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NATURAL HISTORY
IN
ANECDOTE
_ILLUSTRATING THE NATURE,
HABITS, MANNERS AND CUSTOMS,
OF ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISHES,
REPTILES, ETC., ETC., ETC._
ARRANGED AND EDITED BY
ALFRED H. MILES
EDITOR OF
"_1001 Anecdotes_", "_The New Standard Elocutionist_", "_The Poets
and the Poetry of the Century_", "_The A1 Reciters_",
"_The Aldine Reciters_", _etc., etc._
London
HUTCHINSON & CO.
34 PATERNOSTER ROW
A. C. FOWLER,
PRINTER,
MOORFIELDS, LONDON.
[Illustration: Tiger Hunting]
PREFACE.
Illustrations are like windows to the house of knowledge. They let light
in upon the understanding, and they facilitate the outlook upon truth
and beauty. To illustrate is to help one sense by the use of another, to
reason by analogy, and to teach the unknown by the known. When
definition fails, illustration often carries conviction, and the most
successful teachers are those who make the best use of sound and telling
illustrations. How many lessons would have been wholly forgotten by us,
but for the illustrations which made their meanings clear, and left
their truths for ever in our minds?
The book of nature is full of illustrations which help the understanding
of the book of life, and no illustrations are more valuable and
fascinating, whether as revelations of the order and habits of Nature
herself, or as parallels and parables, full of suggestive application to
the social and moral life of humanity, than those afforded by the study
of Natural History.
To gather into a convenient volume Illustrative Anecdotes of Natural
History, which shall throw light upon the study of Animal Life, for
those pursuing it for its own sake, and help to the understanding of
Nature herself is the primary object of this work, while it is hoped
that it may serve a secondary purpose of no small utility, in
suggesting social and moral parallels.
With a view to its first purpose the illustrations are classified in
order as those of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Fishes, etc., etc., and as
much knowledge of Natural History as can be conveyed in anecdote form
has been attempted. The book will thus, it is hoped, be a valuable aid
to the teacher of Natural History, as a manual of illustrations for his
lessons, as well as full of interest to the general reader, who may not
wish to devote the time necessary to more exhaustive scientific study.
A. H. M.
CONTENTS
=INTRODUCTION=
Science, 1
The Kingdoms of Nature, 1
Zoology, 2
Classification, 2
=THE ANIMAL KINGDOM=
=Sub-Kingdom Vertebrata=
=Class I.--Mammalia=
ORDER I
PRIMATES
SUB-ORDER I.--MAN-SHAPED ANIMALS
The Ape Family, 3
The Gorilla, 4
The Ancestors of the Gorilla, 4
A Gorilla Hunt, 5
Du Chaillu's First Gorilla, 7
A Young Gorilla, 9
Gorilla Superstitions, 10
The Chimpanzee, 11
The Docility of the Chimpanzee, 11
The Orang-Utan, 12
The Habits of the Orang-Utan, 12
The Walk of the Orang-Utan, 13
The Strength of the Orang-Utan, 14
The Docility of the Orang-Utan, 14
The Orang-Utan's Intelligence, 15
The Orang-Utan's Affection, 15
The Maternal Instinct, 16
Gibbons, or Long-Armed Apes, 17
Monkeys, 18
The Sacred Monkeys, 18
The Long-nosed Monkey, 19
Cheek-pouched Monkeys, 19
The Baboon, 19
The Arabian Baboon, 20
The Baboon's Imitative Faculty, 20
The Chackma Baboon, 21
The Baboon's Utility, 21
The Tame Baboon, 22
The Baboon's Cunning, 22
The Baboon's Loyalty, 24
The Baboon's Intelligence, 24
The Bonnet Monkey, 25
Indian Monkeys, 25
The Monkey Outdone, 27
The Monkey Aroused, 29
The Monkey's Affection, 30
American Monkeys, 30
The Capuchin Monkey, 30
The Spider Monkeys, 30
The Howling Monkeys, 31
The Bearded Saki, 31
The Douroucouli, 32
The Marmosets, 32
SUB-ORDER II.--THE LEMURS
The Lemurs, 32
The Tarsier, 33
The Aye-Aye, 33
ORDER II
WING-HANDED ANIMALS
Bats, 35
The Common English Bat, 36
The Vampire Bat, 36
A Traveller's Experience, 37
Megaderma Lyra, 38
ORDER III
INSECT-EATING ANIMALS
The Hedgehog, 39
The Mole, 40
An Enterprising Mole, 41
The Use of the Mole, 41
The Shrew, 42
ORDER IV
FLESH-EATING ANIMALS
SUB-ORDER I.--THE FISSIPEDIA
The Fissipedia, 43
Animals of the Cat Kind, 43
The Lion, 44
The Lion's Character, 44
Attitude towards Man, 45
The Better Part of Valour, 46
The Lion's Strength, 47
The Lion's Affection, 48
The Lion's Docility, 48
The Story of Androcles, 49
A Lion Hunt, 50
A Thrilling Experience, 52
Attacked by a Lion, 53
A Night Surprise, 55
A Lion Outwitted, 56
Old Instincts and New Opportunities, 56
The Tiger, 57
The Tiger's Ravages, 58
An Intrepid Hunter, 60
The Leopard, 61
The Leopard's Tenacity of Life, 61
Hunters Hunted, 63
The Jaguar, 64
The Jaguar's Strength, 65
A Night of Horror, 65
The Puma, 67
The Puma's Ferocity, 67
Animals and Men, 68
The Ocelot, 69
The Clouded Tiger, 70
The Serval, 70
The Common Wild Cat, 70
The Domestic Cat, 71
Cat Superstitions, 71
