0 INTER FOLIA FRUCTUS ឬ \, ជ័រល្អ MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY 1927-492 QL W73 1831 paper cat 700 Plates on whatwean Hand-made Very search 1817 ARTES SCIENTIA LIBRARY VERITAS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LE PLURIBUS UNUM TUEBOR SI QUERIS PENINSULAM AMOENAM CIRCUMSPICE UOMUOJAS/.00199 999.000 MUSEUM ILLUSTRATIONS OF ZOOLOGY, BEING REPRESENTATIONS OF NEW, RARE, OR REMARKABLE SUBJECTS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, DRAWN AND COLOURED AFTER NATURE, WITH HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS. BY JAMES WILSON, F.R.S.E. MEMBER OF THE WERNERIAN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Plate 32 orang WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, 45. GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH; AND THOMAS CADELL, STRAND, LONDON. f MDCCCXXXI. HO LETU e ( my- 3 TO ROBERT JAMESON, F.R.S. L. & E. PRESIDENT W. N. H.S. PROFESSOR OF NATURAL HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, AND REGIUS KEEPER OF THE MUSEUM, THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED, IN TESTIMONY OF RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP, BY THE AUTHOR. museum 9-21-39 TABLE OF CONTENTS, IN SYSTEMATIC ORDER. MAMMALIA. PLATE 1 V. ORANG-OUTANGS.-SIMIA SATYRUS AND S. TROGLODYTES, HAND, OR FORE-FOOT OF THE GREAT ORANG-OUTANG OF SUMATRA, XXXIII. HIND-FOOT OF DO. XXXIV. XXI. ✓ GRIZZLY BEAR.—URSUS FEROX, AMERICAN WOLF.-CANIS LUPUS OCCIDENTALIS, XXIX. PUMA.-FELIS CONCOLOR, I. JAGUAR.-FELIS ONCA, - IX. OCELOT.-FELIS PARDALIS, XVII. PERAMELES.-PERAMELES NASUTA, X. . WATER-HOG.-CAVIA CAPYBARA, XIII. ✓ GREAT WHITE DOLPHIN.--DELPHINAPTERUS BELUGA, XVI. BIRDS. BENGAL FALCONS.-FALCO CERULESCENS, II. - XVIII. XI. YELLOW-BILLED PHIBALURAS.—PHIBALURA FLAVIROSTRIS, BRISBANE’S PROMEROPS.--EPIMACHUS BRISBANII, TERNATE KING-FISHER.-TANYSIPTERA DEA, QUEZAL.-TROGON PAVONINUS, ALDROVANDINE PEACOCK.-PAVO ALDROVANDI, ADULT MALE, XXV. VI. ✓ XIV. mummu IMMATURE MALE, XV. V PHEASANT-TAILED GROUSE.-TETRAO UROPHASIANUS, MALE, XXVI. www XXVII. mamm FEMALE, RICHARDSON'S GROUSE.-TETRAO RICHARDSONII, MALE, ✓ XXX. ✓ wurm FEMALE, XXXI. XXII. COROMANDEL COURIER.-CURSORIUS ASIATICUS, GREEN HERON.—ARDEA VIRESCENS, XII. SCARLET IBIS.-IBIS RUBER, ADOLESCENT, VII. 9-22-39 mum www mmmmm YOUNG, XXXII. www www ch w ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. SACRED IBIS.-IBIS RELIGIOSA, XIX. ✓ SABINE'S GULL.-LARUS SABINI, I III. VIII. ROSS'S GULL.-LARUS ROSSII, JAMESON'S GULL.-LARUS JAMESONII, - XXIII. GREAT AUK.-ALCA IMPENNIS, XXXV. REPTILES. GARDENIAN SIREN.-SIREN LACERTINA, XXIV. FISHES. FOLIATED PIPE-FISH.--HIPPOCAMPUS FOLIATUS, XX. SHELLS. NICOL'S CONE.-CONUS NICOLII, XXXVI. INSECTS. XXVIII. JASIUS BUTTERFLY-NYMPHALIS JASIUS, GREAT OWL MOTH.-EREBUS STRIX, IV. PREFACE. THE HE great accessions which have been made to the Museum of the University of Edinburgh during these last few years, and the certainty that such accessions, by the unwearied zeal and ex- tensive correspondence of the present distinguished Regius Keeper of that magnificent collection, will henceforward be not only continued, but greatly increased, have suggested to the Author of this work the propriety of commencing a publication, through the medium of which the lovers of Natural History, and the public in general, may be made acquainted from time to time with the history and appearance of such new, rare, or otherwise remarkable productions of the Animal Kingdom, as adorn the apartments of the Museum. Through the kindness of Professor JAMESON, the Author has long had unrestrained access, both to the public part of the Collection, and to those numerous and highly valuable objects of recent acquisition, the general exhibition of which is rendered impossible, by the already too confined limits of the present elegant build- ing—an inconvenience, however, which, it is believed, will in some degree be obviated by this pub- lication. In consequence of the privilege thus enjoyed, a considerable collection of Drawings has been gradually formed of objects highly interesting to the Naturalist; and which, it is presumed, when presented in a suitable form, will serve both to gratify and increase the prevailing taste for this delightful study. Application having been made to the proper authorities, and permission obtained, it is therefore proposed to publish (at successive intervals of three or four months) ILLUSTRATIONS, COLOURED AFTER NATURE, of such objects as are either entirely new, or have never before been adequately represented in the pages of Natural History. a By a judicious and varied selection of subjects from the different classes of the Animal King- dom, accompanied by a history of their habits and modes of life, it is hoped, that in the course of not many years such a representative assemblage may be brought together, as will serve to exemplify, in a novel and interesting manner, the numerous tribes of living creatures, of which the great family of Nature is composed. On the first introduction of every established Order, or well-marked Genus such observations will be presented as may suffice to illustrate the natural history of the species which it contains, considered in their generalities; and thus, while the subjects treated of indivi- dually may, from their rarity, or the accuracy of their portraitures, be regarded with some degree of A 2. PREFACE. а interest even by the scientific naturalist, the work itself will at the same time serve as an elemen- tary introduction, under a popular form, not unadapted to the purposes of the general reader. It will be the Author's aim to combine the precision of a scientific treatise with the more excur- sive and agreeable character of a popular miscellany, and, by avoiding alike the vagueness and in- accuracy of the one, and the repulsive dryness of the other, to gain the favour of both classes of readers, by a faithful and consequently an interesting exposition of one of the most beautiful, and certainly not the least important, of the natural sciences. He deems it proper further to announce, that although the collection of Drawings already executed, and the many interesting subjects at present at his command in the Museum, will suf- fice to supply materials to this work for several years, he is not the less anxious respectfully to solicit information from the Zoologists of Great Britain and of foreign countries, on all topics con- nected with Natural History in any of its branches. Especial care will be taken of specimens, or original drawings, of remarkable objects, with the loan of which he may be favoured ; and the same will be speedily returned, and thankfully acknowledged. The increasing experience of our Engravers (in a department of the profession hitherto but feebly patronized, and therefore slightly practised in Scotland), by the execution of several important works of a somewhat similar nature, now in progress, affords a reasonable expectation of a corresponding increase of excellence in the art, and warrants the assumption that every succeeding Number of this publication will improve as it advances. This consideration, it is trusted, will prove an inducement to those possessed of collections in any department of Zoology, to make the Author acquainted with whatever they may contain of rare or curious ; and he pledges himself that neither trouble nor expence will be spared on his part, to do justice to such liberality, by the execution of correct and carefully fi- nished drawings. The Description corresponding to each Plate will be printed on a leaf by itself; and the in- troductory observations of a general nature prefixed to each Class, Order, or Genus, being like- wise thrown off in a separate and distinct form, a systematic classification of the subjects of the Work may at any time be adopted, with the greatest facility, by those who prefer such a mode of arrangement. To assist in the attainment of this object, according to correct and philosophical principles, and at the same time to leave the Student free to follow where nature seems to lead, a series of Tabular Views of the Classification of Animals, now in preparation, will be presented at an early period, in which the doctrines of the most distinguished of the modern Systematists will be analysed, and the result of their respective labours exhibited in a clear and compendious form. a Although the signal advantages which Natural History has derived, since the commence- ment of the present century, from an improved nomenclature, and a more natural order of classi- 1 PREFACE. 3 а fication, is readily admitted, it is equally clear, that the tendency to proceed in extremis has been manifested by an undue regard for an involved and complex system of subdivision, by which the machinery of the science has been frequently rendered unwieldy, and of difficult application in practice. The importance which it is natural for every one to attach to his own views (and the less extended the sphere of vision, the more highly magnified are the objects which it contains), has unfortunately induced the cry of “ Eureka" to be raised by many whose powers of generaliza- tion were not equal to the inaccuracy of their observations ; and the consequence has been, that frequent and unnecessary changes in the nomenclature, unaccompanied by corresponding im- provements in the essential groundwork of a luminous and philosophical system, have darkened the very face of nature by a cloud of confused and contradictory synonyms. That many of the modern systems have already fallen into disuse, or rather that few of them were ever found avail- able for practical purposes, was a natural consequence of their inherent insufficiency, more easy to alter than amend. Their destiny might, indeed, have been inferred from their amount; for, as in the case of a problem which can only be solved in one manner, a variety of supposed solutions will lead to error ; so, among the numerous Natural Methods, as they have been called, of modern times, the greater proportion must be wrong, as they differ essentially from each other. Besides, whatever tends to place an almost insuperable barrier between a subject of inexhaustible inte- rest, and those who are fain to follow it rather as an elegant and intellectual pursuit, than as an exclusive and engrossing occupation, is injurious alike to the interests of science, and the in- fluential character of its professors. It is therefore hoped, that the mania for system-making is gone by ; for it would surely be far wiser for us, “ the lesser stars,” each to perform accurately what he is able to accomplish, upon however limited a scale, than attempt the difficult task of classification, so much better entrusted to “ the brighter constellations,”—to the BLUMENBACHS, the Cuviers, the LAMARCKS, and a few others --who alone are fitted, by their greater knowledge, and more gifted capacity, to ensure a logical and permanent result. 0 a In regard to the sister science of Comparative Anatomy, if the Author of these pages may be allowed to offer an opinion on a subject of which he does not profess to have more than a very meagre knowledge, it appears to be occasionally followed rather too much for its own sake, than in relation to its principal object, the formation of a Zoological System, conformed to the prin- ciples of nature. It is admitted that a striking diversity of external characters may exist among many animals, which are yet essentially and closely allied by the similar structure of their inter- nal and most influential organs, and that the external characters may also present an equally striking conformity among many tribes, the primary organs of which may nevertheless be cast in very various moulds; and consequently, that whoever attempted to deduce the real analogies of the animal kingdom from a consideration of such characters, would certainly mislead both himself and others. This, indeed, may now be regarded as a truism, and might be proved from every system . a 4 PREFACE. which has ever been promulgated anterior to the time of CUVIER. But comparative anatomists have frequently an idea, that nothing is, or can be, of importance, which extends beyond the sphere of their own exertions. They forget that the general form and covering, and in short the whole of the external characters, however they may labour under the misfortune of being obvious to a common observer, are just as much a part of an animal's organic constitution, as the viscera, muscles, bloodvessels, or whatever else is most mysterious and recondite; and that in fact, with- out a precise knowledge of the former, the information conveyed by the latter would be uncertain, or of no avail. A mere knowledge of external character is perhaps as useful as an acquaintance, however intimate, with anatomical structure, where nothing is either known or sought for respect- ing the external appearance, as a necessary guide to the higher knowledge of animal instincts and modes of life. The mere anatomist may smile at the mere collector of shells and butterflies, with just as much but no more propriety, than the mere naturalist or virtuoso may at him who, know- ing, or supposing that he knows, every convolution of a viscus, or ramification of an artery, is yet unable to recognize, amid the perplexingly multiplied varieties which may be presented to him, the precise animal which has been the subject of so much anxious and careful investigation. But when Anatomy and Natural History go hand in hand, the obscure labyrinth of nature, so far as human capacity can penetrate, receives its noblest illumination. Communications for this work are requested to be addressed to the Author, care of Mr BLACK- wood, Prince's Street, or of Mr CADELL, Strand, London. WOODVILLE, 25th April 1827 DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. As the nine Numbers of which this work is now composed, afford sufficient materials for the formation of a Volume, and as the Plates and corresponding Letter-press will be the better preserved the sooner they are bound, the following Direc- tions are now appended, for the purpose of enabling those who so incline to arrange the different articles in their most ap- propriate order. The Title-page, Dedication, and Table of Contents, given with the present Number, and the Preface originally prefixed to No. I., will commence the Volume; and the leaf on which these directions are printed, will precede the first article of the main body of the Work. The Plates and corresponding Letter-press will then be arranged as follows: 6 6 6 1st, Plate 5, Followed by 10 pages from No. 2, titled Order Quadrumana and Simia. 2d, Plates 33, & 34, followed by 4 pages from No. 9, titled Order Quadrumana, and Supplementary Observations. 3d, Plate 21, Followed by 6 pages from No. 6, titled Genus Ursus, and Grizzly Bear. 4th, Plate 29, Followed by 12 pages from No. 8, titled Genus Canis, and The Wolf. 5th, Plate 1, Followed by 4 pages from No. 1, titled Genus Felis, and Animals of the Cat kind. 6th, Plate 9, , Followed by 4 pages from No. 3, titled Genus Felis and Jaguar. 7th, Plate 17, Followed by 2 pages from No. 5, titled Genus Felis and Ocelot. 8th, Plate 10, Followed by 8 pages from No. 3, titled Order Marsupialia and Long-nosed Perameles. 9th, Plate 13, Followed by 4 pages from No. 4, titled Order Rodentia, and the Capybara. 10th, Plate 16, Followed by 6 pages from No. 4, titled Order Cetæ, and the Beluga. 11th, Plate 2, Followed by 6 pages from No. 1, titled Class Aves, and Falco. 12th, Plate 18, Followed by 2 pages from No. 5, titled Genus Phibalura. 13th, Plate 11, Followed by 2 pages from No. 3, titled Order Anisodactyli, and Brisbane's Promerops. 14th, Plate 25, Followed by 4 pages from No. 7, titled Genus Tanysiptera, and Ternate King-fisher. 15th, Plate 6, Followed by 4 pages from No. 2, titled Order Scansores, and Genus Trogon. 4 , 16th, Plates 14, & 15, Followed by 6 pages from No. 4, entitled Order Gallinæ, Genus Pavo, and The Aldrovandine Peacock. 17th, Plates 26, & 27, Followed by 4 pages from No. 7, titled Genus Tetrao, and The Pheasant-tailed Grouse. 18th, Plates 30, & 31, Followed by 2 pages from No. 8, titled Genus Tetrao, &c. 19th, Plate 22, Followed by 2 pages from No. 6, titled Order Cursores, &c. 20th, Plate 12, Followed by 2 pages from No. 2, titled Order Grallatores, and 4 pages from No. 3, titled Ge- nus Ardea, and the Green Heron. 21st, Plate , 7 Followed by 2 pages from No. 2, titled Genus Ibis. 22d, Plate 32, Followed by 2 pages from No. 8, titled Genus Ibis. 23d, Plate 19, Followed by 2 pages from No. 5, titled Genus Ibis. 24th, Plate 3, Followed by 6 pages from No. 1, titled Order Palmipedes, Genus Larus, and Larus Sabini. 25th, Plate 8, Followed by 2 pages from No. 2, titled Larus. 26th, Plate 23, Followed by 2 pages from No. 6, titled Genus Larus.--Gull. 27th, Plate 35, Followed by 2 pages from No. 9, titled Genus Alca.–Auk. 28th, Plate 24, Followed by 8 pages from No. 6, titled Class Reptilia and The Gardenian Siren. 29th, Plate 20, Followed by 6 pages from No. 5, titled Class Pisces, Fishes, and The Foliated Pipe-Fish. 30th, Plate 36, Followed by 2 pages from No. 9, titled Genus Conus, &c. 31st, Plate 28, Followed by 4 pages from No. 1, titled Class Insecta, and Order Lepidoptera (but exclusive of the last leaf of that Number, likewise titled Lepidoptera, and which pertains to the following Plate); also by 4 pages from No. 7, titled Butterflies or Diurnal Lepidoptera, and Genus Nymphalis. 32d, Plate 4, Followed by 2 pages from No. 1, titled Lepidoptera.---Subgenus Erebus, Latreille. 6 - SIMIA SATYRUS. LINN. SIMIA TROGLODYTES, LINN. SIMIA SATYRUS. LINN. to biomo-bruin اور را T: Black Orangperitan Afrin ( toutang of اور Drawn from Nature by Howitt - Engraved by Wizars. الN لام الدرر اک ۱۱ (۲) در رزومه ررر 1(/ INIS 1111 رررر ما در بازار ارز داریم کع) // لي ام (رواز دلار در آمد از اثر را در رد ررررررررررر ////إزار برم ///// اسم ( محمد در ۸۷/۸۲ -rمر(مرمر تمر (37ہ ///// مرور ممر ۲۸۸۸ // //F)) ررررا // ررررا درس حرر NIS WINLINNA ENN-mirn يا نعم ار ، سرورررري // (( )))) عمیرہ احمر به الر۴/۸/ مرمر مرارنر بر اساس تبادل الم ال we در ر۱۱۸/ ۸///// ہو کر ک7/۸ 3 اير8/رم محمو صر آزر) ) ۱۱ در / ام /// مرو ای ام اسرار ررررررر دوم ) را سایر / کلام اور اہمواری در بازار را در د / أرو ز / ۴ (درر ومريم زار ال ال ام به خریدار کار به IM /// ۱۱ /۳ /۱۴ د / را در ۱۸ / - بی ایس اور امر راو / /1 )ت روس کم بر , // کی 13( ۱۲/12د امام /7 TEMA در ني////۸۸ حميم م | /fr MNK // ۴ // اعم ( ريمية مريم /// Arrollar ای hinnirnir Tin Tin بار بار مالی لري بهم - م م اگر پاکر است "Nu am سال - اللہ // سب سرد در کر د اماميه repona زار الريس لار عمر خريد ختم ۷ پر بلا در خرم ) ) ) اور ام در حرم (/) 3 ) ) اول مرور و اما سن کر پر 2/) اراازار کم بیمار اور نفرت سے کلی اسما و مي مي با ما 100 درم والي ,مم بشم ۸۴۴ ر ر ره رم رور 1 ۱۲ 11 groot دارد و برام horro 1 با ما لا شي مر مره Ft. 7, /tg. 3. ما /t4, 2, AL VIJI IV مار ORDER QUADRUMANA. QUADRUMANOUS OR FOUR-HANDED ANIMALS, Characters of the Order.— Teeth of three sorts, incisive, canine, and molar. Each of the four extremities furnished with a thumb, free in its movements, and capable of being opposed to the other fingers or toes, which are long and flexible, and bear a strong resemblance to the fingers of the human hand. The eyes are directed forwards. The mammæ, which are pectoral, vary in number from two to four. A bony partition separates the tempo- . ral cavities from the orbits; but the nasal bone does not exhibit the suture observable in that of man. The stomach is simple and membranaceous, and the intestines are short, and very similar to those of the human race. The animals of this Order are almost entirely frugivorous * They live in trees, and inhabit the warmer countries of Asia, Africa, and America. GENUS SIMIA. ANIMALS OF THE APE KIND PECULIAR TO THE OLD WORLD. 4 1_1 4 Characters of the Genus.—Incisive teeth; canine }; molar - 5-5, bluntly tuberculated. Nos- trils separated only by a thin partition. Two pectoral mammæ. Two pectoral mammæ. Tail varying in length, ne- ver prehensile, sometimes wanting. Nails flat. Inhabits Africa, Asia, and the great islands of the Indian Archipelago. Allied to the human race by a grotesque resemblance in their form and structure, the princi- pal species of this numerous and diversified genus, familiarly called Apes, Monkeys, and Baboons, have for a long period excited the attention of the philosophical anatomist and the natural histo- rian. The labours of CAMPER, Tyson, and TILESIUS, of GEOFFROY, LACEPEDE, AUDEBERT, BLAINVILLE, and the Cuviers, have been successively bestowed on the illustration of this tribe of animals; and though many points in their history still remain obscure, a considerable advance- ment has no doubt been recently made towards their complete elucidation. It would take long to tell of the numerous subgenera which have been formed in the course of their systematic ar- rangement; and as these may be more conveniently discussed in a future number of this Work, in which I shall have occasion to describe some of the Monkey tribe, properly so called, I shall confine my observations, for the present, to the first division of the genus Simia, viz. the Greater Apes, or Orang-outangs. It appears probable that the ancients were not acquainted with either the African or Asiatic Orang-outang, although a passage in the Periplus Hannonis has been supposed by some authors a * In OGILBY's Translation of NIEWHOFF's China, as quoted by Dr ABEL, a passage occurs, probably more remarkable for graphic effect than for accuracy, in which a very different disposition is assigned to some large species of the quadrumanous “ The province of Fokien hath an animal perfectly resembling man, but longer armed, and hairy all over, called Fese, , most swift and greedy after human flesh ; which, that he may the better take his prey, he feigneth a laughter, and suddenly, while the person stands listening, seizeth upon him."-Folio, ad edition, p. 413. order. H SIMIA. to indicate the Chimpanzé with sufficient accuracy to establish their knowledge of that species The Pithecos of the Greeks, and the Simia of the Latins, of which we have notices of a sufficient- ly imperfect nature in the works of ARISTOTLE and Pliny, seems to have been no other than the Magot or Barbary Ape (the Simia Innuus of modern times), which, in a state of domestication, breeds in France, and still occurs in the wild state on the least accessible parts of the rock of Gi- braltar. No doubt, in the Pithecus of GALEN, a double opening is said to have been observed in the cavity of the larynx, a character believed by many to be peculiar to the Orang-outangs, and CAMPER was certainly of opinion that that ancient physician had anatomized and described the last-named animal ; but M. DE BLAINVILLE has lately exhibited conclusive evidence that the subject of GALEN's observations was no other than the Common Magot. The Simia Porcaria, as indicated by ARISTOTLE, appears to have been a Baboon; and, in regard to the Kebos, or varied Monkey, the Callithrix (beautiful-haired) or Green Monkey, and the Cercopithecos, or long-tailed Guenon, which, I believe, constitute the remaining species of the genus described by ancient writers, none of these has ever been confounded with the subjects of the present inquiry. The Orangs, or Greater Apes, have been divided into several subgenera, which differ in locality, colour, and relative proportions, but agree in having the hyoid bone, the liver, and the cæcum, formed like those of man. SUBGENUS TROGLODYTES. Geoffroy. PITHECUS. Cuv.-SIMIA. Linnæus. Characters of the Subgenus.-Canine teeth very slightly elongated, and placed close to the incisive and molar teeth, as in man. Head rounded. Muzzle short. Facial angle 50°. Superciliary ridges strongly marked. No cheek poutches, tail, or callosities. No apparent intermaxillary bone. Ears resembling those of man, but large, and somewhat projecting Arms of mode- rate length. THE BLACK ORANG OF AFRICA. SIMIA (TROGLODYTES) NIGER. PLATE V.Fig. 2. SYNONYMS. Homo sylvestris, Tyson.--Man of the Woods, Edwards.-Great Ape, Pennant.-Jocko, Buffon.---Pongo of Audebert, (Fam. 1. sect. 1. fig, 1.) and of the Supp. to Buff. tom. 7, but quite distinct from the Pongo of Wurmb. Colour of the fur brownish-black. Form of the body and limbs more nearly approaching the human than that of any other animal. Head middle-sized, flattened on the crown. Forehead scarcely rising above the level of the superciliary ridges, which are very distinct. Muzzle not greatly protruded. Arms robust, and of moderate length. Superior thumb placed lower on the wrist, and more serviceable than in the Asiatic species. Chest broad. Face and fore-part of the body nearly naked. Although the Black or African Orang, of all known animals, bears the greatest resemblance, both in face and figure, to the human species, and, in consequence of this resemblance, has not only been honoured by the foremost place in our arrangements of the brute creation, but even placed as co-ordinate with Man himself, he owes this elevation much more to his organic structure than to any real superiority in his mental endowments. In a state of domestication, he is far surpassed SIMIA - а. in acquired wisdom both by the Dog and the Elephant ; and even the much-vaunted instinctive intelligence of his natural condition, is inferior to that of several four-footed creatures. That his movements and modes of life should approximate in some degree to those of “ the nobler savage," is a necessary consequence of his physical structure, by which he is also enabled in captivity to imitate more closely than any other animal the external actions of mankind; but the moral and intellectual attributes with which he has been gifted, must be referred to the fertile imagination of the natural historian. An historical account of the Orang-outang would indeed prove little else than a summary of error and misrepresentation. To say nothing of the female described by Dr Bontius, the modesty, of which was so great that she could not endure to be looked at by such of the learned Esculapian's male friends as were strangers to the domestic circle, even the sage LINNÆUS, in an early edition of the Systema Nature, has recorded his Homo nocturnus, or Night Wanderer, as thinking after the fashion of an intelligent creature, and giving utterance to his thoughts in a whistling language. The history of these animals, as given by BUFFON, is equally unsatisfac- tory. He evidently confounds two distinct kinds, the Chimpanzé, Jocko, or African Orang-ou- tang, and the red or Asiatic species ; the former of which is the Simia Troglodytes (Plate V. fig. 2.), the latter the Simia Satyrus (Plate V. figs. 1. and 3.) of systematic writers. It seems the more re- markable that these two creatures should have been thus blended into one, as they not only differ so widely in their external characters, but have an entirely different geographical location; the Chimpanzé, or Black Orang, being confined to Africa, and occurring chiefly in the districts of Congo and Angola, whereas the Red Orang is an inhabitant of the south-eastern parts of Asia, and the great islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Passing by the impostures of GAMELLI CARRERI, it may be asserted, that the equally amusing and scarcely more authentic narratives, which BUF- FON and others have compiled from the writings of Francis PYRARD, Father JARRIE, GUAT, and FROGER, must be consulted with an extreme degree of caution, by whoever seeks to study the ge- nuine natural history of these extraordinary creatures. We have in truth little of what is really authentic, especially in the history of the African Orang ; the more detailed and accurate narration of some recent observers, being applicable chiefly to the Asiatic species. The following notices, however, evidently apply to the former of these animals. According to PYRARD, the Great Ape of Sierra Leone, called Barris, is so remarkable both for strength and industry, that, when properly fed and instructed, it serves as a very useful domes- tic. It usually walks upright, will pound any thing in a mortar, and fetches water from the river in a little pitcher, which, however, must be immediately taken from it on its return, else it will dash it to the ground. A Dutch author observes, that, when taken young, they are speedily taught to walk upright, and to make use of their hands for domestic purposes, such as rincing glasses, carrying beer, waiting at table, or turning the spit. The Orang-outang which BUFFON described from ocu- lar observation of the living specimen, always walked upright, even when carrying heavy burdens. His air was melancholy, his deportment grave, his movements regular, and his disposition very mild and gentle. “ I have seen him," observes the Count, “ give his hand to shew the company to the door who came to visit him, and walk about as gravely with them as if he formed one of the society. I have seen him sit down at table, unfold his napkin, wipe his lips, make use of a spoon or fork to carry the victuals to his mouth, pour out his liquor into a glass, and drink it off, after touching glasses with the person who sat next him. When invited to take tea, he would bring a cup and saucer, lay them on the table, put in sugar, pour out the tea, and leave it to cool before he drank it. He approached strangers respectfully, and always seemed more desirous to solicit caresses than to offer injuries.” Two Orang-outangs were purchased by M. DE LA BROSSE from a Negro when they were about a year old, and had not received any education. They sat at a a SIMIA. a table like men, and ate every kind of food without distinction. When at dinner on board ship, they made signs to the cabin-boy for what they required, and, if not speedily served, would rise from their seats, seize him by the arm, and throw him on his back on the floor. The male was very sea-sick during the voyage, and needed attendance like a human being under similar circum- stances. During a feverish illness he was twice let blood; and ever afterwards, when indisposed, he held out his arm as if imploring the aid of the phlebotomist. GASSENDI completes the picture of this intellectual and accomplished Barris, by stating, that, if once attired in the costume of man, he never ceases to walk erect, and may be rendered an expert and tasteful performer both on the guitar and flute ! It will be readily perceived, that these and similar accounts of the Black Orang-outang, are built upon a slender basis of truth, obscured by inaccuracy and exaggeration. It appears to be a gregarious animal, an inhabitant of the forests, of an intelligent disposition, and capable of a con- siderable degree of education, though probably fierce and irreclaimable in the adult state. It is believed that the full grown animal has never yet been examined by any naturalist. In that con- dition, it is probably the “ Great Wild Man of the Woods,” of whose existence we do not doubt, but of which only vague indications have been given by some African travellers. It fortunately happens, that, in regard to the Asiatic species, we are possessed of more accurate as well as more ample details. It belongs, however, to another division of the great genus Simia, viz. the SUBGENUS PITHECUS. Cuv. Geoff HYLOBATES. Illiger.-SIMIA. Linnæus. Characters of the Subgenus.-Canine teeth somewhat exceeding the others in length, but not se- parated from them by any inter-space, and slightly crossing each other at their points. Molar teeth more square than those of man, and more strongly tuberculated. Head rounded. Fa- cial angle 65º. No superciliary ridges. No cheek pouches, tail, or callosities * Sutures of the intermaxillary bone apparent. Ears rounded, resembling those of man, and applied close to the sides of the head. Arms very long. THE RED OR ASIATIC ORANG-OUTANG.-SIMIA (PITHECUS) SATYRUS. PLATE V. Figs. 1. and 3. SYNONYMS. Simia Satyrus, Linn.-Homo sylvestris, Edwards.---Jocko, Audebert. Hist. des Singes (Fam. 1. sect. 1. fig. 2.). Dr TRAILL having obligingly favoured me with the original drawings from life by the cele- brated Howitt, of the Red Orang-outang brought to this country on the return of Lord Am- HERST's embassy to China, I cannot more clearly illustrate the history of this remarkable species, than by quoting the very able and interesting account of the individual in question, some time since furnished by Dr CLARKE ABEL, whose premature death science at this moment deplores. “ For the possession of this rare animal the scientific world is indebted to Captain METHUEN, who brought him from Banjarmassing on the south coast of Borneo, to Java ; and, in the hope of 66 callosities * Those who arrange the Gibbons under this subgenus, will of course amend the generic character, by adding, in some of the species.” 1 SIMIA. a aiding the cause of science, placed him in my possession, for the purpose of being conveyed to England. The natives informed Captain METHUEN that he had been brought from the highlands of the interior, and that he was very rare and difficult to take; and they evidently considered him a great curiosity, as they flocked in crowds to see him. “ The present height of the animal, judging from his length when laid on a flat surface, and measured from his heel to the crown of his head, is two feet seven inches. The hair of the Orang- outang is of a brownish-red colour, and covers his back, arms, legs, and outside of his hands and feet. On the back it is in some places six inches long, and on his arms five. It is thinly scatter- ed over the back of his hands and feet, and is very short. It is directed downwards on the back, upper arm and legs, and upwards on the fore-arm. It is directed from behind forwards on the . head, and inwards on the inside of the thighs. The face has no hair except on its sides, some- what in the manner of whiskers, and a very thin beard. The middle of the breast and belly was naked on his arrival in England, but has since become hairy. The shoulders, elbows, and knees, have fewer hairs than other parts of the arms and legs. The palms of the hands and feet are quite naked “ The arms are long in proportion to the height of the animal, their span measuring full four feet seven inches and a half. The legs are short compared with the arms. The hands are long, compared with their width, and with the human hand. The fingers are small and tapering: the thumb is very short, scarcely reaching the first joint of the fore finger. All the fingers have very perfect nails, of a blackish colour and oval form, and exactly terminating with the extremities of the fingers. The feet are long, resemble hands in the palms, and in having fingers rather than toes, but have heels resembling the human. The great toes are very short, are set on at right angles to the feet close to the heel, and are entirely without nails * “ The Orang-outang of Borneo is utterly incapable of walking in a perfectly erect posture. He betrays this in his whole exterior conformation, and never wilfully attempts to counteract its tendency. His head leaning forward, and forming a considerable angle with the back, throws the centre of gravity so far beyond the perpendicular, that his arms, like the fore-legs of other ani- mals, are required to support the body. So difficult, indeed, is it for him to keep the upright po- sition for a few seconds, under the direction of his keeper, that he is obliged, in the performance of his task, to raise his arms above his head, and throw them behind him to keep his balance. His progressive motion on a flat surface is accomplished by placing his bent fists upon the ground, and drawing his body between his arms : moving in this manner, he strongly resembles a person decrepid in the legs, supported on stilts. In a state of nature, he probably seldom moves along the ground ; his whole external configuration showing his fitness for climbing trees and clinging to their branches. The length and pliability of his fingers and toes enable him to grasp with facility and steadiness; and the force of his muscles empowers him to support his body for a great length of time by one hand or foot. He can thus pass from one fixed object to another, at the distance of his span from each other, and can obviously pass from one branch of a tree to an- other, through a much greater interval. In sitting on a flat surface, this animal turns his legs a a * Naturalists do not seem to accord respecting the absence of the nail on the great toe or lower thumb of this animal, as a constant specific character. It appears to have been wanting in the specimens examined by CAMPER, VAN DER MEULIN, and ALLAMAND; and though it exists in the figure published by Edwards, it is known not to exist in the original, but to have been so represented by an oversight on the part of the artist or engraver. On the other hand, Baron Cuvier remarks, in relation to CAMPER's statement, “ Il a tort de croire que les ongles manquent toujours á ses pouces de derrière.”—Regne Animal, p. 103. ; and they were certainly present in the specimens described by M. Fred. Cuvier, in the Annals of the Museum (tom. xvi.), and by TilesỊus in the Appendix to Kruzenstern's Voyage. Direct evidence, however, is wanting, to shew that these individuals actually came from Borneo ; and hence it is still a matter of doubt whether the character in question is occasionally manifested in the insular Orangs, or is peculiar to those of continental Asia, I SIMIA. a under him in the manner expressed by the engraving. In sitting on the branch of a tree or on a rope, he rests on his heels, his body leaning forward against his thighs. This animal uses his hands like others of the monkey tribe. “ The Orang-outang, on his arrival in Java from Batavia, was allowed to be entirely at liberty till within a day or two of being put on board the Cæsar to be conveyed to England; and whilst at large, made no attempt to escape; but became violent when put into a large railed bamboo cage, for the purpose of being conveyed from the island. As soon as he felt himself in confine- ment, he took the rails of the cage into his hands, and shaking them violently, endeavoured to break them in pieces; but finding that they did not yield generally, he tried them separately, and having discovered one weaker than the rest, worked at it constantly till he had broken it, and made his escape. On board ship, an attempt being made to secure him by a chain tied to a strong staple, he instantly unfastened it, and ran off with the chain dragging behind ; but finding himself embarrassed by its length, he coiled it once or twice, and threw it over his shoulder. This feat he often repeated, and when he found that it would not remain on his shoulder, he took it into his mouth. “ After several abortive attempts to secure him more effectually, he was allowed to wander freely about the ship, and soon became familiar with the sailors, and surpassed them in agility. They often chased him about the rigging, and gave him frequent opportunities of displaying his adroitness in managing an escape. On first starting, he would endeavour to outstrip his pursuers by mere speed, but when much pressed, elude them by seizing a loose rope, and swinging out of their reach. At other times he would patiently wait on the shrouds, or at the mast-head, till his pursuers almost touched him, and then suddenly lower himself to the deck by any rope that was near him, or bound along the main-stay from one mast to the other, swinging by his hands, and moving them one over the other. The men would often shake the ropes by which he clung with so much violence as to make me fear his falling, but I soon found that the power of his muscles could not be easily overcome. When in a playful humour, he would often swing within arm's length of his pursuer, and having struck him with his hand, throw himself from him. “ Whilst in Java, he lodged in a large tamarind-tree near my dwelling; and formed a bed by intertwining the small branches, and covering them with leaves. During the day, he would lie with his head projecting beyond his nest, watching whoever might pass under, and when he saw any one with fruit, would descend to obtain a share of it. He always retired for the night at sun- set, or sooner if he had been well fed ; and rose with the sun, and visited those from whom he ha- bitually received food. " On board ship he commonly slept at the mast-head, after wrapping himself in a sail. In making his bed, he used the greatest pains to remove every thing out of his way that might ren- der the surface on which he intended to lie uneven ; and having satisfied himself with this part of his arrangement, spread out the sail, and lying down upon it on his back, drew it over his body. Sometimes I pre-occupied his bed, and teazed him by refusing to give it up. On these occasions he would endeavour to pull the sail from under me, or to force me from it, and would not rest till I had resigned it. If it was large enough for both, he would quietly lie by my side. If all the sails happened to be set, he would hunt about for some other covering, and either steal one of the sailors' jackets or shirts that happened to be drying, or empty a hammock of its blankets. Off the Cape of Good Hope he suffered much from a low temperature, especially early in the morn- ing, when he would descend from the mast shuddering with cold, and running up to any one of his friends, climb into their arms, and clasping them closely, derive warmth from their persons, screaming violently at any attempt to remove him. a SIMIA 6 His food in Java was chiefly fruit, especially mangostans, of which he was excessively fond. He also sucked eggs with voracity, and often employed himself in seeking them. On board ship his diet was of no definite kind. He ate readily of all kinds of meat, and especially raw meat; was very fond of bread, but always preferred fruits when he could obtain them. His beverage in Java was water; on board ship, it was as diversified as his food. He preferred coffee and tea, but would readily take wine, and exemplified his attachment to spirits by stealing the Captain's brandy bottle : since his arrival in London, he has preferred beer and milk to any thing else, but drinks wine and other liquors. “ In his attempts to obtain food, he afforded us many opportunities of judging of his sagacity and disposition. He was always very impatient to seize it when held out to him, and became passionate when it was not soon given up; and would chase a person all over the ship to obtain it. I seldom came on deck without sweatmeats or fruit in my pocket, and could never escape his vigilant eye. Sometimes I endeavoured to evade him by ascending to the mast-head, but was al- ways overtaken or intercepted in my progress. When he came up with me on the shrouds, he would secure himself by one foot to the rattling, and confine my legs with the other, and one of his hands, whilst he rifled my pockets. If he found it impossible to overtake me, he would climb to a considerable height on the loose rigging, and then drop suddenly upon me. Or if, perceiving his intention, I attempted to descend, he would slide down a rope, and meet me at the bottom of the shrouds. Sometimes I fastened an orange to the end of a rope, and lowered it to the deck from the mast-head; and as soon as he attempted to seize it, drew it rapidly up. After being se- veral times foiled in endeavouring to obtain it by direct means, he altered his plan. Appearing to care little about it, he would remove to some distance, and ascend the rigging very leisurely for some time, and then by a sudden spring catch the rope which held it. If defeated again by my suddenly jerking the rope, he would at first seem quite in despair, relinquish his effort, and rush about the rigging, screaming violently. But he would always return, and again seizing the rope, disregard the jerk, and allow it to run through his hand till within reach of the orange ; but if again foiled, he would take me by the arm, and confine it whilst he hauled the orange up. “ This animal neither practises the grimace and antics of other monkeys, nor possesses their perpetual proneness to mischief. Gravity approaching to melancholy, and mildness, were some- times strongly expressed in his countenance, and seem to be the characteristics of his disposition. When he first came among strangers, he would sit for hours with his hand upon his head, looking pensively at all around him (see Plate V. Fig. 3.); or, when much incommoded by their examina- tion, would hide himself beneath any covering that was at hand. His mildness was evinced by his forbearance under injuries, which were grievous before he was excited to revenge ; but he always avoided those who often teazed him. He soon became strongly attached to those who kindly used him. By their side he was fond of sitting; and getting as close as possible to their persons, would take their hands between his lips, and fly to them for protection. From the boatswain of the Alceste, who shared his meals with him, and was his chief favourite, although he sometimes purloined the grog and the biscuit of his benefactor, he learned to eat with a spoon; and might be often seen sitting at his cabin-door enjoying his coffee, quite unembarrassed by those who ob- served him, and with a grotesque and sober air, that seemed a burlesque on human nature. “ Next to the boatswain, I was perhaps his most intimate acquaintance. He would always follow me to the mast-head, whither I often went for the sake of reading apart from the noise of the ship, and having satisfied himself that my pockets contained no eatables, would lie down by my side, and pulling a topsail entirely over him, peep from it occasionally to watch my movements . “ His favourite amusement in Java was in swinging from the branches of trees, in passing ; SIMIA from one tree to another, and in climbing over the roofs of houses ; on board, in hanging by his arms from the ropes, and in romping with the boys of the ship. He would entice them into play, by striking them with his hand as they passed, and bounding from them, but allowing them to overtake him and engage in a mock scuffle, in which he used his hands, feet, and mouth. If any conjecture could be formed from these frolics of his mode of attacking an adversary, it would ap- pear to be his first object to throw him down, then to secure him with his hands and feet, and then wound him with his teeth. « Of some small monkeys from Java on board he took little notice, whilst under the observation of the persons of the ship. Once, indeed, he openly attempted to throw a small cage, containing three of them, overboard ; because, probably, he had seen them receive food of which he could obtain no part. But although he held so little intercourse with them when under our inspection, I had reason to suspect that he was less indifferent to their society when free from our observation ; and was one day summoned to the topgallant-yard of the mizen-mast, to overlook him playing with a young male monkey. Lying on his back, partially covered with the sail, he for some time con- templated, with great gravity, the gambols of the monkey which bounded over him ; but at length caught him by the tail, and tried to envelope him in his covering. The monkey seemed to dislike the confinement, and broke from him, but again renewed its gambols, and although frequently caught, always escaped. The intercourse, however, did not seem to be that of equals, for the Orang-outang never condescended to romp with the monkey as he did with the boys of the ship. Yet the monkeys had evidently a great predilection for his company; for whenever they broke loose, they took their way to his resting-place, and were often seen lurking about it, or creeping clandestinely towards him. There appeared to be no gradation in their intimacy, as they appear- ed as confidently familiar with him when first observed as at the close of their acquaintance. “ But although so gentle when not exceedingly irritated, the Orang-outang could be excited to violent rage, which he expressed by opening his mouth, showing his teeth, seizing and biting those who were near him. Sometimes, indeed, he seemed to be almost driven to desperation ; and on two or three occasions committed an act, which, in a rational being, would have been called the threatening of suicide. If repeatedly refused an orange when he attempted to take it, he would shriek violently, and swing furiously about the ropes; then return and endeavour to obtain it; if again refused, he would roll for some time like an angry child upon the deck, uttering the most piercing screams; and then suddenly starting up, rush furiously over the side of the ship, and disappear. On first witnessing this act, we thought that he had thrown himself into the sea ; but on a search being made, found him concealed under the chains. “ I have seen him exhibit violent alarm on two occasions only, when he appeared to seek for safety in gaining as high an elevation as possible. On seeing eight large turtle brought on board, whilst the Cæsar was off the Island of Ascension, he climbed with all possible speed to a higher part of the ship than he had ever before reached, and looking down upon them, projected his long lips into the form of a hog's snout (see Fig. 1. Plate V.), uttering at the same time a sound which might be described as between the croaking of a frog and the grunting of a pig. After some time he ventured to descend, but with great caution, peeping continually at the turtle, but could not be induced to approach within many yards of them. He ran to the same height, and uttered the same sounds, on seeing some men bathing and splashing in the sea ; and since his arrival in Eng- land has shown nearly the same degree of fear at the sight of a live tortoise *." I regret to add, that he died in the course of his second year's residence in this country. I understand it to be the opinion of the Baron Cuvier, that the Pongo of Borneo, the largest a a * Dr CLARKE ABEL's Narrative of a Journey in the interior of China, p. 319. 