ANIMAL LIFE IN THE PRAIRIES OF THE NEW WORLD:--HERBIVORA, INSECTIVORA,
AND CARNIVORA.
We have seen that the order of Pachydermata, which furnished the Ancient
World with the most gigantic species of the terrestrial creation, is
represented in the New World by comparatively insignificant types: the
Tapir and the Peccary. The first, although far inferior in stature to
the elephant, the rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, is, nevertheless, one
of the largest American Herbivora; the bison, llama, and stag alone
exceeding it in size.
[Illustration: AMERICAN TAPIR (_Tapirus Americanus_).]
Two species are distinguished, which both inhabit South America,--the
_American Tapir_ and the _Tapir Pinchaca_. The former is about as large
as a mule or an ass. His skin is black, covered with rough brown hair.
He has a long bowed neck, legs and feet resembling those of the hog, and
a nose prolonged into a kind of trumpet. He feeds on leaves and many
kinds of fruit, and sometimes does much injury in the mandioca fields
of the Indians. His flesh is very good eating, and considered
exceedingly wholesome. It is even reputed to be a remedy for the ague. A
very shy and timid animal, he wanders about principally at night. "When
the Indian discovers a feeding-place," says Mr. Wallace,[131] "he builds
a stage between two trees, about eight feet above the ground, and there
stations himself soon after dusk, armed with a gun, or with his bow and
arrow. Though such a heavy animal, the tapir steps as lightly as a cat,
and can only be heard approaching by the gentle rustling of the bushes;
the slightest sound or smell will alarm him, and the Indian lies still
as death for hours, till the animal approaches sufficiently near to be
shot, or until, scenting his enemy, he makes off in another direction."
When compelled to stand at bay, however, he defends himself with
extraordinary vigour. D'Azara assures us that if the jaguar flings
himself upon the tapir, the latter will drag him onward and onward
through the densest bushes, until, torn cruelly by the thorns and
brambles, he is constrained to let his would-be victim escape.
The _Tapir Pinchaca_ appears to be confined to the region of the
Cordilleran table-lands. The name "Pinchaca," bestowed on the species by
M. Roulin, is that of a fabulous animal mentioned in the traditions of
New Grenada. It is distinguished from the former species by the absence
of those lateral folds on the snout and occipital ridge to be remarked
in the American Tapir, by its long thick hair--which, however, does not
form a mane on the neck--and by a white mark at the extremity of the
lower jaw.
The _Peccaries_ are the wild boars of Tropical America. They are smaller
than those of the Old World; have fewer teeth, and their tail is
rudimentary. They live in numerous herds, and not only defend themselves
energetically against aggressors, but when the latter have grown
fatigued, assume the offensive, and pursue them with incredible fury.
Hunting them, therefore, is for man, no less than for the jaguar, a
dangerous adventure. When one of them has been seized by the latter, or
slain by the former, the herd combine in pursuit of the murderer, and if
he does not succeed in escaping them by a rapid retreat, or by opposing
some insurmountable obstacle to their headlong career, he is infallibly
torn to pieces.
The genus _Horse_, or, to adopt the new nomenclature, the family of
_Equidæ_, are altogether wanting in the American Fauna; that is, in the
native indigenous Fauna of the New World. Previous to the era of Spanish
Conquest, America did not possess a single species analagous to the
horse, the onagra, the hemionus, the zebra, or the quagga; and the
reader of the animated pages of Prescott or Arthur Helps will remember
with what terror the Peruvians as well as the Mexicans regarded the
mounted cavaliers of Pizarro and Cortez. The horse, however, when
introduced by Europeans, multiplied rapidly in the Savannahs, where he
soon became wild, and breeding with the ass, produced the mule, which,
in the Spanish-American States, as in the mother-country, is now the
most useful auxiliary of man. The European ox is likewise acclimatized
over the entire extent of the new continent; and immense herds of the
latter species, together with troops of horses and mules, people the
Llanos and Pampas of South America, where the first conquerors had only
met with herds of stags (_Cervus Mexicanus_), llamas, and cobiais.
[Illustration: HUNTER PURSUED BY PECCARIES.]
