men; and that of rooks is like those of men in the savage state, such
as the communities of the North American Indians. It is a sort of league
for mutual aid and defence, but in which every one is left to do as he
pleases, without any obligation to employ himself for the whole body.
Others unite in a manner resembling more civilised societies of men.
This is the case with the heavers. They perform great public works by
the united efforts of the whole community--such as damming up streams
and constructing mounds for their habitations. As these are works of
great art and labour, some of them probably act under the direction of
others, and are compelled to work, whether they will or not. Many
curious stories are told to this purpose by those who have observed them
in their remotest haunts, where they exercise their full sagacity.
_F_. But are they all true?
_Mr. S._ That is more than I can answer for; yet what we certainly know
of the economy of bees may justify us in believing extraordinary things
of the sagacity of animals. The society of bees goes further than that
of beavers, and in some respects beyond most among men themselves. They
not only inhabit a common dwelling, and perform great works in common,
but they lay up a store of provision, which is the property of the whole
community, and is not used except at certain seasons and under certain
regulations. A bee-hive is a true image of a commonwealth, where no
member acts for himself alone, but for the whole body.
_Evenings at Home._
[Illustration: A HERONRY.]
* * * * *
PALMS.
These beautiful trees may be ranked among the noblest specimens of
vegetation; and their tall, slender, unbranched stems, crowned by
elegant feathery foliage, composed of a cluster of gigantic leaves,
render them, although of several varieties, different in appearance from
all other trees. In some kinds of palm the stem is irregularly thick; in
others, slender as a reed. It is scaly in one species, and prickly in
another. In the _Palma real_, in Cuba, the stem swells out like a
spindle in the middle. At the summit of these stems, which in some cases
attain an altitude of upwards of 180 feet, a crown of leaves, either
feathery or fan-shaped (for there is not a great variety in their
general form), spreads out on all sides, the leaves being frequently
from twelve to fifteen feet in length. In some species the foliage is of
a dark green and shining surface, like that of a laurel or holly; in
others, silvery on the under-side, as in the willow; and there is one
species of palm with a fan-shaped leaf, adorned with concentric blue and
yellow rings, like the "eyes" of a peacock's tail.
[Illustration: PALMS OF ARIMATHEA.]
The flowers of most of the palms are as beautiful as the trees. Those of
the _Palma real_ are of a brilliant white, rendering them visible from a
great distance; but, generally, the blossoms are of a pale yellow. To
these succeed very different forms of fruit: in one species it consists
of a cluster of egg-shaped berries, sometimes seventy or eighty in
number, of a brilliant purple and gold colour, which form a wholesome
food.
South America contains the finest specimens, as well as the most
numerous varieties of palm: in Asia the tree is not very common; and of
the African palms but little is yet known, with the exception of the
date palm, the most important to man of the whole tribe, though far less
beautiful than the other species.
* * * * *
THE PALM-TREE.
[Illustration: Letter I.]
It waved not through an Eastern sky,
Beside a fount of Araby;
It was not fann'd by Southern breeze
In some green isle of Indian seas;
Nor did its graceful shadow sleep
O'er stream of Afric, lone and deep.
But fair the exiled Palm-tree grew,
'Midst foliage of no kindred hue:
Through the laburnum's dropping gold
Rose the light shaft of Orient mould;
And Europe's violets, faintly sweet,
Purpled the moss-beds at its feet.
Strange look'd it there!--the willow stream'd
Where silv'ry waters near it gleam'd;
The lime-bough lured the honey-bee
To murmur by the Desert's tree,
And showers of snowy roses made
A lustre in its fan-like shade.
There came an eve of festal hours--
Rich music fill'd that garden's bowers;
Lamps, that from flow'ring branches hung,
On sparks of dew soft colours flung;
And bright forms glanced--a fairy show,
Under the blossoms to and fro.
But one, a lone one, 'midst the throng,
Seem'd reckless all of dance or song:
He was a youth of dusky mien,
Whereon the Indian sun had been;
Of crested brow, and long black hair--
A stranger, like the Palm-tree, there.
And slowly, sadly, moved his plumes,
Glittering athwart the leafy glooms:
He pass'd the pale green olives by,
Nor won the chesnut flowers his eye;
But when to that sole Palm he came,
Then shot a rapture through his frame.
