Part 11

The _flesh_ of this kind of whale is of pale red colour, appears not much unlike coarse pork, and is not unpalatable as food. The _skin_, _intestines_, and _tendons_, are all useful to the inhabitants of the northern countries of Europe. The _tongue_ is considered excellent eating. The _teeth_ are formed into the heads of spears and arrows, and may even be used as ivory; the _bones_ are sometimes applied as timber for tents and cottages; and a very tenacious glue or size is manufactured from the _fibres of the flesh_.

It is to these, and some other animals nearly allied to them, that we are indebted for the drug or perfume called _ambergris_. This is generally found in the stomach, but sometimes in the intestines, and in lumps from three to twelve inches in thickness, mixed with many substances very different from itself, such as macerated vegetables, the remains of marine shell-animals, the bones and other hard parts of fish; and the ambergris itself frequently contains the beaks or jaws of different species of sepiæ, or cuttle-fish. The latter are the cause of those yellowish, whitish, or dusky spots that are often observable in this drug. As we see it in the shops, ambergris is an opake substance, which varies in solidity, according to its exposure to a warm or cold atmosphere. It is however, in general, sufficiently hard to be broken. Its smell is extremely powerful and agreeable to some persons, but unpleasant and even nauseous to others. When first taken from the stomach or intestines of the animals which produce it, ambergris is quite soft to the touch; and, as may well be conjectured from the situation in which it is found, has a fetid and most disgusting smell; but after it has, for some time, been exposed to the influence of the atmosphere, it becomes harder, and yields the powerful and peculiar odour by which it is characterized.

Oil, spermaceti, and ambergris, are supposed to be yielded in greater or less quantity from every species of cachalot.

121. _The COMMON or TRUE DOLPHIN_ (Delphinus delphis) _is a cetaceous animal nine or ten feet in length, with a row of large teeth in each jaw, and a single orifice near the top of the head; an oblong and roundish body, a fin on the back, and the snout narrow and pointed, having a broad transverse band or projection of the skin on its upper part. The body is black, with a bluish tinge above, and white below._

_Dolphins are found in nearly every part of the ocean._

Few animals have had greater celebrity than these. Their activity in playing about near the surface of the ocean, their undulating motion, and the evolutions and gambols of whole shoals of them together, occasionally afford to mariners and others a very entertaining spectacle. By the ancient Greeks and Romans dolphins were supposed to entertain a kind of friendship towards mankind, and were consecrated to the gods. In cases of shipwreck they were believed to be in waiting to rescue and carry on shore the unfortunate mariners. Pliny, the Roman naturalist, was credulous enough to believe that dolphins had been rendered so tame as to allow of persons mounting on their backs, and being carried in safety over a considerable space of sea. As these animals, in their progress through the water, often assume a crooked form, in order to spring forward with the greater force, both ancient and modern artists have depicted the dolphin with its back curved.

The _flesh_ of the dolphin is hard and insipid, yet it was formerly in repute as food even in this country. We are informed by Dr. Caius, that a dolphin which was caught, in his time, at Shoreham, in Sussex, was sent to the Duke of Norfolk, who had part of it roasted and served up at table with a sauce made of the crumbs of white bread mixed with vinegar and sugar. The _tongue_ of the dolphin is said to be very agreeable to the taste, and to be in every respect delicate eating. The _fat_, which, as in other cetaceous animals, lies, for the most part, immediately beneath the skin, is not in great abundance.

It is to be remarked that seamen give the name of dolphin to another kind of animal, the DORADO (_Coryphæna hippuris_). The latter, however, is a genuine species of fish, and not, like the present, a warm-blooded and mammiferous animal.