The _Llama_, or _Guanaco_ (_Auchenia llama_), and his congeners, the
Vicuna and the Alpaca (_Auchenia_), are now only found among the
recesses of the Andes, their native country, to which they have
retreated before the restless advance of man. In describing them I shall
freely avail myself of Dr. Von Tschudi's interesting notices.[132]
The Llama measures from the sole of the hoof to the top of the head,
four feet six to eight inches; from the sole of the hoof to the
shoulders, from two feet eleven inches to three feet. The female is
usually smaller and less strong than the male, but her wool is finer and
better. A great variety of colour prevails; the more general is brown,
with shades of yellow or black; frequently speckled, but very rarely
quite white or black. The speckled brown llama is, in some districts,
called the moromoro.
The burden carried by this useful animal, the camel of the New World,
should not exceed from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five
pounds. If the load be too heavy, he lies down, and no force or
persuasion will induce him to resume his journey until the excess be
removed. In the silver mines his utility is very great, as he frequently
carries the metal from the mines in places where the declivities are so
steep that neither asses nor mules can keep their footing. His
abstemiousness is remarkable, and he will not feed during the night.
"A flock of llamas journeying over the table-lands," says Dr. Von
Tschudi, "is a beautiful sight. They proceed at a slow and measured
pace, gazing eagerly around on every side. When any strange object
scares them, the flock separates, and disperses in various directions,
and the arrieros have no little difficulty in re-assembling them. The
Indians are very fond of these animals. They adorn them by tying bows of
ribbons to their ears, and hanging bells round their necks; and before
loading, they always fondle and caress them affectionately. If, during a
journey, one of the llamas is fatigued and lies down, the arriero kneels
beside the animal, and addresses to it the most coaxing and endearing
expressions. But notwithstanding all the care and attention bestowed on
them, many llamas perish on every journey to the coast, as they are not
able to bear the warm climate."
When resting they make a peculiar humming noise, which, if it proceed
from a numerous flock and is heard at some distance, resembles a concert
of Æolian harps.
The flesh of the llama is spongy, and not agreeable in flavour: Its wool
is used in manufacturing coarse cloths.
The Alpaca (_Auchenia_), or Paco, is smaller than the llama. It measures
only three feet three inches from the lower part of the hoof to the top
of the head, and to the shoulders two feet and a half. In form it
resembles the sheep, but has a longer neck and a more graceful head. Its
fleece is very long, in some parts four or five inches, and exquisitely
soft. Its colour is usually either white or black, but in some few
instances is speckled. Of its wool the Indians weave their blankets. It
is also exported to Europe, and especially to England, in large
quantities, though since the alpaca was naturalized in Australia,
through the patriotic exertions of Mr. Ledger, England has begun to
obtain a supply from her great and thriving colony.[133]
The alpacas are kept in large flocks, which graze, throughout the year,
on the green and level heights, and are driven to the huts only at
shearing-time. Their shyness is very great, and at the approach of a
stranger they take to rapid flight. Their obstinacy is remarkable. If
one of these animals should be separated from the flock he will throw
himself on the ground, and neither force nor persuasion will induce him
to rise; he will frequently suffer the severest punishment rather than
go the way his driver wishes. Few animals seem to stand in such urgent
need of the companionship of their species, and it is only when brought
to the Indian huts very young that they can be separated from their
flocks.
The largest animal of this tribe is the Huanacu or Guanaco. He measures
five feet from the bottom of the hoof to the top of the head, and three
feet three inches to the shoulders. So nearly does he resemble the llama
in form that, until very recently, zoologists supposed the latter to be
an improved species of the huanacu, and that the huanacu was neither
more nor less than a wild llama. But there are specific differences
between them. The huanacu is of a uniform reddish-brown colour on the
neck, back, and thighs. The under part of the body, the middle line of
the breast, and the inner side of the limbs are of a dingy white. The
wool is shorter and coarser than that of the llama, and of nearly
uniform length on all parts of the body. The huanacus assemble in small
herds of five or seven, and if taken very young may be tamed, but can
with difficulty be trained as beasts of burden.
The Vicuña is a more beautiful animal than either of the preceding. His
size is a medium between that of the llama and alpaca. He measures four
feet one inch to the top of the head, and two feet six inches to the top
of the shoulders. He is distinguished by his longer and shapelier neck,
by the superior fineness of his short curly wool. The crown of the head,
the upper part of the neck, the back, and thighs are of a peculiar
reddish-yellow hue, which the natives call _color de vicuña_. The lower
part of the neck and the inner parts of the limbs are of a bright
ochreous colour, and the breast and lower part of the body white.