To him, to him its rustling spoke;
The silence of his soul it broke.
It whisper'd of his own bright isle,
That lit the ocean with a smile.
Aye to his ear that native tone
Had something of the sea-wave's moan.
His mother's cabin-home, that lay
Where feathery cocoos fringe the bay;
The dashing of his brethren's oar,
The conch-note heard along the shore--
All through his wak'ning bosom swept:
He clasp'd his country's tree, and wept.
Oh! scorn him not. The strength whereby
The patriot girds himself to die;
The unconquerable power which fills
The foeman battling on his hills:
These have one fountain deep and clear,
The same whence gush'd that child-like tear!--
MRS. HEMANS.
* * * * *
A CHAPTER ON DOGS.
[Illustration: Letter N.]
Newfoundland Dogs are employed in drawing sledges laden with fish, wood,
and other articles, and from their strength and docility are of
considerable importance. The courage, devotion, and skill of this noble
animal in the rescue of persons from drowning is well known; and on the
banks of the Seine, at Paris, these qualities have been applied to a
singular purpose. Ten Newfoundland dogs are there trained to act as
servants to the Humane Society; and the rapidity with which they cross
and re-cross the river, and come and go, at the voice of their trainer,
is described as being most interesting to witness. Handsome kennels have
been erected for their dwellings on the bridges.
* * * * *
DALMATIAN DOG.
There is a breed of very handsome dogs called by this name, of a white
colour, thickly spotted with black: it is classed among the hounds. This
species is said to have been brought from India, and is not remarkable
for either fine scent or intelligence. The Dalmatian Dog is generally
kept in our country as an appendage to the carriage, and is bred up in
the stable with the horses; it consequently seldom receives that kind of
training which is calculated to call forth any good qualities it may
possess.
[Illustration: DALMATIAN DOG.]
* * * * *
TERRIER.
The Terrier is a valuable dog in the house and farm, keeping both
domains free from intruders, either in the shape of thieves or vermin.
The mischief effected by rats is almost incredible; it has been said
that, in some cases, in the article of corn, these little animals
consume a quantity in food equal in value to the rent of the farm. Here
the terrier is a most valuable assistant, in helping the farmer to rid
himself of his enemies. The Scotch Terrier is very common in the greater
part of the Western Islands of Scotland, and some of the species are
greatly admired. Her Majesty Queen Victoria possesses one from Islay--a
faithful, affectionate creature, yet with all the spirit and
determination that belong to his breed.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE SCOTCH TERRIER.]
* * * * *
THE GREYHOUND.
The modern smooth-haired Greyhound of England is a very elegant dog, not
surpassed in speed and endurance by that of any other country. Hunting
the deer with a kind of greyhound of a larger size was formerly a
favourite diversion; and Queen Elizabeth was gratified by seeing, on one
occasion, from a turret, sixteen deer pulled down by greyhounds upon the
lawn at Cowdry Park, in Sussex.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE GREYHOUND.]
* * * * *
OLD ENGLISH HOUND.
The dog we now call the Staghound appears to answer better than any
other to the description given to us of the old English Hound, which was
so much valued when the country was less enclosed, and the numerous and
extensive forests were the harbours of the wild deer. This hound, with
the harrier, were for many centuries the only hunting dogs.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE OLD ENGLISH HOUND.]
* * * * *
SHEPHERD'S DOG.
Instinct and education combine to fit this dog for our service: the
pointer will act without any great degree of instruction, and the setter
will crouch; but the Sheep Dog, especially if he has the example of an
older one, will, almost without the teaching of his master, become
everything he could wish, and be obedient to every order, even to the
slightest motion of the hand. If the shepherd's dog be but with his
master, he appears to be perfectly content, rarely mingling with his
kind, and generally shunning the advances of strangers; but the moment
duty calls, his eye brightens, he springs up with eagerness, and
exhibits a sagacity, fidelity, and devotion rarely equalled even by man
himself.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE SHEPHERDS DOG.]
* * * * *
BULL-DOG.
