Chapter VI: Part 6

The Sheep of Southern Russia are remarkable on account of the length of their tails; while those of India and some parts of Africa are distinguished by the length of their legs, pendent ears, coarse wool, and total want of horns in either sex. In Persia, Tartary, and China the tail of the Sheep appears to be entirely transformed into a double globe of fat; and those of Syria and Barbary, notwithstanding the length of their tails, have them loaded with fat, while their wool is intermixed with coarse hair. Everywhere, however, the Sheep is invaluable to the human race, and the care of their flocks one of the earliest occupations of civilized nations.

“This species,” says Buffon, “appears to be preserved only by the assistance and care of Man; it seems unable to subsist by itself. The reclaimed Sheep is absolutely without resource and without defence. The Ram is but weakly armed; its courage is only petulance. The females are still more timid than the males. It is fear that causes them so often to assemble in flocks; the slightest noise makes them throw themselves down headlong or crowd one against the other; and this fear is accompanied with the greatest stupidity, for they know not how to avoid danger.”

They appear not even to feel the inconveniences of their situation; they remain obstinately where they are exposed to the rain or snow. In order to oblige them to change their situation and take a certain road, a leader is necessary, whose movements they follow at every step. This leader would himself remain motionless with the rest of the flock, if he were not driven by the Shepherd or excited by the Sheep-dog, which knows well how to defend, direct, separate, reassemble them, and communicate to them all necessary movements.

They are, of all animals, the most stupid and devoid of resources. Goats, which resemble them in so many other respects, have much more sense. They know how to guide themselves, they avoid danger, and easily familiarize themselves with new objects; while the Sheep neither retreats nor advances, and although it stands in need of assistance, does not approach Man so willingly as the Goat, besides—a quality which, in animals, appears to indicate the last degree of timidity or of want of feeling—it allows its Lamb to be taken away without defending it, without anger or resistance, or even signifying its grief by a cry differing from its usual bleat.

Nevertheless, this creature, so helpless and so apathetic, is to mankind the most valuable of all animals, and of the most immediate and extensive use. Alone it suffices for his most pressing wants, furnishing both food and clothing, besides the various uses of the fat, milk, skin, entrails and bones. Nature has not bestowed anything upon the Sheep that does not serve for the advantage of the human race.

THE OX FAMILY.

This family is easily distinguished from the other groups of Hollow-horned Ruminants. It is composed of large, heavy animals, in which the skin of the neck is loose and hanging, forming a large fold called the dew-lap.

There are eight species found in this family—the American Buffalo or Bison, the Musk Ox, the Cape Buffalo, the European Bison or Auroch, the Yak, the Jungle Ox, the Common Buffalo of India, and the Common Ox, or the well known group including our domestic Cattle.

THE AMERICAN BUFFALO.

The American Buffalo, commonly known in other countries as the Bison, is a gigantic species which ranges over the temperate and northern provinces of the American continent. It is of thick-set shape, and carries its head low, on a level with its back, while its shoulders are high. Its head is short and large; its horns are small, lateral, far apart, black and rounded. Its head, neck, and shoulders are covered with thick, curly, dark brown hair. Its tail is short, and terminated by a tuft of long hair.

This immense animal inhabits all parts of North America, especially the plateaux on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. In the spring, herds of thousands of Buffaloes, crowded closely together, make their way up from the south to the north of these vast steppes; in the autumn they migrate again to the south. When the summer comes, these wild troops break up, and the Buffaloes separate into couples or small herds.

American Buffaloes are not ferocious in their nature; they seldom attack Man, but will defend themselves when wounded; they then become formidable adversaries, for their enormous heads, well furnished with horns, and their fore-feet, are terrible weapons. In their migrations, their numbers are so enormous, that as they advance everything that comes in their way is devastated.

THE MUSK OX.

The Musk Ox is much smaller than the Common Ox, and has somewhat the appearance of an enormous sheep. Its forehead is arched; its mouth small; its muzzle completely covered with hair; and its horns, which are very large, are closely united at the base, and bending downwards over the sides of its head, suddenly turn backwards and upwards at the tips. Its long and abundant coat is of a dark brown color. It exhales a strong odor of musk.

This animal, which is a combination of the Ox, Sheep, and Goat, inhabits North America below the polar circle, and lives in families of from ten to twenty individuals.

Notwithstanding its apparent heaviness, the Musk Ox climbs over rocks almost as nimbly as a Goat, and its speed across the rocky, rough, barren grounds, (its principal habitat) for an animal so clumsy, is truly astonishing.

THE EUROPEAN BUFFALO.

The European Buffalo, or Auroch, is, next to the Elephant, Rhinoceros and Giraffe, the largest terrestrial Mammals. It is nearly six feet high. Its horns are large, round and lateral, and its tail is long; the front of the body, as far as the shoulders, is covered with coarse, harsh, brown hair; the underneath part of its throat, down to its breast, is furnished with a long pendulous mane, and the rest of its body is covered with short black hair.

This animal is the Urus of the ancients. It formerly lived in all the marshy forests of temperate Europe, even in Great Britain. In the time of Caesar it was still to be found in Germany, but, from the increase of Man and his conquests, it has become more and more rare. At the present time it is only to be found in two provinces of Russia. Very severe orders have been issued by the Emperor of Russia to prevent the destruction of these animals, and not one can be killed without his permission.