1 SIMIA. 9 and most remarkable of all the Ape tribe, is synonymous with the Red or Asiatic Orang-outang in the adult state. The heads of these two species, preserved in the Gallery of Anatomy in the King's Garden, exhibit such remarkable differences in form and structure, that I feel inclined to regard this opinion as founded upon insufficient data ; and it is certainly in contradiction to the characters referred to by the Baron himself, and his friend M. GEOFFROY, as affording the means of distinguishing the species. Either the Pongo and the Orang-outang are distinct, and the cha- racters fixed upon by naturalists for the discrimination of the species which compose the genus Simia are judiciously selected, that is, well marked and permanent.--or they are identical, and these characters cease henceforward to be of any avail. I may observe, that Count LACEPEDE, in his Tabular View of the Mammiferous Animals, places the Pongo at a great distance from the Orang-outang, viz. between the genus Macaca, of which the Barbary Ape may be considered as the type, and the genus Cynocephalus, represented by that disgusting and ferocious animal the Mandrill, or Great Rib-faced Baboon. In the Règne Animal, it is also removed as far as possible from the Orangs, being placed immediately preceding the Sapajous, or American Monkeys. In a paper in the Journal de Physique, entitled, “ A Me- moir on the Orang-outangs,” the joint production of Cuvier and GEOFFROY, and which, as ob- served by Mr GRIFFITHS, “ has served and must always serve as the basis of every subsequent classification of the numerous and varied family of the Monkeys,” the true Orangs, as usual, form the first genus, the Pongo and Mandrill the last but one. In these, and all other modern works of any importance, in which these animals form the subject of discussion, the principal and almost the only characters by which the species are discriminated, are the following :- The size and po- sition of the canine teeth ; the comparative length, or shortness, of the muzzle; the greater or less extent of the facial angle; the shape of the cranium ; the length of the arms; the existence or non-existence of the superciliary ridges ; the presence or absence of cheek-pouches, and callosities; and the colour of the fur. These characters are nine in number. Let us now see how they have been usually applied to the two species in question ; and, 1st, as to the Orang-outang (genus Pithecus of GEOFFROY): Canine teeth contiguous to and not greatly exceeding the others in size. Muzzle rather short ; facial angle great, i.e. 65° ; forehead equal in height to one-half of the rest of the vis- age ; cranium large and rounded; no superciliary ridges; no cheek-pouches ; no callosities; arms very long ; colour of the fur brown. 2dly, As to the Pongo (genus Pongo of LACEPEDE): Canine teeth so enormous as to equal in size those of the largest carnivorous animals. Muzzle considerably elongated; facial angle small, i. e. 30°; forehead very low, and retreating ; cranium small and com- pressed ; superciliary ridges very distinct; cheek-pouches; no callosities ; arms very long : colour of the fur black. It will no doubt be noted as a singular circumstance, that, excepting the want of callosities, and the length of the arms, all the other essential characters above enumerated should be directly opposed in these two species. It therefore follows, either that they are not identical, or that the characters by which the greater Apes have hitherto been distinguished from each other, must not only be amended, but entirely changed. The reasons assigned for this alleged identity are, as far as I can collect them from a notice on the subject by M. DE BLAINVILLE *, chiefly these :-As no Orang-outang has ever been seen in Europe, or described by any European naturalist, which exceeded the age of two or at most three years, it has consequently never been observed at all in the adult state. Observation has demon- strated, that the muzzles of apes in the menagerie of the Jardin du Roi prolong considerably with age; and it is known that the facial angle, both in men and monkeys, decreases as the individuals 3 3 a * Note sur l'Orang-outang: Jour. de Phys. 1818, i. p. 311.-See also DESMAREST's Mammalogie, parte lier, pp. 50. & 52. K SIMIA. advance in years. The compression of the cranium has also been observed to take place, from na- tural causes, in after life. In the year 1818, M. Cuvier received from India the head of an Orang- outang, which resembled the ordinary species (Orang roux) in most respects, but was remarkable for the prolongation of the muzzle, and the developement of the superciliary ridges. Its charac- ters were, in short, intermediate between those of the Orang-outang of continental Asia and the Pongo of Borneo ; from which it is concluded, that the former in the state in which we have hi- therto known it, is the young of the latter, the specimen adduced by Cuvier being regarded as an adult example of the same species, which had not, however, attained the maximum of its de- velopement. The number of dorsal, lumbar, and sacral vertebræ, are the same in both animals ; and the membranous pouch of the larynx is equally developed, and formed alike in both. That the skeleton of the Pongo, in the Paris Museum, was of great age, is proved by the general con- dition of its ossification, the state of its teeth, and the great developement of the osseous crests of the cranium ; the same characters being observed in old Baboons, the young of which, without ex- hibiting so marked a disparity as that which exists between the Red Orang-outang and the Pongo, nevertheless differ greatly from their parents. Lastly, The relative dimensions of the Red Orang- outang, of the intermediate specimen described by Cuvier, and of the adult Pongo, are graduated in exact proportion to the developement of the characters drawn from the crests of the cranium, and the prolongation of the facial bones * a * Since I wrote the preceding observations, Professor Jameson has called my attention to the cranium of an Orang from Borneo, which I think it proper to allude to here, as some may regard it as affording a confirmation of Baron Cuvier's opinion. That this cranium must have belonged to a young animal, is obvious, 1st, From the non-existence of the two posterior molar teeth, which have not yet been developed ; 2dly, From the character of the two anterior molar teeth, which are evidently of the first set, or what are called milk teeth; 3dly, From the permanent incisive teeth having not yet been protruded; and, 4thly, From the smallness of the canine teeth. I may add, that none of these bear the appearance of having been worn. The cranium it- self is small in size; the forehead is rounded, and tolerably full in its developement; and the superciliary ridges are entirely wanting It was sent to the Museum by the late Marquis of HASTINGS, and was labelled “ Head of the red Orang-outang from Borneo.” Its general structure is very thick and strong; and in the opinion of my friend Dr Knox (by whose skill I have been aided in this and other osteological investigations), it presents such appearances as render it highly probable that great changes would afterwards have taken place during the developement of its adult and permanent condition. The position of the occipital foramen is such as to render an upright posture in a state of nature almost impossible ; and, as it not only does not accord with, but is in express contradiction to, a full developement of the forehead as a permanent form, the last-named character may hence be regarded as the result of immaturity, which every succeeding season would have diminished, till in the adult state the elongated muzzle, depressed forehead, and narrow cranium, of the Pongo, would have become manifest with all its bony ridges. An exa- mination of an extensive series of skulls in the Museum of the College of Surgeons, has certainly convinced me that remarkable changes take place in the form and proportions of the cranium in the same species, according to the age of different individuals. In the Dog, Badger, common Pig, and especially in the Sus Babyroussa, these differences are very remarkable. Still, such de- tails, and the reasoning founded on them, however strictly inductive, do not in any way decide the question. They merely go to prove, that what occurs in one animal may occur in another, and afford an additional illustration of what was before sufficiently known, that the Pongo and Red Orang have, in certain parts of their geographical distribution, the same locality. I am not aware, however, that the Pongo has ever been observed in Malacca or Cochin-China, which it is highly probable it would have been had it been identical with a species which has its very centre of dominion in these countries. The occurrence of the Red Orang-outang in the abode of the Pongo proves nothing, till the converse is also ascertained, viz. the occurrence of the Pongo in the continental countries of Asia. Concerning the superciliary ridges, I may further observe, that, in the Black Orang of Africa (S. Troglodytes), these are sufficiently distinct, even in the young animal. Indeed, it cannot be otherwise, when we consider that the species alluded to stands in precisely the same predicament as the Red Orang, and though easily distinguished by these cretes surcilieres, has never yet been observed in the adult state. In this analogous case, In this analogous case, therefore, age is not required for their developement; and, in the absence of all direct evidence to the contrary, it is natural still to regard that peculiar forma- tion of the cranium rather as a character which distinguishes the species, than as resulting solely from a more advanced period of life. Let me observe, in conclusion, that the facial angle, the value of which, as a specific distinction, has been so much in- sisted on by all who have lately written on the Quadrumanous Order, must, in the event of this alleged identity between the Red Orang and the Pongo of Borneo being established, cease to be regarded as of any importance. A facial angle of 65° (that of the Red Orang), is the greatest presented by any living animal, excepting man ;-a facial angle of 30° (that of the Pongo), is the smallest of any species of the monkey tribe. Can these two species, then, be regarded as identical, and the im- portance of the character still maintained ? I hope the comparative anatomist will keep this question in view, in all its bearings, whenever an entire specimen of an adult Pongo is submitted for dissection. Let him examine particularly the hyoid bone, the liver, and the cæcum, and ascertain whether the latter viscus is provided with an appendix vermiformis, before now, PLATE XXXIV. SKI Drawn & Eng! by W.L.Lizars Cand into the Sant Bang Ditang gf Sumatra . . THE PONGO OF WURMB SIMIA' SATYRUS ADULT LINN UNIE PLATE XXXIII. INX A Före Fist of the Great Brang Putang of humata THE PONGO OF WURMB? SIMIA SATYRUS (ADULT) LINN? ON Drawn & En god by W.H. Lizars M mo ORDER QUADRUMANA. SUPPLEMENTARY OBSERVATIONS. In the second Number of this work (see Letter-press pertaining to Plate V.) I gave a sketch of the natural history of both the Asiatic and African Orang-outang, and I there stated the opinion entertained by several intelligent naturalists of our own times, that the former species and the Pongo of the east were identical, differing only in respect to age. The name of Pongo, originally applied to the African species (Simia Troglodytes), was erroneously made use of by WURMB to de- signate a large quadrumanous animal from the island of Borneo, described by him in the second vo- lume of the Memoirs of the Batavian Society. The greater dimensions of the so-called Pongo, the enormous size of its canine teeth, the prolongation of the muzzle, and consequent restriction of the facial angle, the strongly marked ridges of the narrow cranium, and the existence of several other characters, by all of which it was decidedly distinguished from the Red Orang-outang (Simia Sa- tyrus, Linn.), naturally led to the conclusion that it was an animal of a very different species, and it was so classed accordingly by systematic writers. The fact that the Red Orang-outang had never been seen in Europe, except in an immature and almost infantile condition, first gave rise to the suspicion that we were in truth inadequately acquainted with that species, and that in its adult state it was entirely unknown. A knowledge, easily acquired in any osteological museum, of the remarkable changes which the skulls of animals of the same species undergo in passing from youth to age, prepared us to anticipate a considerable nonconformity in the characters of the adult Orang-outang, as compared with those of the young, whenever the former should be ascertained by ocular inspection. It was not, however, suspected that such nonconformity would amount to a disagreement so positive as that which was known to exist between the Red Orang-outang, as hitherto seen in Europe, and the Pongo of WURMB * In the year 1818, as stated in a preceding portion of this work, Baron Cuvier received the head of an orang-outang from India, which, in its general form, resembled that of the Red Orang- outang, but was characterised by a greater prolongation of the muzzle, and a more obvious de- velopment of the superciliary ridges. It was, in short, intermediate in its proportions between the cranium of the Red Orang-outang and that of the Great Pongo of Borneo ; and when re- garded in connection with the fact, that we were as yet ignorant of the adult state of the former, and of the adolescent condition of the latter, it led the great French anatomist to infer that these two species were one and the same, and that the particular skull in question, belonging to a middle aged individual, exhibited the transition from youth to age. The reader will perceive, that this alleged identity of the Orang-outang and Pongo, though supported by the opinion of a most accomplished and sagacious observer, is nothing more than a reasonable inference,—a matter of theoretical induction, rather than an ascertained fact. It can- not therefore be yet admitted as an established truth, that these species are the same. Although the Red Orang-outang occurs not only on the mainland, but also in the great Asiatic islands inhabited by the Pongo or gigantic species, and may therefore, so far as an a * Of the skeleton of the last-named animal, an accurate representation may be seen in AUDEBERT'S “ Histoire des Singes," Plate 2. of the anatomical details, Fig. 5. A ORDER QUADRUMANA. a agreement in the latter locality is concerned, be regarded as its offspring, it must not be forgot- ten that the Pongo itself, or supposed parent, has never been found to occur in Malacca or Cochin China, or in any other continental part of Asia. A circumstance of considerable weight, to which I did not allude in my former article on this subject, is mentioned by Sir STAMFORD RAFFLES in his Descriptive Catalogue of the Animals of Sumatra * He there states, that the Orang-outang (Si- mia Satyrus, Linn. described by him as an inhabitant of Borneo,) also occurs in the island of Su- matra, where it is called by the natives Orang Pandak, or the Pigmy. Now, if the species in question attained in its adult state to the enormous stature of the Pongo, or great Orang, it could scarcely do so without being at least occasionally observed of such a size as to render the name of Pandak inapplicable. Nor do we see for what reason the great Pongo, an animal of the most wary disposition, and of such extreme rarity that not more than two or three examples of its oc- currence are yet known to naturalists, should bring up its offspring so frequently within the range of human visitation, when other animals, of a comparatively confiding nature, are observed to ma- nifest more cunning in the concealment of their young than in any other of their accustomed ac- tions. That it should be itself all the while unknown and invisible within the circle of its own domestic haunts (admitting it to be the parent of the Orang-outang) is also a circumstance by no means easy to explain. There are several countries in which the Orang-outang, in its usual con- dition, is well known to the natives, where no such animal as the Pongo has even been imagined; and when we consider the gigantic strength and proportions, and the extraordinary character and aspect of the latter, which altogether render it the most remarkable animal in existence, next to man himself, we can scarcely reconcile our previous ignorance of the fact of this supposed iden- tity, with the identity itself, if it were really true. At the same time, it must be admitted, that the Orang-outang, as hitherto exhibited, whether dead or alive, if not the young of the Pongo, is as yet unknown to Europeans in the adult state. When, however, we consider the great density, and almost interminable extent, of the un- opened forests of the vast islands of the east, we need not be surprised that they should harbour among their unexplored recesses many an extraordinary form of animal life, and that at rare and distant intervals of time, some wanderer of the woods should roam in search of favourite food or a fitting habitation, towards countries inhabited by the human race, where his presence would excite unmingled terror in the breast of the untutored savage, and surprise and wonder, not un- mixed with fear, in that of the more enlightened and inquiring European. We find, accordingly, that the traditions of many intratropical countries, indicate the exist- ence of a formidable animal, surpassing in its dimensions the utmost proportions of the human race, but greatly resembling that race in its general form and aspect, though more hairy than Esau, and more uncouth than the ordinary descendants of ADAM. The exaggeration which was supposed to accompany the casual and uncertain accounts occasionally transmitted of this animal to Europe, rendered their reception dubious; and even when they reached us under the more au- thentic form of detailed reports, confirmed in great part by the attestation of men of science, they were received with less confidence than was due to such trustworthy narrators. The most recent and most remarkable capture of the great Orang-outang (whether synony- mous with the Pongo of WURMB and the Simia Satyrus of LINNÆUS, is, as we have seen, not yet a determinable point), is recorded by Dr CLARKE ABEL in the 15th volume of the Asiatic Re- searches. I am not at present aware of the condition in which the specimen has been preserved. a * Transactions of the Linnean Society, vol. xiii. p. 241. p SUPPLEMENTARY OBSERVATIONS. a Its transmission to Europe in a cask of spirits would have afforded the means of so complete a de- scriptive memoir being drawn up, as would have yielded the highest interest both to the zoologist and the anatomical observer; and it is hoped, that if so favourable an opportuity should again oc- cur, it will be taken advantage of *. Fortunately, however, for the cause of science, the zeal and liberality of GEORGE SWINTON, Esq. Secretary to the Indian Government, induced him to have finely finished models formed of several parts of this gigantic animal, and coloured from the specimen itself, with that minute at- tention to the truth of nature for which all eastern works of art are remarkable. These models have been transmitted to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and, by permission of the Council of that learned body, I have now the pleasure to commence their publication through the medium of Plates XXXIII. and XXXIV. of the present work. As these figures are of the exact size of nature, I deem it unnecessary to fatigue the reader by descriptive details ; but the following ac- count of the slaughter of the unfortunate animal, although already well known to the scientific world, ought not to be separated from the only representations which are capable of conveying a true idea of its gigantic form. Dr CLARKE ABEL's attention was originally directed to the subject by the following notice in the Hurkara newspaper, communicated to that Journal by one of the individuals concerned in the onslaught : “ A party having landed on the north coast of Sumatra, from the Mary-Anne Sophia, Captain Cornfoot, for the purpose of watering, fell in with an animal of the monkey species, of a most gigantic size. It was upwards of seven feet in height, and, after receiving seven shots, was killed. After the fifth shot, it climbed a tree, and reclined against its boughs, to all appearance in great pain, and vomited a considerable quantity of blood. Its lower jaw, and the skin of the back and arms, which are brought round to Calcutta, I have seen. Some of the teeth of the up- per jaw have also arrived here, and are about to be deposited in the museum of the Asiatic So- ciety. There are some of them about three inches long. The lower jaw is immense ; and the skin, to which I have before referred, is so large, that, although cut off at the wrists, each arm is considerably longer than mine, and I am a man not a quarter of an inch under six feet. The back is remarkably broad, and is covered with long coarse brown hair. When the animal made its appearance, it seemed as if it had come from some distance, and, to all appearance, it had been walking through a swamp, its legs, up to the knees, being muddy. Its gait was slovenly, and, as it went, it waddled from side to side.” Dr ABEL adds the following additional information, obtained through direct oral communica- tion with Captain CORNFOOT. This formidable animal was more than a head taller than the tall- est man on board, in an ordinary standing posture, and it measured eight feet in height when sus- pended for the purpose of being skinned. The form and arrangement of its beard were beautiful. There was a great deal of the human expression in its countenance; and its piteous actions when wounded, and great tenacity of life, rendered the scene tragical and affecting. On the spot where he was killed, there were five or six tall trees, which greatly prolonged the combat; for so great was his strength and agility in bounding from branch to branch, that his pursuers were unable to take a determinate aim, until they had felled all the trees but one. Even then, he did not yield himself to his antagonists till he had received five balls, and been moreover thrust through with a spear. One of the first balls appears to have penetrated his lungs, for he was observed imme- diately to sling himself by his feet from a branch, with his head downwards, so as to allow the a a * There is no public Museum in Europe of which the administrators would not gladly defray the expenses occasioned by the capture, preservation, and transmission in an entire state, of such an animal as that described in the following pages. SUPPLEMENTARY OBSERVATIONS. blood to flow from his mouth.“ On receiving a wound, he always put his hand over the injured part, and distressed his pursuers by the human-like agony of his expression. When on the ground, after being exhausted by his many wounds, he lay as if dead, with his head resting on his folded arms. It was at this moment that an officer attempted to give him the coup de grace, by pushing a spear through his body, but he immediately jumped on his feet, wrested the weapon from his antagonist, and shivered it in pieces. This was his last wound, and his last great exer- tion; yet he lived some time afterwards, and drank, it is stated, great quantities of water. Cap- tain CORNFoot also observes, that the animal had probably travelled some distance to the place where he was killed, as his legs were covered with mud up to the knees.” The countenance of this tremendous creature, with the exception of the beard, was nearly bare, a few short downy hairs being alone scattered over it. It was of a dark lead colour, except- ing the margins of the lips, which were paler. The eyes were small in relation to those of man, and about an inch apart. The eye-lids were well fringed with lashes. The ears were compara- tively very small, being not more than an inch and a half long, and barely an inch in breadth. They lay close to the head, and resembled those of the human race, with the exception of the lower lobe, which was wanting. The nose scarcely rose above the level of the face, and the nos- trils were three-fourths of an inch in breadth, and were placed obliquely, side by side. The muzzle was projecting, and the opening of the mouth very large. The lips appeared narrow when closed, but were in reality half an inch in thickness. The hair of the head was of a reddish-brown colour; it grew from behind forwards, and measured five inches in length. The beard was hand- some, and appeared to have been curly during the lifetime of the animal. Its colour was lighter than the hair of the head, and approached a light chestnut. The beard was about three inches long, and sprung very gracefully from the upper lip, near the angles of the mouth, in the form of mustachios, from whence descending, it clothed the chin. The palms of the hands were of great length, and naked from the wrists. Their backs were covered with hair, which was sparse upon the fingers. (See Plate XXXIII.) This hair inclined backwards towards the wrists, and then turned directly upwards. All the fingers were furnished with strong, black, convex nails. The thumb reached to the first joint of the fore-finger. The soles of the feet were bare; they were covered on the back with long brown hair, as far as the last joint of the toes. The great toe was set on nearly at right angles to the foot, and was relatively very short. (See Plate XXXIV.) The general colour of the skin of this animal was a dark lead colour. The hair was of a brownish-red, varying in some places to a blackish hue, but appearing red under a strong light. It was on all parts very long, directed upwards on the fore-arm, but from the upper arm it hung down loose and shaggy. It was equally long and full upon the flanks, but was more scantily spread over the chest and fore part of the body. The extended arms of this woodland giant were capable of embracing a space of 8 feet 2 inches. Its height, according to the measurements of Dr ABEL, may have exceeded, but could not have been less, than 7 feet 64 inches * * See the 15th volume of the Asiatic Researches, and the 8th Number of the Edinburgh Journal of Science. H PLATE XXI. ورزی کریر مرسی کو بازار کار را کرد را کا مارا اور ایک کا انکار سر //// امر COM Cmim گی۔ و در درا )) رودسر را بر اساس سے بیمار اور ' (({ به سر کار w گرلو ررررر ang واپسی اسرار از سه لكبار w سگ کہی۔ } الملاريه ~ co اد 4 ( ( ( ( ( دوربرد رزر) (7( الاسمر الله اول کے ( الرابر سر کر MP (((( مکرمی ۱۹) مه کارکر ni in 3 /ره الزہر (( Drawn & Enga by W... Lizars کار به GENUS URSUS.-THE BEAR. ORDER FERÆ. Linn.-ORDER CARNASSIERS; FAMILY CARNIVORES; Tribe PLANTI- GRADES. Cuv. 6-6 - Characters of the Genus.-Canine teeth =}; incisives; molars = ; = 42. Muzzle elongated and mobile. Ears rather small, and somewhat pointed. Tongue smooth. Feet with five toes each, armed with very strong curved talons. Tail short. Mammæ six, of which two are pec- toral, and four ventral. Cæcum wanting. a In this genus, the two exterior incisive teeth of the upper jaw are stronger and more pointed than the intermediate. They resemble small canines. The corresponding pair in the under jaw are likewise more pointed, and broader, and are furnished with a lateral exterior lobe at their base. The canine teeth of both jaws are large, conical, slightly curved. Between the upper incisives and the canine teeth there is an interval or open space, which is not perceptible between the cor- responding teeth of the lower jaw. Of the six molars on each side of the upper jaw, three are what are denominated false molars; another corresponds to the carnivorous cheek tooth, and the remaining two are tuberculated grinders. In the under jaw, besides those now enumerated, there is generally an additional molar on each side. Let it be remembered, however, that the number of teeth in the Bear tribe is very variable, even in the same species, according to the age of the in- dividuals. The false molars, especially, vary greatly; for in young animals they are not apparent, and in aged ones they disappear. Hence the want of accordance on this subject in the works of naturalists. Among carnivorous quadrupeds, or beasts of prey, we find many different degrees of ferocity, from the all-subduing and blood-thirsty disposition of the Tiger, which so greatly delights in the palpitating flesh of a living victim, to the more omnivorous propensities of the Bear, the Racoon, or the Coati-mondi,—species which, though not unaddicted to prey on other animals, are yet en- dowed with a much greater facility of adapting their constitution to a vegetable or mingled diet, according to the varying circumstances under which they exist. This versatility of instinctive habit no doubt corresponds with, if it does not proceed from, a less determinate formation of the digestive and prehensile organs, such as the stomach, teeth, and claws. The unequalled strength and activity of the Tiger,—his sharp retractile talons,—the great development of the canine teeth, and the compressed and cutting character of the molars, combined with the simplicity of the sto- mach, and the shortness of the intestinal canal, render it as it were the type of carnivorous ani- mals. It exhibits no tendency in any of its forms to the herbivorous structure, but is strictly and characteristically a flesh-eating animal,—“ a most beautiful and cruel beast of prey.” Let us turn to the tribe of Bears. Their external forms are heavy and inactive; their claws are not retractile; their muzzles are more elongated, and consequently their jaws are weaker; their teeth, though sufficiently formidable, shew a decided relation to the herbivorous structure in the breadth of the molars, and their bluntly tuberculated crowns *. Even the Bears of the Arctic Circle (such, for a a a * “ One of those phenomena," observes the Editor of the English translation of the Regne Animal, “ which is most worthy of the attention of the naturalist, and most calculated to lead us to appreciate the infinite power of the Creator, consists in the insensible and gradual changes which the same organ will pass, by which its nature will, in some measure, be transformed, and Y GENUS URSUS. a ness. example, as the White or Great Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus), which, from the scarcity of vege- table food in those frost-bound regions, are probably the most carnivorous of their kind, have, in a state of captivity, been sustained for a length of time, and in vigorous condition, on bread alone. It is known that several species are exceedingly fond of honey, and have been observed climbing trees to obtain it. Others feed on fruit, reptiles, and insects, particularly ants; and Sir STAMFORD RAFFLES gives the following account of a tame individual belonging to a recently discovered spe- cies, the Malay Bear (U. Malayanus). “ He was brought up in the nursery with the children, ( , and, when admitted to my table, as was frequently the case, gave proof of his taste by refusing to eat any thing but mangosteens, or to drink any wine but champagne. The only time I knew him to be out of humour, was on one occasion when no champagne was forthcoming. He was na- turally of a playful and affectionate disposition, and it was never found necessary to chastise him. It was usual for this bear, the cat, the dog, and a small blue mountain-bird, or Lory of New Hol- land, to meet together, and eat out of the same dish. His favourite playfellow was the dog, whose teazing and worrying was always borne, and returned with the utmost good humour and playful- As he grew up, he became a very powerful animal, and in his rambles in the garden, he would lay hold of the largest plantains, the stems of which he could scarcely embrace, and tear them up by the roots.”-Linn. Trans. vol. xii. . These, and other facts of a similar nature, prove that the tribe of bears are not only distin- guished by a very curious combination of characters in their physical structure, but that their tastes and instinctive habits accord with those peculiar modifications of the more influential organs, by which they are distinguished from the feline and other strictly carnivorous tribes. Here, as elsewhere, the same beautiful and harmonious conformity prevails between the particular end in view, and the means of its attainment. Of all carnivorous animals, Bears are the least qua- lified either to pursue in open warfare, or to secure by ambuscade, a living prey. Their planti- grade position renders their movements slow, and the nearly equal length of their anterior and posterior limbs deprives them of the power of leaping. Had, therefore, their natural love of flesh been as insatiable as that of a tiger, and their means of obtaining it so much more restricted, their lives must have been passed in misery, and the species ere long have become extinct. But He who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb,” has drawn strength from this very weakness, and ordain- ed, that with the deterioration of those characters which are essential to the well-being of a truly carnivorous animal, should arise a power of deriving nourishment from a wider and more miscel- laneous range of materials; and thus what is lost from one source is gained from another. Bears are the largest of all carnivorous quadrupeds *. If their activity corresponded to their gigantic dimensions, they would be the most formidable of all animals. But their bulky bodies, 66 a results produced, entirely different from those which constituted the object of its original destination. The organs of sense and motion offer frequent examples of this phenomenon ; and the teeth of certain animals present a remarkable instance of the same. The true Carnivora, the Cats, for instance, have, in each jaw, teeth evidently destined, by their form and position, to cut, like the two blades of a scissors, the fibres of the muscles of their prey. But in proportion as the destination of an animal is less decidedly carnivorous, their teeth lose their trenchant character, and grow thicker, and thus we at last arrive at a limit where they can no longer be distinguished from the tuberculous teeth, whose office simply consists in triturating the food. These teeth, when sharp and slender, are opposed face to face, but when thick, they are opposed crown to crown, so that they become truly transformed into molar teeth; and nature, in operating so considerable a transformation, has no need of making any essen- tial change in those organs. It is sufficient for the purpose, that a very small tubercle, which is already found on the internal face of the slenderest teeth, should simply receive a more augmented development.”—Griffith's Animal Kingdom, vol. ii. p. 246. * Of the Polar Bear, it is observed by DESMAREST, “ Le plus grands individus observés n'avoient pas plus de six pieds sept pouces de longueur.”—Mammalogie, p. 166. The superb specimen in the Edinburgh Museum obtained by Captain Parry, . measures ten feet in length from the point of the muzzle to the insertion of the tail. a 1 THE GRIZZLY BEAR. short limbs, and sluggish movements, in a great measure counteract the effects of their ferocity, and induce them, with rare exceptions, rather to seek safety in flight, or maintain a sullen self- defence, than voluntarily to attack the human race. The geographical distribution of this genus is very extensive. It was formerly considered as being confined to northern countries ; but recent discoveries have brought to light species inha- biting the most sultry regions of Asia and the Indian Islands. The Polar Bear (which does not occur among the Antarctic icebergs) is common to the northern shores of Asia and America. Other species are widely distributed over the temperate countries of the earth ; but it is still a matter of great doubt, notwithstanding the affirmative opinion of Shaw, whether any species of Bear occurs in Africa. None exists in New Holland, or the neighbouring Islands; at least none has hitherto been found in Australia. The hybernation or winter sleep of Bears, seems greatly to depend on the degree of cold to which they are exposed. During the mild winters which occasionally occur in the temperate parts of Europe, they are scarcely subject to any lethargy; whereas a severe season throws them for months into the torpid state. In captivity, the Brown Bear is almost as lively in winter as during spring or summer. It is probable, however, that such species as inhabit northern coun- tries pass the more rigorous part of the season in a state of profound repose. The females appear to be more subject to torpidity than the males; and such of them as are pregnant, especially, are never seen abroad during the winter season. They bring forth in their winter retreats, and re- appear with their cubs in spring. Dr RICHARDSON reports, from the statement of the Indian hunters, that if a bear is prevented from becoming fat before winter, it cannot hybernate, and is usually destroyed by the severity of the season, unless it succeeds in migrating to a more sou- thern clime. a THE GRIZZLY BEAR.-URSUS FEROX. Lewis & Clarke. PLATE XXI. SYNONYMS. Ursus cinereus. Desm.--Ursus horribilis. Ord.-Danis ferox. Gray.--Ursus candescens. Ham. Smith. a The Grizzly Bear is the fiercest, the most active, and, next to the Polar Bear, the largest of the genus. The species varies greatly in colour, and its dimensions as usual depend on the age and condition of the individual. The fine specimen of this rare animal preserved in the Edin- burgh Museum, and now figured in this work, is one of the many valuable acquisitions obtained during the recent overland expedition to the shores of the Frozen Sea. Dr RICHARDSON informs me, that the younger animals of this species pass a considerable part of the winter in a semi-torpid state, and that the specimen in question was shot the day after he had sallied from his winter quarters. He was considered as not being more than two years old, and as far short of the size to which the older animals attain. His description is as follows :—The nose is black; the muzzle is pale brown; the sides of the head are varied by lighter and darker brown. The ears are mark- ed by alternate bars of brownish-grey and black. The fur is remarkable for length and thickness, especially about the neck. There is a large thick tuft of long black hair, producing the appear- THE GRIZZLY BEAR. ance of a small hump, just above the shoulders. The prevailing colour of the fur is brownish- black, almost every hair being tipped with silvery grey. The central region of the back, and up- per parts of the sides, are paler than the other parts, and the flanks immediately behind the fore- legs are marked by an indistinct spot of light reddish-brown, spreading upwards. The upper parts of the legs and the hind quarters are black, tipped with silvery grey. The lower parts of the legs and ankles are black, and the paws are jet black. The claws of the fore-feet are very long, com- pressed, arched, and of a shining black; the inner claw is the shortest, the outer the next in length, the three in the centre are of nearly equal length, that is, about 4 inches long. The claws of the hind feet are rather shorter, and are almost covered by the long, black hair of the toes. The tail is brownish-black, and not more than an inch in length, exclusive of the hair by which it is co- vered, and in part concealed. The following are a few of the principal measurements of the animal above described. They are taken from the stuffed specimen, and in some respects can be considered as only approximating to the truth. From the extremity of the muzzle to the insertion of the tail, 6 feet * Length of the head from the snout to the back of the ear, 1 foot 5 inches ; from the lateral incisive tooth to the anterior angle of the eye, 7 inches ; from the anterior angle of the eye to the anterior angle of the ear, 81 inches ; length of the hind paw, including claws, 102 inches; of the fore paw and claws, 9! inches. Circumference of the head before the ears, 2 feet 8} ; behind the ears, 2 feet 9. Cir- cumference of the body immediately behind the fore legs, 3 feet 9}; of the central part of the body, 3 feet 9; in front of the haunches, 4 feet 2 ; of the upper part of the hind leg, 2 feet 1}; of the upper part of the fore leg, 2 feet. The fur of the Grizzly Bear (in the individual above described) is composed of two kinds ; 1st, Of a short, soft, thickly set woolly kind, of a pale brown colour ; 2dly, Of a longer, coarser, looser hair, on which, from its greater length, the apparent colour of the animal depends. This latter coat is, generally speaking, likewise of a pale brown colour at the base, brownish-black in the centre, and more or less tipped with very pale brown passing into silvery grey at the extremity. The grizzled appearance, from whence we derive the English specific name, and which, in a greater or less degree forms the distinguishing character of the fur in this species, results from these al- most colourless extremities of the hair; and the great diversities of its aspect, as recorded by tra- vellers, no doubt depend on a difference of age, climate, or individual constitution, and do not in- fer any real distinction in kind t. 2 ވެ a * The American hunters no doubt give extraordinary accounts of the size of the Grizzly Bear. They allege that it some- times attains the length of twelve or fourteen feet, which, as it exceeds that of the largest elephant, is assuredly grossly exagge- rated. Sportsmen of every class are much addicted to the statement of such misconceptions. I think I can demonstrate that even the much more moderate dimensions assigned by naturalists to this species have been given erroneously, through inadver- tence. An individual slain and described by Lewis and CLARKE, measured 8 feet 7 inches from the nose to the extremity of the hind feet. DESMAREST (Mammalogie, p. 165.), states the size of the Grizzly Bear as follows: “ Longueur totale 8 pieds 17 pouces 6 lignes, "—the precise dimensions given by LEWIS and CLARKE, and re-copied in all recent works. But as the total length of an animal's body usually signifies its extent from the muzzle to the insertion of the tail, and not to the extremity of the hind legs, it is obvious that more gigantic proportions are thus assigned to the species in this instance than are implied by the words of the original describers. My friend Dr RICHARDSON, however, is about to figure and describe this species in his work on the Zoology of the northern parts of British America, and will illustrate its characters with his accustomed intelligence. + The most characteristic traits of the habits and disposition of this species are given in LEWIS and CLARKE's Travels, but the absence of systematic names in that work, renders it less precise in its information than it would otherwise have been. All the following passages, however, I have no doubt, apply to the Grizzly Bear (U. ferox), under whatever name it may be indi- cated by the American travellers. Captain CLARKE and one of the hunters met this evening the largest Brown Bear we have ever seen. As they fired, he did not attempt to attack, but fled with a most tremendous roar, and such was his extraordinary tena- city of life, that although he had five balls through his lungs, and five other wounds, he swam more than half across the river to a sand-bar, and survived twenty minutes. He weighed between 500 fb and 600 lb at least, and measured 8 feet 7 inches, from the nose to the extremity of the hind feet, 5 feet 101 inches round the breast, 3 feet 11 inches round the neck, 1 foot 11 a 2 THE GRIZZLY BEAR. The teeth in the specimen in the Edinburgh Museum are as follows:- There are as usual 6 in- cisives and 2 canines in each jaw. The molars of the upper jaw are, 1st, One very small false mo- lar, separated from the canine tooth by a vacant space of about an inch ; 2dly, A bicuspidate car- a p. a a - p. 293. a inches round the middle of the fore leg, and his talons, five on each foot, were 45 inches in length. It differs from the common black bear in having its talons much longer and more blunt, its tail shorter, its hair of a reddish or bay brown, longer, finer, and more abundant; his liver, lungs, and heart, much larger, even in proportion to his size, the heart particularly, nearly equal to that of a large ox."