In the localities where they abound, their sanguinary disposition and
predatory inclinations render them a real pest to the farm-yard, to
which they pay their nocturnal visits for the purpose of destroying
the poultry. They also make war upon rats, birds, and reptiles, and
devour the eggs of the latter with the greatest avidity. Endowed with a
remarkable degree of courage in proportion to their size, they do not
hesitate to attack any animal that is not obviously more than a match for
them. Even in captivity they retain much of their native spirit; and so
great is their activity and determination that the individual now in the
Tower actually on one occasion killed no fewer than a dozen full grown
rats, which were loosed to it in a room sixteen feet square, in less than
a minute and a half. They are very easily tamed, become attached to those
with whom they are familiar and to the house in which they live, and will
follow their master about almost like a dog.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE PARADOXURUS.
_PARADOXURUS TYPUS._ F. CUV.
Although the division of the true Carnivora into digitigrade and
plantigrade is in many respects objectionable, we feel compelled, in
conformity with established rules, to remove the animal before us from
its most obvious affinities, to arrange it among the latter; placing
it, however, at the commencement of that division and nearly in contact
with the viverrine groups, to which it is so intimately allied, as to
have been actually confounded by Buffon with the common Genette; a
mistake, which was first clearly pointed out by M. F. Cuvier, but which
has obtained so generally among naturalists, that the Paradoxurus is
still commonly exhibited under that erroneous name. From the Genettes
and Civets it differs little in its general form and habits; its teeth
are nearly similar; and its toes and nails closely correspond in number
and in their degree of retractility. But it is entirely destitute of the
secretory pouch; and, in addition to its plantigrade walk, it exhibits a
very peculiar structure in the tail. This organ is as long as the body,
and flattened above and below; when extended, the further half is turned
over so as to place its lower side uppermost, and the animal has it in
its power to roll it up into a spire, commencing from above downwards, to
the very base.
The colour of the species varies in different lights: in general it may
be described as grayish black, with a tinge of yellow. On this ground it
is marked with one broad dorsal, and on each side two or three narrower,
indistinct black lines. The under jaw, the legs, and the greater part of
the tail are entirely black; and there is a whitish spot above and under
each of its eyes.
India and the larger Asiatic Islands appear to be its native country; but
nothing certain is known of its habits in a state of nature: in captivity
it is sullen and irascible, and evinces no affection for its keeper,
appearing in fact totally insensible to the attentions which it receives.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE BROWN COATI.
_NASUA NARICA._ F. CUV.
The characters of the genus to which this curious little animal belongs
resemble so closely in the most important particulars those of the other
plantigrade Carnivora, that it will here be sufficient to explain those
points alone in which the Coatis differ from their immediate affinities.
From the Bears they are essentially distinguished by the general form
of their body, which in some measure approaches that of the viverrine
group; by their physiognomy, which is altogether peculiar, and by their
elongated tail, which is nearly equal in length to their body. From the
Racoons their generally lengthened form, and especially that of the
snout, which is in fact their most obvious and striking characteristic,
are fully sufficient to distinguish them. In the Coatis this organ is
produced in a most remarkable degree; and it is terminated by a muzzle so
extremely flexible that, when the attention of the animal is excited, it
is kept in constant action and moved about in all directions.
The Coatis are barely equal in size to the common fox: they inhabit the
woods of South America, and live upon fruits, insects, and reptiles,
climbing trees in pursuit of their prey with great agility. In captivity
they are easily tamed, and are fond of being caressed; but exhibit no
peculiar symptoms of attachment.
Three supposed species have been described; but naturalists in general
are at present inclined to admit of no more than two; and even with
regard to these we have yet no sufficient proof that they are really more
than strongly marked varieties. The one from which our figure was taken
belongs to the brown kind, which is distinguished from the other chiefly
by its darker colour both above and below, and by the blackness of the
sides of its snout. The tails of both species are usually encircled by
rings alternately black and fulvous; and each has the eye surrounded by
three white spots.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE RACOON.
_PROCYON LOTOR._ CUV.
