condemned to pass the night in one of the cells. Just as he was going to
sleep he was startled by hearing a noise, which he knew could only be
occasioned by a snake. Instead of jumping up and calling to the sentinel
for help, and perhaps treading on the snake and being bitten by it, he
lay perfectly still, knowing that unless disturbed the snake would not
hurt him. Presently the snake drew its cold slimy body over his bare
feet. There are few persons who, in a similar condition, would not have
drawn up their legs with a start, but our hero did not even move. Soon
the snake began to crawl over his body and even passed over his face.
The poor soldier hardly dared to breathe. At last the reptile coiled
itself under his pillow, and when day broke our soldier, seizing the
stone with which he ought to have blocked up the hole by which the snake
entered, crushed it to death. On being examined, the reptile proved to
be of a kind whose bite is almost invariably fatal.
The Boa Constrictor.
The Boa Constrictor is one of the largest of the snake kind. It is not
venomous, but is possessed of enormous strength which it shows by
coiling itself round the object of its attack and crushing it into a
shapeless mass. It belongs to tropical America and feeds on birds, and
animals of all kinds, not hesitating to attack even the larger
quadrupeds. The following account from the pen of Mr. Byam will give an
idea of the way in which these monsters dispose of their prey.
The Boa and its Prey.
An Englishman and an Indian, travelling together through a thick forest,
heard a noise like the cry of a child in great pain. Pulling out their
pistols, and tying up their horses, they proceeded to the spot, and
there saw a boa crushing a young roebuck with short horns. It had wound
itself twice round its prey, just behind the shoulders, one coil lying
on the other to increase the weight, and its teeth were fastened on the
back of the deer's head. The tail was twisted twice round a young tree
close by. It was too busy to observe the strangers; and the Englishman
wished to attack it, and save the deer; but the Indian walked off very
gently, and made signs to him to follow. When they had regained their
horses, the Indian said it would have been madness to have fought with
the irritated animal, and they went their way. This was seven in the
morning, and they marked the spot by notching the trees. At four in the
afternoon they again passed that way, and found the boa lying straight
upon the ground; one of the horns of the roebuck sticking out of a
corner of the mouth, and the other looking as if it would perforate the
neck of the snake; the tail was still coiled round the tree, and the
middle of the body looked like a nine-gallon cask. A few blows of the
hunting sword about the tail finished the monster; but when attacked, it
tried to throw up the deer." The boa has been known to measure upwards
of twenty-five feet, though commonly not exceeding eighteen feet.
The Boa's Appetite.
Captain Heyland thus describes a boa which was in his possession for
some time:--"The animal was brought to me early in January, and did not
taste food from that time until the July following. During this period
he generally drank a quart of water daily. The man who brought him
stated, that he had been seen to eat a hog deer the day before he was
taken. He was allowed to be at liberty in the grounds about my house.
One evening early in July, hearing a noise, I went out, and discovered
that the snake had left his harbour, under the boards of a stable where
he generally lay; and having entered a small shed in which some fowls
were roosting, had swept eleven from the perch, and destroyed them by
pressing them between his folds. Then taking them one by one, head
foremost into his mouth, swallowed the whole down in twenty minutes. The
largest animal that he ate while in my possession was a calf, which he
killed and gorged in two hours and twenty minutes. He never attacked
dogs, cats, or pigs. Of these last, indeed, he seemed to be in dread,
for, whenever one was presented to him, he retired to a corner, and
coiled himself up, with his head undermost. If fed with animals not
larger than a duck, he ate readily every day; but after the meal of a
goat, refused food for a month."
A Terrible Boa.
