick approach, and soon he dropp'd The treasure at my feet. " We saw the room where Cowper died, and the bell which he last touched. We went to his grave, and to Mrs Unwin's, who is buried at somedistance. I lamented this, "Do not live in the visible, but theinvisible, " said your father, --"his attainments, his tenderness, hisaffections, his sufferings, and his hardships, will live long after boththeir graves are no more. " We could linger over a prized octavo volume, published in Edinburgh in1787; the first poem of this, "The Twa Dogs, a Tale, " occupies somethirteen pages, written with that "rare felicity" so common to _the_Bard of Scotland. We mention it, because of the peculiar happiness withwhich the collie, or Scottish shepherd-dog, is described in lines thatSir Edwin Landseer alone has equalled on canvas, or his brother Thomaswith the graver-- "He was a gash an' faithfu' tyke As ever lap a sheugh or dyke. His honest, sonsie, bawsn't[51] face, Aye gat him friends in ilka place. His breast was white, his touzie back Weel clad wi' coat of glossy black; His gaucie tail, wi' upward curl, Hung owre his hurdies wi' a swirl. " _That's_ the shepherd-dog, as we have heard him described from aspecimen, which was the friend and follower of a valued one, who, when aboy ('tis many years ago), frisked with the dog, over _one_ of the manyferny haughs that margin the lovely Tweed above and below Peebles. It is_the_ collie we have seen, on one of the sheep-farms of Lanarkshire, obey its young master by a word or two, as unintelligible to us asJapanese. But to the Culter "Luath, " to hear was to obey; and in aquarter of an hour a flock of sheep, which had been feeding on ahillSide half a mile off, were brought back, driven by this faithful"bit doggie. " We wonder not that shepherds love their dogs. Why, eventhe New Smithfield cattle-drovers, who drive sheep along the streets ofLondon on a Monday or Friday, never even require to urge their faithfulpartners. Well may the gifted authoress of "The Dream" address "thefaithful guardian"-- "Oh, tried and trusted! thou whose love Ne'er changes nor forsakes, Thou proof, how perfect God hath stamp'd The meanest thing He makes; Thou, whom no snare entraps to serve, No art is used to tame (Train'd, like ourselves, thy path to know, By words of love and blame); Friend! who beside the cottage door, Or in the rich man's hall, With steadfast faith still answerest The one familiar call; Well by poor hearth and lordly home Thy couchant form may rest, And Prince and Peasant trust thee still, To guard what they love best. " _Hon. Mrs Norton, "The Dream, " &c. _, p. 192. No ordinary-sized volume, much less a short article, could give a titheof the true anecdotes of members of the dog race. Mere references totheir biography would take up a volume of Bibliography itself, just astheir forms, and character, and "pose, " give endless subject to thepainter. Of modern authors, no one loved dogs more truly than Sir WalterScott, as the reader of his writings and of his biography is wellaware;[52] but it may not be generally known that, on the only occasionwhen the great novelist met the Ayrshire peasant, -- "Virgilium tantum vidi, "-- the poem, which had made Burns a wonder to the boy then "unknown, " wasthat of "The Twa Dogs;" so that, even then, Scott had commenced to showhis attachment to these faithful followers. It was in the house of SirAdam Ferguson, when Scott was a mere lad; and the scene was describedmost vividly to the writer by the late Scottish knight, after whosebattle in South Italy the author of "Marmion" named his pet staghoundMaida, or, as Scott pronounced it, "Myda. " It was as the author of "TheTwa Dogs" that young Ferguson and Scott regarded Burns on his entranceinto the room with such wistful attention. The story is told inLockhart, and we will not quote it further; but, leaving dogs of our owndays and lands to Mr Jesse, who has given an interesting volume on them, we will close with a few paragraphs on the dog of the East--a verydifferently treated animal to that generally prized and esteemed"friend" of man in these lands of the West. The Holy Scriptures show us that dogs were generally despised. We selectthree, out of many instances. "Is thy servant a _dog_ that he should dothis thing?" was the question with which Hazael, ignorant of thedeceitfulness of his own heart, indignantly replied to Elisha, when theprophet told him of the evil that he would yet do unto the children ofIsrael (2 Kings viii. 13). He, "who spake as never man spake, " knowingthe faith of the Syrophoenician woman, and giving her an opportunityof manifesting it "for our example, " said, in the Syriac fashion ofthought, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to_the dogs_" (Mark vii. 27). And the apostle John, in that wondrous closeof the prophetical writings, says, "For without, " _i. E. _, outside of theNew Jerusalem, "are _dogs_" (Rev. Xxii. 5). In the East up to thepresent day, with but few exceptions, dogs are treated with greatdislike. We might quote passages in proof from almost every Easterntraveller, and may venture to extract one from the graphic page of theRev. W. Graham, who lived five years in Syria, and who has given somenoble word-pictures of men, and streets, and scenes in Damascus andother Turkish towns. Writing of Damascus, [53] he remarks, "The dogs areconsidered unclean, and are never domesticated in the East. They arethin, lean, fox-like animals, and always at the starving point. Theylive, breed, and die in the streets. They are useful as scavengers. Theyare neither fondled nor persecuted, but simply tolerated; and no dog hasan owner, or ever follows and accompanies a man as the sheep do. I oncewent out in the evening at Beyrout, with my teacher to enjoy the freshair and talk Arabic. My little English dog, the gift of a friend, followed us. We passed through a garden, where a venerable Moslem wassitting on a stone, silently and solemnly engaged in smoking his pipe. He observed the dog _following_ us, and was astonished at it, assomething new and extraordinary; and rising, and making out of the way, he cried out, 'May his father be accursed! Is that a dog or a fox?'"Again, in Damascus, should a worn-out horse, donkey, or camel die in thestreets, in a few hours the dogs have devoured it; and the powerful raysof the sun dry up all corrupt matter. Mr Graham tells us that the dogsof Damascus are brown, blackish, or of an ash colour, and that he saw nowhite or spotted specimens. He never saw a case of hydrophobia, nor didhe hear a _bark_. The dogs "howl, and make noise enough, " he continues, "but the fine, well-defined _bow-wow_ is entirely wanting. " With a quiethumour, he hints at the bark being a mark of the civilised, domesticateddog, and as denoting, apparently, "the refinement of canine education. "We have been struck with the attempts of Penny's Esquimaux dogs, deposited by the gallant Arctic mariner in the Zoological Gardens, to_get up_ a bark somewhat like the "well-bred" dogs in the cages nearthem. Mr Graham tells us of the Damascus dogs having established a kindof police among themselves, and, like the rooks, driving all intrudersfar from their district. Dogs were not always disregarded in the East. Herodotus informs us, [54]during the Persian occupation the number of Indian dogs kept in theprovince of Babylon for the use of the governor was so great, that fourcities were exempted from taxes for maintaining them. In the mountainparts of India, travellers describe the great dogs of Thibet andCashmere as being much prized. "The domestic dog of Ladak, " says Major Cunningham, [55] "is thewell-known shepherd's dog, or Thibetan mastiff. They have shaggy coats, generally quite black, or black and tan; but I have seen some of a lightbrown colour. They are usually ill-tempered to strangers; but I havenever found one that would face a stick, although they can fight wellwhen attacked. The only peculiarity that I have noticed about them is, that the tail is nearly always curled upward on to the back, where thehair is displaced by the constant rubbing of the tail. " And that thesame massive variety was also prized in ancient times we know, by asingularly fine, small bas-relief in baked clay, found in 1849 in theBirs-i-Nimrud, Babylon, by Sir Henry Rawlinson, which is preserved inthe British Museum, to which it was presented by the late Prince Albert, and an outline of which, reduced one-half, will convey a good idea tothe reader of its form. We may add that this bas-relief was firstnoticed and figured, in 1851, in the third edition of a truly learnedand excellent work on "Nineveh and Persepolis, " by Mr Vaux of theBritish Museum (p. 183). These dogs, then, were nothing else than big, "low jowled" Thibetan mastiffs, such as we occasionally see brought overby some Indian officer; and the use for which they were employed by theancient kings and their attendants is strikingly exhibited on some slabsfrom a chamber in the north palace of Koujunjik, a part of the greatNineveh. On some of these slabs, dogs are seen engaged in pulling downwild asses, deer, and other animals; and they were evidently kept alsoto assist in securing nobler game--"the king of beasts;"--the sport ofwhich animals shows how truly the Assyrian king was named "Nimrod, themighty hunter before the Lord. "--_Adam White, in "Excelsior" (withadditions). _ [Illustration] BISHOP BLOMFIELD BITTEN BY A DOG. His natural temperament was quick, and he was fond of authority. "Asaying of Sydney Smith's has been preserved, humorously illustrative ofthe view which he took of Bishop Blomfield's character. The bishop hadbeen bitten by a dog in the calf of the leg, and fearing possiblehydrophobia in consequence, he went, with characteristic promptitude, tohave the injured piece of flesh cut out by a surgeon before he returnedhome. Two or three on whom he called were not at home; but, at last, theoperation was effected by the eminent surgeon, Mr Keate. The sameevening the bishop was to have dined with a party where Sydney Smith wasa guest. Just before dinner, a note arrived, saying that he was unableto keep his engagement, a dog having rushed out from the crowd andbitten him in the leg. When this note was read aloud to the company, Sydney Smith's comment was, '_I should like to hear the dog's account ofthe story_. ' "When this accident occurred to him, Bishop Blomfield happened to bewalking with Dr D'Oyly, the rector of Lambeth. A lady of strongProtestant principles, mistaking Dr D'Oyly for Dr Doyle, said that sheconsidered it was a judgment upon the bishop for keeping suchcompany. "[56] "PUPPIES NEVER SEE TILL THEY ARE NINE DAYS OLD. " It is related, that when a former Bishop of Bristol held the office ofVice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, he one day met a coupleof under-graduates, who neglected to pay the accustomed compliment of_capping_. The bishop inquired the reason of the neglect. The two menbegged his lordship's pardon, observing they were _freshmen_, and didnot know him. "How long have you been in Cambridge?" asked his lordship. "Only _eight_ days, " was the reply. "Very good, " said the bishop;"_puppies_ never see till they are _nine_ days old. "[57] MRS ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING'S DOG FLUSH. Few have written so lovingly on the dog as this gifted poetess. Her dogFlush is described so well that Landseer could paint the creature almostto a hair. She has entered into the very feeling created in us by thisfavoured pet of our race. The beautiful stanzas[58] I have copied givealso many little touches of her autobiography. This gifted lady was longan invalid. She could enter with rare sympathy into Cowper's attachmentsto animals. Her experience of the friendship of Flush is well told inthe following lines, so different from Lord Byron's misanthropic verseson his dog:-- TO FLUSH, MY DOG. Loving friend, the gift of one Who her own true faith has run Through her lower nature, Be my benediction said With my hand upon thy head, Gentle fellow-creature! Like a lady's ringlets brown Flow thy silken ears adown Either side demurely Of thy silver-suited breast, Shining out from all the rest Of thy body purely. Darkly brown thy body is, Till the sunshine, striking this, Alchemise its dulness, When the sleek curls manifold Flash all over into gold With a burnish'd fulness. Underneath my stroking hand, Startled eyes of hazel bland Kindling, growing larger, Up thou leapest with a spring, Full of prank and curveting Leaping like a charger. Leap! thy broad tail waves a light; Leap! thy slender feet are bright, Canopied in fringes; Leap! those tassell'd ears of thine Flicker strangely, fair and fine, Down their golden inches. Yet, my pretty, sporting friend, Little is 't to such an end That I praise thy rareness; Other dogs may be thy peers Haply in these drooping ears And this glossy fairness. But of _thee_ it shall be said, This dog watch'd beside a bed Day and night unweary-- Watch'd within a curtain'd room, Where no sunbeam brake the gloom, Round the sick and dreary. Roses gather'd for a vase In that chamber died apace, Beam and breeze resigning; This dog only waited on, Knowing that, when light is gone, Love remains for shining. Other dogs in thymy dew Track'd the hares, and follow'd through Sunny moor or meadow; This dog only crept and crept Next a languid cheek that slept, Sharing in the shadow. Other dogs of loyal cheer Bounded at the whistle clear, Up the woodside hieing; This dog only watch'd in reach Of a faintly-utter'd speech, Or a louder sighing. And if one or two quick tears Dropp'd upon his glossy ears, Or a sigh came double, Up he sprang in eager haste, Fawning, fondling, breathing fast In a tender trouble And this dog was satisfied If a pale, thin hand would glide Down his dewlaps sloping, Which he push'd his nose within, After--platforming his chin On the palm left open. This dog, if a friendly voice Call him now to blither choice Than such chamber-keeping, "Come out!" praying from the door, Presseth backward as before, Up against me leaping. Therefore to this dog will I, Tenderly, not scornfully, Render praise and favour: With my hand upon his head Is my benediction said, Therefore, and for ever. And because he loved me so, Better than his kind will do, Often man or woman, Give I back more love again Than dogs often take of men, Leaning from my Human. Blessings on thee, dog of mine, Pretty collars make thee fine, Sugar'd milk make fat thee! Pleasures wag on in thy tail, Hands of gentle motion fail Nevermore to pat thee! Downy pillow take thy head, Silken coverlet bestead, Sunshine help thy sleeping! No fly's buzzing wake thee up, No man break thy purple cup Set for drinking deep in. Whisker'd cats arointed flee, Sturdy stoppers keep from thee Cologne distillations; Nuts lie in thy path for stones, And thy feast-day macaroons Turn to daily rations! Mock I thee in wishing weal? Tears are in my eyes to feel Thou art made so straightly; Blessing needs must straighten too; Little canst thou joy or do, Thou who lovest _greatly_. Yet be blessèd to the height Of all good and all delight Pervious to thy nature; Only _loved_ beyond that line, With a love that answers thine, Loving fellow-creature! SIR THOMAS FOWELL BUXTON, BART. , AND HIS DOG "SPEAKER. " Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was very fond of dogs; his son[59] tells ananecdote of the singular manner in which one of his pets came into hispossession. "He was standing at the door of the House of Commons talkingto a friend, when a beautiful black and tan terrier rushed between them, and immediately began barking furiously at Mr Joseph Pease, who wasspeaking. All the members jumped up, shouting and laughing, while theofficers of the house chased the dog round and round, till at last hetook refuge with Mr Buxton, who, as he could find no traces of an owner, carried him home. He proved to be quite an original. One of his whimswas, that he would never go into the kitchen nor yet into a poor man'scottage; but he formed a habit of visiting by himself at the countryhouses in the neighbourhood of Cromer, and his refined manners andintelligence made 'Speaker' a welcome guest wherever he pleased to go. " LORD BYRON AND HIS DOG BOATSWAIN. In November 1808 Lord Byron lost his favourite dog Boatswain; the pooranimal having been seized with a fit of madness, at the commencement ofwhich so little aware was Byron of the nature of the malady, that hemore than once, with his bare hand, wiped away the slaver from the dog'slips during the paroxysms. In a letter to his friend Mr Hodson, he thusannounces this event:--"Boatswain is dead! he expired in a state ofmadness on the 18th, after suffering much, yet retaining all thegentleness of his nature to the last, never attempting to do the leastinjury to any one near him. I have now lost everything except oldMurray. " The monument raised by him to this dog--the most memorable tribute ofthe kind since the dog's grave, of old, at Salamis--is still aconspicuous ornament of the gardens of Newstead. The misanthropic versesengraved upon it may be found among his poems, and the following is theinscription by which they are introduced:-- "Near this spot Are deposited the remains of one Who possessed beauty without vanity, Strength without insolence, Courage without ferocity, And all the virtues of man without his vices. This praise, which would be unmeaning flattery If inscribed over human ashes, Is but a just tribute to the memory of BOATSWAIN, a dog, Who was born at Newfoundland, May 1803, And died at Newstead Abbey, November 18, 1805. " The poet Pope, when about the same age as the writer of thisinscription, passed a similar eulogy on his dog, at the expense of humannature; adding that "histories are more full of examples of the fidelityof dogs than of friends. " In a still sadder and bitterer spirit, LordByron writes of his favourite:-- "To mark a friend's remains these stones arise; I never knew but _one_, and _here_ he lies. "[60] Moore relates a story of this dog, indicative, not only of intelligence, but of a generosity of spirit, which might well win for him theaffections of such a master as Byron. A fox-terrier of his mother's, called Gilpin, was an object of dislike to Boatswain, who worried himnearly to the death. Gilpin was sent off and Boatswain was missed for aday. To the surprise of the servants, towards evening Gilpin andBoatswain were in company, the former led by the latter, who led him tothe kitchen fire, licked him and lavished on him every possibledemonstration of joy. He had been away to fetch him, and ever aftercaressed him, and defended him from the attacks of other dogs. (P. 44. ) "PERCHANCE"--A LADY'S _reason_ FOR SO NAMING HER DOG. A lady had a favourite lap-dog, which she called Perchance. "A singularname, " said somebody, "for a beautiful pet, madam; where did you findit?"--"Oh, " drawled she, "it was named from Byron's dog. You rememberwhere he says, '_Perchance_ my dog will howl. '"[61] COLLINS THE ARTIST AND HIS DOG "PRINNY"--A MODEL OF "_a model_. " William Wilkie Collins, after a most graphic account of the companionsof his artist-father's home, [62] notices "one who was ever as ready tooffer his small aid and humble obedience as were any of his superiors, to confer the benefit of their penetrating advice. " I refer to MrCollins's dog "Prinny" (Prince). This docile and affectionate animal hadbeen trained by his master to sit in any attitude, which theintroduction of a dog in his picture (a frequent occurrence) mighthappen to demand. So strict was "Prinny's" sense of duty, that he neverventured to move from his set position until his master's signal gavehim permission to approach his chair, when he was generally rewardedwith a lump of sugar, placed, not between his teeth, but on his nose, where he continued to balance it, until he was desired to throw it intothe air and catch it in his mouth, a feat which he very seldom failed toperform. On one occasion his extraordinary integrity in the performanceof his duties was thus pleasantly exemplified:--"My father had placedhim on the backs of two chairs, his fore-legs on the rails of one, andhis hind-legs on the rails of the other; and in this rather arduousposition had painted from him for a considerable time, when a friend wasannounced as waiting for him in another apartment. Particularly desirousof seeing this visitor immediately, the painter hurried from the room, entirely forgetting to tell 'Prinny' to get down, and remained inconversation with his friend for full half an hour. On returning to hisstudy the first object that greeted him was poor 'Prinny, ' standing onhis 'bad eminence' exactly in the position in which he had been left, trembling with fatigue, and occasionally vending his anguish anddistress in a low piteous moan, but not moving a limb, or venturing evento turn his head. Not having received the usual signal he had never onceattempted to get down, but had remained disconsolate in his position'sitting' hard, with nobody to paint him, during the long half hour thathad delayed his master's return. " THE SOLDIER AND THE MASTIFF. A soldier passing through a meadow, a large mastiff ran at him, and hestabbed the dog with a bayonet. The master of the dog asked him why hehad not rather struck the dog with the butt-end of his weapon? "So Ishould, " said the soldier, "if he had run at me with his tail!"[63] BARK AND BITE. Lord Clare, who was much opposed to Curran, one day brought aNewfoundland dog upon the bench, and during Curran's speech turnedhimself aside and caressed the animal. Curran stopped. "Go on, go on, MrCurran, " said Lord Clare. --"Oh, I beg a thousand pardons, " was therejoinder. "I really thought your lordship was employed in_consultation_. "[64] MRS DREW AND THE TWO DOGS. (A CURIOUSLY NEAR APPROACH TO MORAL PERCEPTION. ) In the biography of Samuel Drew, A. M. , a great name among themetaphysical writers of this country, we read a very interestinganecdote of two dogs. His father, a farmer and mail-carrier in Cornwall, had procured aNewfoundland dog for protection on his journeys, having been attacked byhighwaymen. There was a smaller dog which had been bred in the house. The son was living at Poplea, in Cornwall, when the followingcircumstance occurred, and he witnessed it:[65]-- "Our dairy was under a room which was used occasionally as a barn andapple-chamber, into which the fowls sometimes found their way; and, inscratching among the chaff, scattered the dust on the pans of milkbelow, to the great annoyance of my mother-in-law. In this a favouritecock of hers was the chief transgressor. One day in harvest she wentinto the dairy, followed by the little dog, and finding dust again onher milk-pans, she exclaimed, 'I wish that cock were dead!' Not longafter, she being with us in the harvest field, we observed the littledog dragging along the cock, just killed, which, with an air of triumph, he laid at my mother-in-law's feet. Highly exasperated at the literalfulfilment of her hastily-uttered wish, she snatched a stick from thehedge, and attempted to give the dog a beating. The luckless animal, seeing the reception he was likely to meet with, where he expected marksof approbation, left the bird and ran off, she brandishing her stick, and saying, in a loud angry tone, 'I'll pay thee for this by and by. ' Inthe evening, when about to put her threat into execution, she found thelittle dog established in a corner of the room, and the large onestanding before it. Endeavouring to fulfil her intention by firstdriving off the large dog, he gave her plainly to understand that he wasnot at all disposed to relinquish his post. She then sought to get atthe small dog behind the other, but the threatening gesture, and fiercergrowl of the large one, sufficiently indicated that the attempt would benot a little perilous. The result was that she was obliged to abandonher design. In killing the cock I can scarcely think that the dogunderstood the precise import of my stepmother's wish, as his immediateexecution of it would seem to imply. The cock was a more recentfavourite, and had received some attentions which had previously beenbestowed upon himself. This, I think, had led him to entertain a feelingof hostility to the bird, which he did not presume to indulge, until mymother's tone and manner indicated that the cock was no longer under herprotection. In the power of communicating with each other, which thesedogs evidently possess, and which, in some instances, has been displayedby other species of animals, a faculty seems to be developed of which weknow very little. On the whole, I never remember to have met with a casein which to human appearance there was a nearer approach to moralperception than in that of my father's two dogs. " THE DIFFERENCE OF EXCHANGE. --"DOG-CHEAP. " Dining at a nobleman's table, where the company were praising theclaret, his lordship told them that he had received that hogshead ofwine in return for a couple of hounds, which he sometime beforepresented to Count Lauragais. "Why, then, my lord, " cried Foote, "I notonly think your wine excellent, but _dog-cheap_. "[66] GAINSBOROUGH AND HIS WIFE AND THEIR DOGS. Thomas Gainsborough, the rival of Sir Joshua in portraiture, wanted thatevenness of temper which the President of the Royal Academy soabundantly possessed. He was easily angered, but as soon appeased, andsays his biographer, [67] "If he was the first to offend, he was thefirst to atone. Whenever he spoke crossly to his wife, a remarkablysweet-tempered woman, he would write a note of repentance, sign it withthe name of his favourite dog 'Fox, ' and address it to his Margaret'spet spaniel, 'Tristram. ' Fox would take the note in his mouth, and dulydeliver it to Tristram. Margaret would then answer--'My own dear Fox, you are always loving and good, and I am a naughty little female ever toworry you, as I too often do, so we will kiss and say no more about it;your own affectionate Tris. '" The writers of such a correspondence couldnot have led what is called "a cat and dog life. " Husbands and wivesmight derive a hint from this anecdote; for we know, from the oldballad, that they will be sulky and quarrel at times even about getting "Up to bar the door, O!" SIR WILLIAM GELL'S DOG. The reviewer[68] of Sir Thomas Browne's works says--"We ourselves havewitnessed an example of the curious and credulous exaggeration which hasconstrued certain articulations in animals into rational speech. Sometime since, in travelling through Italy, we heard, in grave earnest, from several Italians, of the prodigy of a Pomeranian dog that had beentaught to speak most intelligibly by Sir William Gell. Afterwards, invisiting that accomplished and lamented gentleman at Naples, werequested to hear an animal possessed of so unusual a gift. And, as thefriends of the urban scholar can bear witness, the dog undoubtedly couldutter a howl, which, assisted by the hand of the master in closing thejaw at certain inflections, might be intelligibly construed into twowords not to be repeated. Such a dog, with such an anathema in hisvocabulary, would have hanged any witch in England three centuries ago. " ELIZABETH, THE LAST DUCHESS OF GORDON, AND THE WOLF-DOG KAISER. The Rev. A. Moody Stuart, in his "Life of the last Duchess ofGordon, "[69] that truly Christian lady, refers to some old pets of theduke's and her own, which, on her becoming a widow, she took with herfrom Gordon Castle to Huntly Lodge, a bullfinch, an immense Talbotmastiff named Sall, and others. He adds--"To a stranger, the mostremarkable of the duke's old favourites was Kaiser, an Hungarianwolf-dog, with a snow-white fleece, and most sheep-like aspect in thedistance, but at whose appearance out of doors, man, woman, and childfled as from a wolf. The duchess called him 'The wolf in sheep'sclothing. ' Her husband's tastes having brought her much into contactwith all sorts of dogs, she had learned to pat them confidently at theirfirst introduction, when a large space between their eyes betokened akindly temper. This open breadth of forehead was strongly marked inSall, a fine old mastiff that used at this time to walk round thedining-room after breakfast, with her noble head reaching the level ofthe table. But the duke had chosen Kaiser for other qualities. Two ofthose wolf-dogs had been brought to him for sale when travelling on theContinent; the other was the larger and handsomer animal; but Kaiser'seyes, sunk deep in the head, and all but meeting under his shaggy hair, at once fixed his choice on him as 'likest his work. ' That work was todefend the sheep from the wolves, and one mode of defence was by layinga strange trap for the enemy. The dog was remarkably like a sheep, hishair white without a dark speck, and he carried a great load of it, longand fleecy like wool. In the Hungarian steppes four or five of thosedogs would lay themselves down on the grass in the evening, sleepingthere like so many harmless lambs, with their faces inward for the heatof each other's breath. The keen eye of the wolf was soon attracted bythe white fleeces, with no shepherd near to guard them. Eager for blood, he careered swiftly over the plain, and sprang unsuspecting into themidst of the flock, only to find himself clenched in the relentless jawsof Kaiser and his comrades, wolves more terrible than himself under theclothing of timid sheep. A conversation once took place at the Lodge onthe character ascribed to dogs in Scripture. It slightly vexed the goodduchess that they were so often mentioned in the Bible, but only asemblems of what is foul and fierce, except in a single instance, andthat not of commendation, but neutrality. This exception, she said, occurred in the Book of Proverbs, where the greyhound is named, alongwith the lion and the goat, as 'comely in going, ' yet merely in praiseof his external beauty. But her difficulty was relieved by the reply, that in Isaiah lvi. 10, the "dog" is really used in a good sense asapplied to the spiritual watchmen of the Lord's flock. For theunfaithful shepherds, being there likened to dumb dogs that cannot bark, were not censured under the simple image of watch-dogs, but because, assuch, they were faithless and useless; implying that the good watch-dogis an honourable emblem of the true pastor, watching for the soulscommitted to his care, and solemnly warning them of approaching danger. " FREDERICK THE GREAT AND HIS ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS. Dr John Moore, when travelling with the Duke of Hamilton, saw and hearda good deal of Frederick the Great, and has given in his second volumeof "A View of Society and Manners in France, " &c. , many interestingparticulars of his private and public life. Among these, he alludes tohis using "a very large gold snuff-box, the lid ornamented withdiamonds, " and his taking "an immoderate quantity of Spanish snuff, themarks of which very often appear on his waistcoat and breeches. Theseare also liable to be soiled by the paws of two or three Italiangreyhounds, which he often caresses" (vol. Ii. P. 236). THE DOG AND THE FRENCH MURDERERS. (AN OCCURRENCE IN THE SPRING OF 1837. ) Thomas Raikes, [70] in his Journal 8th March 1837, records:--"Eight yearsago, a labouring man in the department of the Loire was found murderedin a wood near his house, and his dog sitting near the body. No cluecould be gained to the perpetrators of the crime, and his widowcontinued to live in the same cottage, accompanied always by thefaithful animal. Last week two men, apparently travellers, stopped atthe house, requesting shelter from the storm, which was granted; but nosooner had the dog perceived them, than he flew at them with fury, andcould not be pacified. As they were quitting the house, one of them saidto the other, 'That rascally dog has not forgotten us. ' This raised thesuspicion of the widow, who overheard it, and applying to the gendarmesin the neighbourhood, they followed and arrested them. The result hasbeen that, after a long examination, one of them has confessed thecrime, and impeached his associate. " * * * * * Hannah More wrote an ode addressed to Garrick's famous house-dog Dragon. A copy of this she gave to Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1777, while stillunprinted, under an oath neither to take nor give a copy of it, whichoath Sir Joshua had observed (she says) like a true knight, only readingit to his visitors till some of them learned it by heart. The "charmingbagatelle" was afterwards printed, that posterity might be enabled towonder what a small expenditure of wit in metre sufficed to purchase alarge modicum of fame among the blues of that day. [71] ROBERT HALL AND THE DOG. The eloquent Robert Hall and Dr Leifchild were often in each other'scompany when at Bristol, travelling and preaching together atanniversaries and ordinations. The son and biographer of the lattersays:[72]--"I rode with them from Bristol to Wells, and can now, inimagination, see Mr Hall smoking and reclining on one seat of thecarriage, while my father sat on the other. I can see Mr Hall descendingat a blacksmith's shop to re-light his pipe, making his way directly tothe forge, and jumping aside with unwonted agility, when a huge doggrowled at him. I can recall his look, when rallied on his agility, after his return to the carriage. 'You seemed afraid of the dog, sir, 'said my father. 'Apostolic advice, sir--Beware of dogs, ' rejoined MrHall. " Dr Leifchild, in another part of the memoir (p. 360), relatesthat some housekeeper would exclaim to him, as he was about to enter thehouse of friend or stranger, "Don't be afraid of the dog, sir, he neverbites. "--"Are you quite sure he never bites?" was his promptquestion. --"Quite sure, sir, " rejoined the servant. --"Then, " rejoinedthe good-humoured doctor, "if he never _bites_, how does he live?" A QUEEN AND HER LAP-DOG. Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles I. , on her return to Burlington Baywith assistance for her husband, was attacked in the house where sheslept by the cannonade of five ships of war belonging to theParliament. She left the house amid the whistling of balls, one of whichkilled one of her servants. When on her way to the shelter of a ditch, she remembered that an aged lap-dog, called "Mitte, " was left behind. She was much attached to this old favourite, and returned to the houseshe had left. Rushing up-stairs into her chamber, she caught up her oldpet, which was reposing on her bed, and carried her off in safety. Having done this, the queen and her ladies gained the ditch, andcrouched down in it, while the cannon played furiously over theirheads. [73] THE CLEVER DOG THAT BELONGED TO THE HUNTERS OF POLMOOD. The estate of Polmood, in Peeblesshire, was the subject of extraordinarylitigation, and a volume of considerable bulk is devoted to its history. This work contains much curious evidence from aged country folks in thewestern parts of the country. Mr Chambers[74] tells us that in thehistory "reminiscences concerning a wonderfully clever dog are putforward as links in the line of propinquity. " The deponent has heard hisfather say that Robert Hunter had a remarkable dog called "Algiers;" andthat, when Robert lived at Woodend, he used to tie a napkin round thedog's neck with money in it, and send him for snuff to Lammington, whichis about three miles from Woodend, and that the dog executed hismessage faithfully, and prevented everybody from laying hold of orstopping him. Another venerable deponent, aged eighty-nine, had heardhis mother tell many stories about a dog belonging to Uncle Robert, which went by the name of "Algiers;" that they used to cut a fleece offhim every year sufficient to make a pair of stockings; and that UncleRobert used to tie a purse round his neck, with money in it, and the dogthen swam the Tweed, and brought back tobacco from the Crook! And athird declares that "Algiers" could be sent to Edinburgh with a letter, and bring back a letter to his master. THE IRISH CLERGYMAN AND THE DOGS. Mr Fitzpatrick, in his anecdotal memoirs of Archbishop Whately, tells astory of an eccentric Irish parson. This person, when preaching, wasinterrupted in his homily by two dogs, which began to fight in church. He descended the pulpit, and endeavoured to separate them. On returningto his place, the clergyman, who was rather an absent man, asked theclerk, "Where was I a while ago?"--"Wasn't yer Riverence appaising thedogs?" responded the other. [75] WASHINGTON IRVING AND THE DOG. Patrick Fraser Tytler, author of "The History of Scotland, " in a letterto his wife in 1830, says--"At Lady Morton's, one evening, I met withWashington Irving. I had heard him described as a very silent man, whowas always observing others, but seldom opened his lips. Instead ofwhich, his tongue never lay still; and he gets out more wee wordies in aminute than any ordinary converser does in five. But I found him a veryintelligent and agreeable man. I put him in mind of his travelling withour dear Tommy. He had at first no recollection; but I brought it backto his memory by the incident of the little black dog, who always wentbefore the horses in pulling up hill, and pretended to assist them. Iput him in mind of his own wit, 'that he wondered if the doggie mistookhimself for a horse;' at which he laughed, and added, 'Yes, and thoughtit very hard that he was not rubbed down at the end of thejourney. '"[76] DOUGLAS JERROLD AND HIS DOG. Jerrold had a favourite dog that followed him everywhere. One day in thecountry, a lady, who was passing, turned round and said audibly, "Whatan ugly little brute!" Whereupon Jerrold, addressing the lady, replied, "Oh, madam! I wonder what he thinks _about us_ at this moment. "[77] SHERIDAN AND THE DOG. After witnessing the first representation of a dog-piece by Reynolds, called the "Caravan, " Sheridan suddenly came into the green-room, onpurpose, it was imagined, to wish the author joy. "Where is he?" wasthe first question; "where is my guardian angel?"--"Here I am, " answeredReynolds. --"Pooh!" replied Sheridan, "I don't mean _you_, I mean _thedog_. "[78] CHARLES LAMB AND HIS DOG. Thomas Hood had a dog called "Dash. " This dog he gave to Charles Lamb. The ready-witted Elia often took the creature out with him when walkingat Enfield. On one occasion, the dog dashed off to chase some youngsheep. The owner of the muttons came out quite indignant at the owner, to expostulate with him on the assault of Lamb's dog on his sheep. Elia, with his quiet ready wit, replied, "Hunt _Lambs_, sir?--why, he neverhunted _me_. "[79] FRENCH DOGS, TIME OF LOUIS XI. --HISTORY OF HIS DOG "RELAIS" BY LOUISXII. Horace Walpole, in one of his gossiping letters to the Countess ofOssory in 1781, writes, "You must not be surprised if I should send youa collection of Tonton's _bons-mots_. I have found a precedent for sucha work. A grave author wrote a book on the 'Hunt of the Grand Senechalof Normandy, ' and of _les DITS du bon chien Souillard, qui fut au RoiLoy de France onzieme du nom_. Louis XII. , the reverse of thepredecessor of the same name, did not leave to his historian tocelebrate his dog "Relais, " but did him the honour of being hisbiographer himself; and for a reason that was becoming so excellent aking. It was _pour animer les descendans d'un si brave chien à se rendreaussi bons que lui, et encore meilleurs_. It was great pity the Cardinald'Amboise had no bastard puppies, or, to be sure, his Majesty would havewritten his Prime Minister's life too, for a model to hissuccessors. "[80] MARTIN LUTHER OBSERVES A DOG AT LINTZ. In the "Table Talk" of Martin Luther, it is recorded:--"I saw a dog atLintz, in Austria, that was taught to go with a hand-basket to thebutchers' shambles for meat. When other dogs came about him, and soughtto take the meat out of the basket, he set it down and fought lustilywith them; but when he saw they were too strong for him, he himselfwould snatch out the first piece of meat, lest he should lose all. Evenso does now our Emperor Charles; who, after having long protectedspiritual benefices, seeing that every prince takes possession ofmonasteries, himself takes possession of bishoprics, as just now he hasseized upon those of Utrecht and Liège. "[81] THE POOR DOG AT THE GROTTA DEL CANE. Henry Matthews, [82] like other visitors of Naples, went to thecelebrated _Grotta del Cane_, or Dog Grotto, on the borders of LakeAgnano, so called from the vapour in the cave, destructive to animallife, being shown by means of a dog. In his diary, of March 3, 1818, herecords:--"Travellers have made a great display of sensibility in theirstrictures upon the spectacle exhibited here; but to all appearance thedog did not care much about it. It may be said, with truth of him, thathe is _used_ to it; for he dies many times a day, and he went to theplace of execution wagging his tail. He became insensible in twominutes; but upon being laid on the grass, he revived from his trance ina few seconds, without the process of immersion in the lake, which isgenerally mentioned as necessary to his recovery. From the voracity withwhich he bolted down a loaf of bread which I bought for him, the vapourdoes not seem to injure the animal functions. Addison seems to have beenvery particular in his experiments upon the vapour of this cavern. Hefound that a pistol would not take fire in it; but upon laying a trainof gunpowder, and igniting it beyond the sphere of the vapour, he foundthat it could not intercept the train of fire when it had once begunflashing, nor hinder it from running to the very end. He subjected a dogto a second trial in order to ascertain whether he was longer inexpiring the first than the second time; and he found there was nosensible difference. A viper bore it _nine minutes_ the first time heput it in, and _ten minutes_ the second; and he attributes the prolongedduration of the second trial to the large provision of air that theviper laid in after his first death, upon which stock he supposes it tohave existed a minute longer the second time. " DOG, A POSTMAN AND CARRIER. Robert Southey says, that "near Moffat a dog used for many years to meetthe mail and receive the letters for a little post-town near. "[83] How often may you see a dog carrying a basket or a parcel. Noenticement, even of a dog-friend or of a great bone, will induce thisfaithful servant to abandon his charge. Every one must have observedthis. DOG-MATIC. In the great dispute between South and Sherlock, the latter, who was agreat courtier, said--"His adversary reasoned well, but he barked like acur. " To which the other replied, "That _fawning_ was the property of acur as well as barking. "[84] GENERAL MOREAU AND HIS GREYHOUND. "The day after the battle of Dresden (27th Aug. 1812), a greyhound wasbrought to the King of Saxony, the ally of Napoleon. The dog was moaningpiteously. On the collar were engraved the words, 'I belong to theGeneral Moreau. ' Where was the dog's master? By the side of the EmperorAlexander. Moreau had been mortally wounded. The dog had remained withhis master until his death. While Moreau was conversing with the EmperorAlexander a cannon-shot nearly carried off both his legs. It is saidthat throughout the five days during which he lingered he uttered not amurmur of pain. "[85] * * * * * At the battle of Solferino, where rifled cannon were first brought tobear in warfare, a dog excited great attention by its attachment to thebody of its slain master. It became the chief object in a painting ofthe circumstance, from which an engraving was executed. A DUKE OF NORFOLK AND HIS SPANIELS. In Southey's "Common-place Book, " 4th ser. P. 479, he writes--"OurMarlborough and King James's spaniels are unrivalled in beauty. Thelatter breed (black and tan, with hair almost approaching to silk infineness, such as Vandyke loved to introduce into his portraits) weresolely in the possession of the late Duke of Norfolk. He never travelledwithout two of his favourites in the carriage. When at Worksop he usedto feed his eagles with the pups; and a stranger to his exclusive pridein the race, seeing him one day employed in thus destroying a wholelitter, told his grace how much he should be delighted to possess one ofthem. The duke's reply was a characteristic one. 