Part 1

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A BOOK OF NIMBLE BEASTS

A BOOK OF NIMBLE BEASTS

Bunny Rabbit, Squirrel, Toad, and "Those Sort of People"

by

DOUGLAS ENGLISH

Fellow and Medalist of the Royal Photographic Society

With Over 200 Illustrations from Photographs of Living Animals Taken by the Author

London Eveleigh Nash & Grayson Ltd. 148 Strand 1922

Printed by Woods & Sons, Ltd., 338-340, Upper Street, London, N. 1.

IN MEMORY C. J. E.

CONTENTS

PAGE _JANUARY_ SOMETHING ABOUT BATS 17

_FEBRUARY_ SOMETHING ABOUT TADPOLES 29

_VALENTINE'S DAY_ A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO 41

_MARCH_ ANIMALS' NESTS 75

_APRIL_ SOMETHING ABOUT BEETLES 89

_LADY DAY_ BUNNY RABBIT 101

_MAY_ A BUTTERFLY PAINT-BOX 117

_JUNE_ TWO WONDERFUL WASPS 127

_MIDSUMMER DAY_ SPINIPES THE SAND-WASP 143

_JULY_ PICTURES ON BUTTERFLIES' WINGS 171

_AUGUST_ A VERY WEE BEASTIE AND A VERY BIG ONE 179

_LAMMAS DAY_ IN WEASEL WOOD 187

_SEPTEMBER_ SHEEP IN WOLVES' CLOTHING AND WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING 213

_OCTOBER_ THE BEASTIES' BED-TIME 227

_MICHAELMAS DAY_ THE BLUNDERS OF BARTIMÆUS 237

_NOVEMBER_ SOMETHING ABOUT A CHAMÆLEON 261

_DECEMBER_ THE TRAIL OF NIMBLE BEASTS 269

_CHRISTMAS DAY_ THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S BAND 279

_BOXING-DAY_ THE PYGMY SHREW 301

ILLUSTRATIONS

ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR PAGE

IN WEASEL WOOD

HE HELD HIMSELF WITH AN AIR, HIS BODY ARCHED, ONE BROAD WHITE PAD UPLIFTED, HIS TAIL CURVED DECOROUSLY _Frontispiece_

A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO

THE GREEN TOAD SLOWLY STRETCHED HIMSELF. "THAT?" SAID HE, "THAT'S NOT FRENCH" 60

AT THE FIFTH STONE--A BULKY SLANTING ONE-- HE SIGHTED THE FRENCH FROG 60

SPINIPES, THE SAND WASP

AN INSTANT'S PAUSE TO SHIFT HER GRIP, AND SHE HAD PUSHED THE GRUB WITHIN THE ENTRANCE 162

"TAKE THAT--AND THAT--AND THAT," SAID SPINIPES, AND DROVE HER SHARP STING HOME 162

THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S BAND

AND THE LAST THING WINNIE REMEMBERS WAS THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S WIFE HURRYING THE LITTLE SKIPJACKS OFF TO BED 279

ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT PAGE

SOMETHING ABOUT BATS Natterer's Bat 17 Lesser Horseshoe Bat 19 The Noctule 20 The Noctule 21 Lesser Horseshoe Bat going to sleep 22 The Greater Horseshoe 23 The Greater Horseshoe Bat hanging head downwards 24 Long-eared Bat 25 The Pipistrelle 27

SOMETHING ABOUT TADPOLES Toad's Spawn 29 Frog's Spawn floating on the water 31 Frog's Spawn Quite Fresh 33 Frog's Spawn showing Young Tadpoles, &c. 34 Frog's Spawn beginning to Grow 35 Tadpoles getting like Frogs 36 Tadpoles full grown 39

A FROG HE WOULD A-WOOING GO Passable 43 His Little Eyes were Starting from their Sockets 47 The Water Rat 48 The Salamander 51 The Natterjack 52 Have you Seen this Trick before 53 The French Frog 57 "I see a Natterjack" 58 "Fetch him," thundered the King Toad 59 Five Times He Tried 65 The Shrew Mouse 66 He Bristled with Apologies 67 The Green Toad 69 His Inside was Red Hot 70 He Lay as He had Fallen 71 "Ducks," whispered Bombinatrix 73

ANIMALS' NESTS Four Moles' Nests Together 77 The Squirrel 79 The Harvest Mouse Nest 81 The Dormouse 83 A Dormouse's Nursery Nest 85 The Harvest Mouse 86

SOMETHING ABOUT BEETLES The Stag-Beetle 91 The Stag-Beetle that I ran over 93 The Female Stag-Beetle 95 The Great Water Beetle 96 The Musk Beetle 97 The Cockchafer 98 The Churchyard Beetle 99

BUNNY RABBIT Landed on his Back six feet below 103 It wasn't Mother after all 105 He Combed his Ears Out 106 He Watched and Heard the Awakening of the Wood 108 Berus the Adder 110 Lay full length, eyes closed 113 Bunny Rabbit Watched him out of Sight 116