--Lewis and CLARKE's Travels, vol. i. 284. “ About five in the afternoon, one of our men who had been unwell, and was suffered to walk on shore, came running to the boat with loud cries, and every symptom of terror and distress; for some time after we had taken him on board, he was so much out of breath as to be unable to describe the cause of his anxiety; but he at length told us, that about a mile and a half below he had shot a brown bear, which immediately turned, and was in close pursuit of him, but the bear being badly wounded, could not overtake him. Captain LEWIS, with seven men, immediately went in search of him, and having found his track, followed him by the blood for a mile, and found him concealed in some thick brushwood, and shot him with two balls through the skull. Though somewhat smaller than that killed a few days ago, he was a monstrous animal, and a most terrible enemy. Our man had shot him through the centre of the lungs, yet he had pursued him furiously for half a mile, then returned for more than twice that distance, and with his talons had prepared himself a bed in the earth two feet deep and five feet long, and was per- fectly alive when they found him, which was at least two hours after he had received the wound. The wonderful power of life which these animals possess renders them dreadful; their very track in the mud or sand, which we have sometimes found eleven inches long, and seven and a quarter wide, exclusive of the talons, is alarming. There is no chance of killing them by a single shot, unless the ball goes through the brains, and this is very difficult, on account of two large muscles which cover the side of the forehead, and the sharp projection of the centre of the frontal bone, which is also thick. The fleece and skin of this bear were a heavy burden for two men, and the oil amounted to eight gallons.”—Ibid. “ Towards evening, the men in the hindmost canoes discovered a large brown Bear lying in the open ground, about 300 paces from the river. Six of them, all good hunters, went to attack him, and concealing themselves by a small eminence, came unper- ceived within forty paces of him. Four of the hunters now fired, and each lodged a ball in his body, two of them directly through the lungs; the furious animal sprung up, and ran open-mouthed upon them; as he came near, the two hunters who had reserved their fire gave him two wounds, one of which breaking his shoulder, retarded his motion for a moment; but before they could reload, he was so near that they were obliged to run to the river, and before they reached it he had almost overtaken them ; two jumped into the canoe, the other four separated, and concealing themselves in the willows, fired as often as they could reload; they struck him several times, but, instead of weakening the monster, each shot seemed only to direct him towards the hunter, till at last he pursued two of them so closely, that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and jumped down a per- pendicular bank of twenty feet into the river; the bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet of the hindmost, when one of the hunters on shore shot him through the head, and finally killed him. They dragged him to the shore, and found that eight balls had passed through him in different directions.”—Ibid. p. 295. In another part of the same work, where the quadrupeds of certain districts are enumerated, the following passage occurs : “ First, the Brown, White, or Grizzly Bear, which seems to be of the same family, with an accidental variation of colour only, inhabits the timbered parts of the Rocky Mountains. They are mostly found on the western side, and are much more com- monly below the Rocky Mountains, in the plains, or on their borders, amidst copses of brush and underwood, and near the wa- ter-courses.”—Vol. iii. p. 25. "- The ensuing quotation aptly illustrates the variation in colour to which this species is subjected. “ The hunters killed some pheasants, two squirrels, and a male and female bear, the first of which was large and fat, and of a bay colour, the second meagre, , grizzly, and of a smaller size. They were of the species common to the upper part of the Missouri, and might well be termed the Variegated Bear, for they are found occasionally of a black, grizzly brown or red colour. There is every reason to believe them to be of precisely the same species. Those of different colours are killed together, as in the case of these two, and as we found the white and the bay associated together on the Missouri, and some nearly white were seen in this neighbourhood by the hunters. Indeed, it is not common to find any two bears of the same colour, and if the difference in colour were to constitute a distinction of species, the number would increase to almost twenty. Soon after, they killed a female bear with two cubs. The mother was black, with a considerable mixture of white hairs, and a white spot on the breast. One of the cubs was jet black, and the other of a light reddish-brown or bay colour. The foil of these variegated bears are much finer, longer, and more abundant than that of the common black bear; but the most striking difference between them is, that the former are larger, have longer tusks, and longer as well as blunter talons; that they prey more on other animals; that they lie neither so long nor so closely in winter quarters, and never climb a tree, however closely pressed by the hunters.”_Vol. iii. p. 193. In a more recent work, WARDEN'S Account of the United States, I find the following passage : “ The great Brown or Grizzly Bear, not yet known to European zoologists, lives in the vicinity of the Yellow River and the Little Missouri, and is not seen lower than the Mandan villages. Its favourite place is a thicket in the neighbourhood of a stream. This animal weighs from 800 lb to 900 fb; and so great is his muscular strength, that he destroys in a moment the largest buffalo. Pursuing the hunter by his track, he is the terror of the Indians, who honour the warrior by whom he is killed more than if he were the triumphant bearer of a human enemy's scalp. The fur is employed for muffs and tippets, and the skin is valued at from 20 to 50 dollars. "WARDEN, vol. iii. Chapter “ The Missouri.” - a а. . a 66 z THE GRIZZLY BEAR. a nivorous cheek tooth, of which the anterior lobe is the largest ; 3dly, A large tuberculated mo- lar tooth, furnished with a minute lobe on its anterior and posterior edges ; 4thly, A very large back grinder (equalling the two preceding in length), bluntly tuberculated anteriorly, and ending posteriorly in a long flattened surface. Those of the under jaw are, 1st, A single-lobed tooth, pro- longed behind by a lengthened heel, and separated from the lower canine tooth by a vacant space of nearly two inches ; 2dly, A large bluntly tuberculated grinder ; 3dly, A grinder of similar form to the last, but somewhat larger, and more bluntly tuberculated ; 4thly, A flattened back grinder, which opposes its surface to the posterior portion of the hindmost tooth of the upper jaw * Since the preceding pages were put to press, I have received a communication from Dr RICHARDSON, in which he informs me that “ the specimen in the Edinburgh Museum was killed on the Plains at Carlton House, in its second year. The Grizzly Bear resembles the Brown Bear of Europe in its facial line, and general appearance, much more than the Black American Bear; and I think its characteristics are,-its great size, its white, arched, and very long compressed claws, its long and broad soles, short co- nical ears, and very short tail.” In the Edinburgh specimen, the claws are, as I have described them in the text, “ of a shining black.” Is this a character of immaturity ? Dr RICHARDSON adds, that, in his opinion, the Grizzly Bear of HEARNE is either the Ursus arctos, or a species more nearly related to it than to the Ursus ferox or true Grizzly Bear, figured on Plate XXI, a 1 PLATE XXIX. A را در w wswires by remo بهمراه زیر پایه نگهداری مالی دارای گربه بازار را فراری معافي از شیرینی را درباره بیمه ها در راه Content WF 35 WICH عبر ال Vin Drawn & Engal by W.L.Lizars he le Grey Semorian Mol? SAYIS LIPIS TINYTATIS GENUS CANIS.-ANIMALS OF THE DOG KIND. 6 6 Characters of the Genus.-Incisive teeth, ; canine, F; molar, = = 42. The incisive teeth are , l=14 all placed on the same line, and are usually trilobated, previous to their being worn by use. The upper molars, 6 in number, consist of three small sharpish teeth, or single lobed false mo- lars, one bicuspidated carnivorous cheek tooth, and two smaller teeth with flat crowns. The inferior molars, 7 in number, are as follows; four false molars, one carnivorous cheek tooth, and two tubercular grinders. The fore-feet are furnished with five toes, the hinder with four The claws are not retractile, and rather blunt. The tongue is smooth. The teats are both pectoral and ventral. a The real origin of our domestic breed of dogs, whether from a single or complex source, is now entirely unknown, as a subject either of history or tradition *. It is lost in the usual obscurity of a remote antiquity, and can now only be ascertained (if at all) by the investigations of the natu- ralist. So infinitely varied is the external aspect of the domestic dog, and so much does it seem to depend, not only on the physical conditions of clime and country under which the animal ex- ists, but on the moral and political state of the particular nation by which it is held in subjection, that, in numerous instances, all traces of resemblance to the original stock, or to any known species of wild animal, have disappeared ; and, after the lapse of ages, we are in fact at last presented with what may be called artificial creatures, incapable of subsisting without the aid of man, and of which, accordingly, no natural type ever existed in any age or country. They arise in some cases from the necessities, in others from the caprices of the human race, which, in this respect, may be said to have fulfilled the threat of Caliban, and“ peopled the isle with monsters." It is clear, from what we know of the harmonious laws which regulate the animal economy, that no such creature as a pug-dog could ever have existed in a state of nature. Indeed, among no race of animals has the long and continuous dominion of mankind effected so great and such signal changes, both of form and manners, as among the infinite varieties of the dog. Many of these varieties, though originally produced by what may be termed accidents, are now permanent subspecies, if I may use the term, each of which is signalized by some peculiarity of physical or instinctive character, and differs from a mere accidental variety, in the power which it possesses of reproducing individuals exactly similar to itself. The infinite value of the dog as a domestic animal having also induced great attention to be paid to the different breeds, with a view to rendering them more extensively and more permanently useful, several of the most strik- ing varieties have hence, for many ages, been encouraged and preserved in purity, and have thus become impressed with characters not only distinctive, but of so uniform and permanent a nature, as to exhibit in some instances the aspect of an entire difference in kind. Allowing, however, the utmost latitude to the influence of such extraneous or accidental causes, it is impossible, while comparing certain of the extreme races, to doubt, that the origin of the dog-tribe, considered in its generality, has been rather complex than simple. * I have given a more extended view of the origin and natural history of domestic dogs in the 5th and 6th Numbers of the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. GS GENUS CANIS. When we consider the extraordinary variety of external forms, and instinctive habits, which this great tribe of animals exhibits, and making every allowance for the influence of a diversified climate, an unnatural regimen, and an altered mode of life, I still think it impossible to refer the different kinds of dogs to one and the same origin. I would rather adopt the opinion, that the characteristic kinds, or great leading varieties of each country or continent, have rather directly descended from, or been crossed and re-modelled by, a union with such of the different wild animals, of the same natural genus, as we still find to occur in such country or continent. For example, although we may admit with GULDENSTAEDT, that the Kalmuc, and some other eastern dogs, may have derived their origin from the Jackall, the same cannot be said of those of New Holland, or of North or South America, where the Jackall does not exist; and several of our own northern varieties are evidently descended so much more immediately from one or more species of Wolf, as to render the ancestral aid of the Jackall, at least in the cases alluded to, altogether superfluous. We also know, that in America and New Holland, before the discovery of these countries by Eu- ropeans, there existed both wild and domesticated dogs, the former of which were evidently in- digenous, and, in all probability, the origin of the latter." It was in the countries we had just , “ passed through,” observes HUMBOLDT, “ between the Meta, the Arauca, and the Apure, that at " , the time of the first expeditions to the Oroonoka, for instance that of ALONZO DE HERRERA in 1535, mute dogs were found called by the natives Marios and Auries. This fact is curious in many points of view. We cannot doubt that the dog, whatever Father Gili may assert, is indigenous to South America. The different Indian languages furnish words to designate this animal, which are scarcely derived from any European tongue. To this day, the word Auri, mentioned 300 years ago by HERRERA, is found in the Maypure tongue. The dogs we saw at the Oroonoka, may perhaps have descended from those that the Spaniards carried to the coast of the Caraccas; but it is not less certain, that there existed a race of dogs, before the conquest of Peru, in New Gre- nada and in Guyana, resembling our shepherd's dogs *.” I believe that Pallas was among the first to give currency to the idea, that the dog was en- tirely a factitious animal ; that is to say, produced by the fortuitous and diversified alliances of several natural species. Both the shepherd's dog and the wolf-dog, in his opinion, derive their origin from the jackall, while the mastiff is more nearly allied to the hyæna, and the smaller tribe of terriers, &c. to the fox. His ideas, though in some respects rather fanciful, merit the at- tention of the inquirer. Two kinds of objection may, I think, be stated, both to his views and to those of GULDENSTAEDT,-a positive and a negative kind. My positive objection applies most forcibly to the hyæna, which is in fact not a canine animal, but belongs to a distinct and well- defined genus, characterized by having five toes on each foot, and five molar teeth on each side of both jaws; whereas canine animals, such as dogs, wolves, and jackalls, are furnished with five toes to the anterior feet, but with only four to the hinder extremities, and they are moreover furnished with six molar teeth on each side of the upper jaw, and with seven on each side of the under. In the hyæna, it may be observed that the general proportions are very different, the fore legs being longer than the hinder ones, which has the effect of raising the shoulders and anterior portion of the body; whereas in the wolf, jackall, and domestic dog, the hind legs are longer than the fore ones, a rule which probably obtains in all swift-footed animals. My positive objection to the re- lationship of the fox, is not so strong as it is to the hyæna, and regards chiefly, 1st, The shape of the pupil, which is what naturalists call nocturnal, that is, narrow or oblong when subjected to the * " a * Personal Narrative, vol. v. part 2 GENUS CANIS. a . influence of strong light; whereas in dogs and the other canine species, under similar circumstances, it decreases in size, but retains its circular form; and, 2dly, The line formed by the horizontal edge or margin of the upper incisive teeth, which assumes a somewhat different form and direc- tion from that in the other species referred to. The habitual character of the fox is, however, very different from that of the dog, wolf, or jackall. It is a wary, silent, nocturnal animal, of solitary habits, never congregating, or hunting its prey in packs, but preferring a gradual and unperceived approach, and the exercise of an insidious cunning to the more open warfare declared by its con- geners. This distinction is of greater importance than may at first appear; for I consider the so- cial or gregarious sentiment in animals as the true basis of a thorough domestication. A solitary species may be tamed, so far as the individual is concerned; but if the social instinct is wanting, its descendants will be only half reclaimed, and the process must be again resorted to. All our most valuable domestic animals, such as the horse, cow, goat, sheep, &c. are naturally gregarious ; and their love of society, which I call the social instinct, when once properly directed towards himself by the skill of man, renders them for ever both attached and subservient to the human race. This effect is produced by secondary causes; but the original and pre-ordained capabilities of gregarious animals may surely be counted among the numerous instances of a divine and pro- vidential beneficence, and not the less valuable to man, that they require the exercise of his own ingenuity and wisdom to bring them to bear upon his own welfare and that of his fellow-beings. But to proceed :-My negative objection to the sufficiency of the theories proposed by Pallas and GULDENSTAEDT, is founded on their slight consideration, if not total exclusion, of the wolf as the probable parent of a numerous and important tribe of our domestic dogs. This animal ap- pears to me, of all others, the most entitled to our attention, in reference to the point at issue. Many well-known varieties of the dog exhibit so wolfish an aspect, that their descent from that species, at a more or less remote period, can be scarcely a matter of doubt; and we shall incline the more to this opinion, when we consider that the jackall is not a northern animal—that the wolf decidedly is so—and that the remotest tribes of the human race inhabiting the highest nor- thern latitudes have never been found unaccompanied by a domesticated breed of dogs, bearing a greater resemblance to the wolf than to the jackall. All the principal facts in the natural history of the wolf accord with those of the dog. The rutting season commences at the same time, and continues for an equal period in each ; and both carry their young for nine weeks. I am aware that GILIBERT and others have stated the period of gestation in the wolf to extend to three months and a half; but FREDERICK Cuvier has lately had ocular proof that it does not exceed that of its congeners. The jackall is a puny and insigni- ficant creature compared with many of its alleged descendants ; but the wolf is the most powerful and ferocious of European carnivorous animals. It varies considerably in size and strength, ac- cording to the climate of the country in which it occurs. In Lithuania, it frequently measures five feet in length from the muzzle to the insertion of the tail; and in more northern forests, it attains to a still greater size. In Spain and Italy, on the contrary, it seldom exceeds three feet in length, from which we may conclude that the wolf is properly a northern animal, attaining its most perfect condition under a rigorous climate. The animals described by Buffon as large and savage wolves inhabiting Senegal, were more probably hyænas ; for all practical naturalists are now agreed, that the wolf decreases in size as it advances in a southern direction. Both the colour and the coat of this species vary according to the climate. In high northern latitudes, it becomes white in winter; and a black variety occurs in Spain and elsewhere. This natural variation of the colour of the wolf is a fact of considerable importance in relation to the a a GENUS CANIS. a 9 present inquiry; for the tendency to become white at one extremity of the series or range of co- lours, and black at the other, combined with what may be called the central or representative hue of the animal, which is brown, gives in fact the three elementary colours of the whole tribe of dogs; and this so far accounts for the variety of markings which distinguish the domestic breeds. In a state of domestication, the wolf is capable of assuming and retaining all the docility and gentleness of the dog. The younger CuvieR has more than once rendered young wolves so tame and docile, that but for their insuperable love of live poultry, they might have been allowed to wander where they chose. They associated freely and fondly with common dogs, and, what is sin- gular, they speedily acquired from them the habit of barking. In general, however, and when left free to manifest their natural instincts, dogs shew a great aversion to the wolf; and the latter, ac- cording to HEARNE, frequently slays and devours the train-dogs of the Esquimaux. This fact, of an apparently contradictory nature, is in truth in proper accordance with what we know takes place among other wild and tame animals of the same species. A tame rook has been observed to fall a sacrifice to the spite of a party of marauders of his own race, from a rookery adjoining his domicil, and a strongly marked jealousy, if not positive enmity, seems to exist between the un- subdued individuals of most other species, and such as have been reduced to a state of servitude or domestication. It may be supposed to result, not unnaturally, from that perception of “ simili- tude in dissimilitude," which, according to circumstances, leads alike to the extremes of love or hatred. I therefore do not conceive that an argument of any value against the identity of the dog and wolf, can be drawn from their alleged hostility to each other. The productive union of these animals, though doubted by the earlier naturalists, and denied as possible by BUFFON, has not only been proved by repeated experiments, but was ascertained and demonstrated by the great French naturalist himself, as narrated in a supplementary part of his work. The result of these observations is so generally known, that I deem it unnecessary to mention them here at greater length than suffices for the cumulative proof in favour of the opi- nion which I am at present endeavouring to illustrate. Buffon brought up together a young she-wolf and a shepherd's dog of nearly the same age. They gambolled perpetually during the first year, and seemed much attached. In the course of the second year, they frequently quarrelled about their food, and at length became exceedingly ferocious and ungovernable in their tempers towards each other. About the end of the third year, a protracted and fatal combat took place, in which the wolf was killed. The dog also re- quired to be slain, as he had acquired such destructive habits, as to spring with fury, not only on all other dogs, and poultry, but even on men. The error, in this case, I conceive to have been, that these animals were kept in solitude, or at least too much withdrawn from the ameliorating influence of human society. A carnivorous animal ought either to be continually subjected to such influence, or left free to the exercise of its natural instincts, such as the pursuit and capture of other unreclaimed species. When this is not the case, that fierceness of temper, which is both natural and necessary to all predacious animals, being neither permanently subdued by domesti- cation, nor occasionally allayed by vigorous and successful exertion, produces either the ferocity of madness, which ends in speedy death, or that cankered and restless feeling, from which such ex- treme emaciation usually ensues, as likewise ere long to end in death. BUFFON tried similar experiments with young dogs and the cubs of foxes, but without any success as to the production of a mixed breed; and although some of our mongrel terriers mani- fest very strongly the external aspect of the fox, I believe that no productive intercourse has ever GENUS CANIS. a a been ascertained to take place between these species. I have already stated my reasons for pre- suming à priori, from the difference in form and habits, that such would be the case. Notwithstanding the fruitless nature of Buffon's first experiment, ample confirmation, both by accident and design, has been since afforded of the intimate alliance of the wolf and dog. Buffon himself, in the supplementary part of his work, gives the history of a mixed progeny, down to the fourth generation, some of which continued, after this long descent, to exhibit as strong a resemblance to the wolf as to the dog. One of these especially, a female, never barked, but expressed her feelings by a wolfish howl: her ears were erect, and her tail long and pendant. But the most remarkable fact illustrative of the near relationship, if not of the actual identity, of the dog and wolf, was ascertained by our arctic voyagers. In the supplement to the Appendix to Captain Parry's First Voyage, we find the following observations : “ Those naturalists who believe that no animal, in a perfectly natural and wild state, will connect itself with one of a dif- ferent species, will consider the long agitated question of the specific identity of the wolf and dog, as determined by a circumstance of frequent occurrence at Melville Island. In December and January, which are the months in which wolves are in season, a female paid almost daily visits to the neighbourhood of the ships, and remained till she was joined by a setter-dog belong- ing to one of the officers. They were usually together from two to three hours, and as they did not go far away, unless an endeavour was made to approach them, repeated and decided evidence was obtained of the purpose for which they were thus associated. As they became more familiar, the absences of the dog were of longer continuance, until at length he did not return, having pro- bably fallen a sacrifice in an encounter with a male wolf. The female, however, continued to vi- sit the ships as before, and enticed a second dog in the same manner, which, after several meet- ings, returned so severely bitten, as to be disabled for many days.”—P. 185. The fact mentioned in the above quoted passage, goes far to remove the only remaining ob- jection to the experiments of Buffon, namely, that they were made upon animals existing under constrained and artificial circumstances, and therefore could scarcely be regarded as indicating the natural inclination of the animals themselves. But here no such objection holds good. We wit- ness the voluntary cohabiting of two creatures brought up under entirely different circumstances —the one with as much of wildness as the wildest region of the earth could induce upon an ori- ginally savage nature—the other so altered in its form and aspect, by the immemorial subjection of itself and its ancestors to the dominion of man, as to have lost almost all outward resemblance to the stock from whence it sprung—and yet, notwithstanding this disparity of manners and con- dition, they mutually recognise and acknowledge each other, and the immediate representative of the natural and unaltered species, “ like the wild envoy of a barbarous clan," seeks and obtains the affection of the enslaved descendant. Unless all our pre-conceived notions regarding the legi- timate distinctions of species are radically false, this proves the identity of the wolf and dog. As I formerly mentioned a few particulars, in order to shew that young wolves are capable, un- der judicious management, of being trained up and domesticated like common dogs, I may also, as a counterpart, briefly allude to the change of character which has been observed in the latter, when forced to shift for themselves—in other words, the re-assumption of the wolfish character by the domestic dog. In America, and in several countries of the ancient continent, there exist troops of wild dogs, of a domestic breed, which have regained their liberty. All these dogs live in numerous predatory bands, and under the influence of a regular system of tactics precisely the same as that to which we see the wolves and jackalls naturally subjected in the old world and in North America. And I may here add, that this existence of wild dogs of the domestic breed a a Hh GENUS CANIS. a living in a fierce and unreclaimed state in the forests and plains of many different countries, de- monstrates that no physical or artificial changes on the earth's surface, produced by the agency of man, could have extinguished the original source, when their descendants, after regaining their liberty, are thus able to breed and prosper in a state of nature. This observation, I think, strikes at the root of a theory, or rather hypothesis, maintained by some naturalists, who, unable in any way to disencumber the subject, give it the slip by asserting that we must now for ever seek in vain for the original type of our domestic races, in consequence of its extinction, either by univer- sal servitude, or actual extermination. Now, it would certainly be surprising if the original source of the plurality of our domestic dogs had ceased to exist in an independent state, when we see all the wild species of our other domestic animals still flourishing in their original situations, notwith- standing their more confined limits, the smaller number of their young, and their comparatively de- fenceless nature. We find, for example, the Ægagrus, or wild goat, in Sardinia, and the Mouflon, or wild sheep, in Corsica ; and those troops of wild dogs which we know to exist in the midst of European colonies, in spite of the continued efforts to destroy them, prove, that in the infancy and early progress of human society, a naturally wild species could neither be entirely subdued nor utterly exterminated. There is, in fact, no evidence whatever from history, tradition, or any of the phenomena of nature, of the extinction of any wild animal of the dog kind; and as the an- cient writers mention all the actual species of that tribe in the countries where they still exist, it may much more reasonably be concluded, that one or more of these wild species are the actual source of our various domestic breeds, than that the source itself has been entirely extirpated. From the earliest periods of which we have any detailed records, down to the more minutely authenticated histories of modern times, there has never been any indication given of the exist- ence in Asia Minor of more than four wild animals of the dog tribe, viz. The Hyæna, the Wolf, the Fox, and the Jackall. In regard to the first of these species, I have already mentioned that it is not now regarded by naturalists as belonging to the genus Canis. The fox, I have also ob- served, is distinguished by some strongly marked characters of form and manners. The wolf and the jackall, therefore, are alone entitled to particular consideration. The claims of the wolf have, I trust, been satisfactorily exhibited; but, as I formerly hinted, the multiplicity of form, of size, and of locality, in our domestic races, indicates a complicated origin; and it cannot be denied, that many of the southern dogs present so marked and peculiar a character, that their descent from the jackall is obvious. PALLAS informs us, that the dogs of the Kalmouks scarcely differ in any thing from that species ; and GULDENSTAEDT, in the 20th volume of the Petersburg Trans- actions, has dwelt at length, though I think too exclusively, on this branch of the genealogical tree. It is, however, deserving of our attentive consideration. The Jackall (Canis aureus, LINN.), familiarly called the “ Lion's Provider," inhabits most of the warm and temperate countries of Asia, and occurs in many parts of Africa, from Barbary to the Cape of Good Hope. Its general colour is tawny-brown on the upper parts, and yellowish- white below. Its ears are erect, somewhat resembling those of the fox, but shorter, and less pointed. Its body is rather compressed, about two feet and a half in length, and from 18 to 20 inches in height, the hinder extremities being somewhat raised. The hair is long upon the back and tail. The tail is rather short, and tipped with black. The history of this animal becomes interesting and important, when we consider it as one of the probable sources from which several races of our domestic dogs have been derived. Anato- mists have discovered a singular identity between the jackall and the dog in many important parts of their organization. It is not my province to enter into these details, but I may state generally, 9 GENUS CANIS. that an attentive comparison scarcely exhibits any sensible difference between the internal struc- ture of the jackall and that of the shepherd's dog. The jackall has always abounded in Asia Mi- nor, where all the theogonies of the west have placed the cradle of the human race; and it is in these same countries that goats and sheep still occur in their original state. The reduction of the dog to a state of servitude, if not anterior to, must have been at least coeval with, the submis- sion of these last named animals, and the species, to have been accessible to the first families of mankind, must have inhabited the same countries. Now, as the jackall not only agrees with the dog in structure, but also in its habits and mode of life, it has hence been regarded as the true wild dog, and as the source of most of our domesticated kinds. This is the opinion main- tained by PALLAS and GULDENSTAEDT, the former of whom asserts that the Kalmouk dogs are in truth neither more nor less than jackalls. I willingly coincide in the sentiments of these eminent men, under the reservation before mentioned, in favour of the great northern dogs, and certain other varieties which I have endeavoured to shew claim a more immediate alliance with the wolf. It would, for example, be difficult to prove the descent from the jackall of those dogs which existed in both the Americas, and especially in the Antilles, prior to the arrival of COLUM- BUS; and as there are at least three wild species of the dog kind in South America, viz. The Red Wolf, the Grey Wolf of Paraguay, and the Wood Dog of Cayenne, besides the Antarctic Dog of the Malouin Islands, it has been regarded as more logical, in the absence of direct physical proof, to admit that the domestic dogs of the country have been derived rather from the indigenous wild species, than from those of the ancient continent, especially when we consider, on the one hand, how limited most wild animals are in their voluntary migrations, and, on the other, how impro- bable it is that any of these foreign peoples had obtained their domestic species by means of a prior intercourse with the ancient world. It is by no means likely that the dogs mentioned by PIETRO MARTYRO and Oviedo, as living with the inhabitants of the little Antilles and the Ca- raibs of Terra Firma, were derived from species foreign to America. As the Spanish authors re- ferred to, both of whom were contemporaneous with and witnesses to the discovery and conquest of America, describe these dogs as being of various colours and kinds of coat, we may infer that they had been even then for a long period reduced to servitude. They were all mute, that is to say they never barked; but that faculty seems in truth to be neither natural nor innate, but rather acquired by habit, as domestic dogs run wild, have no other cry than a sharp or prolonged howl, and the silent species of barbarous nations speedily acquire the bark of our own domestic kinds. To conclude my brief history of the Jackall, I may observe, that there are two races or kinds of this animal, viz. 1st, The better known species called the Indian Jackall; and, 2dly, That from Senegal, described by M. F. CUVIER under the name of Canis anthus. These animals, though specifically distinct, have bred together in the Garden of Plants. This is a fact of considerable importance, as shewing the facility with which a mixed breed from the jackall might be ob- tained ; and as it was previously known that the wolf manifested the same inclination towards different varieties of the dog, we have thus obtained a more extended knowledge of a feature in the character of the canine race, which throws considerable light upon our inquiries. When we see that both the wolf and the jackall breed with other species, and that all our domesti- cated dogs breed with each other, although some are scarcely distinguishable from the wolf, and others seem identical with the jackall, we can scarcely doubt, that all such domesticated varieties have in fact arisen primarily from these two animals—the southern from the Jackall—the nor- thern from the Wolf;—and that the intermediate varieties have sprung from an intermixture of the jackall-dogs, on the one hand, and the wolf-dogs, on the other, afterwards crossed and com- GENUS CANIS. n mingled in many conceivable ways, both by accident and design. That domestication, and the altered habits of life which ensue from it, have been strongly influential in moulding the form and character of the dog tribe, is evident from this, that the dogs of wild and secluded nations, whose domestic animals may be supposed to exist most nearly in a state of nature, are all more strongly allied, either to the wolf or the jackall, than those which partake the fortunes of civilized men, who dwell in large cities, or thickly peopled countries. And this approximation to the aspect of the wild animal in the one case, and departure from it in the other, is in fact the truest index to the primitive types which it is possible to obtain. I shall conclude by observing, that the great migratory movements of different tribes of man- kind, would naturally produce crosses between the various domestic breeds, or between these and the allied species of different kinds which still continued in a state of liberty ; from which diversified unions, aided by the influence of climate, food, habit of life, and education, would result those nu- merous varieties which the skill of man, in later ages, has contrived to render permanent for his own advantage, by a careful attention to the method of breeding. Thus, from two or three ori- ginal sources, or distinct kinds, have been derived about ten times the number of mixed races, many of which, and chiefly those which lead the most artificial or refined lives, have lost all traces of resemblance to the stock from which they sprung THE WOLF.-CANIS LUPUS. PLATE XXIX. SYNONYMS. The Grey American Wolf; Canis lupus, occidentalis, var. A. griseus. Richardson, in Fauna Boreali- Americana, part i. p. 66.-Canis Lupus, Linn. ?--Le Loup, Buff.? . “ The common Wolves of the old and new world,” Dr RICHARDSON observes, “ have been ge- nerally supposed to be the same species, the Canis lupus of LINNÆUS. The American naturalists have indeed described some of the northern kinds of wolf as distinct; but it never seems to have been doubted that a wolf, possessing all the characters of the European wolf, exists within the li- mits of the United States. The wolf to which these characters have been ascribed, seems to be the “ large brown wolf” of Lewis and CLARKE, and, according to them, inhabits not only the At- lantic countries, but also the borders of the Pacific, and the mountains which approach the Co- lumbia river, between the great falls and rapids, but is not found on the Missouri to the westward of the Platte. I have seen none of these Brown Wolves; but if their resemblance is so close to the European wolf, as Major SMITH * states it to be, I have no hesitation in saying that they differ decidedly from the wolf which inhabits the countries north of Canada. While attached to the late expeditions, I passed through thirty degrees of latitude, and upwards of fifty of longitude, on the American continent, and, in the course of seven years, travelled upwards of 20,000 miles, during * GRIFFITH's Animal Kingdom, vol. ii. p. 348, THE WOLF a the whole of which time I had almost daily opportunities of observing the form and manners of the wolves ; but I saw none which had the gaunt appearance, the comparatively long jaw, and tapering nose, the high ears, long legs, slender loins, and narrow feet of the Pyrenean wolf. In some districts which we traversed, the wolves were very numerous, and varied greatly in the co- lour of their fur, some being white, others totally black; but the greater number were mixed with grey and white, more or less tinged in parts with brown. These variations of colour, however, not being attended with any differences of form, nor peculiarity of habits, I deem them to be no more characteristic of proper species, or even permanent varieties, than colour would be in the domestic dog. All the northern wolves, whatever their colours are, have certain characters in common, wherein they differ from the European races; and the Indian report of the extreme va- riations of colour being occasionally observed in wolves of the same litter, strengthens my opi- nion *.? The form of the American Wolf of the northern territories is more robust than that of the European; and its covering consists of a long and comparatively finer fur, mixed with a great quantity of short woolly hair. It is thicker and more obtuse in the muzzle, its head is larger and rounder, and there is a visible depression at the union of the nose and forehead. Its more arched forehead is comparatively broad, and the space between the ears is greater than their height. The ears are shorter, broader at the base, and more acute, and have consequently a more conical form, whilst the greater length of the hair on the sides of the neck makes them appear even shorter than they are. Its neck, covered with a bushy fur, appears short and thick. Its legs are rather short, its feet broad, with thick toes; and its tail is bushy, like the brush of a fox. The European wolf, on the contrary, according to Dr RICHARDSON, has a coarser fur with less of the soft wool intermixed with it. Its head is narrower, and tapers gradually to form the nose, which is produced on the same plane with the forehead. Its ears are higher, and somewhat nearer to each other; their length exceeds the distance between the auditory opening and the eye. Its loins are more slender, its legs longer, feet narrower, and its tail more thinly clothed with fur. The shorter ears, broader forehead, and thicker muzzle of the American wolf, with the bushiness of the hair behind the cheek, give it a physiognomy more like the social visage of the Esquimaux dog, than the sneaking aspect of the European wolf. According to BUFFON, the colours exhi- bited by the European wolves are black, tawny-grey, and white. The grey colour greatly predo- minates among the North American wolves, which usually manifest very little of the tawny hue. In both cases, however, the general arrangement of the patches of colour is nearly the same. “ Notwithstanding," observes Dr RICHARDSON, “ the above enumeration of the peculiari- ties of the American wolf, I do not mean to assert that the differences existing between it and its European congener are sufficiently permanent to constitute them, in the eye of the naturalist, dis- tinct species. The same kinds of differences may be traced between the foxes and native races of the domestic dog of the new world and those of the old ; the former possessing finer, denser, longer fur, and broader feet, well calculated for running on the snow. These remarks have been elicited by a comparison of live specimens of American and Pyrenean wolves ; but I have not had an op- portunity of ascertaining whether the Lapland and Siberian wolves, inhabiting a similar climate with the American ones, have similar peculiarities of form, or whether they differ in physiognomy from the wolf of the south of Europe. I have therefore, in the present state of our knowledge, considered it unadvisable to designate the northern wolf of America by a distinct specific appel- * Fauna boreali-Americana, part i. p. 60. . Ii THE WOLF. а. lation, lest I should unnecessarily add to the list of synonyms, which have already overburdened the science of zoology. The word occidentalis, which I have affixed to the Linnean name of Canis lupus, is to be considered as merely marking the geographical position of the peculiar race of wolf which forms the subject of this article. I have avoided adopting as a specific name any of the ap- pellations founded on colour, because they could not with propriety be used to denote more than casual variations of a species, in which the individuals shew such a variety in their markings.” 6 Wolves are found in greater or lesser abundance in different districts, but they may be said to be very common throughout the northern regions: their footmarks may be seen by the side of every stream, and a traveller can rarely pass a night in these wilds without hearing them howling around him. They are very numerous on the sandy plains which, lying to the eastward of the Rocky Mountains, extend from the sources of the Peace and Saskatchewan rivers towards the Missouri. There bands of them hang on the skirts of the buffalo herds, and prey upon the sick and straggling calves. They do not, under ordinary circumstances, venture to attack the full-grown animal; for the hunters informed me that they often see wolves walking through a herd of bulls, without exciting the least alarm ; and the marksmen, when they crawl towards a buffalo for the purpose of shooting it, occasionally wear a cap with two ears, in imitation of the head of a wolf, knowing from experience that they will be suffered to approach in that guise. On the barren grounds through which the Copper-mine River flows, I had more than once an opportunity of seeing a single wolf in close pursuit of a rein-deer ; and I witnessed a chase on Point Lake, when covered with ice, which ter- minated in a fine buck rein-deer being overtaken by a large white wolf, and disabled by a bite in the flank. An Indian who was concealed on the borders of the lake, ran in and cut the deer's throat with his knife, the wolf at once relinquishing his prey, and sneaking off. In the chase, the poor deer urged its flight by great bounds, which for a time exceeded the speed of the wolf; but it stopped so frequently to gaze on its relentless enemy, that the latter, toiling on at a “ long gal- lop *;" with its tongue lolling out of its mouth, gradually came up. After each hasty look, the poor deer redoubled its efforts to escape ; but either exhausted by fatigue, or enervated by fear, became, just before it was overtaken, scarcely able to keep its feet The wolves destroy many foxes, which they easily run down, if they perceive them on a plain at any distance from their hiding-places. In January 1827, a wolf was seen to catch an arctic fox within sight of Fort Frank- lin, and although immediately pursued by hunters on snow-shoes, it bore off its prey in its mouth without any apparent diminution of its speed t. The buffalo-hunters would be unable to pre- a a a a * " We rustled through the leaves like wind, Left shrubs and trees and wolves behind ; By night I heard them on the track, Their troop came hard upon our back, , With their long gallop, which can tire The hound's deep note and hunter's fire : Where'er we flew, they followed on, Nor left us with the morning sun; Behind I saw them scarce a rood, At day-break winding thro' the wood; And through the night had heard their feet, Their stealing, rustling step repeat." BYRON's Mazeppa. 