The Cat as a Hunter, 72
The Cat and Her Young, 72
The Cat as a Foster Mother, 73
The Cat as a Traveller, 74
The Cat as a Sportsman, 75
The Cat's Intelligence, 75
The Lynx, 76
The Chetah as Huntsman, 78
The Civits, 79
The Ichneumon, 79
Dormant Instinct, 80
The Aard Wolf, 80
The Hyæna, 80
The Striped Hyæna, 82
Spotted Hyæna, 82
A Narrow Escape, 83
Animals of the Dog Kind, 84
The Wolf, 84
The Fox, 85
The Jackal, 86
The Wolf's Mode of Attack, 86
The Wolf's Cunning, 87
The Wolf's Cowardice, 88
Hunted by Wolves, 88
A Terrible Alternative, 89
A Marvellous Escape, 89
Tame Wolves, 90
The Cunning of the Fox, 90
The Fox as a Hunter, 91
A Fox Hunt, 92
The Arctic Fox, 93
Wild Dogs, 93
The Dog, 94
The Dog's Understanding, 95
The Dog's Sense of Locality, 97
Dog Friendships and Enmities, 99
The Dog Language, 100
The Dog's Intelligence, 101
Dogs' Mistakes, 104
Eskimo Dogs, 104
A Hard Lot, 106
The Newfoundland Dog, 107
The Newfoundland's Generosity, 108
The Newfoundland's Perception of Danger, 109
The Newfoundland's Sense of Right, 111
The Newfoundland's Fidelity, 112
The Newfoundland under Training, 112
The Sheep Dog, 114
The Sheep Dog's Sagacity, 115
The Sheep Dog's Fidelity, 117
The St. Bernard, 119
The St. Bernard at Work, 121
The Greyhound, 122
The Greyhound's Affection, 123
The Lurcher, 124
The Bloodhound, 125
The Scent of the Bloodhound, 126
The Stag Hound, 127
A Stag Hunt, 127
The Fox Hound, 128
The Fox Hound's Tenacity, 128
The Harrier, 129
The Beagle, 129
The Dalmatian Dog, 130
The Turnspit, 130
The Turnspit's Sagacity, 130
The Pointer, 130
The Pointer's Intelligence, 131
The Setter, 132
Pointers and Setters, 132
The Sagacity of the Setter, 133
The Spaniel, 134
The Sagacity of the Water Spaniel, 135
The Terrier, 136
The Mastiff, 136
The Fidelity of the Mastiff, 136
The Intelligence of the Mastiff, 137
The Mastiff as a Protector, 137
The Bull Dog, 138
The Poodle, 139
The Shoe-black's Poodle, 139
Weasels, Otters, and Badgers, 140
The Polecat, 140
The Weasel, 140
The Weasel and the Kite, 141
The Common Otter, 141
The Badger, 142
The Ratel and the Skunk, 143
The Skunk, 144
The Raccoon and the Coati, 145
The Bear, 145
The Polar Bear, 146
The Black Bear, 147
The Docility of the Bear, 148
The Grizzly Bear, 149
The Brown Bear, 151
The Malayan Bear, 151
SUB-ORDER II.--THE PINNIPEDIA
Sea Lions, 152
Sea Bears, 153
The Walrus, 154
The Common Seal, 155
The Seal's Docility, 156
ORDER V
WHALES AND DOLPHINS
The Right Whale, 158
The Sperm Whale, 159
The Dolphin, 159
The White Whale, 160
The Narwhal, 160
The Porpoise, 161
The Grampus, 161
ORDER VI
MANATIDÆ
The Sea Cow, 162
ORDER VII
HOOFED ANIMALS
The Horse, 162
The Arabian Horse, 163
The Horse's Affection, 165
The Domestic Horse, 166
The Structure of a Horse, 167
The Horse's Speed, 169
The Horse's Endurance, 170
The Horse's Memory, 171
The Force of Habit, 172
The Intelligence of the Horse, 174
Horse-Play, 176
Horses and Dogs, 177
The Ass, 178
The Sagacity of the Ass, 180
The Instinct of the Ass, 181
The Trained Ass, 182
The Mule and the Hinny, 183
The Zebra, 183
The Tapir, 183
The Rhinoceros, 184
Rhinoceros Hunting, 186
The Tame Rhinoceros, 187
The Hippopotamus, 188
The Haunt of the Hippopotami, 189
The Pig Family, 190
The Boar, 190
The Common Hog, 191
The Babiroussa, 192
The Peccary, 192
The Camel and the Dromedary, 192
The Strength of the Camel, 193
The Camel and his Master, 194
Camel Riding, 195
A Camel's Revenge, 195
The Terrors of the Desert, 196
The Llama, 198
The Deer, 198
The Red Deer, 199
A Stag Hunt, 200
The Tame Stag, 201
The Reindeer, 201
The Moose or Elk, 204
The Fallow Deer and the Roebuck, 204
The Giraffe, 205
The History of the Giraffe, 205
Hollow-Horned Ruminants, 206
The Bull, the Bison, and the Buffalo, 207
The Bull, The Ox, The Cow, 207
The Bull, 208
The Brahmin Bull, 209
The Ox, 209
The Cow, 210
The Pride of a Cow, 210
The Bison, 211
Hunting the Bison, 212
The Buffalo, 213
Hunting the Indian Buffalo, 213
The Cape Buffalo, 214
Hunting the Cape Buffalo, 215
The Zebu, 216
The Yak, 216
The Antelope, 216
The Gazelle, 217
The Sheep and the Goat, 217
The Intelligence of the Sheep, 218
Animals and Music, 218
ORDER VIII
THE ELEPHANT
The Elephant, 219
The Wild Elephant, 220
Elephant Herds, 221
Elephant Friendships, 223
The Sagacity of the Elephant, 224
A Centenarian Elephant, 224
An Elephant Nurse, 225
The Intelligence of the Elephant, 225
ORDER IX
HYRAX
The Conies, 226
ORDER X
THE RODENTS
Animals that Gnaw, 226
Rats and Mice, 227
The Rat Family, 227
The Hamster, 228
Swarms of Rats, 228
Invaded by Rats, 229
Migrations of Rats, 230
The Intelligence of Rats, 231
Saved by a Rat, 231
The Mouse, 232
The Harvest Mouse, 233
The Field Mouse, 233
The Dormouse, 233
The Jerboa, 234
The Beaver, 234
The European Beaver, 234
The American Beaver, 235
The Squirrel, 237
The Squirrel at Home, 238
Tame Squirrels, 239
The Marmot, the Bobak, the Prairie Dog, 240