Larger in size and more robust in stature than the Coatis, and
approximating still more closely in their physical characters to the
Bears, which may be considered as the typical group of the plantigrade
Carnivora, the Racoons naturally occupy an intermediate station between
the playful, timid, and harmless little creatures just noticed, and
the powerful, clumsy, and dangerous animals next to be described. Like
both Bears and Coatis they have in each jaw six sharp incisors, two
strong canines, and twelve cheek teeth, six on each side. But these
latter differ from those of the Bears, inasmuch as the whole six form a
regular series, the three anterior ones of which are small and pointed,
and the three posterior broad and surmounted by prominent and blunted
tubercles; while in the Bears the three anterior appear rather to form
a supplemental appendage, being placed irregularly and at unequal
distances, and not unfrequently falling out altogether as the animal
advances in age: the tubercles on the crowns of the posterior ones are
also much less strongly marked. The Coatis exhibit nearly the same mode
of dentition as the Racoons; but striking marks of distinction between
them are afforded by the comparative length of the tail, which in the
latter is scarcely half as long as the body; and by that of the snout,
which, instead of being prolonged into an extensible muzzle, capable
of being moved about in all directions, as in the Coatis, is scarcely
produced beyond the lower lip, and has very little motion. The strongly
marked difference in physiognomy arising from this circumstance is
increased by the width of the head posteriorly, which is so great as to
give to the general outline of the face of the Racoons the form of a
nearly equilateral triangle. Their ears are of moderate length, upright
and rounded at the tip; their legs strikingly contrast in their slender
and graceful form with the strong and muscular limbs of the Bears; and
their nails, five in number on each of the feet, are long, pointed, and
of considerable strength. The whole body is clothed with long, thick, and
soft hair; and its general shape, notwithstanding its intimate connexion
with the Bears, and its short and thickset proportions, is not without a
certain degree of elegance and lightness.
The Racoons are natives of America, and the species which has been most
frequently observed by naturalists, and which we are now to describe, is
most frequent in the northern division of that continent. Indeed it may
admit of doubt whether it ever advances further south than the Isthmus
of Darien, the animal described by M. D’Azara as identical with it being
evidently a distinct species. Its fur is usually of a deep grayish black,
resulting from the intermixture of those two colours in successive rings
on each individual hair. The shades of colour vary on different parts
of the body, and are as usual much lighter below and on the inside of
the legs. The face, which is nearly white, is surrounded by a black band
of unequal breadth, passing across the forehead, encircling the eyes,
and descending obliquely on each side towards the angle of the jaw. The
whiskers are of moderate length; and the hair of the face generally, as
well as of the legs, is short and smooth. The tail, which is thick at
the base, tapering gradually to the tip, and covered with long hairs,
has five or six brownish rings, alternating with an equal number of the
lighter colour which is prevalent on the lower parts of the body.
All that we know of their habits in a state of nature may be comprehended
in the single fact, that, in addition to the vegetable substances,
and more particularly fruits, which form the principal part of their
subsistence, they feed on the eggs of birds, and even on the birds
themselves, their agility and the structure of their claws affording
them the means of reaching the tops of the tallest trees with quickness
and facility. In captivity they are easily tamed, and even appear
susceptible of some degree of attachment; but they never entirely lose
their sentiment of independence, and are consequently incapable of
complete domestication. When placed under a certain degree of restraint
they appear contented and happy, are fond of play, and take pleasure
in the caresses of their friends, and even of strangers; but however
long this kind of domestication may have continued, and how much soever
they may seem reconciled to their confinement, the moment the restraint
is withdrawn and they feel themselves again at liberty, the love of
freedom prevails over every other consideration, and they become as wild
as if they had never been reclaimed. In eating, they commonly support
themselves on their hind legs, and carry their food to the mouth between
their fore paws, having first plunged it in water, if the liquid element,
of which they are remarkably fond, is within reach. This singular
peculiarity, the object of which is not very obvious, but from which
the animal derives his specific name, does not, however, appear to be
constant and uniform, being frequently entirely neglected. The same may
be said of their fondness for shell-fish and mollusca, for which they
are generally stated to have a great partiality; some of them, like
the handsome pair now living in the Menagerie, displaying the greatest
address and dexterity in opening the shell of an oyster, and extracting
its contents, while others absolutely refuse to touch it.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE AMERICAN BLACK BEAR.
_URSUS AMERICANUS._ PALLAS.
We have now arrived at the closing group of the true Carnivora; a group
which, although less sanguinary in its habits than almost any of those
which we have hitherto had occasion to notice, and endowed by nature with
a capacity of subsisting entirely on vegetable substances, comprehends
nevertheless, among the closely allied species of which it is composed,
not merely the largest, but even some of the most formidable, of the
carnivorous Mammalia.
Both in outward shape and internal characters, these clumsy, sluggish,
and uncouth animals offer a perfect contrast to the light, active,
and elegant forms of the tribe with which we commenced our series.
Instead of the compressed and lengthened body, with its soft, sleek,
and variegated covering, and the long and graceful tail by which it
is terminated, we have a broad, awkward, and thickset figure, covered
with a rough, shaggy, and unattractive fur, and ending in a scarcely
visible appendage, serving neither for ornament nor use. The difference
in gait and motion is as remarkable as that of shape; for while the one
glides gently along, as it were on tiptoe, or bounds onwards with the
velocity of thought, the other appears to be oppressed by the weight
of his ponderous and unwieldy bulk, and supporting himself on the full
expansion of his dilated paws, scarcely moves without the semblance of
an effort. The short and rounded jaws of the cats, with their close and
regular series of powerful cutting and lacerating teeth, and their rough
and rasplike tongue, are supplied by a broad and lengthened snout, teeth
of a character totally different in almost every essential point, and a
soft, smooth, and extensible tongue. The claws too, which in the cats are
strongly curved, exceedingly sharp at their edges, tapering gradually
to a fine point, and capable of being entirely retracted within their
sheaths, are here indeed of great power, and sometimes even considerably
arched, but rounded in their surfaces, more or less blunted at their
extremities, and constantly protruded to their full extent. In this
manner might the contrast be pursued through almost every organ; but our
limits warn us that we must at once proceed to the enumeration of the
essential characters which combine the Bears into a well marked group.