99 a + The same wolf continued for some days to prowl in the vicinity of the fort, and even stole the fish from a sledge, which two dogs were accustomed to draw home from the nets without a driver. As this kind of depredation could not be permitted to go on, the wolf was waylaid and killed, and proved to be a female, which accounted for the sledge-dogs not having been mo- lested. R. a THE WOLF a a serve the game which they kill from the wolves, if the latter were not as fearful as they are ra- pacious. The simple precaution of tying a handkerchief to a branch, or of blowing up a bladder, and hanging it so as to wave in the wind, is sufficient to keep herds of wolves at a distance. At times, however, they are impelled by hunger to be more venturous, and they have been known to steal provisions from under a man's head in the night, and to come into a traveller's bivouac, and carry off some of his dogs. During our residence at Cumberland House, in 1820, a wolf, which had been prowling round the fort, and was wounded by a musket-ball, and driven off, returned after it became dark, whilst the blood was still flowing from its wound, and carried off a dog from amongst fifty others, that howled piteously, but had not courage to unite in an attack on their enemy. I was told of a poor Indian woman that was strangled by a wolf, while her husband, who saw the attack, was hastening to her assistance ; but this was the only instance of their de- stroying human life that came to my knowledge. As the winter advances, and the snow becomes deep, the wolves being no longer able to hunt with success, suffer from hunger, and in severe sea- sons many die. In the spring of 1826, a large grey wolf was driven by hunger to prowl amongst the Indian huts which were erected in the immediate vicinity of Fort Franklin, but not being successful in picking up aught to eat, it was found a few days afterwards lying dead on the snow near the fort. Its extreme emaciation, and the emptiness of its intestines, shewed clearly that it died from inanition. The skin and cranium were brought to England, and presented to the Mu- seum of the Edinburgh University.”—Loc. cit. pp. 60–64. The animal alluded to in the concluding paragraph of the preceding quotation *, is figured on the 29th Plate of this work, from a very beautiful drawing, for which I am indebted to Mr W. H. LIZARS. The dimensions of the specimen, as now set up in the Edinburgh Museum, are as fol- lows : Feet In. 6 5 Total length from the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tail, measured on a straight line, Length of the tail, including the terminal fur, Height at the fore-shoulder, the hair being gently pressed down, Height at the haunches, ditto, 1 10 2 4 2 4 a a The general colour is dingy white. On the upper parts of the sides, there is a mixture of black hairs upon a pale brownish ground. Along the region of the back there is an intermixture of black and white hairs. The fur is long and thick, particularly about the neck; and the body is defended almost all over by a close coating of short woolly hair, generally of a dingy brown co- lour, but not apparent, except when the longer and more external covering is laid aside. The teeth are very large and strong; and the whole animal, notwithstanding its fiercer aspect, exhi- bits a remarkable resemblance to a dog. The Grey Wolf differs in size, according to the district. Those which inhabit the desert country to the north of Great Slave Lake, where rein-deer abound, are of large dimensions. In the extreme north, for example the islands of the Polar Sea visited by Captain PARRY, they were generally smaller, their average height not exceeding twenty-seven inches. Those of Melville Island, according to Captain SABINE, were as large as full-sized setter dogs. The grey, or grey and white wolf, may be regarded as the common or characteristic variety from Lake Superior to the northern extremity of the continent, and it likewise prevails among the islands of the Polar Sea. * Dr RICHARDSON's work, the Fauna Boreali-Americana, from which I have borrowed above so largely, is, in regard to the letter-press, the most substantial and important addition which has been made to North American Zoology since the time of PENNANT; and in regard to the illustrations (by THOMAS LANDSEER), it is certainly unequalled by any natural history work with which I am acquainted. The twenty-four plates of Mammalia (all that have yet appeared) are replete with the truth of nature, most faithfully and felicitously expressed. 2 M Bic ^ PLATE I. PO 이 ​이 ​11) - الرره Cube Tahun (u. (2) راز Foss 32 uranum 335) alss www Drawn & Engraved by Willizars Edi 2 TeRma.or Simeria SA UMUL on CONCOLOR LINN GENUS FELIS, ANIMALS OF THE CAT KIND. ORDER FERÆ. Linnæus.--ORDER CARNASSIERS; Family CARNIVORA ; Tribe DIGITIGRADES. Cuvier * Characters of the Genus.-Five toes to the fore feet, and four to the hinder, strongly armed (espe- cially the former) with sharp retractile claws, which are thrown backwards, with their points ele- vated in repose. Head and muzzle short. Ears pointed. Six incisive, and two canine teeth, in each jaw. Four molar teeth in each side of the upper jaw, of which the innermost is tu- bercular, broader than long, and very small. (In some species, the last-mentioned tooth seems to be entirely wanting). Three molar teeth in each side of the under jaw, of which the two anterior are compressed and simple, and the innermost bicuspidate, or two-pointed. Pupil round, or erect-oval, according to the species. Tongue rough, with horny papillæ pointing backwards. This race, containing the most blood-thirsty and ferocious of animals, is characterized by an organic structure admirably adapted to the wants and habits of its numerous species. These dif- fer greatly in size and colour, but resemble each other in shape and general proportions. The ge- nus is distributed over the whole world, with the exception of Australasia and the Polar circles. Animals of the Cat kind are, in a state of nature, almost continually in action, both by night and day. They either walk, creep, or advance rapidly by prodigious bounds ; but they seldom run, owing, it is believed, to the extreme flexibility of their limbs and vertebral column, which cannot preserve the rigidity necessary to that species of movement. Their sense of sight, espe- و * The Order CARNASSIERS of Cuvier includes the FERÆ, and several PRIMATES, of the Linnean System. The species of which it is composed, are characterized by possessing, in common with the Quadrumanous Order, three kinds of teeth, viz. inci- sive or cutting teeth, canine teeth or tusks, and molar teeth or grinders; but they are distinguished from the latter order, by never having a flexible thumb opposable to the other fingers or toes of either the fore or hind feet. The articulation of the lower jaw, and the locking of the teeth when closed, being such as to admit only of a vertical motion, the term molar or grinding cannot with perfect accuracy be applied to the lateral or posterior teeth of strictly carnivorous animals, which masticate their food by biting it into pieces, but cannot triturate or grind it like the purely herbivorous kinds. I am not acquainted with any very satisfactory nomenclature of the teeth, and do not consider myself as entitled to propose one. False molars, carnivorous cheek-teeth, and tubercular grinders, are probably the most precise and applicable terms which can be employed to discriminate the different kinds of molar teeth, commonly so called, which distinguish the family CARNIVORA; and these terms have the ad- ditional advantage of corresponding closely with the nomenclature proposed by M. Fred. Cuvier, and adopted by his illustrious brother in the Regne Animal. In the genus Felis, for example, there are four molar teeth in the upper, and three in the under jaw. Of these, the two anterior, both above and below, are the most cutting, and are called the false molars (fausses molaires of CUVIER). They are followed by a very large tooth, which, in the upper jaw is furnished with three points or lobes, in the under with only two. This is the carnivorous cheek tooth (carnassière). Behind it, in the upper jaw, is a small flattish tooth (la tuberculeuse), which I call the tubercular grinder. In animals of the cat kind, there is no corresponding separate tooth of the last description in the lower jaw, but its function is performed by the inner projecting lobe of the under carnivorous cheek- tooth, the rounded point of which, when the jaws are closed, is applied to the flat surface of the upper tubercular grinder. In the canine race, however, there are two tubercular teeth on both sides of either jaw, and it is with these that they chew the grass which they so frequently swallow. In the tribe of Bears, the false molars, instead of being more or less compressed and cutting, are entirely tuberculated ; and, in perfect accordance with this structure, they are known to be the least carnivorous of the family to which they belong: indeed, the disposition and habits of an animal may be correctly deduced from the greater or less prevalence of the cutting or tuberculated character of its molar teeth. As the number, form, and position of the teeth are of the highest importance in the classification of quadrupeds, I thought it right to premise the preceding observations, that the expressions afterwards made use of may be more clearly understood. . I shall also, for the sake of brevity, in treating of the teeth, frequently make use of the following formula, to express the num- ber of the different kinds in each jaw: Example; Genus Felis. Incis. Can. 1 Mol. Por = = 30 or 28. a 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 B ANIMALS OF THE CAT KIND. ma a cially during twilight, is acute,--their hearing very perfect-their perception of smell less so than in the Dog tribe. Their most obtuse sense is that of taste, the lingual nerve in the Lion, accord- ing to DESMOULINS, being no larger than that of a middle-sized dog. In fact, the tongue of these animals is as much an organ of mastication as of taste, its sharp and horny points, inclined back- wards, being used for tearing away the softer parts of the animal substances on which they prey. The perception of touch is said to reside very delicately in the small bulbs at the base of the mus- tachios. All that has been said regarding the noble generosity and superior courage of the Lion, and other larger species of the race, is considered by naturalists to be purely fabulous. They seize their prey by surprize, lying in treacherous ambuscade, or gliding insidiously through dark ravines, and are naturally of so timid and mistrustful a nature, that if they fail in their first attempt upon the life even of an insignificant creature, they rarely renew it again upon the same individual. Neither does their ferocity by any means imply, as many suppose, the fatal and irresistible neces- sity of murder; for the instinct to destroy, is only the sensation of hunger in animals having a propensity to flesh, and provided with the means of procuring it. This instinct is itself effaceable by an artificial supply of food, provided continuously and in abundance. The entire exemption from severe or long continued hunger, the absence of mistrust as the result of constant kind treat- ment, and, finally, the love of repose so natural even to the most ferocious animals after an abun- dant meal, effect the subjugation of the most carnivorous kinds. The “ untameable hyæna” of the menagerie keepers, serves to produce a stare of astonishment in the vulgar ; but we believe that no animal is rendered incapable, by the constitution of its nature, of being in any way ame- liorated by the art of man. DESMOULINS has seen the ferocious Jaguar of America playing with its keeper as a kitten would with a child ; and Cuvier, in the course of a long-continued acquaint- ance with the animal world, has known three Bengal Tigers of very mild and gentle manners. The females are remarkable for their tender attachment to their young: the males, on the other hand, are distinguished by a peculiar jealousy, as it may be called, which frequently renders them the most formidable enemies of their own offspring. Hence it is, that the former sex usually conceal the places where they have brought forth, or frequently remove their young. They are a solitary tribe, and, like most animals which feed on living prey, rarely seek each other's society ex- cept during the season of love. Like the “ mighty hunters” among the human race, they require an extensive domain for the exercise of their predacious habits, and a near neighbour can only be regarded as a mortal foe. It is the uneradicable nature of this sentiment which causes that very peculiar noise in the throat, and the mistrustful rolling of the eye, observable even in the most perfectly reclaimed individuals, when they are approached during meal-time. If we were to judge from the great uniformity of aspect which prevails among the different species of this genus, we would naturally conclude that they were all inhabitants of one and the same climate. The fact is, however, that there is scarcely any genus more truly cosmopolite; for every zone has its species of Felis, and the Tiger itself extends its ravages from the equatorial re- gions almost to the polar circle. The Lion, the Panther, and the Hunting Tiger, are common to Asia and Africa ; the Royal Tiger and the Leopard are found in Asia alone ; the Serval and Cape Cat (Felis undata of DESMAREST), are confined to Africa ; the Wild Cat occurs in all the four quarters of the globe; and the Ocelot, Jaguar, and several other species, are characteristic of the New World. The cry varies greatly in the different species. The Lion roars with a voice re- sembling distant thunder, deep, tremulous, and broken; the Jaguar barks almost like a dog ; the cry of the Panther is like the grating of a saw; and they all purr after the manner of the do- mestic cat, with an energy proportioned to the size of the species. a ; ANIMALS OF THE CAT KIND. THE PUMA, OR AMERICAN LION.-FELIS CONCOLOR. Linn. LE COUGUAR. Buff PLATE I. SYNONYMS. Felis discolor, Schreber. Black Tiger of Shaw and Pennant. a a a و WHOLE upper parts, flanks, and outsides of the legs, deep brownish-red or fox-colour, paler to- wards the feet. Lips black. Muzzle white, with a black spot on either side, on which the whis- kers are placed. Whiskers mostly white. Face brindled with black and greyish-brown. Ears black externally, greyish-white, and very hairy, internally. Chin and throat greyish or dingy white, becoming more decided as it descends towards the breast, which is almost pure white. Insides of the legs greyish-white. Belly pale reddish-white. Tail very thickly furred, of the same colour as the back, paler on its under-surface, and becoming of a brownish-black towards the extremity. On the flanks and haunches there are a few inconspicuous markings, of a darker brown. The pu- pil of the eye is round, even when exposed to the full glare of day. The colour of the iris varies from green to brown. The geographical distribution of this species is very extensive, as it is found at many interme- diate points, from the southern extremity of the New World to the province of Pennsylvania, and even making occasional inroads into the state of New York; and throughout all that vast extent of country, it appears, from the most recent observations, that there only occurs a single kind, —the Black Couguar of Buffon, and the Black Tiger of Shaw and Pennant, being, according to CUVIER, merely varieties of this species. The Puma, in the wild state, is the only animal against which the charge of wanton or unnecessary cruelty seems well founded. It has been known to kill fifty sheep at one time, for the sake of sipping a little of the blood of each, although its customary appetite is by no means so delicate, as it has been observed to cover the remains of its prey with leaves and grass, that it might return to it again. Its manners differ considerably from those of the Jaguar. It rather inhabits plains than forests, and approaches nearer to the habitations of man. In ascending a tree, it springs up at a single leap, and descends in the same manner; whereas the Jaguar runs up ex- actly like a common cat. It preys upon all kinds of wild animals, not fearing to attack even beasts of prey. A skin of this animal was formerly preserved in the museum of the Royal Society of Lon- don, taken from an individual which had been shot while in the act of devouring a wolf. It also commits frequent ravages among hogs, and other domestic animals, and ascends trees that it may spring down upon the larger kinds of deer, which it might otherwise be unable to obtain. Notwithstanding what has been said of the ferocity of this creature, AZZARA possessed one which was quite tame, and, when rubbed gently down the back, expressed its happiness by purring like a domestic cat. In addition to his testimony, I can add, from my own observation of the in- dividual represented on PLATE I., that it is characterized in captivity by extreme gentleness of disposition, manifesting all the elegant playfulness of the cat, without any of its alleged treachery. It rejoices greatly in the society of those to whose company it is accustomed, lies down its upon a THE PUMA back between their feet, and plays with the skirts of their garments, entirely after the manner of a kitten. When let loose, it exhibits the most extraordinary feats of activity, springing about in a large lumber room, and assuming an infinite variety of elegant and picturesque positions. It shews a great predilection for water, and frequently jumps into and out of a large tub, rolling it- self about, and seeming greatly pleased with the refreshment. While in London, it made its escape into the street during the night, but allowed itself to be taken up by a watchman, without offering even a shew of resistance. It was brought from the city of St Paul's, the capital of the district of that name in the Brazilian empire, which, lying about the source of some of those streams which eventually fall into the magnificent Plata, is surrounded by extensive meadows and wooded morasses, where these animals are said to abound. It is now above two years old. During the voyage home, it was in habits of intimacy with several dogs and monkeys, none of which it ever attempted to injure; nor did it even return the petty insults which the latter sometimes offered ; but if an unfortunate goat or fowl came within its reach, it was immediately snapped up and slain * Since its arrival in Edinburgh, it has not been indulged with living prey; and the only animals which have fallen victims to its rapacity, were a mallard drake and a cock pheasant, both of which inadvertently approached within the circle of its spring, and were each killed by a blow of its fore-pawt. The individual figured on Plate I. being still immature, is much inferior in its dimensions to those recorded by many naturalists. When full-grown, the Puma measures about five feet in length, exclusive of the tail, which is between two and three feet long. A Scotch gentleman late- ly in this country, has frequently killed Pumas in the interior of Demerara. One of these was a female, shot while searching for prey in a lofty tree : its whelp was at the bottom, feeding on a monkey, which had probably been killed by the mother. The young one was also shot. The body of the latter measured two feet, the tail one foot and an inch. The upper part of the body was not of an uniform colour like the dam, but had three chains of blackish-brown spots along its back, with several scattered markings of the same colour on its sides, neck and shoulders. Dr TRAILL of Liverpool has correctly observed, that these marks disappear in the full-grown animal . This is well exemplified by the live specimen in the Museum, in which the spots, though still per- ceptible on a minute examination, have already become feeble and indistinct. I may add, that it always holds its tail convoluted or rolled up, and generally pointing to the left side. a * For several of the above particulars, I have to acknowledge my obligation to the Right Hon. Captain Lord NAPIER, who brought the animal home in the Diamond frigate, and presented it to Professor JAMESON. + It is asserted by MOLINA, AZZARA and DESMAREST, that the Puma, in a wild state, flees from the approach of man. The following incident, related by Mr Scudder, the proprietor of the Museum at New York, to Major HAMILTON SMITH, presents a strong exception to the general rule:-“ Two hunters went out in quest of game on the Katskill Mountains, in the province of New York, on the road from New York to Albany, each armed with a gun, and accompanied by his dog. It was agreed between them, that they should go in contrary directions round the base of the hill which formed one of the points in these mountains ; and that if either discharged his piece, the other should cross the hill as expeditiously as possible, to join his companion in pursuit of the game shot at. Shortly after separating, one heard the other fire, and, agreeably to their compact, hastened to his comrade. After searching for him for some time without effect, he found his dog dead, and dreadfully torn. Apprized by this discovery that the animal shot at was large and ferocious, he became anxious for the fate of his friend, and as- siduously continued the search for him, when his eyes were suddenly directed by the deep growl of a Puma to the large branch of a tree, where he saw the animal couching on the body of a man, and directing his eyes towards him, apparently hesitating whether to descend and make a fresh attack on the survivor, or relinquish its prey, and take to flight. Conscious that much depended on celerity, the hunter discharged his piece, and wounded the animal mortally, when both it and the dead body of the man fell together from the tree. The surviving dog then flew at the prostrate beast, but a single blow from its paw laid the dog dead by its side. In this state of things, finding that his comrade was dead, and that there was still danger in approaching the wounded animal, the man prudently retired, and with all haste brought several persons to the spot, where the unfortunate hunter, the Puma, and both the dogs, were all lying dead together.”-See GRIFFITH's Translation of Cuvier's Animal King- dom (Part 5. p. 438.), in which numerous and important additions are made to the original, and the whole illustrated by figures, many of which are admirable. # Wernerian Society's Memoirs, vol. iv. p. 474. p . a 9 FELIS ONCA LINN. 2 مر Enquar,ci - Simerican Santhor) . Engraved by W HLizars. Edin! Drawn from Lafe by A.Mosses Liverpool 2( (nl) تس ului مرمر ريم DO (( 2) د (( ج ) در امر مرس 23's شده است سه اگر را و بازیگر زرہ کو .}. اسرار مکرر مرررررررررر مه ار تراک ارز را الحرم البرز را گرم {It زرگر ) ری . )) با Kiss - در این بازار را در مرد را ارا کالا 5533 اور اور ان کی سن کر ادرار راست w دراسات سر ماما مرسلة (( PLATE IX. GENUS FELIS. ANIMALS OF THE CAT KIND. ORDER CARNASSIERS; Family CARNIVORES. Cuv.--ORDER FERÆ. Linn. THE JAGUAR, OR AMERICAN PANTHER.-FELIS ONCA. Linn. PLATE IX. Tue animals of this species vary so greatly, according to age, locality, and other circumstances, that neither do their specific descriptions accord, when collated in the works of zoologists, nor are their alleged characters always manifested in a similar manner in different individuals of the same species. The ground colour of the Jaguar is deep tawny yellow. Muzzle white. The head, limbs, and upper part of the tail, are marked with irregular black spots, which, under a more lengthened form, also prevail on the middle region of the back. On the flanks there are usually five rows of ring-shaped spots, some of which have an eye or central speck. The tail reaches to the ground, but does not trail ; and its lower part is marked by three black rings, the last of which is terminal. The breast, insides of the legs, and under parts, vary in hue, but are usually more or less of a white colour. The Jaguar bears a great resemblance to the Panther of the ancient continent, with which, in- deed, it has been frequently confounded. I have therefore named it the American Panther, as more applicable than the term of American Tiger, by which it is known in several English works. In travelling menageries it is usually, though erroneously, exhibited as the Panther, and is also known under that name to the dealers in furriery. The characters which distinguish it from that species are as follows :—1st, Its tail is comparatively shorter, and bears three black rings near its lower extremity : 2dly, Several of the black annulated spots which prevail on the sides and haunches, contain one or two additional small solid spots in their center; and, 3dly, its general proportions are larger, and of a stouter and more bulky aspect. The Jaguar is a nocturnal animal of great strength and ferocity, and is by far the most for- midable of all the American beasts of prey. It inhabits the forests which skirt the magnificent rivers of South America, where it is held in great dread by the native tribes, who are impressed with a belief that it prefers their flesh to that of white men. While travelling, they therefore light great fires during the night, to deter it from its attacks, knowing that most wild animals are supposed to shun the sight of that restless element. Yet of six men mentioned by AZARA as having been devoured by Jaguars, two were carried away from the side of a large fire at which they bivouacked. Like the Tiger, the Jaguar is an admirable swimmer, and crosses broad rivers with the greatest ease. It frequently preys upon fish, which it secures by leaping upon them in the shallow waters. It has also been asserted of this species, that it lures the finny tribes towards the shore by dropping its saliva in the stream. According to the account given by Azara, this animal so greatly abounded in Paraguay, after a N THE JAGUAR. a a the expulsion of the Jesuits, that 2000 have been slain in a single year. Even in the year 1800, there were nearly a thousand killed. HUMBOLDT mentions about the same period, that more than 4000 Jaguars were killed annually in the Spanish colonies, and that 2000 skins were formerly exported every year from Buenos Ayres alone. When pursued in the forests, it usually ascends a large tree, where it is either attacked with a lance, or brought down by means of fire-arms. When surprised in a more exposed situation by the river side, it refuses to move, till the hunter approaches it within a few feet, having the skin of a sheep hung over his left arm, and his right provided with a five feet lance, with which he stabs the Jaguar as soon as he perceives it gather- ing up its feet with a view to make its final and sometimes fatal spring, 66 The traveller who is unfortunate enough to meet this formidable beast, especially if it be after sunset, has but little time for consideration. Should it be urged to attack by the cravings of appetite, it is not any noise, or a firebrand, that will save him. Scarcely any thing but the celerity of a musket-ball will anticipate its murderous purpose. The aim must be quick and steady, for life or death depends upon the result. D’AZARA was once informed that a Jaguar had attacked a horse in his neigh- bourhood. He ran to the spot, and found that the horse was killed, and part of his breast devoured, and that the Jaguar, having probably been disturbed, had fled. He then caused the body of the horse to be drawn within musket-shot of a tree, in which he intended to pass the night, anticipating that the Jaguar would return in the course of it to its victim ; but while he was gone to prepare for his adventure, the animal returned from the opposite side of a large and deep river, and having seized the horse with its teeth, drew it for about sixty paces to the water, swam across with its prey, and then drew it into a neighbouring wood, in sight the whole time of the person who was left by D’AZARA concealed, to observe what might happen before his return *.” So great, indeed, is the strength of this animal, that if it has killed a horse or a bul- lock, either of which happens to be yoked to another of its kind, it will contrive to carry them both away, notwithstanding the resistance of the one which remains alive. HUMBOLDT records an instance of the ferocious courage of the Jaguar. One of these animals had seized a horse belonging to a farm in the province of Cumana, and dragged it to a consider- able distance. 66 The groans of the dying horse awoke the slaves of the farm, who went out armed with lances and cutlasses. The animal continued on its prey, awaited their approach with firm- ness, and fell only after a long and obstinate resistance. This fact, and a great many others veri- fied on the spot, prove that the Great Jaguar of Terra Firma, like the Jaguaret of Paraguay, and the real Tiger of Asia, does not flee from man, when it is dared to close combat, and when it is not alarmed by the great number of its assailants. Naturalists are now agreed that BUFFON was en- tirely mistaken with respect to the largest of the feline genus of America. What that celebrated writer says of the cowardly tigers of the New Continent, relates to the small ocelots ; and we shall shortly see, that on the Oroonoko, the real Jaguar of America sometimes leaps into the water to attack the Indians in their canoes.” Its usual mode of onset consists in springing upon the back of its prey, and suddenly breaking its neck by a blow on the muzzle. The Jaguar is not a grega- rious animal, but lives in pairs. During its nocturnal wanderings, the forests are said to resound with the cries of monkeys and other wild animals, who thereby express their terror at the approach of this “ all-conquering foe." The history of this species has been rendered rather complex by the inadvertence of some de- ervedly popular writers. BUFFON appears to have figured the American Jaguar as the true Pan- a 1 * Griffith's Translation of the Animal Kingdom, Part v. p. 457. THE JAGUAR. a ther; and PENNANT having found in the London fur-shops certain skins from America which agreed with the French author's description of the Panther, drew the erroneous inference that that animal was found both in the old and new world, instead of being confined entirely to the former. When the Jaguar itself first arrived at the Menagerie of the King's Garden in Paris, Cuvier, still misled by the authority of BUFFON, deemed it an African animal, till he heard its peculiar cry, so different from that of the true Panther. Soon after this period, M. D’Azara ar- rived in Paris, and pointed out the Jaguar as identical with the American animal which he had described under that name in his account of Paraguay, and which HUMBOLDT had so frequently seen alive in the wild state. The drawing from which Plate IX. is engraved, was made from a very beautiful Jaguar from Paraguay, which was some time ago alive in Liverpool *. When the animal arrived, it was in high health, and, though not fully grown, was of very formidable size and strength. The Captain who brought it could venture to play with it, as it lay in one of the boats on deck, to which it was chained; but it had been familiarized to him from the time that it was the size of a small dog. “ I did not venture,” Dr TRAILL observes, “ to take its measurements; but it appeared to be be- tween six and seven feet in length (including the tail), and to stand between two and three feet in height at the shoulders. The size of the fore-legs seemed very great in proportion to the bulk of the body, and especially of the hind-legs and rump of the animal. The ground colour is bright fulvous: the fur is short, thick, and glossy all over the body. It is variegated by long chain-like spots. A chain of such spots passes down the spine from the shoulders to the tail, which consists chiefly of single spots ; but some of them are double. On each side of this chain are several rows of open spots, formed by a glossy border of black, including one or more spots of the same colour. As they descend the sides of the animal, these borders become interrupted, and present the ap- pearance of clusters of four irregular oblong spots, with occasionally one or more small cen- tral dots. Viewed from above, the back has no inconsiderable resemblance to the markings of the shells of some species of tortoise, from the peculiar arrangement of the colours, and the equality of the spaces between each cluster of spots. The face, sides of the neck, and both sides of the legs, are thickly studded with small black spots. The ground colour of the lower part of the body, and inside of the legs, is dull yellowish-white; but the belly is spotted with large, black, irregular marks. The hair of the tail is not glossy: its upper part is marked with a zig-zag pat- tern, as in the figure; and its lower part is annulated with two or three broad blackish-brown rings, separated by dull yellow stripes. There are two distinct sets of vibrissæ ; the first of which are the longest, and are placed two or three inches before the scanty hairs of the other set. The teeth are very large and strong. The whole animal had an appearance of activity and strength which fully confirmed the accounts of its prowess collected by HUMBOLDT †." a * The drawing was executed by Mr ALEXANDER Mosses, a young artist of great merit as a natural history painter, and was obligingly communicated to this work from the portfolio of Dr TRAILL. + With a view to exhibit the real natural history of the Jaguar, I have extracted the following passages from HUMBOLDT'S Personal Narrative, as I cannot agree with M. FRED. CUVIER, that the observation of wild animals in menageries, affords data of the highest value from which to judge of their characteristic dispositions. It is easy to appreciate the effect which confine- ment, or in other words domestication (though forced and partial), will produce in altering and ameliorating the instinctive ten- dencies of all animals. “ The night was gloomy: the Devil's Wall, and its denticulated rocks, appeared from time to time at a distance, illumined by the burning of the savannahs, or wrapped in ruddy smoke. At the spot where the bushes were the thickest, our horses were frightened by the yell of an animal that seemed to follow us closely. It was a large Jaguar that had roamed for three years among these mountains. He had constantly escaped the pursuit of the boldest hunters, and had carried off horses and mules from the midst of inclosures ; but having no want of food, had not yet attacked men. The negro who conducted us uttered a THE JAGUAR. I have already observed, that this species varies considerably in its external markings. The specimen in the Edinburgh Museum, though by no means remarkable for its dimensions, may be presumed, from the regular and distinct expression of the five rows of annulated spots along its sides, to be an older and more mature animal than that figured on Plate IX. A black variety sometimes occurs, in which, owing to the darkness of the ground colour, the circular spots are visible only in certain lights; and individuals are occasionally met with, which are almost pure white. A greater and lesser kind are also said to exist in Paraguay, the former called Jaguarété- popé, the latter Onza. D’Azara does not admit the existence of these as permanent modifications of form ; but Major HAMILTON Smith, after a long residence in America, has satisfied himself that there actually are two distinct varieties of the Jaguar, which differ chiefly in their dimensions. The geographical distribution of this species extends in a southern direction almost as far as to the Straits of Magellan ; but it does not appear to have ever been observed to the north of the Tropic of Cancer. a to - wild cries. He thought he should frighten the Jaguar; but these means were of course without effect. The Jaguar, like the wolf of Europe, follows travellers, even when he will not attack them ; the wolf in the open fields, and in unsheltered places; the Jaguar skirting the road, and appearing only at intervals between the bushes.”— Vol. iv. p. 176. “ Near the Joval, nature assumes an awful and savage aspect. We there saw the largest Jaguar we had ever met with. The natives themselves were astonished at its prodigious length, which surpassed that of all the tigers of India I had seen in the collections of Europe. The animal lay stretched beneath the shade of a large Zamany, a species of Mimosa. It had just killed a Chiguire (Capibara, or Water Hog), but had not yet touched its prey, on which it kept one of its paws. The Zamu- roes, a species of vulture, which we have compared above to the Percnopterus of Lower Egypt, were assembled in flocks to de- vour the remains of the Jaguar's repast. They afforded the most curious spectacle, by a singular mixture of boldness and ti- midity. They advanced within the distance of two feet from the Jaguar; but at the least movement the beast made, they drew back. In order to observe more nearly the manners of these animals, we went into the little boat that accompanied our canoe. Jaguars very rarely attack boats by swimming to them, and never but when their ferocity is heightened by a long privation of food. The noise of our oars led the animal to rise slowly, and hide himself behind the sauso bushes that bordered the shore. The vultures tried to profit by this absence to devour the chiguire; but the Jaguar, notwithstanding the proximity of our boat, leaped into the midst of them, and, in a fit of rage, expressed by his gait, and the movement of his tail, carried off his prey the forest."-Vol. iv. p. 427. _ “ When the Jaguars approached the skirt of the forest, our dog, which till then had never ceased barking, began to howl and seek for shelter beneath our hammocks. Sometimes, after a long silence, the cry of the Jaguar came from the tops of the trees; and in this case it was followed by the sharp and long whistling of the monkeys, which appeared to flee from the danger that threatened them.”—“ We heard the same noises repeated during the course of whole months, whenever the forest ap- proached the bed of the rivers. The security displayed by the Indians, inspires travellers with confidence. You persuade yourself with them, that the tigers are afraid of fire, and do not attack a man lying in his hammock. These attacks are in fact extremely rare; and during a long abode in South America, I remember only one example of a Llanero who was found torn in his hammock opposite the island of Achaguas.”—Vol. iv. p. 436. . “ We were shewn large shells of turtles emptied by the Jaguars. These animals follow the arraus towards the beaches, when the laying of eggs is to take place. They surprize them on the sand; and in order to devour them at their ease, turn them in such a manner that the under shell is uppermost. In this situation the turtles cannot rise ; and as the Jaguar turns many more than he can eat in one night, the Indians often avail themselves of his cunning and malignant avidity. When we reflect on the difficulty that the naturalist finds in getting out the body of the turtle without separating the upper and under shells, we cannot enough admire the suppleness of the tiger's paw, which empties the double armour of the arrau, as if the ad- hering parts of the muscles had been cut by means of a surgical instrument. The Jaguar pursues the turtle quite into the wa- ter, when it is not very deep. It even digs up the eggs; and together with the crocodile, the herons, and the gallinago vulture, . is the most cruel enemy of the little turtles recently hatched.”—Vol. iv. p. 492. “ The Jaguars as usual had crossed the arm of the Oroonoko by which we were separated from the shore, and we heard their cries extremely near. During the night, the Indians had advised us to quit our station in the open air, and retire to a de- serted hut belonging to the conucos of the inhabitants of the Atures. They had taken care to barricade the opening with planks, a precaution which seemed to us superfluous; but near the cataracts, Jaguars are so numerous, that, two years before, in these very conucos of Panumana, an Indian returning to his hut, towards the close of the rainy season, found a female settled in it with her two young. These animals had inhabited the dwelling for several months: they were dislodged from it with difficulty, and it was only after an obstinate combat that the former master could take possession of his house. The Jaguars are fond of retiring to deserted ruins; and I believe it is more prudent in general for a solitary traveller to encamp in the open air, between two fires, than to seek shelter in uninhabited huts.”_Vol. v.p. 8. . 2 ' PLATE XVII. . ANO m2 برادری کا му 2 ovezana Engraved by Willizars Edinburgh Drawn from Bife by A. Mosses Liverpool - زرار C Che Selce FELIS PARDALIS LINN. GENUS FELIS. THE OCELOT._FELIS PARDALIS. Linn. PLATE XVII. The Ocelot, like the Jaguar, exhibits considerable variation in its external characters; and doubts have hence arisen as to the specific identity of the different individuals figured and de- scribed by naturalists under this name. The discrepancies alluded to, result chiefly from the greater or less prevalence of the rufous colouring on the upper parts, the more or less regular form and distribution of the lengthened tawny streaks, the manner in which these are encompassed by black lines, or spotted with black in their centre, the markings of the head and muzzle, and the colour of the terminal spot upon the tail. Most of the known varieties will be found admirably figured by Major HAMILTON SMITH, in GRIFFITH'S edition of the “ Regne Animal.” ” As it thus appears difficult to fix the precise specific characters of the Ocelot, or to determine, in the present state of our knowledge, the amount either of species or of sub-races which are really contained under that appellation, the best way seems to be to collect accurate representations, drawn from as many different living individuals as can be obtained, and thus the particular locality of each having been ascertained, the truth will at last be elicited by observation and comparison. In the mean time, I shall describe the animal figured on Plate XVII. The upper part of the head is deep tawny, streaked with blackish-brown. A blackish streak passes from the upper and inner canthus of each eye, to the forehead between the ears, in a converging manner; and be- tween them are several delicate lines of the same colour. When closely examined, these lines seem to consist of numerous dots closely set together. Another strongly expressed stripe passes from the outer canthus of the eyes to the angles of the lower jaw, whence an irregular blackish bar passes upwards to within an inch of the outer edge of the ears. From the angles of the jaw two stripes pass downwards, and meet in front of the throat. The ears are thin, and blackish ex- ternally, with a spot of pure white about the size and form of the human thumb-nail on the back part of each. There is a patch of pure white at the angles of the mouth, beautifully speckled with three rows of black dots, which lie at the roots of the vibrissæ. Chin and throat white, with blackish bars. The ground colour of the breast less pure; that of the belly and inside of the legs is dull grey. Around the eye are white marks, nearly inclosing the orbit, but interrupted by the blackish stripes above described. The tip of the nose is flesh-coloured, and the insides of the ears are defended by long greyish hairs, thickly set. There are four chains of open lengthened spots on each side, more or less distinct, sloping down from the shoulder towards the flanks. The legs are irregularly marked with numerous black spots, differing in shape and dimensions. The tail is barred with black on its sides and dorsal line, but is not annulated, as in some varieties of this spe- cies ; for these black bars do not entirely surround the tail, but are interrupted on its interior face. The irides are pale liver-brown, and the pupils perpendicularly oblong in day-light* The general dimensions are as follows: * In all the Ocelots observed by Major Smith, the pupil of the eye was round; but he states the character doubtfully, from the probability that all the living specimens which he examined might be, from the very circumstance of attentive inspection, under a state of alarm, and therefore with the pupils dilated. This suspicion is confirmed by the individual above described. T THE OCELOT. From the tip of the nose to the back of the ears, 0 87 2 1 Length of the neck and body, measuring along the back to the root of the tail, ... Circumference of the head at the ears, 1 13 1 Circumference of the thickest part of the body, ..... 18 Height at the shoulders, about.... 1 1 Length of hind-foot and tarsus, to the heel,..... 0 5 Length of the tail,......... 