Chapter II: Part 2

Has any one ever told you that they were "happy as a lark," and have you stopped to think how happy a lark is?--its joyous flight up into the sky, as high or higher than the sight of man can reach, singing louder and louder, and more and more gayly the higher it ascends? When the sweet hay-time comes on, and mowers are busy in the fields with their great scythes, it is sometimes a dangerous season for larks, who make their nests on the ground. Often the poor little nests must suffer; but only think how ingenious their owners are if they do. A mower once cut off the upper part of a lark's nest. The lark sitting in it was uninjured. The man was very sorry for what he had done; but there was no help for it--at least so he thought. The lark knew better, and soon afterward a beautiful dome was found made of grass over the nest by the patient, brave bird.

THE BAT.

CARRION BEETLES.

THE SPIDER.]

THE HORSE.

THE MULE.

THE ARABIAN HORSE.]

THE STORY OF A SEAL.

Some years ago a German Artist was travelling in Norway, on foot, with his knapsack on his back and his stick in his hand. He lodged most of time in the cottages that he fell in with on his road. In one of them there was a seal, which the fisherman had found on the sand, after harpooning the mother of the poor animal. No sooner was it admitted into the cottage than the seal became the friend of the family and the playmate of the children. It played from morning till night with them, would lick their hands, and call them with a gentle little cry, which is not unlike the human voice, and it would look at them tenderly with its large blue eyes, shaded by long black lashes. It almost always followed its master to fish, swimming around the boat and taking a great many fish, which it delivered to the fisherman without even giving them a bite. A dog could not have been more devoted, faithful, teachable, or even more intelligent.

THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS.

"What is that, mother?" "The eagle, boy, Proudly careering his course with joy, Firm on his own mountain vigor relying, Breasting the dark storm, the red bolt defying; His wing on the wind, and his eye on the sun, He swerves not a hair, but bears onward, right on. Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ringed with the azure world he stands; The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls, He watches from his mountain walls. Boy, may the eagle's flight ever be thine, Onward and upward, and true to the line."

THE BEE.

Oh! busy bee, On wing so free, Yet all in order true; Each seems to know, Both where to go, And what it has to do.

'Mid summer heat, The honey sweet, It gathers while it may; In tiny drops, And never stops To waste its time in play.

I hear it come, I know its hum; It flies from flower to flower; And to its store, A little more It adds, each day and hour.

V--THE VULTURE.

_On rugged rods the Vulture waits
To scent its carrion prey,
When down, into the plains below
It takes its rapid way._

W--THE WOLF.

_Fierce is the wolf, and crafty too,
And swift of foot is he;
In forest depths and mountain glens
He loves to wander free._

X--THE XEMA.

_In far-off lands, 'neath northern skies,
And on the surfy shore,
Lives the lone Xema, and delights
In ocean's thunder roar._

MOTHER AND PUPS.

The dog that you see here looking quite maternal with her family around her, is the sheep dog, the shepherd's faithful and invaluable friend. It is the most sagacious and intelligent of all dogs, and volumes of anecdotes might be written of its intelligence and affection.

Mr. St. John, in his "Highland Sports," tells the following: "A shepherd once, to prove the quickness of his dog, who was lying before the fire where we were talking, said to me in the middle of a sentence concerning something else, 'I'm thinking, sir, the cow is in the potatoes;' when the dog, who appeared to be asleep, immediately jumped up, and leaping through the open window and on to the roof of the house, where he could get a view of the potato field, and not seeing the cow there, he looked into the farm-yard, where she was, and finding that all was right, returned to his old position before the fire."

THE FRIENDLY TERNS.

One day Mr. Edward, the Scotch naturalist shot at a Tern, hoping to secure the beautiful creature as a specimen. The ball broke the bird's wing, and he fell screaming down to the water. His cries brought other terns to the rescue, and with pitiful screams they flew to the spot where the naturalist stood, while the tide drifted their wounded brother toward the shore. But before Mr. Edward could secure his prize, he observed, to his astonishment, that two of the terns had flown down to the water, and were gently lifting up their suffering companion, one taking hold of either wing. But their burden was rather heavy; so, after carrying it seaward about six or seven yards, they let it down, and two more came, picked it up, and carried it a little farther. By means of thus relieving each other they managed to reach a rock where they concluded they would be safe.

