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The
COMICAL CREATURES
from
WURTEMBERG.
_From the EXAMINER, August 2d._
"The title-page of this agreeable little volume sufficiently commends
its pleasant contents. To whom, old or young, will it not be welcome?
Who has not, young or old, seen, laughed at, revisited, and brought
away, pleasant recollections of the Stuffed Animals from the Zollverein?
"It was a good notion, that of perpetuating these clever productions by
means of daguerreotype and wood-engraving. They are very nicely executed
in this volume, and wonderfully like. It is needless to particularise
where all is so graphic and faithful; but let the studious little rabbit
over his arithmetic lesson at p. 32, with that demure conscience-striken
pair behind him wincing at the flogging of their idle brother, be
especially admired.
"We must add that the letterpress is not unworthy of the humour and
fidelity of the illustrations. The various Weasels, Rabbits, and Foxes,
are brought into one little tale; the Wonderful Hare-Hunt into another;
the Tea-Party of Kittens, and the Marten and Tabby, into a third; the
Duel of the Dormice, and the Frogs, form two separate and ingenious
anecdotes; and the story of Reynard the Fox is quaintly related in prose
so far as was necessary to explain the six comical groups of Ploucquet.
"We predict a great run at Christmas for the _Comical Creatures from
Wurtemberg_."
_From the MORNING CHRONICLE, August 12th._
"The book is a clever and a pleasant memento of the Great Exhibition.
The drawings are careful and clever, and convey a very correct
representation of the original creatures, with all, or nearly all, their
subtlety of expression and aspect. The capital fatuity of the Rabbits
and Hares, the delightful scoundrelism of the Fox, the cunning
shrewdness of the Marten and Weasels, the hoyden visages of the Kittens,
and the cool, slippery demeanour of the Frogs, are all capitally given.
The book may lie on the drawing-room table, or be thumbed in the
nursery; and in the latter case we have little doubt that many an urchin
still in petticoats will in future years associate his most vivid
recollection of the Great Exhibition of 1851 with Mr. Bogue's
perpetuation of the _Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg_."
[Illustration: THE WONDERFUL HARE-HUNT.]
The
COMICAL CREATURES
from
WURTEMBERG,
_Including the Story of Reynard the Fox._
With Twenty Illustrations,
Drawn from the Stuffed Animals contributed by
Herrmann Ploucquet of Stuttgart
to the Great Exhibition.
_Second Edition._
London:
DAVID BOGUE, FLEET STREET.
1851.
PREFACE.
To HERRMANN PLOUCQUET, Preserver of Objects of Natural History
at the Royal Museum of Stuttgart,--the capital of the kingdom of
Wurtemberg,--we are indebted for one of the cleverest and most popular
displays in the GREAT EXHIBITION. Every one, from her Majesty the Queen
down to the least of the charity-boys, hastens to see the Stuffed
Animals from the Zollverein; every one lingers over them and laughs at
them as long as the crowd will allow; and every one talks of them
afterwards with a smile and a pleasing recollection.
That these clever productions of Ploucquet's talent may be long
perpetuated, we have had daguerreotypes of them taken by Mr. Claudet,
and engravings made from them on wood as faithfully like as possible.
We must beg our readers to remember that, excepting "Reynard the Fox,"
our sketches have been written to illustrate the drawings, for on this
plea we claim some indulgence; but as we know full well that the
pictures will be the main attraction of the volume, we are not
apprehensive of much criticism.
The story of "Reynard the Fox" is told briefly in the words of an old
version of this wonderful tale published in England many years ago. In
Germany _Reinecke Fuchs_ is as popular as our "Jack the Giant-Killer."
Carlyle says, "Among the people it was long a house-book and universal
best companion; it has been lectured on in Universities, quoted in
imperial Council-halls; it lay on the toilets of princes, and was
thumbed to pieces on the bench of the artisan: we hear of grave men
ranking it next to their Bible."
Goethe took the story of "Reynard" for the subject of a great poem; and
the famous painter Kaulbach has recently illustrated Goethe's version
with perhaps the finest series of pictures with which a book was ever
adorned.
