Part 31

The gigantic tortoises of the Galapagos Islands came under the observation of Mr. Darwin, from whom we quote the following descriptive passages: "These animals are found, I believe, in all the Islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. They frequent in preference the high damp parts, but likewise inhabit the lower and arid districts. Some individuals grow to an immense size. Mr. Lawson told us that he had seen several so large that it required six or eight men to lift them from the ground, and that some had afforded as much as two hundred pounds of meat. This tortoise is very fond of water, drinking large quantities and wallowing in the mud. The larger islands alone possess springs, and these are always situated towards the central parts and at a considerable elevation. The tortoises, therefore, which frequent the lower districts, when thirsty have to travel from a long distance. Hence broad and well beaten paths radiate off in every direction from the wells, even down to the sea coasts, and the Spaniards by following them up first discovered the watering-places. Near the springs it was a curious spectacle to behold many of these great monsters; one set eagerly travelling onwards with outstretched necks, and another set returning, having drunk their fill. The tortoises when moving towards any definite point, travel by night and day, and arrive at their journey's end much sooner than would be expected. One large tortoise, which I watched, I found walked at the rate of sixty yards in ten minutes, that is three hundred and sixty in the hour, or four miles a day, allowing also a little time to eat on the road. During the breeding season, when the male and female are together, the male utters a hoarse roar or bellowing, which, it is said, can be heard at a distance of more than a hundred yards. The female never uses her voice and the male only at such times. They were at this season (the month of October) laying their eggs. The female, where the soil is sandy, deposits them together and covers them up with sand; but where the ground is rocky she drops them indiscriminately in any hollow. Mr. Bynoe found seven placed in a line on a fissure. The egg is white and spherical; one which I measured was seven inches and three-eighths in circumference. The inhabitants believe that these animals are absolutely deaf; certainly they do not overhear a person walking close behind them. I was always amused when overtaking one of these great monsters as it was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I paused, it would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss, fall to the ground with a heavy sound as if struck dead. I frequently got on their backs, and then, upon giving a few raps on the hinder parts of the shell, they would rise up and walk away, but I found it very difficult to keep my balance. The flesh of these animals is largely employed, both fresh and salted; and a beautiful clear oil is prepared from the fat. When a tortoise is caught, the man makes a slit in the skin, near its tail, so as to see inside its body whether the fat under the dorsal plate is thick. If it is not, the animal is liberated; and is said to recover soon from this strange operation. In order to secure the tortoises it is not sufficient to turn them, like turtles, for they are often able to regain their upright position."

The Turtle.

The Green Turtle is the turtle of the famous soup. It is a large animal, measuring five or six feet in length and weighing from five hundred to six hundred pounds; it feeds on sea-weeds and is found in large numbers in the seas of warm latitudes. The species from which we get the horny substance known as tortoiseshell (_Chelonia Imbricata_) is sometimes called the Hawk's-bill turtle. It is a smaller variety, measuring about three feet and belonging to tropical seas. The Leathery Turtle is said to reach eight feet in length and a weight of a thousand pounds. The Loggerhead Turtle is even larger than this, and sometimes weighs as much as fifteen hundred pounds.

ORDER II.

The Crocodile.

The Crocodile and the Alligator belong respectively to the Eastern and the Western Worlds. The former infests the rivers of Africa and Asia, one species at least belonging to Australia. Some of the best known varieties are those of the river Nile, the Gavial of the Ganges being also among the more familiar species. These formidable and unwieldy monsters grow to an immense size, sometimes attaining to a length of twenty-five feet. Their enormous jaws and innumerable sharp teeth (they sometimes number a hundred) give them a terrible appearance, while their hard scaly coats are invulnerable against ordinary attack. Their point of weakness is their unwieldy character, taking advantage of which the natives will dive beneath them and stab them with knives in vulnerable parts. The huntsman aims at their eyes as being the nearest approach to their brains. Mungo Park relates that one of his guides across the river Gambia was suddenly seized by a Crocodile and pulled under the water; upon which the negro thrust his fingers into the animal's eyes with such violence that it quitted its hold, but seizing him again, he resorted to the same expedient and with more success, as it again released him, appeared stupified, and then swam down the river. This man reached the bank bleeding very much, with long and deep wounds in his thighs, which incapacitated him for travel for six days. The crocodile lays an enormous number of eggs on the banks of its native rivers, but most of these are prevented from maturing by the birds and animals which prey upon them. Mrs. Bowdich tells an amusing story of a merchant who packed some crocodiles' eggs in sand for shipment to England and placed the barrel containing them with other goods in his warehouse. Strange and unaccountable noises, attracted attention to the spot, when it was discovered that the eggs had become hatched and the young crocodiles were quite ready to assume the responsibilities of life. The natives fled in terror, and the merchant had to take speedy measures for destroying his unexpected brood. Some species of the crocodile have been tamed or partially so, the sacred crocodiles being among these. Accustomed to be fed regularly by the same hands they gradually become familiar with their priestly attendants, and to some extent obedient to their commands. Mungo Park says:--"The crocodiles of the Congo appear to be of a smaller species, and not so numerous as those at Old Calabar, where they continually float past the shipping like large grey pieces of timber, and are so bold that they frequently seize people in the small canoes. In Old Calabar river, I once observed a crocodile swimming with a large cat-fish in its mouth to the opposite shore. It held the fish by the head, whilst the body was thrown into a perpendicular position. I watched it with the spy-glass until it had dragged the fish upon the mud bank, and commenced its meal."