0 113 1 a The animal above described is a female. She appears to be now full grown, and has been nearly two years in Britain. She is remarkably playful, much inclined to climb up the legs of those who approach her (an inconvenient tendency, from the length and sharpness of her claws), and delights in being carried about in people's arms like a cat. She is an extremely powerful ani- mal, but gentle through the influence of domestication, and attached to those who feed her. She one day seized a chamois leather glove, which she tore to pieces, and swallowed immediately. The person to whom the glove belonged could not rescue it with the strength of both his hands. While young this animal was fed on oatmeal porridge and milk, and has been all along sustained chiefly by milk and vegetables, with occasionally a bit of boiled liver, or other offal. The nature of the diet has obviously a considerable influence on her disposition. When farinaceous food and milk prevail, she is certainly more tractable than when animal food is given in any considerable quantity; and when treated with live birds or raw flesh, she is observed to assume greater fierce- ness in her aspect, and to strike more forcibly with her fore-paws at passing animals. She has sometimes made her escape from confinement, and exhibited a power of climbing trees with great ease and activity. She has occasionally committed considerable havoc in the poultry-yard, and has more than once greatly alarmed a horse by jumping on its back in the stable. In this last feat, however, the Ocelot seemed to be actuated rather by a desire for society than the love of mischief, for she coiled herself up on the hind quarter, evidently with the view of effecting a settlement for the purpose of repose: but the plunging of the horse induced her to use her claws to render her seat more secure. Upon this the steed, as might be expected, redoubled his exer- tions to dislodge the enemy, and the Ocelot was at last thrown, receiving in her descent a kick which she never afterwards forgot; for it has been since observed, that, on seeing a horse, she im- mediately betakes herself to her den. A house-dog and“ puss” speedily acquired a knowledge of each other's powers, and neither seemed disposed to court an attack. It is believed, however, that no dog could have any chance with this animal: her jaws would have crushed at once any bone in its body. A few days before her departure from Liverpool to London, she occasioned a serious alarm. Being secured by a long chain, in front of a cottage door, she suddenly threw down a young girl of four years old, and, to the horror of the beholders, appeared to seize the child by the throat. This was, however, intended merely as play, for neither her sharp teeth nor crooked talons inflicted the slightest injury, and, after tumbling over each other more than once, the child was taken up severely frightened, but no way hurt. So much for this Ocelot in particular * Of Ocelots in general, it may be observed, that their natural dispositions are shy and wary. Like most feline animals, they prey chiefly during the night, and are said occasionally to extend themselves, simulating death, along the branches of trees, till certain monkeys, impelled by that curiosity and love of interference for which the whole tribe are remarkable, approach within their reach, and fall a sacrifice to superior strength and cunning. But whether this anecdote is entitled to a firmer credence than that yielded to the story of “ The Cat and Mice,” in the modernized pages of Esop or Pilpay, has not yet been positively ascertained. a a а * For the drawing engraved on Plate XVII. and most of the preceding details, I have again to acknowledge the kindness of Dr TRAILL of Liverpool. २ 2 H. ONE PLATE X. Z tro 3 )) - کے 103 )) ܓܓܠܓܓܓܢܛܢ MAN inh pomohonan V 2 A WIDITTKORT con otros Engraved by W. H. Lizars Drawn by W. Macgillivray The loungin ng malTiramdle, or Bouchala Conchal Balgri. PERAMELES NASUTA. GEOFFROY. ORDER MARSUPIALIA.-MARSUPIAL OR POUCHED ANIMALS. ORDER CARNASSIERS ; Family MARSUPIAUX. Cuvier.-SUB-Class DIDELPHES. Blainville. --Genus DIDELPHIS. Linnæus. a Tus His order, of which I shall not at present attempt to give any definition, for reasons afterwards assigned, contains all those animals which are provided with an abdominal pouch, like the Opos- sums and Kangaroos ; but I have adopted the name of Marsupialia, much more out of respect to the established practice of naturalists, than from any conviction of the propriety of its application as an ordinal title. The amount of known species of the Marsupial order, was not long since extremely limited, and they were then included under the single generic name of Didelphis, and were so designated from the supposed functions of the external pouch, which was regarded as a second matrix for the continued support and preservation of the young, these being produced in a much more imperfect and unformed condition than the offspring of other animals. The Virginian Opossum, for ex- ample, when first brought forth, does not weigh above a single grain, though its parent is as large as a full-grown cat; and the Gigantic Kangaroo, which sometimes attains the weight of nearly 200 pounds, gives birth to a pair of young ones, each about an inch long. They are received into the pouch, and instantly adhere to the mammæ, which are placed within it, and of which they as speedily appear to form a part. To these they remain fixed, without sense or motion, for a consi- derable length of time, though the manner in which they arrive in the pouch, and their subse- quent mode of nutrition, whether by the lacteal or sanguineous system, cannot be said to have been hitherto ascertained or demonstrated. After a period, variable according to the species, they undergo as it were a second birth, by separating from the teat, to which they may be said to have been previously grafted, and assuming their powers of locomotion, each species obeys, and by de- grees learns to regulate, like other animals, the impulses peculiar to its nature. It is only after this latter change that their nourishment is drawn from the mother in the usual manner, and by a vo- luntary act. It is not my intention, in this brief notice, to enter into a minute detail of the many ingenious though not always consistent theories which have been proposed, in explanation of the numerous anomalies in the structure and habits of this most extraordinary tribe of living creatures. Those who are best qualified to judge, will the more readily admit the extreme difficulty of an inquiry which involves the consideration of some of the most abstruse and mysterious doctrines of physiology, and which, even if conducted with a sufficiency of knowledge and ability, would lead to results, the ex- position of which scarcely falls within the scope of this publication *. But considered even in rela- a a * C6 L'opinion que les Animaux à bourse naissent aux tetines de leur mère, remonte presque à la même époque où les natu- ralistes européens puisèrent, dans les vagues indications des voyageurs, quelques notions sur ces êtres singuliers. Il est dans les deux Indes, attestaient unanimement ceux qui avaient visité ces contrées, des Mammifères dont le mode de génération est tout différent de celui des Quadrupèdes ordinaires : les petits ne se forment et ne se développent pas dans la matrice de leurs mères, mais bien dans une poche ou bourse particulière située extérieurement. “ La bourse est proprement l'utérus du Carigueya, et les petits y sont formés," écrivait MARCGRAFF il y a près de deux siècles, au sujet d'une espèce du genre Didelphe, qu'il avait observée en Amérique. “ La poche des Filandres est une matrice dans laquelle sont conçus les petits," écri- vait également VALENTIN dans son Histoire de Moluques : “ Les jeunes Sarigues existent dans les faux-ventre sans jamais O ORDER MARSUPIALIA. tion to their external structure, something remarkable may be presumed to characterise a group of animals regarding the division and arrangement of which scarcely two naturalists have expressed the entrer dans le véritable, et ils se développent aux tetines de leur mère," disait enfin BEVERLEY dans son ouvrage sur la Virgi- nie; et tous les voyageurs s'exprimaient à peu près dans les mêmes termes. Neanmoins l'accord parfait des nombreux témoi- gnages venus presque à la fois de deux mondes, n'empêcha pas qu'un fait qui paraissait tellement contraire à l'analogie, ne fût rejeté comme fabuleux, d'abord par la plupart des naturalistes, et même ensuite par tous, quand on se fut procuré des Didelphes, et qu'on eut reconnu qu'il n'existait pas de communication intérieure et directe entre la bourse et la matrice. On ne pouvait s'expliquer par la théorie de la génération ce qui était si generalement attesté: on le regarda comme impossible, et on se con- tenta de considérer les Marsupiaux comme des êtres dont la naissance prématurée était compensée par une sorte d'incubation dans la bourse. Cette idée, qui en effet pouvait paraître véritablement spécieuse, était encore généralement adoptée, lorsque le sénateur d'Aboville (alors officier d'artillerie) fit de nouvelles observations qui ramenaient à l'ancienne manière de voir. On les trouve rap- portée dans le Voyage en Amérique du Marquis DE CHASTELLUX: “ Deux Opossums (Didelphis Virginiana), mâle et femelle, et apprivoisés, allaient, dit CHASTELLUX, et venaient librement dans une maison que M. D'ABOVILLE occupait aux Etats-Unis en 1783. Ces Animaux, qu'il retirait le soir dans sa propre chambre, s’y accouplèrent: M. D'ABOVILLE en suivit attentivement les effets, ce qui donna lieu aux observations ci-après : le bord de l'orifice de la poche fut trouvé dix jours après une peu épaissi, et cela parut de plus en plus sensible le jours suivans. Comme la poche s'agrandissait en même temps, l'ouverture en devenait bien plus évasée. Le triezième jour la femelle ne quitte sa retraite que pour boire, manger, &c.; le quatorzième elle ne sort point. M. D'ABOVILLE se décide enfin à la saisir et à l'observer. La poche, dont précédemment l'ouverture s'évasait, était presque fermée : une sécrétion glaireuse humectait les poils du pourtour. Le quinzième jour, un doigt est introduit dans la bourse, et un corps rond de la grosseur d'un pois y est au fond sensible au toucher : l'exploration en est faite difficilement à rai- son de l'impatience de cette mère, douce au contraire et tranquille précédemment. Le seizième jour elle sorte un moment de sa boîte pour manger. Le dix-septième elle se laisse visiter : M. D'ABOVILLE sent deux corps gros comme un pois, et conformés comme serait une figue dont la queue occuperait le centre d'un segment de sphère : il est toutefois un plus grand nombre de ces petits naissans. Le vingt-cinquième jour, ils cèdent et remuent sous le doigt. Au quarantième, la bourse est assez entr'ouverte pour qu'on puisse les distinguer; et au soixantième, quand la mère est couchée, on le voit suspendu aux tetines, les uns en de- hors de la bourse, les autres en dedans. Quant au mamelon, il est, après le sévrage, long de deux lignes ; mais il se dessèche bientôt, et il finit par tomber comme ferait un cordon ombilical." “ Les observations du Docteur BARTON, faites quelque temps après celles de D'ABOVILLE, ne sont pas moins importantes. Il vit que “ les Didelphes mettent bas, non des fætus, mais des corps gelatineux, des ébauches informes, des embryons sans yeux ni oreilles. Nés des Nés des parens gros comme des Chats, ils pèsent, á leur première apparition, un grain environ ; mais quinze jours de développement suffisent pour les amener à la taille d'une Souris. Lorsqu'ils on atteint celle d'un Rat, ils cessent d'adhérer aux mamelles; mais ils les reprennent à volonté, et sont alors nourris du lait de leur mère, et en même temps de ce qu'ils trouvent.” BARTON conclut qu'on peut distinguer deux sortes de gestation, l'une qu'il appelle utérine, et qu'il estime être de vingt-deux à vingt-six jours, et l'autre qu'il nomme marsupiale.”—Dict. Class. d'Hist. Nat. t. 10. p. 201. “6 Les Didelphes mettent bas, non des fætus, mais des corps gélatineux, des ébauches informes," avait dit BARTON; c'est- à-dire, suivant GEOFFROY SAINT-HILAIRE, qu'ils mettent bas non des fætus, mais des ovules. Ce zootomiste établit en effet que les produits de l'ovaire, ou ces corps transparens qu'on a désignés sous le nom de corpora lutea, et qu'il nomme ovules, sont promptement rejetés à l’éxterieur, sans avoir subi ces transformations qui les amènent successivement à l'état d'embryon et de foe- tus chez les Mammifères normaux, à celui d'oeuf, d'embryon et de fætus chez les Oiseaux. Les organes qui, dans cette dernière classe, produisent les couches albumineuses par l'addition desquelles l'ovule est changé en oeuf, sont encore moins développés chez les Marsupiaux que chez les Mammifères ordinaires, le portions falloppiennes de leur oviductus étant très-courtes comme chez les Didelphes, et même quelquefois presque nulles comme chez les Kanguroos. L'ovule arrive donc promptement dans la matrice, et il y arrive tel qu'il a été produit par l'ovaire. Mais le canal utéro-vaginal n'étant point ramassé sur lui-même, n'étant point pourvou de cols, il n'y est point retenu, et ne s'y arrête pas, comme cela a lieu chez les Mammifères normaux : il est au contraire promptement rejeté au dehors, et la mère le dépose, dans sa bourse abdominale. - Suivant cette maniére de voir, on peut donc comprendre comment le produit ovarien traverse si rapidement le canal sexuel sans s'être développé, et comment il n'est encore qu'un simple ovule tout au plus baigné de fluides albumineux, lorsqu'il arrive dans la bourse; on peut de même concevoir les nouveaux rapports qui, à ce moment, s'établissent entre ce même produit et le mamelon. Les nombreux cas de grossesses extra-utérines, observés chez beaucoup des animaux, suffisent pour démontrer qu'un ovule détourné de sa route peut ce greffer sur une artère quelconque, soit dans les trompes, soit sur d'autres organes. Or, ces faits qu'on n'observe que par anomalie chez la plupart dss Mammifères, sont précisément analogues aux phénomènes qui ont lieu dans l'état normal chez les Marsupiaux : leur ovule, parvenu dans la bourse, se greffe sur le point de cette cavité, où les vaisseaux sanguins sont répandus le plus abondamment, sur le mamelon ; et c'est là qu'il se développe. L'artère épigastrique remplit à l'égard des jeunes Didelphes les fonctions de l'utérine, de même que la matrice est remplacée pour lui par la bourse. “ C'est donc dans cette poche que l'ovule atteint successivement l'âge embryonnaire et l'âge fætal, et qu'il parvient enfin au même degré de développement où se trouve le Mammifère monodelphe à l'époque de sa naissance. Le fætus didelphe naît aussi à ce moment: la tetine qui, jusqu'à cette époque, n'avait cessé de croître dans la même raison que le embryon, est rompue; et ses vaisseaux, qui se prolongeaient dans le fætus, s'arrêtent et ne se terminent plus que dans la glande mammaire. “ L'artère épigastrique reprend alors les mêmes fonctions qu'elle a chez les Quadrupèdes normaux; elle n'st plus que l'artère a 1 ORDER MARSUPIALIA. same opinion. Baron Cuvier makes them constitute the fourth family of his order Carnassiers; MM. GEOFFROY ST HILAIRE and LATREILLE regard them as forming a distinct order; while M. DE BLAINVILLE erects them into what he is pleased to call a sub-class of the animal king- a dom. In fact, the only principle on which zoological writers have hitherto been of one mind in relation to the Marsupialia, is that of holding the genera together in juxtaposition--certainly an unfortunate principle to proceed upon, if it can be shewn to be inconsistent with the due consi- deration of those natural and undisputed analogies by which we profess ourselves to be guided in our arrangements of the other tribes. It has been well observed, that the marsupial animals pre- sent the types of almost as many separate orders as exist among all the other Mammalia ; and none will doubt of this being true, at least in part, who has ever examined the well armed jaws of a Didelphis or Dasyurus, and compared them with the simple structure of the same parts in the gentle Wombat. According to the principles of the Natural System, so much insisted on by the modern school, the tribe of animals named Marsupialia, whether regarded as a family or an order, includes, in- deed, such heterogeneous elements as bid defiance to every preconceived form of classification. It is true, that they all present the same peculiar modifications of the generative and lacteal sys- tems; and if the inquirer has recourse to these alone, and regards them as a sufficient and satis- factory basis for the establishment of a primary character, in conformity with the nature of which the totality of the class Mammalia is to be partitioned into two great subdivisions, then the Mo- nodelphs and Didelphs of M. DE BLAINVILLE may suffice. But if the formation of a Class, ac- cording to the admitted interpretation of the term, depends upon the co-existence of certain cha- racters, neither few in number, nor of less than the highest value and importance in their kind, I do not see why the mere existence of an external pouch, or duplication of the abdominal skin, though connected with a very peculiar, and it may be unaccountable mode of foetal production, should suf- fice for the establishment of one of the greatest divisions of which the animal kingdom is suscep- tible. A bird differs in its class from a mammiferous animal or quadruped, commonly so called, on the one hand, and from an amphibious animal or reptile on the other; and it is distinguished from both by many essential organic distinctions, which involve such a difference in the vital func- tions and economy of the several subjects of these different classes, as to render their mutual dis- connection, as it were, apparent to the most cursory observer. They not only differ in the mode of producing their young, and in their method of rearing it, but also in the structure of the heart, the character of the respiratory and circulating systems, the perfection of the senses, the number of the cervical vertebræ, and consequently in their whole external form and aspect. But the mar- supial animals, however dissimilar to each other, do not vary essentially from certain types which occur in one or other of the numerous orders of which the normal Mammalia are composed ; and with these, the different genera may assuredly be combined, in a manner more consistent with the principles of the natural system, than if they were allowed to constitute by themselves a separate and exclusive division, by whatever name it may be called. There is nothing in their masticating a a fo > à nutricière de la glande mammaire, c'est-à-dire de l'organe sécréteur du lait. Le jeune animal à bourse est alors allaité par sa mère dont il peut, à volonté, prendre et quitter la mamelle, et il rentre à ce moment dans le conditions communes des tous le autres Mammifères. “ Telle est la manière dont on peut concevoir et expliquer les phénomènes et les anomalies de la génération des Marsupiaux : on voit qu'ils atteignent successivement tous les mêmes degrés de développement que les autres Mammifères ; mais il naissent à l'état d'ovules dans la bourse, tandis que ceux-ci s'arrêtent dans la matrice, lorsqu'ils sont dans cet âge de formation." --Loc. cit. -- p. 205, ORDER MARSUPIALIA. a organs, in their digestive system, or their organs of movement, which is at once peculiar to and characteristic of the whole tribe—on the contrary, they offer the same diversities of form and structure, in all those parts of the animal economy, which characterise and distinguish several other tribes belonging to separate orders. There is in fact a marked gradation even in the marsupial character itself. In some species, the pouch characterises both sexes : in others it is confined to the female; while in a third series it is merely rudimentary, in the form of two longitudinal folds, in the latter sex alone. In respect to the skeleton, however, the marsupial bones (marsupii jani- tores of Tyson) are said to exist in both sexes of all the known species. But I am not aware that it has ever been attempted to found a sub-class on the presence or absence of a pair of supplemen- tal bones * The objections which may be urged against their being made to constitute a separate and single order, are not less strong than those which I have brought forward in opposition to their forming a distinct sub-class. What are the characters of an order, or, in other words, the rea- sons for dividing the animal kingdom into the greater secondary divisions ? Without enter- ing into a technical definition, this may be explained with sufficient precision, by two examples. The Hedgehog (Erinaceus) belongs to one order, and the Beaver (Castor) to another, each being clearly distinguished by the entire dissimilarity in the shape, size, structure, number, and position of the teeth, which of itself entails a complete non-accordance in the form and functions of all the other organs in all the species of these two orders, whenever an individual of the one is compared with an individual of the other. A Hedgehog has 12 incisive, 4 canine, and 18 molar teeth, or 34 in all. A Beaver has 4 incisive, no canine, and 16 molar teeth, or 20 in all. These animals, then, of course not only form different genera, but belong to separate orders, and the principal ordinal character is derived from the absence of canine teeth, in the one case, and their presence in the other. Regarding the propriety of this arrangement naturalists are agreed. Let us now take two analogous examples from the Marsupial animals, which, I presume, are subject to the same general rules in the formation of their systematic arrangement as those which regulate the classification of other tribes. 1st, The Opossum (Didelphis) has 18 incisive, 4 ca- nine, and either 26 or 28 molar teeth, according to the species ; in all therefore 48 or 50. The animals of this genus are solitary, nocturnal, carnivorous, and bear a close resemblance to the mar- tins or pole-cats in their habits of life. They prey on small birds and reptiles, and suck the blood of poultry. Their stomach is small and simple, the cæcum of moderate size, and smooth, that is, not pouched (non boursoufflé). The number of young produced at a birth is considerable. Adly, The Kangaroo (Kangurus of DESMAREST) has 8 incisive, no canine, and 20 molar teeth ; or only 28 in all. Its habits are gregarious, and strictly herbivorous. Its stomach is composed of two great sacks, divided into pouches, like the colon of an herbivorous quadruped, and the cæcum is large and likewise pouched. The number of young produced at a birth is limited to one or two. Does not the preceding enumeration present a series of characters, and consequent modes of life, as strongly contrasted in these two genera, as those before glanced at as existing between the Hedgehog and Beaver? And if so, it may be further asked, why not only the compilers of inaccurate and arti- ficial arrangements, but the strenuous and enlightened advocates of a more natural system of clas- sification, should continue to place in juxtaposition animals of such discordant and contradictory attributes? Yet that they should be so placed, in consequence of their agreement in the mar- a a * According to M. DE BLAINVILLE, the so-called marsupial bones have in fact no connection with the pouch, and are con- sequently misnamed ORDER MARSUPIALIA. a a supial character alone, naturalists are also agreed. This requires, and I have no doubt will speedia ly meet with, alteration and amendment. Let each of the marsupial genera be classed according to the position pointed out by a careful study of its natural and most influential characters; and if, for example, the structure of its teeth indicates a carnivorous disposition in one genus, an insectivorous one in another, or a herbivorous one in a third, then let each be referred to its appropriate station in the general system, whether as a member of the Carnivora, the Insectivora, or in closer connection with the more harmless Glires. But do not re-establish the worst parts of an artificial method, by following a fanciful analogy in the structure of a secondary and apparently uninfluential organ. That the marsupium or pouch is not a character of a highly influential kind, is evident from its occurrence in tribes and genera which in every other respect are so variously and dissimilarly constituted. It does not, in short, afford a key to the rest of the organization. It would be incompatible with the prescribed limits of this work to enter at present into fur- ther details. My chief object has been to shew that the marsupial arrangement was inconsistent with the natural system, and that though the very peculiar and extraordinary character which has hitherto served as the groundwork of that arrangement, ought still to be studied with the most sedulous attention, as a subject of deep interest alike to the physiologist and the natural historian, it ought not to be considered any longer either as an essential bond of union, or as a primary ba- sis for the classification of the marsupial tribes. In regard to the geographical distribution of these animals, they appear to be confined entire- ly to New Holland, America, and one or two Islands in the Indian seas. They are quite unknown in Europe, Africa, and continental Asia. I shall now proceed to illustrate the Order, by the in- troduction of one of its rarer genera. GENUS PERAMELES. Geoffroy. 10 10 8 8-8 6-6 Characters of the Genus.—Incisive teeth, or ; canine ; molar 7=or 5=8; = 48 or 50. Pos- 1= = terior upper incisives separated by an interspace, as well from the anterior incisives as from the canine teeth. Posterior lower incisives nearly divided by a groove, and each presenting the appearance of two teeth. Canine teeth small, pointed, insulated, somewhat curved backwards. Anterior molar teeth, both above and below, compressed and cutting, and composed of 3 tu- bercles, of which the central is large, the lateral very small. The posterior molars present two rows of pointed tubercles, separated by a longitudinal groove. HEAD elongated ; muzzle point- ed. Eyes lateral. Feet with five toes; of which the fore-paws have the innermost and outer- most merely rudimentary, and without nails, and the middle toe the largest. The hind-feet have the thumb or inner toe rudimentary, and without nail, the second and third united un- der a common integument as far as the nails, the fourth the largest and most elongated, and the fifth or outer toe next in size to the preceding. Tail rather long, slender, cylindrical, nearly naked beneath, not prehensile. An abdominal (reverted ?) pouch in the female. Of this genus, three species are now known, viz. 1st, The long-nosed Perameles, or Pouched Badger of New Holland, Perameles nasuta : 2d, The Porculine Perameles, P. obesula (this is the Didelphis obesula or Porculine Opossum of Shaw): 3d, A new species discovered by MM. QUoIT and GAMARD, and described in FREYCINET'S Voyage under the name of Bougainville's Perameles, P. Bougainvillie, in compliment to the French navigator of that name. The first and second species Р THE LONG-NOSED PERAMELES. are natives of New Holland*. I am not acquainted with the true locality of the last-named animal. Little is known of the habits of these creatures in their native haunts. They prey upon small birds and insects, scrape holes in the earth, for which purpose their feet are furnished with strong, straight, or slightly arcuate nails, and advance upon the surface of the ground by short leaps, some- what after the manner of kangaroos. In their general aspect they resemble rats. THE LONG-NOSED PERAMELES, OR POUCHED BADGER OF NEW HOLLAND. 9 PERAMELES NASUTA. GEOFFROY, Ann. du Mus. t. 4. p. 62. PLATE X. FIG. 1. My own observations on the external characters of this species are superseded by a short communication, printed below, with which I have been kindly favoured by Dr GRANT, Professor of Zoology in the University of London, to whom Professor JAMESON had consigned the dissec- tion of a fine female specimen of this curious animal some time ago transmitted entire by Sir THOMAS BRISBANE from New Holland to the Edinburgh Museum, in a small cask of spirits t. a 0 0 4 3 4 a * It is indeed a very curious fact, that, with the exception of a Wild Dog, and one or two species of Hydromys, all the qua- drupeds of New Holland pertain to the Marsupial Order. + The external dimensions of the Perameles nasuta are as follows: From the point of the nose to the occipital Circumference of the head above the eyes, 5 in. O lines protuberance, 4 in. 5 lines Circumference of the neck behind the ears, 6 0 Length of the ears, 1 5 Circumference of the thorax immediately be- Breadth of the ears at their base, 1 2 hind the fore-legs, 8 0 From the occipital protuberance to the anus, 10 Circumference of the abdomen immediately Length of the tail (measured from the anus), 6 before the hind-legs, 8 5 Length of the fore-legs from the head of the Length of the longest claws on the fore-feet, 0 6 humerus to the point of the longest claw, Length of the longest claws on the hind-feet, 0. Length of the hind-legs from the head of the femur to the point of the longest claw, 6 3 The animal resembles a large brown rat, in having straight, stiff, dark brown hair, a low stature, a lengthened cylindrical form of the trunk, a tapering conical head, long membranous ears, and a long regularly tapering tail. The hair on the The hair on the upper parts of the head and body, and on the tail and legs, is of a reddish brown colour, which gradually passes into a greyish-white on the lower parts of the head, neck, chest, and belly. The fur is pretty compact, and lies flat, presenting a smooth glossy surface ; it consists of dark coloured, bristly, straight hairs, about an inch in length, and a softer white woolly hair. The long straight hairs have a singular flat dilated form in the middle, and taper towards both ends. There are whiskers, consisting of about half a dozen long dark bristles, on the upper lip immediately above each canine tooth; ar upper lip immediately above each canine tooth; and similar tufts of straight long slender bristles on the cheeks, between the angle of the mouth and the eye. The nose projects half an inch beyond the extremity of the lower jaw. It is naked above for the space of three quarters of an inch from the point, and the prominent part is soft and cartilaginous for more than a quarter of an inch beyond the protuberance of the bones. The external openings of the nostrils have a curved form, produced by a semicircular lobe projecting from the septum over each nostril. The tongue is long, narrow, flat, of equal breadth throughout, elliptical at its extremity, and free for nearly two inches from the frenum. The ears are long, broad, elliptical at their apex, thin, soft, and scantily covered with small dark, very short hairs. The eyes are rather small, their position lateral and slightly inclined upwards; the membrana nictitans large and strong can be drawn more than half way over the cornea. The anterior canthus of the eye is large, the hinder nearly imperceptible. The neck is short, thick, , round, and scarcely distinguishable from the head. Body nearly cylindrical, slightly compressed, equal, becoming only a few lines thicker in the region of the loins. The fore-legs are two inches shorter than the hind pair, and of a tapering form, but very muscular and strong. From the flexibility and extent of motion of the toes, the fore-foot can grasp and surround objects smaller than a pea. The lower surface of the fore-foot is naked to the carpal joint, concave, and covered with a soft white cu- ticle. There are five toes on each of the fore feet; (see Pl. X. Fig. 6.) The thumb and the outer toe are only two lines long, without nails, naked, placed within half an inch from the carpal joint, and are nearly opposed to the other three toes which chiefly compose the foot. The three middle toes are long and slender, and quite free to the metacarpal bones. The claws are long, slen- der, and curved like those of some climbing birds. They are flat on their lower concave surface, compressed laterally, carinated THE LONG-NOSED PERAMELES. The drawing engraved in this work was made immediately after the arrival of the above- mentioned specimen by Mr MacGILLIVRAY, assistant to the Regius Keeper, and with his accus- tomed accuracy, before the hand of either the dissector or preserver had disfigured or disguised its natural form and proportions. a a not а a a above, and rounded at the point. They are of a delicate, translucent, horny texture, and do not appear to have been much used in digging the earth, if ever employed for that purpose. The hind-legs are very thick and muscular to near the ankle, and of nearly twice the length of the fore-legs. The hip-joint admits of little flexion and extension, but of so great abduction, that the two thighs can be separated to a straight line with each other, which allows the freest access of the young to the abdominal pouch placed between them. The hind-feet have a lengthened form like those of the Kangaroo, and have five toes like the fore-feet (not four, as stated by M. DESMAREST in his Mammalogie, p. 264), but of a very different structure (see Pl. X. Fig. 5.) The inner toe is only rudimentary, about two lines long, and opposed to the other toes like a thumb, naked, and without nail. The second and third toes are small and short, and bound together under the same covering like a single toe, as far as the roots of the claws, which are free and moveable. The fourth toe is the longest, and by much the largest, on the hind-foot; it extends eight lines be- yond the united toes just mentioned, and half an inch beyond the outer or fifth toe, which is the second largest on the foot. The claws on the hind-feet are shorter and thicker than those of the fore-feet, and are nearly straight. The longest toe on the hind- foot measures an inch and a quarter from the metatarsal bone to the point of the claw. The tail is long, slender, conical, very flexible, and covered to its point on the upper surface with short, dark, straight hair, beneath which the epidermis is rough, and covered with regular transverse rows of scales. Its under surface is nearly naked. The most remarkable external feature of the Perameles is the marsupium or abdominal pouch for the reception of the premature young (see Pl. X. Fig. 3.). This sac does open from above downwards, as in most other marsupial animals, but commences almost imperceptibly at the distance of half an inch from the anterior margin of the anus, and extends upwards under a thick fold of the skin as far as the sternum. The en- trance of the sac is arched upwards, and is quite open for more than an inch from its lower or posterior margin. The whole cavity is lined with soft, very short, white, woolly hair, and its parietes are remarkably soft and dilatable. The supplementary or mar- supial bones, eleven lines in length and about one line broad, are connected as usual with the recti muscles of the abdomen, but not with the marsupium itself. There are eight nipples in the pouch, placed in two longitudinal rows, which converge at both their extremities. The two upper nipples of the left row, and the second upper of the right side, were more than double the size of the rest, and would lead us to infer that there were three young in the sac when the animal was taken. The nipples had the usual conical form, and round smooth apex, imperforated in the centre; the three longest were three lines and a half in length, and about a line broad at their base. On pressing the mammary glands, two in number, and extending along the back of the two rows of nipples, a thin yellowish fluid was seen to issue from six or seven orifices of excretory ducts, opening round the apex of the nipples, as in other animals . When I received the specimen for examination, there was one marsupial fætus (see Pl. X. Fig. 2.), in a very imperfectly formed state, lying loose in the sac. The mouth of this fætus was very obtuse, and presented no appearance of any previous organic connection with the nipple; no umbilical cord, or other mark of connection with the body of the mother, could be discovered with the aid of a lens in the region of the umbilicus. The teeth (see Pl. X. Fig. 4.) present important characters for the distinction of the species, and as indicating the kind of food on which the animal naturally subsists. They are accurately stated by GEOFFROY to be, incis. ; can. į ; mol. 7=}; but , ; he has represented them rather larger than natural in his figure of this animal. The size of the canine teeth especially is exag- gerated. On each side of the upper jaw there are five small sharp incisors, one recurved pointed canine tooth, and seven grinders. The first four of these incisors are in close contact with each other, and scarcely project half a line from their sockets; the fifth incisor, likewise inserted into the intermaxillary or incisor bone, is placed apart, at equal distances between the fourth incisor and the canine tooth. The canine tooth is double the length of the incisors, has a sharp, compressed, conical form, slightly curved backwards, and is also separated by an empty space of two lines from the first grinder. The first three grinders have a single row of three sharp tubercles, the middle tubercle of each tooth being more than double the length of the two lateral small tubercles : the first grinder is a line and a half distant from the second ; the second is half a line distant from the third; and the base of the third is nearly in contact with the fourth grinder. The four posterior grinders are in close contact, and have each a double row of sharp conical points, the outer and inner rows being separated from each other by a deep longitudinal groove: the outer row consists of three small tubercles, and the inner row of two larger points. On each side of the lower jaw there are three very sharp incisors, projecting more than a line from their alveoli, and much inclined outwards, one conical reverted canine tooth, and seven molares, the first three of which have a single row of points, and the four posterior a double row, as in the upper jaw. The third incisor from the front of the jaw is a double tooth, appearing above the socket like two rather small incisors united on the same neck, and is nearly three lines distant from the canine tooth. The canine is rather smaller, and more obtuse than that of the upper jaw, and is more than two lines distant from the first molaris. The first three molares are shaped like those of the upper jaw, with a long, central, conical tubercle, and a smaller point before and behind : the first is a line distant from the second, the base of the second is nearly in contact with the third, and the base of the third is close to the fourth grinder. The four posterior grinders are in close contact, and have two rows of tubercles separated by a longitudinal groove, but, con- trary to what takes place in the upper jaw, the outer row consists of two large tubercles, and the inner of three smaller points. The teeth of the lower jaw are in general larger than those of the upper, and are placed alternately with regard to them, so that on closing the mouth, the teeth of one jaw fall into the empty spaces and hollows of the opposite jaw; and the whole incisors of the lower jaw fall within those of the upper jaw. The space occupied by the teeth on both jaws, from the front incisor to the posterior grinder, is about one inch and eight lines. ---R. E. G. 10 6 i 2 2 3 . a a a Au PLATE XIII. menn miworm اميره الميه ع الرمال w Carin mmmm CEV D. wer st ♡ Drawn by A. Mosses Liverpool. Engraved by W.H. Lizars Edin (cu o Copybara , on Mitos Tona HYDROCHÆERUS CAPIBARA. ERXLEB. ORDER RODENTIA.-GNAWERS. ORDER GLIRES. Linn..LES RONGEURS. Cuv.--ROSORES. Storr. Characters of the Order.-Two large incisive teeth in each jaw, separated by an empty space from the molars. No canine teeth. Molar teeth either with flat plated crowns, or with a more or less tuberculated surface. The four extremities terminated by unguiculated toes, which vary in number according to the species. Thumb sometimes rudimentary, or obsolete ; never op- posable to the other toes. Number of mammæ variable. Number of mammæ variable. Orbits not separated from the tem- poral fossæ. Lower jaw articulated by a longitudinal condyle. Hinder extremities exceeding the anterior in length. Stomach simple ; intestines very long ; cæcum large * THE HE genera of this Order, among which are included the Beaver, the various species of Rats and Mice, the Marmot, Squirrel, Porcupine, Hare, Rabbit, Guinea Pig, and others, confine themselves chiefly to a vegetable diet, by which I mean not only leguminous plants, but grain, grasses, fruit, nuts, and other productions of the earth. They derive their name of Gnawers from their mode of eating, which consists in reducing their food, by a continuous action of the front teeth, into very small particles, instead of tearing it like the carnivorous tribes, or grinding it by a lateral motion, like the ruminating quadrupeds. In the Rodentia, the lower jaw is so articulated as to admit, in addition to the vertical movement which must necessarily obtain in all the higher ani- mals, of a motion backwards and forwards, but not lateral ; and in fine adaptation to this struc- ture the raised plates of the teeth are placed transversely, so as to act in more direct opposition to the confined horizontal movement of the jaw, thus aiding the power of trituration. Certain species, such as the Earless Marmot (M. citillus, Linn.) are somewhat carnivorous in their dispo- sition, and, in natural accordance with this propensity, have their molar teeth jagged, or more sharply tuberculated than in the other genera. Several of the murine species are omnivorous, and have become colonized in many foreign regions, through the unintentional agency of the human The Common Rat (Mus decumanus) is an eastern animal, unknown in Europe prior to the last century. Even its predecessor the Black Rat (M. Rattus, Linn.) is not described by the an- cients, and seems to have penetrated into Europe during the middle ages. It has lately been near- ly extirpated by the greater species. This order includes most of the hybernating quadrupeds. The Rodentia inhabit all parts of the world, except the numerous islands which compose the different central archipelagoes of the South Seas, where they do not occur as aboriginal. They are animals of timid disposition, and their habits are for the most part nocturnal. race. * The cæcum is entirely wanting in the Dormice, genus Myoxis. P GENUS HYDROCHÆRUS.--THE WATER HOG. GEN. SUS. Linn.--CAVIA. Gmelin.-HYDROCHÆRUS. Erxleb. Cuv. Desm. Characters of the Genus.-Incisive teeth ; ; canine :=:; molar = 20. Incisives very strong, 4 the upper furrowed by a longitudinal groove on their anterior surfaces. The molars are com- posed of simple parallel plates; the innermost tooth on each side of both jaws is as large as the three which precede it combined, and is composed of 12 oblique laminæ, parallel to each other. The other molar teeth are composed of much fewer plates, and are forked or indented on their external margin in the upper jaw, and on the internal margin in the lower jaw. The muzzle is deep and blunt. The ears are rather small and rounded. Fore-feet furnished with four toes; the hinder with three; all webbed, and terminated by strong blunt claws. No tail. Mammæ 12. Fur coarse and thin. The only known species of this genus is THE CAPYBARA, OR WATER-HOG.-HYDROCHÆRUS CAPYBARA. Erxleben * PLATE XIII. SYNONYMS. Sus hydrochærus. Linn.--Cavia capybara. Gmel. Cabiai. Buff.—Thick-nosed Tapir. Pennant. a The general colour of this animal is umber-brown, paler on the under surface. The head is rather large, lengthened, compressed. The nose is round, and the muzzle very blunt, as if trun- cated. The nostrils are nearly circular, their orifices distant. The feet are covered with a black naked skin. The middle toes of the hind feet are much longer than the others. The teeth are large and strong. The fur is extremely coarse. The length of the head and body varies from 3 to 4 feet or upwards. The Capybara is the largest of all the Rodentia. It is a South American animal, of aquatic habits, and abounds in the rivers of the Oroonoko, the Apure, and the Cassiquiaire. They live together in troops of fifty or sixty, and are preyed upon alike by the Jaguar or American Panther and the Crocodile, the one seizing them in the water, the other on the shore. The missionary monks also take advantage of their being amphibious animals, and eat them during Lent along with their turtle. Yet their nature is so prolific, that they continue to dwell in their favourite resorts, and apparently in undiminished numbers, notwithstanding the depredations of such cruel foes. They were observed by HUMBOLDT in all the great rivers, either swimming about like dogs with the head and neck above water, or diving from the surface to escape their pursuers. They possessed the power of remaining under water for eight or ten minutes. These animals are so * The animal named Cabiai éléphantipède by M. GEOFFROY, and described as a Hydrochærus by M. DESMAREST (in the Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat.) has been since recognized as the young of the American Tapir. The Capybara is therefore the sole species. 2 THE CAPYBARA OR WATER-HOG. a numerous in many of the marshes and inundated savannahs of the Llanos as greatly to injure the adjoining pastures. They browze chiefly upon that kind of grass which serves best for fattening horses, called chiguirero or chiguire's grass, and so designated from one of the native names of the Capybara. The flesh is made into hams, and would be less disagreeable, if free from the strong odour of musk with which it is impregnated. The Capybara is a gentle animal, capable of considerable attachment in a state of domestica- tion, and not greatly fearing the human race even in its natural and unreclaimed condition. When MM. HUMBOLDT and BONPLAND landed occasionally near their haunts, they shewed no particular signs of alarm, but sat gazing in tranquillity at the travellers, and moving their upper lip like rabbits. At the sight of a large dog, however, they immediately scampered off in all directions, but with so little rapidity that two of them were easily secured. Their pace consisted of a slight gallop. They can scarcely be said ever to stand upon the defensive, but possessing great natural strength, both in their incisive teeth and grinders, they have been known, in their dying agonies, or when pushed to the last extremity, to inflict so severe a wound as to tear the flesh from the paw of a jaguar, or the leg of a horse. The figures on Plate XIII. were drawn by Mr Mosses of Liverpool, from a full grown female Capybara which lived for some months in that town. On its death it was dissected by Dr TRAILL, who has favoured me with some notes on its internal structure, printed below *, and with a few particular characteristics of its life and manners. Its voice was plaintive, not unlike that of a newly dropped lamb, and seemed very feeble for so large an animal. It loved human society, and frequently hopped up stairs, and entered the bed-rooms in search of the children of the family, whom it readily followed. The length of its hind legs rendered hopping its easiest motion, and it was capable of considerable bounds. It had the power of erecting all its hair after the manner of the hedge-hog, and its black scaly skin then became distinctly visible through the thinly set fur. It ate grass, and all sorts of vegetable matters, but seemed to prefer wheaten bread to other diet. When taken to the water, it swam and dived admirably, remained a long time be- neath the surface, and quitted its favourite element with reluctance. It had a long callus on the heel of the hind foot, but no apparent rudiment of a spurious toe. Its tongue was very small. a * > a row. a * The panniculus carnosus was extremely strong, particularly at the linea alba, and in the groins. It unites with the muscles on the chest intimately. On the linea alba it is so thick as to form a sort of rectus exterior to the true one. The ex- ternal oblique muscle is also very strong, especially at the pubis. Length of the whole intestinal canal 28 feet 4 inches. The duodenum was 5 feet; the jejunum and ilium 20 feet. The cæcum was 4 inches long, and where it joined the other intestines they were much dilated. The colon had very well marked valvulæ conniventes. It had three strong longitudinal muscular bands along its surface, one-fourth of an inch each in breadth. There is an enormous appendix vermiformis, 14 inches long. From the form of the colon, its two extremities lie very near each other. The upper orifice of the colon was very nar- Stomach very large, single, and in shape like the human. The liver had four distinct lobes. The left lobe was very large, long, and entire: the middle lobe was still larger, bifid, and had the gall-bladder attached to its upper surface. The two . other lobes were small, and that nearest to the left side was bifid. The gall-bladder had a knobbed appearance. The spleen was flattened, pyriform, and, in this individual, full of very dark blood. The uterus and Fallopian tubes were very peculiar, resembling those of the spotted Cavy: the tubes were one-fourth of an inch in diameter in general, and half an inch at their ori- gin. The ovaries do not lie so high in the abdomen as in the spotted Cavy, in which they are in contact with the kidneys. The right lung was divided into four lobes, the left lung into two lobes. The right auricle of the heart was of large size. The foramen ovale was not open, and the heart was less muscular than in the spotted Cavy. The tricuspid valve was very strong The larynx was deeply imbedded between the large projecting angles of the lower jaw, and there was a considerable space between the os hyoides and the thyroid cartilage, amounting to three-fourths of an inch when the neck was extended. A pair of rather remarkable muscles arose from the posterior edge of the body of the os hyoides, passed along the sides of the tra- chea, and after meeting on its front, about 3 inches above its entrance into the chest, again separated, and became inserted on each side into the first rib. The cornua of the os hyoides reach very far back. Over the glottis is a small corrugated opening in an elastic membrane, distinct from the general opening into the trachea. Most of the muscles about the larynx are very strong. The body of the os hyoides is very large, and bony, and of an irregular form.