dams, and are very rude, though strong, and adapted in size to the
number of their inhabitants. These are seldom more than four old and six
or eight young ones. Double that number have been occasionally found in
one of the lodges, though this is by no means a very common
circumstance. When building their houses, they place most of the wood
crosswise, and nearly horizontally, observing no other order than that
of leaving a cavity in the middle. Branches which project inward are cut
off with their teeth, and thrown among the rest. The houses are by no
means built of sticks first and then plastered, but all the materials,
sticks, mud, and stones, if the latter can be procured, are mixed up
together, and this composition is employed from the foundation to the
summit. The mud is obtained from the adjacent banks or bottom of the
stream or pond near the door of the hut. Mud and stones the beaver
always carries by holding them between his fore paws and throat.
"Their work is all performed at night, and with much expedition. As soon
as any part of the material is placed where it is intended to remain,
they turn round and give it a smart blow with the tail. The same sort of
blow is struck by them upon the surface of the water when they are in
the act of diving. The outside of the hut is covered or plastered with
mud late in the autumn, and after frost has begun to appear. By freezing
it soon becomes almost as hard as stone, and effectually excludes their
great enemy, the wolverine, during the winter."
The Squirrel.
The family of the Squirrel is a very large one and with it are included
the marmots, the prairie dogs, and the anomalures, the latter of which
form a sub-family. The common squirrel, the variety familiar in England,
is a pretty little creature with its bright piercing eyes, and knowing
look, and its graceful bushy tail. It is one of the most agile of
animals, ascending and descending trees with the rapidity of a flash and
so sensitive, that it is said that if the tree upon which its nests is
only touched at the bottom it takes alarm and seeks safety on another
tree. It builds its nests in the forks of branches of trees,--of moss,
twigs, and dried leaves,--and leaps great distances from tree to tree.
The ground squirrel is characterised by fine longitudinal black bands on
its back, which form a very pretty marking. It belongs chiefly to North
America. "It lives in villages under ground," says an American writer,
"and plunders the farmers worse than the gopher. Every two months the
ground squirrel breeds and neither State premiums nor strychnine
diminishes its numbers. It levies an assessment of thirty per cent. on
the profits of a wheat crop in many sections."
The flying squirrel, also common in the United States, has a membranous
skin which extends from the fore limbs along the body to the hind limbs
by which its body is buoyed up as it descends obliquely through the air
from the tree to the ground, the tail operating as a rudder. One species
of the flying squirrel is found in Europe and several in India.
The Squirrel at Home.
Mr. Head gives a graphic description of his experiences with a squirrel
in the Canadian woods. He says:--"I was waiting the approach of a large
flock of wild fowl, but a little villain of a squirrel on the bough of a
tree close to me, seemed to have determined that even now I should not
rest in quiet, for he sputtered and chattered with so much vehemence,
that he attracted the attention of my dog, whom I could scarcely
control. The vagrant inattention of my dog was truly mortifying; he kept
his eyes fixed upon the squirrel, now so noisy as to be quite
intolerable. With my hand, I made a motion to threaten him, but the
little beast actually set up his back, and defied me, becoming even more
passionate and noisy than before, till all of a sudden, as if absolutely
on purpose to alarm the game, down he let himself drop, plump at once
within a couple of yards of Rover's nose. This was too much for any
four-footed animal to bear, so he gave a bounce and sprang at the
impertinent squirrel, who, in one second, was safe out of his reach,
cocking his tail, and showing his teeth on the identical bough where he
had sat before. Away flew all the wild fowl, and my sport was completely
marred. My gun went involuntarily to my shoulder to shoot the squirrel.
At the same moment, I felt I was about to commit an act of sheer
revenge, on a little courageous animal which deserved a better fate. As
if aware of my hesitation, he nodded his head with rage, and stamped his
fore paws on the tree: while in his chirruping, there was an intonation
of sound, which seemed addressed to an enemy for whom he had an utter
contempt. What business, I could fancy he said, had I there, trespassing
on his domain, and frightening his wife and little family, for whom he
was ready to lay down his life? There he would sit in spite of me, and
make my ears ring with the sound of his war whoop, till the spring of
life should cease to bubble in his little heart."