The Chinchilla, 240
The Porcupine, 240
The Guinea-Pig, 241
Hares and Rabbits, 241
The Common Hare, 241
The Intelligence of the Hare, 242
A Hunted Hare, 243
Tame Hares, 244
The Common Rabbit, 245
ORDER XI
TOOTHLESS ANIMALS
The Sloth, 245
The Pangolin, 246
The Armadillo, 246
The Cape Ant-Bear, 246
The Ant-Eater, 247
ORDER XII
POUCHED ANIMALS
The Opossum, 247
The Kangaroo, 247
Kangaroo Hunting, 248
ORDER XIII
MONOTREMATA
The Duck-billed Platypus, 249
The Australian Hedgehog, 249
=Class II.--Aves=
Classification, 250
ORDER I
Perching Birds, 250
The Thrushes, 251
The Common Thrush, 251
The Missel Thrush, 252
The Blackbird, 252
The Mocking Bird, 234
The Tailor Bird, 255
The Golden Crested Wren, 255
The Migration of Birds, 255
The Willow Wren, 256
The Common Wren, 256
A Wren's Music Lesson, 257
The House Wren, 257
The Nightingale, 258
The Song of the Nightingale, 258
The Robin Redbreast, 259
The Intelligence of the Robin, 260
The Titmouse, 260
The Golden Oriole, 261
The Shrike, 262
The Jay, 262
The Blue Jay, 263
The Magpie, 264
The Habits of the Magpie, 264
The Raven, 266
Unnatural Parents, 267
The Tame Raven, 268
The Raven and the Dog, 269
The Rook, 270
The Carrion Crow, 270
The Jackdaw, 271
The Chough, 271
The Bird of Paradise, 271
Hunting the Bird of Paradise, 272
The Tanagers, 273
The Tanager, 273
The Swallow, 273
Swallows in Council, 274
The House Martin, 274
The Sand Martin, 275
The Chaffinch. The Goldfinch. The Greenfinch, 275
The Linnet, 276
The Canary, 276
The Tame Canary, 277
The Crossbill, 277
The Bunting, 277
The Starling, 278
The Common Starling, 278
The Weaver Bird, 278
The Lark, 279
The Maternal Instinct of the Lark, 280
The Lark and the Hawk, 281
The Wagtails and the Pipits, 281
The Ant-Eaters, 282
The King Bird, 282
The Chatterers, 282
The Lyre Bird, 283
ORDER II
Climbers and Gapers, 283
The Woodpecker, 284
The Wryneck, 284
The Cuckoo, 284
The Cuckoo and the Hedge-Sparrow, 285
The Cuckoo and the Thrush, 286
The Trogons, 287
The Kingfishers, 287
The Hornbill, 287
The Goat-Suckers, 288
The Whip-poor-Will, 288
The Chuck-Will's-Widow, 288
The Swifts, 289
The Humming Bird, 289
ORDER III
The Parrots, 290
The Intelligence of the Parrot, 290
Famous Parrots, 291
The Grey Parrot, 292
Parrot Talk, 293
ORDER IV
Pigeons, 294
Carrier Pigeons, 294
Pigeons on the Wing, 295
ORDER V
Fowls, 297
The Peacock, 297
The Pheasant, 298
The Partridge, 299
The Wild Turkey, 300
The Domestic Turkey, 300
The Sagacity of the Turkey, 300
Sitting Turkey Cocks, 301
Domestic Fowls, 302
The Common Hen, 303
ORDER VI
The Hoazin, 304
ORDER VII
Birds of Prey, 304
The Eagle, 305
Eagle Shooting, 305
The White-headed Eagle, 306
The Vultures, 307
The Condor, 308
The King of the Vultures, 308
A Feast of Vultures, 309
The Secretary Bird, 310
The Kite. The Osprey. The Buzzard, 311
The Falcon, 311
The Sparrow-Hawk, 312
The Owl, 313
ORDER VIII
Wading Birds, 314
The Cranes, 314
The Heron, 314
The Bittern, 315
The Stork, 315
The Jealousy of the Stork, 315
A Stork's Revenge, 316
ORDER IX
The Goose, 316
The Gratitude of the Goose, 316
A Wild Goose Chase, 317
Goose Friendships, 317
The Goose and the Dog, 318
The Maternal Instinct of the Goose, 318
The Duck, 319
The Swan, 319
The Maternal Instinct of the Swan, 320
The Intelligence of the Swan, 320
The Swan and the Fawn, 321
The Common Sea-Gull, 321
A Tame Sea-Gull, 321
Mother Carey's Chicken, 322
Catching the Stormy Petrel, 322
The Cormorant, 323
The Albatross, 324
The Pelican, 325
A Tame Pelican, 325
The Penguin, 326
The Puffin, 327
ORDER X
The Ostrich, 328
The Ostrich and its Young, 328
The Rhea. The Cassowary. The Emu, 329
=Class III.--Reptilia=
ORDER I
The Tortoise and the Turtle, 331
The Elephant Tortoise, 332
The Turtle, 333
ORDER II
The Crocodile, 334
The Alligator, 335
A Tame Alligator, 336
ORDER III
Hatteria Punctata, 337
ORDER IV
The Lizards, 337
The Chameleon, 337
The Iguana, 338
The Common Lizard, 338
The Monitor, 339
ORDER V
Snakes, 339
The Viper, 340
The Viper and its Young, 340
The Rattlesnake, 341
The Sting of the Rattlesnake, 341
The Black Snake and the Rattlesnake, 342
The Cobra, 342
Snake Charming, 343
The Cobra as Companion of the Bath, 344
A Night with a Cobra, 345
An Unpleasant Bedfellow, 346
The Boa Constrictor, 346
The Boa and its Prey, 346
The Boa's Appetite, 347
A Terrible Boa, 348
A Narrow Escape, 349
=Class IV.--Batrachia=
The Batrachia, 350
The Common Toad, 351
Tame Toads, 351
The Common Frog, 352
The Ingenuity of the Frog, 352
The Tree Frog, 353
=Class V.--Pisces=
Fishes, 354
The Stickleback, 354
The Stickleback and the Leech, 355
The Mackerel, 356
The Sword Fish, 356
The Cod, 357
The Salmon, 358
The Pike, 359
The Herring, 360
The Flying Fish, 360
The Eel, 361
The Gymnotus, 362
Catching the Gymnotus, 362
The Torpedo, 366
The Shark, 366
The White Shark, 367
Sharks in the South Seas, 367
The Rays, 368
Ray Catching, 369
INTRODUCTION.