Herrmann Ploucquet has had the good taste to select six of these designs
as models for his works. He has admirably preserved the expression which
the painter gave to the Fox and his dupes, and every one recognises them
with pleasure.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Weasels of Holm-Wood 15
The Wonderful Hare-Hunt 40
The Duel of the Dormice 45
The Six Kittens 49
The Frogs who would a-wooing go 59
The Story of Reynard the Fox 63
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
The Wonderful Hare-Hunt (Double Plate) _Frontispiece._
Dame Weasel and her Family 14
The Attentive Physician 17
The _very_ attentive Physician 21
Old Marten and Sharp Weasel, Esq. 25
Mr. Bantam's Interview with Old Marten 29
Longtail teaching the young Rabbits Arithmetic 33
Jack Hare and Grace Marten leading off the Ball 37
The Duel of the Dormice 44
The Kittens at Tea--Miss Paulina singing 48
Ensign Squeaker and Miss Rose 51
Young Marten bidding farewell to Miss Paulina 55
The Frogs who would a-wooing go 58
Reynard at Home at Malepardus 62
Reynard in the likeness of a Hermit 65
Sir Tibert delivering the King's Message 71
Reynard brings forward the Hare as his Witness 81
Reynard on his Pilgrimage to Rome 85
Reynard attacketh Laprell the Rabbit 91
[Illustration: DAME WEASEL AND HER CHILDREN.]
THE
WEASELS OF HOLM-WOOD.
CHAPTER I.
In a pleasant country where green meadows lay stretched by
the side of a broad river whose banks were lined with the
pollard-willow and tall poplar, there once dwelt a family of
Weasels, known, from their place of residence, as the
Weasels of Holm-wood.
Holm-wood was a little island covered with underwood,
rushes, and wild flowers. A few aged trees stood by its
edge, bathing their long arms in the stream, and in the
hollow trunk of one of these the Weasels lived.
Any fine morning you might have seen the mother of this
family carrying her infant in her arms, and followed by her
other children, a girl and two boys, who would amuse
themselves by dragging little wooden horses, playing at
soldiers with mock muskets, running against the wind with
little whirligig mills, or frolicking about with a thousand
of the antics of children. Their father, known every where
as Old Weasel, was of a most resolute and unbending
disposition; he made many enemies, and was ever at war
with one or other of his neighbours. The Partridges of
Clover-field asserted that he sucked their eggs and stole
their young ones; the Rabbits of the Warren held Old Weasel
and all his family in the deepest abhorrence, and accused
them of the greatest cruelties; but no one complained of
them more bitterly than Dame Partlett of the Farm, who
accused the whole tribe of being born enemies of her race,
and said, that were it not that Old Weasel himself was
dreadfully afraid of her neighbour and friend, young Mastiff
of Kennel-wood, she verily believed that she should never
know any peace on earth.
[Illustration: THE ATTENTIVE PHYSICIAN.]
All the world will understand how, with such a character,
the Weasels had but few friends, and that when Miss Weasel
grew to be of age, she should have but few admirers;
nevertheless two or three families who were related to them
by blood kept up an occasional acquaintance, and among them
the Ferrets of Hollow-oak were the most intimate. Now it so
happened that one evening, when out for a ramble in the
woods, a branch of a tree on which Miss Weasel had mounted
in order to get nearer to young Linnet, with whom she wished
to be on intimate terms, broke suddenly off, and the poor
young lady was precipitated to the ground and sadly hurt.
Her cries brought to her assistance her younger brother Tom,
who, as soon as he had helped her home, ran for young
Ferret, who had lately begun practice as a physician. When
the good young doctor came, he found Miss Weasel lying on
the sofa, looking very pale and very interesting. He felt
her pulse, looked at her tongue, and soon discovered that
the lady was more frightened than hurt. However, as he had
not many patients, he did not choose to tell all the truth,
but prescribing a simple remedy, he ordered her to keep very
quiet, and promised to call again on the next day. Whether
it was that Miss Weasel had been hurt more than her
physician had thought, or whether there were any other
inducements, we cannot say; but young Ferret thought it his
duty to call at Holm-wood every morning, and sometimes twice
a day, for at least a month: and if any one could have seen
how frequently he felt Miss Weasel's pulse, and how
anxiously he studied every expression of her face, he would
have set down Dr. Ferret as a very attentive at least, if
not excellent physician.
When Miss Weasel became somewhat stronger, this good young
man would lend his arm for her support during an evening
walk, would bring her birds' eggs and other delicacies, and
in many ways endeavour to contribute to her restoration to
health.
This went on for some time, till the gossips of the
neighbouring village would smile whenever they saw the
doctor wending his way towards Holm-wood; and Miss Weasel's
two brothers would immediately leave their lessons, which
their sister used to teach them, as soon as ever the
physician appeared in sight.
[Illustration: THE _VERY_ ATTENTIVE PHYSICIAN.]