A BUTTERFLY PAINT-BOX The Brimstone Butterfly 118 The Red Admiral 119 The Purple Emperor 120 The Clifden Blue 121 The Swallow Tail Butterfly 122 The Black Pepper Moth 123 The Silver-washed Fritillary 124

TWO WONDERFUL WASPS Spinipes' burrow opened up 128 Spinipes Bringing up a Grub 129 Spinipes Grub Feeding 131 Cocoon which Spinipes' Grubs make 132 The Little Beetle that Caterpillars turn into 133 Before and After the Thunderstorm 135 Crabro 136 Crabro Looking out of her hole 137 How the Cocoons Looked 138 One of the Crabro's Stores of Blue-Bottles 139 What the piece of Elm-bough looked like 140 One of the Cocoons of Crabro in Elm-bough 141

SPINIPES, THE SAND-WASP The Sand Cliff splits the Old Gravel-Pit in two 144 First the Wild Bees, Red King, Black Queen 146 Down Dropped a Red King 147 "In Sand, Ma'am, in Sand" 148 "Well, call me when it comes" 149 Spinipes commenced to Dig in Earnest 151 "Good Hunting, Sister!" said the Ophion Fly 153 The Rose Chafer 155 Out flew the Bees 157 Hour after Hour she Toiled 158 The Lowest Chamber of the Shaft now held a precious thing 159 A Flabby, Green, Blackheaded Grub 160 Twelve Grubs in all she brought 163 She Sank five other Curving Shafts 167

PICTURES ON BUTTER-FLIES' WINGS The Magpie Moth 171 The Emperor Moth 173 The Elephant Hawk Moth's Caterpillar 174 The Elephant Hawk Moth showing his Trunk 175 The Peacock Butterfly 176 The Mother Shipton Moth 177

A VERY WEE BEASTIE AND A VERY BIG ONE The Common Shrewmouse 181 The Water Shrewmouse 183 The Pygmy Shrewmouse 184 How the Pygmy Coils Himself Up to Sleep 185

IN WEASEL WOOD Again the Fox Cub was Puzzled 188 He Sank from his Hindquarters forward 191 The Stoat Tiptoed Towards Him 193 "My Plumed Tail! you wait till Squirrel grows" 195 Marten has seen you 197 "Perhaps you will be good enough to get higher up the tree" 201 It was another Badger 207 She came out full charge 209 And in due course of time, his wife 210

SHEEP IN WOLVES' CLOTHING The Lobster Moth Caterpillar 213 The Spider on the Bramble Blossom 217 The Dragon in the Water-weed 219 The Lobster Moth Caterpillar, Angry 220 The Ichneumon Fly 221 The Puss Moth Caterpillar 223 The Giant Wood Wasp 225

THE BEASTIES' BEDTIME The Queen Wasp in her Winter Sleep 227 Bill the Lizard 228 Toadums 229 Round Eye the Dormouse 230 Dormouse in his Winter Sleep 231 Prickles the Hedge Pig 233 The Hedge Pig in his Winter Sleep 234 Lesser Horseshoe Bat Asleep 235

THE BLUNDERS OF BARTIMÆUS Bartimæus 237 He Headed Straight for the Water 239 The Bank Rose Steeply Over Him 241 Only one grass-blade stirred, but Tatters saw it 246 The Harvest Mouse stood up full length 251 The Harvest Mouse drew herself up indignant 253 "Weasels!" said the Meadow Mouse 254 "Don't rush!" the Pygmy screamed behind 257 His fortress, his own fortress had been breached 258

SOMETHING ABOUT A CHAMÆLEON You can see his eye looking back over his shoulder 263 You can see his hands and feet 264 The Chamæleon 267

THE TRAIL OF NIMBLE BEASTS Nuts Gnawed by Mice 269 The Weasel's Trail 271 Where the Weasel met the Mice 272 Where the Weasel met the Rook 274 Two Mouse Trails 275 The Fox's Footprints 276

THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S BAND She Never went to Sleep at all 281 The Cricket was Sitting on the Hearthstone 283 The pair of them dropped 284 "I beg your pardon," said the Grasshopper's Wife 288 The Mole Cricket 291 The Field Cricket 292 The Wood Cricket 293 The First Note sent the Grasshopper's Wife's hind legs straight up 295 He had backed out of his hole 296 The Grasshopper's Wife reared herself up 297

THE PYGMY SHREW The Woodmouse First 303 He took the Right-hand Surface run 305 He could now see and hear as well 306 His rival feinting, flicked his tail 308 The Grey Shrew Leant against the Trunk 309 With Tangled Tails and Rounded Straining Bodies 310 There they lay head to tail 311 The Field Voles 312 The Bat came to a halt and stared 313 The Pygmy climbed two inches up 314 Now one was on his back, now the other 315 The Mole plunged into the air 317

