the dog. A striking illustration of it is related in Pettit's work on
the Tinnevelly Missions. "While the large chapel at Nagercoil was
building the missionaries obtained the loan of a trained elephant for
drawing the larger timber used in its erection. The late Mrs. Mault
kindly saw the animal regularly fed, lest the food should be stolen by
the attendant. One day the allowance of rice seemed very deficient in
quantity, and the good lady expostulated on the subject with the keeper.
Raising his hands to heaven, the man loudly, and with great apparent
earnestness and sincerity, repudiated the idea of his having taken any
of the rice. 'Do you think, madam, that I would rob my child? No, never!
no more than I would deprive my own children of their daily food.' While
he was speaking and gesticulating, the intelligent creature, slyly
extending his trunk, unfastened the man's waist-cloth, spilling the
missing rice, which had been concealed in a corner of the cloth, and
exposing the dishonesty of the attendant."
A Centenarian Elephant.
Some years ago there was an elephant who was known to be a hundred years
old, named Soupramany, or Old Soup as he was called, who lived upon the
banks of the Ganges near the city of Cawnpore. On one occasion Old Soup
was engaged with a number of other elephants and a party of soldiers,
under the direction of Major Daly, in loading a ship with bags of rice.
While the work was proceeding one of the elephants began to throw the
bags into the river, and it was found that the animal had gone mad.
Having killed his keeper the elephant started in pursuit of the major's
children who with their nurses had been watching the elephants at work.
Old Soup seemed to realize the situation at once. He dashed in between
the mad elephant and the children and engaged the infuriated beast in
mortal combat. The fight lasted for an hour and a half and when the mad
elephant lay dying on the ground it was found that Old Soup had many
wounds to remind him of the fray, his ears were badly torn, his head was
bruised, and one of his tusks was broken off short.
An Elephant Nurse.
Elephants are most affectionate animals and can be trusted even to take
care of children. Old Soup whose gallant fight recorded above gained him
great fame, became the daily guardian of Major Daly's children, whom he
had so heroically rescued. He would accompany them down to the riverside
when they went fishing, and could himself hold a rod and line, which the
children baited for him, watching the float and landing the fish as
skilfully as an accomplished angler.
The Elephant's Intelligence.
As we have seen in the case of a dog and that of a monkey, animals
sometimes rise to the intelligence of willingly submitting to painful
surgical treatment in view of cure. Mr. Kingston tells of an elephant,
which had been severely wounded, and which used to go alone to the
hospital and extend itself so that the surgeon could easily reach the
injured part. Mr. Kingston says: "Though the pain the animal suffered,
was so severe that he often uttered the most plaintive groans, he never
interrupted the operation, but exhibited every token of submission to
the surgeon till his cure was effected." Another instance given by Mr.
Kingston is even more remarkable if only for its analogy to human
conduct. A young elephant had a severe wound in its head, which it had
gained on the battle-field. "Nothing could induce it to allow the injury
to be attended to. At length by certain signs and words, the keeper
explained to the mother what was wanted. The sagacious animal
immediately seized the young one with her trunk, and though it groaned
with agony, held it to the ground, while the surgeon was thus enabled to
dress the wound. Day after day she continued to act in the same way till
the wound was perfectly healed." There is surely no stronger proof of
intelligence than that afforded when present suffering is willingly
endured for the sake of future good.
ORDER IX.
The Coney.
The Coney is a small animal, but it is an animal of distinction. It has
been classed with the Rodents and with the Pachyderms but its
characteristics are so unique that it is thought better to give it a
separate order, and this is placed between the Elephants and the
Rodents. The coney resembles the rabbit in size and general form,
perhaps more than any other animal. There are a number of species
belonging to one genus, the genus Hyrax: In Psalm CIV, 18, the writer
says the rocks are a refuge for the conies, and Agur puts the coney with
three other animals which are both little and wise. "The conies are but
a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks (Proverbs XXX,
26). This description applies to the Syrian Hyrax of our day as truly as
it did to that of the Psalmists time. The coney is found all over
Africa. According to Dr. Kirk it lives in colonies at Mozambique, where
it is often trapped and eaten.