THE CAPE BUFFALO.

The Cape Buffalo is distinguished by its large horns, from all the other species peculiar to the Old World, the flattened bases of which cover the top of its head like a helmet, only leaving a triangular space between them. The horns of this African Ruminant are black, while its coat is brown. It lives in numerous herds in the thickest forests of Southern Africa, from the northern limits of Cape Colony as far as Guinea.

When in the open country it is shy and cautious; but is formidable and aggressive when hunted in the woods which form its principal retreat. Buffalo hunting is one of the occupations of the natives of the south of Africa; and it is not unaccompanied by danger, for it often happens that the respective characters are inverted, and it is the Buffalo which chases the hunters.

THE YAK.

The Yak, or Horse-tailed Buffalo, has a large tuft of woolly hair on its head, and a sort of mane on its neck; the underneath part of its body, particularly around the legs, is covered with very bushy, long, pendent hair; its tail, which is entirely covered with hair, resembles that of a horse; while its voice is a low and monotonous sound, which becomes harsh and discordant when the animal is excited.

It is found undomesticated on the confines of Chinese Tartary. It is then wild, and dangerous; but when captured and broken in, it proves a useful servant to the inhabitants of Thibet and the north of China, who utilize it as we do our Cattle. Its milk is excellent; and its strength in carrying loads and dragging ploughs and conveyances extraordinary. But it is with difficulty they are tamed, for their disposition is always restless and wilful, and subject to fits of bad temper. Its flesh is highly esteemed, and coarse fabrics are made from its hair.

The tail of this Ruminant has long been valued in the East. Attached to the end of a lance, with the Mussulmen it is the insignia of the dignity of Pacha; and, the higher this dignity, the greater is the number of tails which the possessor of rank has a right to have carried before him. The Chinese also adorn themselves with the tail of the Yak, dyed red, by placing it in their caps. It is moreover employed as a switch for driving away flies.

THE JUNGLE OX.

The Jungle Ox very strongly resembles the Common Ox, but its horns are flattened from front to back, and tend outwards and upwards. These Oxen are reared in a domestic state in the mountainous countries of the northeast of India.

THE COMMON BUFFALO.

The Common Buffalo appears to be a native of the warm and damp parts of India and the neighboring isles, from whence it has spread into Persia, Arabia, the south of Africa, Greece and Italy. It is nearly the same size as an Ox. Its bulging forehead, which is longer than it is wide, bears two black horns, turned outwards. Its coat is coarse and scant, except on its throat and cheeks, and it has a very small dew-lap. It lives in numerous herds in marshy and low plains, where it delights in wallowing. It is of a wild and untractable disposition, particularly towards strangers; and, in order to make use even of those which are the tamest, the more perfectly to control them, a ring of iron is passed through their nostrils. In the cultivation of rice that cereal particularly requiring moist land—their services are most valuable, for their power of draught, even when immersed to the knees in mud, far exceeds all other animals in a similar situation.

The Arna, or Wild Buffalo, must be considered as a variety of this species. Its horns are very large, about five feet long, wrinkled on their concave side, and flat in front. It is principally found in Hindostan.

RUMINANTS WHICH SHED THEIR HORNS.

The distinctive characteristic of the animals of this group consists in the texture, shape and manner of growth of their frontal protuberances. These projections, which are called antlers, and not horns, are bony, solid, and more or less branching. They do not have the horny casing which exists in all Hollow-horned Ruminants. They fall off and are renewed at a certain period every year up to a certain age, and it is because of this peculiarity that these animals are known as Ruminants with deciduous horns.

In the full grown animal the antler is composed of a cylindrical or flattened stem, according to the genus, which is called the brow-antler, from which branch out at intervals slighter or shorter additions, called tines or branches. The base of the brow-antler is surrounded by a circle of small bony excrescences, which afford a passage to the blood vessels intended to provide for the growth of the antler; these are called burrs.

There are various terms used to indicate the growth of the antlers. In the first place, on the brow of the young animal, two small elevations or knobs are seen to make their appearance, above each of which there soon grows a projection of cartilage, which finally assumes a bony texture.

Until they become perfectly hard, these two early sprouts are protected from any external friction by a kind of velvety skin, which dries up as soon as the cartilage turns to bone.

The short horns which then adorn its brow take the name of dags. At the commencement of the third year the dags fall off, but soon after they are replaced by other and longer ones, which throw out their first tines; and from this time they are considered as entitled to the name of antler.

The falling off and periodical renewal of these bony projections is really a very curious phenomenon. It seems as if it ought to take several years for the horns to regain, as they do, equal or even larger dimensions than their predecessors; nevertheless, they shoot out all complete in the space of a few weeks. Still, the explanation of this fact is simple enough.

The skin which covers the base of the antlers of this animal is traversed by a large number of blood vessels, which supply the phosphate of lime necessary to solidify the bony parts. Up to the time when the antler has acquired the full growth which it is to attain in each year, this skin continues to receive the requisite flow of blood; it retains, in fact, its living action. But as soon as the growth is complete, and it becomes bony, the burrs increase in size, strangulate the vessels, and stop the flow of the alimentary fluid. This skin then withers and comes away from the antler, which, thus laid bare and no longer receiving nourishment, gradually wastes away or decays, and falls off at the end of a few months, again making its appearance in the approaching season.