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

The publisher may, perhaps, be allowed to call the reader's attention to the illustrations--particularly to the two of the Sand-Wasps, reproduced in colour. The difficulties of photographing from wild life active creatures of such small dimensions as hymenopterous insects are very great from an optical standpoint. The picture of Spinipes bringing the beetle grub to her tube took several years to accomplish successfully, and the strain involved by the conditions, a blazing June sun on the operator's back, an uncertain foothold, and the necessity of keeping the attention riveted for hours on one particular patch of sunlit sand, was exceptional. It is of course possible, probable even, that with the introduction of an improved lens system, which will enable fast exposures to be made at very short range on minute moving objects, this particular picture may be repeated and improved upon. But the odds against the second picture on the same page, that of Spinipes stinging the jewel-fly, _ever_ being repeated, are enormous. It will be necessary in order to secure the repetition of such a picture, first, that the camera shall be focussed on one out of a score of tubes; second, that the parasitic jewel-fly shall enter that particular tube; third, that the Owner Wasp shall return while the jewel-fly is below; fourth, that the Owner Wasp shall pull the jewel-fly to the surface; fifth, that the jewel-fly shall cling to the rim of the tube; sixth, that the Wasp shall sting it in this position--it will be noticed that the sting is directed at the junction of the thorax and abdomen; seventh, that the observer shall be ready to expose his plate at the exact psychological moment; and eighth, that he shall succeed in doing so. The first six conditions were, in Mr. English's case, fulfilled by chance. As regards the seventh he was unready. He was, in fact, some feet below his camera. But chance befriended him still further.

He caught the jewel-fly's glint, and caught the shadow of the returning Wasp. He flung his arm up, grabbed the dangling bulb, and pressed at random. This action dragged the camera from its moorings--to fix a camera on a Sand Cliff's side is no slight task--and it fell twelve feet down. Yet it had done its work and made the picture.

There are a score of pictures in this book, which are believed to be unique, not only by reason of the rarity of their subjects, but also by reason of the fact that they are the _only_ pictures of such subjects, good or bad, in existence. The most remarkable among them is the picture of Spinipes stinging the jewel-fly.

INTRODUCTION

I know a Boy Scout who has never seen a weasel. Many weasels, I fancy, must have seen that Boy Scout.

And I know a Girl who has never seen a Harvest Mouse, but who might have, often.

There may be other boys and girls like these. There may be grown-ups also.

It is for them that I have written this book. It is to them that I offer its pictures.

I would lead them (with hushed voices and quiet feet) into God's Under-World; a World of queer small happenings; of sparkling eyes and vanishing tails; a whispering, rustling World.

I would have them, whatever their age be, approach this World as children. For children's eyes are closest to the ground.

DOUGLAS ENGLISH HAWLEY, DARTFORD, 1910

SOMETHING ABOUT BATS (JANUARY)

You must all, I think, have seen Bats flying, or, at any rate, pictures of Bats flying, and you must all know that they are night, or twilight, beasties, though some of our English kinds fly about in broad daylight more often than most people think. But do you all know that they are the only four-footed creatures that _really_ fly--for they are four-footed though they don't look it; and do you all know that there are, probably, more different kinds of Bats in England than there are different kinds of any other beastie; and that they are the very ugliest of British Beasties, taking them altogether; and that they all have very small eyes--which is a queer thing for twilight beasties to have; owls, of course, and dormice have very big eyes--and that they have either very wonderful ears, or very wonderful noses, but not both together? If you don't know all this, perhaps you would like to hear more.

We had better, I think, begin with a Bat's wings, for, when we have learnt something about these, we may perhaps get some notion as to why a Bat is more clever in the air than a bird, and far, far more clever than a flying machine, worked by a human brain, is at present. The reason why a Bat is a cleverer, I don't mean a stronger, flier than a bird, is a reason which you young people will find to be a very common one, if ever you try your hand at guessing Mother Nature's riddles. It is simply this--that _he has to be_. A Bat has to catch his food, tiny food mostly, in the air, and he has to catch it in a bad light, and, as far as we can tell, though we cannot be sure of this, his eyesight is not as good as, say, a swallow's eyesight. This means that he has had to pick up a wonderful quickness in checking his own flight, and in turning sharp in the air, almost head over heels sometimes, and in diving, and in soaring up again. To do all these things well he has had to be built in a very special way, and I will try to explain to you how he has been built by comparing a Bat with one of ourselves, for you must remember that a Bat belongs to the same great order of living creatures as we do, and that a Bat is much more like a human being than a bird is.

Let us fancy, then, a small boy being turned into a Bat. The first thing that would have to happen would be that his legs would have to be bent at the knees, and shrunk until they were as thin as sticks. Then they would have to be twisted right and left until the knee-caps faced the wrong way about. His arms would have to be shrunk too, and his fore-arms would have to be stretched until they were twice their natural length, and his middle-fingers would have to be about a yard long, and his other fingers nearly a yard long also. His thumb might be left as it was, but it would have to have a strong claw at the end of it. In between his fingers, and joining his arms to his body, and stretching down to his legs, and joining his legs together, there would have to be a web of skin, and then, perhaps, if his chest was brought well forward like a pigeon's, and his head pressed well back until it stopped between his shoulders, he might, if his muscles were strong enough, and the whole of him was light enough, be able to fly.