Not many years ago, says a writer in "Chums," a boa escaped from a
menagerie at Grenoble, and disappeared without leaving a trace. A few
days afterwards a certain Monsieur Flisson went on a visit to Beauregard
along with a friend, who accompanied him on an excursion among the
romantic hills and rocks in that part of the country. At a particularly
interesting spot he tarried behind his friend, and, in order to enjoy
the glorious prospect, sat down on what appeared to be a stone covered
with soft moss. It was eight o'clock in the evening, and M. Flisson,
though shortsighted, was a man of prodigious strength. This was lucky
for him, for the stone now began to move under him, stretched itself out
with the elasticity of a spring, and lifted him several feet from the
ground. M. Flisson had sat down on the boa. Before he had time to
recover his presence of mind, he felt himself rolling downwards. The
serpent had curled his tail round a tree-trunk, and Flisson held its
head firmly grasped between his hands. A strange and terrible struggle
ensued. The boa, securely fastened to the tree, pulled upwards, and
Flisson, still clinging with herculean strength to the head of the
creature, found himself at last swinging over a precipice or about
seventy feet in depth, as though suspended by a rope. In this terrible
situation he remained ten minutes, until his friend, with the assistance
of a few countrymen, came to his relief.
A Narrow Escape.
Mr. Byam's book contains many interesting anecdotes of the experiences
of travellers, of which the following snake story is one.
"Two travellers passed a hillock in a marsh, and heard some groans
proceeding from a man on the top of it. Earnestly beckoned to approach,
they at first hesitated, thinking it might be a contrivance to entice
them into danger. They, however, went near, and the man told them that,
while asleep, a snake had crept up his loose drawers, and was then lying
on his stomach, and from what he had seen of it, he believed it to be a
Coral-snake, one of the deadliest of the western serpents. He had
nothing on but his drawers and a short cloak. The travellers saw the
form of the snake under the drawers; they dismounted, put on thick
gloves, took a pair of scissors, cut very carefully through the drawers
till they came to the head of the animal, still fast asleep, and then
one of them seized it by the neck, and so released the poor man. It was
nearly three feet long, as thick as a walking-stick, coral-red in
colour, with yellow rings. The poor man said he had passed two or three
hours in that dangerous situation, which appeared as long as weeks, and
had called to two or three passers-by, who had all avoided him, from the
supposition that it was the decoy of a marauding Indian. He was
completely unmanned, and his strength was prostrated by his
apprehensions."
CLASS IV--BATRACHIA.
The Batrachia.
Class IV of the Vertebrata comprises the Batrachia. Batrachia, which are
divided into three orders: I Pseudophidia, II Urodela, III Anura. The
first order comprises the limbless worm-like reptiles of the genus
Cæcilia of Africa and South America; the second includes the Newts, the
Salamanders, etc., etc.; the third the Frogs and the Toads. Leaving the
first two orders, we devote a few lines to the third, dealing with the
Toad, the Common Frog and the Tree Frog. The members of this order are
singular for the extraordinary changes through which they pass between
birth and maturity. As Tadpoles, in which form they first reach life,
they have thick black legless bodies ending in tapering tails, and are
provided with the fishlike anatomy necessary to an aquatic existence. In
the process of development they completely change both in internal
arrangement and external appearance. The gills are exchanged for lungs,
the legs supersede the tail and the internal system undergoes
corresponding change. In the end the animal becomes semi-aquatic,
capable of living under water for some time, but compelled to come to
the surface for air at intervals; and also of living out of the water
altogether in such places as afford sufficient moisture, damp being as
necessary to their comfort as food and air. They hybernate in the winter
and propagate in the spring; and in times of drought burrow into the
earth and remain lethargic until rain falls. They feed on insects and
slugs for which they have a voracious appetite. Their tongues, which
like those of the chameleon and other insect eaters, are furnished with
a sticky mucus to which insects adhere,--when in repose, turn inwards
towards the throat, and the act of catching flies and other insects is
simply that of flapping the tongue out and in again, an act performed
with such rapidity as to almost escape observation.
The Common Toad.