During the wet season the vicuña browses on the scanty vegetation of the
Cordilleran ridges. He never ventures up to the bare rocky summits, for
his hoofs, being accustomed only to the yielding sward, are very soft
and tender. He lives in herds, consisting of from six to fifteen
females, and one male, who is the protector and leader of the herd, and
who, while the females graze, stands a few paces apart, carefully
watching over their safety. At the approach of danger he gives a signal,
consisting of a kind of whistling sound and a quick movement of the
foot. Immediately the herd draws close together, each animal stretching
out his head in the direction of the impending alarm. Then they take to
flight; first moving leisurely and cautiously, but quickening their pace
to the utmost degree of speed; whilst the male vicuña, who covers the
retreat, occasionally halts to observe the motions of the enemy. The
females reward his devotion by the warmest affection and fidelity, and
will suffer themselves to be killed or captured rather than desert him.
The mode in which the Indians hunt the vicuña is sufficiently curious.
In the _Chacu_, as it is termed, the whole company, seventy or eighty in
number, proceed to the Attos--the most secluded districts of the
Peruvian mountains--which are the animal's favourite haunts, with an
abundant supply of rope and cord, and numerous stakes. Selecting a
spacious open area, they drive the stakes into the ground in a circle,
at intervals of from twelve to fifteen feet apart, and connect them
together by ropes fastened at the height of two or two and a half feet
from the ground. The circular space within this enclosure measures about
half a league in circumference; an opening of about two hundred paces in
width is left for entrance. On the ropes which are carried round the
stakes, the Indian women hang pieces of coloured rag that flutter gaily
in the wind.
The chacu being thus made ready, the Indians, who are mounted on
horseback, range over the country within a circuit of several miles,
driving before them all the herds of vicuñas they encounter, and forcing
them into the chacu. When a sufficient number is collected, they close
the entrance. The timid animals do not attempt to leap over the ropes,
being affrighted by the fluttering rags, and when thus secured, the
Indians easily kill them with their _bolas_.
These bolas consist of three balls, composed either of lead or stone;
two of them heavier than the third. They are fastened to long elastic
strings, made of twisted sinews of the vicuña, and the opposite ends of
the strings are all tied together. The Indian holds the lightest of the
three balls in his hand, and swings the two others in a wide circle
above his head; then, taking his aim at the distance of about fifteen
or twenty paces, he lets go the hand-ball, whereupon all three whirl in
a circle, and cling round the object aimed at. The aim is usually
directed at the animal's hind legs, and the cords twisting round them,
he is unable to move. Great skill and long practice are required to
throw the bolas dexterously; a novice in the art incurs the risk of
dangerously hurting either himself or his horse, by not giving the balls
the proper swing, or by letting go the hand-ball too soon.
[Illustration: 1. Guanaco. 2. Llama. 3. Vicuña.]
The vicuñas, after being secured by the bolas, are killed; their skins
belong to the Church, and their flesh, which is tenderer and better
flavoured than that of the llama, is distributed in equal portions among
the hunters.
Under the dynasty of the Incas, the Peruvians rendered almost divine
worship to the llama and his congeners, adorning the temples with large
figures of these animals fashioned in gold and silver.[134]
If the natives of the South American continent possess neither the Ox
nor the Sheep, they have at least a precious resource in the Bison, and
the Musk Ox, or Ovibos. Of the latter I shall speak when my survey
brings me to the colder regions of North America.
The Bison is wholly confined to the great prairies of this continent,
which he traverses from north to south, and reciprocally, in his
periodical migrations. According to some naturalists, he is a variety of
the Aurochs, the fierce wild bull that formerly tenanted the forests of
Gaul, Germany, and Sarmatia, and is still found in the densely-wooded
districts of Moldavia, Wallachia, Lithuania, and Caucasia. Herds of
Aurochs (_Bos Bison_), under the special protection of the Russian
Emperor, and believed to number fully eight hundred animals, still roam
in the depths of the great Lithuanian forest of Bialowieza. The American
genus commonly called Buffalo, but not to be confounded with the
buffaloes of the Old World, occurs as far north as the Great Martin
Lake, in latitude 63°, and congregates in countless thousands on the
wide undulating prairies between the Mississippi and the Rocky
Mountains. Their flesh is supposed to supply with provision some 300,000
Indians, who pursue them on horseback, and kill them with bow and arrow,
spear or rifle. The chase is exciting, and has proved a great attraction
to the more adventurous spirits of the New World. It is exciting because
it is perilous, for the hunted animal will often turn upon his
adversary, and in speed he can outstrip the swiftest horse. He finds a
formidable enemy in the white wolf. Hunting in packs of one or two
hundred, the latter fling themselves upon two or three solitary bisons,
and, surrounding them, worry the huge brutes to death. Never have they
courage enough, however, to attack a herd, though the latter, when they
catch sight of wolves, manifest the greatest alarm, form into battle
array, and are only prevented by excess of terror from taking to flight.