ORDER X.
The Rodents: Animals that Gnaw.
The Rodents are more numerous and various than other class of mammals:
There are said to be 800 or more varieties. These are divided into two
sub-orders: I, The Simplicidentati and, II, the Duplicidentati. Those of
the first sub-order have two incisor teeth in the upper jaw; those of
the second have four. The Simplicidentati include mice, rats, jerboas,
beavers, squirrels, chinchillas, porcupines, guinea pigs, &c.; the
Duplicidentati includes the numerous varieties of hares and rabbits.
Rats and Mice.
There are more than 300 varieties of rats and mice, and they are found
almost everywhere. The rat is an irrepressible stowaway, and following
toothsome cargoes on board ship has made his way nearly all over the
world. This may be said, in a less degree, of the mouse. The better
known varieties of rats are the Brown Rat, the Black Rat, the Water Rat,
the Beaver Rat, the Musk Rat, the Lemming, the Pouched Rat, &c., &c. The
principal varieties of the mouse are, the House Mouse, the Fieldmouse,
the Harvest Mouse, the African Mouse and the Dormouse.
The Rat Family.
The brown rat is the species common in England, and best known
throughout the world. It is said to have travelled from Persia to
England less than two hundred years ago and to have spread from thence
to other countries visited by English ships. It measures about nine
inches, and is of a light brown colour. It multiplies very fast and once
colonised is very difficult of extermination. It is larger and stronger
than the black rat which it found in England when it came and which it
has almost entirely destroyed and replaced. The brown rat is often
mistaken for the water rat as it will take to the water on occasion and
is often found in ditches and watery places. The water rat is common to
central and northern Europe and is well known in England and Scotland.
It differs little from the brown rat in appearance, and inhabits the
banks of rivers and ponds. The black rat is of a deep iron grey, or
nearly black. It is about seven inches long and in other respects bears
a close resemblance to the brown rat. The beaver rat is a native of
America and measures about fourteen inches exclusive of tail. It
resembles the beaver in form, is fond of the water and swims well. At
the approach of winter it builds itself little dome-topped houses, in
which it hibernates in families. In the spring its flesh is good eating,
but later it acquires a musk-like flavour which is disagreeable. It is
easily tamed when young. The Muskovy musk rat is about the size of the
common rat; it has a long and slender nose; no external ears; and very
small eyes; the tail is compressed sideways, and its hind feet are
webbed; it is of a dusky colour; the belly is of a light ash. It is a
native of Lapland and Russia, in the former of which countries it is
called the Desman; it frequents the banks of rivers, and feeds on small
fish. The Hudson's Bay lemming is covered by very fine soft and long
hair of an ash colour. In winter it is white. The limbs are quite short
and the fore feet being formed for burrowing, are very strong. The
Lapland lemming resembles the preceding and is remarkable for its
extensive migrations. When a severe winter is approaching, the lemmings
migrate southward, and move in a straightforward direction with such
inflexible regularity, that, sooner than deviate from it, they will
perish in attempting to pass over any obstacle which they may find in
their way. The pouched rat belongs to America and is found in Florida,
Georgia, and Missouri. It is brown in colour and lives in burrows under
ground. The cheek pouches are external and are said to be used for the
purpose of carrying food and also of removing sand loosened in the
process of burrowing.
The Hamster.
The hamster is a curious little rat-like animal of the thrifty kind,
that lays up store in the summer for winter use. It lives in burrows
which it connects with various apartments, used as storehouses for food.
On the approach of the cold weather it closes the entrance to its
burrow, and makes a nest of straw in which it sleeps; becoming torpid in
extreme cold.
Swarms of Rats.
