Part 1

Transcriber Note

Text emphasis is denoted as _Italic Text._

_Barr's Buffon._

Buffon's Natural History.

CONTAINING

A THEORY OF THE EARTH, A GENERAL _HISTORY OF MAN_, OF THE BRUTE CREATION, AND OF VEGETABLES, MINERALS, _&c. &c._

FROM THE FRENCH.

WITH NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR.

IN TEN VOLUMES.

VOL. IX.

London: PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETOR, AND SOLD BY H. D. SYMONDS, PATERNOSTER-ROW.

1807.

T. Gillet, Crown-court, Fleet-street.

CONTENTS OF THE NINTH VOLUME

_Page_ _The Loris_ 1 _The Javelin Bat_ 3 _The Serval_ 6 _The Ocelot_ 9 _The Margay_ 13 _The Jackal and the Adil_ 17 _The Isatis_ 25 _The Glutton_ 29 _The Stinkards_ 35 _The Pekan and the Vison_ 41 _The Leming_ 46 _The Sea Otter_ 51 _The Canakian Otter_ 52 _The Seal, Walrus, and the Manati_ 55 _The Seal_ 57 _The Walrus, Morse, or Sea-Cow_ 78 _The Dugon_ 89 _The Manati_ 92 _The Nomenclature of Apes_ 107 _The Orang-Outang, or the Pongo and the Jocko_ 149 _The Pithecos, or Pigmy_ 177 _The Gibon, or Long-tailed Ape_ 185 _The Magot, or Barbary Ape_ 188 _The Papion, or Baboon, properly so called_ 192 _The Mandrill_ 197 _The Ouanderou, and the Lowando_ 199 _The Maimon_ 202 _The Macaque, and the Egret_ 205 _The Patas_ 208 _The Malbrouck, and the Bonnet Chinois_ 210 _The Mangabey_ 216 _The Mona_ 218 _The Callitrix, or Green Monkey_ 221 _The Moustac_ 224 _The Talapoin_ 225 _The Douc_ 227 _The Sapajous and the Sagoins_ 231 _The Ourine, and the Alouate_ 234 _The Coati, and the Exquima_ 240 _The Sajou_ 247 _The Sai_ 249 _The Siamiri_ 251 _The Saki_ 252 _The Tamarin_ 254 _The Ouistiti_ 255 _The Marikina_ 258 _The Pinch_ 259 _The Mico_ 261 _Account of some Animals not expressly treated of in this Work_ 264 _The White Bear_ 265 _The Tartarian Cow_ 272 _The Tolai_ 275 _The Zizel_ 276 _The Zemni_ 277 _The Pouch_ 279 _The Perouasca_ 279 _The Souslik_ 280 _The Golden-coloured Mole_ 282 _The White Water-Rat_ 283 _The Guinea-Hog_ 284 _The Wild Boar of Cape Verd_ 285 _The Mexican Wolf_ 293 _The Alco_ 295 _The Tayra, or Galeri_ 299 _The Philander of Surinam_ 300 _The Akouchi_ 302 _The Tucan_ 304 _The Field-Mouse of Brasil_ 305 _The Aperea_ 306 _The Tapeti_ 307 _Supplement to the Quadrupeds_ 309 _The Crab-eater_ 309 _Anonymous Animal_ 312 _Rat of Madagascar_ 314 _Degeneration of Animals_ 315

_Directions for placing the Plates in the Ninth Volume._

Page 1, Fig. 176, 177, 178, 179. 9, Fig. 180, 181. 29, Fig. 182, 183, 184. 35, Fig. 185, 186, 187, 188. 41, Fig. 189, 190, 191. 57, Fig. 192, 193, 194. 150, Fig. 195, 196. 189, Fig. 197, 198. 197, Fig. 199, 200. 202, Fig. 201, 202, 203. 208, Fig. 204, 205, 206, 207. 221, Fig. 208, 209, 210. 225, Fig. 211, 212, 215. 247, Fig. 213, 214, 216. 255, Fig. 217, 218, 219.

BUFFON'S

NATURAL HISTORY.

_OF CARNIVOROUS ANIMALS._

THE LORIS.

The Loris (_fig. 176._) is a small animal found in Ceylon, very remarkable for the elegance of its figure, and for the singularity of its conformation: it has, perhaps, of all animals, the longest body in proportion to its bulk, having nine vertebræ in the loins, whereas other quadrupeds have only five, six, or seven. The length of the body is the natural effect of this structure, and it appears the longer for having no tail; in other respects, it resembles the maki kind, as well in the hands and feet as in the quality of the hair, the number of teeth, and the sharpness of its muzzle. Independently of these singularities, which separates this animal from the makis, he has other particular attributes. His head is entirely round; his eyes are excessively large, and very close to each other; his ears are large, round, and, in their insides, have three auricles in the shape of small shells; but what is still more singular, and perhaps unmatched in the whole tribe of animals, is that the female discharges her urine through the clitoris, which is perforated like the sexual organ of the male, and who in these two parts perfectly resemble each other.