'Pray, sir, which of myestates should you like to have?'" There are shepherds who possess collies, such _proud_, useful servantsand friends, that no bribe would induce them to part with them. But whatold favourite dog or even bird is there that any one would part with?Man, be he scavenger or duke, is very similar in this species ofattachment. LORD NORTH AND THE DOG. In several of the caricatures published about the year 1783, when Foxand Burke had joined Lord North, and helped to form what is called theCoalition Ministry, a dog is represented. This, says Mr Wright, [86] issaid to be an allusion to an occurrence in the House of Commons. Duringthe last defensive declamation of Lord North, on the eve of hisresignation, a dog, which had concealed itself under the benches, cameout and set up a hideous howling in the midst of his harangue. The housewas thrown into a roar of laughter, which continued until the intruderwas turned out; and then Lord North coolly observed, "As the new memberhas ended his argument, I beg to be allowed to continue mine. " PERTHES DERIVES HINTS FROM HIS DOG. In a letter, written when he first came to Gotha, Perthes, thepublisher, says--"Do not laugh if I tell you that my dog has given memany a hint upon human nature. I never before had a dog constantly withme, and I now ask myself whether the poodle be not a man, and menpoodles. I am not led to this thought by the animal propensities whichwe have in common, such as eating, drinking, &c. , but by those of a morerefined character. He too is cheerful and dejected, excited and supine, playful and morose, gentle and bold, caressing and snappish, patientand refractory; just like us men in all things, even in his dreams! Thislikeness is not to me at all discouraging; on the contrary, it suggestsa pleasing hope that this flesh and blood which plagues and fetters us, is not the real man, but merely the earthly clothing which will be castoff when he no longer belongs to earth, provided he has not sinfullychosen to identify himself with the merely material. The devil's chiefseat is not in matter but in the mind, where he fosters pride, selfishness, and hatred, and by their means destroys not what istransitory but what is eternal in man. "[87] PETER THE GREAT AND HIS FAVOURITE DOG LISETTE. Mr Stoehlin[88] relates the following anecdote of the Czar Peter, onthe authority of Miss Anne Cramer, the chambermaid to the empress. Inthe cabinet of natural history of the academy at St Petersburg, ispreserved, among a number of uncommon animals, Lisette, the favouritedog of the Russian monarch. She was a small, dun-coloured Italiangreyhound, and very fond of her master, whom she never quitted but whenhe went out, and then she laid herself down on his couch. At his returnshe showed her fondness by a thousand caresses, followed him wherever hewent, and during his afternoon nap lay always at his feet. A person belonging to the court, having excited the anger of the czar--Ido not know by what means--was confined in the fort, and there wasreason to suppose that he would receive the punishment of the knout onthe first market-day. The whole court, and the empress herself, thoughthim innocent, and considered the anger of the czar as excessive andunjust. Every means was tried to save him, and the first opportunitytaken to intercede in his favour. But, so far from succeeding, it servedonly to irritate the emperor the more, who forbade all persons, even theempress, to speak for the prisoner, and, above all, to present anypetition on the subject, under the pain of incurring his highestdispleasure. It was supposed that no resource remained to save the culprit. However, those who in concert with the czarina interested themselves in hisfavour, devised the means of urging their suit without incurring thepenalty of the prohibition. They composed a short but pathetic petition, in the name of Lisette. After having set forth her uncommon fidelity to her master, she adducedthe strongest proofs of innocence of the prisoner, entreated the czar totake the matter into consideration, and to be propitious to her prayer, by granting him his liberty. This petition was tied to her collar, in such a manner as to be easilyvisible. On the czar's return from the Admiralty and Senate, Lisette, as usual, came leaping about him; and he perceived the paper, folded in the formof a petition. He took, and read it--"What!" said he; "Lisette, do youalso present me petitions? Well, as it is the first time, I grant yourprayer. " He immediately sent a denthtchick[89] to the fort, with ordersto set the prisoner at liberty. THE LIGHT COMPANY'S POODLE AND SIR F. PONSONBY. Captain Gronow, in his gossiping book, [90] says--"Every regiment has apet of some sort or another. One distinguished Highland regimentpossesses a deer; the Welsh Fusiliers a goat, which is the object oftheir peculiar affection, and which generally marches with the band. Thelight company of my battalion of the 1st Guards in 1813 rejoiced in avery handsome poodle, which, if I mistake not, had been made prisoner atVittoria. At the commencement of the battle of the 9th of December 1813, near the mayor's house, not far from Bidart, we observed the gallantFrederick Ponsonby well in front with the skirmishers, and by the sideof his horse the soldiers' poodle. The colonel was encouraging our mento advance, and the poodle, in great glee, was jumping and barking atthe bullets, as they flew round him like hail. On a sudden we observedPonsonby struggling with a French mounted officer, whom he had alreadydisarmed, and was endeavouring to lead off to our lines; when the Frenchskirmishers, whose numbers had increased, fired several shots, andwounded Ponsonby, forcing him to relinquish his prisoner, and to retire. At the same time, a bullet broke one of the poor dog's legs. For hisgallant conduct in this affair, the poodle became, if possible, a stillgreater favourite than he was before; and his friends, the men of thelight company, took him to England, where I saw my three-legged friendfor several years afterwards, the most prosperous of poodles, and thehappiest of the canine race. " ADMIRAL RODNEY AND HIS DOG LOUP. Earl Stanhope, in his History, [91] remarks--"To those who love to tracethe lesser lights and shades of human character, I shall owe no apologyif I venture to record of the conqueror of De Grasse, that even in hisbusiest hours he could turn some kindly thoughts not only to his familyand friends, but to his dog in England. That dog, named Loup, was of theFrench fox-breed, and so attached to his master, that when the admiralleft home to take the command of his fleet, the faithful animal remainedfor three days in his chamber, watching his coat, and refusing food. Theaffection was warmly returned. On many more than one occasion we findRodney wrote much as follows to his wife--'Remember me to my dear girlsand my faithful friend Loup; I know you will kiss him for me. '"[92] RUDDIMAN AND HIS DOG RASCAL. George Chalmers, in his Life of the learned Thomas Ruddiman, [93] tellsus that "young Ruddiman was initiated in grammar at the parish-school ofBoyndie, in Banffshire, which was distant a mile from his father'sdwelling; and which was then taught by George Morison, whom his pupilalways praised for his attention and his skill. To this school the boywalked every morning, carrying his daily provisions with him. He is saidto have been daily accompanied by a dog, which, when he had proceeded tothe top of Tooting-hillock, the halfway resting-place, always returnedhome after partaking of his victuals. This story is still (1794)remembered, as if there were in it something supernatural. We maysuppose, however, that the excursion was equally agreeable to bothparties; and when it was once known that the dog was to eat at aparticular place at a stated hour, an appropriate allowance wasconstantly made for him. Whether Ruddiman had a natural fondness fordogs, or whether a particular attachment began, when impressions areeasily made, which are long remembered, cannot now be ascertained. Hecertainly, throughout a long life, had a succession of dogs, which wereinvariably called _Rascal_; and which, being springing spaniels, everaccompanied him in all his walks. He used, with affectionaterecollection, to entertain his friends with stories of dogs, which alltended to show the fidelity of that useful animal to man. " * * * * * Mrs Schimmelpenninck, authoress of "Select Memoirs of Port Royal, " diedin 1856. Her interesting Autobiography and Life were published in 1858by her relation, Christiana C. Hankin. In p. 467 it is remarked that"her love of animals formed quite a feature in her daily habits. Like StFrancis, she delighted to attract the little birds, by tempting themwith dainty food upon her verandah; and it was a positive pleasure toher to watch their feast. She had a bag made, which was always filledwith oats, to regale any stray horse or ass; and she has been seensurrounded by four goats, each standing on its hind legs, with itsuplifted front feet resting on her, and all eagerly claiming the saltshe had prepared for them. But her great delight was in dogs. She neverforgot those sad hours in childhood, when, unable to mix in the sportsof children from illness (perhaps, too, from her want of sympathy in theusual pleasures of that age), the beautiful dogs at Barr were hercompanions and friends. "It is no figure of speech to say that she had a large acquaintanceamongst the dogs at Clifton. She always carried a pocketful of biscuitto feed them; and she had a canine friend who for years was in the dailyhabit of waiting at her door to accompany her morning walk, after whichhe received his little portion of biscuit, and returned to his home. Timid as Mrs Schimmelpenninck was by nature and by habit, she had noidea of personal fear of animals, and especially of dogs. I have seenher go up without hesitation to some splendid specimen of the race, ofwhich everybody else was afraid, to stroke him, or offer food; when thenoble creature, with that fine perception often so remarkably manifestedby dogs and children, would look up in her face, and then return hercaress, and crouch down at her feet in love and confidence. Her own twobeautiful little spaniels were her constant companions in her walks;their happy gambols were always a source of pleasure. "[94] * * * * * Sir Walter Scott loved dogs dearly. In his novels and poetical works hisknowledge of them and his regard often appear. He loved them, from thestately deerhound to the wiry terrier. He was quite up to the ways oftheir education. Dandie Dinmont, in "Guy Mannering, " speaking of histerriers, says, "I had them a' regularly entered, first wi' rottens, then wi' stots and weasels, and then wi' the tods and brocks, and nowthey fear naething that ever comes wi' a hairy skin on't. " Then, again, read Washington Irving's description of his visit to Abbotsford, andhow, on Scott taking him out for a walk, a host of his dogs attended, evidently as a matter of course. He often spoke to them during the walk. The American author was struck with the stately gravity of the noblestaghound Maida, while the younger dogs gambolled about him, and triedto get him to gambol. Maida would occasionally turn round suddenly, andgive one of the playful creatures a tumble, and look at Scott andIrving, as much as to say, "You see, gentlemen, I cannot help giving wayto this nonsense;" when on he would go as grave as ever. "I make nodoubt, " said Scott to his companion, "when Maida is alone with theseyoung dogs, he throws gravity aside, and plays the boy as much as any ofthem; but he is ashamed to do so in our company, and seems to say, "Ha'done with your nonsense, youngsters; what will the laird and that othergentleman think of me if I give way to such foolery?" A little volumemight almost be made on Sir Walter Scott and his dogs. Wilkie, Allan, and especially Sir Edwin Landseer, have handed down to us the portraitsof many of them. His works, and biography by Lockhart, and the writingsof his many visitors, would afford many an interesting extract. SHERIDAN ON THE DOG-TAX. In 1796, a tax, which caused great discontent and ridicule, was laid forthe first time upon dogs. Mr Wright, in his "England under the House ofHanover, " says--"The debates on this tax in the House of Commons appearto have been extremely amusing. In opposing the motion to go intocommittee, Sheridan objected that the bill was most curiously worded, asit was, in the first instance, entitled, 'A bill for the protection ofhis Majesty's subjects against dogs. ' 'From these words, ' he said, 'onewould imagine that dogs had been guilty of burglary, though he believedthey were a better protection to their masters' property than watchmen. 'After having entertained the House with some stories about mad dogs, andgiving a discourse upon dogs in general, he asked, 'Since there was anexception in favour of puppies, at what age they were to be taxed, andhow the exact age was to be ascertained?' The Secretary at War, whospoke against the bill, said, 'It would be wrong to destroy in the poorthat _virtuous feeling_ which they had for their dog. ' In committee, MrLechmere called the attention of the House to ladies' 'lap-dogs. ' Heknew a lady who had _sixteen_ lap-dogs, and who allowed them a roastshoulder of veal every day for dinner, while many poor persons werestarving; was it not, therefore, right to tax lap-dogs very high? Heknew another lady who kept one favourite dog, when well, on Savoybiscuits soaked in Burgundy, and when ailing (by the advice of a doctor)on minced chicken and sweetbread! Among the caricatures on this subject, one by Gillray (of which there were imitations) represented Fox and hisfriends, hanged upon a gallows, as 'dogs not worth a tax;' while thesupporters of Government, among whom is Burke, with 'G. R. ' on hiscollar, are ranged as well-fed dogs 'paid for. '"[95] SYDNEY SMITH DISLIKES DOGS. AN INGENIOUS WAY OF GETTING RID OF THEM. Lady Holland tells us[96] that her father, the witty canon of St Paul's, disliked dogs. "During one of his visits to London, at a dinner atSpencer House, the conversation turned upon dogs. 'Oh, ' said my father, 'one of the greatest difficulties I have had with my parishioners hasbeen on the subject of dogs. '--'How so?' said Lord Spencer. --'Why, whenI first went down into Yorkshire, there had not been a residentclergyman in my parish for a hundred and fifty years. Each farmer kept ahuge mastiff dog ranging at large, and ready to make his morning meal onclergy or laity, as best suited his particular taste. I never couldapproach a cottage in pursuit of my calling but I rushed into the jawsof one of these shaggy monsters. I scolded, preached, and prayed withoutavail; so I determined to try what fear for their pockets might do. Forthwith appeared in the county papers a minute account of the trial ofa farmer, at the Northampton Sessions, for keeping dogs unconfined;where said farmer was not only fined five pounds and reprimanded by themagistrates, but sentenced to three months' imprisonment. The effect waswonderful, and the reign of Cerberus ceased in the land. '--'Thataccounts, ' said Lord Spencer, 'for what has puzzled me and Althorp formany years. We never failed to attend the sessions at Northampton, andwe never could find out how we had missed this remarkable dog case. '" SYDNEY SMITH ON DOGS. [97] "No, I don't like dogs; I always expect them to go mad. A lady asked meonce for a motto for her dog Spot. I proposed, 'Out, damned Spot!' Butshe did not think it sentimental enough. You remember the story of theFrench marquise, who, when her pet lap-dog bit a piece out of herfootman's leg, exclaimed, 'Ah, poor little beast! I hope it won't makehim sick. ' I called one day on Mrs ----, and her lap-dog flew at my legand bit it. After pitying her dog, like the French marquise, she did allshe could to comfort me by assuring me the dog was a Dissenter, andhated the Church, and was brought up in a Tory family. But whether thebite came from madness or Dissent, I knew myself too well to neglect it, and went on the instant to a surgeon, and had it cut out, making a mem. On the way to enter that house no more. " SYDNEY SMITH'S "NEWFOUNDLAND DOG THAT BREAKFASTED ON PARISH BOYS. " The Rev. Sydney Smith used to be much amused when he observed the utterwant of perception of a joke in some minds. One instance we may citefrom his "Memoirs:"[98] "Miss ----, the other day, walking round thegrounds at Combe Florey, exclaimed, 'Oh, why do you chain up that fineNewfoundland dog, Mr Smith?'--'Because it has a passion for breakfastingon parish boys. '--'Parish boys!' she exclaimed; 'does he really eatboys, Mr Smith?'--'Yes, he devours them, buttons and all. ' Her face ofhorror made me die of laughing. " SOUTHEY ON DOGS. Southey was likewise not a little attached to the memory at least ofdogs, as may be inferred by the following passage in a letter to MrBedford, Jan. 27, 1823. Snivel was a dog belonging to Mr B. In earlydays. "We had an adventure this morning, which, if poor Snivel had beenliving, would have set up her bristles in great style. A foumart wascaught in the back kitchen; you may perhaps know it better by the nameof polecat. It is the first I ever saw or smelt; and certainly it was inhigh odour. Poor Snivel! I still have the hairs which we cut from hertail thirty years ago; and if it were the fashion for men to wearlockets, in a locket they should be worn, for I never had a greaterrespect for any creature upon four legs than for poor Sni. See hownaturally men fall into relic worship; when I have preserved thememorials of that momentary whim so many years, and through so manyremovals. "[99] DOG, A GOOD JUDGE OF ELOCUTION. When Dr Leifchild, of Craven Chapel, London, was a student at HoxtonAcademy, there was a good lecturer on elocution there of the name ofTrue. In the Memoir, published in 1863, are some pleasing reminiscencesby Dr Leifchild of this excellent teacher, who seems to have taken greatpains with the students, and to have awakened in their breasts a desireto become proficients in the art of speaking. The doctor himself was anadmirable example of the proficiency thus attained under good Mr True. He records[100] a ludicrous circumstance which occurred one day. "Inreciting Satan's address to the evil spirits from 'Paradise Lost, ' astout student was enjoined to pronounce the three words, 'Princes, potentates, warriors, ' in successively louder tones, and to speak outboldly. He hardly needed this advice, for the first word came out likedistant thunder, the second like approaching thunder, and the third likea terribly near and loud clap. At this last the large housedog, Pompey, who had been asleep under the teacher's chair, started up andjumped out of the window into the garden. 'The dog is a good judge, sir, ' mildly remarked Mr True. " COWPER'S DOG BEAU AND THE WATER-LILY. ILLUSTRATED BY THE STORY OF AS INTELLIGENT A DOG. In _Blackwood's Magazine_ for 1818 there is an address, in blank verse, by Mr Patrick Fraser Tytler, "To my Dog. " Mr Tytler's brother-in-law, MrHog, [101] recorded the fact on which this address was founded in hisdiary at the time. "Peter tells a delightful anecdote of Cossack, anIsle of Skye terrier, which belonged originally to his brother atAldourie. It was amazingly fond of his children, one of which, havingfallen on the gravel and hurt itself, began to cry out. Cossack tried invain to comfort it by leaping upon it and licking its face. Finding allhis efforts to pacify the child fruitless, he ran off to a mountain-ashtree, and leaping up, pulled a branch of red _rowan_ berries and carriedit in his mouth to the child. " HORACE WALPOLE'S PET DOG ROSETTE. Horace Walpole, writing to Lord Nuneham in November 1773, [102]says:--"The rest of my time has been employed in nursing Rosette--alas!to no purpose. After suffering dreadfully for a fortnight from the timeshe was seized at Nuneham, she has only languished till about ten daysago. As I have nothing to fill my letter, I will send you her epitaph;it has no merit, for it is an imitation, but in coming from the heart ifever epitaph did, and therefore your dogmanity will not dislike it-- 'Sweetest roses of the year, Strew around my Rose's bier, Calmly may the dust repose Of my pretty, faithful Rose! And if yon cloud-topp'd hill[103] behind This frame dissolved, this breath resign'd, Some happier isle, some humbler heaven, Be to my trembling wishes given; Admitted to that equal sky, May sweet Rose bear me company!'" ARRIVAL OF TONTON, A PET DOG, TO WALPOLE. --TONTON DOES NOT UNDERSTANDENGLISH. Horace Walpole, in May 1781, [104] had announced Tonton's arrival to hiscorrespondent, the Hon. H. S. Conway. He says:--"I brought him thismorning to take possession of his new villa, but his inauguration hasnot been at all pacific. As he has already found out that he may be asdespotic as at St Joseph's, he began with exiling my beautiful littlecat, upon which, however, we shall not quite agree. He then flew at oneof my dogs, who returned it by biting his foot till it bled, but wasseverely beaten for it. I immediately rung for Margaret (hishousekeeper) to dress his foot; but in the midst of my tribulation couldnot keep my countenance, for she cried, 'Poor little thing; he does notunderstand my language!' I hope she will not recollect, too, that he isa Papist!" In a postscript he tells the general that Tonton "is acavalier, and a little of the _mousquetaire_ still; but if I do notcorrect his vivacities, at least I shall not encourage them, like mydear old friend. " In a letter of about the same date to Mason the poet, he again alludesto his fondness of Tonton, but adds--"I have no occasion to brag of mydogmanity. "[105] Horace Walpole, in 1774, thus refers to Margaret, in a letter to LadyOssory:--"Who is to have the care of the dear mouse in your absence? Iwish I could spare Margaret, who loves all creatures so well that shewould have been happy in the ark, and sorry when the deluge ceased;unless people had come to see Noah's old house, which she would haveliked still better than cramming his menagerie. "[106] A sly allusion tothe numerous fees Margaret got from visitors. Horace, in another of hisletters, alludes to this, and, in a joke, proposes to marry Margaret toenrich himself. HORACE WALPOLE. --DEATH OF HIS DOG TONTON. Horace Walpole, writing to the Countess of Ossory, Feb. 24, 1789, [107]says:--"I delayed telling you that Tonton is dead, and that I comfortmyself. He was grown stone deaf, and very nearly equally blind, and soweak that the two last days he could not walk up-stairs. Happily he hadnot suffered, and died close by my side without a pang or a groan. Ihave had the satisfaction, for my dear old friend's sake and his own, ofhaving nursed him up, by constant attention, to the age of sixteen, yetalways afraid of his surviving me, as it was scarcely possible he couldmeet a third person who would study his happiness equally. I sent him toStrawberry, and went thither on Sunday to see him buried behind thechapel near Rosette. I shall miss him greatly, and must not have anotherdog; I am too old, and should only breed it up to be unhappy when I amgone. My resource is in two marble kittens that Mrs Damer has given me, of her own work, and which are so much alive that I talk to them, as Idid to poor Tonton! If this is being superannuated, no matter; whendotage can amuse itself it ceases to be an evil. I fear my marbleplayfellows are better adapted to me, than I am to being your ladyship'scorrespondent. " Poor Tonton was left to Walpole by "poor dear Madame deDeffand. " In a letter to the Rev. Mr Cole, in 1781, he announces itsarrival, and how "she made me promise to take care of it the last time Isaw her. That I will most religiously, and make it as happy as ispossible. "[108] ARCHBISHOP WHATELY AND HIS DOGS. "In these rambles he was generally attended by threeuncompromising-looking dogs, the heads of which, if it were possible todraw them together in shamrock form, would forcibly suggest Cerberus. Richard Whately found, or thought he found, in the society of these dogsfar brighter intelligence, and infinitely more fidelity, than in many ofthe Oxford men, who had been fulsomely praised for both. "In devotion to his dogs, Dr Whately continued true to the end of hislife, and during the winter season might be daily seen in St Stephen'sGreen, Dublin, playing at 'tig' or 'hide and seek' with his canineattendants. Sometimes the old archbishop might be seen clambering up atree, secreting his handkerchief or pocket-knife in some cunning nook, then resuming his walk, and, after a while, suddenly affecting to havelost these articles, which the dogs never failed immediately to regain. "That he was a close observer of the habits of dogs and other quadrupedswe have evidence in his able lecture on 'Animal Instinct. ' Dr Whately, when referring to another subject, once said not irrelevantly, 'Thepower of duly appreciating _little_ things belongs to a great mind: anarrow-minded man has it not, for to him they are _great_ things. ' DrWhately was of opinion that some brutes were as capable of exercisingreason as instinct. In his 'Lectures and Reviews' (p. 64) he tells of adog which, being left on the bank of a river by his master, who had goneup the river in a boat, attempted to join him. He plunged into thewater, but not making allowance for the strength of the stream, whichcarried him considerably below the boat, he could not beat up againstit. He landed, and made allowance for the current of the river byleaping in at a place higher up. The combined action of the stream andhis swimming carried him in an oblique direction, and he thus reachedthe boat. Dr Whately adopts the following conclusion--'It appears, then, that we can neither deny reason universally and altogether to brutes, nor instinct to man; but that each possesses a share of both, though invery different proportions. '"[109] SIR DAVID WILKIE COULD NOT SEE A PUN. --"A DOG-ROSE. " The son and biographer of William Collins, the Royal Academician, [110]quotes from a manuscript collection of anecdotes, written by thatcharming painter of country life and landscape, the following on SirDavid Wilkie:--"Wilkie was not quick in perceiving a joke, although hewas always anxious to do so, and to recollect humorous stories, of whichhe was exceedingly fond. As instances, I recollect once when we werestaying at Mr Wells's, at Redleaf, one morning at breakfast a very smallpuppy was running about under the table. 'Dear me, ' said a lady, 'howthis creature teases me!' I took it up and put it into my breast-pocket. Mr Wells said, 'That is a pretty nosegay. '--'Yes, ' said I, 'it is adog-rose. ' Wilkie's attention, sitting opposite, was called to hisfriend's pun, but all in vain. He could not be persuaded to see anythingin it. I recollect trying once to explain to him, with the same want ofsuccess, Hogarth's joke in putting the sign of the woman without a head('The Good Woman') under the window from which the quarrelsome wife isthrowing the dinner into the street. " ULYSSES AND HIS DOG. Richard Payne Knight, in his "Inquiry into the Principles ofTaste, "[111] when treating of the "sublime and pathetic, " quotes thestory of Ulysses and his dog, as follows:--"No Dutch painter everexhibited an image less imposing, or less calculated to inspire awe andterror, or any other of Burke's symptoms or sources of the sublime(unless, indeed, it be a stink), than the celebrated dog of Ulysseslying upon a dunghill, covered with vermin and in the agonies of death;yet, when in such circumstances, on hearing the voice of his old master, who had been absent twenty years, he pricks his ears, wags his tail, andexpires, what heart is not at once melted, elevated, and expanded withall those glowing feelings which Longinus has so well described as thegenuine effects of the true sublime? That master, too--the patient, crafty, and obdurate Ulysses, who encounters every danger and bearsevery calamity with a constancy unshaken, a spirit undepressed, and atemper unruffled--when he sees this faithful old servant perishing inwant, misery, and neglect, yet still remembering his long-lostbenefactor, and collecting the last effort of expiring nature to give asign of joy and gratulation at his return, hides his face and wipes awaythe tear! This is true sublimity of character, which is always mixedwith tenderness--mere sanguinary ferocity being terrible and odious, butnever sublime. [Greek: Agathoi polydakrytoi andres]--_Men prone to tearsare brave_, says the proverbial Greek hemistich; for courage, which doesnot arise from mere coarseness of organisation, but from that sense ofdignity and honour which constitutes the generous pride of a high mind, is founded in sensibility. " FOOTNOTES: [46] "The Olio, " by the late Francis Grose, Esq. , F. A. S. , p. 203. [47] "Dogs and their Ways;" illustrated by numerous anecdotes, compiledfrom authentic sources, by the Rev. Charles Williams. 1863. [48] It may interest the reader, who does not dive deep into literarycuriosities, to refer to the original edition of Hayley's "Cowper" (4to, 1803, vol. I. P. 314), where the poet, in a letter to Samuel Rose, Esq. , written at Weston, August 18, 1788, alludes to his having "composed a_spick_ and _span_ new piece called 'The Dog and the Water-lily;'" andin his next letter, September 11, he sent this piece to his excellentfriend, the London barrister. Visitors to Olney and Weston, who havegone over the poet's walks, cannot but have their love for the gentleand afflicted Cowper most deeply _intensified_. --_See_ Miller's "FirstImpressions. " [49] This book, like Storer's other illustrations of the scenes of thepoems of Burns and Bloomfield, drawn immediately after the death ofthese poets, will become year by year more valuable. [50] "Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable Sir James Mackintosh, "edited by his son, Robert James Mackintosh, Esq. , vol. I. P. 164. [51] "Bawsn't, " having a white stripe down the face. --_Glossary toBurns's Poems. _ [52] See an extract farther on, in proof of this. [53] "The Jordan and the Rhine" (1854), p. 46, and pp. 91-93. [54] _See_ Layard's "Nineveh and its Remains, " vol. Ii. (1849), p. 425. [55] "Ladak, Physical, Statistical, and Historical, " p. 218. [56] "Memoir of Bishop Blomfield, " by his son, i. 220. [57] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 177. [58] A selection from the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. London, 1866, pp. 134-138. [59] "Memoirs of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Bart. , " edited by his son, Charles Buxton, Esq. , B. A. , third edition, p. 139. [60] Moore's "Life of Byron, " chap. Vii. P. 74. [61] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 279. [62] "Memoirs of the Life of Wm. Collins, R. A. , " by his Son, i. 105. [63] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 203. [64] _Loc. Cit. _ p. 213. [65] "The Life, Character, and Literary Labours of Samuel Drew, A. M. , "by his eldest son, p. 66. [66] "Memoirs of Samuel Foote, Esq. , " &c. , by W. Cooke, Esq. , vol. Ii. P. 36. [67] "Life of Thomas Gainsborough, R. A. , " by the late George WilliamFulcher, p. 155. [68] _Edinburgh Review_, 1836, vol. Lxiv. P. 17. [69] "Life and Letters of Elizabeth, last Duchess of Gordon, " by theRev. A. Moody Stuart, 1865, pp. 198-200. [70] Portion of the Journal kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq. , from 1831 to1837, vol. Iii. P. 134. [71] "Life and Times of Sir Joshua Reynolds, " by C. R. Leslie, R. A. AndTom Taylor, M. A. , vol. Ii. P. 191. [72] "John Leifchild, D. D. His Public Ministry, &c. , " by J. R. Leifchild, A. M. , p. 143. [73] Agnes Strickland, "Lives of the Queens of England, " vol. V. P. 293(ed. 1851). [74] "A History of Peeblesshire, " by William Chambers of Glenormiston, p. 428. [75] Vol. I. P. 156. [76] Memoir by his friend, the Rev. John W. Burgon, p. 204. [77] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 44. [78] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 43. [79] "Charles Lamb: his Friends, his Haunts, and his Books, " by PercyFitzgerald, M. A. , 1866, p. 161. [80] Cunningham's Edition of Correspondence, viii. P. 331. [81] "The Table Talk; or, Familiar Discourse of Martin Luther, " p. 66. [82] "The Diary of an Invalid; being the Journal of a Tour in Pursuit ofHealth in Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, and France in 1817-1819, " p. 144. [83] "Common-Place Book, " 4th ser. P. 423. [84] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 24. [85] "Memoir of Baron Larrey, Surgeon-in-chief of the Grande Armée. "London. 1861. P. 191. [86] "England under the House of Hanover, " by Thomas Wright, Esq. , M. A. , vol. Ii. P. 57. [87] "Memoir of Perthes, " vol. Ii. Pp. 153-4. [88] "Original Anecdotes of Peter the Great, collected from theconversation of several persons of distinction at St Petersburg andMoscow, " by Mr Stoehlin, Member of the Imp. Acad. , St Peters. , p. 306. [89] A denthtchick is a soldier appointed to wait on an officer. [90] "Recollections and Anecdotes, " 2d ser. , by Capt. R. H. Gronow, p. 194 (1863). [91] "History of England, from the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace ofVersailles, " by Lord Mahon, vii. P. 261. [92] See Mundy's "Life of Lord Rodney, " vol. I. 258. "Remember me to mydear girls and poor Loup. Kiss them for me. I hope they were pleasedwith my letter. " Vol. Ii. P. 28. [93] "Life of Thomas Ruddiman, A. M. , the Keeper for almost fifty yearsof the Library belonging to the Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh, " p. 4. [94] See her "Autobiography, " p. 85, for an anecdote of her saving alittle dog, tied in a basket of stones, from the water. She called it"Moses. " [95] Vol. Ii. Pp. 264, 265. [96] "Memoir of the Rev. Sydney Smith, " by his daughter, Lady Holland, &c. , vol. I. P. 200. [97] "Life of the Rev. Sydney Smith, " by his daughter, Lady Holland, &c. , vol. I. P. 379. [98] Vol. I. P. 267. [99] "Life and Correspondence, " vol. V. P. 133. [100] "John Leifchild, D. D. , his Public Ministry, Private Usefulness, and Personal Characteristics, " founded upon an autobiography, by J. R. Leifchild, A. M. , p. 34. [101] See Burgon's "Memoir of Patrick F. Tytler, " p. 140. [102] Letter first published in Cunningham's Chronological Edition, vol. Vi. P. 4. [103] Richmond Hill. The dog died at Strawberry Hill. [104] Correspondence, chronologically arranged by Peter Cunningham, viii. P. 39. [105] _Loc. Cit. _, p. 44. [106] Vol. Vi. P. 117. [107] "The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford, " edited by PeterCunningham, now first chronologically arranged, ix. P. 173. [108] _Loc. Cit. _, viii. P. 35. [109] Fitzpatrick, "Memoirs of Richard Whately, Archbishop of Dublin, "vol. I. Pp. 21, 22 (1864). [110] "Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, R. A. , " by his son, W. Wilkie Collins, i. 193. [111] Third edition, 1806, p. 385. WOLF. Surely the man should get a monument who is proved to have killed thelast she-wolf in these islands. How closely allied the wolf is to thedog may be clearly read in the accounts of Polar winterings. Some of thelarger butchers' dogs are singularly wolf-like, and it seems to be_that_ variety which occasionally, as it were, resumes its wolfishhabits of prowling at night and killing numbers of sheep in certaindistricts, as we sometimes read in the country papers of the day. InStrathearn, we lately heard of a very recent instance of this wolf-likeferocity breaking out. The dog was traced with great difficulty, and atlast shot. He proved to be of the kind alluded to. POLSON AND THE LAST SCOTTISH WOLF. Mr Scrope[112] describes, from traditions still existing on the eastcoast of Sutherland, the destruction of what is supposed to have beenthe last Scottish wolf and her cubs. This was between 1690 and 1700. This wolf had committed many depredations on their flocks, and theinhabitants had been unsuccessful in their attempts to hunt it down. A man named Polson, attended by two herd boys, went in search of it. Polson was an old hunter, and had much experience in tracing anddestroying wolves and other predatory animals. Forming his ownconjectures, he proceeded at once to the wild and rugged ground thatsurrounds the rocky mountain-gulley which forms the channel of the burnof Sledale. Here, after a minute investigation, he discovered a narrowfissure in the midst of a confused mass of large fragments of rock, which, upon examination, he had reason to think might lead to a largeropening or cavern below, which the wolf might use as his den. Stoneswere now thrown down, and other means resorted to, to rouse any animalthat might be lurking within. Nothing formidable appearing, the two ladscontrived to squeeze themselves through the fissure, that they mightexamine the interior, while Polson kept guard on the outside. The boysdescended through the narrow passage into a small cavern, which wasevidently a wolf's den, for the ground was covered with bones and hornsof animals, feathers, and egg-shells; and the dark space was somewhatenlivened by five or six active wolf cubs. Not a little dubious of theevent, the voices of the poor boys came up hollow and anxious frombelow, communicating this intelligence. Polson at once desired them todo their best, and to destroy the cubs. Soon after, he heard the feeblehowling of the whelps as they were attacked below, and saw almost at thesame time, to his great horror, a full-grown wolf, evidently the dam, raging furiously at the cries of her young, and now close upon the mouthof the cavern, which she had approached unobserved, among the rockyirregularities of the place. She attempted to leap down at one boundfrom the spot where she was first seen. In this emergency, Polsoninstinctively threw himself forward on the wolf, and succeeded incatching a firm hold of the animal's long and bushy tail, just as theforepart of the body was within the narrow entrance of the cavern. Hehad unluckily placed his gun against a rock, when aiding the boys intheir descent, and could not now reach it. Without apprising the ladsbelow of their imminent peril, the stout hunter kept firm grip of thewolf's tail, which he wound round his left arm; and although themaddened brute scrambled, and twisted, and strove with all her might toforce herself down to the rescue of her cubs, Polson was just able, withthe exertion of all his strength, to keep her from going forward. In themidst of this singular struggle, which passed in silence--for the wolfwas mute, and the hunter, either from the engrossing nature of hisexertions, or from his unwillingness to alarm the boys, spoke not a wordat the commencement of the conflict--his son within the cave, findingthe light excluded from above, asked in Gaelic, and in an abrupt tone, "Father, what is keeping the light from us?"--"If the root of the tailbreak, " replied he, "you will soon know that. " Before long, however, theman contrived to get hold of his hunting-knife, and stabbed the wolf inthe most vital parts he could reach. The enraged animal now attempted toturn and face her foe, but the hole was too narrow to allow of this; andwhen Polson saw his danger, he squeezed her forward, keeping her jammedin, whilst he repeated his stabs as rapidly as he could, until theanimal, being mortally wounded, was easily dragged back and finished. * * * * * A similar story has been given, with the wilds of Canada for the scene. The young Highlander was said to be dirking pigs, while the father waskeeping guard. "Phat's keeping out the licht, fayther?" shouts theson. --"If ta tail preaks, tou 'lt fine tat, " were the question andanswer. FOOTNOTES: [112] "The Art of Deer-Stalking, " &c. , by William Scrope, Esq. , F. L. S. , p. 371. FOX. The sharp-faced fox is a very epitome of cunning, and his name is aby-word for slyness. Farmers know well that no fox, nestling close totheir houses, ever meddles with their poultry. Reynard rambles a goodway from home before he begins to plunder. How admirable is ProfessorWilson's description of fox-hunting, quoted here from the "Noctes. " SirWalter Scott, in one of his topographical essays, has given a curiousaccount of the way in which a fox, acquainted with the "ins and outs" ofa certain old castle, outwitted a whole pack of dogs, who had to jump upsingly to get through a small window to which Reynard led them. Hislarge tail, so bushy and so free, is of great use to Reynard. He oftenbrushes the eyes of his pursuers with it when sprinkled with wateranything but sweet, and which, by its pungency, for a time blinds them. The pursuit of the fox is most exciting, and turns out the lord "of highdegree, " and the country squire and farmer. It is the mostcharacteristic sport of the "better classes" in this country. AN ENTHUSIASTIC FOX-HUNTING SURGEON. [113] A medical gentleman, named Hansted, residing near Newbury, who was veryfond of fox-hunting, ordered his gardener to set a trap for some verminthat infested his garden. As ill luck would have it, a fox was found inthe morning with his leg broken, instead of a plant-eating rabbit. Thegardener took Reynard to the doctor, when he exclaimed, "Why did you notcall me up in the night, that I might have set the leg?" Better latethan never: the surgeon set the leg; the fox recovered, and was killedin due form, after a capital run. FOX-HUNTING. (_From the "Noctes Ambrosianæ, " April 1826. _[114]) _North. _ It seems fox-hunting, too, is cruel. _Shepherd. _ To wham? Is't cruel to dowgs, to feed fifty or sixty o' themon crackers and ither sorts o' food, in a kennel like a Christian house, wi' a clear burn flowin' through 't, and to gie them, twice a-week oraftener, during the season, a brattlin rin o' thretty miles after a fox?Is that cruelty to dowgs? _North. _ But the fox, James? _Shepherd. _ We'll come to the fox by and by. Is't cruel to horses, tobuy a hundred o' them for ae hunt, rarely for less than a hundred poundseach, and aften for five hundred--to feed them on five or sax feeds o'corn _per diem_--and to gie them skins as sleek as satin--and to garthem nicher (_neigh_) wi' fu'ness o' bluid, sae that every vein in theirbodies starts like sinnies (_sinews_)--and to gallop them like deevilsin a hurricane, up hill and doun brae, and loup or soom canals andrivers, and flee ower hedges, and dikes, and palings, like birds, anddrive crashin' through woods, like elephants or rhinoceroses--a' thewhile every coorser flingin' fire-flaughts (_flakes_) frae his een, andwhitening the sweat o' speed wi' the foam o' fury--I say, ca' you thatcruelty to horses, when the hunt charge with all their chivalry, andplain, mountain, or forest are shook by the quadrupedal thunder? _North. _ But the fox, James? _Shepherd. _ We'll come to the fox by and by. Is 't cruel tomen to inspirit wi' a rampagin happiness fivescore o' the flower o'England or Scotland's youth, a' wi' caps and red coats, and whups intheir hauns--a troop o' lauchin, tearin', tallyhoin' "wild and waywardhumorists, " as the doctor ca'd them the tither Sunday? _North. _ I like the expression, James. _Shepherd. _ So do I, or I would not have quoted it. But it's just asapplicable to a set o' outrageous ministers, eatin' and drinkin', andguffawin' at a Presbytery denner. _North. _ But the fox, James? _Shepherd. _ We'll come to the fox by and by. Is't cruel to the lambs, and leverets, and geese, and turkeys, and dyucks, and patricks, and weebirds, and ither animal eatables, to kill the fox that devoors them, andkeeps them in perpetual het water? _North. _ But the fox, James? _Shepherd. _ Deevil take baith you and the fox; I said that we would cometo the fox by and by. Weel, then, wha kens that the fox isna awaysnorin' happy afore the houn's? I hae nae doubt he is, for a fox is nosae complete a coward as to think huntin' cruel; and his haill natureis then on the alert, which in itsel' is happiness. Huntin' him fa'ininto languor and ennui, and growin' ower fat on how-towdies (_barn-doorfowls_). He's no killed every time he's hunted. _North. _ Why, James, you might write for the "Annals of Sporting. " _Shepherd. _ So I do sometimes--and mair o' ye than me, I jalouse; but Iwas gaun to ask ye if ye could imagine the delicht o' a fox gettin' intoan undiggable earth, just when the leadin' houn' was at hishainches?--ae sic moment is aneuch to repay half an hour's dragglethrough the dirt; and he can lick himsel' clean at his leisure, far benin the cranny o' the rock, and come out a' tosh and tidy by the firstdawn o' licht, to snuff the mornin' air, and visit the distantfarm-house before Partlet has left her perch, or Count Crow lifted hishead from beneath his oxter on his shed-seraglio. _North. _ Was ye ever in at a death? Is not that cruel? _Shepherd. _ Do you mean in at the death o' ae fox, or the death o' ahundred thousand men and sixty thousand horses?--the takin' o' a Brush, or a Borodino? _North. _ My dear James, thank ye for your argument. As one Chalmers isworth a thousand Martins, so is one Hogg worth a thousand Chalmerses. _Shepherd. _ Ane may weel lose patience, to think o' fules being sorryfor the death o' a fox. When the jowlers tear him to pieces, he showsfecht, and gangs aff in a snarl. Hoo could he dee mair easier?