The rapidity with which rats multiply, makes them troublesome and
unpleasant neighbours. In the vicinity of the horse slaughter-houses at
Montfaucon, near Paris, some years ago, they had become so numerous that
the proposal to remove the slaughter houses was opposed on the ground of
the danger that would accrue to the inhabitants from the rats being
deprived of their means of subsistence. It was said that the carcases
of thirty-five horses, if left unprotected, would be eaten by these rats
in one night, the bones being picked clean. On one occasion, the
carcases of three horses were placed in a high walled enclosure, small
holes having been made in the walls for the admission of the rats, and
subsequently stopped up. Several men armed with torches and sticks, then
entered the yard, which was so full of rats that they could strike right
and left without aim and yet be sure of destroying them. Two thousand
six hundred and fifty rats fell victims to this experiment in one night.
At the end of a month, the experiment having been several times
repeated, sixteen thousand and fifty rats had been killed. The danger
accruing from the burrowing of such enormous quantities of rats is by no
means slight.
Invaded by Rats
The story of Bishop Hatto and the invasion of the "Mäusethurm" on the
Rhine by rats, is well known if not entirely authentic. Some idea of
what it would be to be invaded by rats, may be gathered from Mrs.
Bowdich's graphic account of her own painful experiences. "When living
in Cape Coast Castle, I used to see the rats come in troops past my
door, walking over my black boys as they lay there, and who only turned
themselves over to present the other sides of their faces and bodies
when the rats returned, and thought it a good joke. The fiercest
encounter which I ever had with them was during one of those terrific
storms which are more furious between the tropics than elsewhere. I was
then, however, under the Equator, in a native hut, and heard an
exceeding rustling and movement all around me. To my terror I perceived
that these proceeded from a number of rats running up and down the sides
of the room in which I was to pass the night, and who shortly began to
run over me, they being disturbed by the torrents of rain which were
then falling. The only weapon I could find was a shoe, and curling
myself into a large arm-chair taken out of a French vessel, and covered
with blue satin damask, I sat prepared for my enemies, whom I dreaded
much more than the lightning, which was flashing across the iron bars
laid upon the floor. I felt that the silk of my place of refuge was some
sort of protection against this; but my own arm could alone save me from
my four-footed foes. Presently my husband came in, and saluted me with a
shout of laughter, which, however, abated when he saw my antagonists.
The storm lulled for a while, and the rats retreated. We then crept
within the curtains of bamboo cloth which encircled a rude imitation of
a fourpost bedstead, but I kept possession of my shoe. Weary with
watching, I closed my eyes, but was awakened by a tremendous flash of
lightning, immediately followed by awful thunder and a tumultuous rush
of rats. Some of them scrambled up the outside of the curtains; but,
arms in hand, I sat up, and directed by the noise, I hurled the invaders
to the ground, till at length resistance and the passing away of the
storm allowed me to sleep in peace." This was the brown rat so familiar
all over the world.
Migrations of Rats.
The habit of rats to migrate in numbers, apparently well ordered, and
under leadership, has often been noticed, and the way in which they will
leave a burning house or a sinking ship has often been recorded. These
companies will as a rule pass on their own way, and mind their own
business if unmolested, but instances are recorded of their attacking
and severely biting those who have opposed their progress. The Rev. Mr.
Ferryman, who resided at Quorn in Leicestershire and who made somewhat
of a study of rats, was walking in a meadow one evening when he observed
a large number of rats in the act of migrating from one place to
another. He stood perfectly still, and the whole assemblage passed close
to him. His astonishment, however, was great when he saw amongst the
number an old, blind rat, which held one end of a piece of stick in its
mouth while another rat had hold of the other end of it, and thus
conducted its blind companion.
The Intelligence of Rats.
Some remarkable illustrations of the intelligence of rats have been
recorded from time to time. The following which occurred recently seems
to show both thought and reason. A Burley rat found a dead hen in a
field, one evening, and departed to inform his brethren of the
discovery, when a gentleman, who afterwards reported the incident to the
Leeds _Evening Post_--removed the prize, which the speedy return of
half-a-dozen rats was too late to secure. The first rat plainly evinced
his disappointment, but his friends suspected him of hoaxing them,
turned upon him suddenly, and in a few moments he was as dead as the
chicken which had disappeared, and was left lying on almost the same
spot which it had occupied. Captain Brown tells the following story of
the ingenuity of the rat in self-preservation. "During the great flood
of September, the 4th, 1829, when the river Tyne was at its height, a
number of people were assembled on its margin. A swan at last appeared,
having a black spot on its plumage, which the spectators were surprised
to find, on a nearer approach, was a live rat. It is probable it had
been borne from its domicile on some hay rick, and, observing the swan,
had made for it as an ark of safety. When the swan reached the land, the
rat leapt from its back, and scampered away."