122. _The PORPESSE_ (Delphinus phocæna) _is a cetaceous animal, six or seven feet in length, with a somewhat conical body, a row of pointed teeth in each jaw, a single spiracle near the top of the head, a broad fin about the middle of the back, and a short and bluntish muzzle._

_Its colour is bluish black above, and white beneath, and the skin is bright, smooth, and soft to the touch._

_These animals are found in the Baltic sea, near the coasts of Greenland and Labrador, in all parts of the Atlantic, and even in the Pacific Ocean._

In most of their habits the porpesses have a near resemblance to the dolphin, but they are not so active. They generally associate in troops of from six or seven to thirty and upwards in number, and feed on fish of all kinds, but particularly on such as swim in large shoals, as mackerel, herrings, and the different species of the cod.

In proportion to the size of their body, porpesses yield a great quantity of excellent _oil_; but from the difficulty there is in catching them, in sufficient number to repay the labour, they are seldom thought worth pursuing. The _flesh_, as well as that of the dolphin, was formerly in great estimation in England. Among the provisions for the celebrated inthronization feast of George Neville, Archbishop of York, in the reign of Edward the Fourth, are enumerated no fewer than twelve porpesses and seals. These animals, however, are now entirely neglected with us as food; yet the inhabitants of Greenland and Lapland consider the flesh of the porpesse as highly excellent. The former even eat the _fat_, the _entrails_, and the _skin_; but they seldom cook the flesh till its hardness is destroyed by long keeping. The Americans use the _skins_ (dressed in a peculiar manner) for making waistcoats and breeches; they also form them into an excellent covering for carriages.

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CLASS II.--BIRDS.

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ORDER I.--ACCIPITRES, OR RAPACIOUS BIRDS.

123. _The AQUILINE or EGYPTIAN VULTURE_ (Vultur percnopterus) _is a large bird of prey, which has a naked head and neck; a black and hooked beak, yellow at the base; and the quill feathers of the wings, except the first two, black, edged with hoary._

_The male is of a dirty white colour, and the female brown, with, the above exception of the quill feathers._

_Immense flocks of aquiline vultures are observable near all the principal towns of Egypt, Syria and Persia._

Filthy and disgusting as these birds are, not only in their appearance but in all their habits, they are of almost indispensable utility to mankind in those countries where they are found. They may be considered the scavengers of hot climates. In conjunction with other animals of similar appetites and propensities, they clear away, by devouring them, all the remains of animal substances which otherwise would be left to putrefy, and would infect the air with the most noxious effluvia. They are consequently protected and encouraged by mankind. The ancient Egyptians held them in such veneration as to punish with death any person who destroyed them. In consequence of this protection, they have become fearless of mankind, and, even in the streets of the most populous towns of Egypt, may be seen to feed with the greatest familiarity.

These vultures devour also the eggs and young ones of the crocodiles, and destroy myriads of rats and mice, as well as reptiles of every description, which abound among the mud, and in all the grounds that are fertilized by the overflowing of the Nile.

124. _The CARRION VULTURE_ (Vultur aura) _is an American bird of prey, about four feet and a half high, with a small head covered with red skin, the bill hooked and white; and the plumage dusky, except the quill feathers, which are black._

In America these birds are protected for the same services as are performed by the aquiline vulture (123) in Africa and Asia. They not only devour the filth of the towns and villages, but also destroy, in great numbers, the eggs of alligators; which animals otherwise would become intolerable by their prodigious increase. The vultures watch the females in the act of depositing their eggs in the sand; and, as soon as they retire into the water, dart to the spot and feed upon their contents.

125. _The CINEREOUS EAGLE_ (Aquila albicilla) _is a species of eagle about the size of a turkey, of cinereous brown colour, with while tail, the quill feathers white, the middle ones tipped with black; and the base of the bill, and the feet, yellow._

_This bird is found in England, and in nearly every other country of Europe._

The _flesh_ of the cinereous eagles is eaten in Greenland, and is said not to be of bad flavour. Their _skins_ sewed together, are used as under garments; and are also frequently employed as beds. The _beak_ and _claws_ are employed as amulets or charms; and are considered efficacious for the cure of various complaints. The Greenlanders either kill these birds with arrows, or catch them in snares laid in the snow, and baited with flesh.