Nearly all the members of this family are remarkable for the elegance of their shape, the dignity of their attitudes, the grace and vivacity of their movements, the slenderness of their limbs, and the sustained rapidity of their flight. They have a very short tail; moderately sized and pointed ears, and their eyes are clear and full of gentleness.

The coat of Ruminants which shed their horns is generally brown or fawn-colored. It is composed of short, close and brittle hair, which assumes a somewhat woolly nature in the inclement regions of the extreme north, more especially in the winter season.

These Ruminants live in small droves or herds in forests, on mountains or plains, and feed on leaves, buds, grass, moss, or the bark of trees, etc. They are distributed over all the surface of the globe, both in the hottest and coldest climates. The Reindeer and Elk are peculiar to the northern regions of both continents; but numerous species are, on the contrary, found in hot and temperate countries.

The family of Ruminants which shed their horns comprehends three genera—the Reindeer, the Elk, and the Deer proper—all differing in the shape and size of their antlers.

THE REINDEER.

The Reindeer is of about the size of the Red Deer, but its legs are shorter and thicker. The horns, which exist in both sexes, are divided into several branches; at first they are slender and pointed, but as they grow they extend, and ultimately terminate in broad and toothed palmations. The hair of this animal, which is brown in summer, becomes almost white as winter approaches—a circumstance which accounts for the idea among the ancients, that the “Tarandus” could assume any color it thought proper.

The Reindeer is met with only in the extreme north of Europe and of America. It is more especially a native of Lapland, where it is as serviceable to the sojourner in those icy regions as the Camel to the inhabitants of the sandy desert. The Laplanders keep numerous flocks of them, drive them in summer-time to the mountains of their country, and in winter cause them to return to the plains, where they use them as beasts of burden and of draught, eat their flesh, feed their children with their milk, and clothe themselves with their skins. “These useful animals,” says Mr. Lloyd, “not only mainly contribute to the subsistence, but constitute the chief riches of that nomade people. Without the Reindeer, indeed, the Lapp could hardly contrive to exist in the dreary region he inhabits, the needful provender being too scanty to admit of the well-being of other animals, such as Sheep and horned Cattle, which in more southern countries are made subservient to the purposes of Man.”

“A large herd of Reindeer,” says Lloyd in his Scandinavian Adventures, “traversing the open country or the surface of a frozen lake, as the case may be, when the Lapp is changing his encampment, is a very magnificent sight. In the front walks a Man leading a Reindeer, or perhaps the Man quite alone, who only now and then calls to the animals, which, at a few paces’ distance, faithfully follow where he leads.

“In the first ranks of the herd one commonly sees many noble males, who proudly elevate their heads, attired with large and branching antlers. The rest of the herd follow one another in close phalanx. It resembles a wondrous moving forest, whose innumerably branched crowns, with their rapid and constantly shifting motion, make the most pleasing impression on the eye and mind of the spectator.

“The Lapp sometimes calls a great herd of Reindeer a sava, or sea, a figurative expression, beautiful as faithful; taken, probably, not only from the immensity of the ocean, but from its surface being in constant undulatory motion.”

THE ELKS.

The Elk, or Moose Deer, the typical representative of this sub-family, is an ungainly-looking animal, as large as, or larger than an ordinary Horse. It seems to be raised on legs of disproportionate height. Its muzzle is broad and pendulous; its throat swollen, as if it was afflicted with a goitre; while its hair is rough and of an ashy color of variable shades. The horn of the Elk is at first dagger-shaped, and then divided into strips; but at the age of five years, it assumes the shape of a broad triangular expansion, with prongs upon its outer margin. The weight of these horns increases with the age of the animal, until they weigh fifty or sixty pounds, and present as many as fourteen antlers or projections from each horn.

This animal inhabits the forests of the north, both of the European and American continents, where it may be seen in small herds, making its way through the marshy forests. It is an excellent swimmer, and from the peculiar structure of its hoofs, able to cross marshy ground with great facility. The sense of smell in the Elk is exceedingly acute; and when once he scents a pursuer, he darts away with lightning speed, and usually without a single pause till he is four or five miles away from the object of his fear. He frequents in summer low and marshy ground, where water and trees abound; while in winter he resorts to thicker shelter on higher levels. The Elk feeds chiefly by day, in the summer on the bark, leaves and small branches of young trees, and various species of grasses. In the winter he adds to his food the leaves of various firs, and different kinds of lichens.

THE DEER PROPER.

The animals classified under this title include a large number of species distributed over the warm and temperate regions of both continents. The animals are remarkable for their grace and agility. The various species differ somewhat in the shape of their antlers, and the color of their coat, which is sometimes all of a fawn-colored shade, sometimes dotted over with white spots during their youth, and sometimes mottled during the whole of their life. The principal species are the Common Stag, or Red Deer, the Large Stag of Canada, or Wapiti, the Virginian Stag, the Axis, the Porcine Deer, the Fallow Deer, and the Common Roe.

THE RED DEER.

The Red Deer is certainly one of the most beautiful of European animals, owing to the majestic antlers which adorn its head, and its stately and graceful bearing. This quadruped is about the size of a small Horse. Its coat, which varies according to the season, changes from light brown in summer to greyish in winter. It has generally a very gentle and timid disposition, and dreads the presence of Man, taking flight at the slightest alarm. On the contrary, when not disturbed, it manifests an amount of laziness which contrasts strangely with its extraordinary agility.