Saved by a Rat.
Perhaps no better example of the intelligence of the rat could be given
than that afforded by the incident quoted by Jesse from Mr. Ferryman.
Mr. Ferryman records that he had an old friend, a clergyman, of retired
and studious habits. When sitting in his room one day, he saw an English
rat come out of a hole at the bottom of the wainscot; and threw it a
piece of bread. In process of time, he so familiarised the animal, that
it became perfectly tame, ran about him, was his constant companion, and
appeared much attached to him. He was in the habit of reading in bed at
night; and was on one occasion awoke by feeling a sharp bite on his
cheek, when he discovered the curtains of his bed to be on fire. He made
his escape, but his house was burnt down, and he saw no more of his rat.
He was, however, convinced, and remained so for the rest of his life,
that his old companion had saved him from being burnt to death, by
biting his cheek; and thus making him aware of his danger.
The Mouse.
The mouse is a much more popular animal than the rat, though taking its
size and numbers into account it is scarcely less destructive. No one
weeps when the rat suffers capital punishment, but many a tear has been
shed over a "dear little mouse". The house mouse is too well known to
need description. Like rats, mice appear to act in companies, either
under leadership or by common consent. Mrs. Bowdich describes a number
of mice which she observed during an illness frequently emerge from her
bed-room closet and gravely form themselves into a circle and apparently
hold a council. That they frequently combine to effect purposes which
they are unable to accomplish singly is well known. Mrs. Bowdich
describes an attempt made by a combined force of mice to get possession
of the dainties provided for her as she approached convalescence. These
were placed under tin covers upon a chest of drawers, and the mice were
evidently of opinion that if they could only climb to the top of these
covers they would find them open like a basin, and so effect an entry.
Unable to gain a footing on the smooth metal sides, "they mounted upon
each other's shoulders and so accomplished the feat", though like arctic
explorers they failed to find an open sea and were compelled to return
with disappointment. An organised attempt to remove a cover from the
bottom, when, on one occasion, it had not been firmly set down, resulted
in an accident similar to those incident to human engineering, for the
cover slipped and many tiny hands were severely pinched. After this
they abandoned their attempts though a single mouse would occasionally
reconnoitre the scene, apparently unsatisfied with the defeat. Mice,
like many other animals, are said to be much affected by music.
The Harvest Mouse.
The harvest mouse is a most interesting little creature; whose habits
are thus described by White of Selborne:--"They build their nest amidst
the straws of the corn above the ground, and sometimes in thistles. They
breed as many as eight at a litter, in a little round nest composed of
the blades of grass or wheat. One of these I procured this autumn, most
artificially plaited, and composed of the blades of wheat, perfectly
round, and about the size of a cricket ball, with the aperture so
ingeniously closed that there is no discovering to what part it
belonged. It was so compact and well filled that it would roll across
the table without being discomposed, though it contained eight little
mice that were naked and blind. As this nest was perfectly full, how
could the dam come at her litter respectively so as to administer a teat
to each? Perhaps she opens different places for that purpose, adjusting
them again when the business is over; but she could not possibly be
contained, herself, in the ball with her young, which moreover would be
daily increasing in bulk. This procreant cradle--an elegant instance of
the efforts of instinct--was found in a wheat field, suspended in the
head of a thistle."
The Field Mouse.
There are two kinds of field mice, the long-tailed and the short-tailed
varieties. The long-tailed field mouse is the mouse immortalised by
Burns, and is found throughout Europe. The short-tailed variety occupies
much the same geographical area, though it probably extends further. The
latter are very destructive, and have sometimes increased to such an
extent, that organised efforts have had to be made to exterminate it.
The Dormouse.