The Alligator.

The Alligator of which there are some ten or twelve species known, is found exclusively in America. The Mississippi Alligator is one of the most familiar of these. The Alligator is smaller than the crocodile, which it much resembles in form and habit, though specimens have been met with which measure twenty-two feet in length. The Alligator is naturally most abundant in tropical regions. Captain Brown says: "In the height of the dry season in torrid regions all animated nature pants with consuming thirst. A party of wood cutters, English and Irish, went on one occasion to hunt in the neighbourhood of a lake called Pies Pond in Beef Island, one of the smaller islands of the Bay of Campeachy. To this pond the wild cattle repaired in herds to drink, and here the hunters lay in wait for them. The chase had been prosecuted with great success for a week, when an Irishman of the party going into the water during the day, stumbled upon an alligator, which seized him by the knee. His cries alarmed his companions, who fearing he had been seized by the Spaniards, to whom the island belonged, instead of affording assistance, fled from the huts which they had erected. The Irishman seeing no appearance of help, with happy presence of mind (a quality which the natives of that country possess in an eminent degree) quietly waited till the alligator loosened his teeth to take a new and surer hold; and when it did so, snatched away his knee, interposing the butt-end of his gun in its stead, which the animal seized so firmly that it was jerked out of the man's hand and carried off. He then crawled up a neighbouring tree, again shouting after his comrades, who now found courage to return." Mr. Waterton in his "Wanderings" says, "One Sunday evening, some years ago, as I was walking with Don Felipe de Ynciarte, governor of Augustura, on the bank of the Oroönque, 'Stop here a minute or two, Don Carlos,' said he to me, 'while I recount a sad accident. One fine evening last year, as the people of Augustura were sauntering up and down here, in the Alameda, I was within twenty yards of this place, when I saw a large Cayman rush out of the river, seize a man, and carry him down, before any one had power to assist him. The screams of the poor fellow were terrible as the Cayman was running off with him; he plunged in the river with his prey; we instantly lost sight of him, and never saw or heard him more.'"

A Tame Alligator.

That the Alligator is amenable to kindness is shown by the following account of a tame specimen, which we quote from Mr. Jesse. He says, "The most singular instance of attachment between two animals, whose nature and habits were most opposite, was related to me by a person on whose veracity I can place the greatest reliance. Before he took up his abode at Hampden-court, he had resided for nine years in the American States, where he superintended the execution of some extensive works for the American government. One of these works consisted in the erection of a beacon in a swamp in one of the rivers, where he caught a young alligator. This animal he made so perfectly tame, that it followed him about the house like a dog, scrambling up the stairs after him, and showing much affection and docility. Its great favourite, however, was a cat, and the friendship was mutual. When the cat was reposing herself before the fire, (this was at New York) the alligator would lay himself down, place his head upon the cat, and in this attitude go to sleep. If the cat was absent, the alligator was restless; but he always appeared happy when the cat was near him. The only instance in which he showed any ferocity was in attacking a fox, which was tied up in the yard. Probably, however, the fox resented some playful advances, which the other had made, and thus called forth the anger of the alligator. In attacking the fox he did not make use of his mouth, but beat him with so much severity with his tail, that had not the chain which confined the fox, broken, he would probable have killed him. The alligator was fed on raw flesh, and sometimes with milk, for which he showed great fondness. In cold weather he was shut up in a box, with wool in it; but having been forgotten one frosty night, he was found dead in the morning."

ORDER III.