-T.S.T. THE CAPYBARA OR WATER-HOG. Its general dimensions were as follows :-Extreme length 3 feet 2 inches. Circumference at the widest part of the body just at the edges of the ribs 1 foot 11 inches ; circumference at the ab- dominal end of the sternum 1 foot 10 inches. The size of another specimen examined by Dr TRAILL was,—Length 4 feet 4 inches : length of the head from the end of the muzzle to the nape of the neck, 11 inches : circumference of the head, 1 foot 9 inches : circumference of the body, 3 feet 2 inches. Height 1 foot 3 inches. The Capybara has been vaguely asserted to prey occasionally upon fish, but I have not been able to satisfy myself of the accuracy of this alleged fact. It is reported by HUMBOLDT, though not from personal knowledge, or observation ; and the ingenious Bewick in his History of Qua- drupeds, has, I believe, figured the Capybara with a dead fish lying before it. a 4 30 SNIO PLATE XVI. ha Drawn by Patrick Syme Eng? by W.H Lizars or Great lie The phins Moodlogar , os Sant Bhi Defiline DELPHINAP TERUS BELUGA. LACEPEDE. f ORDER CETÆ..CETACEOUS ANIMALS. Characters of the Order.--Body fish-shaped, terminated by a cartilaginous expanded appendage or caudal fin, flattened horizontally. No hinder extremities. Fore-legs or anterior members rudimentary, flattened, fin-like. Neck very short and thick ; the cervical vertebræ possessing little power of rotation, or other motion independent of the general movement of the body. Two mammæ. Opening of the ear very small; no external organ of hearing. Skin oily, naked. Habits strictly aquatic. Viviparous. Tuis order, the last of the Class Mammalia, contains those remarkable beings which seem to con- nect land animals or quadrupeds with Fishes, properly so called. In their forms and general as- pect they resemble the latter, but in the structure and functions of all their vital and most im- portant organs they are formed entirely after the model of the higher terrestrial animals. The order is divided into two great Families : 1st, The herbivorous Cetacea, consisting of the Laman- tins, Dugongs, and Stellers; and, 2dly, of the ordinary Cetacea, including the Dolphins, Narwals, and Whales. With the exception of the Lamantins, which occasionally repose on the banks of rivers, none of the genera of this order ever leave their native element. The members of the first Family (excepting the Stellers, which are northern animals) are only found in equatorial regions ; those of the second occur in almost every quarter of the globe, although the greater Whales pre- fer the vicinity of the polar circle. Among the Whales, Cachalots, and Dolphins or Porpoises, the head has little or no power of movement independent of the rest of the body; but it is otherwise with the Dugongs and Laman- tins, both of which tribes exert a separate movement of that organ. It has been well observed, that if the nostrils of the ordinary Cetacea had been placed, as in the rest of the Mammalia, at the extremity of the muzzle, the inflexibility of the cervical region would have rendered a per- pendicular position of the whole body necessary, whenever the animal had occasion to respire. To avoid this inconvenience, the opening of the respiratory organs is therefore placed either on the vertex, or frontal portion of the head, and in such a position as to enable the function of the or- gans to be performed without interfering with the progress of the animal while pursuing its prey, or fleeing from an enemy. The spouting or forcible projection of water from the blow-holes of the whale, which forms so remarkable a feature in the scenery of the northern regions, appears to be connected less with the act of respiration than with that of deglutition. As often as a great ce- taceous animal opens its enormous jaws, its mouth of course immediately fills with water; but it is only the fish, fuci, or small marine animals “ unsafe within the wave of such commotion,” that are actually swallowed. The water itself, which, in a true fish, would have escaped behind the gill- covers by the branchial openings, is in the Cetacea partly regurgitated, and partly made to pass up- wards as it were through the roof of the mouth, and, by a peculiar and very admirable mechanism, is thrown out by the blow-holes on the top of the head. When the animal breathes on the sur- face, à moist vapour, mixed with mucus, is exhaled ; but no water is thrown up, unless the expi- ration be made beneath the waves, or the creature itself is either in a sportive mood, or under the influence of rage or terror. The senses of the Cetácea, though wisely adapted to their well-being, are obtuse. The sense а 4 ORDER CETÆ. a of smell, though existing in the larger Whales, is doubtful in the Cachalots and Dolphins, among which, however, according to TREVIRANUS, an extremely small olfactory nerve does exist, al- though apparently in a rudimentary and inefficient state. The tongue being almost immove- able, and composed in great part of a fat unctuous substance, intermingled at the base and centre with muscular fibre, and apparently destitute of nervous papillæ, it has been naturally concluded that the sense of taste was dull in the cetaceous tribes. This may also be inferred from the fact, that they swallow their food without mastication, as if insensible to the pleasures of taste, and intent solely on the nourishment of their gigantic frames. This observation does not apply to the first family, which are masticating animals. The sense of touch is delicate in the snout of the Lamantin, but is said to be very dull in almost all the other genera : yet we know that a whale immediately descends into the deep should even a wandering sea-bird alight upon its huge extent, “ deeming some island oft, as seamen tell.” The villous surface or nervous papillæ of the cutis cannot be traced, at least in the Marsouin, or larger Porpoise ; and in that same species, according to Ant. DESMOULINS, there is no apparent mucous membrane interposed between the epidermis and the true skin. It has, however, been repeatedly observed, and more than once de- scribed, by Captain (now the Reverend) W. SCORESBY, as very obvious in whales. It is usually of a shining silvery white colour on the lower surface of most of these aquatic Mammalia ; and the epidermis or outer skin is generally covered by an oily humour, which prevents the mace- rating effect of constant immersion. The sense of sight is tolerably acute. The number of ribs differs considerably in the different genera; but the size of the pectoral cavity, which depends upon the amount of ribs, and usually indicates the extent of the lungs, does not appear to bear any relation to the power of long continued submersion. For example, the Dolphins have from 11 to 12 pair of ribs; the true Whales from 12 to 15; the Cachalots 14; the Lamantins 15; and the Dugongs 18. The habits of the last-named animal (no doubt the origin of the Mermaid) are still obscure, but we know that while the whale can remain voluntarily submerged for nearly half an hour, the Lamantin requires to breathe every few minutes. The latter is the only one of the order provided with nails. In regard to the regimen of the Cetacea, some are herbivorous, as the Lamantins, Dugongs and Stellers, and present a digestive system allied in its nature to that of ruminating animals; others, again, such as the Dolphins and Cachalots, are carnivorous, preying upon fish and various living creatures ; while a third tribe, among which are the true Whales and Narwals, affect a miscellane- ous diet, and feed alike on marine plants and molluscous and other animals. The size of the greater Cetacea has been much exaggerated. LACEPEDE believes that the Greenland Whale (B. mysticetus) has sometimes attained the length of 100 metres, that is, about 328 feet. This is certainly an error. The length of the adult appears to vary from 50 to 65 feet ; and out of 322 individuals of which Mr SCORESBY has witnessed the capture, the greatest was only 58 feet long. The Gibbar or Razor-back Whale (B. physalis) is probably the longest of living creatures. An animal of this species found dead in Davis' Straits measured 105 feet; but it is a dangerous animal to attack, and yields an oil of inferior quality. A well conditioned whale of large dimensions weighs about 70 tons, of which the blubber weighs 30, the bones of the head, whalebone, fins and tail, 8 or 10, and the rest of the carcase from 30 to 32. A very rich whale will sometimes yield 30 tons of pure oil-a valuable capture, when (as in 1813) the article brought £55 or £60 per ton. The milk of the whale is rich and well flavoured, and resembles that of a quadruped. The number of pints yielded per day has never been ascertained * -а * The horny substance called whalebone, is taken from the mouth of the great Greenland whale, which it serves as a substitute for teeth. It is so disposed on both sides of the upper jaw as to act as a filter, and thus secures the food of the whale, by sepa- ORDER CETÆ. a a a I think it probable that these animals at certain seasons frequent reservoirs or great central basins within the icy barrier of the polar circles, which answer the purpose of preserves or breed- ing-places, and have not yet been intruded upon by our “ marine worthies.” In fact the number killed annually is so great, as to render some such provision necessary for the continuance of the species. During the four years ending with the summer of 1817, the amount of whales killed by the British Greenland ships was 3508, and by those of the Davis' Straits fishery 1522,-in all 5030 whales. The average length of time occupied in the capture of a whale does not exceed an hour. There are instances recorded of their yielding their lives to the lances of active men within the period of fifteen minutes from the throwing of the first harpoon, while others have effected their escape after a continued and bloody combat of sixteen hours. The conduct of these animals when struck varies greatly, not only in the different kinds, but in different individuals of the same spe- cies. Some die very peaceably, while others have been known to descend furiously a perpendicu- lar mile in depth, and with such tremendous force as to fracture their skulls at the bottom of the ocean. As a cetaceous animal cannot breathe under water any more than an antelope of the de- sert, it sometimes happens that a whale on being harpooned continues its downward course so long as to become too much exhausted to re-ascend, and in that case it dies by being drowned, like a land animal. The power of long continued submersion is, however, very remarkable in this order. A whale, when uncontrolled, generally remains about two minutes at the surface, and from five to fifteen or twenty minutes beneath the waves; but it has been asserted on good authority, that a case has occurred of a wounded whale being dragged up alive, after having been an hour and a half continuously under water. This is a singular fact in the history of a warm-blooded ani- mal, furnished with lungs and a complete circulation, and is probably connected with some pecu- liarity in the vascular system, which is provided with what may be called supernumerary sinuses, capable of receiving the flow of blood, and preventing for a time its accumulation on the brain and other vital organs * The change in the geographical location of the greater whales, whether occasioned by an al- teration in climate, or the disturbing influence of man, has been an object of dispute among natu- ralists. There is no doubt that the human race has contributed in a considerable degree to in- fluence the distribution even of marine animals, over which it might be supposed such influence would least extend. The Gold-fish, a native of China, first brought to Europe by the Dutch as a mercantile speculation, now peoples the waters of our pleasure-grounds, and has in fact become of so hardy a nature that Host, a naturalist of Vienna, finds by experiment that it may be restored to life and activity after having been frozen up in a mass of solid ice. It is believed that in for- mer times the shark tribe were almost entirely confined within the tropics, and that whales abounded in the seas of the temperate zones. Those hardy voyagers, who, following the courses of GAMA and COLUMBUS, familiarized themselves with the passage of the line and the tropics, were amazed by the prodigious strength and ferocity of the shark among other thitherto unknown won- ders of the deep. These animals, however, had the sagacity to discover that the vessels of which a a а rating the minute marine animals from the medium in which they swim. A peculiar adipocirous matter, commonly called sper- maceti, is found in a fluid state in certain cavities of the cranium in the Cachalots (Ph. macrocephalus, LACEF.); and the substance known by the name of ambergris, long regarded by many famous chemists as a kind of petroleum or mineral oil, is now known to be an animal production, which has its origin in the intestinal canal of these Cetacea. The above are the principal economical products of the whale tribe. * For a more detailed account of the Cetacea, see LACEPEDE's Hist. de Cet. ; BONATERRE'S Cetalogie (in Encyc. Meth.); Cuvier's Ossem. Foss. 2d édit.; the articles Baleine, Dauphin, Cetacés, &c. in the Dict. Class. d'Hist. Nat, ; Mr SCORESBY'S Account of the Arctic Regions; and DESMAREST'S Mammalogie, S DELPHINAPTERUS. they were at first afraid, not only cast from them various rejectamenta, but also bore along with them human beings subject to disease and death, of whom their native element frequently be- came the tomb; and thus following fleets as vultures follow armies, they visibly increased the ex- tent of their original domains. Vessels dealing in the horrible traffic of slaves have been observed to be especially followed by these all-devouring tyrants of the sea. It was in the Mediterranean that the ancients observed the whale; and among the earliest fisheries of that valuable animal were those established by the Basques and Biscayans on the shores of Portugal and Aquitaine. It has since retired to very high northern latitudes, where it is followed by numerous squadrons, and seeks in vain, even among polar icebergs, for that security which it is said to have once en- joyed in more genial climes * GENUS DELPHINAPTERUS. Lacepede. GENUS DELPHINUS. Linnæus. а Characters of the Genus.—Head obtuse, rounded ; muzzle not prolonged into the form of a beak. Teeth in both jaws; their number moderate. No dorsal fin. a The great genus Delphinus of LINNÆUS combined a multitude of animals which, while they possess many characters in common, exhibit at the same time such strongly marked distinctions as authorize their separation into several genera. This has accordingly been effected in our own times, and six divisions have been established, which I shall here enumerate, with the addition of a species as typical of each genus. 1st, Delphinorynchus (the Gangetic Dolphin); 2d, Delphinus (the common Porpoise); 3d, Oxypterus (Mongitori's Dolphin): 4th, Phocæna (the Marsouin, D. phocæna, Linn.); 5th, Delphinapterus (the Beluga); and, 6th, Heterodon (the Anarnak). These genera are distinguished from each other chiefly by the shape of the head, the form and extent of the muzzle, the existence of a dorsal fin, and the number of the teeth. These last organs were of no use in characterizing the original genus Delphinus, as they were found to vary from – to 60 =50, that is, from none to 200; and even with the more precise restriction of recent times consi- derable confusion has arisen, in describing the amount of teeth in these animals, by assuming the state of an individual, which varies with age, for that of the species. In several cetaceous animals the teeth drop out at an early period; and a very remarkable circumstance has been observed in the Dugong (Halicore of ILLIGER), the young of which possesses more than twice as many teeth as the adult animal. The brain in the Dolphin tribe is very fully developed †. - I am aware that the word Knon (Cetus), was used by the ancient writers with much of the same generality of application as the term Whall or Whale now is by the Teutonic tribes. These names seem to indicate, with scarcely any specific meaning, various animals of the cetaceous order, from the Porpoise to the Physeter. Many have hence concluded that we are unautho- rised to infer that the commercial genius and activity of mankind have driven the greater whales from the sunny shores of the Mediterranean, and the other southern coasts of Europe, or produced more than a very partial change in the geographical dis- tribution of these ice-haunting animals. This is the opinion expressed by M. NOEL DE LA Moriniere in his Histoire des Peches." 66 + It is scarcely necessary to observe, that I use the English word Dolphin as synonymous with the Greek Asa@is, the Latin Delphinus, and the French Dauphin, and as correctly applied to designate a great family of cetaceous animals, to which the classical Dolphin of antiquity most assuredly belonged. But the “ Dolphin, with its many dying hues," of modern writers, par- ticularly poets, belongs to another class of the animal kingdom. It is a true fish, of the genus Coryphæna ; and no fault can be imputed to the naturalist, if the general misapplication of the name of Dolphin now occasions any misconception. There is no doubt, however, that the animal beloved by gods and men, the Hieros Ichthys of the heroic Greeks, and the revered symbol of the Delphic Apollo, was nothing more than a pellock or porpoise, THE BELUGA OR GREAT WHITE DOLPHIN. THE BELUGA, OR GREAT WHITE DOLPHIN.-DELPHINAPTERUS BELUGA. Lacepede. PLATE XVI. SYNONYMS. Balæna albicans. Linn.--Delphinus albicans. Fabr.-Delphinus leucas. Gmel.-White Whale of the Fishers. arms. For nearly three months during the spring and summer of 1815, a small and beautifully form- ed White Whale was observed to inhabit the Frith of Forth, passing upwards almost every day with the tide, and returning again with the ebbing of the waters. It excited great attention by the purity of its colour, and frequent attempts were made to slay or secure it, but without effect, till the 7th of June, when it was killed in the river near Stirling, by means of spears and fire- It was purchased by Mr ROBERT BALD of Alloa, and kindly transmitted by him to Pro- fessor Jameson, and on examination was found to be the Beluga of naturalists. It measured 13 feet 4 inches in length in a straight line, and 14 feet 5 inches from the tip of the upper jaw to the end of the lobe of the tail, following the dorsal outline. Its circumference near the eyes and blow-holes was 4 feet 4 inches ; a little in front of the fins, 7 feet 2 inches; and almost imme- diately behind the fins, at the thickest part of the body, 8 feet 11 inches. “ The shape of the animal,” Mr NEILL observes," was highly symmetrical, and at once suggested the idea of perfect adaptation to rapid progressive motion in the water. It resembled generally a double cone, one end of which was considerably shorter than the other. The head was small and lengthened; but over the forehead, as in the narwhal and porpoise, was a thick round cushion of flesh and fat: the body continued to swell as far as the pectoral fins; and from this point gradually diminished to the setting on of the tail, or organ of motion. On the middle of the back, as in other whales, , there was a longitudinal ridge, partly bony (cartilaginous ?), partly soft *.” There were six broad and blunt teeth on each side of the under jaw. In the upper jaw there were nine on each side, but none immediately in front, and the three backmost were sharp, and without any to co correspond with them in the lower jaw. The colour of the whole animal was cream-white. The mouth was small in proportion to the size of the body. The eyes did not exceed those of man; and no visible external ear could be discovered. In regard to the integuments, the epi- dermis was of the thickness of common writing-paper. Beneath it was a soft substance of the consistence of new cheese. It was formed of two layers of equal thickness, not easily separable, but distinguished by their colour. When taken together they measured in thickness rather more than one-third of an inch. Of these two layers, the one next to the epidermis was white, and did not exhibit either a fibrous or a membranous structure: the one beneath, of a darker hue, dis- played both. These substances occupied a place corresponding to that which is assigned to the rete mucosum, and which, Dr BARCLAY observes, is in the negro also divisible into two layers. a a * Detailed notes on its external form and internal structure were taken by Mr NEILL and Dr BARCLAY, and may be found in the 3d volume of the Wernerian Society's Memoirs. THE BELUGA OR GREAT WHITE DOLPHIN. The cutis or true skin, was thick and strong, and beneath it lay a stratum of blubber some inches thick, resembling in appearance the green fat of the common turtle. The stomach was quadruple : the intestines measured 28} yards in length, and there was neither colon nor cæcum. If the nerves ramified upon the spiracula were accessory to the sense of smell, they bore no resemblance either in their origin or distribution to the olfactory nerves of other animals. The Beluga is a northern animal, of gregarious habits, not uncommon in the Arctic Seas near Disco Island, and off the coasts of Spitzbergen. According to Mr SCORESBY, it is seldom seen among the ice, as it prefers smooth and open waters, and rarely occurs in a lower latitude than that of Jan Mayen’s Land. Sir CHARLES GIESECKE' states (see article Greenland in the Edinburgh Encyclopædia), that herds of Belugas appear along the coasts of West Greenland every year about the end of November. According to most authors, the young are mottled with various dusky hues. Captain Lyon, however, from ocular observation, has lately informed us that they are of a slaty hue. Two of these were cast ashore in the Pentland Frith in the autumn of 1793, and were seen and examined by an ingenious observer, the late Colonel IMRIE. According to Crantz, the flesh of the Beluga is as red as beef, and tastes almost like it. The external colour probably varies, as some seen by Mr SCORESBY were yellowish, approaching to orange. They are gregarious, and usually assemble in small herds or families of five or ten toge- ther. The characteristic number of teeth in this species does not seem to have been ascertained. Cuvier states “ neuf dents partout,” by which I presume he means nine on each side of both jaws; but the specimen above described agreed more nearly with the account given by CRANTZ, “ for I counted in each of the under jaws six broad ones, and in one upper jaw eight, and in the other nine, a little bent inwards and hollowed out, exactly to suit those beneath. But the three hindermost in the upper jaw, that have none to match them in the under, are only sharp pegs 66 * History of Greenland, vol. i. P. 114. low AL PLATE IL Rice Finch Falcon of Bengal Drawi by James Wilson Engraved by W... Lizars FALCO COERULESCENS LINN. CLASS AVES. ORDER I. ACCIPITRES *. -BIRDS OF PREY. Characters of the Order.—Bill strong, compressed, hooked at the extremity, sharp-pointed; upper mandible covered at the base by a membrane called the Cere. NOSTRILS open. Toes four, rough underneath, armed with sharp, curved, prehensile talons. Disposition carnivorous. Habits for the most part solitary, monogamous. GENUS FALCO. Linnaeus. Characters of the Genus.—Bill more or less curved; upper mandible strongly hooked at the ex- tremity. Nostrils oval or rounded, and pierced in the cere, which is usually naked. HEAD feathered. EYE-BRow projecting. Legs short, or of moderate length; talons much arched, very sharp, retractile. Tus extensive Genus has been divided by some continental naturalists into many genera ; but as the characters on which these are attempted to be founded are for the most part trivial and ill-defined, and in all cases seem to require revisal and amendment, to free them from certain in- consistencies which render their application difficult, and sometimes impossible, I prefer, for the present, an adherence to the ancient system, with modifications. A more judicious method con- sists in dividing the Linnean genus Falco into Nine great Sections, seven of which, viz. Falcons, properly so called --JER-FALCONS-EAGLES,—Hawks, or short-winged Falcons,—HARRIERS, or Ground Hawks,-BUZZARDS, or Sluggard Hawks--and Kites, or Fork-tailed Hawks,occur in Europe, and, with the exception of the Jer-falcon, now confined to the highest northern latitudes, are indeed more or less common to almost all parts of the world: the other two, termed CARACARA * It would be incompatible with the nature and object of this work, to enter into a detailed view of the principles of Classifi- cation, or of Systematic Arrangement; yet, as I am anxious to render it generally interesting, and it may, by possibility, be the means of inducing some who have hitherto been but slightly conversant even with the simpler elements of Natural History, to devote a few leisure hours to their acquirement, it is my intention, at an early period, to present a series of Tabular Views of the Classification of Animals, for the luminous exposition of which, the unusual size of the paper on which the work is printed, affords a material advantage. By an attentive perusal of such Tables, the knowledge of the comparative value or importance, and consequently of the true signification, of the terms by which the greater or lesser groups into which the different classes of the animal kingdom are divisible, will be more readily acquired, than by any other means. Thus, in the examination of a bird, for example a Sparrow-Hawk, or subject belonging to the Class Aves, before we arrive at a knowledge of the species, which is the final term, we perceive, from characters which it possesses in common with many hundred others, that it belongs to the Or- der ACCIPITRES, including all birds of prey. A further and more detailed inspection exhibits characters of less importance in relation to the primary functions of the animal, and which apply to a more limited number; these would bring us to the genus, in the case supposed called Falco: in combination with such characters as strictly apply to the whole of the genus, will be found others of less general application, and from these, according to the principles by which the views of the observer are di- rected, will be formed, either a section or subgenus, distinguished, in the former case, by a number, asterisk, or other typogra- phical sign,-in the latter, by a name expressive for the most part of some distinguishing character; and, lastly, having thus restricted the group to a comparatively small number of subjects, which generally agree in habits and economy, but differ in a FALCO. and CYMINDIS, are peculiar to South America. It is with the first of these Sections that we are now concerned, distinguishable from the others by the following combination of characters : SECTION I. FALCONS, PROPERLY SO CALLED. Bill short, thick, bent from its base; the upper mandible strongly toothed, the under one notched. Wings, having the first primary quill-feather long, but exceeded by the second, which is the longest of all. a The numerous species by which this section is constituted, though rarely adorned by those brilliant colours which characterise many of the gentler tribes, are perhaps of all the feathered race the most remarkable for beauty of form, and elegance of proportion. Their eyes are usually large and lustrous; their limbs, though light, very strong and muscular, and well armed with four sharp-pointed talons, with which they pounce their prey. Their general aspect, when compared with that of other birds, is well expressed by the word noble; and a single glance suffices to shew, that a combination of fierceness, energy, and courage, must form their predominating character. Like most other animals, however, whether human or brute, they are sensible to kind treatment; and their instinctive sagacity, when directed by the skill and perseverance of man, has for ages been rendered subservient to his amusement in the sports of the field. The noble art of Falconry, whether from the progress of agriculture, and the consequent mi- nuter subdivision of land, and the increase of barriers by the fencing of inclosed grounds, or the taste of men of rank and fortune having followed in another direction, has now almost entirely fallen into disuse. The species most generally trained for the purpose in this country, and I pre- sume throughout the British dominions, appears to have been the Peregrine Falcon ; at least the nestlings sent up annually within the period of my own recollection to the Scotch Court of Ex- chequer, as a presentation to the Barons for the use of his Majesty, by the person who still retains the ancient office of Under Falconer, were the young of that species. The beautiful and well- trained pair of falcons which lately bore their part in the splendid ceremonies which graced the Coronation of his present Majesty, were also of the kind called Peregrine; and one of these may have been seen by many of my readers, during the King's visit to Scotland, adorned by its fantas- tic hood and tinkling bells, in the streets of Edinburgh, faithfully perched on the steady arm of the venerable JOHN ANDERSON, that almost solitary remnant of the true Accipitrum Curator. The sporting name by which it was designated, was that of " slicht Faucon gentle," a corrobora- tive proof that the Falco gentilis (as I have elsewhere stated *), must in many cases be regarded as synonymous with the Falco peregrinus of naturalists. These particulars, though unconnected with the species represented on Plate II., are mentioned at present, because I have frequently ob- size, shape, colour, or some such superficial characters, it is by a careful consideration of these last distinctions that the name and nature of the object investigated, in other words the species (Falco nisus), is ascertained. Great contrariety of opinion exists among modern naturalists, in regard to the number of successive groups into which a primary division is ultimately resolvable, and many have adopted a much more involved series than that glanced at above. In regard to Entomology, for example, the highly-gifted Mr KIRBY (to whom, in conjunction with Mr SPENCE, his favourite department of science stands indebted for by far the best exposition of its doctrines which exists in any language), is of opinion, that in descending from the most general to the most restricted term, a greater number of denominations is necessary to express the series of groups, gradually dimi- nishing in value, which so often present themselves, than has been hitherto in use. He therefore proposes the following steps by which to descend from the Class INSECTA to a particular insect, viz. Order, Sub-order, Section, Sub-section, Tribe, Sub- tribe, Stirps, Family, Genus, Sub-genus, Species. In the Tables which are in preparation, I hope to be able to adopt a some- what simpler plan. * Wernerian Society's Memoirs, vol. ii. p. 587. 1 FALCO. * served, that from the entirely different phraseology made use of by the respective parties, those who are either mere sportsmen or mere naturalists, seldom understand each other, when opinions are attempted to be interchanged regarding the manageable kinds of Hawk, especially the species in question; and as the practice of falconry will, in all probability, be spoken of by the rising ge- neration in this country as an ancestral amusement, the opportunities which yet occur of identi- fying the species ought neither to be lost sight of nor passed over in silence The geographical distribution of the Falconide, considered in their generality, is universal, one or more kinds being found in all known countries, from Spitzbergen to New Holland; and seve- ral species, such, for example, as the Goshawk (F. palumbarius), have a very wide range across the whole northern and temperate parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Most of them are, to a certain extent, migratory in their habits, although their movements are by no means so regu- larly periodical as are those of more laborious wing. In fact, the birds of this family, surpassing all others both in the duration and rapidity of their flight, are scarcely amenable to those natural laws which, in so many instances, appear to regulate the position of other tribes ; and hence we find, that if a mural precipice, an insulated crag, the mouldering wall of a ruined castle, or the tortuous branch of some ancient and umbrageous forest tree, has been successfully sought for in spring, as a secure retreat for the purposes of nidification, and the rearing of their young, the other seasons of the year are usually spent in a life of wandering rapine. When we consider the facts which have been recorded of the flight of hawks, the migratory movements of birds in gene- ral become much less a subject of wonder (excepting always the beautiful instinct by which they are directed) than they would at first appear. To illustrate this, a few authentic instances, out of many which I have collected, may be here briefly narrated. a a * I am indebted for the following interesting historical details to the polite attention of Sir HENRY JARDINE, his Majesty's Remembrancer in Exchequer : It appears that the Kings of this country have been in use to appoint an officer since the Union (and perhaps for a long period prior thereto), styled the Under Falconer, with a salary of £ 50 per annum, with the perquisites, casualties and profits formerly paid by his Majesty's chamberlains, vassals, heritors, and others, within the Islands of Orkney and Shetland, as the same were formerly paid, according to use and wont. This officer has usually appointed a servant or deputy to go to Ork- ney annually, and bring up, two, three, four, or more cast of Hawks, of different species, for his Majesty's use. They are pre- sented to the Barons, who grant them to such persons as may apply therefor, or permit the Falconer to dispose of them as he thinks fit. For some few years past, the Falconer has requested the Barons to dispense with the delivery of the hawks. The earliest document examined by Sir HENRY JARDINE respecting the office of Falconer, is a copy of a royal warrant granted by Queen Mary and King Henry, dated the 27th of April 1566, directed to the Comptroller, and setting forth, that it had been the ancient custom, observed of long time, for the Falconer to go yearly to Orkney and Shetland, and other northern counties, to bring home hawks, and that their Majesties had sent the Falconers that same year. They therefore required the Comptroller to pay their accustomed expences, and also to order that they shall be readily and thankfully answered of their ac- customed duties, &c. Another warrant, of the same date, was directed to the Comptroller, Clerk and Treasurer, to pay to the falconers who were to proceed to Orkney to bring home the hawks, the sum of £ 20 in part of their expences. An act of the Privy Council, bearing date the 11th May 1577, sets forth, That the King's hawks in old times had been well kept within the bounds of Orkney and Shetland, but that they were destroyed of late years, and that the servants and fal- coners who repaired there for the hawks had been ill-treated by those who in old times were wont to give them assistance. His Majesty therefore ordained officers of arms to make proclamation in Orkney and Shetland, that none of the inhabitants destroy the hawks, but do answer and obey the falconers, and shew them favour, furtherance, and good entertainment in meat, drink, ferry, freight, and otherwise, in their coming, remaining, and departing. In more modern times, however, it appears that the Falconer received, and at present receives, from the earldom of Ork- ney, an yearly sum of £ 26:12:9 on account of hawks, perhaps for expences in going for them, and maintaining them. The Falconer also claims and has a right to receive a reek-hen from every house that reeks within the islands of Orkney and Shet- land, for the maintenance of the hawks, and on account of the expence of bringing them to Edinburgh. This appears applications made to the Barons, particularly one on 19th February 1743, and another on 15th March 1751, by the Under Falconer, setting forth his claim to the hens, when the Barons recommended the Steward of Orkney and Shetland, and his de- puties, to give him ready assistance and concurrence in levying the said hens. I am farther informed, that, in the bill for disannexing the Earldom of Orkney from the Crown, there is a clause stipulating 66 That all hawks be reserved to his Majesty, with the Falconer's salaries, according to ancient custom.” a from a FALCO. course. a À falcon belonging to HENRY II. of France having been carried to Fontainbleau, made its escape, and was retaken next day in the Island of Malta, where it was recognised by the rings on its legs. According to Colonel MONTAGU, it must have flown with “ a velocity equal to 57 miles Montagu an hour, supposing it to have been on wing the whole time. But as such birds never fly by night, and allowing the day to have been at the longest, or containing 18 hours of light, this would make 75 miles an hour. It is probable, however, that it neither had so many hours of light in the twenty- four to perform the journey, nor that it was retaken the moment of its arrival; so that we may fairly conclude that much less time was occupied in performing that distant flight.” Another fal- con having been sent from the Canary Islands to the Duke of LERMOS, then in Andalusia, was found in the Island of Teneriffe sixteen hours after it had taken its flight from Spain. In regard to this instance, the calculation is more simple, and less likely to prove erroneous, because, sup- posing the bird to have followed any thing like a direct course, its flight from the coast of Anda- lusia to Teneriffe would lie throughout over the waters of the ocean, and must therefore have been continuous. Now, the distance being not less than 752 miles, that space, divided by 16, the number of hours employed, gives a flight of 47 miles an hour, on an average, for the whole At this rate, if a falcon were to leave the Palace of the Dey of Algiers on a Monday morning at 4 o'clock, it might perch on the roof of our Museum on the forenoon of Tuesday, by about 25 minutes past 11, having, during the journey, enjoyed eight hours of intermediate repose. According to Colonel THORNTON, of sporting celebrity, a falcon, in pursuit of a snipe, flies at the rate of nine miles in eleven minutes, without estimating the numerous turns; and MONTAGU is of opinion, that many birds, when exerting themselves to the utmost, fly at a rate of not less than 150 miles per hour. Even a sparrow has been calculated to fly at the rate of 30 miles in an hour; and Major CARTWRIGHT appears to have ascertained, by frequent experiments, that, during the same short period, the flight of an eider-duck is equal to 90 miles. The common kite (Falco Mil- vus) has been observed to pass, without great exertion, over a space of a quarter of a league in a minute, and it could fly with ease from Cape Wrath to the Land's End in a single day, were an instinctive tendency so to do combined with the physical power of which it is actually possessed. It appears probable, therefore, that the most extended migratory movement which any species is called upon to accomplish, may, in the greater number of cases, be performed in a couple of days, --more frequently, in the course of a few hours * Many Falcons and Hawks, the plumage of which is barred or transversely marked in the adult state, are longitudinally spotted whilst immature; and I have met with no instance of any spe- cies, whose colouring, on attaining maturity, is longitudinally disposed, being characterized in youth by transverse markings. The barred appearance of the plumage is a sure sign of at least a consi- derable advance towards perfection, and the want of it in individuals of a species which is known to be at any time characterized by it, is as sure a proof of immaturity. a * My intelligent friend Mr AUDU BON of Louisiana, whose magnificent collection of ornithological drawings has lately excited such general interest in Edinburgh, has communicated to me a singular fact relating to the powers of flight of the Passenger Pigeon of America. He has shot that bird during his hunting excursions through the forests, and on dissection found its sto- mach full of fresh rice, which, to have resisted the digestive process, must have been swallowed not many hours preceding its death, but could not have been obtained within eight hundred miles of the place where it was killed. 2 FALCO THE FINCH FALCON OF BENGAL-FALCO CRULESCENS. Linn. PLATE II. SYNONYMS. Falco Bengalensis. Brisson. Falco Fringillarius. Dict. Class. d'Hist. Nat. a Frontal feathers of the head, a stripe from the posterior angle of the eye-brow in the direction of the shoulders, throat and breast, white; lower part of the breast, belly, under tail-coverts, and frontal feathers of the thighs, pale ferruginous ; a patch on the cheek, whole upper parts of the head, body, wings and tail, black, with blue reflections; sides of the body and lateral thigh feathers, also black; inner webs of the primary quills, and of the tail feathers, with the exception of the superincumbent central ones, barred with white. There are a few small white spots, which seem to vary in number, on the outer webs of some of the quill-feathers. Legs and feet bluish-black. Dimensions as on Plate II. This elegant little Falcon, the smallest of all the accipitrine birds of prey, is a native of Ben- gal, Java, and the isles of Sunda. Those from the continental parts of Asia are asserted to be larger than such as occur in the islands; and, like other birds, they also vary in plumage, according to age and sex. In the adult state, the male is described as having the front orange; and the other white parts in both sexes are said to be more or less deeply tinged with that colour. The speci- mens figured on Plate II. are therefore either females, or young males in a state of adolescence, from their extremely small size probably the latter,--at least if the general rule, in conformity with which the male falcon is considerably less than the female, holds good in regard to this par- ticular species. M. TEMMINCK has given a representation of it in his Planches Coloriées (No. 93.), and it is also figured in Mr HORSFIELD's Zoological Researches, though neither has succeeded in conveying a true idea of the peculiar elegance of the bird in question. With the hope of effect- ing this, as well as to exhibit the species in a state of plumage in which it has not yet publicly appeared, I have added Plate II. to the general stock. It is said by M. TEMMINCK to feed on insects; but from the strongly toothed bill, and mus- cular limbs, there is reason to believe that it does not confine itself to such humble game, but al- so attacks and overpowers many species of the gentler tribes, equal or superior to itself in size, though inferior in strength and courage. Indeed, Mr HORSFIELD states, that it was described to him in the eastern parts of Java, as displaying uncommon boldness in the pursuit of small birds. D PLATE XVIII. ass Pru 29 Engraved by W. H. Lizars. Drawn by James Wilson. PHIBALURA FLAVIROSTRIS. TEM. O NIV x GENUS PHIBALURA. Vieillot. Characters of the Genus.—Bill short and strong, rather conical, broad at the base, somewhat dilated laterally, slightly notched. Upper mandible arched and carinated. Nostrils basal, lateral, nearly concealed by feathers. Mouth wide. WINGS pointed. TaiL very long, and much forked. THE YELLOW-BILLED PHIBALURA.-PHIBALURA FLAVIROSTRIS. PLATE XVIII. SYNONYMS. Pipra chrysopogon. Berlin Museum.