Science.
Science is classified truth. Men study the heavenly bodies, note their
characteristics, observe their movements, and define their
relationships; and having verified their deductions by repeated
experiments, arrange the truths they have discovered into systems, and
by classifying their knowledge reduce it to a science: this science they
call Astronomy. Astronomy is thus the classified arrangement of all
known truths concerning the heavenly bodies. Geology, similarly, is the
classified arrangement of all known truths concerning the material
structure of the Earth.
The Kingdoms of Nature.
The Natural World has been variously divided for the purposes of study.
Linnæus divided it into three kingdoms; (I) the Mineral kingdom (II) the
Vegetable kingdom and (III) the Animal kingdom, thus naming the three
kingdoms in the order of their natural geneses. The Mineral kingdom
comprises the _inorganic_ forms of nature,--those which have no organism
and which can only increase by external addition. The Vegetable and
Animal kingdoms comprise the organic life of nature,--those forms which
are provided with means for promoting their own development and
propagating species. The Vegetable kingdom, while easily distinguishable
from the Mineral kingdom is in some of its forms so similar to the lower
forms of animal life as to suggest relationship between the two; while
the Animal kingdom, beginning with the lower forms which approximate so
closely to vegetable forms, embraces the whole range of animal life and
reaches its highest order in man. The science which treats of organic
life as a whole is called Biology, while its two departments are
separately known as Botany and Zoology. Natural History is a general
term popularly applied to the study of Zoology.
Zoology.
Zoology is the science of animal life. It deals with the origin of
species, and the evolution of the varied forms of animated nature, and
treats of the structure, habits, and environment of all living
creatures. Scientifically speaking, Zoology is the classified
arrangement of all known truths concerning all animal organisms.
Classification.
For convenience in study the Animal kingdom is divided into seven
Sub-kingdoms, each of which is further divided into classes. These
Sub-kingdoms are known as: I Vertebrata, II Arthropoda, III Mollusca, IV
Echinodermata, V Vermes, VI C[oe]lenterata, and VII Protozoa.
Sub-kingdom I, Vertebrata, includes all animals distinguished by the
possession of Vertebræ or back-bones, and its classes are I
_Mammalia_:--animals that suckle their young; II _Aves_:--Birds; III
_Reptilia_:--Reptiles; IV _Batrachia_:--Frogs, Toads, etc.; and V
_Pisces_:--Fishes. Sub-kingdom II, Arthropoda, includes the Insect
families, etc., which it also divides into classes. Sub-kingdom III,
Mollusca, animals of the cuttle-fish order, including limpets, oysters,
and slugs. Sub-kingdom IV, Echinodermata, a large number of marine
animals, such as the star-fish and the sea-urchin. Sub-kingdom V,
Vermes, the various classes of worms. Sub-kingdom VI, C[oe]lenterata,
corals and sponges, etc., etc., and Sub-kingdom VII, Protozoa,
protoplasms and the lowest forms of animal life. This volume is devoted
to the illustration of the first of these sub-kingdoms, the Vertebrata,
with its five classes, Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Batrachia and Pisces.
[Illustration: The Gorilla]
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
SUB-KINGDOM I--VERTEBRATA.
CLASS I--MAMMALIA.
ORDER I.
PRIMATES.
The most perfect of all animals is man, for besides having a marvellous
animal organism he possesses reason, which so far transcends the highest
instincts of other animals, that it places him in a category by himself.
SUB-ORDER I.
Man-shaped Animals.
Next to man it is convenient to deal with man-shaped animals,
(_anthropoidea_)--those animals which most resemble him in external
appearance and internal organism. This brings us to the order called
_Quadrumana_ or four-handed animals which include Lemurs and their
allied forms, and manlike monkeys. Monkeys are divided into five
families, one at least of which has to be further divided into
sub-families to accommodate its variety. These families are: I The Apes;
II The Sacred Monkeys; III The Cheek-pouched Monkeys; IV The Cebidae,
with its several sub-families, and V The Marmosets. The first three of
these families inhabit the old world, the last two belong to the new.
The Ape Family.
The family of the Apes includes the Gorilla, the Chimpanzee, the
Orang-utan or mias, the Gibbons or long-armed Apes, and the Siamang; of
these the Gorilla and the Chimpanzee belong to the West of Africa, the
Orang-utan to Borneo, the Gibbons to Assam, the Malay Peninsula, Java,
Sumatra, Borneo, Cambodia and Hainan, and the Siamang to Java and
Sumatra.
The Gorilla.