--and fora' the gude he has ever dune, or was likely to do, he surely had leevedlang eneuch. ARCTIC FOX (_Vulpes lagopus_). This inoffensive and pretty little creature is found in all parts of theArctic lands. Its fur is peculiarly fine and thick; and as in winterthis is closer and more mixed with wool than it is in summer, theintense cold of these regions is easily resisted. When sleeping rolledup into a ball, with the black muzzle buried in the long hairs of thetail, there is not a portion of the body but what is protected from thecold, the shaggy hairs of the brush acting as a respirator or boa forthe mouth and a muff for the paws. Our Arctic travellers have remarked, that it is a peculiarly cleanly animal, and its vigilance is extreme. Itis almost impossible to come on it unawares, for even when appearing tobe soundly asleep, it opens its eyes on the slightest noise being made. During the day it appears to be listless, but no sooner has the nightset in than it is in motion, and it continues very active until morning. The young migrate to the southward in the autumn, and sometimes collectin great numbers on the shores of Hudson's Bay. Mr Graham noticed thatthey came there in November and left in April. [Illustration: Arctic Fox. (Canis Lagopus. )] Sir James Ross found a fox's burrow on the sandy margin of a lake in themonth of July. It had several passages, each opening into a common cell, beyond which was an inner nest, in which the young, six in number, werefound. These had the dusky, lead-coloured livery worn by the parents insummer; and though four of them were kept alive till the followingwinter, they never acquired the pure white coats of the old fox, butretained the dusky colour on the face and sides of the body. The parentshad kept a good larder for their progeny, as the outer cell and theseveral passages leading to it contained many lemmings and ermines, andthe bones of fish, ducks, and hares, in great quantities. Sir JohnRichardson[115] observed them to live in villages, twenty or thirtyburrows being constructed close to each other. A pair were kept by SirJames Ross for the express purpose of watching the changes which takeplace in the colour of their fur. He noticed that they threw off theirwinter dress during the first week in June, and that this change tookplace a few days earlier in the female than in the male. About the endof September the brown fur of the summer gradually became of an ashcolour, and by the middle of October it was perfectly white. Itcontinued to increase in thickness until the end of November. [116] Avariety of a blackish-brown colour is occasionally met with, but this israre: such specimens, Ross remarks, must have extreme difficulty insurprising their prey in a country whose surface is of an unvariedwhite, and must also be much more exposed to the persecutions of theirenemies. The food of this fox is various, but seems to consistprincipally of lemmings and of birds and their eggs. He eats, too, theberries of the _Empetrum nigrum_, a plant common on our own hills, andgoes to the shore for mussels and other shell-fish. Otho Fabricius[117]says he catches the Arctic salmon as that fish approaches the shore tospawn, and that he seizes too the haddock, having enticed it near bybeating the water. Crantz, in his "History of Greenland, " evidentlyalludes to this cunning habit when he observes, "They plash with theirfeet in the water, to excite the curiosity of some kinds of fishes tocome and see what is going forward, and then they snap them up; and _theGreenland women have learnt this piece of art from them_. " Captain Lyonnoticed a fox prowling on a hill-side, and heard him for some hoursafterwards in the neighbourhood imitating the cry of the brent-goose. Inanother part of his Journal he mentions that the bark is so modulated asto give an idea that it proceeds from a distance, though at the time thefox lies at your feet. It struck him that the creature was gifted "withthis kind of ventriloquism in order to deceive its prey as to thedistance it is from them. " It sometimes catches the ptarmigan; andthough it cannot swim, it manages occasionally to get hold of oceanicbirds; in fact, nothing alive which it can master seems to come amiss, and failing to make a meal from something it has caught and killed, theArctic fox is glad, like foxes in more favoured lands, to feed oncarrion. Captain M'Clintock, who commanded the yacht _Fox_ on the Franklin Arcticsearch in 1857 and 1858, wintered in the ice pack of Baffin's Bay. Oneof the party shot an Arctic fox when they were 140 miles from the land. He records in a letter to his brother, [118] that this wanderer from theshore "was very fat, living upon such few dovekies as were silly enoughto spend their winter in the pack. " Martens, in his "Spitzbergen, " says, that some of the ship's crewinformed him, that the fox when he is hungry "lies down as if he wasdead, until the birds fly to him to eat him, which by that trick hecatches and eats. " Our author believed it a fable, but it maynevertheless be one of the many expedients used by a species of a groupwhose name is proverbial for craftiness and cunning. The flesh of the fox is occasionally eaten by the Esquimaux: CaptainLyon, in his "Private Journal, " says that at first all of his party werehorrified at the idea of eating foxes--"But very many soon got thebetter of their fastidiousness and found them good eating; not beingmyself very nice, I soon made the experiment, and found the flesh muchresembling that of kid, and afterwards frequently had a supper of it. " Sir James Clarke Ross, during his five years' imprisonment in BoothiaFelix and the adjoining seas, had ample means of judging of its flavour;he tells us that some of his party, who were the first to taste them, named them "lambs, " from their resemblance in flavour to very younglamb. He adds, that the flesh of the old fox is by no means sopalatable. During that disastrous expedition the flesh of this foxformed one of the principal luxuries of their table, and it was always"reserved for holidays and great occasions. We ate them boiled, or, morefrequently after being parboiled, _roasted_, in a pitch kettle. " When the Arctic Expedition in search of Franklin wintered in LeopoldHarbour in 1848-49, the commander, Sir J. C. Ross, made use of theArctic fox as a messenger. Having caught some of these animals in traps, a collar with information for the missing parties was put round the neckof each before liberation, as the fox is known to travel great distancesin search of food. On Captain Austin's subsequent expedition in 1850-51the same plan was carried out, but it was found to be equally withoutresult. Commander Osborn thus facetiously describes thecircumstance. [119] "Several animals thus intrusted with despatches orrecords were liberated by different ships; but, as the truth must betold, I fear in many cases the next night saw the poor 'postman, ' asJack termed him, in another trap, out of which he would be taken, killed, the skin taken off, and packed away to ornament at some futureday the neck of some fair Dulcinea. As a 'sub, ' I was admitted into thissecret mystery, or, otherwise, I with others might have accounted forthe disappearance of the collared foxes by believing them busy on theirhonourable mission. In order that the crime of killing 'the postmen' maybe recognised in its true light, it is but fair that I should say, thatthe brutes, having partaken once of the good cheer on board or aroundthe ships, seldom seemed satisfied with the mere empty honours of acopper collar, and returned to be caught over and over again. Strictlaws were laid down for their safety, such as that no fox taken alive ina trap was to be killed: of course no fox was after this taken alive;they were all unaccountably dead, unless it was some fortunate wightwhose brush and coat were worthless; in such case he lived either todrag about a quantity of information in a copper collar for the rest ofhis days, or else to die a slow death, as being intended for LordDerby's menagerie. The departure of 'a postman' was a scene of no smallmerriment; all hands, from the captain to the cook, were out to chasethe fox, who, half frightened out of its wits, seemed to doubt which wayto run, whilst loud shouts and roars of laughter, breaking the cold, frosty air, were heard from ship to ship, as the foxhunters, swelled innumbers from all sides, and those that could not run mounted someneighbouring hummock of ice and gave a loud halloo, which said far morefor robust health than for tuneful melody. " The Arctic fox as a captive has often amused our Arctic voyagers, andaccounts of it are to be met with in most of their narratives. CaptainLyon made a pet of one he captured, and confined it on deck in a smallkennel with a piece of chain. The little creature astonished the partyvery much by his extraordinary sagacity, for, on the very first day, having been repeatedly drawn out by his chain, he at length drew hischain in after him whenever he retreated to his hut, and took it in withhis mouth so completely, that no one who valued his fingers wouldventure afterwards to take hold of the end attached to the staple. Sir J. C. Ross observed in Boothia Felix a good deal of difference inthe disposition of specimens, some being easily tamed, whilst otherswould remain savage and untractable even with the kindest treatment. Hefound the females much more vicious than the males. A dog-fox which hisparty captured lived several months with them, and became so tame in ashort time that he regularly attended the dinner-table like a dog, andwas always allowed to go at large about the cabin. When newly caughttheir rage is quite ungovernable, and yet when two are put together theyvery seldom quarrel. They soon get reconciled to confinement. CaptainLyon[120] notices that their first impulse on getting food is to hide itas soon as possible, and this, he observed, they did, even when hungryand by themselves; when there was snow on the ground they piled it overtheir stores, and pressed it down forcibly with their nose. When nosnow was to be obtained, he noticed his pet fox gather the chain intohis mouth, and then carefully coil it so as to cover the meat. Havinggone through this process, and drawn away his chain after him on movingaway, he has sometimes repeated his useless labours five or six times, until disgusted, apparently, at the inability of making the morsel agreater luxury by previous concealment, he has been forced to eat it. These creatures use snow as a substitute for water, and it is pleasingto see them break a large lump with their feet, and roll on the pieceswith evident delight. When the snow lay lightly scattered on the decks, they did not lick it up as dogs do, but by pressing it repeatedly withtheir nose, collected a small lump which they drew into their mouth. It may be added that the specific name _lagopus_, or "hare-foot, " wasgiven to this fox from the soles of its feet being densely covered withwoolly hair, which gives them some resemblance to the feet of a hare. Cuvier remarks that other foxes acquire this hair on the soles whentaken to northern lands. The specimens, figured so admirably by Mr Wolf, were drawn from somebrought alive to the Zoological Gardens by one of the late Arcticexpeditions. --_A. White, in "Excelsior" (with additions). _ FOOTNOTES: [113] _Edinburgh Review_, 1841, vol. Lxxiv. P. 77. [114] "Noctes Ambrosianæ. " Works of Professor Wilson, vol. I. Pp. 136-138. [115] "Fauna Boreali-Americana. " Mammalia, p. 87. [116] Appendix to "Second Voyage, " p. Xii. [117] "Fauna Groenlandica, " p. 20. [118] _Dublin Nat. Hist. Review, 1858_, p. 166. [119] "Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal, " p. 176. [120] "Private Journal, " p. 105. JACKAL. The boy who used to read, long ago, "The Three Hundred Animals, " wasever familiar with "_the Lion's Provider_, " as the menagerie showmen, even now, somewhat pompously style this hungry howler of the desert. The jackal is a social kind of dog, and a pack of hungry or excitedjackals can howl in notes fit to pierce the ears of the deafest. He is amean, starved-looking creature in ordinary circumstances, seeming as ifhis social life prevented his getting what is called _a lion's_ share onany occasion. JACKAL AND TIGER. As Burke was declaiming with great animation against Hastings, he wasinterrupted by little Major Scott. "Am I, " said he, indignantly, "to beteased by the barking of this _jackal_, while I am attacking the royal_tiger_ of Bengal?"[121] CATS. Another fertile subject for anecdote. Who has not some faithful blackTopsy, Tortoise-shell, or Tabby, or rather succession of them, whosebiographies would afford many a curious story? Professor Bell[122] haswell defended the general character of poor pussy from the oft-repeatedcalumnies spread about it. Cats certainly get much attached toindividuals, as well as to houses and articles in them. They want thelovableness and demonstrativeness of dogs; but their habits are verydifferent, and they are strictly organised to adapt them to watch and topounce on their prey. As we have elsewhere remarked, and the remark was founded on observationof our eldest daughter when a very young child, "Your little baby lovesthe pussy, and pussy sheathes her claws most carefully, but should babydraw back her arm suddenly, and pussy accidentally scratch that tenderskin, how the little girl cries! It is, perhaps, her first lesson thatsweets and bitters, pleasures and pains, meekness and ferocity, aremingled in this world. "[123] JEREMY BENTHAM AND HIS PET CAT "SIR JOHN LANGBORN. " Dr, afterwards Sir John, Bowring, in the life of that diligent eccentric"codificator, " Jeremy Bentham, [124] thus alludes to some of hispets:--"Bentham was very fond of animals, particularly '_pussies_, ' ashe called them, 'when they had domestic virtues;' but he had noparticular affection for the common race of _cats_. He had one, however, of which he used to boast that he had 'made a man of him, ' and whom hewas wont to invite to eat maccaroni at his own table. This puss gotknighted, and rejoiced in the name of Sir John Langborn. In his earlydays, he was a frisky, inconsiderate, and, to say the truth, somewhatprofligate gentleman; and had, according to the report of his patron, the habit of seducing light and giddy young ladies of his own race intothe garden of Queen's Square Place; but tired at last, like Solomon, ofpleasures and vanities, he became sedate and thoughtful--took to thechurch, laid down his knightly title, and was installed as the ReverendJohn Langborn. He gradually obtained a great reputation for sanctity andlearning, and a doctor's degree was conferred upon him. When I knew him, in his declining days, he bore no other name than the Reverend DoctorJohn Langborn; and he was alike conspicuous for his gravity andphilosophy. Great respect was invariably shown his reverence; and it wassupposed he was not far off from a mitre, when old age interfered withhis hopes and honours. He departed amidst the regrets of his manyfriends, and was gathered to his fathers, and to eternal rest, in acemetery in Milton's Garden. [125] "'I had a cat, ' he said, 'at Hendon, which used to follow me about evenin the street. George Wilson was very fond of animals too. I remember acat following him as far as Staines. There was a beautiful pig atHendon, which I used to rub with my stick. He loved to come and lie downto be rubbed, and took to following me like a dog. I had a remarkablyintellectual cat, who never failed to attend one of us when we wentround the garden. He grew quite a tyrant, insisting on being fed and onbeing noticed. He interrupted my labours. Once he came with a mosthideous yell, insisting on the door being opened. He tormented Jack(Colls) so much, that Jack threw him out of the window. He was soclamorous that it could not be borne, and means were found to send himto another world. His moral qualities were most despotic--hisintellectual extraordinary; but he was a universal nuisance. " "'From my youth I was fond of cats, as I am still. I was once playingwith one in my grandmother's room. I had heard the story of cats havingnine lives, and being sure of falling on their legs; and I threw the catout of the window on the grass-plot. When it fell it turned towards me, looked in my face and mewed. "Poor thing!" I said, "thou art reproachingme with my unkindness. " I have a distinct recollection of all thesethings. Cowper's story of his hares had the highest interest for me whenyoung; for I always enjoyed the society of tame animals. Wilson had thesame taste--so had Romilly, who kept a noble puss, before he came intogreat business. I never failed to pay it my respects. I rememberaccusing Romilly of violating the commandment in the matter of cats. Myfondness for animals exposed me to many jokes. '" BISSET AND HIS MUSICAL CATS. S. Bisset, to whom we referred before, was a Scotchman, born at Perth. He went to London as a shoemaker; but afterwards turned a broker. About1739 he turned his attention to the teaching of animals. He was verysuccessful, and among the subjects of his experiments were three youngcats. Wilson, in his "Eccentric Mirror, "[126] has recorded that "hetaught these domestic tigers to strike their paws in such directions onthe dulcimer, as to produce several tunes, having music-books beforethem, and squalling at the same time in different keys or tones, first, second, and third, by way of concert. In such a city as London thesefeats could not fail of making some noise. His house was every daycrowded, and great interruption given to his business. Among the rest, he was visited by an exhibitor of wonders. Pinchbeck advised him to apublic exhibition of his animals at the Haymarket, and even promised, onreceiving a moiety, to be concerned in the exhibition. Bisset agreed, but the day before the performance, Pinchbeck declined, and the otherwas left to act for himself. The well-known _Cats' Opera_ was advertisedin the Haymarket; the horse, the dog, the monkeys, and the cats wentthrough their several parts with uncommon applause, to crowded houses, and in a few days Bisset found himself possessed of nearly a thousandpounds to reward his ingenuity. " CONSTANT, CHATEAUBRIAND, AND THE CAT. "Benjamin Constant was accustomed to write in a closet on the thirdstory. Beside him sat his estimable wife, and on his knee his favouritecat; this feline affection he entertained in common with Count deChateaubriand. "[127] LISTON THE SURGEON AND HIS CAT. Robert Liston, the great surgeon, was, it seems, very fond of a cat. DrForbes Winslow asks, "Who has not seen Liston's favourite cat Tom? Thisanimal is considered to be a unique specimen of the feline tribe; and soone would think, to see the passionate fondness which he manifests forit. This cat is always perched on Liston's shoulder, at breakfast, dinner, and tea, in his carriage, and out of his carriage. It is quiteludicrous to witness the devotion which the great operator exhibitstowards his favourite. "[128] Liston was a curious man. He often called on his friends as early as sixo'clock in the morning. In most cases, such calls must have been visitsof formality or quiet jokes at the lazy manners of most men of thepresent age. We know one person whom he called on usually at this earlyhour. It would be more healthy for the young, if they would imitate thistalented surgeon. We may here say that he used to allow one particularnail to grow long. It was a nail he used to guide his knife whenoperating. When at college in 1833 or 1834, we heard a student, who knewthis clever operator well, happily apply the _double-entendre_, "_homoad unguem factus_, " a phrase, Dr Carson, our noble rector at the HighSchool, taught us to translate "_an accomplished man_. " THE BANKER MITCHELL'S ANTIPATHY TO KITTENS. Mr J. T. Smith, once Keeper of the Prints in the British Museum, authorof the "Life and Times of Nollekens, the Royal Academician, "[129] tellsa story of Mr Matthew Mitchell, a banker, who collected prints. "Mr Mitchell had a most serious antipathy to a kitten. He could sit in aroom without experiencing the least emotion from a cat; but directly heperceived a kitten, his flesh shook on his bones, like a snail invinegar. I once relieved him from one of these paroxysms by taking akitten out of the room; on my return he thanked me, and declared hisfeelings to be insupportable upon such an occasion. Long subsequently, Iasked him whether he could in any way account for this agitation. Hesaid he could not, adding that he experienced no such sensations uponseeing a full-grown cat; but that a kitten, after he had looked at itfor a minute or two, in his imagination grew to the size of anoverpowering elephant. " JAMES MONTGOMERY AND HIS CATS. [130] The poet Montgomery was very fond of cats. His biographers say--"Wenever recollect the time when some familiar 'Tabby' or audacious 'Tom'did not claim to share the poet's attention during our familiarinterviews with him in his own parlour. We well recollect one finebrindled fellow, called 'Nero, ' who, during his kittenhood, 'purred' thefollowing epistle to a little girl who had been his playmate:-- "HARTSHEAD, NEAR THE HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, "_July 23, 1825_. "_Harrrrrrr_, "_Mew, wew, auw, mauw, hee, wee, miaw, waw, wurr, whirr, ghurr, wew, mew, whew, isssss, tz, tz, tz, purrurrurrur. _" DONE INTO ENGLISH. "HARRIET, "This comes to tell you that I am very well, and I hope you are so too. I am growing a great cat; pray how do you come on? I wish you were hereto carry me about as you used to do, and I would scratch you to somepurpose, for I can do this much better than I could while you were here. I have not run away yet, but I believe I shall soon, for I find my feetare too many for my head, and often carry me into mischief. Love toSheffelina, though I was always fit to pull her cap when I saw youpetting her. My cross old mother sends her love to you--she shows mevery little now-a-days, I assure you, so I do not care what she doeswith the rest. She has brought me a mouse or two, and I caught onemyself last night; but it was in my dream, and I awoke as hungry as ahunter, and fell to biting at my tail, which I believe I should haveeaten up; but it would not let me catch it. So no more at present from TINY. "_P. S. _--They call me Tiny yet, you see; but I intend to take the nameof Nero, after the lion fight at Warwick next week, if the lionconquers, not else. "_2d P. S. _--I forgot to tell you that I can beg, but I like better tosteal, --it's more natural, you know. "HARRIET, at Ockbrook. " SIR WALTER SCOTT'S VISIT TO THE BLACK DWARF. --DAVID RITCHIE'S CAT. David Ritchie, the prototype of the "Black Dwarf, " inhabited a smallcottage on the farm of Woodhouse, parish of Manor, Peeblesshire. In theyear 1797, Walter Scott, then a young advocate, was taken by theFergusons to see "Bowed Davie, " as the poor misanthropic man wasgenerally called. Mr William Chambers, [131] the historian of his native county, describesthe visit at greater length than Scott has done in the introduction tohis novel. He says--"At the first sight of Scott, the misanthrope seemedoppressed with a sentiment of extraordinary interest, which was eitherowing to the lameness of the stranger--a circumstance throwing anarrower gulf between this person and himself than what existed betweenhim and most other men--or to some perception of an extraordinary mentalcharacter in this limping youth, which was then hid from other eyes. After grinning upon him for a moment with a smile less bitter than hiswont, the dwarf passed to the door, double-locked it, and then coming upto the stranger, seized him by the wrist with one of his iron hands, andsaid, 'Man, hae ye ony poo'er?' By this he meant magical power, to whichhe had himself some vague pretensions, or which, at least, he hadstudied and reflected upon till it had become with him a kind ofmonomania. Scott disavowed the possession of any gifts of that kind, evidently to the great disappointment of the inquirer, who then turnedround and gave a signal to a huge black cat, hitherto unobserved, whichimmediately jumped up to a shelf, where it perched itself, and seemed tothe excited senses of the visitors as if it had really been the familiarspirit of the mansion. 'He has poo'er, ' said the dwarf in a voice whichmade the flesh of the hearers thrill, and Scott, in particular, lookedas if he conceived himself to have actually got into the den of one ofthose magicians with whom his studies had rendered him familiar. 'Ay, _he_ has poo'er, ' repeated the recluse; and then, going to his usualseat, he sat for some minutes grinning horribly, as if enjoying theimpression he had made, while not a word escaped from any of the party. Mr Ferguson at length plucked up his spirits, and called to David toopen the door, as they must now be going. The dwarf slowly obeyed, andwhen they had got out, Mr Ferguson observed that his friend was as paleas ashes, while his person was agitated in every limb. Under suchstriking circumstances was this extraordinary being first presented tothe _real_ magician, who was afterwards to give him such a deathlesscelebrity. " Mr Chambers doubtless received the particulars of this visit from SirAdam Ferguson, Scott's friend and companion. * * * * * Robert Southey, like Jeremy Bentham, with whom the Quarterly Reviewerwould have grudged to have been classified, loved cats. His son, in his"Life and Correspondence, " vol. Vi. P. 210, says--"My father's fondnessfor cats has been occasionally shown by allusion in his letters, [132]and in 'The Doctor' is inserted an amusing memorial of the various catswhich at different times were inmates of Greta Hall. He rejoiced inbestowing upon them the strangest appellations, and it was not a littleamusing to see a kitten answer to the name of some Italian singer orIndian chief, or hero of a German fairy tale, and often names and titleswere heaped one upon another, till the possessor, unconscious of thehonour conveyed, used to 'set up his eyes and look' in wonderment. MrBedford had an equal liking for the feline race, and occasional noticesof their favourites therefore passed between them, of which thefollowing records the death of one of the greatest:-- "'_To Grosvenor C. Bedford, Esq. _ "'KESWICK, _May 18, 1833_. "'My Dear G---- ... --Alas! Grosvenor, this day poor old Rumpel was founddead, after as long and happy a life as cat could wish for, if cats formwishes on that subject. His full titles were:--"The Most Noble theArchduke Rumpelstiltzchen, Marquis M'Bum, Earl Tomlemagne, BaronRaticide, Waowhler, and Skaratch. " There should be a court mourning inCatland, and if the Dragon[133] wear a black ribbon round his neck, or aband of crape _à la militaire_ round one of the fore paws, it will bebut a becoming mark of respect. "'As we have no catacombs here, he is to be decently interred in theorchard, and cat-mint planted on his grave. Poor creature, it is wellthat he has thus come to his end after he had become an object of pity, I believe we are, each and all, servants included, more sorry for hisloss, or rather more affected by it, than any one of us would like toconfess. "'I should not have written to you at present, had it not been to notifythis event. R. S. '" In a letter from Leyden to his son Cuthbert, then in his seventh year, he says--"I hope Rumpelstiltzchen has recovered his health, and thatMiss Cat is well; and I should like to know whether Miss Fitzrumpel hasbeen given away, and if there is another kitten. The Dutch cats do notspeak exactly the same language as the English ones. I will tell you howthey talk when I come home. "[134] ARCHBISHOP WHATELY'S ANECDOTE OF THE CAT THAT USED TO RING THE BELL. Archbishop Whately[135] records a case of an act done by a cat, which, if done by a man, would be called reason. He says--"This cat lived manyyears in my mother's family, and its feats of sagacity were witnessed byher, my sisters, and myself. It was known, not merely once or twice, buthabitually, to ring the parlour bell whenever it wished the door to beopened. Some alarm was excited on the first occasion that it turnedbell-ringer. The family had retired to rest, and in the middle of thenight the parlour-bell was rung violently; the sleepers were startledfrom their repose, and proceeded down-stairs, with pokers and tongs, tointerrupt, as they thought, the predatory movement of some burglar; butthey were agreeably surprised to discover that the bell had been rung bypussy; who frequently repeated the act whenever she wanted to get out ofthe parlour. " * * * * * A friend (D. D. , Esq. , Edinburgh) tells me of a cat his family had inthe country, that used regularly to "_tirl at the pin_" of the back doorwhen it wished to get in to the house. FOOTNOTES: [121] Mark Lemon, "Jest-Book, " p. 280. [122] "British Quadrupeds. " The professor has long retired to hisfavourite Selborne. He occupies the house of Gilbert White; and a newillustrated edition of the "Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne"has been long looked for from him. [123] "The Instructive Picture Book; or, A Few Attractive Lessons fromthe Natural History of Animals, " by Adam White, p. 15 (fifth edition, 1862). [124] "The Works of Jeremy Bentham, " now first collected under thesuperintendence of his executor, John Bowring, vol. Xi. Pp. 80, 81. [125] Jeremy Bentham's house in Queen's Square was that which had beenoccupied by the great poet. [126] Vol. I. No. 3. P. 27. [127] _Times_, 18 Dec. 1830, quoted by Southey, "Common-Place Book, " iv. P. 489. [128] "Physic and Physicians, " a medical sketch-book, vol. Ii. P. 363(1839). [129] "A Book for a Rainy Day, " p. 103. Old Smith was a regular hunterafter legacies, and like all such was often disappointed. His"Nollekens" is a fine example. [130] "Memoirs of James Montgomery, " by Holland and Everett, iv. Pp. 114, 115. [131] "A History of Peeblesshire, " by William Chambers of Glenormiston, p. 403 (1864). [132] See vol. V. P. 145. [133] A cat of Mr Bedford's. [134] "Life and Correspondence, " v. P. 223. [135] On Instinct, a Lecture delivered before the Dublin Natural HistorySociety, 11th November 1842. Dublin, 1847. P. 10. TIGER AND LION. These most ferocious of the Carnivora have afforded interesting subjectsto many a traveller. An extensive volume of truly sensational adventuremight be compiled about them, adding a chapter for the jaguar and theleopard, two extremely dangerous spotted cats, that can do what neithertigers nor lions are able to do--namely, climb trees. Having once askeda friend, who was at the death of many a wild beast, which was the mostsavage animal he had ever seen, he replied, "A wounded leopard. " It wasto such an animal that Jacob referred when he saw Joseph's clothes, andsaid--"Some evil beast hath devoured him. " Colonel Campbell's work, fromwhich the first paragraph is derived, contains much about the pursuit ofthe tiger. Dr Livingstone's travels and Gordon Cumming's books on SouthAfrica, neither of which we have quoted, have thrilling pages about thelordly presence of "the king of beasts. " Mr Joseph Wolf and Mr Lewis areperhaps the best draughtsmen of the lion among recent artists. Thepublic admire much Sir Edwin Landseer's striking bronze lions on thepedestal of the Nelson Monument. That artist excels in his pictures ofthe lion. On the Assyrian monuments in the British Museum are manywonderfully executed lion hunts, as perfectly preserved as if they hadbeen chiselled in our day. Parts of these bas-reliefs were certainlydesigned from actual sketches made from the lions and dogs, which tookthe chief part in the amusements of some "Nimrod, a mighty hunter beforethe Lord. " Even our Scottish kings kept a lion or lions as ornaments oftheir court. At Stirling Castle and Palace, a room which we saw in 1865, still bears the name of the "Lion's Den. " The British lion is an oldemblem of both Scotland and England, and it is not twenty-five years agosince we, in common with every visitor to the Tower, were glad to see"the Royal Lion. " Dr Livingstone's experience, we have not the slightestwish to prove its accuracy, shows that the lion has a soothing, orrather paralysing power over his prey, when he has knocked it down orbitten it. BUSSAPA, THE TIGER-SLAYER, AND THE TIGER. The following striking anecdote recounts the extraordinary presence ofmind and determined courage of a celebrated Mahratta hunter namedBussapa. This man acquired the name of the "Tiger-slayer, " and wore onhis breast several silver medals granted by the Indian Government forfeats of courage in destroying tigers. Colonel Campbell met him, and in"My Indian Journal" (pp. 142, 143), published in 1864, has recorded fromhis brother's diary the following anecdote:--"Bussapa, a hunter of'Lingyat' caste, with whom I am well acquainted, was sent for by theheadman of a village, to destroy a tiger which had carried off a numberof cattle. He came, and having ascertained the brute's usual haunts, fastened a bullock near the edge of a ravine which he frequented, andquietly seated himself beside it, protected only by a small bush. Soonafter sunset the tiger appeared, killed the bullock, and was gluttinghimself with blood, when Bussapa, thrusting his long matchlock throughthe bush, fired, and wounded him severely. The tiger half rose, butbeing unable to see his assailant on account of the intervening bush, dropped again on his prey with a sudden growl. Bussapa was kneelingwithin three paces of him, completely defenceless; he did not even dareto reload, for he well knew that the slightest movement on his partwould be the signal for his immediate destruction; his bare knees werepressed upon gravel, but he dared not venture to shift his uneasyposition. Ever and anon, the tiger, as he lay with his glaring eyesfixed upon the bush, uttered his hoarse growl of anger; his hot breathabsolutely blew upon the cheek of the wretched man, yet still he movednot. The pain of his cramped position increased every moment--suspensebecame almost intolerable; but the motion of a limb, the rustling of aleaf, would have been death. Thus they remained, the man and the tiger, watching each other's motions; but even in this fearful situation, hispresence of mind never for a moment forsook the noble fellow. He heardthe gong of the village strike each hour of that fearful night, thatseemed to him 'eternity, ' and yet he lived; the tormenting mosquitoesswarmed round his face, but he dared not brush them off. That fiend-likeeye met his whenever he ventured a glance towards the horrid spell thatbound him; and a hoarse growl grated on the stillness of the night, as apassing breeze stirred the leaves that sheltered him. Hours rolled on, and his powers of endurance were well-nigh exhausted, when, at length, the welcome streaks of light shot up from the eastern horizon. On theapproach of day, the tiger rose, and stalked away with a sulky pace, toa thicket at some distance, and then the stiff and wearied Bussapa feltthat he was safe. "One would have thought that, after such a night of suffering, he wouldhave been too thankful for his escape, to venture on any further risk. But the valiant Bussapa was not so easily diverted from his purpose; assoon as he had stretched his cramped limbs, and restored the checkedcirculation, he reloaded his matchlock, and coolly proceeded to finishhis work. With his match lighted, he advanced close to the tiger, lyingready to receive him, and shot him dead by a ball in the forehead, whilein the act of charging. " Colonel Campbell relates, that most of Bussapa's family have fallenvictims to tigers. But the firm belief of the "tiger-slayer" inpredestination, makes him blind to all danger. JOHN HUNTER AND THE DEAD TIGER. The greatest comparative anatomist our country has produced, JohnHunter, obtained the refusal of all animals which happened to die in theTower or in the travelling menageries. In this way he often obtainedrare subjects for his researches. Dr Forbes Winslow[136] alludes to awell-known fact, that all the money Hunter could spare, was devoted toprocuring curiosities of this sort, and Sir Everard Home used to state, that as soon as he had accumulated fees to the amount of ten guineas, healways purchased some addition to his collection. Indeed, he was notunfrequently obliged to borrow of his friends, when his own funds wereat a low ebb, and the temptation was strong. "Pray, George, " said he oneday to Mr G. Nicol, the bookseller to the king, with whom he was veryintimate, "have you got any money in your pocket?" Mr N. Replied in theaffirmative. "Have you got five guineas? Because, if you have, and willlend it me, you shall go halves. "--"Halves in what?" inquired hisfriend. --"Why, halves in a magnificent tiger, which is now dying inCastle Street. " Mr Nicol lent the money, and Hunter purchased the tiger. TIGERS. Mrs Colin Mackenzie[137] records the death of a man from the wounds of atiger. "The tiger, " she says, "was brought in on the second day. He diedfrom the wound he had received. I gave the body to the Dhers in ourservice, who ate it. The claws and whiskers are greatly prized by thenatives as charms. The latter are supposed to give the possessor acertain malignant power over his enemies, for which reason I alwaystake possession of them to prevent our people getting them. The tiger isvery commonly worshipped all over India. The women often prostratethemselves before a dead tiger, when sportsmen are bringing it home intriumph; and in a village, near Nagpur, Mr Hislop found a number of rudeimages, almost like four-legged stools, which, on inquiry, proved to bemeant for tigers, who were worshipped as the tutelary deities of theplace. I believe a fresh image is added for every tiger that is slain. " LION AND TIGER. A jolly jack-tar, having strayed into Atkin's show at Bartholomew Fair, to have a look at the wild beasts, was much struck with the sight of alion and a tiger in the same den. "Why, Jack, " said he to a messmate, who was chewing a quid in silent amazement, "I shouldn't wonder if nextyear they were to carry about _a sailor and a marine living peaceablytogether_!"--"Ay, " said his married companion, "_or a man andwife_. "[138] We may add that we have long regarded it as a vile calumny to twoanimals to say of a man and wife who quarrel, that they live "a cat anddog life. " No two animals are better agreed when kept together. Eachknows his own place and keeps it. Hence they live at peace--speaking"generally, " as "Mr Artemus Ward" would say of "such an observation. " ANDROCLES AND THE LION. Addison, [139] in the 139th _Guardian_, has given us the story ofAndrocles and the Lion. He prefaces it by saying that he has no regard"to what Æsop has said upon the subject, whom, " says he, "I look upon tohave been a republican, by the unworthy treatment which he often givesto the king of beasts, and whom, if I had time, I could convict offalsehood and forgery in almost every matter of fact which he hasrelated of this generous animal. " Better observation of it, however, from the time of Burchell to that ofLivingstone, shows that Æsop's account is on the whole to be relied on, and that the lion is a thorough cat, treacherous, cruel, and, for themost part, with a good deal of the coward in him. The story of Androcles was related by Aulus Gellius, who extracted itfrom Dion Cassius. Although likely to be embellished, there is everylikelihood of the foundation of the story being true. Addison relatesthis, "for the sake of my learned reader, who needs go no further in it, if he has read it already:--Androcles was the slave of a noble Roman whowas proconsul of Afric. He had been guilty of a fault, for which hismaster would have put him to death, had not he found an opportunity toescape out of his hands, and fled into the deserts of Numidia. As he waswandering among the barren sands, and almost dead with heat and hunger, he saw a cave in the side of a rock. He went into it, and finding at thefarther end of it a place to sit down upon, rested there for some time. At length, to his great surprise, a huge overgrown lion entered at themouth of the cave, and seeing a man at the upper end of it, immediatelymade towards him. Androcles gave himself up for gone;[140] but the lion, instead of treating him as he expected, laid his paw upon his lap, andwith a complaining kind of voice, fell a licking his hand. Androcles, after having recovered himself a little from the fright he was in, observed the lion's paw to be exceedingly swelled by a large thorn thatstuck in it. He immediately pulled it out, and by squeezing the paw verygently made a great deal of corrupt matter run out of it, which, probably freed the lion from the great anguish he had felt some timebefore. The lion left him upon receiving this good office from him, andsoon after returned with a fawn which he had just killed. This he laiddown at the feet of his benefactor, and went off again in pursuit of hisprey. Androcles, after having sodden the flesh of it by the sun, subsisted upon it until the lion had supplied him with another. He livedmany days in this frightful solitude, the lion catering for him withgreat assiduity. Being tired at length with this savage society, he wasresolved to deliver himself up into his master's hands, and suffer theworst effects of his displeasure, rather than be thus driven out frommankind. His master, as was customary for the proconsuls of Africa, wasat that time getting together a present of all the largest lions thatcould be found in the country, in order to send them to Rome, that theymight furnish out a show to the Roman people. Upon his poor slavesurrendering himself into his hands, he ordered him to be carried awayto Rome as soon as the lions were in readiness to be sent, and that forhis crime he should be exposed to fight with one of the lions in theamphitheatre, as usual, for the diversion of the people. This was allperformed accordingly. Androcles, after such a strange run of fortune, was now in the area of the theatre, amidst thousands of spectators, expecting every moment when his antagonist would come out upon him. Atlength a huge monstrous lion leaped out from the place where he had beenkept hungry for the show. He advanced with great rage towards the man, but on a sudden, after having regarded him a little wistfully, fell tothe ground, and crept towards his feet with all the signs ofblandishment and caress. Androcles, after a short pause, discovered thatit was his old Numidian friend, and immediately renewed his acquaintancewith him. Their mutual congratulations were very surprising to thebeholders, who, upon hearing an account of the whole matter fromAndrocles, ordered him to be pardoned, and the lion to be given up intohis possession. Androcles returned at Rome the civilities which he hadreceived from him in the deserts of Afric. Dion Cassius says, that hehimself saw the man leading the lion about the streets of Rome, thepeople everywhere gathering about them, and repeating to one another, '_Hic est leo hospes hominis; hic est homo medicus leonis_. ' 'This isthe lion who was the man's host; this is the man who was the lion'sphysician. '" We are glad to repeat this anecdote, although some may call it "staleand old. " The last time we were at the Zoological Gardens, in theRegents Park, London, we saw a lion very kindly come and rub itselfagainst the rails of its den, on seeing a turbaned visitor come up, whoaddressed it. The man had been kind to it on its passage home. It wasby no means a tame lion, nor one that its keeper would have ventured totouch. SIR GEORGE DAVIS AND THE LION Steele, in the 146th _Guardian_, [141] has followed up a paper byAddison, on the subject of lions, and gives an anecdote sent him, hesays, by "a worthy merchant and a friend of mine, " who had it in theyear 1700 from the gentleman to whom it happened. "About sixty years ago, when the plague raged at Naples, Sir GeorgeDavis, consul there for the English nation, retired to Florence. Ithappened one day he went out of curiosity to see the great duke's lions. At the farther end, in one of the dens, lay a lion, which the keepers inthree years' time could not tame, with all the art and gentle usageimaginable. Sir George no sooner appeared at the grates of the den, butthe lion ran to him with all the marks of joy and transport he wascapable of expressing. He reared himself up, and licked his hand, whichthis gentleman put in through the grates. The keeper affrighted, tookhim by the arm and pulled him away, begging him not to hazard his lifeby going so near the fiercest creature of that kind that ever enteredthose dens. However, nothing would satisfy Sir George, notwithstandingall that could be said to dissuade him, but he must go into the den tohim. The very instant he entered, the lion threw his paws upon hisshoulders, and licked his face, and ran to and fro in the den, fawningand full of joy, like a dog at the sight of his master. After severalembraces and salutations exchanged on both sides, they parted very goodfriends. The rumour of this interview between the lion and the strangerrung immediately through the whole city, and Sir George was very nearpassing for a saint among the people. The great duke, when he heard ofit, sent for Sir George, who waited upon his highness, to the den, andto satisfy his curiosity, gave him the following account of what seemedso strange to the duke and his followers:-- "'A captain of a ship from Barbary gave me this lion when he was a youngwhelp. I brought him up tame, but when I thought him too large to besuffered to run about the house, I built a den for him in my courtyard;from that time he was never permitted to go loose, except when I broughthim within doors to show him to my friends. When he was five years old, in his gamesome tricks, he did some mischief by pawing and playing withpeople. Having griped a man one day a little too hard, I ordered him tobe shot, for fear of incurring the guilt of what might happen; upon thisa friend who was then at dinner with me begged him: how he came here Iknow not. ' Here Sir George Davis ended, and thereupon the Duke of Tuscany assuredhim that he had the lion from that very friend of his. " CANOVA'S LIONS AND THE CHILD. The mausoleum of Pope Clement XII. , whose name was Rezzonico, is one ofthe greatest works of Antonio Canova, the celebrated Italian sculptor. It is in St Peter's, at Rome, and was erected in 1792. It is onlymentioned here on account of two lions, which were faithfully studiedfrom nature. His biographer, Mr Memes, [142] tells us that these lions were formed"after long and repeated observation on the habits and forms of theliving animals. Wherever they were to be seen Canova constantly visitedthem, at all hours, and under every variety of circumstances, that hemight mark their natural expression in different states of action and ofrepose, of ferocity or gentleness. One of the keepers was even paid tobring information, lest any favourable opportunity should passunimproved. " One of these lions is sleeping, while the other, which is under thefigure of the personification of religion, couches--but is awake, inattitude of guarding inviolate the approach to the sepulchre, and readywith a tremendous roar to spring upon the intruder. Canova himself was much pleased with these lions. Mr Memes illustratestheir wonderful force and truth by a little anecdote. "One day, while the author (a frequent employment) stood at somedistance admiring from different points of view the tomb of Rezzonico, awoman with a child in her arms advanced to the lion, which appears to bewatching. The terrified infant began to scream violently, clinging tothe nurse's bosom, and exclaiming, '_Mordera, mamma, mordera!_' (It willbite, mamma; it will bite. ) The mother turned to the opposite one, whichseems asleep; her charge was instantly pacified; and smiling throughtears, extended its little arm to stroke the shaggy head, whispering insubdued accents, as if afraid to awake the monster, '_O come placido!non mordero quello, mamma. _' (How gentle! this one will not bite, mother. ") ADMIRAL NAPIER AND THE LION IN THE TOWER. Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K. C. B. , when a boy in his fourteenth year, visited London on his way to join his first ship at Spithead, the_Renown_. His biographer tells us he was staying at the house of arelative, who, "after showing the youngster all the London sights, tookhim to see the lions at the Tower. Amongst them was one which the keeperrepresented as being so very tame that, said he, 'you might put yourhand into his mouth. ' Taking him at his word, the young middy, to thehorror of the spectators, thrust his hand into the jaws of the animal, who, no doubt, was taken as much by surprise as the lookers-on. It was adaring feat; but providentially he did not suffer for histemerity. "[143] This reminds the biographer of Nelson's feat with thepolar bear, and of Charles Napier's (the soldier) bold adventure with aneagle in his boyhood, as related by Sir William Napier in the history ofhis gallant brother's life. OLD LADY AND THE BEASTS ON THE MOUND. When the houses were cleared from the head of the Mound in Edinburgh, atravelling menagerie had set up its caravans on that great earthenbridge, just at the time when George Ferguson, the celebrated Scotchadvocate, better known by his justiciary title of Lord Hermand, came up, full of Pittite triumph that the ministry of "all the talents" hadfallen. "They are out! they are all out! every mother's son of them!" heshouted. A lady, who heard the words, and perceived his excitedcondition, imagined that he referred to the wild beasts; and seizing thejudge by his arm, exclaimed, "Gude heaven! we shall a' bedevoored!"