Y--THE YAK.

_In Central Asia, far away,
'Mid Thibet's pastures green,
With shaggy hide and bushy tail,
The valued Yak is seen._

Z--THE ZEBRA.

_As strong and swift as any horse,
The Zebra skims the plain;
With glossy bands of deepest black,
Long ears, and upright mane._

SHEEP AND LAMBS.

_The sheep were in the fold at night;
And now a new-born lamb
Totters and trembles in the light,
Or bleats beside its dam.

How anxiously the mother tries,
With every tender care,
To screen it from inclement skies,
And the cold morning air!

The hail-storm of the east is fled,
She seems with joy to swell;
While ever, as she bends her head,
I hear the tinkling bell.

So while for me a mother's prayer
Ascends to Heaven above,
May I repay her tender care
With gratitude and love._

THE WILD CAT.

THE WEASEL.

THE SYRIAN DOG.]

THE LOCUST.

THE HERCULES BEETLE.

THE CHAMELEON.]

THE CAPTIVE SQUIRREL

"Squirrel--squirrel lithe and wee! Thy fur's as soft as down can be, Thy teeth as ivory are white, Yet hard enough through nuts to bite.

"Squirrel--squirrel lithe and wee! How gladly would I purchase thee-- But mother says: 'Twill never do, Thou nibblest table, book and shoe.'"

Squirrel--squirrel hung his head; "Oh! speak not thus," he sadly said, "Heav'n gave me once a woodland home Where I the livelong day might roam, And gaily leap from branch to twig As blithe and merry as a grig; Then came a wicked man who laid The snare by which I'm captive made, And now 'twill be my mournful doom Instead of in the forest free, To live pent in a narrow room By way of bush or stately tree! What wonder if, thus sad and lorn, From all my dearest habits torn, A-foraging I sometimes go And get a snubbing or a blow? Child, should you on some summer's day, Within the greenwood chance to stray, I pray you that from me you greet The happy creatures that you meet, The fawns, ants, sparrows and the hares And tell them how with me it fares, That while they leap, creep, sing and fly. In chains and prison I must lie."

A STROLL IN THE COUNTRY

Put on your hat and let us take A stroll amidst the rural scene-- The boat is gliding o'er the lake,

The cows are browsing pastures green, The herdsman's horns the echoes wake, And holiday like Nature's self we'll make!

Into the garden next let's come To pluck a pear or downy plum, And hear the bird's sweet trilling--

While all around, on fragrant beds, The flowerets lift their little heads, The air with perfume filling.

The merry kid is leaping gaily, And soberer Nanny gives us daily Sweet milk to make us cheese;

While all our tastes to please, His nets the busy fisher flings, And eels and carp for dinner brings.

THE OTTER.

The Otter belongs to a class of animals which we may call the Weasel tribe. Their bodies are long and lithe, and their legs short. This family includes the weasel (its smallest member), the stoat, the ferret, the pole-cat, the marten, and the otter (its largest member). You may then think of the Otter as a water-ferret, or water-weasel. He can swim most elegantly, and he is a beautiful diver. Let a fish glide underneath him, and he is after it in a moment; and as the fish darts here and there to escape, the Otter follows each rapid movement with unerring precision. When the fish is caught, the Otter carries it to the bank and makes a meal. But the Otter is like naughty Jack who leaves a saucy plate--he spoils much more fish than he eats. The trout and other fish are so much alarmed at the appearance of an Otter, that they will sometimes fling themselves on the bank to get out of his way.

THE MASTIFF.