The gorilla is the largest of the ape family, and sometimes attains to
the height of six feet. It is also the fiercest, if not the strongest,
of man-shaped animals. It belongs to the genus Troglodytes of which the
chimpanzee is the only other species, and it inhabits a somewhat limited
range of Equatorial Africa, where it makes for itself nests of sticks
and foliage, among the lower branches of trees, and lives upon berries,
nuts and fruits. Though apparently a vegetarian the gorilla has enormous
physical strength. His arms bear much the same proportion to the size of
his body as those of man do relatively, but his lower limbs are shorter,
and have no calves, the leg growing thicker from the knee downwards. The
hands are broad, thick, and of great length of palm, and are remarkable
for their strength; the feet, broader than those of man, and more like
hands, are very large and of great power. The gorilla uses his hands
when walking or running, but as his arms are longer than those of other
apes, and his legs shorter he stoops less than they do in moving from
place to place. The gorilla herds in small companies, or rather
families, one adult male being the husband and father of the band. The
females are much smaller than the males.
The Ancestors of the Gorilla.
The gorilla, though rediscovered in recent years, was apparently known
to the ancients. Hanno, a Carthaginian admiral who flourished some five
or six hundred years B.C., once sailed from Carthage with a fleet of
sixty vessels and a company of 30,000 persons, under instructions to
proceed past the Pillars of Hercules (the Straits of Gibraltar), with a
view to planting colonies on the western coast of Africa. In the course
of their travels they discovered several islands inhabited by wild
creatures with hairy bodies. "There were," says the ancient navigator,
"many more females than males, all equally covered with hair on all
parts of the body. The interpreters called them _gorillas_. On pursuing
them, we could not succeed in taking a single male, they all escaped
with astonishing swiftness, and threw stones at us; but we took three
females, who defended themselves with so much violence, that we were
obliged to kill them; but we brought their skins, stuffed with straw, to
Carthage." Professor Owen remarks upon this that "though such creatures
would suggest to Hanno and his crew no other idea of their nature than
that of a kind of human being, yet the climbing faculty, the hairy body,
and the skinning of the dead specimens strongly suggest that they were
great apes. The fact that apes somewhat resembling the negroes, of human
size and with hairy bodies, still exist on the west coast of Africa
renders it highly probable that such were the creatures which Hanno saw,
captured, and called 'gorullai'."
A Gorilla Hunt.
Paul du Chaillu, in his "Stories of the Gorilla Country," gives a
graphic description of his first sight of these "wild men of the woods."
He was inspecting the ruins of a native village with a party of
Africans, when they discovered footprints which the natives immediately
recognised as those of the gorilla. "It was," says he, "the first time I
had seen the footprints of these wild men of the woods, and I cannot
tell you how I felt. Here was I now, it seemed, on the point of meeting,
face to face, that monster, of whose ferocity, strength and cunning, the
natives had told me so much, and which no man before had hunted. By the
tracks it was easy to know that there must have been several gorillas in
company. We prepared at once to follow them. My men were remarkably
silent, for they were going on an expedition of more than usual risk;
for the male gorilla is literally the king of the forest--the king of
the equatorial regions. He and the crested lion of Mount Atlas are the
two fiercest and strongest beasts of that continent. The lion of South
Africa cannot be compared with either for strength or courage. As we
left the camp, the men and women left behind crowded together, with fear
written on their faces. Miengai, Ngolai, and Makinda set out for the
hunt in one party; myself and Yeava formed another. We determined to
keep near each other, so that in case of trouble we might be at hand to
help one another. For the rest silence and a sure aim were the only
cautions to be given. I confess that I was never more excited in my
life. For years I had heard of the terrible roar of the gorilla, of its
vast strength, of its fierce courage when only wounded. I knew that we
were about to pit ourselves against an animal which even the enormous
leopards of the mountains fear, which the elephants let alone and which
perhaps has driven away the lion out of his territory; for the king of
beasts, so numerous elsewhere in Africa, is not met with in the land of
the gorilla. We descended a hill, crossed a stream on a fallen log,
crept under the trees, and presently approached some huge boulders of
granite. In the stream we had crossed we could see plainly that the
animals had just crossed it, for the water was still disturbed. Along
side of the granite blocks lay an immense dead tree, and about this the
gorillas were likely to be. Our approach was very cautious. With guns
cocked and ready we advanced through the dense wood, which cast a gloom
even at mid-day over the whole scene. I looked at my men and saw that
they were even more excited than myself. Slowly we pressed on through
the dense bush, dreading almost to breathe for fear of alarming the
beasts. Makinda was to go to the right of the rock, while I took the
left. Unfortunately he and his party circled it at too great a distance.
The watchful animals saw him. Suddenly I was startled by a strange,
discordant, half human cry, and beheld four young and half-grown
gorillas running towards the deep forest. I was not ready. We fired but
hit nothing. Then we rushed on in pursuit; but they knew the woods
better than we. Once I caught a glimpse of one of the animals again;
but an intervening tree spoiled my mark, and I did not fire. We pursued
them till we were exhausted, but in vain. I protest I felt almost like a
murderer when I saw the gorilla this first time. As they ran on their
hind legs with their heads down, their bodies inclined forward, their
whole appearance was that of hairy men running for their lives. Add to
this their cry, so awful yet with something human in its discordance,
and you will cease to wonder that the natives have the wildest
superstitions about these 'wild men of the woods.'"
Du Chaillu's First Gorilla.
In his "Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa" du Chaillu
gives an equally thrilling account of the capture of his first gorilla.