[144] FOOTNOTES: [136] "Physics and Physicians: a Medical Sketch-Book, " vol. I. P. 174. It was published anonymously in 1839. [137] "Life in the Mission, the Camp, and the Zenánà; or, Six Years inIndia, " vol. Ii. P. 382. [138] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 237. [139] August 20, 1713. Chalmers's edition of "British Essayists, " vol. Xviii. P. 85. [140] Up for lost. [141] August 28, 1713. Chalmers's edition of "British Essayists, " vol. Xviii p. 116. [142] "Memoirs of Antonio Canova, " by J. S. Memes, A. M. 1825. Pp. 332, 334, 346. [143] "The Life of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K. C. B, " by Major-GeneralElers Napier, vol. I. P. 8. SEALS. A most intelligent group of creatures, some of which the compiler haswatched in Yell Sound, close to Mossbank. He has even seen them once ortwice in the Forth, close to the end of the pier. In the ZoologicalGardens a specimen of the common seal proved for months a great sourceof attraction by its mild nature, and its singular form and activity. Itsoon died, and, had a coroner's jury returned a verdict, it would havebeen "Death from the hooks swallowed with the fish" daily provided. Wehave heard seal-fishers describe the great rapidity of the growth ofseals in the Arctic seas. They seem in about a fortnight after theirbirth to attain nearly the size of their mothers. The same has beenrecorded of the whale order. Both seals and whales have powers ofassimilating food and making fat that are unparalleled even by pigs. Theintelligence of seals is marvellous. Many who visited the ZoologicalGardens in the Regent's Park in May and June 1866 witnessed instances ofthis in a seal from the South Seas, recently exhibited in London. Persons on the sea-side might readily domesticate these interesting andtruly affectionate creatures. Hooker's sea-bear, the species exhibitedin London, was at first, so the kind Frenchman told us, very fierce, butsoon got reconciled to him, and, when I saw it, great was the mutualattachment. It was a strangely interesting sight to see the greatcreature walk on its fin-like legs, and clamber up and kiss thegenial-bearded French sailor. DR ADAM CLARKE ON SHETLAND SEALS. In Shetland, Dr Adam Clarke tells us the popular belief is that theseals, or, as they call them, _selkies_, are fallen spirits, and that itis dangerous to kill any of them, as evil will assuredly happen to himwho does. They think that when the blood of a seal touches the water, the sea begins to rise and swell. Those who shoot them notice that gullsappear to watch carefully over them; and Mr Edmonston assured him thathe has known a gull scratch, a seal to warn it of his approach. DrClarke, in the second of his voyages to Shetland, had a seal on board, which was caught on the Island of Papa. He says:--"It refuses allnourishment; it is very young, and about three feet long; it roarsnearly like a calf, but not so loud, and continually crawls about thedeck, seeking to get again to sea. As I cannot bear its cries, I intendto return it to the giver. Several of them have been tamed by theShetlanders, and these will attend their owners to the place where thecows are milked, in order to get a drink. This was the case with one MrHenry of Burrastow brought up. When it thought proper it would go to seaand forage there, but was sure to return to land, and to its owner. Theytell me that it is a creature of considerable sagacity. The young sealmentioned above made his escape over the gangway, and got to sea. I amglad of it; for its plaintive lowing was painful to me. We saw itafterwards making its way to the ocean. "[145] DR EDMONSTON ON SHETLAND SEALS. Every one familiar with seals is struck with their plaintive, intelligent faces, and any one who has seen the seals from time to timeliving in the Zoological Gardens must have been pleased with the marksof attention paid by them to their keepers. Dr Edmonston of Balta Soundhas published in the "Memoirs of the Wernerian Society"[146] a graphicand valuable paper on the distinctions, history, and hunting of seals inthe Shetland Isles. As that gentleman is a native of Unst, and had, whenhe wrote the Memoir, been for more than twenty years actively engaged intheir pursuit, both as an amusement and as a study, we may extract twoor three interesting passages. He remarks (p. 29) on the singular circumstance that so few additionshave been made to the list of domestic animals bequeathed to us fromremote antiquity, and mentions the practicability of an attempt beingmade to tame seals; and also says that it is yet to be learned whetherthey would breed in captivity and remain reclaimed from the wild state. The few instances recorded in books of natural history of tame sealsrefer to the species called _Phoca vitulina_, but of the processes ofrearing and education we have no details. "The trials, " continues DrEdmonston, "I have made on these points have been equally numerous onthe great as on the common seal. By far the most interesting one I everhad was a young male of the _barbata_ species: he was taken by myselffrom a cave when only a few hours old, and in a day or two became asattached as a dog to me. The varied movements and sounds by which heexpressed delight at my presence and regret at my absence were mostaffecting; these sounds were as like as possible to the inarticulatetones of the human voice. I know no animal capable of displaying moreaffection than he did, and his temper was the gentlest imaginable. Ikept him for four or five weeks, feeding him entirely on warm milk fromthe cow; in my temporary absence butter-milk was given to him, and hedied soon after. "Another was a female, also of the great seal species, which we capturedin a cave when about six weeks old, in October 1830. This individualwould never allow herself to be handled but by the person who chieflyhad the charge of her, yet even she soon became comparatively familiar. "It was amusing to see how readily she ascended the stairs, which sheoften did, intent, as it seemed, on examining every room in the house;on showing towards her signs of displeasure and correction, shedescended more rapidly and safely than her awkwardness seemed topromise. "She was fed from the first on fresh fish alone, and grew and fattenedconsiderably. We had her carried down daily in a hand-barrow to thesea-side, where an old excavation admitting the salt water wasabundantly roomy and deep for her recreation and our observation. Aftersporting and diving for some time she would come ashore, and seemedperfectly to understand the use of the barrow. Often she tried to waddlefrom the house to the water, or from the latter to her apartment, butfinding this fatiguing, and seeing preparations by her chairman, shewould of her own accord mount her palanquin, and thus be carried ascomposedly as any Hindoo princess. By degrees we ventured to let her gofairly into the sea, and she regularly returned after a short interval;but one day during a thick fall of snow she was imprudently let off asusual, and, being decoyed some distance out of sight of the shore bysome wild ones which happened to be in the bay at the time, she eithercould not find her way back or voluntarily decamped. "She was, we understood, killed very shortly after in a neighbouringinlet. We had kept her about six months, and every moment she wasbecoming more familiar; we had dubbed her Finna, and she seemed to knowher name. Every one that saw her was struck with her appearance. "The smooth face without external ears--the nose slightly aquiline--thelarge, dark, and beautiful eye which stood the sternest human gaze, gaveto the expression of her countenance such dignity and variety that weall agreed that it really was _super_-animal. The Scandinavian Scald, with such a mermaid before him, would find in her eye a metaphor soemphatic that he would have no reason to borrow the favourite orientalimage of the gazelles from his Caucasian ancestors. "This remarkable expressiveness and dignity of aspect of the_Haff-fish_, so superior to all other animals with which the fishermenof Shetland were acquainted, and the human character of his voice, mayhave procured for him that peculiar respect with which he was regardedby those who lived nearest his domains, and were admitted to mostfrequent intercourse with him. He was the favourite animal ofsuperstition, and a few tales of him are still current. These, however, are not of much interest or variety, the leading ideas in them beingthese: That the great seal is a human soul, or a fallen angel inmetempsychosis, and that to him who is remarkable for hostility to thephocal race some fatal retribution will ensue. I can easily conceive thefeeling of awe with which a fisherman would be impressed when, in thesombre magnificence of some rocky solitude, a great seal suddenlypresented himself, for an interview of this kind once occurred tomyself. "I was lying one calm summer day on a rock a little elevated above thewater, watching the approach of seals, in a small creek formed byfrowning precipices several hundred feet high, near the north point ofthe Shetland Islands. "I had patiently waited for two hours, and the scene and the sunshinehad thrown me into a kind of reverie, when my companion, who was moreawake, arrested my attention. A full-sized female haff-fish was swimmingslowly past, within eight yards of my feet, her head askance, and hereyes fixed upon me; the gun, charged with two balls, was immediatelypointed. I followed her with the aim for some distance, when she divedwithout my firing. "I resolved that this omission should not recur, if she afforded meanother opportunity of a shot, which I hardly hoped for, but whichactually in a few moments took place. Still I did not fire, until, whenat a considerable distance, she was on the eve of diving, and she eludedthe shot by springing to a side. Here was really a species offascination. The wild scene, the near presence and commanding aspect ofthe splendid animal before me, produced a spellbound impression which, in my sporting experience, I never felt before. "On reflection, I was delighted that she escaped. "The younger seals are the more easy to tame, but the more difficult torear; under a month old they must be fed, and, especially the _barbata_, almost entirely on milk, and that of the cow seems hardly to agree withthem. "Perhaps their being suckled by a cow fed chiefly on fish, the givingthem occasionally a little salt water, and then by degrees inducing themto eat fish, might be the best mode until they attained the age of beingsustained on fish alone. In the _barbata_, to insure rapid taming, itappears to be necessary to capture them before the period of casting thefoetal hair, analogous to what I have observed in the case of theyoung of water-birds before getting up their first feathers, and whenthey are entirely covered with the egg down. "These changes seem connected with a great development of the wildhabits, and attachment to, and knowledge of, the localities where theyhave first seen the light. As the _barbata_ is until this period inreality a land animal, the chief difficulty we have to surmount with itis in the quality of the milk to be given it. The _vitulina_ isessentially an inhabitant of the water from its birth, yet the care ofthe mother is perhaps for weeks necessary to judge how long and howoften it should be on land, and this we can hardly expect to imitate. Inthe young of this species a few days old, which we have tried to rear, awant of knowledge of this kind of management may have led to failure. Ihave not attempted to rear them at a greater age. "The Greenland seal is, I have been informed, occasionally kept for amonth or two on board the whalers, and thrives sufficiently well on theflesh of sea-birds. This species appears to bring forth in January, andtherefore it is subjected to captivity. "I know but comparatively little of its capability of being easilytamed; but this quality, of itself, is no evidence of superiorintelligence. "Might it not be easy to induce Greenland shipmasters to bring some ofthese animals to England, where they would be accessible to theobservation of zoologists. "One mode of attempting to tame them might be to take half-grown animalsin a net, or surprise them on land, and then keep them in salt-waterponds in a semi-domestic state: if any of them were pregnant whencaught, or could be got to breed, the main difficulty would beovercome. " Long as these extracts are, they possess great interest as being derivedfrom observations on living animals made by one who was a friend of theDuke of Wellington, and was always welcomed by him. His northern Islandof Unst is a fine field for studying marine animals. The sweepingcurrents of the Arctic oceans bring creatures to the quiet voes andsounds. Shetland in spring, summer, and autumn is a favoured localityfor the naturalist and painter. THE WALRUS. There was some likelihood, a few years ago, that a most attractiveanimal would be added to the collection of the Zoological Society. But, unfortunately for the public gratification, as well as the remunerationof the spirited captain who brought the creature, it reached the gardensin a dying state, and only survived a few days. But it is not the firstof its family which has travelled so far to the southward. Nearly 250years ago a specimen was brought alive by some of the Arcticadventurers, and excited no little surprise, as old Purchas tells us. Itwas in the year 1608, when "the king and many honourable personagesbeheld it with admiration, for the strangeness of the same, the likewhereof had never before beene seene alive in England. Not long after itfell sicke and died. As the beast in shape is very strange, so is it ofstrange docilitie, and apt to be taught, as by good experience we oftenproved. " The figure which accompanies this paper was drawn from our late lamentedvisitor by Mr Wolf, who sketched it before its removal to the ZoologicalGardens. Captain Henry caught it during a whaling expedition, and sentit to London. Though quite young, it was nearly four feet in length; andwhen the person who used to feed it came into the room, it would givehim an affectionate greeting, in a voice somewhat resembling the cry ofa calf, but considerably louder. It walked about, but, owing to itsweakness, soon grew tired, and lay down. Unlike the seals, to which itis closely allied, the walrus has considerable power with its limbs whenout of the water, and can support its bulky body quite clear of theground. Its mode of progression, however, is awkward when compared withordinary quadrupeds; its hind-limbs shuffling along, as if inclosed in asack. In some future season, when a lively specimen reaches the Gardens, and is accommodated with an extensive tank of water, there is no reasonwhy the walrus should not thrive as well as the seal, or his close, though not kind, neighbour of the North, the Polar bear. [Illustration: The Walrus. ] The walrus, _morse_, or _sea-horse_ (_Trichechus rosmarus_, Linn. [147]), is one of the most characteristic inhabitants of the Arctic regions. There it is widely distributed, and thence it seldom wanders. One or twospecimens were killed on the shores of the northern Scottish islands in1817 and 1825; but these instances seem hardly to admit of itsintroduction into our _fauna_, any more than West Indian beans, broughtby the currents, are admissible into our _flora_. It is mentioned bysome old Scottish writers[148] among our native animals, and at one timemay have been carried to our coasts on some of the bergs, which areoccasionally seen in the German Ocean after the periodical disruptionsof the Arctic ice. Like the Polar bear, however, the walrus hasevidently been formed by its Creator for a life among icy seas, andthere it is now found often in large herds. Captain Beechey and othervoyagers to the seas around Spitzbergen, describe them as beingparticularly abundant on the western coast of that inclement island. Thecaptain says that in fine weather they resort to large pieces of ice atthe edge of the main body, where herds of them may be seen of sometimesmore than a hundred individuals each. "In these situations they appeargreatly to enjoy themselves, rolling and sporting about, and frequentlymaking the air resound with their bellowing, which bears someresemblance to that of a bull. These diversions generally end in sleep, during which these wary animals appear always to take the precaution ofhaving a sentinel to warn them of any danger. " The only warning, however, which the sentinel gives, is by seeking his own safety; ineffecting which, as the herd lie huddled on one another like swine, themotion of one is speedily communicated to the whole, and they instantlytumble, one over the other, into the sea, head-foremost, if possible;but failing that, anyhow. Scoresby remarks that the front part of the head of the young walrus, without tusks, when seen at a distance, is not unlike the human face. Ithas the habit of raising its head above the water to look at ships andother passing objects; and when seen in such a position, it may havegiven rise to some of the stories of mermaids. There is still a considerable uncertainty as to the food of the walrus. Cook found no traces of aliment in the stomachs of those shot by hisparty. Crantz says that in Greenland shell-fish and sea-weeds seem to beits only subsistence. Scoresby found shrimps, a kind of craw-fish, andthe remains of young seals, in the stomachs of those which he examined. Becchey mentions, that in the inside of several specimens he foundnumerous granite pebbles larger than walnuts. These may be taken for thesame purpose that some birds, especially of the gallinaceous order, swallow bits of gravel. Dr Von Baer concludes, from an analysis of allthe published accounts, that the walrus is omnivorous. [149] A specimenthat died at St Petersburg was fed on oatmeal mixed with turnips orother vegetables; and the little fellow, who lately died in the Regent'sPark, seems to have been fed by the sailors on oatmeal porridge. One of the chief characteristics of the walrus is the presence of twoelongated tusks (the canine teeth) in the upper jaw. According toCrantz, it uses these to scrape mussels and other shell-fish from therocks and out of the sand, and also to grapple and get along with, forthey enable it to raise itself on the ice. They are also powerfulweapons of defence against the Polar bear and its other enemies. The walrus attains a great size. Twelve feet is the length of a finespecimen in the British Museum. Beechey's party found some of themfourteen feet in length and nine feet in girth, and of such prodigiousweight that they could scarcely turn them over. Gratifying accounts are given of the attachment of the female to itsyoung, and the male occasionally assists in their defence when exposedto danger, or at least in revenging the attack. Lord Nelson, when a lad, was coxwain to one of the ships of Phipps's expedition to the Arcticseas, and commanded a boat, which was the means of saving a partybelonging to the other ship from imminent danger. "Some of the officershad fired at and wounded a walrus. As no other animal, " says Southey, "has so human-like an expression in its countenance, so also is therenone that seems to possess more of the passions of humanity. The woundedanimal dived immediately, and brought up a number of its companions; andthey all joined in an attack upon the boat. They wrested an oar from oneof the men; and it was with the utmost difficulty that the crew couldprevent them from staving or upsetting her, till the _Carcass's_ boat(commanded by young Horatio Nelson) came up: and the walruses, findingtheir enemies thus reinforced, dispersed. " And Captain Beechey gives thefollowing pleasing picture of maternal affection which he witnessed inthe seas around Spitzbergen: "We were greatly amused by the singular andaffectionate conduct of a walrus towards its young. In the vast sheet ofice which surrounded the ships, there were occasionally many pools; andwhen the weather was clear and warm, animals of various kinds wouldfrequently rise and sport about in them, or crawl from thence upon theice to bask in the warmth of the sun. A walrus rose in one of thesepools close to the ship, and, finding everything quiet, dived down andbrought up its young, which it held to its breast by pressing it withits flipper. In this manner it moved about the pool, keeping in an erectposture, and always directing the face of the young towards the vessel. On the slightest movement on board, the mother released her flipper, andpushed the young one under water; but, when everything was again quiet, brought it up as before, and for a length of time continued to playabout in the pool, to the great amusement of the seamen, who gave hercredit for abilities in tuition, which, though possessed of considerablesagacity, she hardly merited. " The walrus has two great enemies in its icy home--the Polar bear and theEsquimaux. Captain Beechey thus graphically describes the manoeuvresof that king of the Bruin race, which must often be attended withsuccess. The bears, when hungry, are always on the watch for animalssleeping upon the ice, and try to come on them unawares, as their preydarts through holes in the ice. "One sunshiny day a walrus, of nine orten feet length, rose in a pool of water not very far from us; and afterlooking around, drew his greasy carcase upon the ice, where he rolledabout for a time, and at length laid himself down to sleep. A bear, which had probably been observing his movements, crawled carefully uponthe ice on the opposite side of the pool, and began to roll about also, but apparently more with design than amusement, as he progressivelylessened the distance that intervened between him and his prey. Thewalrus, suspicious of his advances, drew himself up preparatory to aprecipitate retreat into the water in case of a nearer acquaintance withhis playful but treacherous visitor; on which the bear was instantlymotionless, as if in the act of sleep; but after a time began to lickhis paws, and clean himself, occasionally encroaching a little more uponhis intended prey. But even this artifice did not succeed; the warywalrus was far too cunning to allow himself to be entrapped, andsuddenly plunged into the pool; which the bear no sooner observed thanhe threw off all disguise, rushed towards the spot, and followed him inan instant into the water, where, I fear, he was as much disappointed inhis meal, as we were of the pleasure of witnessing a very interestingencounter. " The meat of the walrus is not despised by Europeans, and its heart isreckoned a delicacy. To the Esquimaux there is no greater treat than akettle well filled with walrus-blubber; and to the natives alongBehring's Straits this quadruped is as valuable as is the palm to thesons of the desert. Their canoes are covered with its skin; theirweapons and sledge-runners, and many useful articles, are formed fromits tusks; their lamps are filled with its oil; and they themselves arefed with its fat and its fibre. So thick is the skin, that a bayonet isalmost the only weapon which can pierce it. Cut into shreds, it makesexcellent cordage, being especially adapted for wheel-ropes. The tusksbear a high commercial value, and are extensively employed by dentistsin the manufacture of artificial teeth. The fat of a good-sized specimenyields thirty gallons of oil. --_A. White, from "Excelsior. "_ FOOTNOTES: [144] "A Tour in Tartan-Land, " by Cuthbert Bede. [145] "Life, " vol. Iii. P. 188. [146] Vol. Viii. Pp. 1-16. [147] _Trichechus_, from the Greek [Greek: trichas echôn], "havinghairs:" _walrus_, the German _wallross_, "whale-horse. " [148] See Fleming's "British Animals, " p. 19. [149] Mém. Acad. Imp. Sc. St. Pétersb. , 1838, p. 232. Professor Owen hascommunicated to the Zoological Society the anatomy of the young walrus;and much valuable information will be found in Dr Gray's "Catalogue ofMammalia in the British Museum. " KANGAROOS. What dissertation on the strange outward form, or stranger mode ofreproduction to which this famed member of the _Marsupialia_ belongs, could contain as much in little space as Charles Lamb's happydescription in his letter to Baron Field, his "distant correspondent" inNew South Wales? When that was written, and for long after, it may benecessary to tell some, Australia was chiefly known as the land of theconvict. "Tell me, " writes Elia, "what your Sidneyites do? Are they th-v-ng allday long? Merciful heaven! what property can stand against such adepredation? The kangaroos--your aborigines--do they keep theirprimitive simplicity un-Europe-tainted, with those little shortforepuds, looking like a lesson framed by nature to the pickpocket!Marry, for diving into fobs they are rather lamely provided _a priori_;but if the hue and cry were once up, they would show as fair a pair ofhind-shifters as the expertest locomotor in the colony. "[150] In one of his letters to another of his favoured correspondents healludes to his friend Field having gone to a country where there are somany thieves that even the kangaroos have to wear their pockets infront, lest they be picked! KANGAROO COOKE. Major-General Henry Frederick Cooke, C. B. And K. C. H. , commonly calledKang-Cooke, was a captain in the Coldstream Guards, and aide-de-camp tothe Duke of York. He was called the kangaroo by his intimate associates. It is said that this arose from his once having let loose a cageful ofthese animals at Pidcock's Menagerie, or from his answer to the Duke ofYork, who, inquiring how he fared in the Peninsula, replied that he"could get nothing to eat but kangaroo. "[151] Moore, in his Diary, [152]December 13, 1820, records that he dined with him and others at LordGranard's. Cooke told of Admiral Cotton once (at Lisbon, I think) sayingduring dinner, "Make signals for the _Kangaroo_ to get under way;" andCooke, who had just been expressing his anxiety to leave Lisbon, thoughtthe speech alluded to his nickname, and considered it an extraordinaryliberty for one who knew so little of him as Admiral Cotton to take. Hefound out afterwards, however, that his namesake was a sloop-of-war. FOOTNOTES: [150] "Distant Correspondents, " in the Essays of Elia, first series ed. 1841, p. 67. [151] Jesse's "Life of Beau Brummell, " vol. I. P. 288. [152] "Memoirs, Correspondence, " &c. , edited by Lord John Russell, vol. Iii. P. 179. THE TIGER-WOLF. (_Thylacinus cynocephalus. _) The great order, or rather division, of mammalia, the_Marsupialia_, [153] is furnished with a pouch, into which the young arereceived and nourished at a very early period of their existence. Thefirst species of the group, known to voyagers and naturalists, was thecelebrated opossum of North America, whose instinctive care to defenditself from danger causes it to feign the appearance of death. As thegreat continent of Australia became known, it was found that the greatmass of its mammalia, from the gigantic kangaroo to the pigmy, mouse-like potoroo, belonged to this singular order. The order containsa most anomalous set of animals, some being exclusively carnivorous, some chiefly subsisting on insects, while others browse on grass; andmany live on fruits and leaves, which they climb trees to procure; asmaller portion subsisting on roots, for which they burrow in theground. The gentle and deer-faced kangaroo belongs to this order; thecurious bandicoots, the tree-frequenting phalangers and petauri, thesavage "native devil, "[154] and the voracious subject of this notice. The "tiger-wolf" is a native of Van Diemen's Land, and is strictlyconfined to that island. It was first described in the ninth volume ofthe "Linnean Transactions, " under the name of _Didelphis cynocephalus_, or "dog-headed opossum, " the English name being an exact translation ofits Latin one. Its non-prehensile tail, peculiar feet, and differentarrangement of teeth, pointed out to naturalists that it entered into agenus distinct from the American opossums; and to this genus the name of_Thylacinus_[155] has been applied; its specific name _cynocephalus_being still retained in conformity with zoological nomenclature, although M. Temminck, the founder of the genus, honoured the specieswith the name of its first describer, and called it _ThylacinusHarrisii_. Mr Gould has given a short account of this quadruped in his great work, "The Mammals of Australia, " accompanied with two plates, one showing thehead of the male, of the natural size, in such a point of view as toexhibit the applicability of one of the names applied to it by thecolonists, that of "zebra-wolf. " He justly remarks that it must beregarded as by far the most formidable of all the marsupial animals, asit certainly is the most savage indigenous quadruped belonging to theAustralian continent. Although it is too feeble to make a successfulattack on man, it commits great havoc among the smaller quadrupeds ofthe country; and to the settler it is a great object of dread, as hispoultry and other domestic animals are never safe from its attacks. Hissheep are, especially, an object of the colonist's anxious care, as hecan house his poultry, and thus secure them from the prowler; but hisflocks, wandering about over the country, are liable to be attacked atnight by the tiger-wolf, whose habits are strictly nocturnal. Mr Gunnhas seen some so large and powerful that a number of dogs would not faceone of them. It has become an object with the settler to destroy everyspecimen he can fall in with, so that it is much rarer than it was atthe time Mr Harris, its first describer, wrote its history, at least inthe cultivated districts. Much, however, of Van Diemen's Land is stillin a state of nature, and as large tracts of forest-land remain yetuncleared, there is abundance of covert for it still in the more remoteparts of the colony, and it is even now often seen at Woolnoth and amongthe Hampshire hills. In such places it feeds on the smaller species ofkangaroos and other marsupials, --bandicoots, and kangaroo-rats, whileeven the prickle-covered echidna--a much more formidable mouthful thanany hedgehog--supplies the tiger-wolf with a portion of its sustenance. The specimen described by Mr Harris was caught in a trap baited with theflesh of the kangaroo. When opened, the remains of a half-digestedechidna[156] were found in its stomach. The tiger-wolf has a certain amount of daintiness in its appetite whenin a state of nature. From the observations of Mr Gunn it would seemthat nothing will induce it to prey on the wombat, [157] a fat, sluggish, marsupial quadruped, abundant in the districts which it frequents, andwhose flesh would seem to be very edible, seeing that it lives on fruitsand roots. No sooner, however, was the sheep introduced than thetiger-wolf began to attack the flocks, and has ever since shown a mostunmistakable appetite for mutton, preferring the flesh of that mostuseful and easily-mastered quadruped to that of any kangaroo howevervenison-like, or bandicoot however savoury. The colonists of VanDiemen's land have applied various names to this animal, according asits resemblance to other ferocious quadrupeds of different climatesstruck their fancy. The names of "tiger, " "hyena, " and "zebra-wolf, " arepartly acquired from its ferocity, somewhat corresponding with that ofthese well-known carnivorous denizens of other lands, and partly fromthe black bands which commence behind the shoulders, and which extend inlength on the haunches, and resemble in some faint measure those on thebarred tyrant of the Indian jungles, and the other somewhat similarlyornamented mammalia implied in the names. These bars are well relievedby the general grayish-brown colour of the fur, which is somewhat woollyin its texture, from each of the hairs of which it is composed beingwaved. The specimens in the Zoological Gardens are very shy and restless; whenalarmed they dash and leap about their dens and utter a short gutturalcry somewhat resembling a bark. This shyness is partly to be attributedto their imperfect vision by day, and partly to their resemblance incharacter to the wolf, whose treachery and suspicious manners inconfinement must have struck every one who has gazed on this "gauntsavage" in his den in the Regent's Park. The specimens exhibited are thefirst living members of the species first brought to Europe. The malewas taken in November 1849, and the female at an earlier period in thesame year, on the upper part of St Patrick's River, about thirty milesnorth-east of Launceston. After being gradually accustomed toconfinement by Mr Gunn, they were shipped for this country, and reachedthe Gardens in the spring of 1850. It is very seldom, indeed, that theyare caught alive; and when so caught they are generally at once killed, so that it was with some difficulty and by offering a considerablepecuniary inducement to the shepherds, that they were at last securedfor the Zoological Society. [158] In their den they show great activity, and can bound upwards nearly to the roof of the place where they areconfined. --_A. White, from "Excelsior. "_ FOOTNOTES: [153] So called from the Latin word _marsupium_, a pouch. [154] _Diabolus ursinus_, the ursine opossum of Van Diemen's Land, agreat destroyer of young lambs. [155] From the Greek words for a pouch and a dog, [Greek: thylakos] and[Greek: kuôn]. Dr Gray had previously named it _Peracyon_, from [Greek:pêra], a bag, and [Greek: kuôn], a dog. [156] _Echidna aculeata_, or _E. Hystrix_, the porcupine ant-eater, acurious edentate, spine-covered quadruped, closely allied to the stillstranger _Ornithorhynchus_, the duck-bill. [157] _Phascolomys Vombatus, _ a curious, broad-backed, and large-headedmarsupial, two specimens of which are in the Zoological Gardens. It is aburrower, and in the teeth it resembles the rodent animals; hence itsname, from [Greek: phaskôlon], a pouch, and [Greek: mus], a mouse. SQUIRREL: ARCTIC LEMMING. The one with its long plume-like tail, organised for a life among trees, the other with its home in the arctic regions, belong to an order notgenerally distinguished for intelligence, although, the beaver, oncereputed a miracle of mind, belongs to it. The glirine or rodent animalsare generally of small or moderate size, though some, like thewater-loving capybara, are of considerable dimensions. The squirrel is a fine subject for a painter. There is a picture by SirEdwin Landseer, of a squirrel and bullfinch. On an engraving of it, published in 1865, is inscribed "a pair of nut-crackers, "--a happytitle, and very apposite. Jekyll saw in Colman's chambers a squirrel in the usual round cage. "Ah!poor devil, " said Jekyll, "he's going the _home circuit_. "[159] If you come upon a squirrel on the ground, he is not long in getting tothe topmost branch of the highest tree, so perfectly is he adapted for"rising" at a "bar"! PETS OF SOME OF THE REVOLUTIONARY BUTCHERS. A SQUIRREL. Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Bart. , in his novel, "Zanoni, "[160] picturesCitizen Couthon fondling a little spaniel "that he invariably carried inhis bosom, even to the Convention, as a vent for the exuberantsensibilities which overflowed his affectionate heart. " In a note the novelist remarks-- "This tenderness for some pet animal was by no means peculiar toCouthon; it seems rather a common fashion with the gentle butchers ofthe Revolution. M. George Duval informs us ('Souvenirs de la Terreur, 'iii. P. 183), that Chaumette had an aviary, to which he devoted hisharmless leisure; the murderous Fournier carried, on his shoulders, apretty little squirrel attached by a silver chain; Panis bestowed thesuperfluity of his affections upon two gold pheasants; and Marat, whowould not abate one of the three hundred thousand heads he demanded, _reared doves_! Apropos of the spaniel of Couthon, Duval gives us acharacteristic anecdote of Sergent, not one of the least relentlessagents of the massacre of September. A lady came to implore hisprotection for one of her relations confined in the Abbaye. He scarcelydeigned to speak to her. As she retired in despair, she trod by accidenton the paw of his favourite spaniel. Sergent, turning round, enraged andfurious, exclaimed, '_Madam, have you no humanity?_'" ARCTIC VOYAGER AND THE LEMMING. Captain Back, on his arctic land expedition, when returning in September1835, encountered a severe gale, which forced them to land their boat, and as the water rose they had three times to haul it higher on thebank. He introduces an affecting little incident: "So completely coldand drenched was everything outside, that a poor little lemming, unableto contend with the floods, which had driven it successively from allits retreats, crept silently under the tent, and snuggled away inprecarious security within a few paces of a sleeping terrier. Unconscious of its danger, it licked its fur coat, and darted its brighteyes from object to object, as if pleased and surprised with its newquarters; but soon the pricked ears of the awakened dog announced itsfate, and in another instant the poor little stranger was quivering inhis jaws!"[161] * * * * * Mr McDougall?][162] records several amusing anecdotes of the littlearctic lemming, named _Arctomys Spermophilus Parryi_, after the greatarctic voyager. He says, --"My own experience of those industrious littlewarriors tended to prove that they possessed a strange combination ofsociality and combativeness. Industrious they most certainly are, as isshown by the complicated excavation of their subterranean cities;besides which, every feather and hair of bird and animal found in thevicinity of their dwellings, is made to contribute its iota of warmthand comfort to the interior of their winter quarters. "I had, " continues the master of the _Resolute_, "many opportunities ofwatching their movements during my detention at Winter Harbour. My tenthappened to be pitched immediately over one of their large towns, causing its inhabitants to issue forth from its thousand gates to catcha view of the strangers. Frequently on waking we have found the littleanimals, rolled up in a ball, snugly ensconced within the folds of ourblanket-bags; nor would they be expelled from such a warm and desirableposition without showing fight. On several occasions I observed Naps, the dog, fast asleep with one or two lemmings huddled away between itslegs, like so many pups. " He says that Lieutenant Mecham noticed an Esquimaux dog, named Buffer, trudging along, nose to the ground, quite unconscious of danger, when alemming, suddenly starting from its cavern, seized poor Buffer by thenose, inflicting a severe wound. The dog, astounded at such anunsuspected assault, gave a dismal howl, and at length shook the enemyoff, after which he became the attacking party, and in less than aminute the presumptuous assailant disappeared between the jaws of theTartar he had attempted to catch. FOOTNOTES: [158] Mitchell's "Popular Guide to the Zoological Gardens, " p. 9. (1852. ) [159] Mark Lemon's "Jest Book, " p. 180. [160] Ed. 1845, p. 339. [161] P. 441. Sir John Richardson told me that the species was_Spermophilus Parryi_. [162] The Eventful Voyage of H. M. Discovery Ship _Resolute_ to theArctic Regions, in Search of Sir John Franklin, in 1852-3-4, pp. 314, 315. RATS AND MICE. Why should we not, like Grainger, begin this section as the writer of"The Sugar-Cane" does one of his paragraphs-- "Come muse! let's sing of rats. " The "restless rottens" and mice need little introduction. They are amost fertile race, and some species of them seem only to be in humanhabitations. They are terrible nuisances, and yet rat-skins are said tobe manufactured in Paris into gloves. Sydney Smith's comparison of some one dying like a poisoned rat in aditch is a powerful one. The same writer, in hunting down an unworthyman, with his cutting criticism, says, that he did it not on account ofhis power, but to put down what might prove noisome if not settled, muchas a Dutch burgomaster might hunt a rat, not for its value, but becauseby its boring it might cause the water to break through his dikes, andthus flood his native land. Robert Browning, in one of his poems, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin, " haspowerfully described an incursion of rats. A few lines may be quoted:-- "Almost five hundred years ago, To see the townsfolk suffer so From vermin, was a pity. "Rats! They fought the dogs and killed the cats, And bit the babies in their cradles, And ate the cheeses out of the vats, And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles, Split open the kegs of salted sprats, Made nests inside men's Sunday hats, And even spoiled the women's chats, By drowning their speaking With shrieking and squeaking In fifty different sharps and flats. * * * * * "And ere three shrill notes the pipes had uttered, You heard as if an army muttered; And the muttering grew to a grumbling; And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling; And out of the houses the rats came tumbling-- Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats, Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats; Grave old plodders, gay young friskers, Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Cocking tails, and pricking whiskers, Families by tens and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives-- Followed the Piper for their lives. From street to street he piped, advancing, And step for step they followed dancing, Until they came to the river Weser Wherein all plunged and perished, Save one. " THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON AND THE MUSK-RAT. Mr Taylor, in his notes to the artist Haydon's Autobiography, tells usthat a favourite expression of the Duke of Wellington, when people triedto coax him to do what he had resolved not to do, was, "The rat has gotinto the bottle. " This not very intelligible expression may refer to ananecdote I have heard of the Duke's once telling, in his later days, howthe musk-rats in India got into bottles, which ever after retained theodour of musk. "Either the rats must be very small, " said a lady whoheard him, "or the bottles very large. " "On the contrary, madam, " wasthe Duke's reply, "very small bottles and very large rats. " "That is thestyle of logic we have to deal with at the Horse Guards, " whispered Lord----. LADY EGLINTOUN AND THE RATS. Mr Robert Chambers, in his "Traditions of Edinburgh" (p. 191), gives aninteresting account of the elegant Susanna, Countess of Eglintoun, whowas in her eighty-fifth year when Johnson and Boswell visited her. Shedied in 1780, at the age of ninety-one, having preserved to the last herstately mien and fine complexion. She is said to have washed her faceperiodically with sow's milk. "This venerable woman amused herself latterly in taming and patronisingrats. She kept a vast number of these animals in her pay at Auchans, andthey succeeded in her affections the poets and artists she had loved inearly life. It does not reflect much credit upon the latter, that herladyship used to complain of never having met with true gratitudeexcept from four-footed animals. She had a panel in the oak wainscot ofher dining-room, which she tapped upon and opened at meal times, whenten or twelve jolly rats came tripping forth, and joined her at table. At the word of command or a signal from her ladyship, they retired againto their native obscurity--a trait of good sense in the character andhabits of the animals which, it is hardly necessary to remark, patronsdo not always find in two-legged _protégés_. " GENERAL DOUGLAS AND THE RATS. The biographer of this highly-distinguished military engineer-officerrelates an anecdote of him when a lieutenant at Tynemouth. The futureauthor of well-known works on Gunnery and Military Bridges, early beganto show ability in mechanics. "Lieutenant Douglas occupied a room barelyhabitable, and had to contest the tenancy with rats, which assertedtheir claim with such tenacity, that he went to sleep at the risk ofbeing devoured. Their incursions compelled him to furnish himself withloaded pistols and a tinder-box, and he kept watch one night, remainingquiet till there was an irruption, when he started up and struck alight. But his vigilance proved of no avail, for the clink of the flintand steel caused a stampede, and not a rat remained by the time he hadkindled the tinder. Their flight suggested to him another device. Helooked out all the holes, and covered them with slides, connected witheach other by wires, and these he fastened to a string, which enabledhim to draw them all with one pull, and thus close the outlets. Thecontrivance claims to be mentioned as his first success in mechanics, foreshadowing his future expertness. It came into use the same night: hepulled the string without rising from bed, then struck a light, whilethe rats flew off to the holes to find them blocked, and he shot them atleisure. Two or three such massacres cleared off the intruders, and lefthim undisturbed in his quarters. "[163] HANOVER RATS. How amusingly does Mr Waterton show his attachment to the extinctStuarts in his essays. Go where he may, "a Hanover rat" pops up beforehim. In his charming autobiography appended to the three series of hisgraphic essays, whether he be in Rome or Cologne, in York or London, ata farm-house, or on board a steamer on the Rhine, "a Hanover rat" issure to be encountered. We could cite many amusing illustrations. Earl Stanhope[164] speaks of the Jacobites after the death of Annereviling all adherents of the court as "a parcel of Roundheads andHanover rats. " This is the phrase used by Squire Western in Fielding'snovel of "Tom Jones. " He tells us that the former of these titles wasthe by-word first applied to the Calvinistic preachers in the civilwars, from the close cropped hair which they affected as distinguishedfrom the flowing curls of the cavaliers. The second phrase was of farmore recent origin. It so chanced that not long after the accession ofthe House of Hanover, some of the brown, that is, the German or Norwayrats, were first brought over to this country in some timber, as issaid; and being much stronger than the black, or till then, the commonrats, they in many places quite extirpated the latter. The word, boththe noun and the verb "to rat, " was first levelled at the converts tothe government of George the First, but has by degrees obtained a widermeaning, and come to be applied to any sudden and mercenary change inpolitics. The ravages of rats might form the subject of a curiousvolume. They are not at all literary in their tastes, though they areknown to eat through bales of books, should they be placed in the way oftheir runs. The booksellers in the Row always leave room between thewall and the books in their cellars, to allow room for this predaciousvermin. Mr Cole, when examined before the Committee of the House on thecondition of the depositories of the Records some time ago, stated that"six or seven perfect skeletons of rats were found imbedded (in theRolls); bones of these vermin were generally distributed throughout themass, and a dog was employed in hunting the live ones. " IRISHMAN EMPLOYED SHOOTING RATS. Luttrell visited Sydney Smith at his parsonage in Somersetshire. TheLondon wit told some amusing Irish stories, and his manner of tellingthem was so good. "One: 'Is your master at home, Paddy?' '_No_, yourhonour. ' 'Why, I saw him go in five minutes ago. ' 'Faith, your honour, he's not exactly at home; he's only there in the back yard a-shootingrats with cannon, your honour, for his _devarsion_. '"[165] JAMES WATT AND THE RAT'S WHISKERS. Mrs Schimmelpenninck in her youth lived at Birmingham, where she oftenmet James Watt. In her autobiography (p. 34), she says, "Everybodypractically knew the infinite variety of his talents and stores ofknowledge. When Mr Watt entered a room, men of letters, men of science, nay, military men, artists, ladies, even little children thronged roundhim. I remember a celebrated Swedish artist having been instructed byhim that rats' whiskers made the most pliant and elastic painting-brush;ladies would appeal to him on the best means of devising grates, curingsmoky chimneys, warming their houses, and obtaining fast colours. I canspeak from experience of his teaching me how to make a dulcimer, andimprove a Jew's harp. " THE POET GRAY COMPARES THE POET-LAUREATE TO A RAT-CATCHER. The poet Gray very much despised such offices as that of thepoet-laureate, or that held by Elkanah Settle, the last of the citypoets whose name is held up to ridicule by Pope in the "Dunciad. " In aletter to the Rev. Wm. Mason, [166] he puts this very strikingly:-- "Though I very well know the bland emolient saponaceous qualities bothof sack and silver, yet if any great man would say to me, 'I make yourat-catcher to his Majesty, with a salary of £300 a year, and two buttsof the best Malaga; and though it has been usual to catch a mouse ortwo, for form's sake, in public once a year, yet to you, sir, we shallnot stand upon these things, ' I cannot say I should jump at it; nay, ifthey would drop the very name of the office, and call me Sinecure to theKing's Majesty, I should still feel a little awkward, and thinkeverybody I saw smelt a rat about me: but I do not pretend to blame anyone else that has not the same sensations. For my part, I would ratherbe serjeant-trumpeter or pinmaker to the palace. " JEREMY BENTHAM AND THE MICE. The biographer of Jeremy Bentham[167] tells us that among the animals hewas fond of were mice. They were encouraged "to play" about in hisworkshop. I remember, when one got among his papers, that he exclaimed, "Ho! ho! here's a mouse at work; why won't he come into my lap?