This panic-stricken feeling the Indian often turns to his advantage. He
clothes himself in the skin of a white wolf, and with bow and arrows in
his hands, boldly faces a herd, crawling towards them on his hands and
knees; the affrighted buffaloes press closely together to receive the
supposed wolf, who, on arriving at a convenient proximity, suddenly
springs to his feet, and utters an unearthly yell. They fall into a
frenzy of terror which enables him to select several victims.
The Indians also capture great numbers by setting fire to the grass of
the prairies; the flames compel them to retire to the centre, where they
are easily slain. Or they endeavour to throw them into a panic of alarm,
in which case they seem possessed with a sudden madness, and, if driven
towards a precipice, will dash themselves headlong over it, falling
crushed and bleeding into the chasm beneath.
The American bison is similar to the European, but his tail and limbs
are shorter; the horns are shorter and more blunt; the tail has fewer
vertebræ; and the mane is fuller and shaggier. His flesh is excellent
eating, having a flavour like that of venison. The tallow forms an
important article of trade, one bull sometimes yielding 150 pounds. The
skins are much used by the Indians for blankets, and when tanned they
employ them as coverings for their beds and wigwams. Spread upon frames
of wicker-work, they make admirable canoes. The long hair or fleece, of
which a male bison yields six to eight pounds, is spun and woven into
cloth.
The favourite nourishment of the bison, says Humboldt, is the _Tripsacum
dactyloides_, called "Buffalo-Grass" in North Carolina, and a species of
trefoil, resembling _Trifolium repens_, which Burton has named
_Trifolium bisonicum_. It is remarkable, he continues, that the Buffalo,
or Bison of the North, has exercised an influence upon geographical
discovery in the mountainous regions where no road is laid down.
Assembled in herds of several thousands, and seeking a milder climate,
they migrate at the approach of winter into the countries situated south
of Arkansas. Their massive form and size render it difficult for them to
cross the mountains; and, consequently, wherever the traveller finds a
track beaten out by numerous hoofs--a "buffalo-path," in fact--he may
confidently adopt it as the most convenient route for himself and his
steed. In this manner have been discovered the best passes in the
Cumberland Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, from the sources of the
Yellow-Stone to the River La Plata; and, finally, from the southern
branch of the River Columbia to the Rio Colorado of California.
The animals which we most frequently meet with in the Steppes of South
America are the small spotted Stag (_Cervus Mexicanus_); the mailed
Armadillos; some species of Tatous, which glide like rats into the
burrows of the hares; troops of indolent Cobiais; of Civets agreeably
striped, but infecting the air with their emanations; and the great
maneless Lion, the Jaguar or American Tiger, whose strength is
sufficient to slay the young bulls and carry them off to the summits of
the hills.
[Illustration: 1. Agouti. 2. Capybara.]
The _Cervus Mexicanus_ wanders in numerous troops in the grassy Llanos
of the Caraccas. He is only spotted while young; and varieties
completely white have been discovered. On the slopes of the Andes he is
never found at a greater elevation than 1600 to 1900 feet. At 3000 feet
he is replaced by a much larger variety, slightly differing from the
European stag.
The Rodents of the genera Capybara, Agouti, and Paca, are widely
diffused over the plains of Tropical America. Of the three, the Capybara
(_Hydrochærus capybara_) is the largest. He attains the size of a sheep,
has a voluminous head, small round ears, eyes large and black, a thick
divided nose flanked by formidable whiskers, a short neck, a thick body
covered with short, coarse, russet hair, and short legs; altogether,
_not_ a "thing of beauty." Like the peccary, he is tailless, and in a
manner web-footed, being thus adapted for a semi-aquatic life.