-Phibalura cristata. Swainson. Zool. Ill. pl. 31. a This bird measures from 8 to 9 inches in length. The wings are long and pointed; the tail is also long and forked, like that of a swallow. In respect to colours, the upper parts of the head are deep lead colour, varied on the occiput by a few elongated feathers of black and red. The chin and cheeks are gamboge-yellow, and there is a patch of elongated black feathers beneath each eye. The ground colour of the breast is white, each feather bearing one or more black circular bars. The lower parts, and under tail-coverts, are yellow and white, with black spots. The thighs are whitish. The back of the neck is bluish-grey. The back, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts are singularly and beautifully varied with olive-green at the base, black in the centre, and yellow at the extremity. The wing-coverts are blackish-green. The tail-feathers are of an obscure black, with a considerable portion of yellowish-green on their outer webs, with the exception of the la- teral feathers, which are altogether black. The bill and legs are pale yellow. This beautiful South American bird is a local species, which appears to occur chiefly in the mining districts of Brazil. Mr SWAINSON informs me that he never met with it during his tra- vels in the northern provinces, such as Bahia, Pernambuco, &c. He has since seen what was said to be the female (or young bird ?) in which the yellow on the throat was wanting, and the gene- ral colour more obscure. It has lately become less uncommon in European collections, in conse- . quence of recent importations, and two fine specimens were some time ago transmitted to the Edinburgh Museum. These do not in all respects coincide with the figure and description given by Mr SWAINSON. The wing-coverts, instead of being black, are almost entirely green, and there is no appearance of a crest. These differences, however, probably result from a disparity in re- spect to age, and do not infer a specific distinction. There is no other species of this genus. The position of Phibalura in the ornithological system does not appear to have been clearly ascertained. The form and structure of the bill induce the belief that it feeds on fruits and berries. It is, however, placed by M. TEMMINCK among the Insectivori, as intermediate between the genus Procnias and that of Pipra. The truth is, that all small birds or Passeres, are insectivorous du- THE YELLOW-BILLED PHIBALURA. ring the greater part of the summer season, and feed their callow nestlings almost exclusively on insects. The tender-billed birds are more dependent on that kind of food than the rest, and it is consequently among them that we find the greater proportion of our migratory species ; for as the increasing chillness of autumn depopulates the busy world of insects, so our finest songsters (the familiar Red-breast forming a delightful exception), take then their departure for other climes, not so much by reason of the immediate influence of cold upon themselves, as because they find their accustomed food becoming daily less abundant. Such of the insectivorous tribes as remain with us throughout the year, combine, during the winter season, the graminivorous diet with their more favourite food, just as the hard-billed species sustain themselves during spring and summer by the capture of insects, in addition to the seeds of various plants. In tropical countries, where the seasons are less marked, and the death-like torpidity of our northern winters is unknown, this periodical change of food may probably not obtain, or be less perceptible in its occurrence; but as we know that over a great part of the globe, it is true that for one portion of the year most insect-eating birds feed on seeds, and that for another portion of the year all seed-eating birds feed on insects, we may be permitted to doubt the propriety of dividing the great body of the Passerine species into two branches, under the names of Insectivores and Granivores. I am aware that the terms applied to the greater divisions of natural history ought not to be construed ac- cording to their strictest and most literal interpretation, as they are frequently of a conventional nature, and have in some cases been substituted for numerical designations, as more easily held in remembrance; but it is much to be desired that those who are influential in the nomenclature of science, should avoid bestowing appellations which convey an erroneous idea of the objects re- presented. It is owing to the uncertainty which I feel regarding the proper place of the species figured on Plate XVIII. that I have not prefaced the first introduction of the genus Phibalura by a few observations on the habits and economy of the order to which it belongs. The genus has been instituted since the publication of the “ Régne Animal,” and is therefore not contained in Cu- VIER's system. I presume, however, it would fall into that division of the Passeres which the Ba- ron has named Dentirostres. 3337 Fig. 2. 3 Unca fiering இரும் so हर FI/ Brun ادم PLATE XL Fig.1 dilly . را راز 0 TTTT re Trucco 1444 SOCCO 热 ​Drawn by James Wilson Engraved by W. H. Lizars Brisbane Fromerofil . EPIMACHUS BRISBANII. ORDER ANY SODACTYLI.--UNEQUAL-FOOTED BIRDS. Temm. Characters of the Order.—Form of the bill difficult to indicate by characters of general application. It is usually arched, slender, lengthened, compressed; sometimes straight, flattened. Toes four in number, of unequal length, and provided with long curved talons; the outer anterior toe united as far as its second articulation to the middle one; the posterior generally large. The genera of this Order were formerly included among the Linnean Pivæ, and compose the Tenuirostres of Baron Cuvier's Passerine species. They partake more or less of the nature of the scansorial tribes. Many of them are insectivorous, and obtain their food after the manner of Wood- peckers, by escalading the trunks of trees, and the vertical fronts of rocky precipices. Others ho- ver over the petals of flowering plants, and extract their saccharine moisture, by means of their extensile tongues, which are usually either terminated by a bundle of slender filaments, or are bi- fid, and somewhat tunnel-shaped. This peculiar formation is no doubt beautifully adapted to their mode of obtaining food, whether it consists of insects, as in Humming Birds (erroneously supposed to feed solely on vegetable secretions), or of the juices of nectariferous flowers. GENUS EPIMACHUS.THE PROMEROPS. Temminck. Characters of the Genus.-Bill considerably longer than the head, falciform, compressed through- out its whole length, and having the gape extending below the eyes. Both mandibles sharp- pointed, attenuated, the upper slightly exceeding the under in length, and feebly notched to- wards its extremity. The bare ridge of the bill extends between the frontal feathers. Nos- TRILs lateral, basal, longitudinal, protected above and at the base by feathers, which are pro- longed on each side from the ante-ocular region. Tarsi scarcely exceeding the middle toe in length. Hind toe very large. Claws large, and curved. First primary feather very short ; the fourth and fifth of nearly equal length, and exceeding the second and third. We owe the formation of this genus to the precision which characterises the views of modern naturalists. The term Epimachus, which is the Greek name of a beautiful Indian bird, either en- tirely unknown, or not now recognized under its ancient denomination, has been recently applied to certain species of the genera Paradisea and Upupa of LINNÆUS, and to the Promerops propre- ment dits of VAILLANT. In Epimachus, the bill is altogether different from that of the true Para- dise-birds; and the head is never surmounted by the moveable crest of the Hoopoes. BRISBANE's PROMEROPS.-EPIMACHUS BRISBANII. MS. Notes in Edin. Mus. PLATE XI. SYNONYMS. Ptiloris paradiseus, Swainson. Zool. Journ. vol. i. p. 481.-Velvet Bird, Rifleman, of the Colonists. Description of the Male.-Fig. 1. Prevailing colour of the plumage velvet-black, with purple reflections. Upper parts of the head, and lower parts of the throat, covered by short, compact Q BRISBANE's PROMEROPS. a a n a feathers of a vivid green colour, with blue reflections, and bright metallic lustre. These feathers extend in a bifurcated form on either side of the throat towards the shoulders. Upper part of the throat and sides of the head covered by minute, rounded feathers of a dark reddish-purple. A small black patch of velvet feathers extends from the frontal region on either side of the base of the upper mandible towards the nostrils; and plumes of a similar colour and consistence occur on the sides of and underneath the lower mandibles. Back, scapulars, wings, and upper tail-coverts, velvet-black, tinged with purple. The secondary quill-feathers are nearly of equal length with the primaries ; and both are remarkable for their rounded terminations, and the breadth of their inner webs, which cause the wings, when expanded, to assume an almost square form at their ex- tremities. The feathers of the upper breast are broad and round, of a reddish-purple colour, and velvety consistence. These feathers, as they descend upon the lower breast, become adorned by a silky margin of a greenish-bronze colour, which increases in breadth upon the belly. The axillary feathers are long and lax, but are not extended after the extraordinary fashion of the hypochondriac plumes in the Great Promerops of New Guinea. The under coverts of the tail and thigh feathers . are black; and the legs are feathered a little below the knee. The tail is broad, somewhat round- ed, and composed of 12 feathers, of a black colour, excepting the two superincumbent central fea- thers, which are rather shorter than the others, and of a beautiful bluish-green, with metallic lustre. Both the tail and quill feathers are terminated by a very minute, sharp, and delicate central spine. The bill, legs, and feet, are apparently black. The hind toe is large and, like the others, furnished with a strong claw. This bird measures 11] inches in length; and its wings extend 19 inches. Its bill is about 12 of an inch from the tip to the feathers of the nostrils, and the gape ex- tends about another inch. The length of the leg or tarsus is about 12, and of the middle toe 11. Description of the Female.Fig. 2. The lustre and consistence of the plumage are of the ordi- nary kind; that is, neither velvety nor metallic. Upper parts of the head, back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, greenish-grey, mixed with brown. Primary and secondary quill-feathers reddish- brown, tinged with warm chesnut-red on their outer edges. Tail reddish brown, paler beneath. Throat, front part of the neck, and a stripe behind the eye, dingy white. Breast, sides, and whole under parts, of the same dingy colour, tinged with pale reddish-brown; each feather on these parts being ornamented by a dark brown line, which forms an irregular acuminate oval figure, and separates the compact part of the feather from the marginal portion. Length 11 inches. Extent of the wings 18 inches. Bill, tarsus, and middle toe, as in the male, but paler in colour. These specimens were sent to the Edinburgh Museum, early in the year 1824, from New Holland, by Sir THOMAS BRISBANE, in honour of whom the species was then named. In the MS. Catalogue which accompanied them, dated August 17. 1823, Fig. 1. was marked, “ Nº 30, Velvet Bird, rare. This specimen was shot at Port Macquarrie.” To Fig. 2. was appended, “ Nº 31, sup- posed female of the foregoing.” Both sexes are slightly reduced in the representation * 3 4 ° 99 * I regret that Mr SWAINSON'S observations on Ptiloris paradiseus in the Zoological Journal, were only pointed out to me after this leaf was printed, and about to be thrown off. Mr SWAINEON's accurate description evidently applies to the species which I have now figured for the first time, under a name imposed on it in the Edinburgh Museum nearly four years ago. Mr Swainson is, however, entitled to the credit of having been, as far as I know, its first public describer; but I doubt not that the enlightened author of one of the most elegant works on natural history which this country has produced (“Zoological Il- lustrations," in 3 vols. 8vo), will excuse me for retaining a name intended to record one of the many additions made to the mu- seums of Great Britain by Sir THOMAS BRISBANE. I have, therefore, merely added the name given by Mr Swainson as a sy- nonym. I am inclined, however, to believe, that, till such time as we acquire some knowledge of the natural habits of the spe- cies from actual observation, our speculations regarding its true position in the ornithological system, are more likely to be dis- tinguished by ingenuity than accuracy. It appears to me that the species in question falls very naturally into the genus Epi- . machus of M. TEMMINCK ; and I can scarcely bring myself to believe, that so large a bird, inhabiting a climate which undergoes great alternations of heat and cold, is likely to support itself habitually by sucking the nectarous juices of flowers. a 1 PLATE XXV os Ro Formato KingSokol R Visha TANYSITTERA IDEA, IGORS, . Drawy by James Waisan. Lithographed luy Geo Greaves. MIC M X GENUS TANYSIPTERA. Vigors. ORDER PICÆ; Genus ALCEDO. Linn.--ORDER PASSEREAUX; Family SYNDACTILES. Cuv.--- ORDER ALCYONES. Temm.-ORDER INSESSORES ; Tribe FissIROSTRES; Family Hal- cyonidæ. Vigors. Characters of the Genus.--Bill rather short, broad and deep at the base, straight, acute. Under mandible slightly keel-shaped. Nostrils oval. WINGS rather short. Tai long and gra- duated, and composed of 10 feathers, of which the two in the centre are very slender, and much longer than the others. Toes, three anterior, united for a great part of their length by a membrane, one posterior, free. The genus Alcedo (or King-fisher) of Linnæus includes a numerous assemblage of birds from va- rious countries of the world, of shape and proportions rather awkward than elegant, but almost all remarkable for great splendour of colour. The size and length of the bill are usually dispropor- tioned to the body: the tail is generally short, and the feet and legs are also very diminutive, and of an uncommon and (apparently) inconvenient form. But the shining silky lustre of the plumage, and the rich and infinitely varied hues of the most brilliant green and blue, contrasted with dif- ferent shades of orange, black, and brown, render this genus one of the most showy and attractive in the ornithological system. The Alcedo ispida, or European King-fisher, the only species of the genus which occurs in Europe, is one of the rarest and certainly the most beautiful of the British birds. It haunts the banks of rivers, and preys chiefly on small fish, on which it is seen to de- scend perpendicularly with the rapidity of an arrow. The genus, as constituted by Linnæus, has in later times been broken up, and partitioned into several genera. Of the propriety of some of these, very dissimilar opinions are still enter- tained by the students of classification. I shall here, however, present a brief statement of such alterations, in so far at least as they have come to my knowledge. LE VAILLANT was probably among the foremost to suggest the subdivision of the genus AL- cedo, as it originally existed in the works of LINNÆus, and other systematic writers, although we owe to Dr LEACH the positive formation of the genus Dacelo, the type of which is the Giant King-fisher of New Holland, the Alcedo gigantea of LATHAM. This new genus is well entitled to a permanent station in the ornithological system, being distinguished not only by obvious exter- nal characters, but by a difference in its natural habits and modes of life. The true test of the sufficiency of a character to constitute a generic distinction, consists, in fact, in its being accompa- nied by a corresponding change in the instincts and economy of the animal itself ; for otherwise a slight variation in structure scarcely suffices per se for the formation of a natural genus. Such of the King-fisher tribe as belong to the genus Dacelo (Martins-chasseurs of the French), inhabit the forests, and build their nests, not in the excavated banks of rivers, but in the hollows of lofty trees ; whereas the true King-fishers (Martins-pecheurs) are never found at any considerable dis- tance from rivers, streams, or lakes. The geographical distribution of the two genera is also be- lieved to differ ; the true King-fishers occurring in almost all parts of the world, the King-hunters, as the others may be named, being also widely distributed over the ancient Continent, but not ap- pearing to exist in any part of America. No species of Dacelo has been discovered in Europe, Dd a GENUS TANYSIPTERA. nor do we there find any other species of King-fisher than that which occurs in our own island. From what we know of the distribution of birds, and the constant relation which obtains between a gorgeous plumage and a sultry climate, we might have almost inferred a priori that compara- tively few of the genus would occur in temperate countries. M. TEMMINCK, however, asserts that the genus Alcedo presents no basis for a geographical di- vision, or arrangement of the species into sections, according to the countries in which they occur ; and he does not even admit the propriety of the genus Dacelo, except in so far as regards the Giant King-fisher before mentioned, and one or two others. All the rest, according to his views, ought to remain as the constituents of the old genus Alcedo, not excepting the tridactylous kinds. Mr Swainson is of opinion that these genera are well and naturally distinguished ; that the two extreme points of difference in the Linnean King-fishers are exhibited by our common species (A. ispida) and the gigantic species of New Holland; and that besides the last-named species, many more belong rather to Dacelo than Alcedo. He further observes, that in the true genus Alcedo, the bill is very long, straight, attenuated, higher than broad, compressed throughout its whole length, and seems formed for swallowing the food rather in an entire state, after the man- ner of the Herons; whereas in Dacelo, it is much stronger, thicker, and more rounded, with the under part of the lower mandible invariably carinated and curving upwards, and in one species (A. senegalensis of LATHAM) which feeds on crabs, it is used for breaking and disjointing the shells and articulations of these animals. M. VIEILLOT proposed a further division of the King-fishers into sections, according to the position and number of the toes. The greater section contains such as are furnished with four toes, of which three are anterior, and one posterior : the lesser section consists of such as possess, or appear to possess, only two anterior and one posterior toe. Of these latter species, LACEPEDE and Cuvier have formed the genus Ceyx ; but the propriety of its establishment is contested by TEMMINCK and others, on the ground of inaccuracy as to the supposed fact. For example, the Alcedo tribrachys of Shaw presents a distinct rudiment of a third anterior toe, although the nail is wanting; and the Alcedo tridactylus exhibits the nail itself appended to a very minute rudimen- tary toe; and as no difference in the natural habits of these species has been demonstrated, the characters drawn from the structure of the feet are not universally admitted as sufficient for their generic separation. Lastly, Mr VIGORS (in his interesting and ingenious paper in the 14th volume of the Linn. Trans.) has formed a new genus of that rare and beautiful species the Ternate King-fisher (Alcedo Dea) under the title of TANYSIPTERA, the characters of which have been already given at the com- mencement of this article. I shall now describe the species itself, viz. . 2 cc ราย เป็นการ TELESED 213 mot sent U Dostumbo pusbronta tiedo SU Rosa 90 KLI DOTOVAR dede ion to careca o O to See teen duino at gute THE TERNATE KING-FISHER. THE TERNATE KING-FISHER.-TANYSIPTERA DEA. Vigors * PLATE XXV. SYNONYMS. Avis paradisiaca Ternatana. Seba.-- Alcedo dea. Linn.—Ipsida Ternatana. Briss.-Martin-pecheur à long brins. Buff.-Ternate King-fisher. Lath. a The bill (according to the present aspect of the specimen in the Edinburgh Museum), is of a pale yellowish-horn colour, and measures rather more than an inch and a half from the tip to the termination of the gape. Total length from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the central tail-feathers, 15] inches. Top of the head, and hinder part of the neck, brilliant ultramarine blue. Throat, anterior portion of the neck, the breast, back, and all the under parts, pure white. Re- gion around the eye, sides, and lower posterior portion of the neck and scapulars, bluish-black. Spurious wings, and primary and secondary quill-feathers, brown. Wing-coverts likewise brown, but intermingled with ultramarine blue on the upper or scapular portion. Tail white, margined with blue, except the two central superincumbent feathers of great length, which are blue, slightly tinged with green, the shafts black. The feet are flesh coloured. The claws pale brown. The Ternate King-fisher is so called from its inhabiting the Island of Ternate, one of the Moluccas. Like the Birds of Paradise, it appears to have been highly prized for its beauty, and, like them, is frequently mutilated by the natives, the specimens transmitted to Europe being ge- nerally deprived both of legs and wings. According to PALLAS, the feet of this bird are zygodac- tylous, that is, with two toes before and two behind; and in consequence of this peculiarity of a * The exposition of the greater and lesser circles of affinities which form the groundwork of the quinary arrangement so ably advocated by Mr Vigors, deserves the sedulous attention of every student of ornithology. Such speculations give a high inte- rest to the subject of classification, which has hitherto proved one of the driest ; and if followed up in detail with equal spirit and intelligence, will form a new and important era in the science. In some instances, however, I think there is rather too much of a forced tracing of affinities, as in the following passage, which may be here quoted with the greater propriety, as it relates particularly to the species now figured and described. “ If we examine the genus Todus of authors, with reference to its gene- ral affinities, we shall find an intimate resemblance between it and the succeeding group of Halcyonida, since the only species known exhibits the exact representation of a King-fisher, with the exception of a shorter and more depressed bill. We are thus conducted to the Halcyon of Mr SWAINSON, and from thence to the Dacelo of Dr LEACH; until we find in the slenderer bill of Alcedo, an approaching conformity to the more delicately shaped bill of the succeeding family of the Meropida. That singu- lar and beautiful species of the Linnean Alcedo, the Ternate King-fisher, shews the equal approximation of that genus to Galbula, and a deviation from its own type. Its tail deserts the shortened character of that of the true King-fisher, and assumes the lengthened and graduated conformation of the same member in the Paradise Jacamar, and the other long-tailed Galbula.” Linn. Trans. vol. xiv. May it not be objected to this completion of the circle, that the characters chosen to illustrate the inter-connection of groups are chosen in a somewhat arbitrary and too variable manner ? The bill is the organ usually fixed upon as most important and influential, and, by means of the modifications of its form, the affinities of the Halcyonidæ among themselves, and their alliance with the Todide, are well illustrated by Mr VIGORS. But in passing from the Linnean Alcedones to the Paradise Jacamar, and other long-tailed Galbule, by means of the Ternate King-fisher, the dissimilar forms of the bills are lost sight of, and a mere analogy in the extension of some of the tail-feathers is assumed as the connecting character. Now, this agreement is rather one of the instantiæ conformes, or an accidental resemblance, than a connection of affinity; for the Ternate King-fisher is, in truth, more remotely allied to the Jacamars than many other species of Alcedo, in every thing except the extension of the central fea- thers of the tail, a character of little consequence in the economy of the species. a THE TERNATE KING-FISHER. structure, he refers it to the genus Galbula. He has probably been drawn into error in conse- quence of the true legs of his specimen having been cut off, and their place supplied by those of some other yoke-footed bird. In the Edinburgh specimen, the feet are very similar to those of other King-fishers, there being three toes before and one behind, and the anterior toes are as usual united together by a membrane, as far as the base of the last articulation. The individual now figured and described does not entirely coincide with the descriptions given by Brisson, BUFFON, and others. The elongated central feathers of the tail are alleged to be webbed only to the distance of about one-third from their base, and again towards the tips, the intermediate space being so slightly barbed by extremely short fibres, as to appear at first sight like a naked shaft. This naked part is said to be of a blue colour, the base and tips“ sub-rosa- ceous white,” with a blue spot on the outer webs: the rest of the tail-feathers rose-white, edged with brown. There is no appearance of this peculiar structure in the tail of the specimen now figured, nor are its colours the same as those just mentioned. The partial bareness of the shafts is probably an accidental, certainly a variable character-of which we have an additional example in that beautiful bird the Brazilian Momotus, which, though figured by EDWARDS (under the name of Saw-billed Roller), with the shafts of the central tail-feathers partly bare, is declared by LATHAM not to be always so distinguished in its truly natural and complete condition. The figure on PLATE XXV. is of the size of life. а. 9 a : NE PLATE VI. o The Quezat n Golden Drogen TROGON PAVONINUS. TEM Drawn from Nature by James Wilson - Engraved by W.Hlizars. GENUS TROGON.—THE CURUCUI. ORDER SCANSORES. Characters of the Genus.-BILL thick, convex, arched, broader than high, and curved at the point. Both mandibles, towards the base, project laterally, so as to give great breadth to the bill, and are in many species, though not in all, toothed, or serrated on their edges. The base of the bill is covered with long bristle-like feathers, under which the rounded open nostrils lie concealed : they are lateral, and pierced at the base. FEET short, rather feeble, and feathered nearly to the toes: the inner hind toe is always longer than the outer, and represents the inner anterior toe thrown backwards. Nails sharp, but not much curved. Wings short, or of medium length, with the fourth and fifth primaries the most elongated. Tail long. a It has been remarked by the woodland hunters of certain parts of the South American con- tinent, that the skin of the Trogon is so remarkable for its delicacy of texture, that birds of this genus are with great difficulty preserved in a natural or complete condition. Hence it is, that in museums they exhibit a heavy, shapeless, uninteresting aspect, only redeemed by the brightness or metallic splendour of plumage, by which, in so many instances, they are distin- guished. Even in the natural state, it is alleged that they are somewhat deficient in the ele- gance of their proportions. The shortness of their necks, the largeness of their bills, and plumy heads, compared with their diminutive feet and legs, and their lengthened tails, affect the activity of their general movements, and diminish their powers of flight. They conceal themselves in the central solitudes of umbrageous forests, and, except during the breeding season, which is renewed more than once a-year, each is said to dwell insulated and alone. A Trogon, even in the wild state, will sit motionless upon the same branch for half a summer's day, and if not concealed by an un- usually dense mass of surrounding foliage, falls an easy prey to the keen-eyed hunter, who eagerly searches for a bird not less remarkable for the delicacy of its flesh, than the beauty of its plumage. The food of this genus consists almost entirely of insects, to obtain which, during the morning and evening twilights, is the chief inducement to exertion among this indolent tribe. 66 Over his own sweet voice the stock-dove broods;" and, with a somewhat similar, though more melancholy music, the Trogon, during the breeding-season, no doubt enlivens, according to his own ideas, the solitude of the forests. The word Couroucou or Curucui, by which it is known in Brazil, and which I have adopted as the English generic name, is supposed to express the native note of one or more of this genus. When the period of nestling arrives, the male and female unite their efforts to form or com- plete an excavation in some partly decayed tree, in which they construct an artless and inelegant nest. In this they deposit three or four eggs, the produce of which, as is alleged, shew no appear- ance of the slightest down for several days. The more mature plumage which afterwards suc- ceeds, is subject to various regular changes, both in colour and consistence, which render an ac- curate knowledge of the species extremely difficult, and have induced several errors in the nomen- clature even of those who have investigated the genus with most discrimination. Trogons are found in the warmer parts of Asia, Africa, and America, as well as in some of the greater islands of the Indian seas; but they prevail especially in the warm and wooded regions of the South American continent. L THE QUEZAL. THE QUEZAL, OR GOLDEN TROGON.-TROGON PAVONINUS. Spix 8. Mar- tius. Pl. 33. PLATE VI. SYNONYM. Le Couroucou pavonin. Temm. Pl. Col. 372. Head, neck, breast, back, scapulars, wing and tail coverts, of the richest golden green, with vi- vid reflections of blue and yellow. Primary and secondary wing feathers very dark mulberry- brown, approaching to black. Inferior parts, and under tail-coverts, of a deep carmine-red. Tail black, except the two outer feathers, which are white, with black quills and bases. The two central upper coverts of the tail of extraordinary length and brilliancy. Bill in the living bird orange-red, changing some time after death to yellowish horn colour. Feet and legs dark brown or black. Tarsi short, and covered with blackish-brown feathers, edged with golden green. Claws brown. Colour of the iris unknown. Of the splendour of this rare and remarkable species, neither description nor delineation can convey any adequate idea. The greater proportion of its plumage is apparently composed of bur- nished gold. The head ornamented by a brilliant crest of decomposed barbs, the wing-coverts falling in flakes of golden green over the deep purplish-black of the primary and secondary quill- feathers, the rich carmine of the lower parts bestowing a warmth and depth of effect which no Venetian painter ever equalled, and the long, waving, and highly metallic feathers of the tail-co- verts, extending more than twice the length of the whole body, present a combination of beauty probably unexampled among the feathered tribes. We unfortunately know little or nothing of the natural history of this beautiful bird. It is greatly prized by the native tribes of those countries in which it occurs, who make use of its skin as an ornament of dress, when clothed in more than usual pomp,“ with feathered cincture bright.” The long feathers of the tail-coverts are also employed in the head-gear of the Peruvian damsels of the highest rank. It is considered as a gift worthy the acceptance of a king, and is occasional- ly presented as a mark of honour to the envoy of a foreign state. I believe the first specimens ever seen in this country were lately brought from Vera Paez in central America by J. C. SCHEN- LEY, Esq. who obtained them in the course of his diplomatic mission, and kindly transmitted one to the Edinburgh Museum. The finest example of the kind in Europe, is in the possession of the family of the late lamented Mr CANNING, to whom it was likewise presented by Mr Schen- LEY. a Owing to the great extent of the two central feathers of the upper coverts of the tail, I have been obliged to reduce the figure on Plate VI. to one-half of the natural size. In Mr CANNING'S specimen, these beautiful plumes measured three feet and a half in length. The female of this bird is not yet known to naturalists, from which it may be inferred that her plumage is less mag- nificent than that of the male, and that being consequently held in lower estimation, she is less frequently sought for or obtained. ORDER SCANSORES.-CLIMBING BIRDS. LES GRIMPEURS. Cuvier.-LES ZYGODACTYLES. Temminck. Characters of the Order.--Under the name of SCANSORES or CLIMBERS, are in- cluded those genera which have two toes before, and two behind; that is, one of the anterior toes, commonly so called, is either reversible at the plea- sure of the bird, or is permanently thrown backwards, in such a manner as to give great power and tenacity of grasp, during the infinitely varied move- ments of the species, over the bark and among the branches of trees. By this peculiar structure, they are enabled to climb upon a perpendicular bo- dy, or to suspend themselves from the lower surface of a branch, while in search of their favourite food, which consists of fruits, or insects, according to the form of the bill, so greatly diversified in this Order. In the Parrot tribe, the foot is also used as a hand, or prehensile organ, of a very perfect kind * I AM aware that more than one excellent ornithologist has objected to the title of this order, as incapable of being strictly applied to the whole of its genera. It is no doubt true, that many species (such as the Cuckoo), in which the toes are in pairs, or yoke-footed, as M. TEMMINCK has termed, do not climb; while it is equally true, that several other species (such as the Creeper, C. familiaris), which are constant climbers, are yet excluded from this order, on account of the structure of their feet ; and that, consequently, the denomination cannot be applied in its most rigorous sense, as alike characteristic and inclusive. The same objection, however, seems to apply with at least equal force, to every other arrangement yet proposed, with the view of obviating this inconsistency. The ordinal characters, considered in their generality, are in fact seldom so precise p 3 * The structure of the feet in scansorial or zygodactylous birds, does not appear to be clearly understood by naturalists. Cuvier observes, that “ le doigt externe se dirige en arrière comme le pouce, d'ou il resulte pour eux un appui plus solide," (Regne Animal, t. i. p. 419.); and TEMMINCK remarks, “ Cet ordre d'oiseaux se compose de quelques espèces dont le doigt externe peut à volonté se diriger en arrière ou en avant,” &c. (Manuel d'Ornith. t. i. p. 378.) I find, however, that, in the ge- nus Trogon, it is not the outer anterior toe that is thrown backwards, but the inner, and consequently, the true hind toe, pro- perly so called, is placed externally. In the nearly allied genus Bucco, as well as among the Parrots and Woodpeckers, a diffe- rent arrangement takes place : it is the outer anterior toe that is thrown backwards, whether permanently or only occasionally at voluntary intervals ; and the same structure prevails among the Owls. But naturalists have hitherto erred in describing this mode of arrangement, as applying universally to all the genera of which the toes are placed in pairs, or two before and two be- hind. I am inclined to infer from this observation, that the generic character of Trogon, as given by M. TEMMINCK in his ex- cellent “ Analyse du System General d'Ornithologie,” will be found erroneous. He there states, “ tarse plus court que le doigt externe, en partie couvert de plumes, l'exterieur de derrière versatile.” Now, admitting that the structure is as I have just stated (and an inspection of the genus in any collection will confirm the assertion), it is much more likely that the inner hind toe, which is in fact the inner anterior toe transposed, should be versatile, than that the short, single-jointed hind toe (ex- ternal, as far as I have observed in this genus alone), should change its usual function, that of clasping from behind, and become at any time an anterior prehensile organ. It certainly seems a more simple arrangement (and simplicity in the works of crea- tion is seldom disregarded), that that portion of the organ which is thrown backwards from before, should occasionally, when required, re-assume its original place and function, than that such function should be performed by the more complicated pro- cess of throwing another part of the same organ forwards from behind. In giving the characters of the genus Trogon, which follow the above introductory observations, I have therefore ventured to differ from preceding writers, as well as in modifying, to a certain degree, the ordinal characters. SCANSORES. a a and natural as to admit of no exception; and it is questionable whether a title should be imme- diately changed, upon the discovery of every species which does not coincide with its most rigo- rous interpretation. It is not very easy, indeed, to understand how this alteration can in every case be effected, merely upon the consideration of a single character, without producing greater inconveniences than those which it is intended to obviate. In the zygodactylous genus Galbula, for example, we have a three-toed species ; and a similar anomaly occurs among the Woodpeckers. In like manner, the order Alcyones of TEMMINCK, which is characterized by its founder as pos- sessing “ trois doigts devant, reunis, et une doigt derriere,” contains at least one species which has only three toes. It may therefore be doubted, whether a mere change in the title of an or- der, which certainly so far tends to diminish that clearness of mutual intelligence which it is so desirable to maintain in the intercourse of different nations, is productive of any decided advan- tage to the science, especially when it can be so easily shewn that the characters of that order, by whatsoever name it may be known, are left not less vague than heretofore. The bill of the Scansores varies so greatly in different genera, from the straight, lengthened, angular mandibles of the Woodpecker, to the short, curved, compressed organ of the Parrots, that I have omitted all consideration of it in the ordinal characters. Its form may be studied with advantage, in relation to the sections, and other minor divisions. The species of this order are, with few exceptions, inhabitants of the forests, and usually build their nests in the hollows of old trees. Their powers of flight are not remarkable. The European genera are almost entirely insectivorous: the Parrot tribe feed on fruits; the Toucans exhibit a tendency to the carnivorous habits of the accipitrine tribes; while other genera of the order enjoy a mingled or miscellaneous diet. 2 PLATE XV. 23 ma ORIGIDITE Drawn by James Wilson th Enged by W.L.Livars The Adevandine Pracocks PAVO ALDROVANDI (YOUNG MALE) ON PLATE XIV. WA ware vino The Mehovandine Pearch , PAVO ALDROVANDI, ADULT MALE. Drawn by James Wilson --Engraved by WALizar's 2 ORDER GALLINÆGALLINACEOUS BIRDS. Characters of the Order.-BILL short, and convex. Upper mandible somewhat curved, and furnished with a cere, which is sometimes naked, sometimes feathered. Head usually small in relation to the size of the body. Nos- TRILS placed on each side of the bill, and protected by a fleshy membrane, in which they are pierced. Feet of medium size, but strong. Tarsi for the most part elongated. Toes four in number, three of which are anterior, and united by a membrane more or less extended at their bases; the fourth, posterior, is articulated higher than the others, and is in some cases very small, or even entirely wanting. a Tus Order contains a few of the most ornamental and several of the most highly prized and useful species of the feathered race. While the Peacock and Golden Pheasant stand unrivalled alike for elegance of form and beauty of plumage, the Turkey and domestic Fowl, the Grouse, Quail, and Partridge, lay claim to a more substantial though less sentimental regard, as conducing in no small degree to the enjoyments of civilized life. Gallinaceous birds are generally distinguished by a bulky form, and a heavy and somewhat laborious flight. In fact, the sternum or breast-bone is so deeply notched on either side, as to diminish the support afforded to the action of the pec- toral muscles, and the power of the wings and consequent duration and velocity of their move- ments, suffer a corresponding diminution. With the exception of the Alectors or Curassoes, few of the gallinaceous species build on trees, though all delight in basking on the ground, and scraping in the dry and sultry soil, for which purpose they are provided with muscular limbs and feet. They live upon all sorts of grain and seeds, occasionally upon berries, or the buds of shrubs and trees, and, the younger birds especially, shew themselves sufficiently eager and expert in the capture of insect prey. The females lay a great many eggs, in a carelessly constructed and inartificial nest; and the newly produced off- spring, unlike the callow nestlings of the other orders, though they remain for some time associated with their parents, run swiftly, and peck freely from their natal hour. The males, particularly to- wards the breeding-season, are quarrelsome and courageous, and indulge in frequent and some- times fatal contention. They are generally furnished with spurs. In the Satyr Pheasant (Napaul), both sexes are so armed, and the males are moreover provided with a couple of horns. In the Polyplectron, the tarsi of the male are doubly armed, there being two spurs on each leg. In their general form and habits, the particular structure and functions of their digestive sys- tem, and the great benefits which they confer on the human race, birds of this order have been observed to bear a considerable resemblance to the ruminating or herbivorous quadrupeds. Like these, their stomach is complex, and consists of at least a membranous pouch or crop, and a mus- cular gizzard, in the former of which their food is rendered moist and pulpy, in the latter it is bruised and broken, and otherwise prepared for the production of the life-sustaining chyle; where- as in the accipitrine birds, which feed on living prey, the stomach is simple and membranous, and analogous to that of the strictly carnivorous quadrupeds. The flesh of gallinaceous birds is very de- a Q ORDER GALLINÆ. a licate, and highly esteemed as a pleasing and nutritious food. It varies in colour. In the turkey and common poultry it is white; in the moor grouse brownish-red; while the breast of the black cock presents two distinct layers of red and white, the one superimposed on the other. I allude at present to its culinary aspect. Naturalists have erred in assigning the polygamous habit as a general characteristic of this order. The instinct to pair, or the habit of monogamy, is no doubt only bestowed on those spe- cies to which it is necessary for the rearing of their offspring, and differs considerably in the na- ture and permanence of the attachment, according to the position of the nest, i.e. whether it is built above or upon the surface of the ground. All birds which build on trees, as was long ago remarked by Lord Kames, are hatched blind, and almost without feathers, and consequently re- quire the sedulous care of both parents. But the generality even of gallinaceous birds, which breed upon the ground, do likewise pair, though the hatching of the eggs is entirely confined to the female, who completes her task by leading the young to their proper food, which they are able immediately to pick up for themselves, being active and well feathered from their birth. The male, at the same time, continues to manifest a certain degree of parental solicitude, by uttering the alarm-note on the approach of birds of prey, or other dangerous foes. Black game and wood grouse, however, do not seem to pair at all, but in the spring a male bird assembles a certain number of females about him, which afterwards deposit their eggs, and rear their young altoge- ther independent of the male parent. They are therefore polygamous in the proper acceptation of the term. Even among herbivorous quadrupeds, pairing is rare, because the female can suckle her young while she herself is feeding; but the monogamous habit probably obtains among most carnivorous quadrupeds, and certainly among all carnivorous birds, because incubation leaves the female no sufficient time to hunt for food *, and because young birds cannot bear a long fast, and therefore require the assistance of both parents, while unable to provide for themselves. An extraordinary circumstance has been frequently observed in the females of certain genera of this order, viz. an assumption of the male plumage after a certain period of life. I believe it to be a fact in the natural history of common poultry, that all hen birds which, either by accident or design, have been allowed to attain the age of sixteen years complete, have been observed to as- sume the plumage of cocks. The same change takes place both in the female pheasant and the pea-hen, but at more indeterminate periods of life, and less in connection with an advanced age. Though these facts have not escaped the observation of the philosophical naturalist, yet the diffe- rent circumstances attending their occurrence, have not been detailed with sufficient frequency or fulness to admit of any satisfactory theory being offered in their explanation t. a 2 * See KAMES's Sketches. a + It is known that among birds the young usually differ in plumage from their parents, and that while the males in their passage to maturity undergo a remarkable alteration in the nature and distribution of their colours, the females when immature do not present an aspect so dissimilar to that which they exhibit during the greater part of their after existence. Of this fact different views may be entertained, as various theories have been deduced from it. It is usually stated in the following terms :-In birds which differ in the plumage of the sexes, the young males resemble the adult females. But according to the views of a recent French writer (the ingenious M. ISIDORE GEOFFROY Saint HILAIRE) founded upon the facts above alluded to, of the females of many species assuming after a time the plumage of the male, it ought rather to be said, that the plumage of the sexes does not essentially differ, but that the male, from the dissimilar nature of his sexual constitution, exhibits the developement of his per- manent and complete condition at a much earlier period than the female, the plumage of which latter is only perfected after she has ceased to lay: “ A cet époque," observes the author just named, “ la vieille femelle se retrouve dans les conditions du jeune mâle au moment de la mue; les dévelopmens des son plumage interrompus si long-temps si continuent de nouveau, et après un certain nombre d'années elle a acquis les couleurs, les parures, et tous les caractères que l'on régarde ordinairement comme propre à l'autre sex.”-Dict. Class. d'Hist. Nat. voce Mue. See also a paper by Dr Butter in the 3d vol. of the Wernerian Memoirs. a a 3 GENUS PAVO-THE PEACOCK. Characters of the Genus.-Bill of medium size, conical, curved, bare at the base ; upper mandible considerably arched, and somewhat depressed at the point. Nostrils lateral, sub-basal, open. HEAD crested. Cheeks naked. Tarsi much longer than the middle toe, armed with a co- nical spur. Upper coverts of the tail of great length and beauty. Tail erectile, wedge-shaped. Wings rather short; the sixth primary the most elongated. 