The cinereous eagles feed on dead animals of every description, as well as on fish, young seals, and several kinds of birds.

126. _The SECRETARY FALCON_ (Falco serpentarius) _is a bird of prey of large size, with a bill hooked at the point and bearded at the base, black plumage, a crest on the hind part of the head, the tail feathers white at the tip, the two middle ones the longest, and the legs of great length._

_This bird is about three feet in height, and, in its general appearance, has some resemblance both to the eagle and the crane._

_It is an inhabitant of the interior of Africa, of some parts of Asia, and several of the Asiatic islands._

As a destroyer of noxious reptiles and other injurious animals, the secretary falcon is of great service to mankind. He attacks without fear even the most poisonous serpents, approaching them with the point of one of his wings, and either trampling them to death with his feet, or catching them on the pinion of the other wing, and throwing them into the air several times successively until they are dead.

This bird is easily domesticated, in which state he is not only serviceable in destroying reptiles and serpents, but he might probably also be useful in devouring rats and mice. Poultry of all kinds ought, however, to be kept out of his way, or he would devour them also.

127. _The GENTIL FALCON_ (Falco gentilis, Fig. 31) _is a British bird of prey about two feet in length, distinguished by its ash-coloured plumage, with brown spots; the tail having four blackish bands, and the base of the bill and the legs being of yellow colour._

_It inhabits several of the mountainous parts of Europe and North America._

This was one of the several kinds of birds that were in great repute in _falconry_; a sport which, some centuries ago, was pursued in all the principal courts of Europe, and anterior to that by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The estimation in which this sport was held may well be supposed when it is stated that, at one period, scarcely any person of rank appeared abroad without a hawk on his hand; and that, in old paintings, this representation is considered even a criterion of nobility. The English laws enacted for the preservation of falcons were so rigorous, that in the reign of Edward the Third it was rendered felony to steal one of these birds; and for a person to take the eggs, even in his own grounds, he was liable to be imprisoned for a year and a day, besides a fine at the king's pleasure. The falcons or hawks chiefly used in the British dominions, were the present species, the _Peregrine falcon_ (_Falco peregrinus_), _Iceland falcon_ (_Falco islandus_), _Goshawk_ (_Falco palumbarius_), and _Gyrfalcon_ (_Falco candicans_). After the invention of gunpowder this sport fell gradually into disuse; until, at length, hawks were discarded, and the whole pleasure of killing feathered game was confined to shooting.

128. _OWLS are birds of prey, distinguishable by their round head, a circular arrangement of feathers round each eye, the bill being hooked, and the nostrils being covered with bristly feathers._

These birds are of great service to farmers by devouring mice and other small animals, the uninterrupted increase of which would be extremely injurious to the fruits of the harvest. The late Rev. Gilbert White, in his Natural History of Selborne, states that he had paid considerable attention to the manner of life of a pair of white owls, which constantly bred under the eaves of the church. He says that, generally, about an hour before sunset they sallied forth in quest of mice; that he has often minuted the birds with his watch for an hour together, and found that the one or the other of them returned to the nest about once in five minutes, with a mouse in its claws.

Though serviceable in thus destroying mice, these birds also destroy young rabbits, hares, and partridges, for which they are execrated by sportsmen; and they sometimes enter pigeon-houses, where their ravenous propensities cause them to commit great devastations.

129. _The GREAT or CINEREOUS SHRIKE_ (Lanius excubitor) _is a small bird of prey, distinguished by having a straightish black bill with a notch in each mandible near the end: the back hoary, the wings black, with a white spot, and the tail white at the sides._

_There is likewise a black stripe on each side of the head, extending backward from the base of the bill. The length of this bird is about eight inches._

_It inhabits the woods of Europe and America._

Such are the courage and address of the cinereous shrike, that it is capable of being trained to hawk for and catch small birds. We are informed that Francis the First, king of France, was frequently in the habit of chasing the smaller kinds of game with shrikes.