When arrived at a certain age, and in full possession of all its strength, the Stag loves solitude, and in localities where possible, confines itself during the whole summer to thickets and woods, scarcely coming forth except at night to search for sustenance; this done, it again retires to the thickest brake, to rest and digest its food. At the end of autumn it visits the plains, making its way into badly-enclosed gardens, where it satisfies its appetite with the agriculturist’s cereals and fruit. If there should not be a sufficiency of the latter on the ground, the Stag increases the supply by standing upright against the trunk of the tree, and using its antlers as a pole to knock down enough to satisfy its appetite.

The favorite food of the Red Deer is grass, leaves, fruits and buds; but as none of these can be found in winter, it is compelled to eat moss, heath and lichens. When the ground is covered with snow it will feed upon the bark of trees. At this season of the year these animals assemble in numerous herds under the tallest trees of the forest, to obtain shelter from the north wind, when they crowd closely against one another for warmth.

The Stag produces every year a new head of horns; and its age is generally indicated by them. At six years of age it is said to possess a full head; in the following years, and up to the end of its life, it is known as a Royal Stag.

THE CANADIAN STAG.

A magnificent species of Stag is found in North America, which is called the Large Stag of Canada, or Wapiti. This animal bears some resemblance to the Elk. It is easily tamed, and soon becomes used to confinement. The North American Indians catch it in snares when young, and rear it with care. At maturity they harness it to their sledges during the winter, and its powerful frame enables it to draw heavy loads. Its flesh, which is excellent, forms a large portion of the Red Man’s sustenance.

THE VIRGINIAN DEER.

The Virginian Deer is common in the United States, where it is the favorite animal of chase. It is larger than the Fallow Deer, and is excessively abundant in some portions of this country; but so many of them are annually slaughtered that, before a hundred years are past, says Audubon, this animal will have become an extraordinary rarity. Their death is generally accomplished by the hunter stalking on them unawares, when they are shot; or driving them from cover when their favorite passes (which are easily distinguished by the experienced) are guarded by marksmen.

THE SAMBOO, AXIS AND PORCINE DEER.

The Indian continent and Malay Islands produce several very remarkable species of Stags. First let us mention the Samboo, or Aristotle Deer, so called because it was first described by that celebrated philosopher of antiquity; then the Axis, a very elegant animal with a fawn-colored coat speckled with white, and horns furnished with only two branches; and lastly, the Porcine Deer, which owes its name to its small size and massive shape. In Bengal, these two last named species are reared in a domesticated state, and fattened for the table.

THE FALLOW DEER.

The Fallow Deer holds a middle place in size between the Red Deer and the Roe. Its height, at the withers, is little more than ten hands. It may be easily recognized by its horns, which are round at the base, and palmated above. Its coat, like that of the Axis, is fawn-colored or brown, dotted over with white spots, which in summer are very distinctly marked, but are scarcely perceptible in winter. Its habits differ but slightly from those of the Red Deer.

The Fallow Deer is found over a large part of Europe, in the north of Africa and also in Asia Minor.

THE COMMON ROE.

The Roe Deer is one of the most elegant and graceful representatives of this group. It does not measure much more than a yard in length. Its horns are small, and very simple in their shape. They are composed of a deeply indented stem, which is straight for the greater part of its length, and furnished at the top with two branches, forming a fork at the extremity. Its coat is a uniform fawn-color, the shade of which varies with the season.

The Roes frequent young woods and thickets in the vicinity of cultivated ground, where they delight to crop the buds and shoots, thus doing considerable mischief in plantations. They are timid, intelligent and gentle; the least unaccustomed noise frightens them. Still, all their precautions are not sufficient to protect them against the multitude of huntsmen eager for their capture—an eagerness the more excusable as the Roe furnishes the finest venison.

CETACEA—THE WHALES.

THE Whale family, or the Cetacea, are really aquatic animals, although they resemble Fishes externally. Their whole structure—their lungs instead of gills for breathing, their heart, and their manner of feeding their young, all show that they belong to the Mammals. Only, instead of being organized for living on land, they are better suited for the water. Some of them reach an enormous size, and are the giants of the animal kingdom.

Their body, more or less spindle-shaped, is terminated in a tail which is very broad and forms a fin. This fin or tail is not vertical, as in Fishes, and it is the principal agent for moving these living masses.

On the back of most of the Cetacea there is another fin, which is merely a part of the skin. They have no hind fins, and their great front fins or arms are of little use for locomotion through the water, but serve to balance their movements.

The skin of the different members of the Whale family is generally quite hairless, which very rarely happens in the case of other Mammalia. The largest of other animals are small when compared with many of the Cetacea. These great creatures swim quite rapidly, however. Because of the air contained in their chest, and the great quantity of grease with which their tissues are charged, and the great strength of their tail in pushing them forward, they move easily through the waves, looking for the Fish, Molluscs and Crustacea, which they eat in enormous quantities.

The Whale family is first divided into two classes, the Blowing Cetacea, and the Herbiverous Cetacea. The Herbiverous class includes the Manatees and the Duyongs who live on the weedy, shallow shores around the islands and mouths of rivers, and feed on the sea-weed.