These great Rodents, says the illustrious author of "The Origin of
Species," in one of his earlier works,[135] are generally called
"_Carpinchos_;" they occasionally frequent the islands in the mouth of
the Plata, where the water is quite salt, but are more abundant on the
borders of fresh-water lakes and rivers. In the day-time they either lie
among the aquatic plants, or openly feed on the turf plain. When viewed
at a distance, from their manner of walking and colour, they resemble
pigs; but when seated on their haunches, and attentively watching any
object with one eye, they re-assume the appearance of their congeners,
the Caries. Both the front and side view of their head wears quite a
ludicrous aspect, from the great depth of their jaw.
The Capybara leads no joyous life apparently, for in the water he is
perseveringly pursued by the crocodile, and in the plain by the jaguar.
He runs so awkwardly as to be easily caught by hand, and the South
Americans profess to relish his flesh.
The Paca (_Coelogenys_) differs from the Capybara in the complex
structure of his molar teeth. He inhabits the woody regions of South
America, where he is generally found in the vicinity of water,
concealing himself in burrows so near the surface, that the pedestrian's
foot often intrudes within them. His form is thick and clumsy, spotted
with white on the sides, and intermediate in size and appearance between
a hog and a hare.[136] He is about a foot in height and two feet in
length, with hind limbs much longer than the fore, but considerably
bent. The claws are thick, strong, and conical; the eyes large,
prominent, and of a brownish hue; the ears nearly naked, and whiskers
rigid. The paca is heavy and corpulent, but swims and dives with
remarkable agility. As he feeds only on fruits and tender plants, his
flesh is exceedingly savoury, and a staple dish in many parts of
America. His burrow is provided with three apertures, and his capture is
managed by closing up two of these, and digging up the third.
The Agouti (_Dasyprocta Agouti_) is another South American Rodent, about
one-third the size of the Paca; he swims, but does not dive. He has
sometimes been named "the rabbit of the South American continent," but
differs from it in many essential points, and really belongs to the
_Cavidæ_, or guinea-pig tribe. He possesses the voracious appetite of
the hog, and devours indiscriminately everything that comes in his way.
He conveys his food to his mouth with his fore-paws, like a squirrel,
and as he has long hind legs, runs, or rather leaps, with considerable
swiftness. He is hunted very perseveringly on account of the devastation
he causes among the sugar-canes. There is a larger species called the
_Mara_, or Pampas Hare (_Dasyprocta Patachonica_), which will wander for
miles away from its home.
Among the most interesting Rodents of the New World must be classed the
Vizcacha and the Chinchilla, whose furs are so highly valued. The
Vizcacha, or Bizcacha (_Calomys bizcacha_), somewhat resembles a rabbit,
but his teeth are larger, and he has a long tail. He lives, it is said,
on roots, and never wanders far from his burrow. His flesh, when cooked,
is very white and savoury. The Chinchilla (_C. lanigera_) inhabits the
cold mountain-valleys, where his close, fine gray fur is an invaluable
protection. He is a pretty animal, much like the rabbit, but with a
squirrel's tail; of a mild and sociable disposition; and living with his
kind on the most amicable terms.
Nor must the Beaver be forgotten, the most industrial animal of the
Rodentia, which has wholly disappeared from Europe, and is yearly
growing scarcer in America.
The Beaver (_Castor fiber_) is specially recognizable by his broad
horizontally-flattened tail, which is of a nearly oval form, but
slightly convex on its upper surface, and covered with scales. His hind
feet are webbed, and together with the tail, which acts as a rudder,
propel him through the water with ease and swiftness. His length,
exclusive of his tail, which measures one foot, is about three feet;
colour, a deep chestnut; hair, very fine, glossy, and smooth. The
incisor teeth are large, and so hard, that the North American Indians
used them in fabricating their horn-tipped spears and cutting bone,
until iron tools were introduced from Europe.
The sagacity with which he constructs his habitation has long been a
theme of eulogy, and has furnished moralists with many an apt image and
pregnant illustration. Water is the necessity of his life. It is
indispensably necessary that the stream near which the animal lives
should never run dry; and to prevent so dire a misfortune, he is gifted
with an instinct which teaches him to keep the water at or about the
same mark, by building a dam across the channel.