Tame Squirrels.
Captain Brown tells of a gentleman who had a tame squirrel, who used to
run up his legs and enter his pocket when he saw him preparing to go
out. From this safe retreat the squirrel often poked his head and peeped
at the people as they passed, but never ventured to emerge until the
crowded thoroughfares were passed. When they reached the outskirts of
the city, however, the squirrel leaped to the ground, ran along the
road, ascended trees and hedges, with the quickness of lightning, and
nibbled at the leaves and bark. If the gentleman walked on, it would
descend, scamper after him, and again enter his pocket. On hearing a
carriage or cart, it became much alarmed, and always hid itself till it
had passed by. This gentleman had a dog, between which and the squirrel
a certain enmity existed. Whenever the dog lay asleep, the squirrel
would show its teasing disposition, by rapidly descending from its box,
scampering over the dog's body, and quickly mounting to its box again.
Another squirrel who frequented his master's pocket, on one occasion
rendered important service. One evening, as was his practice, when his
master's coat was taken off and hung behind a door, the squirrel ran up
the door and took up his quarters in the familiar pocket, carrying with
him a supply of tow with which to make himself comfortable for the
night. After all the family had retired to rest, a burglar made his
appearance, effected an entrance, and proceeded to examine the pockets
of the coat hanging to the door. Putting his hand rather unceremoniously
into the squirrel's bedroom the robber received such a sharp and
unexpected bite that he could not forbear to cry out and the master of
the house, aroused by the unusual sound, entered the room, armed with a
poker, just in time to secure the thief as he was escaping through the
window.
The Marmot. The Bobak. The Prairie Dog.
Marmots are found in the northern parts of both the old and the new
worlds. The Bobak belongs to southern Russia, the Prairie Dog to North
America and the Woodchuck to Canada.
The marmot is easily tamed and is familiar to many from being made the
companion of itinerant Savoyards who exhibit them when asking alms. The
Bobak is also readily amenable to kindness. All these animals live in
burrows and are exceedingly interesting in their habits. The anomalure
is a squirrel with a membranous skin resembling to some extent that of
the flying squirrels and used by it for the same purpose. It belongs to
Fernando Po.
The Chinchilla.
The Chinchilla is about nine inches long, its tail being about five
inches. Its eyes are full, like those of the rabbit, its hind legs are
long, its fore ones short. It sits upon its haunches, and takes its food
in its fore paws. It is found in Chili and Peru, and inhabits the open
country, living in burrows, and subsisting on the roots of bulbous
plants, which are abundant in those regions. Great numbers of them are
killed for their skins, which furnish the most delicate and beautiful of
furs. The Alpine Viscacha and the Viscacha of the Pampas, are included
in the same family.
The Porcupine.
The Porcupine is found throughout Africa and southern Asia and also in
the south of Europe. "Less completely covered with weapons of defence
than the hedgehog," says Captain Brown, "the porcupine possesses them in
greater strength, for its formidable quills are capable of inflicting
severe wounds. When irritated or in danger it raises its quills on its
back; but it is though fretful, not fierce in disposition but easily
tamed." When cornered the porcupine turns its back to its assailant, who
usually wounds himself by coming in contact with the quills. The
porcupine lives in burrows by itself; it is a lonely animal. The Cavies
and the Agouti of America are classified with this family. Among the
former is the Capybara, the largest of the rodents, an animal which
attains to from three to four feet in length. It belongs to Brazil,
Guinea, and Paraguay. The Canadian porcupine, and the Brazilian
porcupine, are tree porcupines and are only found in America.
The Guinea Pig.
The Guinea Pig (_Cavia Cobaya_) is said to be the domestic form of the
_Cavia Aperea_ of Brazil and Peru. It derives its name from its supposed
place of origin, as it was said to have been first introduced into
England from Guinea. It is tailless, but clean and neat in appearance,
being marked with black, white, and orange colours. It is said to lack
intelligence and to be destitute of attachment, suffering its young to
be destroyed without resistance. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it
has so many; it breeds at intervals of two months and produces from
three to twelve young ones at a birth.