The class of Blowing Cetacea includes the Whale proper, the Rorquals and the great Cachalot or Sperm Whale, in which the head constitutes in itself one-third, or even one-half of the total length of the creature, the Whalebone Whale; and a second division containing the Dolphin, the Porpoise, Narwhal, etc., in which the head is in the usual proportion to the body.

THE WHALE, AND ITS ENEMIES.

We hear surprising stories of the Whales of past ages which measured from one or two hundred feet in length; and from the skeletons that have been discovered, it is found that even if they did not reach this great length, it is probably true, as Goldsmith claims, that they were very much larger in the past than now. It is the same as with the quadrupeds, the huge Mastodons, etc., from the skeletons that have been dug up from time to time it is evident that there must have been terrestrial animals twice as large as the Elephant, but these, being rivals with mankind for the large territory required for their existence, must have been destroyed in the contest. And in the sea, as well as upon land, Man has destroyed the larger tribes of animals.

The Whale is the largest animal of which we have any certain information; and the various purposes to which, when taken, its different parts are converted, have made us well acquainted with its history. Of the Whale proper, there are no less than seven different kinds; all distinguished from each other by their external figure or internal formation. They differ somewhat in their manner of living; the Fin-fish having a larger swallow than the rest, being more active, slender and fierce, and living chiefly upon Herrings. However, they are none of them very voracious; and, if compared to the Cachalot, that enormous tyrant of the deep, they appear harmless and gentle. The history of the rest, therefore, may be comprised under that of the Great Common Greenland Whale, with which we are best acquainted.

The Great Greenland Whale is a large, heavy animal, and the head alone makes a third of its bulk. It is usually found from sixty to seventy feet long. The fins on each side are from five to eight feet, composed of bones and muscles, and sufficiently strong to give the great mass of body which they move, speed and activity. The tail, which lies flat on the water, is about twenty-four feet broad, and, when the Whale lies on one side, its blow is tremendous. The skin is smooth and black, and in some places marbled with white and yellow; which, running over the surface, has a very beautiful effect.

The Whale makes use only of the tail to advance itself forward in the water. This serves as a great oar to push its mass along; and it is surprising to see with what force and celerity its enormous bulk cuts through the ocean. The fins are only made use of for turning in the water, and giving direction to its course. The Mother-whale also makes use of them, when pursued, to bear off her young, clapping them on her back, and supporting them, by the fins on each side, from falling.

The outward or scarf skin of the Whale is no thicker than parchment; but this removed, the real skin appears, of about an inch thick, and covering the fat or blubber that lies beneath; this is from eight to twelve inches in thickness; and is, when the Whale is in health, of a beautiful yellow. The muscles lie beneath; and these, like the flesh of quadrupeds, are very red and tough.

Nothing can exceed the tenderness of the mother for her young; she carries it with her wherever she goes, and, when hardest pursued, keeps it supported between her fins. Even when wounded, she still clasps her baby; and when she plunges to avoid danger, takes it to the bottom; but rises sooner than usual, to give it breath again.

It seems astonishing how a shoal of these enormous animals find subsistence together, when it would seem that the supplying even one with food would require greater plenty than the ocean could furnish. To increase our wonder, we not only see them herding together, but usually find them fatter than any other animals of land or sea. We likewise know that they cannot swallow large Fishes, as their throat is so narrow, that a Fish larger than a Herring could not enter. How then do they subsist and grow so fat? A small insect which is seen floating in those seas, and which Linnaeus terms the Medusa, is sufficient for this supply.

These insects are black, and of the size of a small bean, and are sometimes seen floating in clusters on the surface of the water. They are of a round form, like Snails in a box, but they have wings, which are so tender that it is scarcely possible to touch them without breaking. These serve rather for swimming than flying; and the little animal is called by the Icelanders, the Walfischoas, which signifies the Whale’s provender. They have the taste of raw muscles, and have the smell of burnt sugar. These are the food of the Whale, which it is seen to draw up in great numbers with its huge jaws, and to bruise between its barbs, which are always found with several of these sticking among them.

As the Whale is a meek animal, it is not to be wondered that it has many enemies, willing to take advantage of its disposition, and inaptitude for combat. There is a small animal, of the Shell-fish kind, called the Whale-louse, that sticks to its body, as we see shells sticking to the bottom of a ship. This hides itself chiefly under the fins; and whatever efforts the great animal makes, it still keeps its hold and lives upon the fat, which it is provided with instruments to reach.

The Sword-fish, however, is the Whale’s most terrible enemy. “At the sight of this little animal,” says Anderson, “the Whale seems agitated in an extraordinary manner; leaping from the water as if with affright. Wherever it appears, the Whale perceives it at a distance, and flies from it in the opposite direction. I have been myself,” he continues, “a spectator of their terrible encounter. The Whale has no instrument of defence except the tail; with that it endeavors to strike the enemy; and a single blow taking place, would effectually destroy its adversary; but the Sword-fish is as active as the other is strong, and easily avoids the stroke; then bounding into the air, it falls upon its great enemy, and endeavors, not to pierce with its pointed beak, but to cut with its toothed edges. The sea all about is soon dyed with blood, proceeding from the wounds of the Whale, while the enormous animal vainly endeavors to reach its invader, and strikes with its tail against the surface of the water, making a report at each blow louder than the noise of a cannon.”