In order to comprehend the art with which this dam is constructed, we
must watch the beaver at his patient toil.[137]
When the animal has fixed upon a tree which he believes suitable for his
purpose, he sits upright, and with his chisel-like teeth cuts a bold
groove completely round the trunk. He then widens the groove in exact
proportion to its depth, so that when the tree is nearly cut through, it
somewhat resembles the "contracted portion of an hour-glass." When this
stage has been reached, he looks anxiously at the tree, and views it on
every side, as if to measure the direction in which it should fall.
Having settled this question, he goes to the opposite side, and with two
or three powerful bites cuts away the wood, so that the overbalanced
tree comes to the ground.
The beaver next proceeds to cut it up into lengths of about a yard or
so, employing a similar method of severing the wood. The next part of
the task is to make these rounded and pointed logs into a dam. For this
purpose the logs are laid horizontally, and covered with stones and
earth until they can resist the force of the water. Vast numbers are
thus laid; and as fast as the water rises, fresh materials are added,
being obtained mostly from the trunks and branches of trees which have
been stripped of their bark by the beavers.
In those places where the stream runs slowly the dam is carried straight
across the river; but where the current is strong, a convex shape is
given to it, so as to resist the force of the rushing water. The dam is
frequently of great size, measuring two or three hundred yards in
length, and ten or twelve feet in thickness. In many localities the
streams have been diverted by these erections into entirely different
channels.
It is in this manner that the beavers keep the water to the required
level; we must next see how they make use of it. They build their houses
close to the water, and communicating with it by means of subterranean
passages, one entrance of which passes into the house, or "lodge," as it
is technically named, and the other into the water, so far below the
surface that it cannot be closed by ice. It is, therefore, always
possible for the beaver to gain access to the provision stores, and to
return to its house, without being perceived from the land.
"The lodges," says Mr. Wood, "are nearly circular in form, and much
resemble the well-known snow-houses of the Esquimaux, being domed, and
about half as high as they are wide--the average height being three
feet, and the diameter six or seven feet. These are the interior
dominions, the exterior measurement being much greater, on account of
the great thickness of the walls, which are continually strengthened
with mud and branches, so that during the severe frosts they are nearly
as hard as solid stone. Each lodge will accommodate several inhabitants,
whose beds are arranged round the walls."
There is no animal, however, whose sagacity can foil human ingenuity.
The trappers, who hunt the beaver for the sake of his fur, and the
peculiar odoriferous secretion called _castor_, are more than a match
for all his artifices. Not even in winter-time is he safe from their
pursuit. Striking the ice smartly, they judge from the sound whether
they are near an aperture; and as soon as they are satisfied, cut away
the ice and stop up the opening, so that the beavers, if alarmed, may
not escape into the water. They then proceed to the shore, and by
repeated soundings trace the course of the beavers' subterranean
passage, which is sometimes eight or ten yards long, and by closely
watching the different apertures invariably catch the inhabitants. While
thus engaged, they must be careful not to spill any blood, as in case of
such a mishap the rest of the beavers take alarm, retreat to the water,
and cannot be captured. The trappers entertain a superstitious notion,
which leads them to remove a kneecap from each beaver and throw it into
the fire.
The beavers generally quit their huts in the summer-time, though one or
two of the houses may be tenanted by a mother and her young family.
Those old beavers which are free from domestic ties take to the water,
and swim up and down the stream in bachelor-like liberty until the month
of August, when they return to a settled life. There are, also, certain
individuals called by the trappers "_les paresseux_," or "the idlers,"
which do not live in houses, and construct no dam, but dwell in
subterranean tunnels like those of our common water-rat. They are always
males; gay young bachelors, with no incentives, we will suppose, to an
industrious career. Neither in the beaver nor in the human world,
however, does idleness prosper, for the capture of "les paresseux" is a
comparatively easy task.
* * * * *
South America is the home of those singular Edentate Mammals, with scaly
shields, which the natives call _Tatous_, but which are better known to
Europeans by the name of _Armadillos_ (_Priodonta gigas_). Cuvier has
divided the whole genus into five groups, distinguished from one another
by the number and form of their teeth and claws:--"Cachecames," "Apars,"
"Encouberts," "Cabassous," and "Priodontes." Their general
characteristics, however, are the same, and to describe one is virtually
to describe all.