The toad is found in all temperate and torrid climes. It hides in damp
secluded places during the day emerging in search of food at night, or
after the fall of rain. Though voracious in its appetite, it can
accommodate itself to circumstances, and can subsist with little food,
if its abode be damp. Failing food and damp, it has yet another
resource, namely that of sleep, or torpor, in which condition it can lay
by and wait for better times. Under such circumstances, the toad
naturally lives a long life, and survives conditions usually fatal. The
voracity of the toad is attested by the following incident, furnished by
Captain Brown. "A gentleman who resides at Keswick, Cumberland, one
evening in the latter end of July, observed a rustling among the
strawberries in his garden, and on examining what it was, found that a
toad had just seized a field-mouse, which had got on the toad's back,
scratching and biting to get released, but in vain. The toad kept his
hold, and as the strength of the mouse failed, he gradually drew the
unfortunate little animal into his mouth, and gorged him."
Tame Toads.
The toad may be easily tamed. Mr. Wood tells of one which lived with a
family for years and was in the habit of supping on a piece of sugar.
The story of the Duke of Wellington and the tame toad deserves telling
in this connection. The Duke of Wellington was one day taking his usual
country walk, when he heard a cry of distress. He walked to the spot,
and found a chubby, rosyfaced boy lying on the ground, and bending his
head over a tame toad, and crying as if his little heart would break.
Enquiry elicited the fact that the boy was about to be sent to boarding
school and that he was afraid the toad, lacking his attention, would die
in his absence. The duke promised to look after the toad, and apprise
the boy, from time to time, of its condition. During the time the boy
was at school he received five letters couched in the following
terms:--_Strathfieldsaye, July 27, 1837_. "Field Marshal the Duke of
Wellington is happy to inform William Harries that his toad is alive and
well." When the boy returned for his Christmas holidays, the toad was,
as the duke said, "Alive and well," but, in accordance with the usual
habits of these animals, he was in his winter's sleep, in which he
remained until spring and genial weather brought him from his
well-guarded hole in the ground.
The Common Frog.
The Common Frog (_Rana Temporaria_) is now found all over the British
Isles. Formerly unknown in Ireland it was introduced there about the
year 1700 and has since spread all over the country. The frog is more
sociable than the toad, and is often seen, and heard in large numbers;
his habits, however, are very similar, and his mode of seizing his prey
the same. The Edible Frog belongs to Europe, where it is used as an
article of food, and is not found in England. The Bull Frog is an Indian
Variety and attains to a great size. The American Bull Frog is also an
interesting species.
The Ingenuity of the Frog.
Mr. Jesse gives the following illustration of the ingenuity of the Frog:
"I may mention a curious observation made in regard to some frogs that
had fallen down a small area, which gave light to one of the windows of
my house. The top of the area being on a level with the ground, was
covered with some iron bars, through which the frogs fell. During dry
and warm weather, when they could not absorb much moisture, I observed
them to appear almost torpid; but when it rained they became impatient
of their confinement, and endeavoured to make their escape, which they
did in the following manner. The wall of the area was about five feet in
height, and plastered and whitewashed, as smooth as the ceiling of a
room. Upon this surface the frogs soon found that their claws would
render them little or no assistance; they therefore contracted their
large feet, so as to make a hollow in the centre, and by means of the
moisture which they had imbibed in consequence of the rain, they
contrived to produce a vacuum, so that by the pressure of the air on the
extended feet (in the same way that we see boys take up a stone by means
of a piece of wet leather fastened to a string), they ascended the wall
and made their escape. This happened constantly in the course of three
years."
The Tree Frog.
The Tree Frog, of which there are numerous varieties, belongs to both
East and West occurring in China and Japan or well as in North and South
America. It is not found in England. Mr. Gosse says: "They are very
numerous in the damp woods of tropical America, and reside by day in the
tufts of those parasitical plants, which form reservoirs for rain-water.
The under-surface of their bodies is very different to that of the
terrestrial species; for the skin, instead of being smooth, is covered
with granular glands, pierced by numerous pores, through which the dew
or rain, spread on the surface of the leaves, is rapidly absorbed into
the system, and reserved to supply the moisture needful for cutaneous
respiration. The males make the woods resound throughout the night with
their various cries, and, mingled with the shrill chirping of insects,
quite banish sleep from the stranger's eyes."
CLASS V--PISCES.
Fishes.