The Whale has still another deadly enemy—the tribe of Bloodheads, known as the Wolves of the ocean. This is a species of Whale and, like the Whale, also belongs to Mammalian animals. Although the Bloodheads in relation to the enormous Whale may be termed small, they wage war in troups of five or ten, undaunted and impassionately attacking the huge monster who usually succumbs to the assault. They, therefore, deserve the name assigned them by Linneus, “Torment of the Whale.” They are even more blood-thirsty than the Shark in boldness, killing Seal and smaller Fish in masses.

The Whale when attacked by these Fish of Prey appears to become at first paralyzed with fear and hardly makes any effort to defend himself, although it would hardly benefit him to do so as the Bloodheads are the swiftest of the Whale family, swimming with extraordinary quickness and dexterity. The “Wolves of the Sea” encircle the gigantic, clumsy Whale like a pack of Hounds around a pursued and exhausted Deer. Some of them attack him at the head and forefins, others attack him from underneath, while others attack the lips, and when he opens his gigantic mouth, attempt to slash apart his tongue. Finally the giant becomes angered. He whips the water with his tail and his front fins with tremendous force, snorts powerful streams out of the nostrils of his colossal head; dives under and shoots up in an endeavor to shake off his enemies and to dispatch them with his fins. Often this terrific combat, as illustrated on page 88, lasts for a considerable length of time, ending mostly with the downfall and death of the Whale. The Bloodheads tear him apart in a horrible manner until death ensues, after which they feast for days with pleasure on the immense carcass, and then start in search of further prey.

THE CACHALOTS.

In these Cetaceans the head is of vast size and excessively vaulted, or arched, especially in front. The upper jaw has no whalebone nor teeth of any kind, excepting a few rudiments. The lower jaw, which is very narrow and much elongated, is armed on each side with a lengthy row of teeth of considerable size and conical shape, the points of which when the mouth is shut, are received into corresponding depressions in the upper jaw.

The upper region of their prodigious head is made up of vast caverns filled with an oily fluid, which on cooling becomes solid, constituting the valuable substance generally known by the name of “spermaceti.” It is not, however, in the vaults of the head only that this fat is found. It appears to be distributed through various excavations in the body, and to be diffused even among the dense mass of blubber which envelopes the exterior of the animal.

The peculiar odorous substance, so well known under the name of “ambergris,” is likewise obtained from the Cachalot.

How many species of these monstrous creatures exist in the ocean we cannot tell, seeing that the observations of the Whale-fishermen are generally by no means sufficiently precise for the purposes of Natural History. That which appears to be most frequently met with is the Great-headed Spermaceti Whale.

This giant of the deep has merely a callous hump upon its back, in place of a dorsal fin. On each side of its lower jaw are from twenty to twenty-three large conical teeth. The “blow hole” through which it respires is a single orifice, situated on the top of the head—not a double aperture as in most other Cetaceans. The species seems to be widely distributed, but its range is principally confined to the oceans south of the Equator.

THE WHALEBONE WHALES.

These Whales resemble the Cachalots, both in the vastness of their bulk, and in the disproportionate size of their head, when compared with their entire length. Their forehead, however, is considerably flatter than that of the Spermaceti Whales, and they have no true teeth. Instead of the usual implements of mastication, their upper jaw, which somewhat resembles a great boat turned keel upwards, or the roof of a house, has its under surface densely furnished with plates of a substance called “whalebone,” consisting of horny plates resembling the blades of scythes, placed transversely. These becoming thinner towards their edges, are fringed with a long hair-like border, so that the whole apparatus forms an immense sieve.

The Whalebone Whale—long considered as the largest animal at present in existence—according to the testimony of the Rev. Captain Scoresby, seems rarely, if ever, to exceed seventy feet in length; a size, which, although prodigious, is exceeded by some other Cetaceans. Its back is unprovided with a dorsal fin. The blubber, or elastic fat beneath its skin, which is sometimes several feet in thickness, furnishes immense quantities of oil, in search of which whole fleets were formerly fitted out, until the entire race of these Whales has become almost extinct. At a very recent period these leviathans of the ocean were not uncommonly met with on the British coast; but generally they have been compelled to retire for safety to the recesses of the ice-bound coasts of the north, and even there they are rarely to be encountered, their number appearing to constantly diminish.

In addition to the large supplies of oil fat, commerce was indebted to them for the whalebone, formerly so abundant, consisting of broad plates of that black, flexible, horny substance, sometimes measuring eight or ten feet in length; and of these a single individual has been known to furnish eight or nine hundred from each side of the roof of its mouth, as well as upwards of twenty tons of oil. Notwithstanding its colossal size, the Whalebone Whale is very harmless, living principally upon the small animals that crowd the seas to which it resorts, straining them from the surrounding water by means of its sieve-like mouth.

THE DOLPHINS.

These animals are easily distinguished from the others of the Whale family by their arched forehead, the beak-like jaws, and the beauty and elegance of their movements in the water. For many ages the Dolphin has been noted for its intelligence and docility, its affectionate disposition being quite as noticeable among the water animals, as that of the Dog or the Elephant among quadrupeds.

They usually swim in companies, leaping and tumbling over one another with amusing playfulness. They live principally upon Fishes, which, from the swiftness of their movements, they have no difficulty in catching.