--butthen I ought to be writing legislation, and that would not do. " One day, while we were at dinner, mice had got, as they frequently did, into the drawers of the dinner-table, and were making no small noise. "Oyou rascals, " exclaimed Bentham, "there's an uproar among you. I'll tellpuss of you;" and then added, "I became once very intimate with acolony of mice. They used to run up my legs, and eat crumbs from my lap. I love everything that has four legs; so did George Wilson. We were fondof mice, and fond of cats; but it was difficult to reconcile the twoaffections. " Jeremy Bentham records: "George Wilson had a disorder which kept him twomonths to his couch. The _mouses_ used to run up his back and eat thepowder and pomatum from his hair. They used also to run up my knees whenI went to see him. I remember they did so to Lord Glenbervie, whothought it odd. "[168] BURNS AND THE FIELD MOUSE. The history of the origin of this well-known piece of the Scottish poetis thus given by Mr Chambers in that edition of the Life and Works ofRobert Burns, [169] which will ever be regarded, by Scotchmen at least, as the most complete and carefully-edited of the numerous editions ofthat most popular poet. "We have the testimony of Gilbert Burns that this beautiful poem wascomposed while the author was following the plough. Burns ploughed withfour horses, being twice the amount of power now required on most of thesoils of Scotland. He required an assistant, called a _gaudsman_, todrive the horses, his own duty being to hold and guide the plough. JohnBlane, who had acted as gaudsman to Burns, and who lived sixty yearsafterwards, had a distinct recollection of the turning-up of the mouse. Like a thoughtless youth as he was, he ran after the creature to killit, but was checked and recalled by his master, who, he observed, becamethereafter thoughtful and abstracted. Burns, who treated his servantswith the familiarity of fellow-labourers, soon after read the poem toBlane. TO A MOUSE, ON TURNING UP HER NEST WITH THE PLOUGH, NOVEMBER 1785. "Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie, Oh, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou needna start awa sae hasty Wi' bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin and chase thee Wi' murd'ring pattle. [170] "I'm truly sorry man's dominion Has broken nature's social union, And justifies that ill opinion, Which makes thee startle At me, thy poor earth-born companion, And fellow-mortal! "I doubt na whyles, but thou may thieve; What then? poor beastie, thou maun live! A daimen icker in a thrave[171] 'S a sma' request: I'll get a blessin' wi' the laive, And never miss't. "Thy wee bit housie, too, in ruin! Its silly wa's the win's are strewin"! And naething now to big a new ane O, foggage green, And bleak December's winds ensuin' Baith snell and keen! "Thou saw the fields laid bare and waste, And weary winter coming fast, And cozie here, beneath the blast, Thou thought to dwell, Till crash! the cruel coulter passed Out through thy cell. "That wee bit heap o' leaves and stibble, Has cost thee mony a weary nibble! Now thou's turned out for a' thy trouble, But house or hald, To thole the winter's sleety dribble, And cranreuch cauld! "But, mousie, thou art no thy lane; Improving foresight may be vain; The best-laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a-gley, And lea'e us nought but grief and pain For promised joy. "Still thou art blest, compared wi' me! The present only toucheth thee; But, och! I backward cast my e'e, On prospects drear! And forward, though I canna see, I guess and fear. " It was on the farm of Mossgiel, in the parish of Mauchline, where heresided nearly nine years, that the occurrence took place sopathetically recorded and gloriously commented on in this piece. DESTRUCTIVE FIELD MICE. Thomas Fuller, in "The Farewell" to his description of the "Worthies ofEssex, " says, "I wish the sad casualties may never return which latelyhave happened in this county; the one, 1581, in the Hundred of Dengy, the other, 1648, in the Hundred of Rochford and Isle of Foulness (rentedin part by two of my credible parishioners, who attested it, having paiddear for the truth thereof); when an army of mice, nesting in ant-hills, as conies in burrows, shaved off the grass at the bare roots, which, withering to dung, was infectious to cattle. The March following, numberless flocks of owls from all parts flew thither, and destroyedthem, which otherwise had ruined the country, if continuing anotheryear. Thus, though great the distance betwixt a man and a mouse, themeanest may become formidable to the mightiest creature by theirmultitudes; and this may render the punishment of the Philistines moreclearly to our apprehensions, at the same time pestered with mice intheir barns and pained with emerods in their bodies. "[172] THE BARON VON TRENCK AND THE TAME MOUSE IN PRISON. The unfortunate Baron Von Trenck was a Prussian officer, whoseadventures, imprisonments, and escape form the subject of memoirs whichhe wrote in Hungary. He at last settled in France, and there, in 1794, perished by the guillotine. Before he obtained his liberty, he lost a companion which had for twoyears helped to beguile the solitude of his captivity. This was a mouse, which he had tamed so perfectly, that the little creature wascontinually playing with him, and would eat out of his mouth. "One nightit skipped about so much that the sentinels heard a noise and reportedit to the officer of the guard. As the garrison had been changed at thepeace (between Austria and Prussia), and as Trenck had not been able toform at once so close a connexion with the officers of the regulartroops as he had done with those of the militia, one of the former, after ascertaining the truth of the report with his own ears, sent toinform the commandant that something extraordinary was going on in theprison. The town-major arrived in consequence early in the morning, accompanied by locksmiths and masons. The floor, the walls, the baron'schains, his body, everything in short, were strictly examined. Findingall in order, they asked the cause of the last evening's bustle. Trenckhad heard the mouse, and told them frankly by what it had beenoccasioned. They desired him to call his little favourite; he whistled, and the mouse immediately leaped upon his shoulder. He solicited thatits life might be spared; but the officer of the guard took it into hispossession, promising, however, on his word of honour, to give it to alady who would take great care of it. Turning it afterwards loose in hischamber, the mouse, who knew nobody but Trenck, soon disappeared, andhid himself in a hole. At the usual hour of visiting his prison, whenthe officers were just going away, the poor little animal darted in, climbed up his legs, seated itself on his shoulder, and played athousand tricks to express the joy it felt on seeing him again. Everyone was astonished, and wished to have it. The major, to terminate thedispute, carried it away, gave it to his wife, who had a light cage madefor it; but the mouse refused to eat, and a few days after was founddead. "[173] ALEXANDER WILSON AND THE MOUSE. About the time when Alexander Wilson formed the design of drawing theAmerican birds, and writing those descriptions which, when published, gave him that name which has clung to him, "_the AmericanOrnithologist_" he had a school within a few miles of Philadelphia. Hewas then a keen student of the animal life around him. In 1802 he wroteto his friend Bertram, and tells him of his having had "live crows, hawks, and owls; opossums, squirrels, snakes, lizards, " &c. He tells himthat his room sometimes reminded him of Noah's ark, and comically adds, "but Noah had a wife in one corner of it, and in this particular ourparallel does not altogether tally. I receive every subject of naturalhistory that is brought to me; and, though they do not march into my arkfrom all quarters, as they did into that of our great ancestor, yet Ifind means, by the distribution of a few fivepenny _bits_, to make themfind the way fast enough. A boy, not long ago, brought me a largebasketful of crows. I expect his next load will be bull-frogs, if Idon't soon issue orders to the contrary. One of my boys caught a mousein school a few days ago, and directly marched up to me with hisprisoner. I set about drawing it the same evening, and all the while thepantings of its little heart showed it to be in the most extreme agoniesof fear. I had intended to kill it, in order to fix it in the claws of astuffed owl; but, happening to spill a few drops of water near where itwas tied, it lapped it up with such eagerness, and looked in my facewith such an eye of supplicating terror, as perfectly overcame me. Iimmediately restored it to life and liberty. The agonies of a prisonerat the stake, while the fire and instruments of torture are preparing, could not be more severe than the sufferings of that poor mouse; and, insignificant as the object was, I felt at that moment the sweetsensation that mercy leaves in the mind when she triumphs overcruelty. "[174] FOOTNOTES: [163] "The Life of General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart. , G. C. B. , F. R. S. , D. C. L. , from his Notes, Conversations, and Correspondence, " by S. W. Fullom. 1863. P. 28. [164] "History of England, from the Peace of Utrecht, " by Lord Mahon, vol. Vii. P. 465. [165] Life of Sydney Smith, by his daughter, Lady Holland, vol. I. 374. [166] "Correspondence of Thomas Gray and Mason, edited from theoriginals, " by the Rev. John Mitford, p. 112. [167] Dr Bowring's "Life of Jeremy Bentham, " Works, vol. Xi. P. 80, 81. [168] "Bowring's Life, " vol. X. , Works, p. 186. [169] By Robert Chambers, Edinburgh, 1851, 4 vols. , vol. I. , p. 146. [170] The stick used for clearing away the clods from the plough. [171] An occasional ear of corn in a thrave, --that is, twenty-foursheaves. [172] "Worthies of England, " vol. I. P. 545. [173] "Wilson's Life, " p. 28. HARES, RABBITS, GUINEA-PIG. All gnawing creatures, belonging to the Glirine or Rodentia order. Charles Lamb has written on the hare, in one view of thatfinely-flavoured beast, as only Elia could write. But the poet Cowperhas made the hare's history peculiarly pleasing and familiar. How oftenin his letters he alludes to his hares! Mrs E. B. Browning, in herexquisitely delicate and pathetic poem, "Cowper's Grave, " thus alludesto Cowper's pets-- "Wild, timid hares were drawn from woods to share his home caresses, Uplooking to his human eyes with sylvan tendernesses; The very world, by God's constraint, from falsehood's ways removing, Its women and its men became, beside him, true and loving. " Not many years ago the compiler saw traces of the holes the poet had cutin the skirting-boards of the room for their ingress and egress, thatthey might have ampler room for wandering. His epitaphs on two of themare often quoted. Rabbits are peculiarly the pets of boys, and though, when wild, often great vermin, from their destructive habits and theirmining operations, are yet said to contribute much to the revenue of oneEuropean monarch. How Mr Malthus ought to have hated guinea-pigs, those fertile littlelumps of blotched fur! Few creatures can be more productive. WILLIAM COWPER ON HIS HARES. What a model description of the habits of an animal we have in thegentle Cowper's account of his hares! Would that he had made pets ofother animals, and written descriptions of them, like that whichfollows, and which is here copied from the original place to which hecontributed it. [175] "_May_ 28. "MR URBAN, --Convinced that you despise no communications that maygratify curiosity, amuse rationally, or add, though but a little, to thestock of public knowledge, I send you a circumstantial account of ananimal, which, though its general properties are pretty well known, isfor the most part such a stranger to man, that we are but little awareof its peculiarities. We know indeed that the hare is good to hunt andgood to eat; but in all other respects poor Puss is a neglected subject. In the year 1774, being much indisposed, both in mind and body, incapable of diverting myself either with company or books, and yet ina condition that made some diversion necessary, I was glad of anythingthat would engage my attention without fatiguing it. The children of aneighbour of mine had a leveret given them for a plaything; it was atthat time about three months old. Understanding better how to tease thepoor creature than to feed it, and soon becoming weary of their charge, they readily consented that their father, who saw it pining and growingleaner every day, should offer it to my acceptance. I was willing enoughto take the prisoner under my protection, perceiving that in themanagement of such an animal, and in the attempt to tame it, I shouldfind just that sort of employment which my case required. It was soonknown among the neighbours that I was pleased with the present; and theconsequence was, that in a short time, I had as many leverets offered tome as would have stocked a paddock. I undertook the care of three, whichit is necessary that I should here distinguish by the names I gavethem--Puss, Tiney, and Bess. Notwithstanding the two feminineappellatives, I must inform you that they were all males. Immediatelycommencing carpenter, I built them houses to sleep in. Each had aseparate apartment, so contrived that their ordure would pass throughthe bottom of it; an earthen pan placed under each received whatsoeverfell, which being duly emptied and washed, they were thus kept perfectlysweet and clean. In the daytime they had the range of a hall, and atnight retired each to his own bed, never intruding into that of another. "Puss grew presently familiar, would leap into my lap, raise himselfupon his hinder feet, and bite the hair from my temples. He would sufferme to take him up, and to carry him about in my arms, and has more thanonce fallen fast asleep upon my knee. He was ill three days, duringwhich time I nursed him, kept him apart from his fellows that they mightnot molest him (for, like many other wild animals, they persecute one oftheir own species that is sick), and by constant care, and trying himwith a variety of herbs, restored him to perfect health. No creaturecould be more grateful than my patient after his recovery, --a sentimentwhich he most significantly expressed by licking my hand, first the backof it, then the palm, then every finger separately; then between all thefingers, as if anxious to leave no part of it unsaluted, --a ceremonywhich he never performed but once again upon a similar occasion. Findinghim extremely tractable, I made it my custom to carry him always afterbreakfast into the garden, where he hid himself generally under theleaves of a cucumber vine, sleeping or chewing the cud till evening; inthe leaves also of that vine he found a favourite repast. I had not longhabituated him to this taste of liberty, before he began to be impatientfor the return of the time when he might enjoy it. He would invite me tothe garden by drumming upon my knee, and by a look of such expression asit was not possible to misinterpret. If this rhetoric did notimmediately succeed, he would take the skirt of my coat between histeeth, and pull at it with all his force. Thus Puss might be said to beperfectly tamed; the shyness of his nature was done away, and on thewhole it was visible, by many symptoms which I have not room toenumerate, that he was happier in human society than when shut up withhis natural companions. "Not so Tiney. Upon him the kindest treatment had not the least effect. He, too, was sick, and in his sickness, had an equal share of myattention; but if, after his recovery, I took the liberty to stroke him, he would grunt, strike with his fore-feet, spring forward, and bite. Hewas, however, very entertaining in his way, even his surliness wasmatter of mirth, and in his play he preserved such an air of gravity, and performed his feats with such a solemnity of manner, that in him, too, I had an agreeable companion. "Bess, who died soon after he was full grown, and whose death wasoccasioned by his being turned into his box, which had been washed, while it was yet damp, was a hare of great humour and drollery. Puss wastamed by gentle usage; Tiney was not to be tamed at all; and Bess had acourage and confidence that made him tame from the beginning. I alwaysadmitted them into the parlour after supper, where the carpet affordingtheir feet a firm hold, they would frisk, and bound, and play a thousandgambols, in which Bess, being remarkably strong and fearless, was alwayssuperior to the rest, and proved himself the Vestris of the party. Oneevening, the cat, being in the room, had the hardiness to pat Bess uponthe cheek, an indignity which he resented by drumming upon her back withsuch violence, that the cat was happy to escape from under his paws andhide herself. "You observe, sir, that I describe these animals as having each acharacter of his own. Such they were in fact, and their countenanceswere so expressive of that character, that, when I looked only on theface of either, I immediately knew which it was. It is said that ashepherd, however numerous his flock, soon becomes so familiar withtheir features, that he can by that indication only distinguish eachfrom all the rest, and yet to a common observer the difference is hardlyperceptible. I doubt not that the same discrimination in the cast ofcountenances would be discoverable in hares, and am persuaded that amonga thousand of them no two could be found exactly similar; a circumstancelittle suspected by those who have not had opportunity to observe it. These creatures have a singular sagacity in discovering the minutestalteration that is made in the place to which they are accustomed, andinstantly apply their nose to the examination of a new object. A smallhole being burnt in the carpet, it was mended with a patch, and thatpatch in a moment underwent the strictest scrutiny. They seem, too, tobe very much directed by the smell in the choice of their favourites; tosome persons, though they saw them daily, they could never bereconciled, and would even scream when they attempted to touch them; buta miller coming in, engaged their affections at once--his powdered coathad charms that were irresistible. You will not wonder, sir, that myintimate acquaintance with these specimens of the kind has taught me tohold the sportsman's amusement in abhorrence. He little knows whatamiable creatures he persecutes, of what gratitude they are capable, howcheerful they are in their spirits, what enjoyment they have of life, and that, impressed as they seem with a peculiar dread of man, it isonly because man gives them peculiar cause for it. "That I may not be tedious, I will just give you a short summary ofthose articles of diet that suit them best, and then retire to makeroom for some more important correspondent. "I take it to be a general opinion that they graze, but it is anerroneous one, at least grass is not their staple; they seem rather touse it medicinally, soon quitting it for leaves of almost any kind. Sowthistle, dent-de-lion, and lettuce are their favourite vegetables, especially the last. I discovered, by accident, that fine white sand isin great estimation with them, I suppose as a digestive. It happenedthat I was cleaning a bird cage while the hares were with me; I placed apot filled with such sand upon the floor, to which being at oncedirected by a strong instinct, they devoured it voraciously; since thattime I have generally taken care to see them well supplied with it. Theyaccount green corn a delicacy, both blade and stalk, but the ear theyseldom eat; straw of any kind, especially wheat-straw, is another oftheir dainties; they will feed greedily upon oats, but if furnished withclean straw, never want them; it serves them also for a bed, and, ifshaken up daily, will be kept sweet and dry for a considerable time. They do not indeed require aromatic herbs, but will eat a small quantityof them with great relish, and are particularly fond of the plant calledmusk; they seem to resemble sheep in this, that if their pastures be toosucculent, they are very subject to the rot; to prevent which, I alwaysmade bread their principal nourishment; and, filling a pan with it cutinto small squares, placed it every evening in their chambers, for theyfeed only at evening and in the night; during the winter, whenvegetables are not to be got, I mingled this mess of bread with shredsof carrot, adding to it the rind of apples cut extremely thin; for, though they are fond of the paring, the apple itself disgusts them. These, however, not being a sufficient substitute for the juice ofsummer herbs, they must at this time be supplied with water; but soplaced that they cannot overset it into their beds. I must not omit, that occasionally they are much pleased with twigs of hawthorn and ofthe common briar, eating even the very wood when it is of considerablethickness. "Bess, I have said, died young; Tiney lived to be nine years old, anddied at last, I have reason to think, of some hurt in his loins by afall. Puss is still living, and has just completed his tenth year, discovering no signs of decay nor even of age, except that he is grownmore discreet and less frolicsome than he was. I cannot conclude, sir, without informing you that I have lately introduced a dog to hisacquaintance, a spaniel that had never seen a hare, to a hare that hadnever seen a spaniel. I did it with great caution, but there was no realneed of it. Puss discovered no token of fear, nor Marquis the leastsymptom of hostility. There is, therefore, it should seem, no naturalantipathy between dog and hare, but the pursuit of the one occasions theflight of the other, and the dog pursues because he is trained to it;they eat bread at the same time out of the same hand, and are in allrespects sociable and friendly. --Yours &c. , W. C. "_P. S. _--I should not do complete justice to my subject, did I not add, that they have no ill scent belonging to them, that they areindefatigably nice in keeping themselves clean, for which purpose naturehas furnished them with a brush under each foot; and that they are neverinfested by any vermin. " Our readers know his fine verses or epitaphs on his hares. We may quotefrom the biographer to whom Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellingtonleft all their papers and memoirs, a sentence or two on Cowper's hares, and on the other pets of that lovable man. Earl Stanhope[176] says ofthis poet and "best letter-writer in the English language--"Such, indeed, were his powers of description and felicity of language, thateven the most trivial objects drew life and colour from his touch. Inhis pages, the training of three tame hares, or the building of a framefor cucumbers, excite a warmer interest than many accounts compiled byother writers, of great battles deciding the fate of empires. In hispages, the sluggish waters of the Ouse, --the floating lilies which hestooped to gather from them, --the poplars, in whose shade he sat, andover whose fall he mourned, rise before us as though we had known andloved them too. As Cowper himself declares, 'My descriptions are allfrom nature, not one of them second-handed; my delineations of the heartare from my own experience, not one of them borrowed from books. '" HAIRS OR HARES! A gentleman on circuit, narrating to Lord Norbury some extravagant featin sporting, mentioned that he had lately shot thirty-three hares beforebreakfast. "Thirty-three _hairs_!" exclaimed Lord Norbury; "zounds, sir!then you must have been firing at a _wig_. "[177] Sportsmen are very apt to exaggerate. They did so at least in Horace'sdays. We have heard of a man of rank, who actually made a gamekeeper, who was a first-rate marksman, fire whenever he discharged his piece. The story goes, that _that_ man was regarded as having shot everythingthat fell. The Duke of L. 's reply, when it was observed to him that the gentlemenbordering on his estates were continually hunting upon them, and that heought not to suffer it, is worthy of imitation. "I had much rather, "said he, "have _friends_ than hares. "[178] The time must be coming, when every farmer or peasant will be allowed toshoot hares. It is surely cruel to imprison or fine a man for shootingand shouldering a hare. Having lately traversed a goodly part of thePerthshire Highlands, we were struck with the numbers of Arctic haresthat scudded away out of our path. What a fine help one of them would beto a poor family. S. BISSET AND HIS TRAINED HARE AND TURTLE. S. Bisset, whose training of other animals is elsewhere recorded, likethe poet Cowper, procured a leveret, and reared it to beat severalmarches on the drum with its hind legs, until it became a good stouthare. This creature, which is always set down as the most timid, hedeclared to be as mischievous and bold an animal, to the extent of itspower, as any with which he was acquainted. He taught canary-birds, linnets, and sparrows, to spell the name of any person in company, todistinguish the hour and minute of time, and play many other surprisingtricks. He trained six turkey-cocks to go through a regular countrydance; but in doing this he confessed he adopted the eastern method, bywhich camels are made to dance, by heating the floor. In the course ofsix months' teaching, he made a turtle fetch and carry like a dog; andhaving chalked the floor, and blackened its claws, could direct it totrace out any given name of the company. [179] A FAMILY OF RABBITS ALL BLIND OF ONE EYE. Lady Anne Barnard, in her Cape Journal, [180] referring to Dessin orRabbit Island at the Cape of Good Hope, says that it is "dreadfullyexposed to the south-east winds. A gentleman told me of a naturalphenomenon he had met with when shooting there; his dog pointed at arabbit's hole, where the company within were placed so near the openingthat he could see Mynheer, Madame, and the whole rabbit family. Pompey, encouraged, brought out the old coney, his wife, and seven youngones, --all, like the callenders in the 'Arabian Nights' Entertainments, 'blind of one eye, and that the same eye. The question was, on which sideof the island was the rabbit's hole? With a very little reasoning andcomparing, it was found that from its position, the keen blast must haveproduced this effect. The oddest part of this story is, that it is true, but I do not expect you to believe it. " THOMAS FULLER ON NORFOLK RABBITS. "These are an army of natural pioneers whence men have learned_cuniculos agere_, the art of undermining. They thrive best on barrenground, and grow fattest in the hardest frosts. Their flesh is fine andwholesome. If Scottish men tax our language as improper, and smile atour wing of a rabbit, let us laugh at their shoulder of a capon. Their skins were formerly much used, when furs were in fashion; till oflate our citizens, of Romans are turned Grecians, have laid down theirgrave gowns and taken up their light cloaks; men generally disliking allhabits, though emblems of honour, if also badges of age. Their rich or silver-hair skins, formerly so dear, are now levelled inprices with other colours; yea, are lower than black in estimation, because their wool is most used in making of hats, commonly (for themore credit) called half-beavers, though many of them hardly amount tothe proportion of semi-demi castors. "[181] DR CHALMERS AND THE GUINEA-PIG. Mr Aitken alludes in a pleasing manner to an instance of Dr Chalmers'sfondness for animals. He had just been appointed the head-master of oneof the Glasgow parish schools (St John's). "Early in the week followingmy appointment, I received my first private call. One circumstanceoccurred during the visit which I still remember most vividly. One of mychildren had been presented with a pair of guinea-pigs. These had foundtheir way into the apartment where we were sitting, and ran about in alldirections. I could have wished to turn them out, but had not the powerto rise from my chair. He soon observed them, followed them with his eyeas they now retreated under his chair and again ventured out into hispresence--he even changed the position of his feet to give them scope. That same kindly eye, one glance of which we all loved so much to catchin after-life, beamed only the more warmly as the creatures frisked ingreater confidence around him. It was to me an omen for good. He whocould enjoy thus the innocent gamble of these guinea-pigs could not failto be accessible for good when occasion required. It was the first flushof that largeness of heart which afterwards appeared in all I ever heardhim say or saw him do. "[182] FOOTNOTES: [174] "Memoir of Wilson, " p. 27, prefixed to his poetical works. Belfast, 1844. [175] _Gentleman's Magazine_, for June 1784, being the sixth number ofvol. Liv. , pp. 412-414, "Unnoticed Properties of that little animal theHare. " [176] "History of England, " vol. Vi. P. 486. [177] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 59. [178] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 182. [179] Biography of S. Bisset in G. H. Wilson's "Eccentric Mirror, " vol. I. , No. 3, p. 29. [180] Published by Lord Lindsay in vol. Iii. Of his "Lives of theLindsays, " p. 387. [181] "Worthies of England, " vol. Ii. P. 445 (ed. 1840). SLOTH. REVEREND SYDNEY SMITH ON THE SLOTH. Few anecdotes can be published of this curious creature, though Watertonand Burchell, or Dr Buckland, for him and his friend Bates, haverecorded much that is interesting of its habits. The following bit ispeculiarly happy: "The sloth, in its wild state, spends its life intrees, and never leaves them but from force or accident. The eagle tothe sky, the mole to the ground, the sloth to the tree; but what is mostextraordinary, he lives not _upon_ the branches, but _under_ them. Hemoves suspended, rests suspended, sleeps suspended, and passes hislife in suspense--like a young clergyman distantly related to abishop. "[183] [Illustration: The Great Ant-Eater. (Myrmecophaga jabata). ] FOOTNOTES: [182] Dr Hannah's "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Thomas Chalmers, D. D. , L. L. D. , " vol. Ii. P. 237. THE GREAT ANT-EATER. (_Myrmecophaga jubata_, L. [184]) A few months ago a handbill was distributed in the neighbourhood ofSeven Dials, inviting the public to visit a "wonderful animal fed withants, and possessing strength to kill the lion, tiger, or any otheranimal under its claws. " We entered the miserable apartment where it wasexhibited, and any spectator must at once have been struck with thecreature's want of resemblance to any other he had ever seen. Its headso small, so long and slender; the straight, wiry, dry hair with whichit was covered, and its singularly large and bushy tail, first attractednotice. A second glance showed its enormously thick fore-legs, and theclaws of its feet turned in, so that it walked on the sides of itssoles. Oken and St Hilaire would have said that it was "all extremity. "A cup, with the contents of one or two eggs, was brought, and it suckedthem with great avidity, every now and then darting from its small moutha very long tongue, which looked like a great, black worm, whiskingabout in the custard. One of its showmen told us that it had attackedthe woman of the house the preceding day, and had scratched her arm. Whether this was true or grossly exaggerated, we know not; but if so, wesuspect that the woman herself must have been in fault, and not theinoffensive stranger. On the payment of a handsome consideration to her owners, the poorcaptive was transferred from her unwholesome lodging in St Giles's, tothe Gardens of the Zoological Society in the Regent's Park. And withinthe last few weeks her solitude has been cheered by the arrival of acompanion from her native forests. The new-comer is in beautifulcondition, though not nearly so large. He has a head decidedly shorterand stronger, and is probably not yet fully grown. The great ant-eater seems to be scattered over a wide extent of SouthAmerica--Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay, being its places of abode. It isa stout animal, measuring from the end of the snout to the tip of thelong tail six or seven feet, of which the tail takes nearly the half; sothat the actual size of its body is much reduced. In Paraguay it isnamed _Nurumi_ or _Yogui_. The former name is altered from the nativeword for _small mouth_, and indicates a striking peculiarity in itsstructure. The Portuguese call it _Tamandua_; the Spaniards, _Osahormiguero_ (_i. E. _, ant-hill bear). In Paraguay it prefers sides oflakes where ants, at least termites or white ants, are abundant; but italso frequents woods. In Guiana, Mr Waterton found it chiefly "in theinmost recesses of the forest, " where it "seems partial to the low andswampy parts near creeks, where the troely tree grows. "[185] It sleeps agreat deal, reclining on its side, as the visitor to the Gardens mayfrequently see it do, with its head between its fore-legs, joining itsfore and hindfeet, and spreading the tail so as to cover the wholebody. Huddled up under this thatch, it might almost be taken for abundle of coarse and badly dried hay. The tail is thickly covered withlong hairs, placed vertically, the hairs draggling on the ground. Whenthe creature is irritated, the tail is shaken straight and elevated. Thenatives of Paraguay, like other persecutors of harmlessness, kill everyspecimen they meet, so that the ant-eater gets rare, and so rare is iton the Amazon that Mr Wallace, who travelled there from 1848 to 1852, honestly tells us he never saw one. He heard, however, that during rainit turns its bushy tail over its head and stands still. The Indians, knowing this habit, when they meet an ant-eater, make a rustling noiseamong the leaves. The creature instantly turns up its tail, and iseasily killed by the stroke of a stick on its little head. [186] The ant-eater is slow in its movements--never attempting to escape. Whenhard pressed it stops, and, seated on its hind-legs, waits for theaggressor. Its object is to receive him between its fore-legs; and onehas only to look at its arms and claws in order to fancy what afrightful squeeze it would give. Nothing but death, they say, will makethe creature relax its grasp. It is asserted that the jaguar--the tigerof South America, and the most formidable beast of the New World--daresnot attack it. This Azara, with good reason, doubts. A single bite froma jaguar, or the stroke of his paw, would fracture an ant-eater's skullbefore it had time to turn round; for the movements of this edentatequadruped are as sluggish as those of the toothed carnivorous tyrant arerapid. As seen in its handsome and roomy cage, the ant-eater gives us animpression of dulness and stupidity; and always smelling and listeningand looking at the door where its keeper introduces its food, its mind, when awake, appears to be constantly occupied about "creature comforts. "In the course of the day it laps up with its darting tongue, and sucksin through its long taper snout a dozen eggs, and almost the whole of arabbit, chopped into a fine mince-meat. With such dainty fare, and withthe anxious attention which it receives from its sagacious curators, itis scarcely surprising that it thrives; and when the warm weather comes, it will be a fine sight to see these animals enjoying the range of apaddock, which will doubtless be provided for their use, and exercisingtheir brawny forelimbs and powerful claws in pulling down conicalmounds, which may remind them of departed joys and balmier climes. Norwill it be the least charm of the spectacle that it will enable us tocompare this living species with other _Edentata_ of South America--suchas the Megatherium, now only found in the fossil state, but so admirablyrestored by Mr Hawkins for the Crystal Palace. We need not dwell on the admirable adaptation of the ant-eater to itsposition and to its few and simple wants. To those who have not studied"the works of the Lord, " it may appear uncouth and unattractive. Compared with a dog, it is stupid; and alongside of a lion, it is slow. It has not the symmetry of the horse, nor the beautiful markings of thezebra and leopard. But its Creator has given it the instincts, the form, the muscular powers, and the colours which best answer its purpose. Andno one can say that it is plain and ugly, who looks at its legs soprettily variegated with white and black, and its noble black collar. Those of our readers who wish further information will find it in the_Literary Gazette_ for October 8, 1853. In that article it is easy torecognise the Roman hand of the _facile princeps_ among livingcomparative anatomists. Long may it be before either of our newacquaintances in the Garden afford him a subject for dissection; butwhen that day arrives, we hope that he will not delay to publish thememoir. [187]--_A. White, in "Excelsior" (with additions). _ FOOTNOTES: [183] Sydney Smith, "Review of Waterton's Wanderings. " _EdinburghReview_, 1826. Works, vol. Ii. P. 145. [184] From [Greek: myrmêx], ant; [Greek: phagô], I eat; _jubata_, maned. [185] "Wanderings in South America" (Third Journey), p. 159, (ed. 1839). [186] "A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, " by Alfred R. Wallace, 1853, p. 452. RHINOCEROS AND ELEPHANT. Two genera of the bulkiest among terrestrial beasts. Just imagine thegreat rhinoceros at the Zoological Gardens taking it into its head, withthat little eye, target hide, and bulky bones, and other items about it, to fondle its keeper!--he was nearly crushed to death. How the greatthick-skinned creature enjoys a bath! As for the elephant, he is a mountain of matter as well as of animalintelligence. Sir Emerson Tennant in his "Ceylon, " but especially in his"Natural History, " volumes, has given some truly readable chapters onthe Asiatic elephant. We could have extracted many an anecdote, evenfrom recent works, of the intelligent sagacity of the Indian as well asthe African elephants. The account of the shooting of Mr Cross'swell-known elephant _Chunie_, at Exeter Change, has been very curiouslyand fully detailed by Hone in his "Every-Day Book. " A skull of anelephant in the British Museum, shows how wonderfully an elephant is attimes able to defend itself from attack. Many a shot that "rogueelephant" had received, years before the three or four Indian sportsmen, who presented its skull as a trophy, succeeded in planting a shot in itsbrain, or in its heart. Think of the feelings of Lord Clive's relations, at the prospect of his sending home an elephant for a pet. The goodfolks, not without some motive, as the great Indian ruler conceived, other than mere love for him, had been sending him presents. SamuelRogers, who wrote the neatest of hands, records that Clive wrote theworst and certainly the most illegible of scrawls. Instead of"elephant, " as they read it, their liberal relative had written"equivalent!" THE LORD KEEPER GUILFORD AND HIS VISIT TO THE RHINOCEROS IN THE CITY OFLONDON. [188] It is strange to read in the life of the Lord Keeper Guilford, that hislordship's court enemies, "hard put to it to find, or invent, somethingtending to the diminution of his character, " took advantage of his goingto see a rhinoceros, to circulate a foolish story of him, which muchannoyed him. It was in the reign of James II. His biographer thusrecords it. The rhinoceros, referred to, was the first ever brought toEngland. Evelyn, in his "Memoirs, " says, that it was sold for £2000, amost enormous sum in those days (1685). Roger North relates the story:--"It fell out thus--a merchant of SirDudley North's acquaintance had brought over an enormous rhinoceros, tobe sold to showmen for profit. It is a noble beast, wonderfully armed bynature for offence, but more for defence, being covered withimpenetrable shields, which no weapon would make any impression upon, and a rarity so great that few men, in our country, have in their wholelives the opportunity of seeing so singular an animal. This merchanttold Sir Dudley North that if he, with a friend or two, had a mind tosee it, they might take the opportunity at his house before it was sold. Hereupon Sir Dudley North proposed to his brother, the Lord Keeper, togo with him upon this exhibition, which he did, and came awayexceedingly satisfied with the curiosity he had seen. But whether he wasdogged to find out where he and his brother housed in the city, orflying fame carried an account of the voyage to court, I know not; butit is certain that the very next morning a bruit went from thence allover the town, and (as factious reports used to run) in a very shorttime, viz. , that his lordship rode upon the rhinoceros, than which amore infantine exploit could not have been fastened upon him. And mostpeople were struck with amazement at it, and divers ran here and thereto find out whether it was true or no. And soon after dinner some lordsand others came to his lordship to know the truth from himself, for thesetters of the lie affirmed it positively as of their own knowledge. That did not give his lordship much disturbance, for he expected nobetter from his adversaries. But that his friends, intelligent persons, who must know him to be far from guilty of any childish levity, shouldbelieve it, was what roiled him extremely, and much more when they hadthe face to come to him to know if it were true. I never saw him in sucha rage, and to lay about him with affronts (which he keenly bestowedupon the minor courtiers that came on that errand) as then; for he sentthem away with fleas in their ear. And he was seriously angry with hisown brother, Sir Dudley North, because he did not contradict the lie insudden and direct terms, but laughed as taking the question put to himfor a banter, till, by iteration, he was brought to it. For some lordscame, and because they seemed to attribute somewhat to the avowedpositiveness of the reporters, he rather chose to send for his brotherto attest than to impose his bare denial, and so it passed; and thenoble earl (of Sunderland), with Jeffries, and others of that crew, mademerry, and never blushed at the lie of their own making, but valuedthemselves upon it as a very good jest. " And so it passed. What a sensation would have been caused by the suddenapparition in that age of a few numbers of _Punch_. What a subject for acartoon, some John Leech of 1685 would have made of the stately LordKeeper on the back of a rhinoceros, and the infamous Judge Jeffriesleering at him from a window. THE ELEPHANT AND HIS TRUNK. Canning and another gentleman were looking at a picture of the deluge;the ark was seen in the middle distance, while in the fore-sea anelephant was struggling with his fate. "I wonder, " said the gentleman, "that the elephant did not secure _an inside_ place!"--"He was too late, my friend, " replied Canning; "he was detained _packing up histrunk_. "[189] SIR RICHARD PHILLIPS AND JELLY MADE OF IVORY DUST. --A VEGETARIAN TAKENIN. The biographers of James Montgomery[190] relate an amusing anecdote ofSir Richard Phillips, the eccentric London bookseller and author. Hevisited Sheffield in October 1828. "He had lived too long amidst thebustle and business of the great world, and was too little conscious ofany feeling at all like diffidence, to allow him to hesitate aboutcalling upon any person, whether of rank, genius, or eccentricity, whenthe success of his project was likely to be thereby promoted. The timeselected by the free and easy knight for his unannounced visitation ofMontgomery was _Sunday at dinner time_. He was at once asked to sit downand partake of the chickens and bacon which had just been placed on thetable, but here was a dilemma; Sir Richard, although neither a Brahminnor a Jew, avowed himself a staunch Pythagorean--he could eat no flesh!Luckily there was a plentiful supply of carrots and turnips, and--jelly. But was the latter made from calves' feet? Montgomery assured his guestthat it was _not_; but, added he, with a conscientious regard for hisvisitor's scruples, from _ivory dust_. We believe the poet fancied thehypothesis of an animal origin of this viand could not be very obscure;it was, however, swallowed; the clever bibliopole perhaps believing, with some of the Sheffield ivory-cutters, that elephants, instead ofbeing hunted and killed for their tusks, _shed them_ when fully grown, as bucks do their antlers!" J. T. SMITH AND THE ELEPHANT. That gossiping man, J. T. Smith, once Keeper of the Prints in theBritish Museum, and author of "Nollekens and his Times, " relates, thatwhen he and a friend were returning late from a club, and wereapproaching Temple Bar, "about one o'clock, a most unaccountableappearance claimed our attention, --it was no less than an elephant, whose keepers were coaxing it to pass through the gateway. He had beenaccompanied with several persons from the Tower wharf with tall poles, but was principally guided by two men with ropes, each walking on eitherside of the street, to keep him as much as possible in the middle, onhis way to the menagerie, Exeter Change, to which destination, afterpassing St Clement's Church, he steadily trudged on, with strictobedience to the command of his keepers. [191] "I had the honour afterwards of partaking of a pot of Barclay's entirewith this same elephant, which high mark of his condescension wasbestowed when I accompanied my friend, the late Sir James Wintel Lake, Bart. , to view the rare animals in Exeter Change, --that gentleman beingassured by the elephant's keeper that, if he would offer the beast ashilling, he would see the noble animal nod his head and drink a pot ofporter. The elephant had no sooner taken the shilling, which he did inthe mildest manner from the palm of Sir James's hand, than he gave it tothe keeper, and eagerly watched his return with the beer. The elephantthen, after placing his proboscis to the top of the tankard, drew upnearly the whole of the beverage. The keeper observed, 'You will hardlybelieve, gentlemen, but the little he has left is quite warm;' upon thiswe were tempted to taste it, and it really was so. This animal wasafterwards disposed of for the sum of one thousand guineas. " THE ELEPHANT AND THE TAILOR. This old story has been often told, but never so well as by Sydney Smithin one of his lectures at the Royal Institution. "Every one knows theold story of the tailor and the elephant, which, if it be not true, atleast shows the opinion the Orientals, who know the animal well, entertain of his sagacity. An eastern tailor to the Court was making amagnificent doublet for a bashaw of nine tails, and covering it, afterthe manner of eastern doublets, with gold, silver, and every species ofmetallic magnificence. As he was busying himself on this momentousoccasion, there passed by, to the pools of water, one of the royalelephants, about the size of a broad-wheeled waggon, rich in ivoryteeth, and shaking, with its ponderous tread, the tailor's shop to itsremotest thimble. As he passed near the window, the elephant happened tolook in; the tailor lifted up his eyes, perceived the proboscis of theelephant near him, and, being seized with a fit of facetiousness, pricked the animal with his needle; the mass of matter immediatelyretired, stalked away to the pool, filled his trunk full of muddy water, and, returning to the shop, overwhelmed the artisan and his doublet withthe dirty effects of his vengeance. " DR JOHNSON ALLUDED TO AS "AN ELEPHANT. " "If an elephant could write a book, perhaps one that had read a greatdeal would say, that an Arabian horse is a very clumsy, ungracefulanimal. " This was written by Horace Walpole to Miss Berry, in 1791, inallusion to Dr Johnson's depreciation of Thomas Gray the poet. [192] Itis an acute observation, well worth being wrought out. There is agrandeur and even a grace about this bulky beast and its motions welldeserving the study of any one who has the opportunity. Elephants in ourstreets are not now so rare as they used to be. We saw three in oneprocession in the streets of Edinburgh in 1865. ELEPHANT'S SKIN. "Did any of you ever see an elephant's skin?" asked the master of aninfant school in a fast neighbourhood. "I have!" shouted a six-year-oldat the foot of the class. "Where?" inquired the master, amused by hisearnestness. "_On the elephant!