He says: "We started early, and pushed through the most dense and
impenetrable part of the forest; in hopes to find the very home of the
beast I so much wished to shoot. Hour after hour we travelled and yet no
signs of gorillas. Only the everlasting, little, chattering monkeys--and
not many of these--and occasionally birds. Suddenly Miengai uttered a
little cluck with his tongue which is the native way of showing that
something is stirring and that a sharp look-out is necessary. And
presently I noticed, ahead of us seemingly, a noise as of some one
breaking down branches or twigs of trees. This was a gorilla--I knew at
once by the eager satisfied looks of the men. We walked with the
greatest care making no noise at all. Suddenly, as we were yet creeping
along, in a silence which made a heavy breath seem loud and distinct,
the woods were at once filled with the tremendous barking roar of the
gorilla. Then the underbrush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently
before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through the jungle
on all fours; but when he saw our party he erected himself and looked us
boldly in the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us, and was a
sight I think I shall never forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved
four inches shorter), with immense body, huge chest, and great muscular
arms, with fiercely glaring, large, deep gray eyes, and a hellish
expression of face, which seemed to me like some nightmare vision: thus
stood before us this king of the African forest. He was not afraid of
us. He stood there and beat his breast with his huge fists till it
resounded like an immense bass-drum, which is the gorillas' mode of
offering defiance; meantime giving vent to roar after roar. The roar of
the gorilla is the most singular and awful noise heard in these African
woods. It begins with a sharp _bark_, like an angry dog, then glides
into a deep bass _roll_, which literally and closely resembles the roll
of distant thunder along the sky. So deep is it that it seems to proceed
less from the mouth and throat than from the deep chest and vast paunch.
His eyes began to flash fiercer fire as we stood motionless on the
defensive, and the crest of short hair which stands on his forehead
began to twitch rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs were shown
as he again sent forth his thunderous roar. He advanced a few
steps--then stopped to utter that hideous roar again--advanced again,
and finally stopped when at a distance of about six yards from us. And
here, just as he began another of his roars, beating his breast with
rage, we fired, and killed him. With a groan which had something
terribly human in it, and yet was full of brutishness, he fell forward
on his face. The body shook convulsively for a few minutes, the limbs
moved about in a struggling way, and then all was quiet: death had done
its work, and I had leisure to examine the huge body. It proved to be
five feet eight inches high, and the muscular development of the arms
and breast showed what immense strength it had possessed." A smaller
gorilla, shot by M. du Chaillu on another occasion, measured five feet
six inches in height, fifty inches round the chest, and his arms had a
spread of seven feet two inches.
A Young Gorilla.
A young gorilla which some natives succeeded in capturing for M. du
Chaillu, and which he named "Fighting Joe," forms the subject of one of
his most interesting chapters. The young cub was caught by the adroit
use of a cloth which one of the natives managed to throw over his head,
but not until he had severely bitten one of his captors in the hand and
taken a mouthful out of the leg of another. He was about three years
old, three feet six inches in height and of great strength. A cage was
made for him, from which he twice escaped, on each occasion being
recaptured by the use of fishing nets. On his first escape he concealed
himself under the bed in M. du Chaillu's house. "Running in," says the
writer, "to get one of my guns, I was startled by an angry growl. It was
master Joe; there was no mistake about it; I knew his growl too well. I
cleared out faster than I came in. I instantly shut the windows and
called in my people to guard the door. When Joe saw the crowd of black
faces he became furious, and with his eyes glaring, and every sign of
rage in his face and body, he got out from beneath the bed. He was about
to make a rush at all of us. He was not afraid. A stampede of my men
took place, I shut the door quickly (from outside) and left Joe master
of the premises." While the men outside were devising means for his
recapture, the young gorilla carefully inspected the furniture and M. du
Chaillu became apprehensive for the safety of his clock, the ticking of
which was likely to attract unwelcome attention. However, by means of a
net dexterously thrown over him, he was secured once more and carried
back to his cage, which in the meantime had been repaired, the full
strength of four men being required for the purpose. On his second
escape he made for the woods and took refuge in a large clump of trees.
"This we surrounded," says M. du Chaillu. "He did not ascend a tree, but
stood defiantly at the border of the wood. About one hundred and fifty
of us surrounded him. As we moved up he began to yell, and made a dash
upon a poor fellow who was in advance. The fellow ran and tumbled down
in affright. By his fall he escaped the tender mercies of Joe's teeth;
but he also detained the little rascal long enough for the nets to be
thrown over him." But Joe was a child of nature and could not live with
the chain of civilisation around his neck, and he died somewhat suddenly
some ten days afterwards and finally found his way to the British
museum.
Gorilla Superstitions.
According to du Chaillu, the natives entertain many superstitions about
the gorilla, among the commonest of which is the belief that some
gorillas are inhabited by human spirits. In his "Stories of the Gorilla
Country" he gives an interesting illustration of this. "In the evening,"
he says, "the men told stories about gorillas. 'I remember,' said one,
'my father told me he once went out to the forest, when just in his path
he met a great gorilla. My father had his spear in his hand. When the
gorilla saw the spear he began to roar; then my father was terrified and
dropped the spear. When the gorilla saw that my father had dropped the
spear he was pleased. He looked at him, and then left him and went into
the thick forest. Then my father was glad and went on his way.' Here all
shouted: 'Yes! so we must do when we meet the gorilla. Drop the spear;
that appeases him.' Next Gambo spoke. 'Several dry seasons ago, a man
suddenly disappeared from my village after an angry quarrel. Some time
after an Ashira of that village was out in the forest. He met a very
large gorilla. That gorilla was the man who had disappeared; he had
turned into a gorilla. He jumped upon the poor Ashira and bit a piece
out of his arm; then he let him go. Then the man came back with the
bleeding arm. He told me this, I hope we shall not meet such gorillas.'
_Chorus_: 'No; we shall not meet such wicked gorillas.' "I myself," says
du Chaillu, "afterwards met that man in the Ashira country. I saw his
maimed arm and he repeated the same story." Then one of the men spoke
up: 'If we kill a gorilla to-morrow, I should like to have a part of the
brain for a fetich. Nothing makes a man so brave as to have a fetich of
gorilla's brain. That gives a man a strong heart.' _Chorus_ (of those
who remained awake) 'Yes; that gives a man a strong heart.'" A fetich of
the brain of the gorilla is said also to help its owner in love as well
as war.
The Chimpanzee.
The chimpanzee is a near neighbour of the gorilla in Equatorial Africa
though he appears to have a more extended range. He is found in Sierra
Leone and in the country lying to the north of the river Congo, and
according to native accounts is gregarious in his habits, travelling in
formidable companies, who carry sticks and make effective use of them.
