Part 8

The Mangousts make their home in marshy places where there are plenty of Reptiles. They prefer these to any other food, although they attack small animals and Birds. They also search for the eggs of Reptiles, and such Birds as build on the ground. They sometimes manage to get into poultry yards, when, like the Ferrets and Weasels, they kill all that can be found, only eating their brains and drinking their blood.

THE GENETS.

The Genets are handsomer little animals than others of this family. Their silky fur, speckled with black spots on a fawn-colored ground, has a very pretty appearance, and is an object of considerable trade.

The Common Genet is found in the south of France and Spain, and throughout the African Continent, and makes its home in low grounds near the rivers. The claws of the Genets are retractile, that is, capable of being drawn back, like those of the Cat. These animals are very successful in hunting Rats and Mice, and they also climb trees and hunt for young Birds.

AMPHIBIOUS CARNIVORA.

The Seals, Walruses, Sea-Elephants and Sea-Lions, etc., are grouped in a family known as the Amphibious Carnivora—or the flesh-eating animals that live both on the land and in the water. Some Naturalists object to this classification, and say that the word Amphibia should only be applied to the Batrachians—like the Frogs and the Reptiles that can breath either in the water by means of gills, or in the air by means of lungs.

But this expression has been altered from its true meaning, and what are now called Amphibia, are the animals like the Seals, etc., which are organized for living in the water, but which can, with difficulty move about on the land.

Very curious animals are found in the Seal family. Their bodies are long and cylinder-shaped, with many of the characteristics of the Fishes; and their limbs are converted into fins by being provided with broad connecting webs. The fur of these various animals is composed of a woolly compact coat, the thickness and fineness of which increases with the severity of the climate they inhabit; and which is covered by rather coarse hairs lubricated with oil, the object of which is to prevent the water from penetrating to the skin. A thick layer of fat protects the body against cold, especially in the species which inhabit the frigid regions.

The Seal family live in numerous troops, and feed on Fishes, Mollusks, Crustaceans, etc. They are famous divers, and although they must come to the surface to breathe, they can remain a long time under water. This is explained by a peculiarity in their circulation. They are provided with reservoirs in which the blood accumulates while the lungs are inactive; and the animal is not suffocated while under water, because suffocation only comes from the stoppage of circulation as soon as the breathing is suspended, and in this case the circulation continues all the time the animal is under water; and it is only when the blood overruns these reservoirs that it is necessary for them to return to the surface of the water to breathe.

Owing to this precaution of nature the Amphibia can wander freely about in the depths of the ocean in search of their food.

As their members are badly fitted for locomotion on land, the Amphibia only leave the water when they want to sleep, or while their babies are very young, and feed on the mother’s milk. But these clumsy little fellows soon grow strong enough to dive to the bottom of the ocean with their mother, and search for food among the small Fishes, etc.

The Amphibia do not live in very warm regions, and they increase more and more in number in proportion as one advances towards the poles. They are found on the coasts of Europe—in the North Seas, the British Channel and the Mediterranean; and in southern latitudes of the Pacific, along the coast of Southern Chili and upon the shores of New Zealand.

THE COMMON SEAL.

The Common Seal, a species frequently seen upon our northern coasts, measures from three to five feet in length, and is of a yellowish grey color, spotted with patches of brown. These animals are met with in greater numbers as we approach the Arctic seas, and afford the principal means of support to the Esquimaux of Labrador, and the inhabitants of the coast of Greenland.

“The Seal,” says Mr. Low, “swims with vast rapidity, and before a gale of wind is full of frolic, jumping and tumbling about, sometimes wholly throwing itself above water, performing many awkward gambols, and at last retiring to a rock or cavern, of which it keeps possession till the storm is over.

“Seals seem to have a great deal of curiosity; if people are passing in boats, they often come quite close up to the boat, and stare at them, following for a long time together. The church of Hay, in Orkney, is situated near a small sandy bay, much frequented by these creatures, and I observed when the bell rang for divine service, all the creatures within hearing swam directly for the shore, and kept looking about them as if surprised rather than frightened, and in this manner continued to wonder as long as the bell rang.”

They are exceedingly docile and intelligent, and when tamed will be quite friendly with the Esquimaux Dogs and spend much of their time with them on the icy shore.

THE SEA-LIONS.

The Seals belonging to this group differ from the others in having prominent external ears. The fingers of the front flippers are nearly stiff and immovable, while those of the hind pair are considerably extended by a web, and supported by small flattened claws.