_" was the reply. FOOTNOTES: [187] This memoir has been published, and the subject of it was thisvery ant-eater. Professor Owen has introduced many striking facts fromthe history of its structure, in his lecture delivered at Exeter Hall, 1863, and published by the Messrs Nisbet. [188] "The Life of the Right Hon. Francis North, Baron Guilford, LordKeeper of the Great Seal, under King Charles II. And King James II. , &c. " By the Hon. Roger North. A New Edition, in three vols. , 1826, vol. Ii. P. 167. [189] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 329. [190] "John Holland and James Everett, " vol. Iv. P. 283. [191] "A Book for a Rainy Day, " p. 92. FOSSIL PACHYDERMATA. CUVIER AND THE FOSSIL. George Cuvier was perhaps the first man who, by his admirable works andresearches, gave zoology its true place among the sciences. His discoveries of the structure of molluscous and other animals of theobscurer orders are perhaps eclipsed by his researches in osteology. Hehas enabled the comparative anatomist to tell from a small portion ofbone not only the class, but the order, genus, and even the species towhich animal that bone belonged. Mrs Lee, [193] in her Life of the Baron, gives an example of hisenthusiasm in his researches. M. Laurillard was afterwards his secretary and the draftsman whoexecuted nearly all the drawings in his "Ossemens fossiles. " At the timeof this story he had not particularly attracted Cuvier's notice. "One day Cuvier came to his brother Frederic to ask him to disengage afossil from its surrounding mass, an office he had frequently performed. M. Laurillard was applied to in the absence of F. Cuvier. Little awareof the value of the specimen confided to his care, he cheerfully set towork, and succeeded in getting the bone entire from its position. M. Cuvier, after a short time, returned for his treasure, and when he sawhow perfect it was, his ecstasies became incontrollable; he danced, heshook his hands, he uttered expressions of delight, till M. Laurillard, in his ignorance both of the importance of what he had done, and of theardent character of M. Cuvier, thought he was mad. Taking, however, hisfossil foot in one hand, and dragging Laurillard's arm with the other, he led him up-stairs to present him to his wife and sister-in-law, saying, 'I have got my foot, and M. Laurillard found it for me. ' Itseems that this skilful operation confirmed all M. Cuvier's previousconjecture concerning a foot, the existence and form of which he hadalready guessed, but for which he had long and vainly sought. Sooccupied had he been by it, that, when he appeared to be particularlyabsent, his family were wont to accuse him of seeking his fore-foot. Thenext morning the able operator and draftsman was engaged as secretary. " FOOTNOTES: [192] "Letters of Horace Walpole, " edited by Peter Cunningham, ix. , 319. [193] "Memoirs of Baron Cuvier, " by Mrs R. Lee (formerly Mrs T Ed. Bowdich), 1833, p. 93. SOW. A very gross but useful animal, which can, by feeding, be stuffed intosuch a state of fatness as only one who has seen a Christmas cattle showin England could believe it possible for beast to acquire. Dean Ramsay, in a happy anecdote, refers to a good quality of the sow as food. Hetells, that a Scottish minister had been persuaded to keep a pig, andthat the good wife had been duly instructed in the mysteries ofblack-puddings, pork-chops, pig's-head, and other modes of turning poorpiggy to account. The minister remarked to a friend, "Nae doubt there'sa hantle o' miscellaneous eating aboot a pig. " The author of "A Ramble, "published by Edmonstone and Douglas in 1865, has devoted some mostamusing pages of his work to an account of "Pig-sticking in Chicago, " aswitnessed by him during the late American war. The wholesale andscientific off-hand way in which living pigs enter into one part of amachine, and come out prepared pork, could only have been devised by aYankee. [Illustration: The Wild Boar of Syria and Egypt. (Sus Scrofa. )] The essay of Charles Lamb on Roast Pig, and his history of how theChinaman discovered it, is a most characteristic bit of the productionsof Elia. We have cut from a recent paper, what seems an authentic story, of one of this race having obtained a kind of mausoleum. We hope it isnot a hoax, but that it is as genuine as all that is in one of "Murray'sHandbooks:"-- MONUMENT TO A PIG. --"Up to the present time, " says the _Europe_ ofFrankfort, "no monument that we are aware of had ever been erected tothe memory of a _pig_. The town of Luneburg, in Hanover, has wished tofill up that blank; and at the Hotel de Ville, in that town, there is tobe seen a kind of mausoleum to the memory of a member of the swinishrace. In the interior of that commemorative structure is to be seen aglass case, inclosing a ham still in good preservation. A slab of blackmarble attracts the eye of visitors, who find thereon the followinginscription in Latin, engraved in letters of gold--'Passer-by, contemplate here the mortal remains of the pig which acquired for itselfimperishable glory by the discovery of the salt springs of Luneburg. '" THE WILD BOAR (_Sus scrofa_). We have a specimen of the family of swine in that well-known and usefulanimal, with whose portrait Sir Charles Bell furnishes the reader, as anexample of a head as remote as possible from the head of him whodesigned and executed the Elgin marbles. Although the learned anatomistbrought forward the profile of this animal as the type of a"non-intellectual" being, yet there are instances enough on record toshow that pigs are not devoid of intelligence, and are even, whentrained, capable of considerable docility. "Learned pigs, " however, suchas are exhibited at country fairs, are a rare occurrence, and the familyto which they belong is essentially one "gross" in character, and farfrom gainly in appearance. The most handsome of the race is one fromWest Africa, recently added to the Zoological Gardens, and described byDr Gray under the name of _Potamochærus penicillatus_. The wild swine ofAfrica are, with this bright exception, anything but handsome, either inshape or colour; and the large excrescences on their cheeks and facegive the "warthogs" a ferocious look, which corresponds with theirhabits. In the East there are several species of wild swine. One of themost celebrated is the _Babyrusa_ of the Malay peninsula, distinguishedby its long recurved teeth, with which it was once fancied that theysuspended themselves from trees, or rather supported themselves whenasleep. Mrs M'Dougall[194] refers to the wild hogs of Borneo, which seemto be dainty in their diet, as they think nothing of a swim of fourmiles from their jungle home to places on the river where they knowthere are trees laden with ripe fruit. These Borneo swine are activecreatures too, as they can leap fences nearly six feet high. In SouthAmerica the sow family is represented by the Peccaries (_Dicotyles_), ofwhich there are two species, one of which is very abundant in the woods, and forms a most important article in the diet of the poor Indians. They, too, can swim across rivers, and although their legs are short, they can run very fast. It is chiefly in the warmer parts of the world that the species of thisfamily are found. They are all distinguished by the middle toes of eachfoot being larger than the others, and armed with hoofs, [195] the sidetoe or toes being shorter, and scarcely reaching the ground. The noseterminates in a truncated, tough, grissly disk, which is singularly welladapted for the purpose of the animals, which all grub in the ground fortheir food. In some parts of France it is said that they are trained tosearch for truffles. Having briefly alluded to different species "_de grege porci_, " we nowlimit ourselves to our immediate subject. The wild boar, at no very remote period, was found in the extensivewoods which covered great portions of this island. The family of Bairdderives its heraldic crest of a wild boar's head from a grant of DavidI. , King of Scotland. This monarch was hunting in Aberdeenshire, andwhen separated from his attendants, the infuriated pig turned upon him;one of his people came up and killed it, and in memory of his featreceived from the grateful king the device still borne by the family. The name of a Scottish parish, and of one of the oldest baronialfamilies in Scotland--Swinton of Swinton, in Berwickshire--is derivedalso from this animal, the first of the Swintons having cleared thatpart of the country from the wild swine which then infested it. It iscurious to know that some large fields in the neighbourhood of Swintonstill carry in their names traces of these early occupants. Dr Bairdinformed the writer that there are four of these fields sodistinguished:--"Sow-causeway, " and "Pikerigg, " where the wild swineused to feed ("pick their food"); "Stab's Cross, " where Sir Alan Swintonwith his spear pierced some monarch of the race; and "Alan's Cairn, "where a heap of stones was raised as a monument of his hardihood. In thesouthern part of our island only the nobility and gentry were allowed tohunt this animal; and in the reign of William the Conqueror any oneconvicted of killing a wild boar in any of the royal demesnes waspunished with the loss of his eyes. In many parts of the Continent the wild boar is still far from rare, andaffords, to those who are fond of excitement, that peculiar kind of"pleasure" which involves a certain amount of danger. Scenes somewhatsimilar to those depicted by Snyders may still be witnessed in someparts of Germany; and in the sketches of Mr Wolf, the able artist whosedesigns illustrate these papers, we have seen animated studies of thistruly hazardous sport. The nose of the wild boar is very acute in the sense of smell. A zealoussportsman tells us, "I have often been surprised, when stealing upon onein the woods, to observe how soon he has become aware of myneighbourhood. Lifting his head, he would sniff the air inquiringly, then, uttering a short grunt, make off as fast as he could. "[196] Thesame writer has also sometimes noticed in a family of wild boars one, generally a weakling, who was buffeted and ill-treated by the rest. "Dowhat he would, nothing was right; sometimes the mother, uttering adisapproving grunt, would give him a nudge to make him move morequickly, and that would be a sign for all the rest of his relations tobegin showing their contempt for him too. One would push him, and thenanother; for, go where he might, he was sure to be in the way. " In theextensive woods frequented by this animal in Europe, abundant suppliesof food are met with in the roots of various plants which it grubs up, in the beech-mast, acorns, and other tree productions, which, during twoor three months of the year, it finds on the ground. Although well ableto defend itself, it is a harmless animal, and being shy, retires tothose parts of the forests most remote from the presence of man. A sitein the neighbourhood of water is preferred to any other. Travellers in the East frequently refer to this animal and to itsravages when it gets into a rice-field or a vineyard; for although itsnatural food be wild roots and wild fruits, if cultivated grounds be inthe neighbourhood, its ravages are very annoying to the husbandmen, whocan fully and feelingly understand the words of the Psalmist, "The boarout of the wood doth waste it" (Ps. Lxxx. 13). Messrs Irby and Mangles, [197] as they approached the Jordan, saw a herdof nine wild pigs, and they found the trees on the banks of a streamnear that river all marked with mud, left by the wild swine in rubbingthemselves. A valley which they passed was grubbed up in all directionswith furrows made by these animals, so that the soil had all theappearance of having been ploughed up. Burckhardt mentions the occurrence of the wild boar and panthertogether, or the _ounce_, as he calls it, on the mountain of Rieha, andalso in the wooded part of Tabor. He mentions "a common saying andbelief among the Turks, that all the animal kingdom was converted bytheir prophet to the true faith, except the wild boar and buffalo, whichremained unbelievers; it is on this account that both these animals areoften called Christians. We are not surprised that the boar should be sodenominated; but as the flesh of the buffalo, as well as its Leben orsour milk, is much esteemed by the Turks, it is difficult to account forthe disgrace into which that animal has fallen among them; the onlyreason I could learn for it is, that the buffalo, like the hog, has ahabit of rolling in the mud, and of plunging into the muddy ponds in thesummer time up to the very nose, which alone remains visible above thesurface. "[198] Wild boars were frequently fallen in with by thistraveller during his Syrian travels in the neighbourhood of rush-coveredsprings, where they could easily return to their "wallowing in themire;" he also met with them on all the mountains he visited in histour. In the Ghor they are very abundant, and so injurious to the Arabsof that valley that they are unable to cultivate the common barley onaccount of the eagerness with which the wild swine feed on it, and areobliged to grow a less esteemed kind, with six rows of grains which theswine will not touch. Messrs Hemprich and Ehrenberg tell us that the wild boar is farfrom scarce in the marshy districts around Rosetta and Damietta, andthat it does not seem to differ from the European species. The head of awild boar which these travellers saw at Bischerre, a village of Lebanon, closely resembled the European variety, except in being a little longer. The Maronites there, who ate its flesh in their company, called it_chansir_, [199] a name evidently identical with the Hebrew word_chasir_, which occurs in the Bible. The Turks, according to Ehrenberg, keep swine in their stables, from a persuasion that all devils who mayenter will be more likely to go into the pigs than the horses, fromtheir alliance to the former unclean animals. --_A. White, in"Excelsior. "_ [Illustration: The River Pig. ] THE RIVER PIG, OR PAINTED PIG OF THE CAMAROON. [200] The other day we revisited the Zoological Gardens, and found that twoold friends had got--the one, a companion, the other, a neighbour. Thelatter was the bulky hippopotamus, now most bearish, and more and moreunmistakably showing the minute accuracy of those master lines in theBook of Job, in which Behemoth's portrait, pose, and character aredepicted. The former was the subject of this article--evidently, as faras colour goes, "the chieftain of the _porcine_ race. " The poet tells us, however, "Nimium ne crede colori;" and observation, as well as the Scripture, shows us daily that "fair havens" in summerare but foul places to "winter in;" that fair speeches, and a flatteringtongue, and the kisses of an enemy, "are deceitful;" and that beneath afine spotted or barred coat, the jaguar and the tiger, the cobra and thehornet, conceal both the power and the propensity for mischief. So withour old friend Potamochoerus. The pretty creature, --beauty isrelative--the Cameroon pig is the prettiest, the gaudiest of therace, --the pretty creature, we repeat, is of a fine bay red, made tolook more bright from the circumstance of the face, ears, and front ofthe legs being black, while the red is relieved, and the black isdefined, by the pencilled lines of white which edge the ears, streakover and under the eye, and ornament the long whiskers, another longwhite line traversing the middle of the back; a very attractivecombination of colour--the painting of "Him who made the world"--and onewhich must make the _Potamochoerus penicellatus_ most conspicuousamong the bright green shrubs and dark marshes of the rivers ofequinoctial Africa, on whose banks the race has been planted. Thepresent largest specimen was taken, when a "piggie, " by a tradingcaptain, as it was swimming across the Cameroon River. He brought it toLiverpool; Dr Gray, of the British Museum, gave an account of it in the"Illustrated Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for1852"--an excellent work--where its figure, drawn and coloured by thehand of Wolf, shows the condition of the African sow four years ago. Itwas then a round, comfortable, kind-looking creature, which one mightalmost have fondled as a pet. The pig now looks rather a dangerousbeast, and its beauty is not increased by its face having grown longer, and by the bump and hollow on each cheek being larger and deeper; nor isits mouth so attractive or innocent, now that its tusks--those ivorydaggers and knives of the family of Swine--have grown longer. Thecreature, partly it may be from familiarity, jumps up against the ironpalisade which separates the visitor from its walk, but a poor pannageas a substitute for its African home. We would advise him to read thenotice: "Visitors are requested not to tease the animals;" "not totouch" would be a good reprint--for few, we fancy, would try to tease. One, however, especially a lady, likes to know and to feel _texture_;and sadly used the fine, mild Edward Cross, of Exeter Change and theSurrey Zoological Gardens, once the Nestor as well as the King amongkeepers of wild beasts--a gentle, gentlemanly, white-haired, venerableman, --sadly, we say, used Mr Cross to lament that there _were_ parasols, and that he could not keep them _out_ of his garden. Mr C. Told thewriter that he lost many a beast and bird from the pokes of thatinsinuating weapon. We dissuade any lady from touching or going near azebra's mouth, or the horns of an ibex or an algazel, or the pointedbill of a heron or stork, or from putting her hand near this finepainted pig. Up jumps Potamochoerus--eye rather vindictive, however--and mark, asthat big specimen is foreshortened before you, the profile of the littlecompanion pig of the same species, standing within a few feet, but safefrom the poke of any umbrella or parasol; look how innocent andinviting--how quiet, and sleek, and polished, and painted, and mild itlooks, all but that little suspicious eye, with its wink oblique, andits malicious twinkle. Of the habits of this pig we can find no written record, though in thejournals of the Scottish or Wesleyan Missionaries there may be somenotices of it. We do not know whence the Society procured the secondspecimen, but it shows that Africa's wild animals, like its chain ofinternal Caspian seas, and its mountain-ranges and rivers, are becominggradually known. Old Bosman, who was chief factor for the Dutch on theGold Coast 150 years ago, refers to the swine near Fort St Georged'Elmina being not nearly so wild as those of Europe, and adds, "I haveseveral times eaten of them here, and found them very delicious and verytender meat, the fat being extraordinarily fine. "[201] He evidentlyrefers to some other species. Travellers in South Africa have made us familiar with the habits, andspecimens in the Zoological Gardens, in a pannage close to that of the"painted pig, " show us the form and ugliness, of the bush pig and flatpig (_Choiropotamus Africanus_) of that southern land, with their longheads, long legs, upturned tails, and horrid tusks. They have a strangehabit of kneeling on their fore-legs. In South Africa they abound; andthe natives--our excellent friend, the Rev. Henry Methuen, tellsus--often bring their jaws for barter. They are of a dingy, dirty gray;the boar is two feet and a half high, and his tusks sometimes measure"eleven inches and a half each from the jawbone, " are five inches and ahalf in circumference at the base, and are thirteen inches apart attheir extremities. No animal is more formidably armed; and his rapidity and lightness ofmovement make him a very marked object to the African Nimrod, who, midst"clumps of bush"--be they Proteacæ, heaths, or Diosmeæ--not unfrequentlycomes on a herd of wild pigs "headed by a noble boar, " with tail erect. We could enter largely on the history of this active species, and quotemany a stirring anecdote of travellers' rencontres with this fearlessanimal. The lion skulks away from him, but the rhinoceros--at least onespecies--the buffalo, with his formidable front of horn and bone, andthe bush pig, with his dreaded tusks, show but little fear; and it iswell for the huntsman that he has a sure eye, a steady hand, and adouble-barrelled gun, and not a few Caffir followers to help him, shouldhis eye be dim, his hand waver, or his gun "flash in the pan. " Dogsavail but little; a deadly gash lays open their ribs, and a side-thrustof a wild boar will cut into the most muscular leg, and for ever destroyits tendons. We have done with pigs, and would only recommend a visit--afrequent visit--to that paradise of animals, the Zoological Gardens, where, a fortnight ago, we saw wild boars from Hesse Darmstadt; wildboars from Egypt; bush pigs from Africa; peccaries from South America;and two painted pigs from West Africa; all "_de grege porci_, " and inexcellent health: to say nothing of two hippopotamuses; four "seraphic"giraffes; antelopes (we did not number them); brush turkeys fromAustralia; an apteryx from New Zealand; the curious white sheathbillsfrom the South Seas; the refulgent metallic green and purple-tintedmonaul, or Impeyan pheasant, strutting with outspread, light-colouredtail, just as he courts his plain hen-mate on the Indian mountains; afamily of the funny pelicans--cleanliness, ugliness, and contentment inone happy combination; a band of flamingoes; eagles and vultures; theharpy--that Picton of the birds--looking defiance as he stands, withupraised crest, flashing eye, and clenched talons, over his food; thewily otter; the amiable seal, which carries us to the seas and rocks ofmuch-loved Shetland, with their long, winding voes, theirbird-frequented cliffs, and outlying skerries; the Indian thrush, whichreminds one of a "mavis" at home; the parrot-house, with its finecontrasts of colour and its discordant noises; Penny's Esquimauxdog--poor fellow, a prisoner, unlike to what he was when, with our dearfriends Dr Sutherland and Captain Stewart, this very dog breasted theblast before a sledge in the Wellington Channel. [202] Look at thatwondrous sloth, organised for a life in a Brazilian forest--those tworestless Polar bears; and though last, not least, those wonders of thegreat deep, "the sea-anemones, " the exquisite red and white "feathery"tentacles of the long cylindrical-twisted serpulæ, andmarvellously-transparent streaked shrimps, all leg, and feeler, and eye, and "nose"--in the salt-water tanks in the Vivarium. --_A. White, in"Excelsior. "_ S. BISSET AND HIS LEARNED PIG. S. Bisset, formerly referred to, when at Belfast bought a black suckingpig, and after several experiments succeeded in training a creature, soobstinate and perverse by nature, to become most tractable and docile. In August 1783, he took his learned pig to Dublin for exhibition. "Itwas not only under full command, but appeared as pliant and good-naturedas a spaniel. He had taught it to spell the names of any one in thecompany, to tell the hour, minute, and second, to make his obeisance tothe company, and he occasioned many a laugh by his pointing out themarried and the unmarried. Some one in authority forced him to leaveDublin, and he died broken-hearted shortly after at Chester, on his wayto London, where forty and more years before he had first been inducedto train animals. "[203] QUIXOTE BOWLES FOND OF PIGS. Southey records of Quixote Bowles that he "had a great love for pigs; hethought them the happiest of all God's creatures, and would walk twentymiles to see one that was remarkably fat. This love extended to bacon;he was an epicure in it; and whenever he went out to dinner, took apiece of his own curing in his pocket, and requested the cook to dressit. "[204] ON JEKYLL NEARLY THROWN DOWN BY A VERY SMALL PIG. "As Jekyll walk'd out in his gown and his wig, He happen'd to tread on a very small pig; 'Pig of science, ' he said, 'or else I'm mistaken, For surely thou art an _abridgment of Bacon_. '"[205] GOOD ENOUGH FOR A PIG. An Irish peasant being asked why he permitted his pig to take up itsquarters with his family, made an answer abounding with satirical_naïveté_. "Why not? Doesn't the place afford every convenience that _apig can require_?"[206] Mrs Fry, in 1827, visited Ireland on one of her Christian andphilanthropic tours. In a letter to her children from Armagh shesays--"Pigs abound; I think they have rather a more elegant appearancethan ours, their hair often rather curled. Perhaps naturalists mayattribute this to their intimate association with their betters!"[207] THE COUNTRYMAN'S CRITICISM ON THE PIGS IN GAINSBOROUGH'S PICTURE OF THEGIRL AND PIGS. Thomas Gainsborough, the great English painter, exhibited, in 1782, among pictures of noblemen, gentlemen, and ladies, his well-known "Girland Pigs. "[208] Wolcot, better known as "Peter Pindar, " in his first "Ode to the RoyalAcademicians, " refers to this picture. "And now, O Muse, with song so big, Turn round to Gainsborough's Girl and Pig, Or Pig and Girl, I rather should have said; The pig in white, I must allow, Is really a well painted sow, I wish to say the same thing of the maid. " "The expression and truth of nature in the Girl and Pigs, " remarksNorthcote, "were never surpassed. Sir Joshua Reynolds was struck withit, though he thought Gainsborough ought to have made her a beauty. "Reynolds, indeed, became the purchaser of the painting at one hundredguineas, Gainsborough asking but sixty. During its exhibition, it issaid to have attracted the attention of a countryman, whoremarked--"They be deadly like pigs, but nobody ever saw pigs feedingtogether but what one on 'em had a foot in the trough. " HOOK AND THE LITTER OF PIGS. Once a gentleman, who had the marvellous gift of shaping a great manythings out of orange-peel, was displaying his abilities at adinner-party before Theodore Hook and Mr Thomas Hill, and succeeded incounterfeiting a pig. Mr Hill tried the same feat; and after destroyingand strewing the table with the peel of a dozen oranges, gave it up, with the exclamation, "Hang the pig! I _can't_ make him. " "Nay, Hill, "exclaimed Hook, glancing at the mess on the table, "you have done more;instead of one pig, you have made a _litter_. "[209] Hook, we may add, was an original wit. He did not, like most professedwits, study his sayings before, and arrange with his seeming opponentfor an imaginary war of words. He was an _impromptu_ wit. JESTS ABOUT SWINE. Lord Chancellor Hardwicke's bailiff, having been ordered by his lady toprocure a sow of a particular description, came one day into thedining-room when full of company, proclaiming with a burst of joy hecould not suppress--"I have been at Royston Fair, my lady, and I havegot a sow exactly of _your ladyship's_ size. "[210] * * * * * John was thought to be very stupid. He was sent to a mill one day, andthe miller said--"John, some people say you are a fool! Now, tell me, what you do know, and what you don't know. "--"Well, " replied John, "Iknow millers' hogs are fat!"--"Yes, that's well, John; now, what don'tyou know?"--"I don't know _whose corn_ fats 'em. "[211] PIGS AND SILVER SPOON. The Earl of P---- kept a number of swine at his seat in Wiltshire, andcrossing the yard one day, he was surprised to see the pigs gatheredround one trough, and making a great noise. Curiosity prompted him tosee what was the cause, and on looking into the trough he perceived alarge silver spoon. A servant-maid came out, and began to abuse the pigsfor crying so. "Well they may, " said his lordship, "when they have gotbut one _silver spoon_ among them all. " * * * * * We have heard of one nobleman in Strathearn, who, when a young man, usedto be thus addressed by his mother--"William! how are the children _andyour pigs_?"[212] SYDNEY SMITH ON BEAUTIFUL PIGS. DEFINITION OF BEAUTY BY A UTILITARIAN. "Go to the Duke of Bedford's piggery at Woburn, and you will see a breedof pigs with legs so short, that their stomachs trail upon the ground;a breed of animals entombed in their own fat, overwhelmed withprosperity, success, and farina. No animal could possibly be sodisgusting, if it were not useful; but a breeder who has accuratelyattended to the small quantity of food it requires to swell this pig outto such extraordinary dimensions, --the extraordinary genius it displaysfor obesity, --and the laudable propensity of the flesh to desert thecheap regions of the body, and to agglomerate on those parts which areworth ninepence a pound, --such an observer of its utility does notscruple to call these otherwise hideous quadrupeds a beautiful race ofpigs!"[213] JOSEPH STURGE, WHEN A BOY, AND THE PIGS. When Joseph Sturge, that good Quaker, was in his sixth year, hisbiographer, Henry Richard, [214] records that he was on a visit to afriend of his mother's at Frenchay, near Bristol. Sauntering about oneday, he came near the house of an eccentric man, a Quaker, who was muchannoyed by the depredations of his neighbour's pigs. Half in jest, andhalf in earnest, he told the lad to drive the pigs into a pond close by. Joseph, nothing loath, set to work with a will, delighted with the fun. The woman, to whom the pigs belonged, came out presently, broom in hand, flourishing it over the young sinner's head. The tempter was standingby, and sought to cover his share of the transaction by shaking his headand saying--"Ah, 'Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do. ' The child looked up at him indignantly, and said, 'Thee bee'st Satanthen, for thee told'st me to do it. '" FOOTNOTES: [194] "Letters from Sarawak, " p. 104. 1854. [195] "Divides the hoof, and is cloven-footed, yet cheweth not the cud"(Lev. Ii. 7). [196] Boner's "Chamois Hunting in the Mountains of Bavaria, " p. 97. [197] "Travels" (Home and Colonial Library), p. 147. [198] "Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, " p. 9. [199] Symbolæ Physicæ. [200] _Potamochoerus penicellatus. _ [Greek: Potamos], a river; [Greek:choiros], a pig; _penicellatus_, pencilled. It is said to be the _Susporcus_ of Linnæus. [201] "A New and Accurate Description of the Coast of Guinea, writtenoriginally in Dutch. " London, 1705, p. 247. [202] See Dr Sutherland's interesting account in his "Journal of aVoyage in Baffin Bay and Barrow's Straits in the years 1850, 1851;" atruly excellent work on the Arctic regions, by one who is now Surveyorof Natal. [203] See Biography in G. H. Wilson's _Eccentric Mirror_, i. , No. 3, p. 30. [204] "Common-Place Book, " iv. P. 514. [205] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 107. [206] _Ibid. _, p. 337. [207] "Memoir of the Life of Elizabeth Fry, " vol. Ii. P. 30. 1847. [208] "Life of Thomas Gainsborough, R. A. , " by the late George WilliamFulcher, edited by his Son, p. 122. 1856. [209] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 328. [210] _Ibid. _, p. 2. [211] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 31. The latter of these jests isattributed by Dean Ramsay to a half-witted Ayrshire man, who said he"kenned a miller had aye a gey fat sow. "--_Reminiscences_, p. 197. [212] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 269. This worthy nobleman was and ismuch attached to his home-farm. He is well known in Perthshire. [213] "Wit and Wisdom of Rev. Sydney Smith, " third edition, p. 253. Froma lecture at Royal Institution. [214] "Memoirs of Joseph Sturge, " by Henry Richard. HORSE. The noblest animal employed by man, and consequently the subject of manyvolumes of anecdote, --a study for the painter and sculptor, from thedays of the Greek and Assyrian artists to the present day. CharlesDarwin and Sir Francis Head have given graphic descriptions of thecatching of the wild horse, which swarms on the Pampas of South America. How pathetic to see the led horse following the bier of a soldier! Itwas, perhaps, the most affecting incident in the long array of thefuneral of the great Duke. In the Museum at Brussels, Dr Patrick Neill observed, in 1817, "thestuffed skin of the horse belonging to one of the Alberts, who governedthe Low Countries in the time of the Spaniards. It was shot under him inthe field, and the holes made in the thorax by the musket bullets arestill very evident. "[215] Poor Copenhagen, the Duke's charger at Waterloo, was buried. Many wouldhave liked his skin or skeleton. The Duke resisted all attempts to givehis old friend up for such a purpose. We hope no resurrectionistsucceeded in getting up his bones, years after his burial atStrathfieldsaye. BELL-ROCK HORSE. The Bell-Rock Lighthouse, built on a dangerous range of rocks twelvemiles south by east from Arbroath, was begun by Robert Stevenson on the17th August 1807, and finished in October 1810. Mr Jervise[216] recordsthat "one horse, the property of James Craw, a labourer in Arbroath, isbelieved to have drawn the entire materials of the building. The animallatterly became a _pensioner_ of the Lighthouse Commissioners, and wassent by them to graze on the Island of Inchkeith, where it died of oldage in 1813. Dr John Barclay, the celebrated anatomist, had its bonescollected and arranged in his museum, which he bequeathed at his deathto the Royal College of Surgeons, and in their museum at Edinburgh theskeleton of the _Bell-Rock horse_ may yet be seen. " BURKE AND THE HORSE. An anecdote of the humanity of the great Edmund Burke in the year 1762has been preserved. [217] "An Irishman, of the name of Johnson, wasastonishing the town by his horsemanship. All London crowded to see hisfeats of agility and his highly-trained steeds. Dr Johnson and Boswelltalked of this man's wonderful ability, and the Doctor thought that hefully deserved encouragement on philosophical grounds. He proved whathuman perseverance could do. One who saw him riding on three horses atonce, or dancing upon a wire, might hope, that with the same applicationin the profession of his choice, he should attain the same success. Burke, always ready to encourage his countrymen, and curious in all theramifications of ingenuity, went frequently to the circus. The favouriteperformance of the evening was that of a handsome black horse, which, atthe sound of Johnson's whip, would leave the stable, stand with muchdocility at his side, then gallop about the ring, and on hearing thecrack of the lash again return obediently to its master. On oneunfortunate occasion, the signal was disregarded. The horse-rider flewinto a rage, and by a blow between the ears, struck the noble animal tothe earth. The spectators thought the horse was dying, but they hadlittle time to reflect on the sight before they were surprised at seeinga gentleman jump into the ring, rush up to Johnson, and with his eyesflashing, and every muscle in the face quivering with emotion, shoutout, 'You scoundrel! I have a mind to knock you down. ' And Johnson wouldcertainly have been laid sprawling in the sawdust beside his pantingsteed, had not the friends of the gentleman interposed, and preventedhim inflicting such summary chastisement. This incident was longremembered. When the relater of it, many years afterwards, heard Burkedeclaiming, on the floor of the House of Commons, against injustice andoppression, his mind naturally reverted to the time when he saw the samehatred of all cruelty displayed by the same individual as he stood overthe prostrate body of the poor black horse, prepared to punish themiscreant who had felled it to the ground. " DAVID GARRICK AND HIS HORSE. In 1778 Sir Joshua Reynolds visited Dr Warton at Winchester College. Here he was particularly noticed by George III. And his queen, who werethen making a tour through the summer encampments. The father of LordPalmerston, and David Garrick, the great actor, with others, visitedWarton at the same time. Mr Northcote[218] relates that a whimsical accident occurred to Garrickat one of the reviews, which Sir Joshua afterwards recounted with greathumour. "At one of those field-days in the vicinity, Garrick found it necessaryto dismount, when his horse escaped from his hold and ran off; throwinghimself immediately into his professional attitude, he cried out, as ifon Bosworth field, 'A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!'" This exclamation, and the accompanying attitude, excited great amazementamongst the surrounding spectators, who knew him not; but it could notescape his majesty's quick apprehension, for, it being within hishearing, he immediately said, "Those must be the tones of Garrick! seeif he is not on the ground. " The theatrical and dismounted monarch wasimmediately brought to his majesty, who not only condoled with him mostgood humouredly on his misfortune, but flatteringly added, that hisdelivery of Shakspeare could never pass undiscovered. This anecdote of Garrick at Winchester is told in the Rev. John Wool's"Life of Warton. " Mr Taylor says--"One can't help suspecting Rosciustook care to make his speech when he knew the king was within earshot--alittle bit of that 'artifice' of his which has left such an impressionin the theatre, that the phrase, 'As deep as Garrick, ' is still currentstage slang. "[219] BERNARD GILPIN'S HORSES STOLEN AND RECOVERED. [220] The biographer of the saintly Bernard Gilpin, the apostle of thenorthern counties of England in the days of Edward VI. , and Queens Maryand Elizabeth, relates that, by the carelessness of his servant, hishorses were one day stolen. The news was quickly propagated, and everyone expressed the highest indignation. The thief was rejoicing over hisprize, when, by the report of the country, he found whose horses he hadtaken. Terrified at what he had done, he instantly came trembling back, confessed the fact, returned the horses, and declared he believed thedevil would have seized him directly had he carried them off, knowingthem to have been Mr Gilpin's. The biographer gives an instance of hisbenevolent temper. "One day returning home, he saw in a field severalpeople crowding together; and judging that something more than ordinaryhad happened, he rode up to them, and found that one of the horses in ateam had suddenly dropped down, which they were endeavouring to raise;but in vain, for the horse was dead. The owner of it seeming muchdejected with his misfortune, and declaring how grievous a loss it wasto him, Mr Gilpin bade him not be disheartened; "I'll let you have, honest man, that horse of mine, " and pointed to his servant's. "Ah!master, " replied the countryman, "my pocket will not reach such a beastas that. " "Come, come, " says Mr Gilpin, "take him, take him; and when Idemand my money, then thou shalt pay me. "[221] No wonder that the horses of the apostolic rector of Houghton-le-Springwere safe, even in those horse-stealing times, and in that Bordercounty. THE HERALD AND GEORGE III. 'S HORSE. One day, when Sir Isaac Heard was in company with George III. , it wasannounced that his majesty's horse was ready for hunting. "Sir Isaac, "said the king, "are you a judge of horses?"--"In my younger days, pleaseyour majesty, I was a great deal among them, " was the reply. --"What doyou think of this, then?" said the king, who was by this time preparingto mount his favourite; and, without waiting for an answer, added, "Wecall him _Perfection_. "--"A most appropriate name, " replied the courtlyherald, bowing as his majesty reached the saddle, "for he _bears_ thebest of characters. "[222] ROWLAND HILL AND HIS HORSE AT DUNBAR. Many stories of the excellent but eccentric Rowland Hill are told, butoften with considerable exaggeration. The following may be depended onfor its accuracy, as it was told by Robert Haldane. [223] It occurred atDunbar, in September 1797, during an evangelistic tour Hill and Haldanewere making in Scotland. They were sleeping at Mr Cunningham's, when, in the morning, intending to proceed southward, on Mr Hill's carriagebeing brought to the door, his horse was found to be dead lame. Afarrier was sent for, who, after careful examination, reported that theseat of the mischief was in the shoulder, that the disease wasincurable, and that they might shoot the poor animal as soon as theypleased. To this proposal Mr Hill was by no means prepared to accede. Indeed, it seemed to Mr Haldane as precipitate as the conduct of anIrish sailor on board the _Monarch_, who, on seeing another knocked downsenseless by a splinter, and supposing his companion to be dead, went upto Captain Duncan, on the quarter-deck, in the midst of the action withLanguara, off St Vincent, and exclaimed, "Shall we jerk him overboard, sir?" On that occasion the sailor revived in a short time, and was evenable to work at his gun. In the present instance the horse, too, recovered, and was able to carry his master on many a future errand ofmercy. Meanwhile, however, the travellers availed themselves of MrCunningham's hospitality, and remained for two days more at his place, near Dunbar. In the evening Mr Hill conducted family worship, and afterthe supplications for the family, domestics, and friends, added afervent prayer for the restoration of the valuable animal which hadcarried him so many thousands of miles, preaching the everlasting gospelto his fellow-sinners. Mr Cunningham, who was remarkable for the staidand orderly, if not stiff, demeanour, which characterised theanti-burghers, was not only surprised but grieved, and even scandalised, at what he deemed so great an impropriety. He remonstrated with hisguest. But Mr Hill stoutly defended his conduct by an appeal toScripture, and the superintending watchfulness of Him without whom asparrow falls not to the ground. He persisted in his prayer during thetwo days he continued at Dunbar, and, although he left the horse, in ahopeless state, to follow in charge of his servant by easy stages, hecontinued his prayer, night and morning, till one day, at an inn inYorkshire, while the two travellers were sitting at breakfast, theyheard a horse and chaise trot briskly into the yard, and, looking out, saw that Mr Hill's servant had arrived, bringing up the horse perfectlyrestored. Mr Hill did not fail to return thanks, and begged hisfellow-traveller to consider whether the minuteness of his prayers haddeserved the censure which had been directed against them. A SAYING OF ROWLAND HILL'S. Rowland Hill rode a great deal, and exercise preserved him in vigoroushealth. On one occasion, when asked by a medical friend, who wascommenting on his invariably good health, what physician and apothecaryhe employed, he replied, "My physician has always been a _horse_, and myapothecary an _ass_!"[224] HOLCROFT ON THE HORSE. Thomas Holcroft, the novelist and play-writer, when a lad, was a stableboy to a trainer of running horses. In his memoirs he has written a gooddeal about the habits of the race-horse. He says of them:--"I soonlearned that the safehold for sitting steady was to keep the knee andthe calf of the leg strongly pressed against the sides of the animalthat endeavours to unhorse you; and as little accidents afford frequentoccasions to remind the boys of this rule, it becomes so rooted in thememory of the intelligent, that their danger is comparatively trifling. Of the temperaments and habits of blood-horses there are greatvarieties, and those very strongly contrasted. The majority of them areplayful, but their gambols are dangerous to the timid or unskilful. Theyare all easily and suddenly alarmed, when anything they do notunderstand forcibly catches their attention, and they are then to befeared by the bad horseman, and carefully guarded against by the good. Very serious accidents have happened to the best. But, besides theirgeneral disposition to playfulness, there is a great propensity in themto become what the jockeys call vicious. High bred, hot in blood, exercised, fed and dressed so as to bring that heat to perfection, theirtender skins at all times subject to a sharp curry-comb, hard brushing, and when they take sweats, to scraping with wooden instruments, itcannot be but that they are frequently and exceedingly irritated. Intending to make themselves felt and feared, they will watch theiropportunity to bite, stamp, or kick; I mean those among them that arevicious. Tom, the brother of Jack Clarke, after sweating a gray horsethat belonged to Lord March, with whom he lived, while he was eitherscraping or dressing him, was seized by the animal by the shoulder, lifted from the ground, and carried two or three hundred yards beforethe horse loosened his hold. Old Forrester, a horse that belonged toCaptain Vernon, all the while that I remained at Newmarket, was obligedto be kept apart, and being foundered, to live at grass, where he wasconfined to a close paddock. Except Tom Watson, he would suffer no ladto come near him; if in his paddock, he would run furiously at thefirst person that approached, and if in the stable, would kick andassault every one within his reach. Horses of this kind seem always toselect their favourite boy. Tom Watson, indeed, had attained to man'sestate, and in his brother's absence, which was rare, acted assuperintendent. Horses, commonly speaking, are of a friendly andgenerous nature; but there are anecdotes of the malignant and savageferocity of some, that are scarcely to be credited; at least many suchare traditional at Newmarket. Of their friendly disposition towards their keepers, there is a traitknown to every boy that has the care of any one of them, which ought notto be omitted. The custom is to rise very early, even between two andthree in the morning, when the days lengthen. In the course of the day, horses and boys have much to do. About half after eight, perhaps, in theevening, the horse has his last feed of oats, which he generally standsto enjoy in the centre of his smooth, carefully made bed of clean longstraw, and by the side of him the weary boy will often lie down; itbeing held as a maxim, a rule without exception, that were he to lieeven till morning, the horse would never lie down himself, but standstill, careful to do his keeper no harm. [225] In one of Thomas Holcroft's novels, "Alwyn; or, The Gentleman Comedian, "founded on his own adventures when a travelling actor, he gives thecharacter of an enthusiast who had conceived the idea of establishing ahumane asylum for animals, the consequences of which he describes. "I ampestered, plagued, teased, tormented to death. I believe all the catsin Christendom are assembled in Oxfordshire. I am obliged to hire aclerk to pay the people; and the village where I live is become aconstant fair. A fellow has set up the sign of the Three Blind Kittens, and has the impudence to tell the neighbours, that if my whims and mymoney only hold out for one twelvemonth, he shall not care a fig for theking. I thought to prevent this inundation, by buying up all the oldcats and secluding them in convents and monasteries of my own, but thevalue of the breeders is increased to such a degree, that I do notbelieve my whole fortune is capable of the purchase. Besides I am madean ass of. A rascal, who is a known sharper in these parts, hearing ofthe aversion I had to cruelty, bought an old one-eyed horse, that wasgoing to the dogs, for five shillings; then taking a hammer in his hand, watched an opportunity of finding me alone, and addressed me in thefollowing manner: 'Look you, master, I know that you don't love to seeany dumb creature abused, and so, if you don't give me ten pounds, why, I shall scoop out this old rip's odd eye with the sharp end of this herehammer, now, before your face. ' Ay, and the villain would have done ittoo, if I had not instantly complied; but what was worse, the abominablescoundrel had the audacity to tell me, when I wanted him to deliver thehorse first, for fear he should extort a further sum from me, that hehad more honour than to break his word. A whelp of a boy had yesterdaycaught a young hedgehog, and perceiving me, threw it into the water tomake it extend its legs; then with the rough side of a knotty sticksawed upon them till the creature cried like a child; and when I orderedhim to desist, told me he would not, till I had given him sixpence. There is something worse than all this. The avaricious rascals, whenthey can find nothing that they think will excite my pity, disable thefirst animal which is not dignified with the title of Christian, andthen bring it to me as an object worthy of commiseration; so that, infact, instead of protecting, I destroy. The women have entertained anotion that I hate two-legged animals; and one of them called after methe other day, to tell me I was an old rogue, and that I had better givemy money to the poor, than keep a parcel of dogs and cats that eat upthe village. I perceive it is in vain to attempt carrying on the schememuch longer, and then my poor invalids will be worse off than they werebefore. "[226] A JOKE OF LORD MANSFIELD'S ABOUT A HORSE. Lord Campbell[227] tells an anecdote of George Wood, a celebratedspecial pleader at the time when Lord Mansfield was Chief-Justice. Though a subtle pleader, George was very ignorant of _horse-flesh_, andhad been cruelly cheated in the purchase of a horse on which he hadintended to ride the circuit. He brought an action on the warranty thatthe horse was "a good roadster, and free from vice. " At the trial beforeLord Mansfield, it appeared that when the plaintiff mounted at thestables in London, with the intention of proceeding to Barnet, nothingcould induce the animal to move forward a single step. On hearing thisevidence, the Chief-Justice with much gravity exclaimed, "Who would havesupposed that Mr Wood's horse would have _demurred_ when he ought tohave _gone to the country_. " Any attempt, adds Lord Campbell, to explainthis excellent joke to _lay gents_ would be vain, and to _lawyers_ wouldbe superfluous. GENERAL SIR JOHN MOORE AND HIS HORSE AT THE BATTLE OF CORUNNA. Charles Napier served in Lord William Bentinck's brigade during theretreat of the truly great and ill-used Moore at the battle of Corunna;he was covered with wounds, and was carried off a prisoner. In his"Biography" General Sir William Napier[228] has published a mostinteresting description of the part his brother took in that battle, andwritten in his own words. I extract a few vivid lines in which Moore andhis horse are brought before you. A heavy French column was descendingrapidly on the British line at the part where Napier was. "Suddenly Iheard the gallop of horses, and turning saw Moore. He came at speed, andpulled up so sharp and close he seemed to have alighted from the air;man and horse looking at the approaching foe with an intenseness thatseemed to concentrate all feeling in their eyes. The sudden stop of theanimal, a cream-coloured one, with black tail and mane, had cast thelatter streaming forward, its ears were pushed out like horns, while itseyes flashed fire, and it snorted loudly with expanded nostrils, expressing terror, astonishment, and muscular exertion. My first thoughtwas, it will be away like the wind; but then I looked at the rider, andthe horse was forgotten. Thrown on its haunches the animal came, slidingand dashing the dirt up with its fore-feet, thus bending the generalforward almost to its neck; but his head was thrown back, and his lookmore keenly piercing than I ever before saw it. He glanced to the rightand left, and then fixed his eyes intently on the enemy's advancingcolumn, at the same time grasping the reins with both his hands, andpressing the horse firmly with his knees; his body thus seemed to dealwith the animal, while his mind was intent on the enemy, and his aspectwas one of searching intenseness, beyond the power of words to describe;for a while he looked, and then galloped to the left, without uttering aword. " NEITHER HORSES NOR CHILDREN CAN EXPLAIN THEIR COMPLAINTS. Dr Mounsey, the Chelsea doctor, an eccentric physician, who was a greatfriend of David Garrick, related to Taylor that he was once in companywith another physician and an eminent farrier. The physician stated thatamong the difficulties of his profession, was that of discovering themaladies of children, because they could not explain the symptoms oftheir disorder. "Well, " said the farrier, "your difficulties are notgreater than mine, for my patients, the horses, are equally unable toexplain their complaints. "--"Ah!" rejoined the physician, "my brotherdoctor must conquer me, as he has brought his cavalry against myinfantry!"