These characters are derived, first, from their completely plantigrade
walk, the whole sole being at all times closely applied to the surface
on which they tread; secondly, from their claws, of which they have five
on each foot; thirdly, from the extreme shortness of their tail; and
lastly, from the form and arrangement of their teeth. These consist of
the usual number of incisors and canines, the latter being in general
very robust, and of a series of molars, which, when complete, amount
to six on each side in each jaw; the posterior three having flat and
expanded surfaces surmounted by broad and blunted tubercles, and lying
closely in contact with each other. Between them and the canines exists a
considerable space, which is or should be occupied by three smaller and
obtusely pointed teeth; but this number is seldom found entire, one or
more of them being generally absent, and the series being thus rendered
incomplete.
The Black Bear of America is distinguished from his fellows, and more
especially from the brown bear of Europe, which he approaches most nearly
in size and form, by few very striking external differences, except the
colour of his fur. His forehead has a slight elevation; his muzzle is
elongated, and somewhat flattened above; and his hair, though long and
straight, has less shagginess than that of most of the other species of
the group. In colour it is of a uniform shining jet-black, except on the
muzzle, where it is short and fawn-coloured, becoming almost gray on the
lips and sides of the mouth. This, however, it should be observed, is the
character only of the full-grown animal: the young are first of a bright
ash colour, which gradually changes to a deep brown, and finally fixes
in the glossy black tint of mature age.
The habits and manners of the Black Bear resemble those of the brown
almost as closely as his physical characters. In a state of nature he
seeks the recesses of the forest, and passes his solitary life in wild
and uncultivated deserts, far from the society of man, and avoiding
even that of the animal creation. His usual food consists of the young
shoots of vegetables, of their roots, which he digs up with his strong
and arcuated claws, and of their fruits, which he obtains by means
of the facility with which the same organs enable him to climb the
loftiest trees. He possesses indeed the faculty of climbing in a most
extraordinary degree, and frequently exercises it in the pursuit of
honey, of which he is passionately fond. When all these resources fail
him, he will attack the smaller quadrupeds, and sometimes even animals
of considerable size; familiarity with danger diminishing his natural
timidity, and the use of flesh begetting a taste for its continued
enjoyment. He is also said, like the Polar Bear, to have a peculiar
fondness for fish, and is frequently met with on the borders of lakes and
on the coast of the sea, to which he has resorted for the gratification
of this appetite. Notwithstanding his apparent clumsiness, he swims with
the greatest dexterity, the excessive quantity of fat with which he is
loaded serving to buoy him up in the water; in this way he frequently
crosses the broadest rivers, or even very considerable arms of the sea.
The entire continent of North America, or perhaps it might be more
correct to say, that immense portion of its surface which still remains
uncultivated and desolate, furnishes an abode to this species of bear,
which is consequently as widely dispersed as any of his tribe. As his
fur is of some value in commerce, although not so much sought after at
the present day as it was formerly, his race has become an object of the
cupidity of man, by whom they are frequently hunted for the sake of their
skins. This chase is principally followed by the Indians, who are also
attracted by the flavour of his flesh, of which, and especially of the
fat, they partake with an avidity truly disgusting. Travellers, however,
who have been reduced to the necessity of having recourse to this sort
of food, speak of it as by no means despicable: the fat yields moreover
a quantity of oil, which is often extremely serviceable. The Indians
will sometimes attack these animals single-handed; and if they can
manage to keep beyond the reach of their powerful grasp, which is almost
irresistible, are sure of gaining the victory; as the bears, in the
rampant posture which they always assume in self-defence, unconsciously
expose their most vulnerable parts to the attack of the hunter. Snares
are sometimes laid for them; but these are most frequently unsuccessful;
that extreme caution, which is so strongly portrayed in their actions
and demeanour, rendering them mistrustful of every thing. Nevertheless
their gluttony will sometimes get the better of their prudence, and the
bait of honey offers too tempting an allurement to be always resisted.
At other times a whole tribe of Indians will assemble for the chase,
and after having performed a variety of superstitious observances, beat
the entire country for their game, drive a great number of them into
a spot selected for the purpose, and deal forth upon them wholesale
destruction. They will also trace them to their retreats in the season of
their lethargy, which occupies several of the winter months, and during
which the bears are incapable of offering any effectual resistance.