The Sea-Lion, or Maned Seal, is an animal of gigantic size, measuring from fifteen to twenty feet in length, or even more; it is of a dull tawny color, and the neck of the male is covered with a sort of mane, composed of hair considerably longer and more crisp than that which covers the rest of the body. These formidable creatures are extensively distributed along the coasts of the Pacific ocean, more especially in the vicinity of the Straits of Magellan, and the neighboring islands. After choosing their home, the Sea-Lions will fight fiercely for the rights of possession, and, as illustrated on page 87; this is probably one of the most interesting and clumsy battles that can well be imagined.

THE SEA-ELEPHANTS.

The appearance of the Seals belonging to this group are very curious. The head is broad and short, with a tuft of bristles over each eye. The upper lip is longer than the lower; the nostrils are wrinkled, and can be blown up into a crest. The whiskers are very long; the fore-feet are rather small and oblong, with five elongated claws.

The Sea-Elephant is very numerous in the southern latitudes of the Pacific, more especially upon the coasts of Terra del Fuego and Chili, as well as upon the shores of New Zealand. The full-grown creature measures eighteen to twenty feet in length, and from the abundance of oil obtained from its carcass, is the subject of important fisheries.

THE WALRUS OR MORSE.

These enormous animals closely resemble seals, both in the shape of their body and the structure of their limbs, but are distinguished by the shape of their head, and by the enormous tusks which project from their upper jaw. These remarkable weapons sometimes measure two feet in length, and are of proportionate thickness. The great size of the bones of the face required for holding these teeth renders their appearance peculiarly striking, their nostrils being pushed so far upwards that, instead of being situated at the extremity of the snout, they are placed near the top of the head.

Their food seems to consist of sea-weed (which they detach from the soil by means of these tusks, which act like garden rakes), as well as of animal substances. They frequently measure from twenty to twenty-five feet in length, and a full-sized Bull Walrus, weighing three thousand pounds, will yield six hundred pounds of blubber, from which excellent oil is procured. Its hide is used for harness, shoe soles, and the rigging of ships, as well as for the manufacture of glue.

CHIEROPTERA—ANIMALS WITH WINGED-HANDS.

FOR a long time these curious little animals puzzled the Naturalists. Aristotle defined them as Birds with wings of skin. After him, Pliny and other Naturalists fell into the same error of classifying them with the Birds; but after many centuries the different characters that fix the rank of these animals in the scale of created beings are well known, and they are placed where they belong, in the great family of Mammals, and classed as the Cheiroptera, or animals with winged-hands—as the word Cheiroptera comes from two Greek words meaning wing and hand.

All the fingers of the hand (with the exception of the thumb, which is short, has a nail, and is quite free) are immoderately long, and united by means of a transparent membrane which is without hair. This membrane covers also the arm and forearm, and is simply a prolongation of the skin of the flanks, composed of two very thin layers. It also extends down the hind legs, where it is more or less developed, according to the species; but it never reaches the toes of the feet, which are short and have nails.

It is owing to this membranous sail that Bats direct their course through the air in the same manner as Birds. When they are at rest they fold their wings around them, covering their bodies as if in a mantle, similar to our closing an umbrella to diminish its volume when it is no longer required. This comparison is still more exact when we note that the curiously long fingers of the animal perfectly correspond to the ribs or rods of the umbrella.

Bats do not descend to the ground if it can possibly be helped, for they are very awkward and slow in attempting to walk along the ground; and besides this, when on the ground they find themselves in a very inconvenient position to resume their flight. Their case is then almost the same as that of high-soaring Birds, which, full of grace and assurance aloft, are compelled to resort to the most painful efforts to ascend again from low levels.

The Bats are classed as nocturnal animals, as they hunt their prey at night, and spend the day in caverns, lofts, church spires and old ruins, or the trunks of trees. Their eyes, although small, are organized for seeing, not in complete darkness but in the twilight, or in the feeble light of the moon and stars.

THE LONG-EARED BATS.

The Long-eared Bat is one of the most interesting of the whole race. Its ears are twice as long as its head, and very nearly as long as the body, being an inch and a half from the base to the point. Within these large ears are what are known as the lesser ears, which are fine and transparent, and can be expanded and contracted by their owner to produce a beautiful feathery appearance, or festoon-like foldings.

This Bat measures about eighteen inches from tip to tip of its expanded wings.

THE LONG-NOSED BATS.

There are several varieties of these Bats having a long nose and Fox-like face. The best known is commonly called Roussette by the French, because of its being generally of a red or brown color; and Kalony, or Flying Fox, by the English. It is the largest of the Bat family. There are some which attain the size of a Squirrel, and sometimes measure four feet across the wings.

The animals belonging to this family inhabit Africa, Asia and the Oceanic Islands.

THE VAMPIRES.