Of all dogs, none surpass in obstinacy and ferocity the Bull-dog. The
head is broad and thick, the lower jaw generally projects so that the
under teeth advance beyond the upper, the eyes are scowling, and the
whole expression calculated to inspire terror. It is remarkable for the
pertinacity with which it maintains its hold of any animal it may have
seized, and is, therefore, much used in the barbarous practice of
bull-baiting, so common in some countries, and but lately abolished in
England.
[Illustration: HEAD OF THE BULL-DOG.]
[Illustration]
* * * * *
LORD BACON.
[Illustration: Letter I.]
In those prescient views by which the genius of Lord Bacon has often
anticipated the institutions and the discoveries of succeeding times,
there was one important object which even his foresight does not appear
to have contemplated. Lord Bacon did not foresee that the English
language would one day be capable of embalming all that philosophy can
discover, or poetry can invent; that his country would at length possess
a national literature of its own, and that it would exult in classical
compositions, which might be appreciated with the finest models of
antiquity. His taste was far unequal to his invention. So little did he
esteem the language of his country, that his favourite works were
composed in Latin; and he was anxious to have what he had written in
English preserved in that "universal language which may last as long as
books last."
It would have surprised Bacon to have been told that the most learned
men in Europe have studied English authors to learn to think and to
write. Our philosopher was surely somewhat mortified, when, in his
dedication of the Essays, he observed, that, "Of all my other works, my
Essays have been most current; for that, as it seems, they come home to
men's business and bosoms." It is too much to hope to find in a vast and
profound inventor, a writer also who bestows immortality on his
language. The English language is the only object, in his great survey
of art and of nature, which owes nothing of its excellence to the genius
of Bacon.
He had reason, indeed, to be mortified at the reception of his
philosophical works; and Dr. Rowley, even, some years after the death of
his illustrious master, had occasion to observe, "His fame is greater,
and sounds louder in foreign parts abroad than at home in his own
nation; thereby verifying that Divine sentence, 'A Prophet is not
without honour, save in his own country and in his own house,'" Even the
men of genius, who ought to have comprehended this new source of
knowledge thus opened to them, reluctantly entered into it: so repugnant
are we to give up ancient errors, which time and habit have made a part
of ourselves.
D'ISRAELI.
[Illustration: STATUE OF LORD BACON.]
* * * * *
THE LILIES OF THE FIELD.
[Illustration: SYRIAN LILY.]
Flowers! when the Saviour's calm, benignant eye
Fell on your gentle beauty; when from you
That heavenly lesson for all hearts he drew.
Eternal, universal as the sky;
Then in the bosom of your purity
A voice He set, as in a temple shrine,
That Life's quick travellers ne'er might pass you by
Unwarn'd of that sweet oracle divine.
And though too oft its low, celestial sound
By the harsh notes of work-day care is drown'd,
And the loud steps of vain, unlist'ning haste,
Yet the great lesson hath no tone of power,
Mightier to reach the soul in thought's hush'd hour,
Than yours, meek lilies, chosen thus, and graced.
MRS. HEMANS.
* * * * *
POMPEII.
[Illustration: Letter T.]
The earliest and one of the most fatal eruptions of Mount Vesuvius that
is mentioned in history took place in the year 79, during the reign of
the Emperor Titus. All Campagna was filled with consternation, and the
country was overwhelmed with devastation in every direction; towns,
villages, palaces, and their inhabitants were consumed by molten lava,
and hidden from the sight by showers of volcanic stones, cinders, and
ashes.
Pompeii had suffered severely from an earthquake sixteen years before,
but had been rebuilt and adorned with many a stately building,
particularly a magnificent theatre, where thousands were assembled to
see the gladiators when this tremendous visitation burst upon the
devoted city, and buried it to a considerable depth with the fiery
materials thrown from the crater. "Day was turned to night," says a
classic author, "and night into darkness; an inexpressible quantity of
dust and ashes was poured out, deluging land, sea, and air, and burying
two entire cities, Pompeii and Herculaneum, whilst the people were
sitting in the theatre."