We come now to the fifth and last class of the Vertebrata, a class so
large that it is impossible to deal adequately with it in a single
volume of ordinary size, much less in a single section of one treating
of the whole of the vertebrates. There are said to be 10,000 species, so
that a book which devoted one page to each would make an enormous
volume. All that can be done here is to deal with a few of the better
known species, as far as possible selecting types of orders-without
attempting to follow closely any classification. Günther divides the
Fishes into six sub-classes, which are further arranged in thirteen
orders. The first of these orders includes the Sticklebacks, the
Perches, the Mullets, the Gurnards, the Mackerel and the Sword-fish
besides others. Of these we can deal with but two or three.
The Stickleback.
The Stickleback associated with the earliest efforts of the youthful
angler, and most of us can remember capturing specimens of some fresh
water variety, in the days of childhood, and carrying them home in
triumph, in a bottle. There are a number of species of the stickleback,
some living in fresh water and some being marine. They are extremely
voracious and it is a good job for a large number of other living things
that they are no bigger than they are. They are also very pugnacious,
and fight among themselves with great determination. The Stickleback is
about an inch and a half in length and is furnished with spines, which
it uses with great effect when fighting with its enemies.
The Stickleback and the Leech.
Mr. John Stark who experimented with some sticklebacks and leeches some
years ago, gives the following description of his experiences.
"On putting the leeches into the water, the stickleback darted round the
tumbler with lively motions till it found a leech detached, and in a
proper situation for being seized. When the leech was very small, say
about half an inch in length, it was often swallowed at once before it
reached the bottom of the vessel, but when a larger one, about an inch,
or an inch and a half in length in its expanded state, was put in, and
had fastened itself by its mouth to the glass, the efforts of the
stickleback to seize and tear it from its hold, were incessant, and
never failed to succeed. It darted at the loose extremity, or, when both
ends were fastened, at the curve in its middle, seized it in its mouth,
rose to near the surface, and after a hearty shake (such as a dog would
give a rat) let it drop. The leech, who evidently wished to avoid its
enemy upon its release, again attached itself by its mouth to the glass;
but again and again the attack was repeated, till the poor leech became
exhausted, and ceased to attempt holding itself by its disc. The
stickleback then seized it by the head in a proper position for
swallowing, and after a few gulps the leech disappeared. The flattened
leech being of an oval form, and having a hard skin, was not attacked,
unless when very young, and small; and leeches of the other species when
pretty well grown, or larger than himself when expanded, were killed in
the manner above mentioned, but not swallowed. In one of his attempts to
seize a leech, the stickleback having got it by the tail, the animal
curled back and fixed its disc upon his snout. The efforts of the
stickleback to rid himself of this encumbrance were amusing. He let go
his hold of the leech, which then hung over his mouth, and darting at
the bottom and sides of the glass with all his strength, endeavoured to
rub off this tantalizing morsel. This lasted for nearly a minute, when
at last he got rid of the leech by rubbing his back upon the bottom of
the vessel. The leech, perfectly aware of the company he was in, no
sooner loosed his hold, than he attempted to wriggle away from his
devourer; but before he had reached mid-way up the tumbler, the
stickleback had turned and finished the contest by swallowing him up."
The Mackerel.
The Mackerel is one of the most useful as well as one of the most
beautiful of familiar fishes. It measures from twelve to twenty inches
and weighs from one and a half to two or three pounds. It is elegant of
form and brilliant of colour, as well as agreeable as an article of
food. Mackerel visit the coast of England in vast shoals at certain
seasons, but retire to deep seas for the winter. They are exceedingly
voracious, and prey upon the herrings; Captain Brown tells a story of a
number of mackerel fastening on to a sailor who had plunged into their
midst for a bath. The man was rescued by his comrades, but he died soon
after from loss of blood.
The Sword-fish.
The Sword-fish is a formidable member of this order. It is found in the
Mediterranean, and the Atlantic, and sometimes visits the English coast.