Hatteria Punctata.

Order III consists of a large reptile belonging to New Zealand which for anatomical reasons cannot be classed either with the Crocodiles or the Lizards. It is rare if not almost extinct, but a specimen may be seen in the Natural History Museum.

ORDER IV.

The Lizards.

The lizards form an exceedingly numerous order. There are many hundreds of different species, large and small, of which we can only refer to the Chameleon, the Iguana, the Common Lizard, and the Monitor.

The Chameleon.

The Chameleon family belongs to Africa, the common variety being otherwise found in central Asia and Ceylon. There are several genera, and numerous species. They live on insects and possess tongues of unusual length, furnished with a sticky mucus, which they protrude and retract with such rapidity and certainty of aim that insects are caught, and conveyed to the mouth with a speed the eye cannot follow. The characteristic for which they are most famous is that of changing their colour, a power which has doubtless been much exaggerated but which no less surely exists. Mrs. Bowdich describes some she had in her possession; she says, "Mine became green and yellow, assumed lighter and brighter lines, but I could not see the bright blue or red substances on which I put them reflected in their skins." According to M. d'Obsonville, who is quoted by Mrs. Bowdich, the original colour is green, the shades of which vary according to circumstances. When at liberty, and in health, it assumes gradations of brown, red, or light grey; when well-fed and in the open air, if provoked, it becomes a blue-green; but when feeble, or deprived of free air, the prevailing tint is yellow-green. If surrounded and teased or if one of its own species comes near, it exhibits all three tints of green. If dying, especially of hunger, yellow first predominates; and when dead, it is the colour of dead leaves.

The Iguana.

The Common Iguana which sometimes attains to a length of five feet, belongs to South America. It is a singular looking animal but is much esteemed as an article of food, its flesh resembling that of chickens. When taken young it may be tamed by kindness but otherwise it is fierce when attacked and its bite is very severe. It is said that the natives of the Bahama Islands who subsist largely on the Iguana, sew up their mouths to prevent them biting when they wish to keep them alive for a time.

The Common Lizard.

The Common Lizard and the Sand Lizard are the varieties found in England. The Common Lizard is the smaller of the two, measuring about six inches, the Sand Lizard sometimes attaining to double that length. The former frequents green and sunny banks and is so rapid in its movements when disturbed that it is sometimes mistaken for a viper. The latter, which frequents sandy heaths and lives in burrows, assimilates to the colour of its surroundings.

The Monitor.

The Monitor is the largest of the Lizards, sometimes measuring as much as six feet in length. The largest of these frequents the Nile and is known as the Nile Monitor from the habit attributed to it of signalling the presence of crocodiles by a peculiar whistling sound. Dr. Abel Smith says, "It is usually met with in rocky precipices, or on low, stony hills, and when surprised, seeks concealment in the chinks of the former, or in the irregular cavities of the latter; and when any projections exist upon the surface of the rocks or stones, it clasps them so firmly with its toes, that it becomes a task of no small difficulty to dislodge it, even though it can be easily reached. Under such circumstances, the strength of no one man is able to withdraw a full-grown individual; and I have seen two persons required to pull a specimen out of a position it had attained, even with the assistance of a rope fixed in front of its hinder legs. The moment it was dislodged, it flew with fury at its enemies, who by flight only saved themselves from being bitten. After it was killed, it was discovered that the points of all the nails had been broken previously, or at the moment it lost its hold. It feeds upon frogs, crabs, and small quadrupeds, and, from its partiality to the two former, it is often found among rocks near to springs or running streams, which fact having been observed by the natives, has led them to regard it as sacred, and not to be injured without danger of drought."

ORDER IV.

Snakes.

There are hundreds of species of snakes, distributed in different parts of the world, of which we can only select a few, of the better known, for present purposes. These are the Viper, the Rattlesnake, the Cobra, and the Boa Constrictor.

The Viper.

The Viper is found throughout Europe and is the only venomous reptile known in England. It feeds on frogs, lizards, mice, and other small animals, but like many of the snake kind often gorges itself and falls a victim to its own rapacity. A Viper mentioned in the "Magazine of Natural History" swallowed a lizard almost as large as itself, with the result that one of the lizard's legs protruded through its side. Another Viper came into the possession of Professor Bell, which had lost its life through attempting to swallow a mouse which was too big for it, the skin of its neck being so distended as to burst in several places. The sting of the Viper, though venomous, is not nearly so fatal as is commonly supposed. The simplest remedy is suction, fomentation, and the application of oil. Vipers are sometimes caught by the sudden seizure of the hand, at the neck, whereupon the creature opens its mouth to bite its captor who cuts off its fangs with a pair of scissors.