They are said to reach maturity at nine or ten years of age and to
attain a height of from four to five feet. Like the gorillas they have
immensely powerful limbs, and have been known without apparent effort to
break off branches of trees which a man would have been powerless to
bend.
The Docility and Sagacity of the Chimpanzee.
The chimpanzee differs from the gorilla in his amenability to
civilisation. The gorilla, however young, seems incapable of being
tamed; while the chimpanzee in its infancy and youth at least has often
been domesticated, though like most other apes, as it approaches
maturity, it needs to be kept under strong control. Captain Brown in his
"Habits and Characteristics of Animals and Birds" gives the following
illustration of the docility and sagacity of the chimpanzee. He says:
"M. de Grandpré saw, on board of a vessel, a female chimpanzee, which
exhibited wonderful proofs of intelligence. She had learnt to heat the
oven; she took great care not to let any of the coals fall out, which
might have done mischief in the ship; and she was very accurate in
observing when the oven was heated to the proper degree, of which she
immediately apprized the baker, who, relying with perfect confidence
upon her information, carried his dough to the oven as soon as the
chimpanzee came to fetch him. This animal performed all the business of
a sailor, spliced ropes, handled the sails, and assisted at unfurling
them; and she was, in fact considered by the sailors as one of
themselves. The vessel was bound for America; but the poor animal did
not live to see that country, having fallen a victim to the brutality of
the first mate, who inflicted very cruel chastisement upon her, which
she had not deserved. She endured it with the greatest patience, only
holding out her hands in a suppliant attitude, in order to break the
force of the blows she received. But from that moment she steadily
refused to take any food, and died on the fifth day from grief and
hunger. She was lamented by every person on board, not insensible to the
feelings of humanity, who knew the circumstances of her fate."
The Orang-utan.
The orang-utan is one of the largest of the ape species and until the
discovery of the gorilla was supposed to be the largest. It is said
sometimes to attain to the height of six feet, and some travellers'
tales credit it with even greater height. The orang is possessed of
great strength but is of a docile disposition when brought under
civilisation, and even in a wild state is often quiet and peaceable
except when attacked. It inhabits country that is low, level, and
swampy, and that is at the same time covered with lofty virgin forests.
It belongs to the genus _Simia_ of which it is the single species.
The Habits of the Orang-utan.
The following account of the orang is given by Mr. Brooke of Sarawak.
"On the habits of the orangs, as far as I have been able to observe
them, I may remark that they are as dull and as slothful as can well be
conceived, and on no occasion, when pursuing them, did they move so fast
as to preclude my keeping pace with them easily through a moderately
clear forest; and even when obstructions below (such as wading up to
the neck) allowed them to get away some distance, they were sure to stop
and allow us to come up. I never observed the slightest attempt at
defence; and the wood, which sometimes rattled about our ears, was
broken by their weight, and not thrown, as some persons represent. If
pushed to extremity, however, the pappan could not be otherwise than
formidable; and one unfortunate man, who with a party was trying to
catch one alive, lost two of his fingers, besides being severely bitten
on the face, whilst the animal finally beat off his pursuers and
escaped. When hunters wish to catch an adult, they cut down a circle of
trees round the one on which he is seated, and then fell that also, and
close before he can recover himself, and endeavour to bind him. The rude
hut which they are stated to build in the trees would be more properly
called a seat, or nest, for it has no roof or cover of any sort. The
facility with which they form this seat is curious; and I had an
opportunity of seeing a wounded female weave the branches together, and
seat herself in a minute. She afterwards received our fire without
moving, and expired in her lofty abode, whence it cost us much trouble
to dislodge her. The adult male I killed was seated lazily on a tree;
and when approached only took the trouble to interpose the trunk between
us, peeping at me and dodging as I dodged. I hit him on the wrist, and
he was afterwards despatched."
The Walk of the Orang-utan.
In locomotion the orang disdains the earth and perambulates the vernal
terraces of the forest trees. "It is a singular sight," says Mr.
Wallace, "to watch a mias (orang-utan) making his way leisurely through
a forest. He walks deliberately along some of the larger branches in the
semi-erect attitude which the great length of his arms and the shortness
of his legs cause him naturally to assume, and seems always to choose
those branches which intermingle with an adjoining tree, on approaching
which he stretches out his long arms, and seizing the opposing boughs,
grasps them together with both hands, seems to try their strength, and
then deliberately swings himself across to the next branch on which he
walks along as before. He never jumps or springs, or even appears to
hurry himself, and yet manages to get along almost as quickly as a
person can run through the forest beneath."
The Strength of the Orang-utan.
"The Dyaks," says Mr. Wallace, "all declare that the mias is never
attacked by any animal in the forest, with two rare exceptions; and the
accounts received of these are so curious that I give them nearly in the
words of my informants, old Dyak Chiefs, who had lived all their lives
in the places where the animal is most abundant. The first of whom I
enquired said, 'No animal is strong enough to hurt the mias, and the
only creature he ever fights with is the crocodile. When there is no
fruit in the jungle he goes to seek food on the banks of the river where
there are plenty of young shoots that he likes, and fruits that grow
close to the water. Then the crocodile sometimes tries to seize him, but
the mias gets upon him and beats him with his hands and feet, and tears
and kills him.' He added that he had once seen such a fight and that he
believed that the mias is always the victor. My next informant was Orang
Kayo or chief of the Balow Dyaks on the Simunjou River. He said the mias
has no enemies, no animals dare attack it but the crocodile and the
python. He always kills the crocodile by main strength, standing upon
it, and pulling open its jaws and ripping up its throat. If a python
attacks a mias he seizes it with his hands and then bites it, and soon
kills it. The mias is very strong; there is no animal in the jungle so
strong as he."
The Docility of the Orang-utan.