Linnæus has given a short description of this animal, which appears to be exactly conformable to Nature. It is also very correctly delineated by Seba; and evidently appears to be the same as that which Thevenot speaks of in the following terms: "I saw, (says he) in the Mogul country, monkeys which had been brought from Ceylon; they were greatly valued on account of their size, being not bigger than a man's fist. They were different from the common monkey, having a flat forehead, eyes round and large, and of a bright yellow colour, like those of some cats: their muzzle is very pointed: the inside of the ears is yellow, and they have no tail. When I examined them they sat erect on their hind feet, folded the others across, and looked round at the spectators without the least signs of fear."

_Engraved for Barr's Buffon._

THE JAVELIN BAT.

Among the numbers of the bat species, which were neither named nor known, we indicated some by names derived from foreign languages, and others by denominations drawn from their most striking characters. We have called one the _Horse-shoe Bat_, from the exact resemblance the fore-part of its face bears to a horse-shoe, and the animal in question we have called the Javelin Bat, (_fig. 177._) from a sort of membrane on its nose which perfectly resembles the head of an ancient javelin, or spear. Though this character alone is sufficient to distinguish it from all other bats, yet we may add, that it has scarcely any tail, that its hair and size are nearly like the common bat, but that instead of having six incisive teeth in the lower jaw, it has only four. This species of bat is very common in America, but is never found in Europe.

There is another bat in Senegal, which has also a membrane upon its nose, not in the form of a horse-shoe, or javelin, as in the two bats we have just mentioned, but in the shape of an oval leaf. These three bats, being of different climates, are not simple varieties but distinct and separate species. M. Daubenton has given the description of the Senegal bat, under the name of the _leaf bat_, in the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences, 1759, p. 374.

Bats which have great affinities to birds, by the power of flying, and the strength of their pectoral muscles, seem to resemble them still more in these membranes, or crests, which they have on their faces. These redundant parts, which, at first sight, seem only to be superfluous deformities, are real characters which fill up the visible shades between these flying quadrupeds and birds; for most of the latter have crests, or membranes, about their beaks and heads, which seem in every respect as superfluous as those of the bats.

SUPPLEMENT.

We have received from M. Pallas the figures and descriptions of two bats hitherto unknown to naturalists; the first he calls the _cephalote_, or large-headed bat, (_fig. 178._) from its head being so very large in proportion to its body. This bat M. Pallas says is found in the Malacca islands; and from his finding but one foetus in a female, which was sent to him to Amsterdam, and which he dissected, he concludes they have but one young at a time: this species differs also from all others in the teeth, which in some measure resemble those of the mouse or hedge-hog; it has a short tail, situated between the thighs, a large nose and a broad muzzle; its breast is very similar to that of a bird; it is very near four inches long, and its wings extend above a foot.

The second he calls the _vespertilio soricinus_, or _shrew bat_ (_fig. 179._); this one has no tail, and carries a peculiar membrane on its nose; it is the smallest that is met with without a tail, being not more than two inches in length. This species is very common in the warm climates of America, the Carribbee Islands, and Surinam.

At the same time M. Pallas sent us the account of these animals he remarked that we were in an error in our former description of the javelin bat, by confounding it with the American bat, mentioned by Seba, he, from a careful examination, being convinced of their being different species; and we feel ourselves indebted to this gentleman for the pains he has taken to rectify our mistake.

THE SERVAL.

This animal, which was kept alive several years in the royal menagerie, by name of the _tiger-cat_, seems to be the same with that described by the gentlemen of the Academy, under the denomination of _chat-pard_; and we should have still remained ignorant of its true name if the Marquis de Montmirail had not discovered it in an Italian book of travels which he has translated, and sent the following extract: "The _maraputé_, which the Portugueze in India, called _serval_ (says P. Vincent-Marie) is a ferocious animal, larger than the wild cat, and something less than the civet, from which last he differs by his head being rounder and thicker, and his face sinking in about the middle. He resembles the panther in the colour of his hair, which is yellow on the head, back, and sides, and white under the belly; also by the spots, which are distinct, equally distributed, and a little less than those of the panther. His eyes are very brilliant; his whiskers are composed of long and stiff bristles; his tail is short; his feet large, and armed with long and hooked claws. He is found in the mountains of India; he is seldom seen on the ground, but remains almost continually on high trees, where he catches birds, which are his principal food. He leaps as nimbly as a monkey, and goes from one tree to another with such address and agility and passes over a great space in so short a time, that he may be said only to appear and disappear; he is ferocious in his nature, but flees at the sight of man, unless irritated, or his nest attacked, when he flies at the offender, and bites and tears nearly like the panther."