[229] HORSES WITH NAMES. In this country most horses have a name, but in Germany this custom mustbe unusual. Perthes, when on his way from Hamburg to Frankfort, remarkedat Böhmte--"It is a pleasing custom they have here of giving propernames to horses. The horse is a noble and intelligent animal, and quiteas deserving of such a distinction as the dog; and when it has a name, it has made some advance towards personality. "[230] "OLD JACK" OF WATERLOO BRIDGE. In building Waterloo Bridge, the finest of Rennie's bridges, the wholeof the stone required was hewn in some fields on the Surrey side. Nearlythe whole of this material was drawn by one horse called "Old Jack, " amost sensible animal. Mr Smiles, in his "Life of John Rennie, "[231] thusspeaks of this favourite old horse--"His driver was, generally speaking, a steady and trustworthy man; though rather too fond of his dram beforebreakfast. As the railway along which the stone was drawn passed infront of the public-house door, the horse and truck were usually pulledup, while Tom entered for his 'morning. ' On one occasion the driverstayed so long that 'Old Jack, ' becoming impatient, poked his head intothe open door, and taking his master's coat collar between his teeth, though in a gentle sort of manner, pulled him out from the midst of hiscompanions, and thus forced him to resume the day's work. " SYDNEY SMITH AND HIS HORSES. Sydney Smith, when rector of Foston-le-Clay, in Yorkshire, a livingwhich he got from Lord Chancellor Erskine in 1806, was in the habit ofriding a good deal. His daughter says that, "either from the badness ofhis horses, or the badness of his riding, or perhaps from both (in spiteof his various ingenious contrivances to keep himself in the saddle), hehad several falls, and kept us in continual anxiety. "[232] He writes ina letter--"I used to think a fall from a horse dangerous, but muchexperience has convinced me to the contrary. I have had six falls in twoyears, and just behaved like the three per cents. When they fall. I gotup again, and am not a bit the worse for it any more than the stock inquestion. " In speaking of this he says, "I left off riding for the goodof my parish and the peace of my family; for, somehow or other, my horseand I had a habit of parting company. On one occasion I found myselfsuddenly prostrate in the streets of York, much to the delight of theDissenters. Another time my horse Calamity flung me over his head into aneighbouring parish, as if I had been a shuttlecock, and I felt gratefulit was not into a neighbouring planet; but as no harm came of it, Imight have persevered perhaps, if, on a certain day, a Quaker tailorfrom a neighbouring village to which I had said I was going to ride, hadnot taken it into his head to call, soon after my departure, and requestto see Mrs Sydney. She instantly, conceiving I was thrown, if notkilled, rushed down to the man, exclaiming, 'Where is he?--where isyour master?--is he hurt?' The astonished and quaking snip stood silentfrom surprise. Still more agitated by his silence, she exclaimed, 'Is hehurt? I insist upon knowing the worst!'--'Why, please, ma'am, it is onlythy little bill, a very small account, I wanted thee to settle, ' repliedhe, in much surprise. "After this, you may suppose, I sold my horse; however, it is somecomfort to know that my friend, Sir George, is one fall ahead of me, andis certainly a worse rider. It is a great proof, too, of the liberalityof this county, where everybody can ride as soon as they are born, thatthey tolerate me at all. "The horse 'Calamity, ' whose name has been thus introduced, was thefirst-born of several young horses bred on the farm, who turned out veryfine creatures, and gained him great glory, even amongst the knowingfarmers of Yorkshire; but this first production was certainly notencouraging. To his dismay a huge, lank, large-boned foal appeared, ofchestnut colour, and with four white legs. It grew apace, but its bonesbecame more and more conspicuous; its appetite was unbounded--grass, hay, corn, beans, food moist and dry, were all supplied in vain, andvanished down his throat with incredible rapidity. He stood, a largeliving skeleton, with famine written in his face, and my fatherchristened him 'Calamity. ' As Calamity grew to maturity, he was found tobe as sluggish in disposition as his master was impetuous; so my fatherwas driven to invent his patent Tantalus, which consisted of a smallsieve of corn, suspended on a semicircular bar of iron, from the ends ofthe shafts, just beyond the horse's nose. The corn, rattling as thevehicle proceeded, stimulated Calamity to unwonted exertions; and underthe hope of overtaking this imaginary feed, he did more work than allthe previous provender which had been poured down his throat had beenable to obtain from him. " He was very fond of his young horses, and they all came running to meethim when he entered the field. He began their education from theirbirth; he taught them to wear a girth, a bridle, a saddle; to meetflags, music; to bear the firing of a pistol at their heads from theirearliest years; and he maintained that no horses were so well broken ashis! At p. 388 she records, "At ten we always went down-stairs toprayers in the library. Immediately after, if we were alone, appearedthe 'farmer' at the door, lantern in hand. 'David, bring me my coat andstick, ' and off he set with him, summer and winter, to visit his horses, and see that they were all well fed, and comfortable in their regionsfor the night. He kept up this custom all his life!" * * * * * Sydney Smith, when at Foston, used to exercise his skill in medicine onthe poor, and often did much good; his daughter gives some instances ofhis practice as a farrier. "On one occasion, wishing to administer a ball to Peter the Cruel, [233]the groom, by mistake, gave him two boxes of opium pills in his branmash, which Peter composedly munched, boxes and all. My father, indismay, when he heard what had happened, went to look, as he thought, for the last time on his beloved Peter; but soon found, to his greatrelief, that neither boxes nor pills had produced any visible effects onhim. Another time he found all his pigs intoxicated; and, as hedeclared, 'grunting "God save the King" about the stye, ' from havingeaten some fermented grains which he had ordered for them. Once headministered castor-oil to the red cow, in quantities sufficient to havekilled a regiment of Christians; but the red cow laughed alike at hisskill and his oil, and went on her way rejoicing. "[234] * * * * * Sydney Smith tells a story, or made one, of a clergyman who was ratherabsent. "I heard of a clergyman who went jogging along the road till hecame to a turnpike. 'What is to pay?'--'Pay, sir, for what?' asked theturnpike man. --'Why, for my horse, to be sure. '--'Your horse, sir? whathorse? here is no horse, sir. '--'No horse? God bless me!' said he, suddenly, looking down between his legs, 'I thought I was onhorseback. '"[235] JUDGE STORY AND THE NAMES HE GAVE HIS HORSES. The son and biographer of the eminent American judge, Joseph Story, relates of him[236]--"To dumb creatures he was kind and considerate, andindignant at any ill usage of them. His sportive nature showed itself inthe nicknames which, in parody of the American fondness of titles, hegave to his horses and dogs, as, 'The Right Honourable Mr Mouse, ' or'Colonel Roy. '" WORDSWORTH ON CRUELTY TO HORSES IN IRELAND. The Rev. Cæsar Otway, [237] in a lecture full of interesting anecdotes, records:--"I remember an observation made to me by one of the mostgifted of the human race--one of the stars of this generation--the poetof nature and of feeling--the good and the great Mr Wordsworth. Havingthe honour of a conversation with him, after he had made a tour throughIreland, I, in the course of it, asked what was the thing that moststruck his observation here, as making us differ from the English; andhe, without hesitation, said it was the ill treatment of our horses;that his soul was often, too often, sick within him at the way in whichhe saw these creatures of God abused. " USE OF TAIL. --SHORT-TAILED AND LONG-TAILED HORSES. In an Irish paper was an advertisement for horses to stand at livery onthe following terms:--"Long-tailed horses at 3s. 6d. Per week;short-tailed horses at 3s. Per week. " On inquiry into the cause of thedifference, it was answered, that the horses with long tails could brushthe flies off their backs while eating, whereas the short-tailed horseswere obliged to take their heads _from the manger_, and so ateless. [238] FOOTNOTES: [215] "Journal of Horticultural Tour, " p. 306. [216] "Memorials of Angus and the Mearns, " by Andrew Jervise (1861), p. 175. [217] "History of the Life and Times of Edmund Burke, " by ThomasMacknight, vol. I. P. 160. [218] "Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds, " &c. , by James Northcote, Esq. , R. A. (2d edition), vol. Ii. P. 80. [219] "Life and Times of Sir Joshua Reynolds, " by C. R. Leslie and TomTaylor, M. A. , vol. Ii. P. 219. [220] "Lives of Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, and of BernardGilpin, " by William Gilpin, M. A. (3d edition), 1780, p. 275. [221] _Loc. Cit. _, p. 284. [222] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 39. [223] "The Lives of Robert Haldane of Airthrey, and of his Brother, James Alexander Haldane, " by Alex. Haldane, Esq. , of the Inner Temple(1852), p. 223. [224] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 318. [225] "Memoirs of Thomas Holcroft" (ed. 1852), pp. 40, 41. [226] "Memoirs of the late Thomas Holcroft, " written by himself (ed. London, 1852), p. 112. [227] "Lives of the Chief-Justices of England" (Lord Ellenborough), vol. Iii. P. 100. [228] Vol i. Pp. 94-115. [229] "Physic and Physicians: a Medical Sketch-Book, " vol. I. P. 59. [230] "Memoirs of Frederick Perthes, " vol. I. P. 309. [231] "Lives of the Engineers, " vol. Ii. P. 185. [232] "Memoir of the Rev. Sydney Smith, " by his daughter, Lady Holland, vol. I. Pp. 172-174. [233] A horse which he called so. [234] "Memoir of the Rev. Sydney Smith, " by his daughter, Lady Holland, vol. I. P. 117. [235] Mrs Marcet, in Lady Holland's Memoirs of her Father, the Rev. Sydney Smith, vol. I. P. 364. [236] "Life and Letters of Joseph Story, Associate Justice of theSupreme Court of the United States, and Dane Professor of Law at HarvardUniversity, " edited by his son, Wm. W. Story, vol. Ii. P. 611. [237] "The Intellectuality of Domestic Animals: a Lecture Deliveredbefore the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, " p. 25. Dublin, 1847. [238] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 263. ASS AND ZEBRA. It is strange that one of the most sagacious of animals should havesupplied us with a by-word for "a fool. " Coleridge was conscious of thiswhen, in writing his address to a young ass's foal, [239] he exclaimed-- "I hail thee, brother, spite of the fool's scorn. " How well has he expressed his love for "the languid patience" of itsface. In warmer climes the ass attains a size and condition not seen here, though when cared for in this rougher climate, the donkey assumessomewhat of the size and elegance he has in the East. But who can bearhis voice? Surely Coleridge was very fanciful when, in any condition ofasshood, he could write-- "Yea, and more musically sweet to me Thy dissonant, harsh bray of joy would be, Than warbled melodies that soothe to rest The aching of pale Fashion's vacant breast. " The wild ass, as it roams over the plains of Asia, or is seen in theZoological gardens along with the gracefully-shaped and prettily-stripedzebra, must be admired by every one. COLLINS AND THE OLD DONKEY OF ODELL, COWPER'S MESSENGER AT OLNEY. In July 1823, William Collins, R. A. , visited Turvey, in Bedfordshire. His son remarks--"Besides the attractions presented to the pencil by thenatural beauties of this neighbourhood, its vicinity to Olney, thefavourite residence of the poet Cowper, gave it, to all lovers ofpoetry, a local and peculiar charm. Conspicuous among its inhabitants atthe time when my father visited it was 'old Odell, ' frequently mentionedby Cowper as the favourite messenger who carried his letters andparcels. The extreme picturesqueness and genuine rustic dignity of theold man's appearance made him an admirable subject for pictorial study. Portraits of him, in water-colours and oils, were accordingly made by myfather, who introduced him into three of his pictures. The donkey onwhich he had for years ridden to and fro with letters, was as carefullydepicted by the painter as his rider. On visiting 'old Odell' a year ortwo afterwards, Mr Collins observed a strange-looking object hangingagainst his kitchen wall, and inquired what it was. 'Oh, sir, ' repliedthe old man, sorrowfully, 'that is the skin of my poor donkey. He diedof old age, and I did not like to part with him altogether, so I had hisskin dried, and hung up there. ' Tears came into his eyes as he spoke ofthe old companion of all his village pilgrimages. The incident mighthave formed a continuation of Sterne's exquisite episode in the'Sentimental Journey. '"[240] In his picture of "The Cherry-Seller, " painted for Mr Higgins of TurveyHouse, old Odell and his donkey are chief figures. GAINSBOROUGH KEPT AN ASS. The Rev. William Gilpin, in his "Forest Scenery, " refers to thepicturesque beauty of the ass in a landscape Berghem often introducedit; "and a late excellent landscape-painter (Mr Gainsborough), I haveheard, generally kept this animal by him, that he might have it alwaysat hand to introduce in various attitudes into his pictures. I haveheard also that a plaster cast of an ass, modelled by him, is sold inthe shops in London. "[241] IRISHMAN ON THE RAMSGATE DONKEYS. In former times, when excise officers were not so sharp, there was agood deal of smuggling carried on at Ramsgate. Sir Thomas DickLauder[242] tells an anecdote of an Irishman there, who being asked toname the hardest wrought creature in existence, replied, "Och! aRamsgate donkey, to be sure; for, faith, afthur carrying angels all day, be the powers he is forced to carry speerits all night. " ASS'S FOAL. Douglas Jerrold and a company of literary friends were out in thecountry. In the course of their walk they stopped to notice the gambolsof an ass's foal. A very sentimental poet present vowed that he shouldlike to send the little thing as a present to his mother. "Do, " repliedJerrold, "and tie a piece of paper round its neck, bearing this motto, 'When this you see, remember me. '"[243] ASS. A judge, joking a young barrister, said--"If you and I were turned intoa horse and an ass, which would you prefer to be?"--"The ass, to besure, " replied the barrister. "I've heard of an ass being made a judge, but a horse never. "[244] Ammonianus, the grammarian, had an ass which, as it is said, when heattended the lectures upon poetry, often neglected his food when laidbefore him, though at the same time he was hungry, so much was the asstaken with the love of poetry. [245] WARREN HASTINGS AND THE REFRACTORY DONKEY. The fondness of the first Governor-General of India for horse exercise, and indeed for the horse itself, was quite oriental, as his biographerrelates. [246] He was a fine rider, and piqued himself on his abilitiesin this way. "Nothing pleased him, " continues Mr Gleig, "more than to undertake someanimal which nobody else could control, and to reduce it, as heinvariably did, to a state of perfect docility. The following anecdote, which I have from my friend Mr Impey, himself an actor in the littledrama, may suffice to show the extent to which this passion was carried. It happened once upon a time, when Mr Impey was, with some other boys, on a visit at Daylesford, that Mr Hastings, returning from a ride, sawhis young friends striving in vain to manage an ass which they had foundgrazing in the paddock, and which one after another they chose to mount. The ass, it appears, had no objection to receive the candidates forequestrian renown successively on his back, but budge a foot he wouldnot; and there being neither saddle nor bridle, wherewith to restrainhis natural movements, he never failed, so soon as a difference ofopinion arose, to get the better of his rider. Each in his turn, theboys were repeatedly thrown, till at last Mr Hastings, who watched theproceedings with great interest, approached. "Why, boys, " said he, "how is it that none of you can ride?" "Not ride!" cried the little aspirants; "we could ride well enough, ifwe had a saddle and a bridle; but he's such an obstinate brute, that wedon't think even you, sir, could sit him bare-backed. " "Let's try, " exclaimed the Governor-General. Whereupon he dismounted, and gave his horse to one of the children tohold, and mounted the donkey. The beast began to kick up his heels, andlower his head as heretofore; but this time the trick would not answer. The Governor-General sat firm, and finally prevailed, whether by fairmeans or foul, I am not instructed, in getting the quadruped to movewheresoever he chose. He himself laughed heartily as he resigned theconquered thistle-eater to his first friends; and the story when told, as told it was, with consummate humour, at the dinner-table, affordedgreat amusement to a large circle of guests. NORTHCOTE, THE ROYAL ACADEMICIAN, AN ANGEL AT AN ASS. Fuseli, the artist, was a most outspoken man. His biographer[247] saysthat he never concealed his sentiments with regard to men, even to theirfaces. "Every one knows, " writes Mr Knowles, "who is acquainted with art, thepowers which Northcote displays when he paints animals of the brutecreation. When his picture of 'Balaam and the Ass' was exhibited at theMacklin Gallery, Northcote asked Fuseli's opinion of its merits, whoinstantly said, 'My friend, you are an angel at an ass, but an ass at anangel. '" SYDNEY SMITH'S ACCOMPLISHED DONKEY, WITH FRANCIS JEFFREY ON HIS BACK. Lady Holland[248] gives the following picture of her father's petdonkey:-- "Amongst our rural delights at Heslington was the possession of a youngdonkey which had been given up to our tender mercies from the time ofits birth, and in whose education we employed a large portion of ourspare time; and a most accomplished donkey it became under our tuition. It would walk up-stairs, pick pockets, follow us in our walks like ahuge Newfoundland dog, and at the most distant sight of us in the field, with ears down and tail erect, it set off in full bray to meet us. These demonstrations on Bitty's part were met with not less affection onours, and Bitty was almost considered a member of the family. "One day, when my elder brother and myself were training our belovedBitty with a pocket-handkerchief for a bridle, and his head crowned withflowers, to run round our garden, who should arrive in the midst of oursport but Mr Jeffrey. Finding my father out, he, with his usual kindnesstowards young people, immediately joined in our sport, and to ourinfinite delight, mounted our donkey. He was proceeding in triumph, amidst our shouts of laughter, when my father and mother, in company, Ibelieve, with Mr Horner and Mr Murray, returned from their walk, andbeheld this scene from the garden-door. Though years and years havepassed away since, I still remember the joy-inspiring laughter thatburst from my father at this unexpected sight, as, advancing towards hisold friend, with a face beaming with delight, and with extended hands, he broke forth in the following impromptu: 'Witty as Horatius Flaccus, As great a Jacobin as Gracchus; Short, though not as fat as Bacchus, Riding on a little jackass. ' "These lines were afterwards repeated by some one to Mr ---- at HollandHouse, just before he was introduced for the first time to Mr Jeffrey, and they caught his fancy to such a degree that he could not get themout of his head, but kept repeating them in a low voice all the time MrJeffrey was conversing with him. "I must end Bitty's history, as he has been introduced, by saying thathe followed us to Foston; and after serving us faithfully for thirteenyears, on our leaving Yorkshire, was permitted by our kind friend, LordCarlisle, to spend the rest of his days in idleness and plenty, in hisbeautiful park, with an unbounded command of thistles. " SYDNEY SMITH ON THE SAGACITY OF THE ASS; A LADY SCARCELY SO WISE AS ONE. The Rev. Sydney Smith[249] writes to Colonel Fox in October 1836:-- "MY DEAR CHARLES, --If you have ever paid any attention to the habits ofanimals, you will know that donkeys are remarkably cunning in openinggates. The way to stop them is to have two latches instead of one. Ahuman being has two hands, and lifts up both latches at once; a donkeyhas only one nose, and latch _a_ drops, as he quits it to lift up latch_b_. Bobus and I had the grand luck to see little Aunty engagedintensely with this problem. She was taking a walk, and was arrested bya gate with this formidable difficulty: the donkeys were looking on toawait the issue. Aunty lifted up the first latch with the most perfectsuccess, but found herself opposed by a second; flushed with victory, she quitted the first latch, and rushed at the second; her success wasequal, till in the meantime the first dropped. She tried this two orthree times, and, to her utter astonishment, with the same results; thedonkeys brayed, and Aunty was walking away in great dejection, tillBobus and I recalled her with loud laughter, showed her that she hadtwo hands, and roused her to vindicate her superiority over the donkeys. I mention this to you to request that you will make no allusion to thisanimal, as she is remarkably touchy on this subject, and also that youwill not mention it to Lady Mary!" * * * * * Lady Holland relates a practical joke of her father's, which the wittycanon carried out at his rectory of Combe Florey. "Opposite was abeautiful bank, with a hanging wood of fine old beech and oak, on thesummit of which presented themselves, to our astonished eyes, twodonkeys with deers' antlers fastened on their heads, which ever and anonthey shook, much wondering at their horned honours; whilst the attendantdonkey boy, in Sunday garb, stood grinning and blushing at their side. 'There, Lady ----! you said the only thing this place wanted to make itperfect was deer; what do you say now? I have, you see, ordered my gamegamekeeper to drive my deer into the most picturesque point of view. Excuse their long ears, a little peculiarity belonging to parsonic deer. Their voices, too, are singular; but we do our best for you, and you aretoo true a friend of the Church to mention our defects. ' All this, ofcourse, amidst shouts of laughter, whilst his own merry laugh might beheard above us all, ringing through the valley, and making the veryechoes laugh in chorus. " ASSES' DUTY FREE! During the debate on Sir Robert Peel's tariff, the admission of asses'duty free caused much merriment. Lord T. , who had just read "Vestiges ofthe Natural History of Creation, " remarked that the House had, hesupposed, passed the donkey clause out of respect to itsancestors. --"It is a wise measure, " said a popular novelist, "especiallyas it affects the importation of food; for, should a scarcity come, weshould otherwise have to fall back on the food of ourforefathers. "--"And, pray, what is that?" asked anarchæologist. --"Thistles, " replied Lord T. [250] THACKERAY AND THE EGYPTIAN DONKEY. When the English author landed at Alexandria, there were many scenes andsounds to dispel all romantic notions; among these "a yelling chorus ofdonkey boys shrieking, 'Ride, sir!--donkey, sir!--I say, sir!' inexcellent English. The placid sphinxes, brooding o'er the Nile, disappeared with that wild shriek of the donkey boys. You might be aswell impressed with Wapping as with your first step on Egyptian soil. "The riding of a donkey is, after all, not a dignified occupation. A manresists the offer first, somehow as an indignity. How is that poorlittle, red-saddled, long-eared creature to carry you? Is there to beone for you and another for your legs? Natives and Europeans, of allsizes, passed by, it is true, mounted upon the same contrivance. Iwaited until I got into a very private spot, where nobody could see me, and then ascended--why not say descended at once?--on the poor littleanimal. Instead of being crushed at once, as perhaps the writerexpected, it darted forward, quite briskly and cheerfully, at six orseven miles an hour; requiring no spur or admonitive to haste, exceptthe shrieking of the little Egyptian _gamin_, who ran along by asinus'sside. "[251] BEST TO LET MULES HAVE THEIR OWN WAY. Dr John Moore, in crossing the Alps, found they had nothing but thesagacity of their mules to trust to. "For my own part, " he says, "I wasvery soon convinced that it was much safer on all dubious occasions todepend on theirs than on my own. For as often as I was presented with achoice of difficulties, and the mule and I were of different opinions, if, becoming more obstinate than he, I insisted on his taking my track, I never failed to repent it, and often was obliged to return to theplace where the controversy had begun, and follow the path to which hehad pointed at first. "It is entertaining to observe the prudence of these animals in makingtheir way down such dangerous rocks. They sometimes put their heads overthe edge of the precipice, and examine with anxious circumspection everypossible way by which they can descend, and at length are sure to fix onthat which, upon the whole, is the best. Having observed this in severalinstances, I laid the bridle on the neck of my mule, and allowed him totake his own way, without presuming to control him in the smallestdegree. This is doubtless the best method, and what I recommend to allmy friends in their journey through life, when they have mules for theircompanions. "[252] ZEBRA. --"_Un âne rayée. _" A FRENCHMAN'S "DOUBLE-ENTENDRE. " When, in 1805, Patrick Lattin, an officer of the Irish Brigade, wasresiding in Paris, a M. De Montmorency, whose Christian name was Anne, made his appearance, announcing that he was enabled to return to France, in consequence of the First Consul having scratched his name on the listof _émigrés_. "_A present donc_, " observed Lattin, "_mon cher Anne, tues un Zèbre--un âne rayée. _"[253] FOOTNOTES: [239] "The Poems of S. T. Coleridge, " pp. 26, 27 (1844). [240] "Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, R. A. , " by his son, W. Wilkie Collins, vol. I. P. 232. [241] Edition of Sir T. D. Lauder, Bart. , vol. Ii. P. 273. [242] "Gilpin's Forest Scenery, " vol. Ii. P. 275. Edited by Sir T. D. Lauder. [243] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 129. [244] Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 307. [245] Photius, quoted by Southey in his "Common-Place Book, " firstseries, p. 588. [246] "Memoirs of the Life of the Right Hon. Warren Hastings, compiledfrom original papers, " by the Rev. G. R. Gleig, M. A. , vol. Iii. P. 367. [247] "The Life and Writings of Henry Fuseli, Esq. , M. A. , R. A. , " theformer written and the latter edited by John Knowles, Esq. , F. R. S. , vol. I. P. 364. [248] "A Memoir of the Rev. Sydney Smith, " by his daughter, LadyHolland, &c. , vol. I. P. 152. [249] "Memoirs and Letters of Rev. Sydney Smith, " vol. Ii. P. 393. [250] "A Century of Anecdote from 1760 to 1860, " by John Timbs, F. S. A. , vol. I. P. 252 (1864). [251] "Notes of a Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo, " by Mr M. A. Titmarsh, p. 177 (1846). [252] "View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany, "vol. I. Pp. 191, 192 (9th edition). CAMEL. Truly the Ship of the Desert, and one that by Lewis and Henry Warren hasafforded the subject of many a pleasing picture. The camel has a mostpatriarchal look about him. CAPTAIN WILLIAM PEEL, R. N. REMARKS ON CAMELS. Captain William Peel, in his "Ride through the Nubian Desert" (p. 89), writes--"We met once at a hollow, where some water still remained fromthe rains, 2000 camels, all together admirably organised into troops, and attended by only a few Arabs. On another occasion, we passed somecamels grazing at such a distance from the Nile, that I asked the Arabattending where they went to drink? He said, he marches them all downtogether to the Nile, and they drink every eleventh day. It is now thecool season, and the heat is tempered by fresh northerly breezes. TheArab, of course, brings water skins for his own supply. All these camelswere breeding stock. They live on thorns and the top shoots of thegum-arabic tree, although it is armed with the most frightful spikes. But very little comes amiss to the camel; he will eat dry wood to keepup digestion, if in want of a substitute. Instinct or experience hastaught him to avoid the only two tempting-looking plants that grow inthe desert, --the green eusha bush, which is full of milk-coloured juice, and a creeper, that grows in the sand where nothing else will grow, andwhich has a bitter fruit like a melon. I was surprised to learn that theleopard does not dare to attack the camel, whose tall and narrow flankswould seem to be fatally exposed to such a supple enemy. Nature, however, has given him a means of defence in his iron jaw and longpowerful neck, which are a full equivalent for his want of agility. Hecan also strike heavily with his feet, and his roar would intimidatemany foes. I never felt tired of admiring this noble creature, andthrough the monotony of the desert would watch for hours his ceaselesstread and unerring path. Carrying his head low, forward, and surveyingeverything with his black brilliant eye, he marches resolutely forward, and quickens his pace at the slightest cheer of the rider. He is toointelligent and docile for a bridle; besides, he lives on the march, andwith a sudden sweep of the neck will seize, without stopping, thesmallest straw. When the day's march is over, he passes the night inlooking for food, with scarcely an hour to repose his limbs, and lessthan that for sleep. He closes the eye fitfully, the smallest noise willawake him. When lying down for rest, every part of the body issupported; his neck and head lie lightly along the sand, a broad plateof bone under the breast takes the weight off his deep chest, and hislong legs lay folded under him, supporting his sides like a ship in acradle. " A CAPTAIN IN THE ROYAL NAVY MEASURES THE PROGRESS OF "THE SHIP OF THEDESERT. " The dromedary has long and deservedly been called "the Ship of theDesert. " A very gallant captain in the Royal Navy, the late CaptainWilliam Peel, son of the Prime Minister, calculated its rate of motionmuch after the manner in which he might have measured the path of hisship. He writes[254]--"In crossing the Nubian Desert I paid constantattention to the march of the camels, hoping it may be of some servicehereafter in determining our position. The number of strides in a minutewith the same foot varied very little, only from 37 to 39, and 38 wasthe average; but the length of the stride was more uncertain, varyingfrom 6 feet 6 to 7 feet 6. As we were always urging the camels, whoseemed, like ourselves, to know the necessity of pushing on across thatfearful tract, I took 7 feet as the average. These figures give a speedof 2. 62 geographical miles per hour, or exactly three English miles, which may be considered as the highest speed that camels lightly loadedcan keep up on a journey. In general, it will not be more than two and ahalf English miles. My dromedary was one of the tallest, and the seat ofthe saddle was 6 feet 6 above the ground. " LORD METCALFE ON A CAMEL WHEN A BOY. Charles Metcalfe, "first and last Lord Metcalfe, " to whose care weresuccessively intrusted the three greatest dependencies of the Britishcrown, India, Jamaica, and Canada, and who died in 1846, was sent toEton when eleven years old. His biographer relates, [255] that "it is onrecord, and on very sufficient authority, that he was once seen ridingon a camel. 'I heard the boys shouting, ' said Dr Goodall, many yearsafterwards, 'and went out and saw young Metcalfe riding on a camel; soyou see he was always orientally inclined. '" This anecdote will serve asa comrade to that told by Mr Foss, in his "Lives of the Justices ofEngland, " of Chief-Baron Pollock. When a lad, one of his schoolmasters, fretted by the boyish energy and exuberant spirits of his scholar, saidpetulantly, "You will live to be _hanged_. " The old gentleman lived tosee his pupil Lord Chief-Baron, and, not a little proud of his greatscholar, said, "I always said he would occupy an _elevated_ position. " FOOTNOTES: [253] Quoted in Timbs' "Century of Anecdote, " vol. I. P. 223 (1864). [254] "A Ride through the Nubian Desert, " by Captain W. Peel, R. N. , p. 49. STAGS AND GIRAFFE. The deer family is rather numerous, and found in many different parts ofthe world. Reindeers abound in some parts even of Spitzbergen, and withmusk oxen can find their food even under the winter snows of the ParryIslands. The wapiti and heavy large-headed elk or moose, retreat beforethe advancing civilisation of North America. The Indian mountains andplains have noble races of deer. No species, however, is more celebratedthan our red deer. The giraffe is closely allied to the stag family. TheArabs name it the seraph, and indeed, that is the origin of its nowbest-known English name. Visitors should beware of going too near themale, for we have seen the dent made by one of the giraffe's bony knobson a pannel close to its stall. We have heard of a young lady, whoentered the garden one of those summer days when straw bonnets had greatbunches of ripe barley mingled with artificial poppies as an ornament, and, going too near the lofty pallisade, found to her confusion andterror that the long lithe tongue of the giraffe had whisked off herLeghorn, flowers and all, and had begun leisurely to munch it withsomewhat of the same gusto with which it would have eaten the branch ofa graceful mimosa. EARL OF DALHOUSIE AND THE FEROCIOUS STAG. Mr Scrope relates an instance of unprovoked ferocity in a red deer atTaymouth, in which the present Earl of Dalhousie might have beenseriously injured. "In October 1836, the Hon. Mr and Mrs Fox Maule had left Taymouth withthe intention of proceeding towards Dalguise; and in driving throughthat part of the grounds where the red deer were kept, they suddenly ata turn of the road came upon the lord of the demesne standing in thecentre of the passage, as if prepared to dispute it against all comers. Mr Maule being aware that it might be dangerous to trifle with him, orto endeavour to drive him away (for it was the rutting season), cautioned the postilion to go slowly, and give the animal an opportunityof moving off. This was done, and the stag retired to a small hollow bythe side of the road. On the carriage passing, however, he took offenceat its too near approach, and emerged at a slow and stately pace, tillhe arrived nearly parallel with it. Mr Maule then desired the lad toincrease his pace, being apprehensive of a charge in the broadside. "The deer, however, had other intentions; for as soon as the carriagemoved quicker, he increased his pace also, and came on the road abouttwelve yards ahead of it, for the purpose of crossing, as it wasthought, to a lower range of the parks; but to the astonishment and nolittle alarm of the occupants of the carriage, he charged the offsidehorse, plunging his long brow antler into his chest, and otherwisecutting him. "The horse that was wounded made two violent kicks, and is supposed tohave struck the stag, and then the pair instantly ran off the road; andit was owing solely to the admirable presence of mind and sense of thepostilion, that the carriage was not precipitated over the neighbouringbank. The horses were not allowed to stop till they reached the gate, although the blood was pouring from the wounded animal in a stream asthick as a man's finger. He was then taken out of the carriage, and onlysurvived two or three hours. The stag was shortly afterwardskilled. "[256] THE FRENCH COUNT AND THE STAG. Mr Scrope, in his "Deer-Stalking, " describes a grand deer-drive toGlen-Tilt, headed by the Duke of Athole. Many an incident of this andsubsequent drives was watched by "Lightfoot, " who was present, and whosepictures, under his name of Sir Edwin Landseer, have rendered the lifeof the red deer familiar to us, in mist, amid snow, swimming in therapid of a Highland current, pursued and at rest, fighting and feeding, alive and dead, in every attitude, and at every age. In this encounter, the Duke killed three first-rate harts, Lightfoottwo, and other rifles were all more or less successful. A French count, whose tongue it was difficult to restrain, --and silence is essential tosuccess in the pursuit, --at last fired into a dense herd of deer. Mr Scrope adds, [257] "Everything was propitious--circumstance, situation, and effect; for he was descending the mountain in full viewof our whole assemblage of sportsmen. A fine stag in the midst of theherd fell to the crack of his rifle. 'Hallo, hallo!' forward ran thecount, and sat upon the prostrate deer triumphing. '_Hé bien, mon ami, vous êtes mort, donc! Moi, je fais toujours des coups sûrs. Ah! pauvreenfant!_' He then patted the sides of the animal in pure wantonness, andlooked east, west, north, and south, for applause, the happiest of thehappy; finally he extracted a mosaic snuff-box from his pocket, and withan air which nature has denied to all save the French nation, he held apinch to the deer's nose--'_Prends, mon ami, prends donc!_' Thisoperation had scarcely been performed when the hart, who had only beenstunned, or perhaps shot through the loins, sprang up suddenly, overturned the count, ran fairly away, and was never seen again. '_Arrêtes, toi traître! Arrêtes, mon enfant! Ah! c'est un enfant, perdu!Allez donc à tous les diables!_'" VENISON FAT. --REYNOLDS AND THE GOURMAND. Northcote[258] says--"I have heard Sir Joshua Reynolds relate ananecdote of a venison feast, at which were assembled many who muchenjoyed the repast. "On this occasion, Reynolds addressed his conversation to one of thecompany who sat next to him, but to his great surprise could not get asingle word in answer, until at length his silent neighbour, turning tohim, said, 'Mr Reynolds, whenever you are at a venison feast, I adviseyou not to speak during dinner-time, as in endeavouring to answer yourquestions, I have just swallowed a fine piece of the fat, entire, without tasting its flavour. '" STAG-TRENCH AT FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE. Goethe was born at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, August 28th, 1749. In hisautobiography[259] he says--"The street in which our house was situatedpassed by the name of the Stag-trench; but as neither stags nor trencheswere to be seen, we naturally wished to have the expression explained. They told us that our house stood on a spot that was once outside thetown, and that where the street now ran had formerly been a trench inwhich a number of stags were kept. The stags were preserved and fattedhere, because the Senate every year, according to an ancient custom, feasted publicly on a stag which was always at hand in the trench forsuch a festival, in case princes or knights interfered with the city'sright of chase outside, or the walls were encompassed and besieged by anenemy. This pleased us, and we wished that such a lair for tame wildanimals could have been seen in our times. Where is there a boy or girlwho could not join in the wish of this man, who has been called thefirst European poet and literary man of the nineteenth century?" GIRAFFE. "Fancy, " said Sydney Smith to some ladies, when he was told that one ofthe giraffes at the Zoological Gardens had caught a cold, --"fancy agiraffe with two yards of sore throat. " In one of the numbers of _Punch_, published in 1864, the quiz of anartist has made the giraffes twist their necks into a loose knot by wayof a comforter to keep them from catching a cold, or having a sorethroat. He has very audaciously caused to be printed under his cut, "AFACT. " FOOTNOTES: [255] "Life and Correspondence of Charles Lord Metcalfe, " by JohnWilliam Kaye, vol. I. , p. 8. [256] "The Art of Deer-Stalking, " p. 33. [257] "Deer-Stalking, " p. 229. [258] "Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds, " vol. I. , p. 124. [259] "Truth and Poetry from my own Life; the Autobiography of Goethe, "edited by Parke Godwin, part i. , p. 3. SHEEP AND GOATS. These are animals, at least the former, which seem to have been createdin a domestic state. They are represented on the most ancientmonuments. A head of a Lybian ram of very large size, in the BritishMuseum, has great resemblance to nature, and there is one slab at leastamong the Assyrian monuments where sheep and goats, as part of the spoilof a city, are rendered with great skill. In the writings of the EttrickShepherd, many curious anecdotes of Scottish sheep are given. HOW MANY LEGS HAS A SHEEP? When the Earl of Bradford was brought before the Lord Chancellor to beexamined upon application for a statute of lunacy against him, theChancellor asked him, "How many legs has a sheep?"--"Does your lordshipmean, " answered Lord Bradford, "a live sheep or a dead sheep?"