The Vampires are the most dreaded of the Bat family. They are characterized by two nasal leaves situated above the upper lip. Wonderful tales have been told of their appetite for blood, and although their power of sucking the blood of the larger animals has been exaggerated, the tales concerning them are by no means devoid of foundation, neither are we surprised that such spectral visitants should have received the once terrible name of “vampire,” by which they are designated.

Mr. Gardner, during his travels in the interior of Brazil, stopped at Riachao. He says:

“For several nights before we reached this place, the Horses were greatly annoyed by Bats, which are very numerous on this sierra, where they inhabit the caves in the limestone rocks; during the night we remained at Riachao the whole of my troop suffered more from their attacks than they had done before on any previous occasion. All exhibited one or more streams of clotted blood on their shoulders and backs, which had run from the wounds made by these animals, and from which they had sucked their fill of blood.

“When a small sore exists on the back of a Horse, they always prefer making an incision in that place. The owner of the house where we stopped informed me he was not able to rear Cattle here, on account of the destruction made by the Bats among the Calves, so that he was obliged to keep them at a distance, in a lower part of the country; even the Pigs were not able to escape their attacks.”

These singular creatures, which are productive of so much annoyance, are peculiar to the continent of America, being distributed over the immense extent of territory between Paraguay and the Isthmus of Darien. Their tongue, which is capable of considerable extension, is furnished at its extremity with papillae, which appear to be so arranged as to form an organ of suction, and their lips have also tubercles symmetrically arranged. These are the organs by which they draw the life-blood both from man and beast. These animals are the famous Vampires of which various travellers have given such wonderful accounts.

Gardner says: “The molar teeth of the true Vampire, or Spectre Bat, are of the most carnivorous character, the first being short and almost plain, the others sharp and cutting, and terminating in two or three points. Their rough tongue has been supposed to be the instrument employed for abrading the skin, so as to enable them more readily to abstract the blood; but Zoologists are now agreed that such supposition is altogether groundless. Having carefully examined in many cases the wounds thus made on Horses, Mules, Pigs and other animals, observations that have been confirmed by information received from the inhabitants of the northern parts of Brazil, I am led to believe that the puncture the Vampire makes in the skin of animals is effected by the sharp hooked nail of its thumb, and that from the wound thus made it abstracts the blood by the suctorial powers of its lips and tongue. That these animals attack men is certain, for I have frequently been shown the scars of their punctures in the toes of many who had suffered from their attacks, but I never met with a recent case. They grow to a large size, and I have killed some that measure two feet between the tips of the wings.”

A very similar account of the Vampires is given by Humboldt:

“Our great Dog was bitten, or as the Indians say, stung at the point of the nose by some enormous Bats that hovered round our hammocks. The Dog’s wound was very small and round, and though he uttered a plaintive cry when he felt himself bitten, it was not from pain, but because he was frightened at the sight of the Bats, which came out from beneath our hammocks. These accidents are much more rare than is believed even in the country itself. In the course of several years, notwithstanding we slept so often in the open air, in climates where Vampire Bats and other species are so common, we were never wounded. Besides, the puncture is in no way dangerous, and in general causes so little pain that it often does not awaken the person till after the Bat has withdrawn.”

INSECTIVORA—INSECT-EATERS.

THE quadrupeds which compose this small but numerous group live principally upon insects, and have their molar teeth studded with sharp points. The habits of the different families are extremely varied. Some for instance, like the Hedgehog, seek their food on the ground, while others like the Tupaia, hunt for it on trees. The Moles, on the other hand, find their subsistence deep in the soil, and live entirely under the ground; while the Desmans, and some species of the Shrew Mice live in or near the water.

The Insect-eaters are usually divided into three families—the various kinds of Moles, which are too well known to require special description; the Shrew Mice and their numerous small relatives, including the Water, the Oared and the Elephant Shrew, the Desmans, etc.; and the Hedgehogs—including the Long-eared and the Common Hedgehog, the Tupaia, and other members of this curious prickly family.

THE SHREWS.

The Common Shrew is a pretty little creature, remarkable for its square tail, which is about two-thirds as long as the body. It lives in meadows, and has been falsely accused by the ignorant of causing by its bite a disease in Horses, and even of witchcraft. The truth seems to be that the Shrew has a strong and peculiar odor, which is very repugnant to Cats; they drive away and kill the Shrew Mouse, but never eat it. It is apparently this circumstance that has been the origin of the prejudice against the supposed venomous bite of this animal, and of the danger of its attacking Cattle, as well as Horses. It is, however, neither venomous nor capable of biting, for it cannot open its mouth sufficiently wide to seize the double thickness of an animal’s skin, which is especially necessary in biting; and the Horse malady attributed by the ignorant to the bite of the Shrew Mouse is a swelling which proceeds from an internal cause, and has nothing to do with the bite, or rather puncture, of this little creature. Its usual abodes, especially in winter, are hay-lofts, stables and barns attached to farm yards; it lives upon insects and decayed animal substances.