In some parts of the Continent where these birds are very numerous, they are considered so useful, by waging continual war against rats and mice, and destroying great numbers of noxious insects, that the farmers will not allow them to be destroyed.

It is the singular propensity of the cinereous shrike to stick the insects on which it feeds upon the thorny branches of trees, previously to eating them. Even when confined in a cage, it often adopts a similar mode with respect to its food, by sticking it against the wires.

ORDER II.--PICÆ, OR PIES.

130. _The RAVEN_ (Corvus corax) _is a bird of the crow tribe, known by its large size, its plumage being of bluish black colour, and its tail being roundish at the end._

_It is found in almost every country of Europe, Siberia, and North America._

In Egypt these birds are held nearly in equal veneration with the vultures (123), on account of their propensity to devour dead animals, and putrid substances of almost every description. They also destroy rats, mice, and small reptiles. It is said that in the Bermudas the inhabitants were, for several years, annoyed by a prodigious increase of rats, which devoured the corn and plants, and swam from island to island, committing great depredations in every place; and that, at length, they suddenly disappeared, without any other assignable cause than the unexpected presence of several flocks of ravens. By the ancients these birds were esteemed of much importance, from a notion that, by the various modulations or tones of their voice, certain future events might be predicted.

Ravens are easily domesticated, and in this state may be trained to fowling, somewhat in the same manner as falcons (127). They may also be taught to fetch and carry small objects, like spaniels; but they are so mischievous that they ought not to be trusted in any place where spoons or other valuable articles are deposited, lest they also carry them away and hide them.

The _flesh_ of the raven is eaten by the inhabitants of Greenland; and the _skin_, with the feathers on, is preferred to most other substances as a warm under garment. The _beak_ and _claws_ are used, in that country, as amulets. With us the _quills_, cut to a point, were formerly much in request for what are called the jacks of harpsichords, to strike the wires in playing. They are now chiefly employed for drawing and writing with.

131. _The ROOK_ (Corvus frugilegus) _is a bird of the crow tribe, distinguished by its black and glossy colour, the base of the bill being naked and dusky, and the tail being roundish._

_These birds are found in Europe and Siberia._

Notwithstanding the prejudices which are entertained, by many farmers, against these birds, arising from a supposition that they feed upon grain, and consequently are destructive to the crops, there can be little doubt that the services they perform are infinitely greater than any injury they commit. Often may flocks of them be seen following at a little distance the ploughs, to devour the grubs or caterpillars of such insects as may be thereby exposed to their attacks. These of the cockchafer are destroyed by them in thousands; and it is remarkable that the nostrils, chin, and sides of the mouth, in old rooks, are white, and bared of feathers, in consequence, as it is supposed, of their frequent habit of thrusting their bill into the ground in search of these insects. The late Mr. Stillingfleet was informed, by an intelligent farmer in Berkshire, that, one year, while his men were hoeing a field of turnips, a great number of rooks alighted in a part of it where they were not at work; and that the consequence was a remarkably fine crop in that part, while in the remainder of the field there were scarcely any turnips.

Young rooks are sometimes used as food; but it is requisite to skin them, previously to their being cooked, as otherwise they would be too strong-tasted to be eaten.

132. _The RED-BELLIED TOUCAN_ (Ramphastos picatus) _is a bird about twenty inches in length, with an enormously large bill of yellowish green colour, and serrated at the edges; the upper part of the body blackish, the breast yellow, and the belly and the tip of the tail red._

_This bird is found in Africa, and in several of the eastern parts of South America._

We are assured, by travellers in South America, that the red-bellied toucans are held in great esteem by the Indians, not only on account of their _flesh_ as food, but also for their _plumage_; particularly the feathers of the breast, which are used to ornament their dresses. The Indians even cut out the skin of this part, with the feathers on, and, after it has been dried, glue it to their cheeks, considering it a great addition to their beauty. We are informed by one of the French voyagers that, whilst he was off the island of St. Catherine, near the coast of Brazil, the governor, among other presents, sent on board the ship fifty skins of toucans which had been dried with the feathers on.