Buffon thus describes an orang-utan that he saw: "His aspect was
melancholy, his deportment grave, his movements regular, and his
disposition gentle. Unlike the baboon or the monkey, who are fond of
mischief, and only obedient through fear, a look kept him in awe; while
the other animals could not be brought to obey without blows. He would
present his hand to conduct the people who came to visit him, and walk
as gravely along with them as if he had formed a part of the company. I
have seen him sit down at table, when he would unfold his towel, wipe
his lips, use a spoon or a fork to carry his victuals to his mouth, pour
his liquor into a glass, and make it touch that of a person who drank
along with him. When invited to take tea, he would bring a cup and
saucer, place them on the table, put in sugar, pour out the tea, and
allow it to cool before he drank it. All this I have seen him perform
without any other instigation than the signs or the command of his
master, and often even of his own accord."
The Orang-utan's Intelligence.
M. de la Bosse thus describes two young orang-utans, male and female.
"We had these animals with us on shipboard. They ate at the same table
with us. When they wanted anything, they, by certain signs, acquainted
the cabin boy with their wishes; and if he did not bring it, they
sometimes flew into a rage at him, bit him in the arm, and not
unfrequently threw him down. The male fell sick during the voyage, and
submitted to be treated like a human patient. The disease being of an
inflammatory nature, the surgeon bled him twice in the right arm; and
when he afterwards felt himself indisposed, he used to hold out his arm
to be bled, because he recollected that he found himself benefited by
that operation on a former occasion."
The Orang-utan's Affection.
Dr. Tyson in describing one of the earliest specimens of the orang
brought to London, says that it conceived a great affection for those
with whom travel had made it familiar, frequently embracing them with
the greatest tenderness. A female orang belonging to a Dutch menagerie
showed the greatest affection for her attendants, giving unmistakable
signs of her delight in their company and distress in their absence. She
would often take the hay from her bed and spread it at her side and with
anxious and obvious signs invite her keeper to sit beside her. M.
Palavicini credited a pair of orangs which he had in his possession in
1759 with the still more remarkable quality in animals of bashfulness.
It is said that the female would shrink from the too persistent gaze of
a spectator, and throw herself into the arms of the male, hiding her
face in his bosom.
The Maternal Instinct.
In his "Marvels and Mysteries of Instinct," Mr. Garrett gives the
following instance of maternal affection. "A gentleman was out with a
party of men in Sumatra, when in some trees removed from a dense forest
a female orang-utan, with a young one in its arms, was discovered, and
the pursuit commenced. In the ardour of the moment, and excited by the
hope of possessing an animal so rare, the gentleman forgot everything
but the prize before him, and urged on his men by the promise of a
reward, should their exertions be successful. Thus stimulated they
followed up the chase; the animal, encumbered by her young one, making
prodigious efforts to gain the dense and intricate recesses of the wood,
springing from tree to tree, and endeavouring by every means to elude
her pursuers. Several shots were fired, and at length one took fatal
effect, the ball penetrating the right side of the chest. Feeling
herself mortally wounded, and with the blood gushing from her mouth, she
from that moment took no care of herself, but with a mother's feelings
summoned up all her dying energies to save her young one. She threw it
onwards over the tops of the trees, and from one branch to another,
taking the most desperate leaps after it herself, and again facilitating
its progress until, the intricacy of the forest being nearly gained, its
chances of success were sure. All this time the blood was flowing: but
her efforts had been unabated, and it was only when her young one was
on the point of attaining to a place of safety that she rested on one of
the topmost branches of a gigantic tree. True to her ruling passion,
even in death, she turned for a moment to gaze after her young one,
reeled, and fell head foremost to the ground. The sight was so touching
that it called forth the sympathy of the whole party. The eagerness of
the chase subsided; and so deep an impression did the maternal
tenderness and unexpected self-devotion of the poor orang make on the
gentleman alluded to, whose heart was indeed formed in 'nature's
gentlest mould,' that he expressed the utmost remorse and pity,
declaring that he would not go through the same scene again for all the
world; nor did the tragical death of the animal cease to haunt his mind
for many weeks, and he never afterwards recurred to it but with feelings
of emotion. The preserved skin is now in the Museum of the Zoological
Society."
Gibbons or Long Armed Apes.
The gibbons belong to the genus Hylobates, of which there are several
species. They are characterised by the ability to walk almost erect,
hence the name Hylobates. They live in the tops of trees, in large
companies and possess marvellous powers of locomotion, swinging
themselves from tree to tree with such rapidity as to baffle all
pursuit. When on the ground they balance themselves in walking by
holding their hands above their heads. The adult gibbon is about three
feet in height and has a reach of arms of about six feet. The gibbon is
tractable and capable of strong affection towards those who show it
kindness. One of the Hoolock species petted by Dr. Burrough, became
companionable and would sit at his master's breakfast-table, eat eggs
and chicken, and drink tea and coffee with great propriety. Fruit was
his favourite food, but insects were especially palatable to him and he
was an expert in catching flies. The siamang differs from the other
species of long-armed apes in the formation of its feet and in several
other characteristics. It is, however, similar to the Hoolock in its
amenity to kindness and its affection for its master, when brought under
the influence of kindly treatment. The gibbons have great strength in
their lower limbs, whereby they are enabled to leap surprising
distances. M. Duvaneel said he once saw one of these animals clear a
space of forty feet, from the branch of a tree. Mr. George Bennet, in
his "Wanderings," describes the action of a siamang that belonged to
him, which having managed to free himself of his tether, proceeded to
embrace the legs of the Malays whom he came across, until he discovered
his former master, whereupon he climbed into the Malay's arms and hugged
him with the tenderest affection.
Monkeys.
Monkeys differ from the apes we have dealt with in the important
characteristic, among others, of possessing tails. These vary in length
from inches to feet, in some cases being considerably longer than the
body and in others little more than stumps. They vary also in form, some
being completely covered with hair, and others only partially so; some
apparently useful only as ornaments, others being prehensile, that is
capable of grasp, and giving their owners almost the advantage of a
fifth limb.
The Sacred Monkeys.