It has been known to measure ten feet or more without the sword, with
which it attains even to a length of fifteen feet. It attacks other
large fish and is a great enemy to the whale, which it charges with
great force and destructive effect. It is said sometimes to mistake the
hull of a ship for the body of a whale and to charge it accordingly,
with the result that it leaves its sword fixed in the ship's timbers as
the bee leaves its sting in human flesh. The sword of this fish is
formed by the elongation of its upper jaw, and some idea of the force
with which it can be used may be gained from the fact that one found in
the hull of a ship at Liverpool and described by Scoresby had
penetrated a sheet of copper, an oak plank two and a half inches in
thickness, a solid oak timber of seven and a half inches, and another
plank also of two inches. "The position of the bone was at the distance
of four feet horizontally from the stern, and two feet below the surface
of the water when the vessel was afloat. Hence, it appeared, that when
the ship had been in rapid progress through the water, she had been met
with and struck by a sword-fish advancing in an opposite direction, by
the shock of which, or by the action of the water forced past the body
of the animal by the vessel's progress, the snout had been broken off
and detached. The blow, though it must have been singularly forcible,
was not observed by any person in the ship. Had the bone been withdrawn,
the vessel would probably have foundered." Mr. Wood says in one
instance, a Sword-fish attacking a whaling-ship, drove its weapon
"through the copper sheathing, an inch board sheathing, a three-inch
plank of hard wood, the solid white oak timber of the ship twelve inches
thick, through another two-and-a-half inch hard oak ceiling plank, and
lastly, perforated the head of an oil-cask, where it still remained
immovably fixed, so that not a single drop of oil escaped."
The Cod.
The third order of Dr. Günther's classification includes many of the
more familiar fishes. Here we find the Cod, the Haddock, the Plaice, the
Flounder, the Halibut, the Turbot, the Brill, and the Sole. Of these we
will take the Cod as representative. The Cod is one of the most prolific
of fish. Enormous quantities are caught and consumed every year, and yet
the number seems to increase rather than decrease. This is accounted for
by the fact, that the spawn of one fish will sometimes contain nine
millions of eggs. The Cod frequents the deep seas of the temperate and
colder climes, not being found in any quantities north of Iceland, or
South of Gibraltar. They are found chiefly in the Northern Atlantic
where extensive fisheries are carried on, but they are also caught in
the Firth of Forth at the mouth of which some of the best are taken. The
Cod grows very rapidly and often to a great size. One is said to have
been caught off Scarborough many years ago which weighed seventy-eight
pounds and measured five feet eight inches in length. They feed on
herrings, sprats, mollusca, worms, and small shell-fish, are very
voracious, and have excellent digestions. Captain Brown killed one at
Killough, Co. Down, Ireland in which he found upwards of fifty small
crabs, and other testaceous and crustaceous animals. The Cod fisheries
find employment for a large number of people and are a great source of
profit. The flesh is highly valued as an article of diet, and the liver
for the properties of the oil which it produces, while other parts are
used for various purposes.
The Salmon.
In the Fourth order of Dr. Günther's classification we find the Salmon,
the Trout, the Pike, the Flying Fish, the Carp, the Roach, the Chub, the
Herring, the Sardine, the Anchovy, the Gymnotus and the Eel, besides
other fish. Of these the Salmon takes easy precedence. Izaak Walton
called it "the King of fresh water fish," and many have accorded it the
first place among its kind for the delicacy of its flavour. It is of
migratory habits, leaving the sea in the autumn and ascending rivers for
the purpose of depositing its spawn, and returning to the sea in the
spring. In seeking suitable places for its purpose the salmon brooks no
obstacle, leaping with great vigour the rapids and falls that impede its
course even though they may sometimes exceed eight or ten feet in
height. Curving the body until it forms a circular spring, it strikes
the water with great force throwing itself forward and thus lifting
itself over rocks and weirs. In the shallow gravelly pools which they
find towards the source of rivers, Salmon form hollows in which they
spawn, covering up their eggs with the loose sand they excavate in the
process. The eggs deposited in the later months of the autumn are
hatched in the earlier months of Spring and by the end of May the whole
of the young fish have followed their parents to the sea.
The Pike.