[Illustration: POMPEII--APARTMENT IN "THE HOUSE OF THE HUNTER"]
Many parts of Pompeii have, at various times, been excavated, so as to
allow visitors to examine the houses and streets; and in February, 1846,
the house of the Hunter was finally cleared, as it appears in the
Engraving. This is an interesting dwelling, and was very likely the
residence of a man of wealth, fond of the chase. A painting on the right
occupies one side of the large room, and here are represented wild
animals, the lion chasing a bull, &c. The upper part of the house is
raised, where stands a gaily-painted column--red and yellow in festoons;
behind which, and over a doorway, is a fresco painting of a summer-house
perhaps a representation of some country-seat of the proprietor, on
either side are hunting-horns. The most beautiful painting in this room
represents a Vulcan at his forge, assisted by three dusky, aged figures.
In the niche of the outward room a small statue was found, in _terra
cotta_ (baked clay). The architecture of this house is singularly rich
in decoration, and the paintings, particularly those of the birds and
vases, very bright vivid.
[Illustration: PORTABLE KITCHEN, FOUND AT POMPEII.]
At this time, too, some very perfect skeletons were discovered in a
house near the theatre, and near the hand of one of them were found
thirty-seven pieces of silver and two gold coins; some of the former
were attached to the handle of a key. The unhappy beings who were
perished may have been the inmates of the dwelling. We know, from the
account written by Pliny, that the young and active had plenty of time
for escape, and this is the reason why so few skeletons have been found
in Pompeii.
In a place excavated at the expense of the Empress of Russia was found a
portable kitchen (represented above), made of iron, with two round holes
for boiling pots. The tabular top received the fire for placing other
utensils upon, and by a handle in the front it could be moved when
necessary.
* * * * *
THE NIGHTINGALE AND GLOWWORM.
A Nightingale that all day long
Had cheer'd the village with his song,
Nor yet at eve his note suspended,
Nor yet when even-tide was ended--
Began to feel, as well he might,
The keen demands of appetite:
When, looking eagerly around,
He spied, far off upon the ground,
A something shining in the dark,
And knew the glowworm by his spark:
So stooping down from hawthorn top,
He thought to put him in his crop.
The worm, aware of his intent,
Harangued him thus, right eloquent:--
"Did you admire my lamp," quoth he,
"As much as I your minstrelsy,
You would abhor to do me wrong,
As much as I to spoil your song;
For 'twas the self-same power Divine
Taught you to sing and me to shine,
That you with music, I with light,
Might beautify and cheer the night."
The songster heard his short oration,
And, warbling out his approbation,
Released him, as my story tells,
And found a supper somewhere else.
COWPER.
* * * * *
THE INVISIBLE WORLD REVEALED BY THE MICROSCOPE.
A fact not less startling than would be the realisation of the
imaginings of Shakespeare and of Milton, or of the speculations of Locke
and of Bacon, admits of easy demonstration, namely, that the air, the
earth, and the waters teem with numberless myriads of creatures, which
are as unknown and as unapproachable to the great mass of mankind, as
are the inhabitants of another planet. It may, indeed, be questioned,
whether, if the telescope could bring within the reach of our
observation the living things that dwell in the worlds around us, life
would be there displayed in forms more diversified, in organisms more
marvellous, under conditions more unlike those in which animal existence
appears to our unassisted senses, than may be discovered in the leaves
of every forest, in the flowers of every garden, and in the waters of
every rivulet, by that noblest instrument of natural philosophy, the
Microscope.
[Illustration: LARVA OF THE COMMON GNAT.
A. The body and head of the larva (magnified).
B. The respiratory apparatus, situated in the tail.
C. Natural size.]
To an intelligent person, who has previously obtained a general idea of
the nature of the Objects about to be submitted to his inspection, a
group of living animalcules, seen under a powerful microscope for the
first time, presents a scene of extraordinary interest, and never fails
to call forth an expression of amazement and admiration. This statement
admits of an easy illustration: for example, from some water containing
aquatic plants, collected from a pond on Clapham Common, I select a
small twig, to which are attached a few delicate flakes, apparently of
slime or jelly; some minute fibres, standing erect here and there on the
twig, are also dimly visible to the naked eye. This twig, with a drop or
two of the water, we will put between two thin plates of glass, and
place under the field of view of a microscope, having lenses that
magnify the image of an object 200 times in linear dimensions.