The mastiff is a large, grave, sullen-looking dog, with a wide chest, noble head, long switch tail, bright eyes, and a loud, deep voice. Of all dogs this is the most vigilant watcher over the property of his master, and nothing can tempt him to betray the confidence reposed in him. Notwithstanding his commanding appearance, and the strictness with which he guards the property of his master, the mastiff is possessed of great mildness of character, and is very grateful for any favors bestowed upon him. I once went into the barn of a friend where there was a mastiff chained; I went up to the dog and patted him on the head, when out rushed the groom from the stable exclaiming, "Come away, sir! He's dangerous with strangers." But I did not remove my hand nor show any fear. The consequence was, that the dog and I were the best of friends; but had I shown any fear, and hastily removed my hand, I might have fared rather badly, for this dog always couples fear with guilt.

THE CUNNING WOOD-PIGEONS.

One who loves our feathered friends has described a curious instance of their instinct. On the back lawn at a gentleman's house, they have a feeding-box for the pheasants, which opens on their perching upon it, but remains shut if any lesser bird than a hen pheasant perches there, which saves the contents from the thefts of these, and of rats, mice, and other vermin. But the gentleman discovered that the contents of the box was being more rapidly emptied than the wants of the pheasants warranted. So he kept a watch on the box, and soon discovered a wood-pigeon perch on the box, but his weight not being sufficient to open the lid, he beckoned to another pigeon, and their combined weight made the lid fly open, and after each had taken what they required, they flew away, and the box closed with a "click."

SEA REPTILES.

There were in the sea in very ancient times--long before the flood--two very large and wonderful reptiles. Of them we present striking illustrations. One of them has been named the Ichthyosaurus, which means Fish Reptile. Its head somewhat resembled that of the crocodile, except that the orbit was much larger, and had the nostril placed close to it, as in the whale, and not near the end of the snout. It had four paddles and a powerful tail, and was very active in its movements and a rapid swimmer.

The other huge reptile was the Plesiosaurus, the meaning of which is "Near to a Reptile." Its structure was very singular and its character very strange. In the words of Buckland: "To the head of a lizard, it united the teeth of the crocodile, a neck of enormous length, resembling the body of a serpent, a trunk and a tail of the size of an ordinary quadruped, the ribs of a chameleon, and the paddles of a whale."

SWISS MOUNTAIN SCENERY.

In Switzerland, one of the chief employments of the people is that of herdsmen and shepherds, and nearly the half of the surface of the country is occupied as mountain pastures and meadows. Here you see the woman tending the sheep and goats, and spinning industriously, while her husband is busy with some other part of the duties of tending the sheep. It is often painful to see how much the poor sheep and oxen suffer while being driven through the streets. It is pitiful to see them looking in vain for some place of rest and shelter. Little boys in towns sometimes like to HELP--as they call it--to drive cattle, but they generally increase the terror and confusion of the poor beasts, and little think of the pain they are causing. Sheep and goats are very useful to us; besides serving us for food, they supply our cloth and flannel clothes, blankets, and other warm coverings.

PARTRIDGE AND YOUNG.

One afternoon, while walking across a meadow, near a village, I saw a dog of the terrier breed pursuing a partridge, which every now and then turned and made at it with its wings down, then rolled over, then ran, and again rushed at the dog. I drove the dog away, when I was surprised to see a number of young partridges running from behind the old bird who had been trying to protect them from the dog, and guarding their retreat. So you see how brave the most timid creatures become when in danger, and when their young are near. Instinct tells them that they have to protect their little ones, and risk everything, even their own lives, for their safety. We can get beautiful lessons every day from the birds and poor dumb animals, if we only study them as we ought.

THE KINGFISHERS' HOME.

Very pretty birds were Mr. and Mrs. Kingfisher, with dark, glossy, green wings, spotted with light blue. Their tails were also light blue, and there was a patch of yellow near their heads. The little Kingfishers were quite as pretty as their parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Kingfisher were exceedingly proud of them.

"Only they eat a great deal," said Mr. Kingfisher; "I am getting very tired."

For Mr. Kingfisher had been flying backward and forward all day, and it was surprising to see the quantity of fish he caught for his family.