Neither captivity, nor good nor bad treatment, will tame or soften the ferocity of this animal. That which we saw in the menagerie was always ready to rush on those who came near him: we could neither take a design nor a description of him, otherwise than betwixt the bars of his cage. He was fed with flesh, like the panther and leopard. This serval, or maraputé of Malabar and India, seems to be the same animal as the tiger-cat of Senegal and the Cape of Good Hope, which, according to the testimony of travellers, resembles our cat in its shape, and the tiger (that is the panther or leopard) by the black and white spots of his fur. "This animal (say they) is four times larger than a cat; is of a very voracious nature, and feeds on monkeys, rats, and other animals."

From the comparison which we made of the serval and the _chat pard_, described by the gentlemen of the Academy, we discovered no other difference than the long spots on the back, and the rings on the tail of the latter, which the serval has not. The spots on the back of the serval are closer than those on the other parts of his body; but these little disagreements are so slight that we cannot doubt of the identity of the species of these two animals.

_Engraved for Barr's Buffon._

THE OCELOT.

Ocelot is an abbreviation of _tlalocelotl_, the name of this animal in Mexico, its native country. It is ferocious and carnivorous, and may be ranked with the jaguar and cougar, for it is very nearly the same size, and resembles them in figure and dispositions. A male and female were shewn at the fair of St. Ovide, in September 1764. They came from the neighbourhood of Carthagena, and had been taken from their mother in the month of October, 1763. They became so strong and cruel at the age of three months as to kill and eat the bitch which had nursed them. When we saw them, at a year old, they were about two feet long, and they had then, probably, not attained more than one half, or two-thirds, of their growth. These animals were shewn by the name of the _tiger-cat_, but we have rejected this denomination as precarious and confused, especially as the jaguar, serval, and the margay, or Cayenne cat, were sent to us under the same denomination, although those three animals are very different from each other, as well as from the one we are at present treating of.

The first author who mentions this animal in a distinct manner is Fabri. He caused Recchi's designs of it to be engraven, and composed his description from them. He gives also a kind of history of him from the writings and information of Gregoire de Bolivar. I made these observations with a view to throw light on the circumstance which had led all the naturalists into an error, and by which I acknowledge I was also deceived. This circumstance is to know whether the two animals designed by Recchi, the first by the name of _tlatlauhquiocelotl_ and the second by that of _tlacoozlotl_, _tlalocelotl_, and afterwards described by Fabri as different species, are not the same animal. They were considered as distinct animals, notwithstanding the resemblance of their figures, because their names, and even descriptions, were different. I then supposed the first might be the same as the jaguar, and therefore gave him the Mexican name of _tlatlauhquiocelotl_, which I am now convinced does not belong to him; and since I have seen both the male and female, I am persuaded, that the two described by Fabri, are only the same animal, of which the first is the male, and the second the female. This error could only have been discovered by such a chance as we had of examining both the male and the female together. Of all animals whose skins are spotted, the robe of the male ocelot (_fig. 180._) is certainly the most beautiful, and most elegantly varied. Even the skin of the leopard does not come near it for the liveliness of its colours, and the regularity of its marks; and far less those of the jaguar, panther, and ounce. The colours of the female ocelot are much weaker, and the design less regular; and this apparent difference it was that deceived Recchi, Fabri, and others, and was the occasion of their considering them as different species.

When the ocelot has arrived at its full growth, he is, according to Bolivar, two feet and a half high, and about four feet long. The tail, though of a good length, does not touch the ground when hanging down, and consequently is not more than two feet long. This animal is very voracious, but at the same time exceedingly timid. He seldom attacks the human species, and is terrified at the sight of a dog. When pursued, he flies to the forests, and climbs up a tree for safety, where he also sleeps and watches for small animals, on which he springs when he sees them within his reach. He prefers blood to flesh, and for this reason he destroys a great number of animals; for instead of satisfying his hunger by devouring their flesh, he only quenches his thirst by sucking their blood.