Upon looking through the instrument, we find the fluid swarming with
animals of various shapes and magnitudes. Some are darting through the
water with great rapidity, while others are pursuing and devouring
creatures more infinitesimal than themselves. Many are attached to the
twig by long delicate threads, several have their bodies inclosed in a
transparent tube, from one end of which the animal partly protrudes and
then recedes, while others are covered by an elegant shell or case. The
minutest kinds, many of which are so small that millions might be
contained in a single drop of water, appear like mere animated globules,
free, single, and of various colours, sporting about in every direction.
Numerous species resemble pearly or opaline cups or vases, fringed round
the margin with delicate fibres, that are in constant oscillation. Some
of these are attached by spiral tendrils; others are united by a slender
stem to one common trunk, appearing like a bunch of hare-bells; others
are of a globular form, and grouped together in a definite pattern, on a
tabular or spherical membranous case, for a certain period of their
existence, and ultimately become detached and locomotive, while many are
permanently clustered together, and die if separated from the parent
mass. They have no organs of progressive motion, similar to those of
beasts, birds, or fishes; and though many species are destitute of eyes,
yet possess an accurate perception of the presence of other bodies, and
pursue and capture their prey with unerring purpose.
[Illustration: FOOT OF COMMON HOUSE-FLY.]
[Illustration: HAIR, GREATLY MAGNIFIED.
A. Hairs of the Bat.
B. Of the Mole.
C. Of the Mouse.]
_Mantell's Thoughts on Animalcules._
* * * * *
THE CANARY.
This bird, which is now kept and reared throughout the whole of Europe,
and even in Russia and Siberia, on account of its pretty form, docility,
and sweet song, is a native of the Canary Isles. On the banks of small
streams, in the pleasant valleys of those lovely islands, it builds its
nest in the branches of the orange-trees, of which it is so fond, that
even in this country the bird has been known to find its way into the
greenhouse, and select the fork of one of the branches of an orange-tree
on which to build its nest, seeming to be pleased with the sweet perfume
of the blossoms.
[Illustration: CANARY.]
The bird has been known in Europe since the beginning of the sixteenth
century, when a ship, having a large number of canaries on board
destined for Leghorn, was wrecked on the coast of Italy. The birds
having regained their liberty, flew to the nearest land, which happened
to be the island of Elba, where they found so mild a climate that they
built their nests there and became very numerous. But the desire to
possess such beautiful songsters led to their being hunted after, until
the whole wild race was quite destroyed. In Italy, therefore, we find
the first tame canaries, and here they are still reared in great
numbers. Their natural colour is grey, which merges into green beneath,
almost resembling the colours of the linnet; but by means of
domestication, climate, and being bred with other birds, canaries may
now be met with of a great variety of colours. But perhaps there is none
more beautiful than the golden-yellow, with blackish-grey head and tail.
The hen canary lays her eggs four or five times a year, and thus a great
number of young are produced.
As they are naturally inhabitants of warm climates, and made still more
delicate by constant residence in rooms, great care should be taken in
winter that this favourite bird be not exposed to cold air, which,
however refreshing to it in the heat of summer, is so injurious in this
season that it causes sickness and even death. To keep canaries in a
healthy and happy state, it is desirable that the cage should be
frequently hung in brilliant daylight, and, if possible, placed in the
warm sunshine, which, especially when bathing, is very agreeable to
them. The more simple and true to-nature the food is, the better does it
agree with them; and a little summer rapeseed mixed with their usual
allowance of the seed to which they have given their name, will be found
to be the best kind of diet. As a treat, a little crushed hempseed or
summer cabbage-seed may be mixed with the canary-seed. The beautiful
grass from which the latter is obtained is a pretty ornament for the
garden; it now grows very abundantly in Kent.
The song of the canary is not in this country at all like that of the
bird in a state of nature, for it is a kind of compound of notes learned
from other birds. It may be taught to imitate the notes of the
nightingale, by being placed while young with that bird. Care must be
taken that the male parent of the young canary be removed from the nest
before the young ones are hatched, or it will be sure to acquire the
note of its parent. The male birds of all the feathered creation are the
only ones who sing; the females merely utter a sweet chirrup or chirp,
so that from the hen canary the bird will run no risk of learning its
natural note.
* * * * *
INDUSTRY AND APPLICATION.