--"Is itnot the same thing?" said the Chancellor. --"No, my lord, " said LordBradford, "there is much difference: a live sheep may have four legs, adead sheep has only two; the two fore-legs are shoulders; there are only_two legs of mutton_. "[260] GOETHE ON ROOS'S ETCHINGS OF SHEEP. In the "Conversations of Goethe with Eckerman and Soret"[261] in 1824, he handed me some etchings by Roos, the famous painter of animals; theywere all of sheep, in every posture and position. The simplicity oftheir countenances, the ugliness and shagginess of the fleece--all wasrepresented with the utmost fidelity, as if it were nature itself. "I always feel uneasy, " said Goethe, "when I look at these beasts. Theirstate--so limited, dull, gaping, and dreaming--excites in me suchsympathy, that I fear I shall become a sheep, and almost think theartist must have been one. At all events, it is most wonderful how Rooshas been able to think and feel himself into the very soul of thesecreatures, so as to make the internal character peer with such forcethrough the outward covering. Here you see what a great talent can dowhen it keeps steady to subjects which are congenial with its nature. " "Has not, then, " said I, "this artist also painted dogs, cats, andbeasts of prey with similar truth; nay, with this great gift of assuminga mental state foreign to himself, has he not been able to delineatehuman character with equal fidelity?" "No, " said Goethe; "all that lay out of his sphere, but the gentle, grass-eating animals--sheep, goats, cows, and the like--he was neverweary of repeating; this was the peculiar province of his talent, whichhe did not quit during the whole course of his life. And in this he didwell. A sympathy with these animals was born with him, a knowledge oftheir psychological condition was given him, and thus he had so fine aneye for their bodily structure. Other creatures were perhaps not sotransparent to him, and therefore he felt neither calling nor impulse topaint them. "[262] LORD COCKBURN AND THE SHEEP. Lord Cockburn, the proprietor of Bonaly, that pretty place on the slopesof the Pentlands, was sitting on the hill-side with the shepherd, and, observing the sheep reposing in the coldest situation, he observed tohim, "John, if I were a sheep, I would lie on the other side of thehill. " The shepherd answered, "Ay, my lord, but if ye had been a_sheep_, ye would hae had mair sense. "[263] WOOLSACK. Colman and Banister, dining one day with Lord Erskine, theex-chancellor, amongst other things, observed that he had then aboutthree thousand head of sheep. "I perceive, " interrupted Colman, "yourlordship has still an eye to the woolsack. "[264] SANDY WOOD AND HIS PETS, A SHEEP AND A RAVEN. Alexander Wood, a kind-hearted surgeon, who died in his native town ofEdinburgh in May 1807, aged eighty-two, is alluded to by Sir WalterScott in a prophecy put into the mouth of Meg Merrilees in "GuyMannering"--"They shall beset his goat; they shall profane his raven, "&c. The editor of "Kaye's Edinburgh Portraits"[265] says that, besides hiskindness of disposition to his fellow-creatures, "he was almost equallyremarkable for his love of animals. His pets were numerous, and of allkinds. Not to mention dogs and cats, there were two others that_individually_ were better known to the citizens of Edinburgh--a sheepand a raven, the latter of which is alluded to by Scott in 'GuyMannering. ' Willy, the sheep, pastured in the ground adjoining to theExcise Office, now the Royal Bank, and might be daily seen standing atthe railings, watching Mr Wood's passing to or from his house in YorkPlace, when Willy used to poke his head into his coat-pocket, which wasalways filled with supplies for his favourite, and would then trot alongafter him through the town, and sometimes might be found in the housesof the doctor's patients. The raven was domesticated at an ale andporter shop in North Castle Street, which is still, or very lately was, marked by a tree growing from the area against the wall. It also keptupon the watch for Mr Wood, and would recognise him even as he passed atsome distance along George Street, and, taking a low flight towards him, was frequently his companion during some part of his forenoon walks; forMr Wood never entered his carriage when he could possibly avoid it, declaring that unless a vehicle could be found that would carry him downthe closes and up the turnpike stairs, they produced nothing but troubleand inconvenience. " GENERAL CARNAC AND HIS SHE-GOAT. It is pleasant to see, and not rare to find in men of warlike habits, alove for animals. The goat or deer that used often to march before aregiment with the band as they proceeded to a review in BruntsfieldLinks, when the writer and his friends were boys, about 1826 to 1832, hewell remembers. Nor is Edinburgh garrison singular. General Carnac, in 1770, communicated to Dr William Hunter someobservations on the keenness of smell and its exquisite sensibility. Hesays--"I have frequently observed of tame deer, to whom bread is oftengiven, and which they are in general fond of, that if you present them apiece that has been bitten, they will not touch it. I have made the sameobservation of a remarkably fine she-goat, which accompanied me in mostof my campaigns in India, and supplied me with milk, and which, ingratitude for her services, I brought from abroad with me. "[266] JOHN HUNTER AND THE SHAWL-GOAT. HUNTER'S METHOD OF INTRODUCING STRANGE ANIMALS PEACEFULLY TO OTHERS INHIS MENAGERIE. It is pleasant to meet with a notice of the pursuits of the greatanatomist, John Hunter, in a rather out-of-the-way book. [267] Theingenious way in which he introduced strange animals into his menagerieis worthy of notice. "The variety of birds and beasts to be met with at Earl's Court (thevilla of the celebrated and much-lamented Mr John Hunter) is matter ofgreat entertainment. In the same ground you are surprised to find somany living animals in one herd, from the most opposite parts of thehabitable globe. Buffaloes, rams, and sheep from Turkey, and ashawl-goat from the East Indies, are among the most remarkable of thosethat meet the eye; and as they feed together in the greatest harmony, itis natural to inquire, what means are taken to make them so familiar, and well acquainted with each other. Mr Hunter told me, that when he hasa stranger to introduce, he does it by ordering the whole herd to betaken to a strange place, either a field, an empty stable, or any otherlarge out-house, with which they are all alike unaccustomed. Thestrangeness of the place so totally engages their attention, as toprevent them from running at, and fighting with, the new-comer, as theymost probably would do in their own fields (in regard to which theyentertain very high notions of their exclusive right of property), andhere they are confined for some hours, till they appear reconciled tothe stranger, who is then turned out with his new friends, and isgenerally afterwards well-treated. The shawl-goat was not, however, soeasily reconciled to his future companions; he attacked them, instead ofwaiting to be attacked; fought several battles, and at present appearsmaster of the field. "It is from the _down_ that grows under the coarse hair of this speciesof goat, that the fine India shawls are manufactured. [268] Thisbeautiful as well as useful animal was brought over only last June fromBombay, in the _Duke of Montrose_ Indiaman, Captain Dorin. The female, unfortunately, died. It was very obligingly presented by the directorsto Sir John Sinclair, the President of the British Wool Society. It isproposed, under Mr Hunter's care, to try some experiment with it inEngland, by crossing it with other breeds of the goat species, before itis sent to the north. " As anything that met with Mr Hunter's approval must have been ajudicious arrangement, I may quote from the same source the passageabout the buildings for his cattle at Earl's Court. "Mr Hunter has built his stables half under ground; also vaults, inwhich he keeps his cows, buffaloes, and hogs. Such buildings, moreespecially the arched byres, or cow-houses, retain a more equaltemperature at all times, in regard both to heat and cold, andconsequently are cooler in summer and warmer in winter; and insituations where ground is so valuable as in the neighbourhood ofLondon, are an excellent contrivance. Mr Hunter has his hay-yard overhis buffaloes' stables. The expense of vaulting does not exceed that ofbuilding and roofing common cow-houses; and the vaults have thisessential advantage or preference, that they require no repairs. " Hethen gives an account of some buffaloes which Mr Hunter had trained towork in a cart, and which became so steady and tractable, that they wereoften driven through London streets in the loaded cart, much, no doubt, to the astonishment of passers-by. With a glimpse of a very beautifullittle cow at Earl's Court, from a buffalo and an Alderney, which wasalways plump and fat, and gave very good milk, we must take leave ofJohn Hunter's menagerie. COMMODORE KEPPEL "BEARDS" THE DEY OF ALGIERS. --A GOAT. Sir Joshua Reynolds, when twenty-five, sailed to the Mediterranean in1749 with the Hon. Augustus Keppel, then a captain in the navy, andafterwards Viscount Keppel. In 1750, Commodore Keppel returned toAlgiers to remonstrate with the dey on the renewed depredations of theCorsairs. The dey, surprised at his boldness, for he anchored close tothe palace, and attended by his captain and a barge's crew, went boldlyinto the presence of the Algerine monarch to demand satisfaction, exclaimed, that he wondered at the insolence of the King of GreatBritain sending him a beardless boy. Keppel was only twenty-four, but he is said to have answered, "that hadhis Majesty, the King of Great Britain, estimated the degree of wisdomby the length of the beard, he would have sent him _a goat_ as anambassador. " Northcote is in doubt of the truth of this speech havingbeen made, but says, that it is certain Keppel answered with greatboldness. [269] The tyrant is said to have actually ordered his mutes toadvance with the bow-string, telling the commodore that his life shouldanswer for his audacity. Keppel quietly pointed out to the dey thesquadron at anchor, and told him, that if it was his pleasure to put himto death, there were Englishmen enough on board to make a funeral pileof his capital. The dey cooled a little, allowed the commodore todepart, and made satisfaction for the damage done, and promised toabstain from violence in future. FOOTNOTES: [260] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 18. [261] Translated from the German by John Oxenford, vol. I. , p. 138. [262] Roos must have been limited in his powers, unlike our Landseer, who paints dogs, sheep, horses, cows, stags, and fowls with equal power. [263] Dean Ramsay's "Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character, " 10thedition, p. 19. [264] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 214. [265] There are two copperplates devoted to the figure and portrait of"lang Sandy Wood, " as he was called. [266] "Philosophical Transactions, " LXI. P. 176 (1771). Paper onNyl-ghau, with plate, by George Stubbs, engraved by Basire. [267] Baird, "Report on the County of Middlesex, " quoted in view of theagriculture of Middlesex, &c. , pp. 341, 342, by John Middleton, Esq. London: 1798. [268] The wool which grows on different parts of their bodies, undervery long hair, is obtained by gently combing them. [269] "Life of Sir Joshua Reynolds, " vol. I. , p. 32. CALVES AND KINE. The little anecdote of Gilpin and the three cows illustrates one elegantuse of the subjects of the following paragraphs. What home landscapelike that painted by Alfred Tennyson would be perfect without its cows?Many anecdotes of them could be collected. The Irish are celebrated fortheir "bulls, " one of them is not the worse for having "Bulls" for itssubject. Patrick was telling, so the story goes, that there were four"Bull Inns" in a certain English town. "There are but three, " said anative of the place, who knew them well; "the Black Bull, the WhiteBull, and the Red Bull, --where is the fourth?"--"Sure and do you notknow, the Dun Cow--the best of them all?" replied the unconsciousMilesian. A GREAT CALF. Sir William B----, being at a parish meeting, made some proposals, whichwere objected to by a farmer. Highly enraged, "Sir, " says he to thefarmer, "do you know, sir, that I have been at the two universities, andat two colleges in each university?"--"Well, sir, " said the farmer, "what of that? I had a calf that sucked two cows, and the observation Imade was, the more he sucked, the greater _calf_ he grew. "[270] RATHER TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. --VEAL _ad nauseam_. At the table of Lord Polkemmet, when the covers were removed, thedinner was seen to consist of veal broth, a roast fillet of veal, vealcutlets, a florentine (an excellent Scotch dish, composed of veal), acalf's head, calf's foot jelly. The worthy judge observing an expressionof surprise among his guests, who, even in Shetland in early springwould have had the veal varied with fish, broke out in explanation, "Ou, ay, it's a cauf! when we kill a beast, we just eat up one side, and downthe tither. " * * * * * Boswell, the friend and biographer of Johnson, when a young man, went tothe pit of Covent Garden Theatre, in company with Dr Blair, and in afrolic imitated the lowing of a cow; and the universal cry in thegallery was, "Encore the cow! encore the cow!" This was complied with, and in the pride of success, Boswell attempted to imitate some otheranimals, but with less success. Dr Blair, anxious for the fame of hisfriend, addressed him thus, "My dear sir, I would confine myself to _thecow_. "[271] ADAM CLARKE AND HIS BULLOCK PAT. The Rev. Adam Clarke, LL. D. , after one of his evangelical visits toIreland, returned to his home at Millbrook. In writing to his sons hesays--"Not only your mother, sisters, and brother, were glad to see me, but also my poor animals in the field, for I lost no time in going tovisit them. I found the donkey lame, and her son looking much like aphilosopher; it was strange that even the _bullock_, whom we call _Pat_, came to me in the field, and held out his most honest face for me tostroke it. The next time I went to him he came running up, and actuallyplaced his two fore-feet upon my shoulders, with all the affection of aspaniel; but it was a load of kindness I could ill bear, for the animalis nearly three years old; I soon got his feet displaced; strange anduncouth as this manifestation of affectionate gratitude was, yet with itthe master and his _steer Pat_ were equally well pleased; so here is aliteral comment on 'The ox knoweth his owner;' and you see I am inleague with even the beasts of the field. "[272] SAMUEL FOOTE AND THE COWS PULLING THE BELL OF WORCESTER COLLEGE CHAPEL. Samuel Foote was a student at Worcester College, Oxford, and when therehe practised many tricks, and soon found out what was ridiculous in anyman's character. His biographer[273] records one of these tricks which he played off onDr Gower, the provost of the college. "The church belonging to thecollege fronted the side of a lane where cattle were sometimes turnedout to graze during the night, and from the steeple hung the bell rope, very low in the middle of the outside porch. Foote saw in this an objectlikely to produce some fun, and immediately set about to accomplish hispurpose. He accordingly one night slyly tied a wisp of hay to the rope, as a bait for the cows in their peregrination to the grazing ground. The scheme succeeded to his wish. One of the cows soon after smellingthe hay as she passed by the church door, instantly seized on it, and, by tugging at the rope, made the bell ring, to the astonishment of thesexton and the whole parish. "This happened several nights successively, and the incident gave riseto various reports, such as not only that the church was haunted by evilspirits, but that several spectres were seen walking about thechurchyard in all those hideous and frightful shapes which fear, ignorance, and fancy usually suggest on such occasions. "An event of this kind, however, was to be explored, for the honour ofphilosophy, as well as for the quiet of the parish. Accordingly thedoctor and the sexton agreed to sit up one night, and on the first alarmto run out and drag the culprit to condign punishment. Their plan beingarranged, they waited with the utmost impatience for the appointedsignal; at last the bell began to sound its usual alarm, and they bothsallied out in the dark, determined on making a discovery. The sextonwas the first in the attack. He seized the cow by the tail, and criedout, 'It was a gentleman commoner, as he had him by the tail of hisgown;' while the doctor, who had caught the cow by the horns at the sametime, immediately replied, 'No, no, you blockhead, 'tis the postman, andhere I have hold of the rascal by his blowing-horn. ' Lights, however, were immediately brought, when the character of the real offender wasdiscovered, and the laugh of the whole town was turned upon thedoctor. " THE GENERAL'S COW. At Plymouth there is, or was, a small green opposite the GovernmentHouse, over which no one was permitted to pass. Not a creature wasallowed to approach save the general's cow. One day old Lady D----having called at the general's, in order to make a short cut, bent hersteps across the lawn, when she was arrested by the sentry calling outand desiring her to return. "But, " said Lady D----, with a stately air, "do you know who I am?"--"I don't know who you be, ma'am, " replied theimmovable sentry, "but I knows you b'aint--you b'aint the _general'scow_. " So Lady D---- wisely gave up the argument and went the otherway. [274] GILPIN'S LOVE OF THE PICTURESQUE CARRIED OUT. --A REASON FOR KEEPINGTHREE COWS. Lord Sidmouth told the Rev. C. Smith Bird that he was partly educated atCheam, by Mr Gilpin, the author of many volumes on "PicturesqueScenery. " He was but a poor scholar, but seems to have been loved by hispupils. He _carried out_ his regard for the picturesque, as would appearby the following anecdote[275]-- "In visiting the Rev. Mr Gilpin at his house in the New Forest on oneoccasion, his lordship observed three cows feeding in a small paddock, which he knew to be all that Mr Gilpin had to feed them in. He asked MrGilpin how he came to have so many cows when he had so little land? 'Thetruth is, ' said he, 'I found one cow would not do--she wentdry. '--'Well, ' said Lord Sidmouth, 'but why not be content with another?Two, by good management, might be made to supply you constantly withmilk. '--'Oh, yes, ' said the old gentleman, '_but two would not group_. '" KING JAMES ON A COW GETTING OVER THE BORDER. In the "Life of Bernard Gilpin, " his biographer refers to theinhabitants of the Borders being such great adepts in the art ofthieving, that they could twist a cow's horn, or mark a horse, so as itsowners could not know it, and so subtle that no vigilance could watchagainst them. A person telling King James a surprising story of a cowthat had been driven from the north of Scotland into the south ofEngland, and escaping from the herd had found her way home; "The mostsurprising part of the story, " the king replied, "you lay least stresson--that she passed unstolen through the debateable land. "[276] DUKE OF MONTAGUE AND HIS HOSPITAL FOR OLD COWS AND HORSES. The Rev. Joseph Spence[277] records that "the Duke of Montague has anhospital for old cows and horses; none of his tenants near Boughtondare kill a broken-winded horse; they must bring them all to the_reservoir_. The duke keeps a lap-dog, the ugliest creature he couldmeet with; he is always fond of the most hideous, and says he was atfirst kind to them, because nobody else would be. " PHILIP IV. OF SPAIN IN THE BULL-RING. This king, whose form and features are so well known from the picturesof Velasquez, was entertained magnificently by his great favouriteOlivares, in 1631. At this festival, which was in honour of the birthdayof the heir apparent, the sports of ancient Rome were renewed in thebull-ring of Spain. In his life by Mr Stirling, [278] it is recorded that"a lion, a tiger, a bear, a camel--in fact, a specimen of everyprocurable wild animal, or, as Quevedo expressed it in a poeticalaccount of the spectacle, 'the whole ark of Noah, and all the fables ofÆsop, ' were turned loose into the spacious Plaza del Parque, to fightfor the mastery of the arena. To the great delight of his Castiliancountrymen, a bull of Xarama vanquished all his antagonists. The 'bullof Marathon, which ravaged the country of Tetrapolis, ' says thehistorian of the day, 'was not more valiant; nor did Theseus, who slewand sacrificed him, gain greater glory than did our most potentsovereign. Unwilling that a beast which had behaved so bravely should gounrewarded, his majesty determined to do him the greatest favour thatthe animal himself could have possibly desired, had he been gifted withreason--to wit, to slay him with his own royal hand! Calling for hisfowling-piece, he brought it instantly to his shoulder, and the flashand report were scarcely seen and heard ere the mighty monster lay ableeding corpse before the transported lieges. Yet not a moment, 'continues the chronicler, 'did his majesty lose his wonted serenity, hiscomposure of countenance, and becoming gravity of aspect; and but forthe presence of so great a concourse of witnesses, it was difficult tobelieve that he had really fired the noble and successful shot. '" SYDNEY SMITH AND HIS CATTLE. --HIS "UNIVERSAL SCRATCHER. " The Rev. Sydney Smith, when at Foston, used to call for his hat andstick immediately after dinner, and sallied forth for his eveningstroll. His daughter, [279] who often accompanied him, remarks--"Each cowand calf, and horse and pig, were in turn visited, and fed, and patted, and all seemed to welcome him; he cared for their comforts as he caredfor the comforts of every living being around him. He used to say, 'I amall for cheap luxuries, even for animals; now all animals have a passionfor scratching their back bones. They break down your gates and palingsto effect this. Look! there is my universal scratcher, a sharp-edgedpole, resting on a high and a low post, adapted to every height, from ahorse to a lamb. Even the Edinburgh Reviewer can take his turn. You haveno idea how popular it is. I have not had a gate broken since I put itup. I have it in all my fields. '" REV. AUGUSTUS TOPLADY ON THE FUTURE STATE OF ANIMALS. The Rev. Josiah Bull, in the "Memorials of the Rev. William Bull ofNewport, Pagnel, "[280] the friend of Cowper, the poet, and the Rev. JohnNewton, tells the following anecdote, in which a favourite theory of theauthor of that exquisite hymn, "Rock of Ages Cleft for Me, " is alludedto, and somewhat comically illustrated by the author of the "OlneyHymns:"-- "Mr Newton had been dining with Mr Bull, and they were quietly sittingtogether, following after 'the things whereby they might edify oneanother, ' and that search aided by 'interposing puffs' of the fragrantweed. It was in that old study I so well remember, ere it was renovatedto meet the demands of modern taste. A room some eighteen feet square, with an arched roof, entirely surrounded with many a precious volume, with large, old casement windows, and immense square chairs of fineSpanish mahogany. There these good men were quietly enjoying their_tête-à-tête_, when they were startled by a thundering knock at thedoor; and in came Mr Ryland of Northampton, abruptly exclaiming, 'If youwish to see Mr Toplady, you must go immediately with me to the "Swan. "He is on his way to London, and will not live long. ' They all proceededto the inn, and there found the good man, emaciated with disease, andevidently fast hastening to the grave. As they were talking together, they were attracted by a great noise in the street, occasioned, as theyfound on looking out, by a bull-baiting which was going on before thehouse. Mr Toplady was touched by the cruelty of the scene, andexclaimed, 'Who could bear to see that sight, if there were not to besome compensation for these poor suffering animals in a futurestate?'--'I certainly hope, ' said my grandfather, 'that all the bullswill go to heaven; but do you think this will be the case with all theanimal creation?'--'Yes, certainly, ' replied Mr Toplady, with greatemphasis, 'all, all!'--'What!' rejoined Mr Newton, with some sarcasm inhis tone, 'do you suppose, sir, there will be fleas in heaven? for Ihave a special aversion to them. ' Mr Toplady said nothing, but wasevidently hurt; and as they separated, Mr Newton said, 'How happy heshould be to see him at Olney, if God spared his life, and he were tocome that way again. ' The reply Mr Toplady made was not very courteous;but the good man was perhaps suffering from the irritation of disease, and possibly annoyed by the ridicule cast upon a favourite theory. " RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM WINDHAM, M. P. , ON THE FEELINGS OF A BAITEDBULL. That great parliamentary orator, the Right Honourable William Windham, lived before the days when humanity to animals was deemed a fit subjectfor legislation. In his speech against "the bill for preventing the practice ofbull-baiting" (April 18, 1800), [281] he refers to the introduction ofsuch a measure as follows--"In turning from the great interests of thiscountry, and of Europe, to discuss with equal solemnity such measures asthat which is now before us, the House appears to me to resemble MrSmirk, the auctioneer, in the play, who could hold forth just aseloquently upon a ribbon as upon a Raphael. " He speaks of bull-baitingas being, "it must be confessed, at the expense of an animal which isnot by any means a party to the amusement; but then, " he adds, "itserves to cultivate the qualities of a certain species of dogs, whichaffords as much pleasure to their owners as greyhounds do to others. Itis no small recommendation to bull-dogs that they are so much in reputewith the populace. " In a second speech, May 24, 1802, he said that hebelieved "the bull felt a satisfaction in the contest, not less so thanthe hound did when he heard the sound of the horn that summoned him tothe chase. True it was that young bulls, or those which were neverbaited before, showed reluctance to be tied to the stake; but thosebulls which, according to the language of the sport, were called _gamebulls_, who were used to baiting, approached the stake, and stood therewhile preparing for the contest, with the utmost composure. If the bullfelt no pleasure, and was cruelly dealt with, surely the dogs had alsosome claim to compassion; but the fact was that both seemed equallyarduous in the conflict; and the bull, like every other animal, while ithad the better side, did not dislike his situation--it would beridiculous to say he felt no pain--yet, when on such occasions heexhibited no signs of terror, it was a demonstrable proof that he feltsome pleasure. " The "sober loyal men" of Stamford, it would seem, had petitioned for thecontinuance of their annual sport, which had been continued for aperiod of five or six hundred years, and who were displeased with theirlandlord, the Marquis of Exeter, for his endeavours to put down theircruel sport. Windham refers to "the antiquity of the thing beingdeserving of respect, for respect for antiquity was the bestpreservation of the Church and State!!" FOOTNOTES: [270] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 36. [271] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 111. [272] "An Account of the Religious and Literary Life of Adam Clarke, LL. D. , F. A. S. , " by a Member of his Family, vol ii. , p. 346. [273] "Memoirs of Samuel Foote, Esq. , " by Wm. Cooke, Esq. , vol. I. , p. 13. [274] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book", p. 246. [275] Lord Sidmouth lived near Burghfield, where Mr Bird kept pupils, and was curate. See "Sketches from the Life of the Rev. Charles SmithBird. " [276] "Lives of Hugh Latimer and Bernard Gilpin, " by the Rev. WilliamGilpin, p. 271. [277] Anecdotes. Supplement, p. 249 (Singer's edition). Spence died in1768, aged 70. [278] "Velasquez and his Works, " by William Stirling, p. 62. [279] Lady Holland's "Memoirs of her Father, the Rev. Sydney Smith, "vol. I. , p. 118. [280] "Memorials of the Rev. William Bull of Newport, Pagnel, " &c. , byhis grandson, the Rev. Josiah Bull, M. A. 1864. [281] "Speeches in Parliament of the Right Honourable William Windham, to which is prefixed some account of his Life, " by Thomas Amyot, Esq. , vol. I. Pp. 332, 353 (1812). WHALES. Last and greatest of the mammalia are the whales. The adventures ofhardy seamen, like Scoresby, in the pursuit of the Greenland whale, orBeale in the more dangerous chase of the spermaceti, in southern waters, form the subjects of more than one readable volume. But here we give nosuch extracts, but content ourselves with four short skits, having thecetacea for their subject. In these days of zoological gardens, they have succeeded in bringing oneof the smallest of the order, a porpoise, to the Zoological Gardens. Hisspeedy dissolution showed that even the bath of a hippopotamus or anelephant was too limited for the dwelling of this pre-eminently marinecreature. But he had begun to show an intelligence, they say, which, independently of all zoological and anatomical considerations, showedthat he had nothing in common with a fish, but a somewhat similar form, and an equal necessity for abundance of the pure liquid element. WHALEBONE. A thin old man, with a rag-bag in his hand, was picking up a number ofsmall pieces of whalebone, which lay on the street. The deposit was ofsuch a singular nature, that we asked the quaint-looking gatherer how hesupposed they came there? "Don't know, " he replied, in a squeakingvoice; "but I s'pect some unfortunate female was _wrecked_ hereaboutsomewhere. "[282] * * * * * A Scotch lady, who was discomposed by the introduction of gas, askedwith much earnestness, "What's to become o' the _puir whales_?' deemingtheir interests materially affected by this superseding of theiroil. "[283] VERY LIKE A WHALE. The first of all the royal infant males Should take the title of the Prince of _Wales_: Because, 'tis clear to seamen and to lubber, Babies and _whales_ are both inclined to _blubber_. [284] CHRISTOPHER NORTH ON THE WHALE. _Tickler. _ What fish, James, would you incline to be, if put intoscales? _Shepherd. _ A dolphin: for they hae the speed o' lichtnin. They'll dartpast and roun' about a ship in full sail before the wind, just as if shewas at anchor. Then the dolphin is a fish o' peace, --he saved the lifeo' a poet of auld, Arion, wi' his harp, --and oh! they say the cretur'sbeautifu' in death. Byron, ye ken, comparin' his hues to those o' thesun settin' ahint the Grecian isles. I sud like to be a dolphin. * * * * * _Shepherd. _ Let me see--I sud hae nae great objections to be a whale inthe Polar Seas. Gran' fun to fling a boatfu' o' harpooners into theair--or, wi' ae thud o' your tail, to drive in the stern posts o' aGreenlandman. _Tickler. _ Grander fun still, James, to feel the inextricable harpoon inyour blubber, and to go snoving away beneath an ice-floe with four milesof line connecting you with your distant enemies. _Shepherd. _ But, then, whales marry but ae wife, and are passionatelyattached to their offspring. There they and I are congenial speerits. Nae fish that swims enjoys so large a share of domestic happiness. _Tickler. _ A whale, James, is not a fish. _Shepherd. _ Isna he? Let him alane for that. He's ca'd a fish in theBible, and that's better authority than Buffon. Oh that I were awhale![285] * * * * * With these sentences, we conclude this book, as well as our selectionson the whale. In the Museum at Edinburgh may be seen one of the finest, if not the most perfect, skeleton of a whale exhibited in this kingdom. Our young readers there can soon see, by examining it from the gallery, that the whale is no "fish. " FOOTNOTES: [282] Mark Lemon, "Jest Book, " p. 122. [283] _Ibid. _, p. 201. [284] _Ibid. _, p. 142. [285] "Noctes Ambrosianæ, " Works of Professor Wilson, vol. Ii. , p. 4. INDEX. Addison and Steele on the peculiarities of the natural history collectors, 5-8 Albert's horse at Brussels, 256. Ammonianus and his ass, 279. Androcles and the lion, 167-169. Ant-eater, the great, 225-229. Arctic fox, 142-148. Ass, Sydney Smith on sagacity of, 283. Ass and zebra, 276. Ass's foal, 278. Asses with deers' antlers fastened on heads, 284; duty free, 284. Asylum for animals, 265, 266. Austrian general and a bear, 58, 59. Aye-aye, its singular structure and habits, 36-38. Baboons, Lady Anne Barnard on, 24, 25. Babylon, bas-relief of dog found at, 86, 87. Babyrusa, 240. Back, Sir George, anecdote of Arctic lemming, 196. Badger, 71; anecdotes of, 72-75. Baird, origin of name, 241. Barrentz on white or Polar bear, 64. Barnard, Lady Anne, pleads for the baboons, 24, 25; on some rabbits, 222. Bats, fantastic faces of, 38, 39. Bearable pun, 61. Bears, 56, 57; anecdotes of, 58-70. Beechey, Captain, on Polar bear, 63; on the walrus, 184-186, 187. Bell, Professor, on cats, 149. Bell, Sir Charles, on the head of a pig, 239. Bell-Rock horse, 257. Bentham, Jeremy, and his pet cat, 150-152; and the mice, 205, 206. Berwickshire, names of places in, derived from swine, 241. Bess, a pet hare of the poet Cowper's, 216. Bisset and his trained monkeys, 25, 26; musical cats, 152, 153; trained hares and turtle, 221, 222; learned pig, 250. Black Dwarf's cat, 157. Blomfield, Bishop, bitten by a dog, 88. Boar, wild, 239-245. Border, cow getting across, 309. Borneo, the home of the orang, 11. Boswell imitates the lowing of a cow, 305. Bradford, Earl of, on the number of legs of a sheep, 296. Bristol, Bishop of, comparing Cambridge freshmen to puppies, 89. Brock, or badger, 72. Brown, Dr John, "Rab" and "Our Dogs, " 78. Browning, Mrs Elizabeth Barrett, lines on her dog Flush, 89-93. Browning's, Robert, description of rats, 199. Bull, an Irish, 304. Bull, Rev. Wm. , Newton, and Toplady, anecdote of, 312. Bull-baiting at Olney, 313; Windham on, 314. Bull-ring, Philip IV. In, 310. Bullock and Dr Adam Clarke, 305, 306. Burke, Edmund, question when interrupted, 149; anecdote of his humanity, 257, 258. Burns' "Twa Dogs, " 81, 82; the field-mouse, 206-208. Bush-pig, 148. Bussapa, the tiger-slayer, 162-164. Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, Bart. , and his dog Speaker, 93, 94. Byron on his dog, 79; on Boatswain, a Newfoundland dog, 94, 95; pets, 26, 27; bear at Cambridge, 59. "Calamity, " a horse of Sydney Smith's, 272. Calf, a great, 304. Calves and kine, 304. Camel, Captain Wm. Peel on, 287-289. Campbell, Colonel, account of Bussapa and the tiger, 162-164. Canova's sculptured lions and the child, 171-173. Carnac and the she-goat, 299. Cats, 149-161. Cat's letter, by Montgomery, 156. Cattle of Sydney Smith, and their universal scratcher, 311. Chalmers, Dr, and the guinea-pig, 223, 224. _Cheiroptera_, the order which contains the bats, 38, 39. Children and horses cannot explain their complaints, 269. Chimpanzee, Mr Mitchell on the habits of a young one, 22-42. China, roasted pups eaten in, 78. _Chiromys Madagascariensis_, its habits, 36-38. _Choiropotamus Africanus_, 140. Choiseul, Madame de, and her pet monkey and parrot, 33, 34. Chunie, the elephant, 230. Clare's dog and Curran, 98. Clarke, Dr Adam, on Shetland seals, 175, 176; his bullock Pat, 305. Clive's, Lord, handwriting misunderstood, 230. Cockburn, Lord, and the sheep at Bonaly, 298. Collie at Cultershaw, 82. Collins, Wm. , R. A. , and Sir David Wilkie, 3; the rat-catcher with the ferret, 76; his dog Prinny, 96, 97; paints Odell's old donkey, 277. Collins, W. Wilkie, Sir David Wilkie's first remark on him, 3, 4. Constant and his cat, 153. Cook's sailor, who took a fox-bat for the devil, 40. Cooke, Major-General, 189. Coon, a gone, 71. Couthon and the spaniel, 195. Cowper's narrative of his pet hares, 213-219; dog Beau and the water-lily, 79-81. Cows, anecdotes of, 306-311. Cross, Edward, of Exeter Change and Walworth, 33. Cruelty to horses in Ireland, 275. Cunningham, Major, on Ladak dog, 86. Curran on Lord Clare's dog, 98. Cuvier and the fossil, 236. _Cynocephali_, or African baboons, 9, 24, 25. Dalhousie, Earl of, and the ferocious red-deer, 291. Dandie Dinmont educates his terriers, 122. Davis, Sir George, and the lion, 170, 171. Deer family, 290, 291; their sensibility of smell, 300. Dessin Island, rabbits on, blind of one eye, 222. Dickens on sellers of bears' grease, 59, 60. Dog and the French murderers, 104, 105. Dog-cheap, 100. Dog-matic, 113. Dog-rose, 133. Dogs, 77-87. Douglas, General, and the rats, 201. Dragon-fly exhibited at a show, 61. Dresden, Battle of, General Moreau killed at, 113. Drew on the instinct of dogs, 98-100. Dromedary, Capt. Peel on its rate of motion, 289. Dunbar, Rev. Rowland Hill at, 261. Durian, an eastern fruit, 14. Earl's Court, Hunter's menagerie at, 300-302. Eastern dogs, 84, 85. _Echidna aculeata_, 192. _Edentata_, 228. Edmonstone, Dr, on Shetland seals, 176-182. Eglintoun, Countess of, her fondness for rats, 200, 201. Elephant and his trunk, 232; anecdotes of, 234-236. _Epomophorus_, a genus of tropical bats alluded to by the poet-laureate, 39. Erskine's sheep and the woolsack, 298. Esquimaux dogs, 78, 86. Ettrick Shepherd's monkey, 27, 28; on fox-hunting, 139-141; on whales, 316. Fabricius on Arctic fox, 143. Ferret, 75, 76. Field mouse turned up by Robert Burns, 206-208. Findhorn fisherman and monkey, 29, 30. Flush, lines to her dog, by Mrs Browning, 89-93. Foote, Samuel, makes cows pull bell at Oxford, 306. Forster, Dr, on the fox-bats of the Friendly Islands, 42, 43. Fournier on the squirrel, 196. Fowler the tailor and Gainsborough the artist, 2, 3. Fox, Charles James, on the poll-cat, 77. Fox, 138. Fox-hunting, from the "Noctes, " 139-141. Fox-bats, particulars of their history, 41-47. Frederick the Great and his Italian greyhounds, 104. French count at deer-stalking, 293, 294; dogs, time of Louis XI. , 110; marquis and his monkey, 30, 31. Fry, Mrs, on Irish pigs, 252. Fuller, Thomas, on destructive fieldmice, 208, 209. Fuller on Norfolk rabbits, 223. Fuseli on Northcote's picture of Balaam and the Ass, 281. Future state of animals, Toplady on, 312. Gainsborough and Fowler the tailor, 2, 3; his wife and their dogs, 100, 101; pigs, countryman on, 252; kept an ass, 277. Garrick and the horse, 259. Gell, Sir William, his dog, 101. General's cow at Plymouth, 308. George III. At Winchester, meets Garrick, 259. George IV. Visited at Windsor by "Happy Jerry, " 32. Gilpin's, Bernard, horses stolen and recovered, 260. Gilpin's, Rev. Mr, love of the picturesque, 308. Gilray's caricature of Fox and Burke as dogs, 724. Gimcrack, the widow, her letter to Mr Bickerstaff on her husband's peculiarities, 6-8. Giraffe, anecdotes of, 291-295. _Glirine_ animals, 195, 212. Goats, anecdotes of, 299, 300. Goethe on stag-trench at Frankfort, 294; on Roos's etchings of sheep, 296. Good enough for a pig, 251. Gordon, Duchess of, and the wolf-dog, 102, 103. Gorilla and its story, 9-22. Graham, Rev. W. , on dogs in the East, 85. Grange, the, near Edinburgh, 30. Gray compares poet-laureate to a rat-catcher, 204, 205. Gray. Dr, gets large specimen of gorilla, 17. Greenland seal, 181. Grotta del Cane, the poor dog at, 111, 112. Guilford, Lord Keeper, and the rhinoceros, 230. Guinea pig, Dr Chalmers, 223, 224. Gunn, Mr, on tiger-wolf, 192, 193. Haff-fish, the Shetland name for seal, 179. Hairs or hares, 220. Hall, Robert, and the dog, 106. Hamilton, Sir Wm. , his definition of man, 1, 2. Hanover rats, 202, 203. Happy Jerry, the rib-nosed mandrill, 31, 32. Hardwicke's lady, sow, 253. Hares, Mrs Browning on Cowper's, 212; petted by Cowper the poet, 213-219. Hastings and the refractory donkey, 279. Heard, the herald, on the horse of George III. , 261 Hedgehogs, 48. Hill, Rev. Rowland, prayed for his horse, 261, 262. Holcroft on race-horses, 263-265. Hood's dog Dash, 110. Hook and the litter of pigs, 253. Hooker's sea-bear in Regent's Park, 175. Hospital for old cows and horses, 309. Horse, 256; that carried stones to build Bell-Rock lighthouse, 257. Horse exercises, a saying of Rowland Hill's, 263. Horsemanship of Johnson the Irishman, 257, 258. Horsfield, Dr, on the Javanese fox-bat, 45, 46. Hunter, John, and the dead tiger, 165; his menagerie at Earl's Court, 300, 302. Hunters of Polmood, dog that belonged to, 107. Impey, Warren Hastings, and the ass, 279, 280. India shawls, 301. Inglefield, Capt. , on the affection of a Polar bear and her two cubs, 65. Irish clergyman and the dogs, 108. Irishman on rat-shooting, 203. Irving, Washington, and the dog, 108, 109. Ivory dust, 233. Jackal, 148, 149. Jeffrey on a donkey; Sydney Smith's lines on 281, 282. Jekyll treading on a small pig, 251; on a squirrel, 195. Jerrold, Douglas, and his dog, 109. Kangaroo Cooke, 189. Kangaroos, Charles Lamb on, 188, 189. Keppel, Commodore, and the Dey of Algiers, 303. King James, on a cow getting over the Border, 309. Laird of Balnamoon and the brock, 75. Lamb, Charles, and the dog, 110; on Kangaroos, 188, 189; on the hare, 212. Landseer's "Monkeyana, " 10; stags, 293. Lap-dogs before the House of Commons, 124. Lauder, Sir Thomas Dick, adventures of a monkey in Morayshire, 29, 30. Laurillard, Cuvier's assistant, 237. Lawyer's horse, 268. Lemming, and Arctic voyager, 196; habits of the Arctic, 197, 198. Leifchild, Dr, at Hoxton, 127. Leopard, its ferocity when wounded, 161. Letter from the gorilla, now in British Museum, 13-17. Lightfoot, name for Sir Edwin Landseer, 293. Lion and tiger, 166. Lion, hunts on Assyrian monuments, 162. Lions on monument of Clement XII. , 171-173. Liston the surgeon and his cat, 153, 154. Livingston, Dr, on paralysing effect of lion's bite, 162. Luther observes a dog at Lintz, 111. Lyon, Capt. , on Arctic fox, 144, 145. Lytton, Sir Edward Bulwer, on the pets of some of the Revolutionary butchers, 195, 196. Macaulay, Lord, on the last days of King William III. , 50-56. M'Clintock on Arctic fox, 144. M'Dougall on habits of Arctic lemming, 197. Macgillivray, John, on a fox-bat from Fitzroy Island, 45. Mackenzie, Mrs Colin, on the habits of the apes at Simla, 35, 36; on the tiger being worshipped, 166. Man, Professor Owen on his position, 1; definition of, by Linnæus, 12; defined in the Linnæan manner, 4. Mandrill and George IV. , 31, 32. Mansfield's, Lord, joke about a horse, 267. Marat, the citizen, and his doves, 196. Markham, Mr Clement, on the Polar bear, 69. _Marsupialia_, 188-191. Mastiff and the soldier, 97. Matthews, Henry, on the Grotta del Cane, 112. Mayerne, Dr, and his balsam of bats, 47. Metcalfe, when a boy, on camel, 290. Miller, Hugh, on badger-baiting in the Canongate, 72-74. Miscellaneous eating about a pig, 238. Mitchell, D. W. , on the habits of a young chimpanzee, 22-24. Mitchell's antipathy to cats, 155. Model dog of the artist Collins, 96, 97. Mole, its habits, 49. Monkey revered by Hindoos, 35. Monkeys, 9; liable to lung disease in British islands, 22; Rev. Sydney Smith on, 34, 35; poor relations, 34. Montagu, Duke of, and his hospital for old cows, &c. , 309. Montgomery, James, his translation of a definition of man, 4; and his cats, 155, 156. Moore, General, and his horse at Corunna, 268. Moore on Gilpin and Boatswain, two dogs, 95, 96. Moore, Dr John, sketch of a French marquis and his monkey, 30, 31. More, Hannah, on dog of Garrick's, 105. Moreau and his greyhound, 113. Moses, a dog of Mrs Schimmelpenninck's, 122. Moth larvæ eating at night, 37. Mounsey, anecdote of, 269. Mouse that amused Baron von Trenck, 209, 210. Mules should have their own way, 286. Museum of John Hunter, 164, 165. Musical cats, 152, 153. Musk rat, 200. _Myrmecophaga jubata_, 225-229. Names given to horses, 270-274. Napier, Charles, and the lion in the Tower, 173. Natural history collectors of the days of Addison and Steele, 5, 8. Neill, Dr Patrick, 5. Nelson and the Polar bear, 67-69; in Arctic seas, 186. Newfoundland dog, 126. N'Geena, or gorilla, 18. Nicol, George, the bookseller and hunter, 165. Norfolk, Duke of, and his spaniels, 114. North, Sir Dudley, visits the rhinoceros, 231. North, Lord, and the dog, 115. Northcote's Balaam and the Ass, 281. Norton, Hon. Mrs, address to a dog, 83. Odell and his old donkey, 277. Old Jack, a horse that drew stones for building Waterloo Bridge, 270. Old lady and the beasts on the mound, 173. Ommaney, Capt. , and the Polar bear, 70. Opossum, 190. _Ornithorhynchus_, the duck-bill, 192. Owen, Professor, on the gorilla, 18; on the aye-aye, 36. Parasols, how ladies used them at Cross's menagerie, 33. Parrot and monkey, anecdote of two pets, 33, 34. Parry, Capt. , on flesh of Polar bear, 66. Paton, Sir J. Noel, has studied physiognomies of bats, &c. , 38. Peale, Titian, on a tame fox-bat, 44. Peccaries of South America, 240. Peel, Capt. Wm. , on camel, 287-289. _Peracyon_, 19. Perchance, a lap-dog, 96. Perthes derives hints from his dog, 115. Peter the Great and his dog Lisette, 161, 117. _Phascolomys vombatus_, 193. Philip IV. In bull-ring, 310. Phillips, Sir Richard, eats jelly of ivory dust, 233. _Phoca barbata_, 180; _vitulena_, 177. Pied Piper of Hamelin, extract from, 199. Pig, monument to, 239. Pigs and silver spoons, 254. Plants liked by hares, 218. Polar bear, its history, 61-70. Poll-cat, Fox and the, 77. Polkemmet, Lord, a dinner on veal, 305. Polson and the last Scottish wolf, 135-137. Ponsonby and the poodle, 118. Porpoise in Zoological Gardens, 315. Pope on dogs, 95. Porcupine ant-eater, 192. Postman and carrier dog at Moffat, 113. Postmen, Capt. Osborn, on Arctic foxes as, 146. _Potamochoerus_, 240, 245. Prinny, a pet dog of Collins the artist, 96, 97. Prison mouse, 209, 210. _Pteropus conspicillatus_, 44; _medius_, 45. Puss, a pet hare of the poet Cowper's 214, 215. _Quadrumana_, 9-38. Queen of Charles I. And the lap-dog 107. Quixote Bowles fond of pigs, 251. Rabbits, a family all blind of one eye, 222. Raccoon, 71. Race-horses, Holcroft's anecdotes of, 263-265. Ramsgate donkeys, Irishman on, 278. Rats and mice, 198. Rats' whiskers good for artists' brushes, 204. Ravages of rats, 203. Raven, pet of Wood the surgeon, 299. Red-deer at Taymouth, 291, 292. "Relais, " a dog belonging to Louis XII. , 111. Revolutionary butchers and their pets, 195, 196. Rhinoceros and elephant, 229. Richardson, Sir J. , on Arctic fox, 143. River pig, 245. Rodent animals, 195, 212. Rodney, Lord, and his dog Loup, 119. Rogue elephant, skull of one, 230. Roos's etchings of sheep, Goethe on, 296, 297. Ross, Sir James, on Arctic fox, 142, 145. Rowan berries, dog that fetched, 128. Ruddiman and his dog Rascal, 119. Sand liked by hares, 218. Schimmelpenninck, Mrs, her fondness for dogs, 121. Scott, Sir Walter, when a boy, saw Burns, 84; his fondness for his dogs, 122; on a fox, 138; visit to the Black Dwarf, 157. "Scratcher" of Sydney Smith, 311. Scriptures, dogs mentioned in the, 84, 103, 106. Seals, their intelligence, 174-182. _Semnopithecus Entellus_, an Indian monkey, 35. Sergent and his spaniel, 196. Shaved bear at Bristol, 61. Shawl-goat at John Hunter's menagerie, 301. Sheep, anecdotes of, 295-298; and goats, 295; pet, of Alex. Wood the surgeon, 299. Shepherd dogs, 82. Sheridan and the dog, 109; on the dog-tax, 123. Shetland seals, 174-182. Sidmouth, Lord, educated by the Rev. Mr Gilpin, 308. Skins of rabbits, 223. Sloth, Sydney Smith on, 224. Smith, Rev. Sydney, on the differences between man and monkeys, 34, 35; his answer to Landseer, 78; remark on a dog, 88; his dislike of dogs, 124, 125; on pigs, 254; and his horses, 271-274. Smith and the elephant, 234. Sorrel, the horse of William III. , 51. Southey and his critics, 48; on dogs, 126; loved cats, 158-160. Sow and swine, 238-255. Spencer, Lord, and Rev. Sydney Smith, 124, 125. _Spermophilus Parryi_, 197. Sportsmen, exaggeration of some, 221. Squirrel, 195. Stags, anecdotes of, 291-293. Stag-trench at Frankfort, 294. Stanhope, Earl, on Jacobites calling adherents of Court "Hanover rats, " 202, 203; on the poet Cowper's tastes, 220. Stapelia, a plant at the Cape, 25. Stirling Castle, "Lion's den" at, 162. Stokes, Capt. Lort, on the red-necked fox-bat, 43. Story, Judge, names he gave his horses, 274. Sturge and the pigs, 255. Surgeon, an enthusiastic fox-hunting, 138. Swinton, origin of name, 241. Sykes, Colonel, on the flesh of a fox-bat, 45. Syria, wild boar in, 244. Tail, short-tailed and long-tailed horses, 275. Tailor and the elephant, 235. _Tamandua_, or ant-eater, 226. Tennyson, lines on man, and modern systems, 10; lines describing tropical bats, 39. Thackeray on the Egyptian donkey, 285. _Thalassarctos maritimus_--the polar bear, 61-70. _Thylacinus Harrisii_, 191. Tibetan mastiff, 86, 87. Tiger and lion, 161. Tigers' claws and whiskers regarded as charms, 165. Tiger-wolf of Tasmania, 190-194. Tiney, a pet hare of Cowper's, 216. Toplady on future state of animals, 312. Tonton, Walpole's pet dog, 129, 130. Trained monkeys, 26. Trenck and the tame mouse in prison, 209. _Trichechus rosmarus_, 183. True, on dog being a good judge of eloquence, 127. Ulysses and his dog, 133. _Ursus lotor_, why raccoon was so called, 71. Veal _ad nauseam_, 304 Venison fat, 294. _Vulpes lagopus_, 142. Walker, Dr David, on Polar bear, 62. Wallace, Alfred, on orang-utan, 11; on great ant-eater, 227. Walpole, Horace, the young lady's pet monkey and her parrot, 33, 34; pet dog Rosette, lines on, 129. Walrus, history of, 182-188. Waterton, Charles, letter from, on young gorilla, 18-20; letter to Mrs Wombwell on her young gorilla, 21; "Hanover rats, " 202. Watt, James, on rats' whiskers, 204. Wellington's story of musk rat, 200. Whalebone, 315. Whales, 315, 317. Whateley, Archbishop, and his dogs, 131, 132; on a cat that rung the bell, 160. Wild boar, 239-245. Wilkie, Sir David, and the baby, 3, 4; and the puppy, 133. William III. , his death, as related by Lord Macaulay, 49-56. Wilson, the American ornithologist, and the mouse, 211. Windham, Right Hon. William, on Capt. Phipps's Arctic expedition, 67, 68; on the feelings of a baited bull, 313. Wolf, 135. Wolf-dog, Hungarian, anecdote of, 102, 103. Wombat, 193. Wood, Sandy, and his pets, 298, 299. Wordsworth on cruelty to horses in Ireland, 275. Zebra, Lattin's joke, 287. Zoological Gardens, 249. THE END. PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY EDINBURGH AND LONDON +------------------------------------------------------------------+|Transcriber's note: || ||"The Aye-Aye, or Cheiromys of Madagascar (_with a Plate_)" || ||Unfortunately no plate could be found for this particular section. ||Reference to it was removed from the Table of Contents. |+------------------------------------------------------------------+