THE WATER-SHREWS.

These little animals are slightly larger than the real Shrews, which they very much resemble, and from which they are further distinguishable by the facility with which they swim and dive, owing to the fringed condition of their feet.

The Water-shrew frequents fresh, clear streams and ponds, constructing in their banks long winding burrows, terminating in a chamber lined with moss and grass. “When born they are,” Mr. Austen tells us, “curious pinky-white little creatures, but very unlike their parents.” A small colony of these Shrews frequently inhabit the same spot, and towards the cool of the evening may be observed searching for food, and sporting with each other in the water; now hiding behind stones or large leaves, as if to elude their companions, and then darting out to engage in a general skirmishing chase, diving and swimming with the greatest activity, and occasionally taking a plunge into their holes. By constantly traversing the same ground, in going and returning from their burrows, they gradually tread down a path among the grass and herbage, by which their presence may readily be discovered by an experienced eye. When under water, their fur is covered with multitudes of tiny air-bubbles that shine like silver and have a beautiful effect when seen against the dark surface of the body.

THE ELEPHANT SHREW.

This little creature has received its name from its long nose which somewhat resembles the trunk of the Elephant on a small scale. This species is found in South America, where they may be seen in search of prey among the bushes, retiring quickly to their burrows when they find themselves observed. They are leaping animals, and love to sit erect, basking in the full heat of the sun.

THE HEDGEHOGS.

The Hedgehogs owe their name to the singular texture of their hair, which consists of real spines, capable of being thrown erect at the will of the animal. They frequent the woods and hedgerows, living in a burrow excavated in some bank, wherein it passes the winter in a lethargic condition. It lives principally upon insects, but does not refuse fruits and other vegetable substances. Hedgehogs do not stir out during the day, but they run or walk about the whole night long. They rarely approach dwellings, and prefer elevated and dry places, although they are sometimes found in meadows. If laid hold of, they do not try to escape or defend themselves, either with their mouth or feet, but they roll themselves up into a ball as soon as touched.

As they sleep during winter, the provisions which they are said by some to accumulate during the summer would be useless to them. They do not eat much, and pass a considerable time without food.

Their flesh is sometimes eaten by the gipsy race, who envelope the carcass in soft clay, and then roast it among the heaped fuel of their camp-fire.

EDENTATA—TOOTHLESS QUADRUPEDS.

THIS order is usually known as the Edentata, which means animals which are toothless; and yet this does not infer that all the animals included in this group are completely devoid of teeth, although this really is the case with several species—but in the majority of these animals only the incisors are missing, so that there is an empty space in the front of their jaws.

All the animals of this group have their limbs terminated by very strong claws, which are used for climbing or scratching. Some of these animals instead of being clothed with hair, are covered with scales—a peculiarity which adds to the strangeness of their appearance; they are all rather clumsy in form, slow in their motions and possessed of very little intelligence.

Their habits and manner of feeding differ much in the various families—some living on vegetables, others on animal substances; some burrowing in holes, others living on trees. All are natives of the warm regions, both of the Old and New World; and the larger number of them are found in South America. They never attain great size, the largest species measuring about three feet in length, not including the tail.

The Edentata, or Toothless Quadrupeds, include five families—the Sloths, Armadillos, Ant-eaters, Aard-vark and Pangolins.

THE SLOTH FAMILY.

The Sloths are a strange kind of animal, which, from their more prominent characteristics and climbing habits, were for a long time classed among the Monkeys. When they are examined on the ground they appear deformed and incapable of active motion, for they can only move with extreme slowness. This peculiarity is the origin of their name. In fact, their fore-legs are so much longer than the hind ones, that in walking they are obliged to drag themselves along on their knees.

But if we follow its motions on a tree, in the midst of those conditions of existence which are natural to it, the Sloth leaves on our mind a very different impression. We then recognize that there is in them no want of harmony, and that they, like every other creature, possess the means of protecting themselves from the attacks of their enemies. They embrace the branches with their strong arms, and bury in the bark the enormous claws which terminate their four limbs.

As the last joint of their toes is movable, they can bend them to a certain extent, and thus convert their claws into powerful hooks, which enable them to hang on trees. Hidden in the densest foliage, they browse at their ease on all that surrounds them; or, firmly fixed by three of their legs, they use the fourth to gather the fruit and convey it to their mouths. Their coat is harsh, abundant and long; and they have neither tail nor any visible external ear. They are natives of the forests of South America; the two best known being the Unau and the Ai, which are found in Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Columbia.

THE ARMADILLOS.