When he built his nest he took care that it should be near a stream, and he found one close by a high cliff that Mrs. Kingfisher said would be just the place; so they scooped out a deep hole, and there the eggs were laid, and in due time six little Kingfishers burst out of the shells.

RATS CARRYING EGGS UP STAIRS.

Rats are very ingenious little creatures; they have actually been known to convey eggs up a staircase, from the pantry to their nest! Here is a beautiful picture, by Mr. Harrison Weir, from the "Children's Friend," showing how they did it.

The rat bears little resemblance to the rats with which we are chiefly acquainted, namely, the black rat, the albino or white rat, and the brown rat. The other day, as I was walking by the river-side, I saw a beautiful little creature sitting on a stone in the stream, with a piece of succulent root between its forepaws, and nibbling its repast in perfect peace with every living thing. It was timid and innocent in the expression of its countenance. Its color was of a reddish brown. It was about as large as the common rat of the sewers, but its tail was much shorter, and covered with hair.

A HERON ATTACKED BY A HAWK.

The Heron when attacked by an eagle or falcon endeavors to escape by rising in the air and getting above its foe. The wings of the heron strike the air with an equal and regular motion which raises its body to such an elevation that at a distance nothing is seen except the wings, which are at last lost sight of in the region of the clouds.

If its enemy gets above it, and upon or near its body, it defends itself vigorously with its long and powerful beak, and often comes off victorious.

The heron frequents the neighborhood of rivers and lakes. Almost always solitary, it remains for hours motionless on the same spot. When seeking the fish or frogs on which it chiefly feeds, the heron wades into the water, folds its long neck partially over its back and forward again, and with watchful eye waits till a fish comes within reach of its beak, when it darts its head into the water and secures its slimy, slippery prey.

A HORSE GUARDIAN.

On one occasion a gentleman was returning home from a fatiguing journey, and became very drowsy. He fell asleep, and, strange to say, he also fell from his saddle, but in so easy a manner that the tumble did not rouse him, and lay sleeping on where he alighted. His faithful steed, on being eased of his burden, instead of scampering home as one might have expected, stood by his prostrate master, and kept a strict watch over him. Some laborers at sunrise found him very contentedly snoozing on a heap of stones. They wished to approach the gentleman, that they might awaken him, but every attempt on their part was resolutely opposed by the grinning teeth and ready heels of his determined and faithful guardian. They called out loudly, and the gentleman awoke and was very much surprised at his position, while his faithful horse showed his pleasure by neighing and scraping his feet on the ground. The gentleman then mounted, and they galloped away at great speed, both glad to be able to make up for lost time.

BATTLE BETWEEN A FOX AND A SWAN.

A fierce battle between a fox and a swan took place at Sherborne Park. Master Reynard seems to have caught the old swan napping, and to have seized him by the throat. The bird defended himself with his wings so powerfully that its assailant was done to death in no time, and a workman going past the lake above the bridge next morning found both fox and swan lying dead together. The bird had received a fatal bite in the throat; the fox had one leg broken and the side of its head completely broken in. The swan was the oldest bird on the lake.

THE CROCODILE.

THE VIPER.

THE ASP.]

THE BADGER.

THE FERRET.

THE LYNX.]

TOUSY.

We have a beautiful long-haired little dog called Tousy, which lately had a pup. This queer little bantling was jumping and tumbling about the green one day, when a lady entered followed by a dog. Tousy made a ferocious assault on the four-footed stranger, by way of defending her young, and our magnificent white cat, which was sitting on the doorstep, seeing or supposing that his friend Tousy was in danger, made two immense bounds, and alighted on the back of the intruder, whose eyes would have been scratched out but for prompt rescue. The mutual affection of these two animals is unbounded, and yet we hear human disagreements compared to cat-and-dog life! These animals, and many others, are capable of the most devoted affection to their young, and to their mates, and frequently teach us lessons of kindness to one another.

End of Project Gutenberg's Chatterbox Stories of Natural History, by Anonymous