Hares and Rabbits.
We come now to the second sub-order of the Rodents or animals that gnaw,
the _Duplicidentati_, the rodents having four incisor teeth in the upper
jaw. This brings us to the Hares and Rabbits, of which there are
numerous species, the Common Hare, the Irish or Mountain Hare and the
Common Rabbit being the best known. The Irish or Mountain Hare is
somewhat larger than the common hare and changes from brown to white in
the winter. The Sardinian, the Egyptian, the Polar, and the Sage hares
are other varieties.
The Common Hare.
The Common Hare is a familiar animal and needs no description. It is
found throughout Europe and is well known in England. The hare hides
during the day under cover of low foliage, ferns, and the undergrowth of
preserves, in spots known as 'forms'. Its habit of making a definite
track from its form to its feeding grounds and of always following its
own track makes it an easy sacrifice to those who know its ways. It is
exceedingly swift in its movements, and it is well that it is so, for
its only safety is in flight and in the sagacity and cunning it shows
in eluding its pursuers. Many illustrations of the latter have been
recorded. Fouilloux mentions a hare which he saw start from its form at
the sound of a hunter's horn, run towards a pool of water at a
considerable distance, plunge in and swim to some rushes in the middle,
and there lay down and conceal itself from the pursuit of the dogs.
Another hare, when closely pressed passed under a gate, the dogs leaping
over it. The hare quickly perceived the advantage it had gained by this,
and so doubled, returning under the gate, the dogs following over it as
before. This was repeated several times until taking advantage of the
exhaustion of the dogs the hare escaped. The hare will often run
perfectly straight while in view of the hounds, but immediately on
gaining the slightest cover will double, and redouble with astonishing
rapidity, apparently to confuse the scent.
[Illustration: A Hare's-breadth Escape]
The Intelligence of the Hare.
The following anecdote seems to show remarkable intelligence on the part
of a hare. It is from a statement made by Mr. Yarrell in the "Magazine
of Natural History":--"A harbour of great extent on our southern coast
has an island near the middle, of considerable size, the nearest point
of which is a mile distant from the mainland at high water, and with
which point there is frequent communication by a ferry. Early one
morning in spring two hares were observed to come down from the hills of
the mainland towards the seaside, one of which from time to time left
its companion, and proceeding to the very edge of the water, stopped
there a minute or two, and then returned to its mate. The tide was
rising, and after waiting some time, one of them, exactly at high water,
took to the sea, and swam rapidly over, in a straight line, to the
opposite projecting point of land. The observer on this occasion, who
was near the spot, but remained unperceived by the hares, had no doubt
that they were of different sexes, and that it was the male--like
another Leander--which swam across the water, as he had probably done
many times before. It was remarkable that the hares had remained on the
shore nearly half an hour, one of them occasionally examining, as it
would seem, the state of the current, and ultimately taking to the sea
at that precise period of the tide called slack water, when the passage
across could be effected without being carried by the force of the
stream either above or below the desired point of landing. The other
hare then cantered back to the hills."
A Hunted Hare.