The common dormouse, and the greater dormouse are the principal
varieties of this interesting little animal. They resemble the squirrel
in appearance as well as in some of their habits. They live in trees,
where they construct nests, on nuts, acorns, fruits, insects, birds and
eggs, and squirrel-like rest upon their hindquarters when eating,
holding their food between their forepaws. They lay up store for the
winter and become torpid in the cold weather, rolling themselves into a
ball, in which condition they may be handled without disturbance or
injury. The common dormouse is found all over Europe, the greater
dormouse occupying a still more extended area.
The Jerboa.
The Jerboa is a curious, little animal with the body of a mouse and hind
legs which resemble those of the kangaroo in appearance. There are
several varieties, one belonging to Southern Russia, one to the deserts
of Egypt, Nubia, Arabia, Barbary and Tartary, and one to North America.
They live in burrows which they construct with great care and industry.
They are naturally timid and make for their holes on the slightest
disturbance, leaping kangaroo fashion sometimes as high as five feet,
and so swiftly as to be very difficult of capture. They have very long
tails.
The Beaver.
There are two species of the beaver, the European beaver, and the
American beaver. The former is most numerous in Siberia, Tartary, and
the Caucasus but is also occasionally found in Central Europe. The
American beaver is found throughout North America where it is eagerly
hunted for the sake of its fur.
The European Beaver.
The following anonymous paragraph cut from a newspaper, but likely
enough quoted from some standard Natural History, perhaps that of
Messrs. Cassell and Co., throws some light upon the present condition of
the European beaver.
"There are still some naturalists who assert that the beaver has ceased
to exist in France. This, however, is a mistake; an animal of that
species was caught a short time ago in the Hérault, and is now being
exhibited at Montpelier. Beavers do not live in Europe in large
companies or herds as they do in America, but only in solitude, and in
this state they haunt secondary rivers, such as the Gard and the Gardon.
There are a few on the banks and islands of the Rhone, but as these
creatures are averse to noise, the splashing of the steamers plying to
and fro has driven most of them away. They give a decided preference to
such streams as are overshadowed by the willow, of the bark of which
they are exceedingly fond. The beaver is also to be found as far north
as the Saone, in those valleys where there is peat-ground. It lives in
Spain, in Italy, and in Greece, but always solitary and fugitive. This
curious animal is not only called _Castor Americanus_, but also _Castor
Gallicus_, and not without reason, since the fossil remains of the genus
are sufficient to attest their having been very numerous in France at
some remote period. The little stream of the Bièvre derives its name
from its having been the habitat of these creatures; its resemblance to
the English name beaver need hardly be alluded to. In Europe this
amphibious animal does not build those substantial and commodious
dwellings which have rendered it so celebrated, because the rapacity and
spirit of destruction so common in man have made it suspicious and
cautious."
The American Beaver.
Writing of the American Beaver Dr. Godman says:--"Beavers are not
particular in the site they select for the establishment of their
dwellings, but if in a lake or pond, where a dam is not required, they
are careful to build where the water is sufficiently deep. In standing
waters, however, they have not the advantage afforded by a current for
the transportation of their supplies of wood, which, when they build on
a running stream, is always cut higher up than the place of their
residence, and floated down. The materials used for the construction of
their dams are the trunks and branches of small birch, mulberry, willow,
and poplar trees. They begin to cut down their timber for building
early in the summer, but their edifices are not commenced until about
the middle or latter part of August, and are not completed until the
beginning of the cold season. The strength of their teeth, and their
perseverance in this work, may be fairly estimated by the size of the
trees they cut down. Dr. Best informs us, that he has seen a mulberry
tree, eight inches in diameter, which had been gnawed down by the
beaver. The figure of the dam varies according to circumstances. Should
the current be very gentle, the dam is carried nearly straight across;
but when the stream is swiftly flowing, it is uniformly made with a
considerable curve, having the convex part opposed to the current. Along
with the trunks and branches of trees they intermingle mud and stones,
to give greater security; and when dams have been long undisturbed and
frequently repaired, they acquire great solidity, and their power of
resisting the pressure of water and ice is greatly increased by the
trees occasionally taking root, and eventually growing up into something
of a regular hedge.