133. _The BIRD of PARADISE_ (Paradisea apoda, Fig. 32) _is characterized by its having a chesnut-coloured body, the neck being of a gold green colour beneath, the feathers of the sides being longer than the body, and the two middle tail-feathers very long and bristly._

_These birds inhabit New Guinea and the adjacent islands of Aroo; being found on the former in the fine, and the latter in the rainy seasons._

To the inhabitants of the islands of Aroo the birds of paradise have, for many centuries, been an important article of commerce. They are shot with blunt-headed arrows; or caught by birdlime or in snares. As soon as they are killed their legs are cut off, as, by that means, the skins are more easily preserved, and also because the persons who purchase them prefer them thus. The entrails and breast-bone are taken out, and they are dried with smoke and sulphur, for exportation to Banda and other commercial settlements.

They are in great demand both in Persia and India to adorn the turbans of persons of rank, and even the handles of sabres and the trappings of horses. Many of them are also sold to the Chinese; and, a few years ago, they were a very fashionable ornament for female head-dress in England.

The appellation of birds of paradise has been given to these birds from a notion, formerly prevalent, that, destitute of feet, they were constantly in flight, even during their sleep; or that, if they did rest, it was only for a few moments together, and then suspended from the branches of trees by the long feathers of their tail: that the female deposited her eggs in a hollow place on the back of the male, and there sat upon and hatched them, that they fed only on dew: that, destitute of stomach and intestines, the whole abdominal cavity was filled with fat; and, lastly, that they never touched the earth until their death. It is somewhat difficult to account for the origin of notions so absurd, unless we are to suppose them the inventions of persons who traded in the skins of these birds, and founded merely in the very extraordinary nature of their plumage, and the circumstance of such skins being always sold without the legs.

Birds of paradise generally associate in flocks of forty or fifty together. They form their nests in trees, and feed on fruit and insects. Their legs are so short that, when they alight upon the ground, they cannot, without difficulty, rise again into the air.

134. _The BEE CUCKOO, or MOROC_ (Cuculus indicator), _is an African bird somewhat larger than a sparrow, of rusty grey colour above, and whitish beneath; it has naked and black eyelids, a yellow spot on the shoulders, and the feathers of the tail somewhat rust-coloured, marked with white._

The great partiality which these birds have to honey and the maggots of bees, as food, is the cause of their pointing out the hives of wild bees to the inhabitants of those countries in which they are found. As soon as the moroc has itself discovered a nest of bees, it utters a loud and continued cry, as if for the purpose of exciting attention to its wants. If followed by any person, it flies slowly towards the place, alighting from time to time, to give opportunity for its attendant to come up. If the hive be in the cleft of a rock, a hollow tree, or in some cavity of the earth, the moroc will hover over the spot for a short time, and then sit, at a little distance, in expectation of the result, and apparently with a view of sharing in the plunder. When the bee-hunter has taken the nest, he generally leaves a share of the comb to supply the wants and repay the services of the bird. We are informed by M. Le Vaillant that the Hottentots have so great a regard for these birds that they consider it criminal to kill them.

135. _WOODPECKERS are a numerous race of birds, distinguished by having a straight, strong, and angular bill, and their tongue very long, slender, bony, hard, and jagged at the end. Their toes are formed two forward and two backward._

The English species of woodpeckers are somewhat injurious in woods and plantations, from their propensity to pick holes in trees as places for their nests. By this means the rain has admission to the wood, and often causes its speedy decay. In forming these holes the birds fix themselves firmly against the trees by their claws and tail, the feathers of which are remarkably stiff: and they are able to pierce even the soundest and hardest timber.