The Viper and its Young.

"On August 4th, 1776," says Gilbert White, "we surprised a large viper, which seemed very heavy and bloated, as it lay in the grass basking in the sun. When we came to cut it up, we found that the abdomen was crowded with young, fifteen in number; the shortest of which measured full seven inches, and were about the size of full-grown earth-worms. This little fry issued into the world with the true viper-spirit about them, showing great alertness as soon as disengaged from the belly of the dam; they twisted and wriggled about, and set themselves up, and gaped very wide when touched with a stick, showing manifest tokens of menace and defiance, though as yet they had no manner of fangs that we could find, even with the help of our glasses. To a thinking mind nothing is more wonderful than that early instinct which impresses young animals with a notion of the situation of their natural weapons, and of using them properly in their own defence, even before those weapons subsist or are formed. Thus a young cock will spar at his adversary before his spurs are grown; and a calf or a lamb will push with their heads before their horns are sprouted."

The Rattlesnake.

The Rattlesnake belongs to America, and many exaggerated stories are current concerning it. At certain seasons it is very fierce and its bite is at all times very dangerous, but in the ordinary way it will not attack anything but the animals it feeds upon, unless molested. It has been tamed and kept in cages, one in the possession of Mr. Pierce making friends with a toad which was introduced to its cage for the purposes of food, and allowing it to take many liberties.

The Sting of the Rattlesnake.

"After the death of this snake," says Mr. Pierce, "I examined his fangs; they were sharp like a sickle; a duct led from the reservoir of poison at the bottom of the tooth quite through its whole length, and terminated just by the point, which was exceedingly sharp. Thus, when the fang is darted out it makes the puncture, and simultaneously the poison flows through the duct, and is deposited in the very bottom of the wound. As this rarely fails to touch a blood-vessel, the venom is thus instantly issued into the system, and without delay, commences the march of death through every vein and artery." Mr. Smith in the "Philosophical Transactions" says:--"If a venomous serpent be made repeatedly to inflict wounds, without allowing sufficiently long intervals for it to recover its powers, each successive bite becomes less and less effective. A gentleman who had a rattlesnake in a cage, put a rat in with it; it immediately struck the rat, which died in two minutes. Another rat was then introduced, which ran as far as it could from the snake, with cries of distress. In half an hour, during which time the snake showed no hostility, on being irritated, it struck the rat, which died in twenty minutes. A third, and remarkably large rat, was then thrust into the cage, which showed no terror of the snake, and the snake took no notice of the rat; the gentleman, after watching them for the whole evening, went to bed, and when he inspected the cage the next morning, the snake was dead, and the muscular part of its back eaten by the rat."

The rattle consists of a number of horny joints which when shaken produce the sound by which it is known, and which gives notice of the proximity of the snake.

The Black Snake and the Rattlesnake.

"The black snake of Central America," says Mr. Byam, "is a deadly enemy to the rattlesnake; it is next in size to the boa, but much more agile; very vicious and ill-tempered, but not poisonous; it measures from nine to ten feet, and whenever they meet a pitched battle ensues, which, if tolerably equal in size, ends in favour of the black snake. It is not known whether they bite each other, but, at all events, the poison of the venomous serpent has no effect upon his adversary, although a rattlesnake bit itself one day, and died of the wound. A black and a rattlesnake were each descending opposite banks to drink at a stream a yard broad; the black fellow sprang over the stream, and they instantly joined in conflict. They twined together, and the black snake had evidently most muscular power, so that in half an hour the rattlesnake was dead, and the black snake swallowed him, gliding into the thicket, double the size he was when he came out of it."

The Cobra.

The Cobra is one of the most venomous of the snakes of the East. It is common all over India and Ceylon and the Islands of the Archipelago. It attains to a length of five or six feet, and feeds on birds, small animals, lizards, frogs, toads, and fishes, in the pursuit of which it will ascend trees and swim the sea. Notwithstanding its dangerous character, the Cobra is the chosen subject of the Indian snake charmer, who keeps it in a basket, until the time for the performance and then allows it to creep out to the sounds of a native fife, upon hearing which the Cobra immediately expands its beautiful though threatening hood, erects its neck, and commences a series of undulating movements, which are continued until the sound of the fife ceases, when the snake instantly drops, and is replaced in its basket by its master.

Snake Charming.