In captivity the Black Bear is distinguished from the brown only by
the less degree of docility and intelligence which he evinces: and the
habits of the latter are so universally known that it would be useless to
dwell upon them here. The specimen figured at the head of this article
was presented to the Menagerie, in 1824, by Sir George Alderson, and
is remarkably tame and playful. He has, until very lately, shared his
den with the Hyæna, with whom he maintained a very good correspondence,
except at meal-times, when they would frequently quarrel, in a very
ludicrous manner, for a piece of beef, or whatever else might happen to
furnish a bone of contention between them. The Hyæna, though by far the
smallest of the two, was generally master; and the Bear would moan most
piteously, and in a tone somewhat resembling the bleating of a sheep,
while his companion quietly consumed the remainder of his dinner.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
_URSUS FEROX._ LEWIS AND CLARKE.
A native also of the northern division of America, and more particularly
of that extensive tract of country which constitutes the newly erected
State of Missouri, the Grizzly Bear differs in many striking points, both
of character and habits, from the subject of the preceding article, as
well as from every other animal of the very natural group of which he
forms part. By his elongated, narrowed, and flattened muzzle, added to
the slight elevation of his forehead, he is closely connected with the
Black Bear of America, and as remarkably distinguished from the common
Brown Bear of Europe, and from the White Bear of the polar regions, which
last, in size and general form, offers perhaps the nearest approximation
to the present species. But his enormous magnitude, which may be stated
as averaging twice the bulk of the Black Bear; the greatly increased
size and power of his canine teeth; and, above all, the excessive length
of his talons, on the fore feet especially, afford characteristic
differences so obvious and so essential, that it is difficult to conceive
how they could have been so long overlooked by naturalists as well as
travellers, who have all, until within little more than twenty years of
the present time, passed him over without even a casual hint that he
presented any claims to be considered as distinct from the common species
of his country.
His hair, generally speaking, is longer, finer, and more abundant than
that of the Black Bear, and varies in colour to an almost indefinite
extent, passing through all the intermediate shades between a light gray
and a black brown. The brown tinge is, however, the most common; and it
is always more or less grizzled either by the intermixture of grayish
hairs, or by the brown hairs being tipped with gray. The hair of the legs
and feet is darker and coarser, and diminishes in length as it descends;
on the muzzle it becomes remarkably pale, and is so much shortened as to
give to the animal an appearance of baldness. His eyes are very small
and hardly at all prominent; and the line of the profile is consequently
nearly straight. His tail is scarcely visible, being almost entirely
concealed by the long hairs which surround it. Of the great size of
his feet and talons, some judgment may be formed from the measurements
given by Captains Lewis and Clarke, the first travellers by whom the
Grizzly Bear was accurately described. These gentlemen inform us that
the breadth of the fore foot in one of the individuals observed by them
exceeded nine inches, while the length of his hind foot, exclusive of
the talons, was eleven inches and three quarters, and its breadth seven
inches. The claws of the fore feet of another specimen measured more
than six inches. The latter are considerably longer and less curved than
those of the hind feet, and do not narrow in a lateral direction as they
approach their extremity, but diminish only from beneath: the point
is consequently formed by the shelving of the inferior surface alone,
their breadth remaining the same throughout the whole of their enormous
length, and their power being proportionally increased; an admirable
provision for enabling the animal to exercise to the fullest extent his
propensity for digging up the ground, either in search of food or for
other purposes. It appears, however, on the other hand, to unfit him for
climbing trees, which he never attempts; and this remarkable circumstance
in his habits affords a striking distinction between him and all the
other Bears, which are essentially climbers.
Of all the quadrupeds which inhabit the northern regions of the American
continent, the Grizzly Bear is unquestionably the most formidable and
the most dreaded. Superior to the rest of his tribe, not excepting even
the polar species, in bulk, in power, in agility, and in the ferocity of
his disposition, it is not to be wondered at that he should be regarded
by the native Indians with an almost superstitious terror, and that
some portion of this feeling should have been communicated even to the
civilized travellers, who have occasionally met with him in the wild and
desolate regions which are subject to his devastations. In the Journals
of some of these travellers we find recorded such astonishing instances
of his strength, ferocity, and extraordinary tenacity of life as would
indeed amaze us, were we not aware how much the human mind is prone,
under certain circumstances, to fall into exaggeration, in many cases
most certainly unintentional. Making, however, all due allowances for the
existence of this very natural feeling, we are bound to acknowledge that
there are few animals who can compete with this terrible beast; and that
to be made the object of his pursuit is an occurrence well calculated to
alarm the stoutest heart, even when provided with the most certain and
deadly weapons of human invention, guided by the most experienced eye,
and directed by the steadiest hand.