The body of the Armadillo has been invested by nature with a complete
suit of armour: thus the head is protected by an oval or triangular
plate, the shoulders by a large buckler, and the haunches by a similar
buckler; while between these solid portions intervenes a series of
transverse bands, or zones of shell, which accommodate this coat of mail
to the various postures of the body; the tail also is covered by a
series of calcareous rings, so that the animal exhibits a peculiar and
somewhat ungainly appearance. Like the hedgehog, he can roll himself up
into a ball, and present a solid impervious substance to the attacks of
any adversary. The interior surface of the body, not covered by the
shell, is clothed with coarse scattered hairs, some of which also emerge
between the joints of the coat of mail.
This strange quadruped, like a mediæval knight,--
"In armour sheathed from top to toe,"--
has a rather pointed snout, long ears, short and thick limbs, and stout
claws. Nature has thus fitted him by a peculiarly admirable organization
for those habits of burrowing, which he performs with such astonishing
rapidity that it is almost impossible to capture him by digging. His
hunters therefore smoke him out of his subterraneous lair; as soon as he
reaches the surface he rolls himself up, and is easily taken prisoner.
He is then roasted in his shell, and devoured with avidity, his flesh
being as great a dainty to a South American Indian as turtle to a London
alderman.
By the side of the armadillos we may place another individual of the
Edentata, not less strange in form: this is the _Tamanoir_, or Great
Ant-Eater (_Myrmecophaga jubata_), which feeds exclusively on ants,
digging open their hills with his powerful crooked claws, and drawing
his long flexible tongue, covered with viscous saliva, lightly over the
myriad insects that immediately sally forth to defend their homes.
[Illustration: 1. Armadillo Loricata. 2. Ant-Eater.]
"The habits of the Myrmecophaga jubata are now pretty well known. It is
not uncommon in the drier forests of the Amazons valley. The Brazilians
call the species the _Tamanduá bandeira_, or the Banner Ant-Eater; the
term banner," says Mr. Bates,[138] "being applied in allusion to the
curious coloration of the animal, each side of the body having a broad
oblique stripe, half gray and half black, which gives it some
resemblance to a heraldic banner. It has an excessively long, slender
muzzle, and a warm-like extensile tongue. Its jaws are destitute of
teeth. The claws are much elongated, and its gait is very awkward. It
lives on the ground, but all the other species of this singular genus
are arboreal. I met with four species altogether. One was the
_Myrmecophaga tetradactyla_, or Little Ant-Eater; the two others, more
curious and less known, were very small kinds, called _Tamanduá-i_
(_Myrmecophaga tamandua_). Both are similar in size--ten inches in
length, exclusive of the tail--and in the number of the claws, having
two of unequal length to the anterior feet, and four to the hind feet.
One species is clothed with grayish-yellow silky hair; this is of rare
occurrence. The other has a fur of a dingy brown colour, without silky
lustre. One was brought to me alive, having been caught by an Indian
clinging motionless inside a hollow tree. I kept it in the house about
twenty-four hours. It had a moderately long snout, curved downwards, and
extremely small eyes. It remained nearly all the time without motion,
except when irritated, in which case it reared itself on its hind-legs
from the back of a chair to which it clung, and clawed out with its
fore-paws like a cat. Its manner of clinging with its claws, and the
sluggishness of its motions, gave it a great resemblance to a sloth. It
uttered no sound, and remained all night on the spot where I had placed
it in the morning. The next day I put it on a tree in the open air, and
at night it escaped. These small Tamanduás are nocturnal in their
habits, and feed on those species of termites which construct earthy
nests, that look like ugly excrescences on the trunks and branches of
trees. The different kinds of ant-eaters are thus adapted to various
modes of life, terrestrial and arboreal."
In Tropical America the most remarkable representatives of the Carnivora
are two great species of Felidæ: the Puma, or Cougouar (_Felis
concolor_), also called the Lion of America; and the Jaguar, or Ounce
(_Felis onca_), sometimes distinguished as the American Tiger.
The Puma measures about five feet from nose to tail; the tail alone
measuring two feet and a half. His colour is a brownish-red, with small
patches of deeper tint, only shown up by certain lights; the breast,
belly, and inner flanks are of a reddish ash; the lower jaw and throat
entirely white; the tail of a dusky ferruginous tinge, tipped with
black. As he grows older, however, his general colour becomes a silvery
fawn. He has no mane. His manners--that is, his habits and
disposition--are rather those of the panther than the lion. He climbs
trees with cat-like expertness, whether in chase of birds, or to secure
a vantage-point from which he may pounce upon some unsuspecting victim.