People have always had a great idea of the strength of the Dolphin, and at one time it was said of those who attempted to perform impossibilities, that they “wanted to tie a Dolphin by the tail.” It is principally with the assistance of this powerful tail that the Dolphin swims with such rapidity, and that it has gained for itself the title of “Sea-arrow.”

When the Dolphins—which go in numerous troops and in certain order—meet a ship, they follow it, so as to catch the Fish which the refuse thrown from the ship attracts in quantities. At whatever speed the ship may be, either sailing or steaming, they keep up with it, and play about among the waves, bounding, turning over and over, and never tiring of frisking and tumbling, affording continual amusement to the crew.

Many authors have said that the Dolphin leaps high enough above the surface of the water to jump on board small vessels. They say that in this case the animal curves its body round with force, bends its tail like a bow, and then unbends it, in such a manner as to fly like the arrow from a bow.

When they saw these animals following their ships, the sailors imagined that they were accompanying them from an instinct of sociability. They have even gone so far as to say that these animals have a sort of affection for seamen, as well as for each other.

THE PORPOISES.

The Porpoises differ from the Dolphins in having their snout short and uniformly rounded, without a beak-like projection. Their teeth are compressed, sharp-edged, and rounded, their number from twenty-two to twenty-five in each jaw. Their skin is smooth and shining, black above and white below, and as they never attain a greater length than four or five feet from the tip of the muzzle to the extremity of their flat horizontal tail, they may be regarded as the smallest of the Cetacean Order. These animals abound in every sea, and many people have witnessed their unwieldy gambollings, the character of which is by no means badly expressed by their name (porc-poisson, hog-fishes). They have, in fact, somewhat the appearance of floating pigs, as they wallow in the trough of the sea and roll over each other amid the foaming waves.

Their food consists entirely of Fishes, of which they destroy great quantities. They follow the shoals of Herrings and of Mackerel, and when pursuing their prey, not unfrequently venture into the estuaries of rivers, and make excursions up the rivers themselves.

THE NARWHALS.

The Narwhals have no teeth, but are furnished with an enormous tusk, that projects from the upper jaw, and becomes a most formidable weapon.

The Narwhal is an inhabitant of the Arctic seas, where it sometimes attains a length of from twenty to twenty-five feet. Its skin is beautifully marbled with brown and white; its muzzle is round, and its mouth, unlike that of other Cetaceans, is disproportionately small. Its single tooth, or horn-like tusk, projects from the head in a line with the body, sometimes to the length of nine or ten feet. It is spirally twisted, tapering to a point, and as it is composed of the hardest ivory, is capable not only of transfixing the body of a Whale, but when impelled by such momentum as is derived from the speed of its ponderous owner, has been known to penetrate the oaken ribs of a British man-of-war to the depth of nearly a couple of feet, and probably has thus caused the loss of many ships incapable of resisting the shock.

HERBIVOROUS CETACEANS.

Until a very recent period the animals composing this family were quite unknown, or perhaps we ought rather to say they were just sufficiently known to make them the objects of superstition. Seeing that there is in their general appearance, somewhat of a resemblance to the human form, the casual glimpses obtained of them at once satisfied their first discoverers that they were Tritons and Sirens, such as they had read of in mythological writings, and the belief in the existence of Mermaids and Mermen was thus at once confirmed.

In the works of Gesner, Aldrovandus and Jonston, the earliest authors after the renaissance of Natural History in modern times, the figures of creatures having human bodies joined with the tails of Fishes are inserted with the utmost faith in their existence.

A more accurate acquaintance with these strange creatures has, however, revealed to later voyagers that they are merely a race of animals very closely allied in their organization to Whales, which in form they closely resemble, while their internal structure shows them to be still more nearly related to the gigantic Pachyderm Quadrupeds, such as the Hippopotamus and the Tapir.

The main feature which distinguishes the Herbivorous Cetaceans is their total want of hind limbs, a circumstance in which they resemble the true Whales and Dolphins; but in the structure of their nostrils they conform to the usual arrangement met with in four-footed Mammalia. Instead of whalebone or the sharp conical teeth of the Dolphins, they are furnished with broad, flat grinders, wherewith they chew their vegetable food, which consists principally of the sea-weeds, etc., abundant near the shores which they frequent. In short, as Buffon well expresses it, these creatures terminate the list of terrestrial quadrupeds and commence the history of the population of the sea, or, more correctly, form the connecting link between the Mammiferous inhabitants of the ocean and those of the river and the marsh.

This family comprises the Manatees and the Dugongs.

THE MANATEES.

These animals are distinguished by the arrangement of their teeth and by certain peculiarities in the structure of their head. The number of their teeth is considerable, their grinders have roots distinct from the crown of the tusk, which forms a grinding surface composed of transverse elevated ridges. The incisor teeth are quite rudimentary. Their only limbs somewhat resemble hands, and their fingers are provided with nails, while the fin at their tail is not forked, but single, and of an oval shape. These creatures seem to be intermediate in their structure between the Pachyderms and the Cetaceans, seeing that their grinding teeth very much resemble those of the Tapirs. Three species are known to Naturalists—one from South America, one from Senegal and one from Florida.

THE SOUTH AMERICAN MANATEE.

