ANIMAL LIFE
IN
FIELD AND GARDEN
BY
JEAN-HENRI FABRE
Author of “The Story-Book of Science,” “Our
Humble Helpers,” “Field, Forest and
Farm,” “The Secret of Everyday
Things,” etc.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY
FLORENCE CONSTABLE BICKNELL
NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I What Uncle Paul Proposes to Talk About 3
II Teeth 6
III The Different Shapes of Teeth 13
IV Bats 24
V The Bat’s Wings 36
VI The Bat’s Senses of Smell and Hearing 43
VII The Hedgehog 49
VIII Hibernation 58
IX The Mole 67
X The Mole’s Nest—The Shrew-Mouse 77
XI The Exploit of One-Eyed John 84
XII Nocturnal Birds of Prey 90
XIII Rats 93
XIV Meadow-Mice—Hamsters—Dormice 106
XV Horned Owls 114
XVI Other Owls 122
XVII The Eagle 129
XVIII Hawks and Falcons 137
XIX Kestrels, Kites, and Buzzards 144
XX The Raven 154
XXI The Crow 160
XXII Woodpeckers 168
XXIII More about Woodpeckers 177
XXIV Climbers—The Hoopoe 184
XXV The Cuckoo 188
XXVI Shrikes 197
XXVII The Titmouse 204
XXVIII The Wren and the Kinglet 214
XXIX Swallows 220
XXX Swifts and Night-Jars 231
XXXI The Bird’s Beak 240
XXXII Insectivorous Birds 245
XXXIII Granivorous Birds 253
XXXIV Snakes and Lizards 260
XXXV The Batrachians 273
XXXVI The Toad 280
XXXVII Instinct 290
XXXVIII The Grain-Weevil 295
XXXIX The Common Caterpillar 300
XL Caterpillars at Table 304
XLI Enemies of the Grapevine 310
XLII Clever Mischief-Makers 315
XLIII Nut-Weevils and Flower-Weevils 321
XLIV Enemies of Clover 328
XLV Cabbage-Eaters 333
XLVI A Destructive Family 338
XLVII Fliers with Wings of Gauze 343
XLVIII Beneficent Parasites 349
XLIX Apple-Eaters 358
L Leaf-Rollers 363
LI The Hop-Moth 368
LII The Inchworm 374
LIII Sap-Suckers 381
LIV Queer Musical Instruments 385
ANIMAL LIFE IN FIELD AND GARDEN
CHAPTER I
WHAT UNCLE PAUL PROPOSES TO TALK ABOUT
“In these talks that we shall have together,” said Uncle Paul, as he
sat with his nephews one evening in May under the big elder tree in the
garden, “I propose to designate as ‘friends’ those forms of animal life
that, though not domesticated or cared for by us, nevertheless come to
our aid by waging war on insects and various other devouring creatures
which would in the end, unless their excessive multiplication were kept
in restraint by others besides ourselves, eat up all our crops and lay
waste our fields; and it is these ravagers of the farmer’s carefully
tilled acres that I shall speak of as ‘foes.’
“What can man’s efforts avail against those voracious hordes,
multiplying as they do every year to an extent beyond calculation? Will
he have the patience, the skill, the keenness of vision necessary for
waging successful warfare on the tiniest species, often the most
formidable, when the June-bug, despite its far greater size, baffles
all his endeavors? Will he undertake to examine his fields and inspect
every lump of soil, every spear of wheat, every separate leaf on his
fruit-trees? For so prodigious a task the whole human race would be
inadequate, even if it united all its efforts to this one end. The
devouring hordes would reduce us to starvation, my children, had we not
able helpers to work for us, helpers endowed with a patience that
nothing can tire, a skill that foils all ruses, a vigilance that
nothing escapes. To lie in ambush for the enemy, to track it to its
remotest retreats, to hunt it unceasingly, and finally to exterminate
it—that is their sole care, their never-ending occupation. Urged on by
the pangs of hunger, they are relentless in their pursuit, both for
their own sake and on behalf of their progeny. They live on those that
live on us; they are the enemies of our enemies.
“Engaged in this work are the martins that just at present are circling
over our heads, the bats that fly around our house, the owls that call
to one another from the hollow willow trunks in the meadow, the
warblers that sing in the grove, the frogs that croak in the ditches,
and many more besides, including the toad, which is an object of
loathing to most people. Thanks be to God who has given us, to serve as
guardians of our daily bread, the owl and the toad, the bat and the
viper, the frog and the lizard! All these creatures, wrongfully cursed
and shamefully abused by us, and foolishly looked upon with repugnance
and hatred, in reality lend us valiant assistance and should take a
high place in our esteem. To repair the injustice they have suffered
shall be my first duty as we come to each of them in turn. Thanks be to
God who, to protect us from that great eater the insect, has given us
the swallow and the warbler, the robin redbreast and the nightingale!
These, the delight of our eye and ear, creatures of infinite grace—must
I again raise my voice in their defense? Alas, yes, for their homes are
ravaged by the barbarous nest-hunter.
“It is my purpose now to acquaint you, my children, with these various
helpers of man in his labors as tiller of the soil. I will tell you
about their ways of living, their habits and their aptitudes, and the
services they render us. My object will be attained if I succeed in
imparting to you a little of the interest they deserve. I will begin
with those that have teeth. But first let us take a glance at the shape
and structure of teeth in general; for it is this that determines the
kind of food required by the animal.”