He never attacks the larger quadrupeds, confining himself to such "small
deer" as young calves, colts, and sheep. Men, children, dogs--these he
suffers to pass by unmolested. His depredations are nocturnal. When
domesticated, he may well be likened to the common cat, and he shows his
pleasure at being caressed by the same kind of gentle purring. But he is
a ferocious animal, and will kill fifty sheep or more in order to drink
their blood.
[Illustration: COUGOUARS, OR PUMAS.]
A much more formidable animal is the Jaguar. In size and strength he is
but little inferior to the tiger. He has a large and rounded head; his
pliant body is marked on the back with long uninterrupted stripes, on
the legs and thighs with full black spots; his ground colour is a pale
brownish-yellow; his legs are short, thick, and robust. He extends his
ravages over all Central and South America, and over a considerable
range of the northern continent. Like the tiger, he loves the shade of
hot swampy jungles, the neighbourhood of the river and the lake. He
generally preys on animals of domestic origin, which have grown wild in
the prairies and the pampas, but he will also attack the bisons, and the
other herbivora. Fish, too, he does not disdain to eat; and in default
of other food, will even seize upon the caïmans. It is rare that he
attacks man; but if attacked by him, he defends himself courageously,
and his muscular strength renders him exceedingly formidable. Not even
an Ajax could maintain a combat with him as Fitz-James fought with
Roderick Dhu, when--
"Foot, and point, and eye opposed,
In dubious strife they darkly closed;"
if man would win, he must arm himself with bow and arrow, keen spear, or
unerring rifle. The hunter, thus provided, pursues him with restless
animosity to obtain his fur, which is much esteemed in commerce, where
it is improperly designated by the names of "Great Panther," and
"American Tiger."
[Illustration: BISON ATTACKED BY A JAGUAR.]
According to Humboldt, the Pampas are colonized with dogs grown wild,
which gather in great numbers in subterranean caverns, and oftentimes,
when stimulated by hunger, fling themselves upon man, in whose defence
they originally displayed their courage.
[Illustration: PRAIRIE WOLVES (_Arctomys Ludoricianus_).]
In North America there exists a very curious species of Rodents,
belonging to the sub-genus _Spermophilus_, or _Spermatophilus_--that is,
"grain-eaters." They are better known by the hunter's name, "Prairie
Dogs." Mr. Murray remarks that it is difficult to say _why_ they
obtained such an absurd appellation, for they do not bear the slightest
resemblance to the canine species, either in formation or habits.[139]
"In size," he says, "they vary extremely, but in general they are not
larger than a squirrel, and not unlike one in appearance, except that
they want his bushy tail; the head is also somewhat rounder. They burrow
under the light soil, and throw it up round the entrance to their
dwelling like the English rabbit; on this little mound they generally
sit, chirping and chattering to one another, like two neighbour gossips
in a village. Their number is incredible, and their cities (for they
deserve no less a name) full of activity and bustle. I do not know what
their occupations are; but I have seen them constantly running from one
hole to another, although they do not ever pay any distant visits. They
seem on the approach of danger always to retire to their own homes; but
their great delight apparently consists in braving it, with the usual
insolence of cowardice when secure from punishment; for, as you
approach, they wag their little tails, elevate their heads, and chatter
at you like a monkey, louder and louder the nearer you come; but no
sooner is the hand raised to any missile, whether gun, arrow, stick, or
stone, than they pop into the hole with a rapidity only equalled by that
sudden disappearance of Punch, with which, when a child, I have been so
much delighted in the streets and squares of London."
Captain Murray observes that as there is generally neither rain nor dew
on the plains which they inhabit, during the summer, while, on the other
hand, these little creatures never wander far from their "towns," it
seems reasonable to conclude they need no other liquid than they can
extract from the grass they eat. It is certain that they pass the winter
in a complete state of lethargy and torpor, for they accumulate no
supply of provisions against that season; while the herbage which
thrives about their habitat dries up in autumn, and soon afterwards the
frosts render it impossible for them to procure their ordinary food.
When the prairie dog feels the approach of his time of somnolence--generally
about the end of October--he closes all the passages of his dormitory to
protect him from the cold, and wholly resigns himself to the pleasures
of repose. He remains thus immured and inert until awakened by the first
warm airs of spring, when he throws wide his gates and reappears on the
surface of the refreshened earth, in all his whilome liveliness and
gaiety.