Although the western coasts of Africa were frequented by sailors in very ancient times, and known to Europeans long before the discovery of the American continent, the Manatee which is found upon the eastern shores of America was known to Naturalists before the African species. The interest aroused by the discovery of a new world attracted enlightened men, who flocked to its shore, and described its productions; while the African continent, never having received Europeans but as enemies, was in turn treated as an enemy’s country, and could only be visited at a considerable risk.

The name of Manatus is evidently derived from the Spanish word mano, a hand, or manato, furnished with hands, seeing that the creature seems to have no arms, little being seen externally but the fingers. Its length is from eighteen to twenty feet, and it is at least six feet across at the broadest part of its body, just behind the hands. Its general appearance is that of a Whale; it has no neck, nor any vestiges of hinder extremities, but it differs materially from the true Cetaceans in many points of its structure. Four of its fingers, for instance, are furnished with nails, and its tail is of an oval shape.

This animal appears to live entirely upon sea-weed, nothing but the remains of various kinds of fucus having been found in its stomach. The form of its teeth corresponds with the supposition that this is its only food, and seeing that it has no incisor teeth, it must necessarily browse this kind of grass by means of its fleshy lips, which are covered with stiff hairs. The habits of the Manatee are gentle; it is even stated to be capable of being to some extent tamed. It associates with its fellows in herds, which are more or less numerous. The mother exhibits the greatest affection for her young ones, which are one or two in number; she carries them in her hands while feeding them, and her milk is said to be as sweet and well-tasted as that of a cow. The Manatee frequents the estuaries of the rivers of South America, and even sometimes ventures to ascend their streams for a short distance. Its flesh and its fat are both considered delicacies. One is said to resemble veal, the other bacon, the latter having the additional recommendation of keeping good for a long period.

THE DUGONGS.

The Dugongs were for some time confounded with the Walruses and Manatees, under the generic name of Trichecus, until Lacepede, perceiving their distinctive characters, separated them as a distinct race, to which he applied the name Dugong, thus trying to Latinize their native appellation. Such Latin as that, however, could not be tolerated even by Zoologists, and hence Illiger conferred upon them the more euphonious name of Halicore (daughter of the sea). Although the organization of the Dugong in its general features resembles that of the Manatee, there are important differences whereby they are clearly distinguishable. The molar teeth of the Dugong have no roots, but present merely a flat surface bordered with enamel; moreover, they are fewer than in the Manatee, and the Dugong has rudimentary incisors. The structure of the hands is likewise modified. The fingers of the Dugong have no nails, and very much resemble the flippers of ordinary Cetaceans, while the nostrils, instead of opening at the end of the snout, are approximated to the top of the head, another circumstance by which the Dugongs seem to be intermediate between the herbivorous and carnivorous forms of Whale.

The only known species is the Halicore Dugong. These animals live in societies, in shallow bays near the mouths of rivers, and in narrow arms of the sea where the depth is only two or three fathoms. In such situations they find abundance of sea-weed, which seems to constitute their only nutriment, and which they tear from the rocks by means of their flexible but powerful and fleshy lips. In the Sunda Isles Dugongs were formerly numerous, but their flesh is esteemed a dainty, and the species is now becoming scarce.

The chase after them is carried on during very calm weather, and generally by night. Their vicinity is detected by the noise they make in breathing as they lie at the top of the water, when by approaching them cautiously in a boat, they are easily harpooned. When once the weapon is fixed, all the efforts of the assailants are directed to getting a rope round the tail of their victim, and this being accomplished it is quite helpless.

The mother and her young, and also the male and his mate, show great attachment for each other; if one is caught, the capture of the other is a certainty, as the survivor, totally regardless of danger, gives itself up to its enemies.

Birds.

IN the study of our beautiful and interesting friends, the Birds, it is useless to enter into any prolonged discussion concerning their structure and their habits in this limited space; we are too eager to arrange them in their proper families, and learn of the interesting traits of individuals.

There is one thing worthy of consideration, however, in studying the Birds as a whole, before taking up individuals; and that is their wonderful intelligence in the building of their nests and the care of their young. It is difficult to understand this intelligence as exhibited in Birds. In the Mammals, whose organization approaches nearer to our own, we are enabled partly to comprehend their joys and griefs, but in the case of Birds it is difficult to understand their sensations.

To explain this mystery a word has been invented which proves generally satisfactory. Thus we call the sentiment which leads the Birds to perform so many admirable actions, instinct. The tenderness of the mother for her young for instance—a tenderness so full of delicacy and foresight, is, we say, only the result of instinct. It is agreed, however, that this instinct singularly resembles the intelligence called reason.

Take the intelligence that is shown in the majority of Birds in the nest building. The Tailor bird—an East Indian Bird related to the Warblers—shows rare intelligence in constructing its nest by stitching together the leaves of plants; and as we study the individuals of the different families of Birds we will find numerous instances of this marvellous quality commonly known as instinct.

Birds have been arranged in groups and families in various ways by different Naturalists, but the most satisfactory classification is the division into six great families. First, the Raptores, or Birds of Prey; second, the Natatores, or Swimming Birds; third, the Grallatores, or Wading Birds; fourth, the Scransores, or Climbing Birds; fifth, the Gallinaceae, or Domestic Birds; sixth, the Passerines, or the Sparrow Family.

BIRDS OF PREY.