The following story of a hunted hare is from "The Annals of Sporting,"
for May 1822:--"Two years ago, a doe hare produced two young ones in a
field adjoining my cottage; and the three were occasionally seen, during
the summer, near the same spot. But the leverets were, I have reason to
believe, killed at the latter end of September of the same year; the old
doe hare was also coursed, and making directly for my cottage, entered
the garden, and there blinked the dogs. I repeatedly afterwards saw her
sitting, sometimes in the garden, (which is one hundred and ten yards by
forty-three,) but more frequently in the garden-hedge. She was
repeatedly seen by greyhounds when she sat at some distance, but
uniformly made for the garden, and never failed to find security. About
the end of the following January, puss was no longer to be seen about
the garden, as she had probably retired to some distance with a male
companion. One day, in February, I heard the hounds, and shortly
afterwards observed a hare making towards the garden, which it entered
at a place well known, and left not the least doubt on my mind, that it
was my old acquaintance, which, in my family, was distinguished by the
name of Kitty. The harriers shortly afterwards came in sight, followed
Kitty, and drove her from the garden. I became alarmed for the safety of
my poor hare, and heartily wished the dogs might come to an
irrecoverable fault. The hare burst away with the fleetness of the wind,
and was followed breast high, by her fierce and eager pursuers. In
about twenty minutes I observed Kitty return towards the garden,
apparently much exhausted, and very dirty. She took shelter beneath a
small heap of sticks, which lay at no great distance from the kitchen
door. No time was to be lost, as, by the cry of the hounds, I was
persuaded they were nearly in sight. I took a fishing-net, and, with the
assistance of the servant, covered poor Kitty, caught her, and conveyed
the little, panting, trembling creature into the house. The harriers
were soon at the spot, but no hare was to be found. I am not aware that
I ever felt greater pleasure than in thus saving poor Kitty from her
merciless pursuers. Towards evening I gave Kitty her liberty; I turned
her out in the garden, and saw her not again for some time. In the
course of the following summer, however, I saw a hare several times,
which I took to be my old friend; and, in the latter end of October,
Kitty was again observed in the garden. Henceforward she was
occasionally seen as on the preceding winter. One morning, in January,
when I was absent, a gun was fired near my cottage; Kitty was heard to
scream, but, nevertheless, entered the garden vigorously. The matter was
related to me on my return home; and I was willing to hope that Kitty
would survive. However, I had some doubt on the subject; and, the next
morning, as soon as light permitted, I explored the garden, and found
that my poor unfortunate favourite had expired; she was stretched
beneath a large gooseberry tree; and I could not help very much
regretting her death."
Tame Hares.
Though exceedingly timid creatures hares are readily tamed, and have
often become as domesticated as cats and dogs. Cowper's experiments with
hares will naturally occur to the reader, besides which there are cases
recorded where tame hares have been associated in domesticity with cats
and even sporting dogs. One possessed by Mr. A. S. Moffat was thus
domiciled and would feed from the same plate with a cat and a dog. This
hare would knock a book out of its master's hand to secure his
attention.
The Common Rabbit.
The Common Rabbit is found all over the British Isles, as well as in
France and Spain; and in the north of Africa where it is indigenous. It
is smaller than the hare and lives in burrows, in large numbers,
completely honey-combing sand hills which are covered with grass and
vegetation. Before producing her young, the female forms a separate
burrow where she conceals them after birth. This is done to protect them
from the male who destroys, if he discovers them. The young are born
blind and gain their sight after ten days. They are a month old before
they are allowed to leave the burrow.
ORDER XI.
Toothless Animals.
Curiously enough this order, though denominated toothless, includes
several animals which have well developed dental arrangements. In these,
however, the teeth are not found in the front of the jaw, and those
which are found are elementary and simple. Several families are
classified with this order, of which the Sloth, the Pangolin, the
Armadillo, the Cape Ant-Bear, and the Ant-Eater are the best known
representatives.
The Sloth.
The Sloth belongs to South America. "In its wild state," says Waterton,
"the Sloth spends its whole life in the trees, and never leaves them but
through force or accident, and, what is more extraordinary, not _upon_
the branches, like the squirrel and monkey, but _under_ them. He _moves_
suspended from the branch, he _rests_ suspended from the branch, and he
_sleeps_ suspended from the branch." "In fact," says the Rev. J. G.
Wood, "as Sydney Smith observes, he passes a life of suspense, like a
curate distantly related to a Bishop. To render it fit for this singular
mode of life, its long and powerful arms are furnished with strong
curved claws, which hook round the branches, and keep the animal
suspended without any effort. When on the ground, these claws are very
inconvenient, and it can barely shuffle along; but when it is in its
native element, it moves with exceeding rapidity, particularly in a gale
of wind, when it passes from branch to branch, and from tree to tree,
with an activity which its movements on the ground by no means portend."
The Pangolin.