In a state of captivity he preserves his savage nature: nothing can soften his ferocious disposition, nor calm his restless motion, which makes it necessary to confine him constantly in a cage. "After these young animals (says M. de l'Escot) had devoured their nurse, I confined them in a cage, and had them fed with fresh meat, of which they eat from seven to eight pounds a day. The male had a singular superiority over the female, for however hungry the latter might be, she never touched any of the food until he was satisfied, or such pieces as he gave her, having previously rejected them. I several times gave them a live cat, whose blood they sucked until the animal died, but they never eat any of their flesh. I put two live kids on board the vessel for their subsistence, for they neither eat, nor touched boiled nor salted meat."

From the testimony of Gregoire de Bolivar, these animals commonly produce but two young ones at a birth, which M. de l'Escot seems to confirm, by saying, he had killed the mother before the two ocelots we have been speaking of, were taken away.

THE MARGAY.

The Margay is much smaller than the ocelot. He resembles the wild cat in the size and shape of his body, only his head is more square, his snout and tail longer, and his ears more rounded; his hair also is shorter than that of the wild cat, and he has black streaks and spots on a yellow ground. He was sent us from Cayenne by the name of the _tiger-cat_, and, in fact, he partakes of the nature of the cat, jaguar, and ocelot, animals to which the name of tiger has been affixed in the New Continent. According to Fernandes, when this animal has arrived at its full growth, it is not quite so big as the civet; and, according to Marcgrave, whose comparison seems more just, he is about the size of a wild cat, which he also resembles in his natural habits, living upon fowls and small animals. He is very difficult to tame, and never completely loses his natural ferocity. He varies greatly in his colours, though they are commonly such as we have described. This animal is very common in Guinea, Brasil, and all the other provinces of South America. It is probable that the _pichou_ of Louisiana is the same animal, but the species is less common in temperate than in hot climates.

If we recapitulate those cruel animals, whose robes are so beautiful, and whose natures are so malign, we shall find the tiger, panther, leopard, ounce, and serval, inhabit the Old Continent; and the jaguar, ocelot, and margay, natives of the New. These three last appear to be miniatures of the former, and which, having neither their size nor strength, are as timid and cowardly in proportion as the others are bold and intrepid.

There is another animal of this class which the furriers call _Guepard_. We have seen many of their skins, and they have a resemblance to the lynx in the length of the hair; but the ears not being terminated by a brush of hair, the guepard cannot be a lynx. Neither is he a panther nor a leopard; for his hair is not so short as that of those animals, and he differs from all of them by a kind of mane, about four or five inches long on his neck, and between his shoulders. The hair on his belly is also three or four inches long, and his tail much shorter in proportion than that of the leopard, panther, or ounce. He is nearly of the size of the last animal, not being above three feet and a half long. He is of a very pale yellow colour, sprinkled with black spots like the leopard, but closer to each other, and much smaller.

I thought this animal might be the same as that which Kolbe mentions by the name of the _tiger-wolf_. He is common in the countries bordering on the Cape of Good Hope. He remains all the day in the clefts of the rocks, or in holes which he digs in the ground. In the night he seeks for prey, but as he howls when in search of game, he warns men and animals of his approach; so that it is very easy to avoid, or to kill him. The name _guepard_, is apparently derived from the word _lepard_; the mode in which the German and Dutch spell _leopard_. We have also observed there are many varieties in this species, both in respect to the ground colour, and that of the spots; but every _guepard_ has the common character of long hairs on the belly, and a mane on the neck.

SUPPLEMENT.

M. de la Borde, in treating of the tiger-cat of Cayenne, says, he has a skin spotted very much like that of the ounce; that he is smaller than the fox, but whom he much resembles in habits and disposition; that he generally resides in the woods, and lives chiefly on the game which he destroys; as he climbs trees with great facility, he seizes their young in their nests, and upon the branches of trees he lies in wait for his prey; he rather leaps than walks, and yet does not proceed very fast; that at Cayenne they keep these animals chained in their houses; and the utmost degree they seem to be tamed, is to suffer themselves to be stroked on the back; they are there fed with fish or flesh, and will not take any other kind of food; and that they bring forth as well in the winter as summer, and generally two at a time.

M. Colinson mentions another species of tiger-cat as a native of Carolina, and of whom he has given me the following description: "The size of the male was nineteen inches from the nose to the tail; the latter of which was four inches long, and was encircled with eight white rings; his principal colour was a light brown mixed with grey, with black stripes along his sides; his belly was inclined to white sprinkled with black spots, as were also his legs, which were very slight; his ears were very open and covered with hair; under his eyes were two large black spots, and beneath them a tuft of stiff black hairs. The female was of a less make; she was more inclined to red, and had no black spots, except a single one on the belly."

THE JACKAL, AND THE ADIL.