There are two species of the Pangolin, or Manis, the long-tailed and the
short-tailed, the former being a native of Africa and the latter of the
East Indies. The long-tailed manis measures about five feet inclusive of
the tail which is about three feet long, the short-tailed manis about
four feet in all. All the upper parts of its body are closely covered
with scales of different sizes, which, as they are attached to the skin
only by the lower extremity, it can erect at pleasure, opposing to its
adversary a formidable row of offensive weapons. They are sharp at the
point, and so hard as, on collision, to strike fire like a flint. The
moment it perceives the approach of an enemy, it rolls itself up like a
hedgehog, by which means it covers all the weaker parts of its body. The
Pangolins live on ants, which they catch by thrusting their long slender
tongues into the midst of their prey, their tongues being covered by a
gummy saliva to which the ants adhere.
The Armadillo.
The Armadillo is a native of South America, in which country there are
several varieties. They are all covered with a strong crust or shell,
resembling, as the Rev. J. G. Wood puts it, "the modified plate armour"
worn by men in the 16th century. They eat vegetables and insects, and do
good work as scavengers. They burrow with great rapidity and when rolled
up, after the manner of the hedgehog, are invulnerable to their ordinary
enemies.
The Cape Ant-Bear.
The Cape Ant-Bear belongs to the Cape of Good Hope. It differs from the
ant-eaters of the western world in many ways, being a hairy animal
without scales, its head resembling that of the deer kind, having long
ears but no horns. The length of its body which is covered with
bristles is about four feet, and its feet which are short, are furnished
with strong claws which enable it to excavate the cavities in which it
lives.
The Ant-Eater.
The true Ant-Eater is found in the South American tropics. The Great
Ant-Eater belongs to La Plata, the Little Ant-Eater to the Brazils. The
Great Ant-Eater is four feet in length, without its tail, which is two
feet six inches long. The true ant-eater like the Pangolin already
described inserts its long tongue into the nest of the ant, catching its
little victims in large numbers by the sticky mucus which covers its
tongue.
ORDER XII.
Pouched Animals.
Of the several families classed in this order the opossums and the
kangaroos are the most familiar. The Dasyures of Tasmania and the
Bandicoots of Australia and New Guinea also belong to this order, as do
the many varieties of the Phalanger of Australasia and those of the
Wombat of Tasmania. The pouch is one of the most remarkable provisions
of Nature, the young of the pouched animals being small and of imperfect
form at birth and requiring the protection of the pouch for their
sustenance and development.
The Opossum.
The common Opossum, which is a native of Virginia, is about the size of
a badger. It is provided with a pouch, in which it carries its young,
and into which they leap on the approach of danger. Its covering is a
coat of long fur, of a dingy white colour. It feeds upon fish, birds,
insects, and reptiles. Its tail is very muscular, and by this it hangs
from the branches of trees and, watching its prey, lets itself fall upon
its victims with great precision. Its hind feet are formed something
like hands, by which it is enabled to climb with wonderful facility. The
opossum when caught often simulates death so admirably that he deceives
his captors and ultimately escapes them.
The Kangaroo.
The Kangaroo belongs to Australia and New Guinea. The length of its body
is from four to five feet six inches; its fore legs are very short; its
hind ones very long. Its tail is from three to four feet in length, and
its strength is such, that a stroke of it will break a man's leg. The
Kangaroo moves by great leaps or bounds of from twelve to twenty feet.
It is covered with a short soft fur, of a reddish ash-colour. It feeds
on vegetables, and has a pouch for its young, like the opossum. Mr.
Cunningham says: "The Kangaroos make no use of the short fore legs,
except in grazing. When chased, they hop upon their hind legs, bounding
onward at a most amazing rate, the tail wagging up and down as they
leap, and serving them for a balance. They will bound over gulleys and
deep declivities, and fly right over the tops of low brush wood." There
are several varieties of this animal; one of which, called the Rat
Kangaroo, is only the size of a rabbit; another, called the Tree
Kangaroo, can hop about on trees in an extraordinary manner and is
furnished with curved claws, on its fore paws, similar to those of the
sloth, by which he can lay hold of the branches.
Kangaroo Hunting.