66 This genus, as restricted by modern ornithologists, contains only two species. The Common Peacock (Pavo cristatus of Linn.), so much admired for the surpassing splen- dour of its plumage, and now so familiarly known as a domestic bird, has probably been reduced to servitude for some thousand years. It still occurs in the wild state in the forests of India, and also inhabits Japan, and other parts of southern Asia. The earliest notice of this species is con- tained in the Second Book of Chronicles, ix. 21. “ For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram : every three years once came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, apes, and Peacocks.” The history of its introduction to the western and northern parts of Europe has never been clearly traced, but every step of its progress has no doubt been owing ra- ther to the art of man than the instinct of nature. Its natural tendency would have been to re- turn from whence it came,--to seek again the perpetual sunshine and ever-verdant forests of Asia, the banks “ of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams.” It appears to have been unknown, even in Greece, during the early manhood of ALEXANDER the Great, by whom it was first ob- served with no less wonder than delight, in the progress of his southern expedition, and imme- diately transmitted to his native country. It must, however, have multiplied rapidly after its ar- rival, as AristoTLE, who died about two years after “ the great Emathian conqueror,” mentions the Peacock as a well known bird. The Greeks were satisfied with the delight afforded to the eye, while contemplating its brilliant colours, and most graceful form,“ being so majestical they would not offer it even the shew of violence;" and it was left to the more luxurious Ro- mans, not only to serve it entire on the table of HORTENSIUS, but to pamper the diseased appe- tite, or minister to the inordinate extravagance of HELIOGABALUS, by presenting enormous dishes of the brains alone. In more modern times, and during the progress of nautical discovery and commercial intercourse by which these were distinguished, the Peacock has been transported to both the Americas, to many points along the African shores, and to numerous islands of the West Indies. A white variety has also sprung up in Europe, more frequent in northern than southern kingdoms, which is not alluded to by ancient writers, and has probably resulted from the in- fluence of a colder temperature, by which a natural tendency to albinism appears to be produced in many species of the feathered race. The cry of the Peacock, unless when mellowed by distance, is harsh and unmusical, and ex- tends far and wide. Indeed, the notes of all birds, independently of their musical intonation, are remarkably clear and forcible. The voice of a blackbird may be heard as far as that of a man,- the clanging cry of the stork has been calculated to fill a circumference of nearly half a league ; and the harsh scream of the Peacock extends as far as that of an elephant. The only other species of this genus is a bird of remarkably rare occurrence, and forms the more immediate subject of the present brief memoir. It is named a a a THE ALDROVANDINE PEACOCK. THE ALDROVANDINE PEACOCK.-PAVO ALDROVANDI. MS. Notes in din. Mus. PLATES XIV. AND XV. SYNONYMS. Pavo muticus. Linn.--Le Spicifère. Buff.--Pavo Japonensis. Brisson.---- The Japan Peacock. Latham. a Upper parts of the head and crest azure-blue, mixed with green. Cervical feathers oil-green, with linear margins of a darker hue. The lower parts of the neck are marked by dusky spots of indigo, which occupy the central parts of several feathers, and leave a broad semicirque of green on the marginal portion. Indigo-blue feathers with green margins prevail upon the upper breast; the brighter colours become nearly obliterated towards the inferior parts, which, with the thigh feathers, are dusky or blackish-brown, glossed with patches of green and blue. The back is grass-green, with reflections of copper-red, and marginal bands of velvet-black. The scapulars and greater and lesser wing-coverts are deep blackish-blue, with green and azure re- flections. Between the scapulars and the lesser wing-coverts there is an elongated patch of im- bricated feathers, of a golden-green colour, and rounded form. The spurious wing and primary quill feathers are pale burnt sienna-brown, and the secondaries are deep brown. The shafts of the primaries are pale brownish-red. The train is copper-coloured, varied with infinite hues of green and gold ; and most of its feathers are terminated by a rich bronze-coloured expansion, having a deep indigo-blue heart-shaped spot in the centre, surrounded by azure-blue, varying to emerald- green. The lateral train feathers are emerald-green, changing to golden-yellow. The tail is broc- coli-brown, and consists of twenty feathers. The colour of the iris is unknown. The bill is deep horn colour. The tarsi and legs are blackish-brown. The earliest indication of this magnificent bird occurs in the Ornithologia of ALDROVANDUS, a laborious compiler of the 16th century. The description there given appears to have been taken from a drawing sent some years before by the Emperor of Japan to the Pope, and by him pre- sented to his nephew the Marchese TACHINETTI, who gave it to ALDROVANDUS. Several later systematists have admitted it into their respective works upon the authority of ALDROVAN- Dus alone, without either adding any thing to our knowledge of the species, or removing the doubts which had in the mean time arisen regarding its actual existence. A century and a half had elapsed, and brought no authentic tidings of the only species which resembled, or could rival in plumage the splendour of the bird of Juno; and it was therefore to be expected that the more precise observers of modern times would naturally begin to question the existence of a creature which no writer of any age had ever described from ocular observation, and of which a drawing alone had been recorded by a solitary and antiquated author, more remarkable for the extent than the accuracy of his information. Accordingly, we find, that Baron Cuvier, in his Règne Animal, (t. i. p. 438.), doubts or denies its existence in the following terms: “ Le Paon du Japon ou Spi- cifère (P. muticus, Linn.), fondé uniquement sur une peinture envoyée du Japon dans le seizième siècle (ALDROV. Av. ii. 33, 34.), n'est rien moins qu' authentique. Le véritable Paon sauvage du Japon differe peu du notre par les couleurs, et point par l'aigrette.” M. TEMMINCK, however, in ” his Histoire des Gallinacés, (t. ii. p. 57.), admits the species, and describes it chiefly from an ac- count transmitted to him by LE VAILLANT, the celebrated traveller, whose fortune it had been to see a live specimen of this bird in the menagerie of Mr BOERS, at the Cape of Good Hope, to a 2 THE ALDROVANDINE PEACOCK. which place it had been sent from Macao. M. TEMMINCK observes, that, setting aside this de- scription, our only sources of information since the time of ALDROVANDUS have been Chinese drawings, upon which, however, little dependence can be placed. “ J'aurois même place,” he con- tinues, “ la description de cette espèce de Paon á la suite du genre, pour servir simplement d’in- dication, au cas que par la suite on parvint à se procurer l'oiseau.” At the time when the work હૈ just quoted was published, no example of this species was to be found in any collection in Eu- rope. It now exists in the Paris collection ; and through the exertions of Professor JAMESON, two specimens were obtained for the rich ornithological Museum of Edinburgh during the sum- mer of 1822. Both of these are male birds : the one is in the perfect adult plumage, the other is young and immature. The great rarity of this species, which, as far as I know, has not been previously figured, has induced me to give representations of both specimens. In addition to these, a few more detailed notices may not be unacceptable to such ornithologists as have not yet had an opportunity of in- specting the brilliant originals. Adult Male.—PLATE XIV. In regard to form and proportions, this bird is characterized by the same general elegance that distinguishes the common Peacock. Compared with the latter, it is perhaps smaller, the head and bill rather larger, and the tarsi and toes considerably longer, and somewhat more robust. The bill is conical, depressed, strong, pentagonal; the nostrils oblong, lateral, sub-basal ; the upper mandible is vaulted, and deflected at the tip, and surpasses the un- der mandible by about three lines. The tarsi are long, robust, somewhat compressed, and fur- nished with strong, sharp, conical spurs, pointing inwards: the toes are long, robust, and connected at their bases in the usual manner ; the claws are strong, a little curved, and rather sharp. The true tail is rather long, and somewhat wedge-shaped. The posterior dorsal feathers, or upper tail- coverts, are elongated, so as to surpass and conceal the true tail, and form a sweeping train, re- sembling in length and magnificence the well known ornament of the common Peacock. The proportions of this specimen are as follows :—Length of the bill along the dorsal line 1 inch 8 tenths ; length from the tip of the bill to the tip of the train, 6 feet 2 inches ; length from the tip of the bill to the tip of the true tail, 4 feet; length of the train from the first ocellated feather on the lower part of the back, 4 feet; of the wings from the carpo-digital joint, 1 foot 7 inches; of the tarsus, 6 inches ; of the middle toe, claw included, 4 inches 3 tenths: of the spur, 1 inch 2 tenths ; of the crest, 4 inches 5 tenths. The cheeks, including the orbits and auricular spaces, are bare. The opening of the ear is defended by narrow elongated feathers, pointing upwards. The occipital crest is composed of about 32 feathers of different sizes (not of 10, as M. TEMMINCK has stated). These feathers are of regular structure, barbed in their whole length, lance-shaped, or broadly linear, but acute. In the lower half, the barbs are simple and distant, but stiff: in the upper half they are approximated and adherent. The feathers between the bill and crest are very small, compact, convex, rounded, blue, with green reflections, and semi-metallic lustre. The feathers on the upper and hinder part of the neck are somewhat lengthened, rectangular, or as if cut transversely at their points, and of a pale green colour, with copper-red reflections. As they proceed downwards, they become more and more rounded, presenting semi-lunar forms, of an oil-green colour, with a fine villous surface, and semi-metallic lustre. On the feathers of the lower part of the neck and breast, a dark central portion becomes conspicuous, the margins alone remaining green. The lower breast, sides, thighs, and all the under parts, are covered by elongated brown feathers, more or less glossed with green. Along the back, the feathers which on the upper dorsal region are somewhat angular, become rounded, and distinctly and regularly imbricated R THE ALDROVANDINE PEACOCK. The forms of the plumage are varied and elegant: the beautiful slender crest, the compact rounded feathers of the neck, and the gorgeous floating train, are among the most striking fea- tures of this bird. The wings are rounded; the first quill-feather is very short; the sixth is the longest of all. The quills are curved, as is usual in birds of the Gallinaceous order. The tail-fea- thers are arcuate, graduate, and bent considerably inwards. The particular markings and general distribution of the colours in the train scarcely differ from those of the better known species; but the Aldrovandine Peacock may be distinguished at first sight from the common Peacock by the difference in the form, colour, and consistence of the cervical feathers, the shape and structure of the occipital crest, the dissimilar plumage of the wing-coverts, and the number of feathers in the tail, which, in the former, consists of 20, in the latter of only 18. The colouring of the train in both birds is very similar, but in the Aldrovandine Peacock the brilliant circle which surrounds the central heart-shaped spot of indigo, inclines rather to a beautiful changing blue, than to the rich emerald-green of the domestic species. Young Male.-PLATE XV. In this bird the crest is not fully developed. It is composed of 19 large, and of about a dozen small feathers. These are of a dusky black, glossed with green on the edges of their outer surface. There are a few short brown feathers between the bill and the eyes ; but the space around the latter is elsewhere bare and extended. The vertical feathers an- terior to the crest are green. The general colour of the neck is green, mottled in front with pale brown, and tinged in some parts with copper-red. Several of the cervical feathers bear a narrow semicircle of greenish-black on their terminal margins. The breast, and lower parts of the neck, . are adorned by feathers bearing a dark centre, changing from green to blue, with very pale semi- lunar margins of a greyish-white colour. Belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts, obscure greenish- brown, without coloured margins. Scapulars brown, faintly glossed with green, and sprinkled with a few minute specks of light yellowish-brown, which, on the back, increase to pale transverse bars. As the dorsal feathers descend to mingle with the upper tail-coverts, they become, in com- mon with the latter, edged with a richer golden-green. Tail blackish-brown, crossed by numerous , bands of paler brown. Wing-coverts varying, according to the light, from brown to green and blue. Spurious wings pale burnt Sienna-brown, blotched with brownish-black. Primary quill- . feathers likewise pale burnt Sienna-brown, stained with a deeper dusky brown on their outer edges. Shafts of the primaries deep reddish-brown or liver colour. Secondaries brown. Bill, tarsi, and feet, as in the adult male * a a Although I am averse to the changing of names, and the consequent multiplication of synonyms, yet, when a denomina- tion proceeding upon a demonstrated error conveys to the mind a false idea of its object, there is no longer room for hesitation. An inspection of Plates XIV. and XV., or of the original specimens in the Museum, which are furnished with very strong spurs, will shew how inapplicable the specific name of muticus is to this species. Linnæus never saw the bird in question ; and whoever first applied the specific name by which it is now known, must have done so either in error, or from the description of a specimen which had in some way been deprived of the spurs, if they were not wanting through a monstrosity, or exception to the general rule. The term was applicable to the individual, but not to the species. The name of Japan Peacock (Pavo Japo- nensis), under which it is noticed by Brisson and LATHAM, is also unsatisfactory, 1st, Because the common Peacock is itself found there in the wild state, and is therefore equally entitled to the appellation ; and, 2dly, Because the so-called Japan Pea- cock, if really found in Japan, is also distributed over many parts of the Asiatic continent, and the islands of the Indian seas, and consequently, cannot be well distinguished by the name of a country to which it is not by any means peculiar. I have therefore adopted the name by which this rare and hitherto imperfectly known bird has been designated for some years in the Edinburgh Museum,-a name imposed upon it in honour of the author by whom the scientific world was first made aware of its existence,-ULYSSES ALDROVANDUS of Bologna. The specimens above described were shot in the Malay Islands, and were presented to the Museum in the summer of 1822 by Mr CRAWFORD, the intelligent author of the “ History of the Indian Archipelago," a gentleman who, in the fulfilment of many important political functions, allows no opportunity to escape of aiding the advancement of science, by transmitting the natural treasures of the east to his native country. - a mo PLATE XXVII. 0 ES روح سر ringan Drawn by James Wilson Eng! by W.L.Lazars , Theasant-tailed Grouse, Somale). TETRAD UROPHASIANUS, C.L.BUONAPARTE. . Reduced 75. mic ht PLATE XXVI. med at all at antall CA کاری که کار مسیر کار از کار را از سر مر 3 ומר APPRODAAD2212 Enga by W. H. Lizars Drawn by James Wilson ) ۔ Theasant-tailed Growes TETRAOUROPHASIANUS.C.L.BUONAPARTE Reduced . GENUS TETRAO.-GROUSE. Order GALLINÆ. Linn. Cuv. Temm.—ORDER RASORES. Stort. Family TETRAONIDÆ. Vig. Characters of the Genus.—BILL short and strong ; upper mandible arched, convex, curved from the base. Nostrils lateral, basal, concealed by feathers, and partly closed by a membrane. Eye-brows naked or warty. Toes, three anterior, united at their bases by a membrane as far as the first articulation ; one posterior, short; the whole margined by projecting points. TARSI feathered as far as the toes, sometimes to the nails. Wings rather short; first primary short, the second not so long as the third and fourth, which are the longest of all. Birds of this genus are of a hardy constitution, and patient of extreme cold. They only oc- cur in northern or temperate countries, and have not yet been discovered in Africa, in the eastern parts of Asia, or in South America. The northern regions of Europe and America produce them in greatest abundance. The special localities which they affect vary according to the different kinds; and even the haunts of the same species admit of variation, according to circumstances. The Wood Grouse (such as the magnificent Capercailzie, T. urogallus, an inhabitant at no very remote period of the Scottish woods,) prefer forests of pine, and of such other hardy trees as grow advantageously on the sides of mountains. The Red Grouse (T. scoticus), so highly prized as an article of food, and so eagerly followed by our sportsmen, restricts itself to the sides of sloping mountains, and those extended tracks of elevated land called moors, and is careless of other shel- ter than that afforded by the natural roughness of the ground, and its plentiful covering of heath, and other alpine plants of even more lowly growth. The habits of the Black Cock (T. tetrix) ) may be said to be in this respect intermediate between those of the two species just alluded to ; for although it usually occurs in mountainous and moorish districts, it exhibits a decided partiality for such sprinkling of birch or willow as the nature of the soil permits to flourish. Ptarmigans (of which the species of Europe and America are still insufficiently characterised and distin- guished) seem to prefer, in comparatively temperate climates, such as that of Scotland, the bare and stony sides and summits of the highest mountains; but under the rigorous temperature of Greenland, and the most northern parts of North America, they are chiefly found in the vicinity of the sea-shore, by the banks of rivers, and among the willow and other copse-woods of the lower and more sheltered vales. a E e THE PHEASANT-TAILED GROUSE. TETRAO UROPHASIANUS. PLATE XXVI. MALE.-PLATE XXVII. FEMALE. SYNONYMS. Tetrao urophasianus, C. L. Buonaparte, in Zool. Journ. vol. iii. p. 212.-Douglas, in Linn. Trans. vol. xvi. p. 133.–Cock of the Plains, Lewis and Clarke's Travels, p. 473. a Through the kindness of JOSEPH SABINE, Esq. F.R.S. &c. four new species of Grouse, recently discovered by Mr David DouglAS, F. L. S., among the Rocky Mountains, and in the neighbour- hood of the river Columbia in North America, have been transmitted to me for publication. Some of these birds are of great size, and all of them are remarkable for beauty of plumage. They may be regarded as among the most important and interesting additions which have been made to or- nithology in modern times. Their descriptions and history are about to appear in the ensuing volume (the 16th) of the Linnean Transactions, part i. and their figures will be published in the course of the present work. Of the species now represented, the description is as follows: Pheasant-tailed Grouse ; MALE. PLATE XXVI. Bill black, rather short, but strong, an inch and a half in length to the gape, but little more than three-quarters of an inch from the point to commencement of the nostril-feathers. Nostrils encircled and almost concealed by short, close feathers, of a mingled black and brown. Upper and occipital parts of the head, and back of the neck, pale reddish-brown, transversely barred and spotted with black. Back, scapulars, wing-co- verts and upper tail-coverts likewise pale brown, but either entirely speckled over with minute black spots, or blotched with larger portions of that colour. The shafts of those feathers which com- pose the wing-coverts, are almost pure white, and several isolated, irregular, but distinct markings, of an ochrey white colour, occur as well on these feathers, as on the plumage of the back and tail. The cheeks and intermediate space beneath the under mandible, are mottled with black and white. The feathers on the front part of the neck are black, partly and indistinctly margined with dingy white, or pale reddish-brown. A whitish streak passes from above the angle of the mouth towards the eye, is interrupted above that organ, and re-appears again to extend for the space of an inch immediately above the auricular feathers, and another pale narrow band which divides the mottled feathers of the cheek from the auricular region, descends diagonally forwards, and unites in front with the corresponding half of the band from the other side. The sides of the neck are va- riegated with black and white, and many of the feathers on these parts are very narrow, extremely elongated, and are terminated by long slender filaments of a deep black colour, somewhat resembling the unadherent plumes of the Cassowary. The feathers on the breast are white, but vary greatly , in structure, those on the front portion being short, stiff, triangular, acuminated, with resistant shafts; those on the lateral portion, immediately above the origin of the scapulars, being of a very loose and downy consistence. The central and lower portion of the breast is likewise white; but the long shaft of each feather, which is black, gives a more dingy hue to these parts, as if the fea- thers were interspersed with dark hairs. The quill feathers are brown, mottled by paler spots on several of the outer webs. The sides of the body along the edges of the closed wings are varie- a THE PHEASANT-TAILED GROUSE. а gated with black, brown and white. The belly is marked by a large patch of black, somewhat in the shape of a horse-shoe, and long black and white feathers extend along the sides of the body above the thigh. The vent-feathers are pale brown, barred and speckled with black, and streaked down the centre of each feather with dingy white. The tail is wedge-shaped, and composed of 18 black feathers, irregularly barred and spotted with very pale yellowish-brown. The under tail-coverts are long and abundant, of a deep black, with a larger subcordate white spot at the tip of each feather, and the shafts are mostly white. The legs are warmly clothed to the base of the toes by long, close, hirsute feathers of a pale brown, obscurely barred with blackish-brown of a deeper shade. The toes are brownish-black, or horn colour, and are toothed or pectinated on each side by strong projecting horny processes. The claws are black. The length of this bird, when full grown, is 32 inches ; its girth 22. It weighs from 6 to 8 lb. The specimen above de- scribed had not attained its full size when killed. It measures about 28 inches in length. FEMALE.—PLATE XXVII. In this sex, the lengthened filamentous feathers on the sides of the neck are wanting. The chin, cheeks, and upper part of the throat, are dingy white, streaked with brownish-black; the remainder of the anterior portion of the neck and breast are greyish-white, minutely streaked and spotted with brownish-black. In other respects, her plumage nearly re- sembles that of the male. In regard to size, the specimen figured on PLATE XXVII. measures 22 inches in length, being less than the male specimen by about one-fourth part. The flight of these magnificent birds is slow and unsteady, and affords but little amusement to the sportsman. Their wings are feeble, and of small dimensions, in proportion to the great size and weight of their bodies; and their progress through the air is consequently effected ra- ther by a fluttering motion, than by a direct and continuous flight. They rise at first hurriedly from the ground, giving two or three claps with their wings in quick succession, and, after flying a short distance, all the time swinging from side to side with a whirring noise, they gradually drop again to the ground. When raised, their voice resembles that of the common pheasant. Though they may be said to represent the Capercailzie or Wood Grouse (T. urogallus), in the new world, they so far differ from that species in their mode of life, that they never perch. 56 Indeed,” says Mr Douglas, in a letter addressed to me on these subjects, “ within their range not a bush larger than a common broom or whin is to be found.”—“ The young autumnal birds,” he adds, a light grey, or betwixt that and slate colour. The oesophagus (externally) in colour is similar to that of T. cupido, but has numerous reticulated minute nerves (bloodvessels ?) of a darker tint, which are conspicuous when in an inflated state. How delighted you would be to see this bird making love! His usual form is totally lost. He appears all neck and breast, and is on the whole one of the most grotesque looking creatures that can well be imagined." They pair in March and April. “ Small eminences on the banks of streams are the places usually selected for celebrating the weddings; the time generally about sunrise. The wings of the male are lowered and buzzing on the ground; the tail spread like a fan, somewhat erect ; the bare yellow oesophagus inflated to a prodigious size, fully half as large as his body, and from its soft membranous substance being well contrasted with the scale-like feathers below it on the breast, and the flexile silky feathers on the neck, which on these occasions stand erect. In this grotesque form he displays, in the presence of his intended mate, a variety of pleasing attitudes, His love-song is a confused, grating, but not offensively disagreeable tone,—something that we can imitate, but have a difficulty in expressing -Hurr-hurr-hurr-1-1-1-hoo, ending in a deep hol- low tone, not unlike the sound produced by blowing into a large reed." a 66 are of : a THE PHEASANT-TAILED GROUSE. The Pheasant-tailed Grouse builds on the ground, beneath the shade of Purshia and Artemi- sia, or near streams, among Phalaris arundinacea. The nest is carelessly constructed of dry grass and twigs. The eggs are of a wood-brown colour, irregularly blotched with chocolate brown at the larger end : in size they equal those of a common fowl, and vary from 13 to 17 in number. The period of incubation is about three weeks ; and the young leave the nest a few hours after they are hatched. In the summer and autumn months, according to the authority just quoted, these birds are seen in small troops, and in spring and winter in flocks of several hundreds. They are plentiful throughout the barren arid plains of the river Colombia, as well as in the interior of North Califor- nia. They do not exist on the banks of the river Missouri; nor have they been seen in any place east of the Rocky Mountains. The vernacular name by which they are known among the Kyuse Indians, who reside on the banks of the Columbia, is Pyamis. Their food consists chiefly of the buds, leaves, and fruit of Purshia tridentata, Artemisia, the seeds of Cactus, brown and black ants, and sand-bugs. Their flesh is dark-coloured, and I am sorry to add, not especially good in point of flavour. Let me conclude by observing, that the accurate figures, and brief history and description of these rare birds, which I have now the pleasure of presenting to the notice of the ornithologist, will serve to make known a species, the importation of which to the upland valleys of our Scottish mountains, would form a fine addition to the feathered game of Great Britain. I have little doubt, that not only these birds, but several others of smaller size, though even greater beauty, which I shall ere long figure and describe, might be imported into a country of which the soil, climate, and natural productions are not so dissimilar to those of their native regions, as to preclude the hope of a successful issue to an experiment of the highest interest, which the wealth and zeal for field sports inherited by many of our nobility would render easy, and which might eventually prove of more substantial and permanent advantage. The Pheasant-tailed Grouse, though now figured for the first time, appears to have been no- ticed by LEWIS and CLARKE under the name of Cock of the Plains; and CHARLES L. BUONA- PARTE (son of the ex-king of Spain), whose scientific attainments, and pursuit of peaceful know- ledge, shed a milder lustre over a name otherwise too renowned, has indicated its characters in the 3d volume of the Zoological Journal, from an immature specimen formerly in the possession of Mr LEADBEATER *. a * Both the PRINCE of MusiGNANO and Mr Douglas describe the tail-feathers in this species as amounting to 20. The true number is however 18; but the elongation of the two central feathers of the upper coverts of the tail produces a deception, when the former plumes are not carefully discriminated from the latter. PLATE XXXI. KOOG R 3 yan wu 04 Drawn by James Wilson کار داریم به همه Engd by W. H. Lazars , es lichardwns Grouse. Females . TETRAO RICHARDSONII. DOUGLAS. o PLATE XXX. za WAS N FEEGA QUE DE mi www Inc Drawn by James Wilson Engą by W.HLizars. , lichardsons Grouse Sale. TETRAO RICHARDSONII. DOUGLAS GENUS TETRA0.--GROUSE. RICHARDSON'S GROUSE.-TETRAO RICHARDSONII. Sabine. PLATES XXX, & XXXI. SYNONYM. Tetrao Richardsonii. Douglas, in Linn. Trans. vol. xvi. part i. p. 141. - The new species to which I have now the pleasure of calling the attention of the ornitholo- gist, was found by Mr David Douglas among the mountainous districts of the river Columbia, and other parts of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. A few seasons ago, Mr SABINE (to whose kindness I am indebted for the male and female at present in my possession) received spe- cimens of this bird through the Hudson's Bay Company, which were supposed to have been ob- tained in the mountains near the sources of the river Athabasca. The appellation bestowed up- on them was conferred by Mr SABINE, in remembrance of a distinguished traveller, whose name can gain no additional honour from its repetition in these pages. MALE.-PLATE XXX. Upper mandible black ; under mandible brownish horn colour. Irides hazel. Bare warty spot above the eye, yellow. Chin, throat, and portions of the sides of the neck and cheeks, white, spotted with bluish-black or lead colour. Head and neck (with the ex- ception just mentioned), breast, and lower parts of the body, obscure lead colour, tinged in part with brown. The same colour prevails on the sides of the body; but on those parts many of the feathers are marked at the extremity by an elongated triangular white spot; and their quills are also white. The back, scapulars, and greater and lesser wing-coverts, are brown, variously marked and speckled with darker and lighter shades of that colour. The primary and secondary quill-fea- thers are likewise brown, marked on their outer webs with streaks, and interrupted bars of very pale brown. The tail and upper coverts of the tail are deep lead colour, passing into blackish- brown, the feathers of the former indistinctly tipped with paler lead colour. The under tail-co- verts are dingy black, spotted with white. In the male specimen above described, there is a spot of white, mixed with lead colour, on each side of the neck, at its base, just above the shoulder, but I am uncertain whether this ought to be regarded as a specific character, or as resulting from the falling off of some of the superin- cumbent feathers; for I find that most of the plumage in that quarter, when displaced, exhibits a large portion of white at its basal and central portion, which is not apparent externally when the feathers are in proper order. The tarsi are an inch and three quarters in length, and thickly clothed with pale brown feathers. The feet and claws are brown. The total length is 18 inches. FEMALE.-PLATE XXXI. The female, as is usual in birds of the gallinaceous kind, is some- what less than the male. The total length, from the point of the upper mandible to the extre- mity of the tail, is 17] inches. In plumage, she differs remarkably from her mate. The prevail- ing ground colour of the upper parts is pale reddish brown, but broadly barred and spotted all over with black. The small feathers of the frontal and auricular regions are of a clear yellowish brown - kk RICHARDSON'S GROUSE. a and black. The chin and throat are white, spotted with black. The back of the head, and hinder and lateral portions of the neck, are pale brown, tinged with grey, and barred with irregular semi- circles of black. The feathers of the lower portion of the neck, immediately above the back and scapulars, are composed of bars of black and pale yellowish-brown, with one or two lateral spots of white. The back, scapulars, and upper coverts of the tail, are broadly barred with black, and pale reddish-brown, speckled with black. Several of the lower scapulars have white quills, and an elon- gated oval spot of white on their terminal portion. The greater and lesser wing-coverts are reddish- brown, speckled with black, with an occasional dingy white line running down the centre of the feather. The secondary quill feathers are obscure black, marked and margined with very pale brown. The primaries are brown, clouded on their outer webs by irregular pale yellowish-brown spots. The plumage of the front of the neck, and that of the breast, are obscure black, with a large, irregular, cordate or heart-shaped spot of very pale reddish brown, passing into yellowish- white, in the centre of each feather, so as to produce a mottled appearance, partaking almost equally of dark and light. The under parts of the body are paleish lead colour. The sides are covered with large feathers, variegated with black, white, brown. The vent feathers are likewise barred with these colours. The two central superincumbent tail feathers are black, barred with pale reddish- brown. The other feathers of the tail are black, narrowly tipped with pale brown or dingy white. The under coverts of the tail are white, spotted with black. The feathers of the legs and tarsi are pale brown, obscurely barred by a darker tint of brown. The bill, irides, and feet, resemble those parts of the male. The toes are somewhat shorter in proportion, and the claws are of rather a deeper hue. The weight of these birds varies from 21 lb. to 3 lb. Their flesh is white and excel- lent. They pair in April, and form their nests of small twigs, leaves, and grass, on the declivities of subalpine hills. They usually select for the purposes of nidification small coppices of hazel and birch, in the vicinity of springs or mountain rills. They lay from 13 to 19 eggs, which are nearly as large as those of the domestic fowl, and are marked with larger and smaller specks of red. According to Mr Douglas, their period of incubation is three weeks. They feed on the buds of the pine, the catkins of birch, alder, and hazel, and the fruit of Fragaria and Vaccinium. “ Their voice is a continuation of distinct hollow sounds, Hoo-hoo, hoo, like the cooing of a dove." Their flight is swift, steady, and particularly graceful. When startled from the sombre branches of the overshadowing pine-trees, their usual roosting places, they descend, or rather drop, to with- in a few feet of the ground, before they commence flying—a circumstance which, Mr Douglas observes, often leads the hunter to think he has secured his bird, until he sees it in the distance winging its way through the forest. This trait seems peculiar to the species. No bird, however, is more easily destroyed—for they will often continue to sit, with apparent tranquillity, on the rocks or pine-trees, after several shots have been fired. “ In spring, they are seen in great numbers basking in the sun on the southern declivities of the low hills, and in winter in the neighbourhood of springs, lakes, or large streams, in flocks of sixty or eighty. They are easily captured by small snares formed of sinews of the deer tribe. They are very abundant on the subalpine regions of the Rocky Mountains, in Latitude 52° N. Longitude 115° W. They are still more numerous in the mountainous districts of the river Co- lumbia, in Lat. 48° N. Long. 118° W.”-Linn. Trans. vol. xvi. p. 142. . This species is rare on the mountains of the north-west coast. Mr Douglas captured some in April 1825, and several more during the winters of 1826–7. The birds from the last-named lo- cality appeared larger, with the general colours more distinct, and a broader marking of white at the extremity of the tail. a a PLATE XXII. C Drawn by James Wilson Engå by W. Lizars , CURS ASIATICUS The Coromandel Courier, cursorIUS Astatic vs. a both your be WODY ORDER CURSORES.-CURSORIAL BIRDS, OR RUNNERS. Characters of the Order.-BilL short, or of medium length. LEGs long and bare above the knee. Toes never exceeding three in number, all directed forwards. a This Order contains the celebrated Ostrich of Africa, the Casuary of the East Indies, and the Emeus of South America and New Holland, besides the Bustards and others of less familiar name. They are all distinguished by excessive swiftness of foot; and though many of them, when pressed by a still swifter foe, are capable of a strong and sustained flight, others are rendered entirely incapable, by the peculiarities of their physical structure, of ever leaving the surface of the earth. They therefore form exceptions to the general definition of a bird, as a flying biped, and in ac- cordance with this anomaly in their organic functions, the clothing of these species partakes as much of the nature of hair as of feathers, being loose, filamentous, and disconnected. Several rea- sons have been assigned by philosophers to account for the fact, that certain species of this order are unable to fly—one of the most obvious seems to be that they have no wings. The cursorial birds dwell in wild and desert places, avoiding the shelter of woods, and the vi- cinity of human habitations. In the natural state, they are very shy and wary, and hence their manners are less familiarly known than might be presupposed from their great size and import- The species are rare, even in temperate countries, and in northern ones seem to be quite unknown. Only two species, both of which are Bustards, are indigenous to England, where they are now rare, and confined to a few particular localities. None of the order occurs in Scotland. In fact, it consists of only five genera, which do not contain much above a dozen species in all. ance. a GENUS CURSORIUS.- THE COURIER. Characters of the Genus.-BILL shorter than the head, slightly arched, deflected towards the ex- tremity. NosTRILS oval, surmounted by a small protuberance. Legs long and slender. Toes three in number, directed forwards; the innermost being only half the length of the middle Claws small; that of the middle toe obtusely serrated on its inner edge. Wings ra- ther long The greater wing-coverts of almost equal length with the primaries, of which the second is the most elongated. toe. Of the habits of this genus, naturalists have as yet attained but a slight and superficial know- ledge. The species inhabit the warmer regions of Asia and Africa, and are said to affect the driest and most desert countries. They are formed much after the model of the Bustard tribe, and, like it, are less remarkable for their powers of flight than their surprizing swiftness as runners. One species has been found occasionally in Europe, the Cursorius Europæus, known also under the name of Cream-coloured Plover ; but its appearance in our division of the globe being entirely casual, the specific name of Europæus was injudiciously applied to a bird which never voluntarily abandons the arid wastes of Africa. On the latter continent, it appears, however, to be widely THE COROMANDEL COURIER. distributed, as it has been observed both in Abyssinia and towards the southern extremity; and it no doubt occurs at many intermediate points. It is the Cursorius isabellinus of MEYER and TEMMINCK, and the Cour-vite of BUFFON. Till lately, only two species of this genus were known,—the one above mentioned, and the Cursorius Asiaticus, or Coromandel Courier. A third was killed by M. LE VAILLANT in the in- terior of Africa, and named the Double-collared Courier (Cursorius bi-cinctus) by M. TEMMINCK, in whose collection the individual is now preserved * A fourth species was a few years ago de- scribed and figured by Mr SWAINSON, in his “ Zoological Illustrations” (Pl. 106), under the name of Temminck's Courier (C. Temminckii), in honour of the first practical ornithologist of the pre- sent day. Lastly, M. TEMMINCK has recently discovered and described a fifth species, under the name of Violet-winged Courier (C. chalcopterus). In common with the last-named, it is said to be a native of western Africa. Thus, the birds of this genus, though belonging to an order re- markable for a weak and defective flight, are found in countries not only widely distant from each other, but separated by an intermediate ocean of some thousand miles. a а THE COROMANDEL COURIER-CURSORIUS ASIATICUS. PLATE XXII. SYNONYMS. The Coromandel Plover. Latham.-Le Cour-vite de la Coromandel. Buff. Pl. Enl. 892. a a Upper parts of the head, and lower region of the breast, rich chesnut-brown. Above each eye there is a white streak, which, descending in an obliquely transverse direction, unites with the corresponding line of the other side on the back part of the neck. The eyes are placed in a black line, which, proceeding from the base of the upper mandible, follows the direction of the superci- liary streak, and unites beneath it in a similar manner. The throat and anterior portion of the cheeks are pale fawn colour. The neck and breast are of a warm reddish-brown. A small central portion of the under surface of the body is black. The back, scapulars, and greater and lesser wing-coverts are brown, tending to ash colour. The primary quill-feathers are deep black; the lower secondaries are brownish-black, tipped with white; the remaining secondaries and the ter- tials (which are long and pointed) are brownish-ash colour. The sides of the body immediately above the thighs are hair-brown. The thighs themselves, the vent-feathers, and the upper and under tail-coverts, are dingy white. The tail is composed of 12 feathers, of which the two central are ash coloured, the outermost on each side white, and all the others ash coloured, with a black spot near the end, tipped with white. The bill and claws are black. The legs and feet are of a chalky white colour, tinged with pale yellow. Inhabits India. а * C. bi-cinctus is well figured in Sir W. JARDINE and Mr SELBY'S “ Illustrations of Ornithology,” Plate XVIII. 2 PLATE XII. ساری عمر پر بر سر می ノ​) (((((( (( سرد و معارف بر رو در زیر در رس سعد رررر جان محترار به برادر و در دوررررر الترددار در درر ((نه سرے سے مم نور ز اور (((((( صور مررر rretes rinvill مروررر فرد (۲/۲۷ مار رود. در مرح؟ ررررررررررررر ررررررررره و سر زر (( مرررررر ررررررر (( او که مرا 1 /6 بلس « ( « بازار ارز از رز رب ولانننرررر braccols Engraved by W. HLizars Drawn by James Wilson The Green Herone ARDEA VIRESCENS. ORDER GRALLATORES. Temminck.-W.ADERS, OR SHORE BIRDS. GRALLÆ. Linn.-LES ÉCHASSIERS. Cuv. Characters of the Order.-Form of the bill indeterminate. Legs long and slen- — der, and more or less bare above the knee. Three anterior toes, more or less united at their bases by a membrane or rudimentary web. The hind toe wanting in the first division of the Order, but present in the other ge- nera. In this extensive and varied order, the bill is formed after so many different models, according to the habits of each particular genus, that its structure cannot be generalized, beyond a few natural and rather limited groups. The form of their feet and legs is admirably adapted for the exercise of their peculiar habits of life; and hence the term Grallatores, by which the order is designated, as if they went on stilts. The French name of Echassiers is also derived from the resemblance which the legs bear to the echasses so frequently used by the natives of the landes of Aquitaine. An exclusive attention to this character has, however, misled some recent naturalists, who have included several very remotely allied genera under one order. Indeed, a considerable diversity of opinion still exists as to what ought to form the exact component parts of the Order Gralla- tores. By means of the Flamingoes and others, they are closely allied to the Palmipedes or Web- footed birds ; whilst a dismemberment, partly from the latter order, partly from the original Gralle, has been judiciously effected of the Grebes, the Surinam Plotus, the Phalaropes, &c. which now form, under the name of Pinnatipedes, a separate and intermediate order. The Grallatores seek their food in marshes, and along the banks of rivers, and the shores of lakes. They also occur upon the sea-coasts, where many kinds, especially in autumn, congregate in vast flocks. Their food varies according to the form of the mandibles. Such as are pro- vided with a long, hard, sharp-pointed bill, as in the Heron tribe, live on fish, and the greater reptiles; the species in which that organ is softer and more flexible, feed on worms and insects; whilst a more limited number, for example the Land-rail or Corn-craik (Rallus crex), are partly graminivorous, and consequently affect a drier soil. The Jacana (P. chavaria) is said to feed on grass. The habits of many species are migratory; and it has been remarked, that the young and old birds always perform their journeys in separate assemblages. A great proportion of the order congregates in the southern countries of Europe before the arrival of winter, which season many of them are supposed to spend in northern Africa. A few are winter birds of passage, that , to say, the temperate countries of Europe form their southern boundary, and during the breed- ing-season, they seek the colder regions of the north. The Woodcock breeds in Sweden, where the traveller frequently observes it, not as with us the harbinger of storms, but darting across his path even in “ the leafy month of June.” The smaller species, such as the Rails and Sandpipers, run with great celerity: the paces of the larger kinds are more measured and sedate. During flight, their legs are usually extended backwards in a line with the body. In some entire genera, and in certain species of other genera, the moult is double, and occasions a remarkable diversity between the plumage of the winter and summer seasons. The attire of the sexes is, for the most part, not very dissimilar. An apparent non-conformity may be said to exist in certain spe- a 2 GRALLATORES. cies of this order, between the structure of the feet and the particular functions of these organs, which would disenable us from indicating with accuracy the habits of such species, from an inspec- tion of their organization. For example, the Water Hen (Fulica chloropus), is an excellent and constant swimmer, and much more strictly aquatic than the Avoset or Flamingo, yet its toes are long and narrow, with a very feeble rudimentary web; while the last-named species, though semi-palmated, never voluntarily venture beyond their depths. The migratory movements of the Grallatores are probably determined in a great measure by the necessity of obtaining suitable nourishment. The rigour of a Scandinavian winter, which en- tirely congeals the moist forest lands of Sweden and the swamps of Lapland, drives the Woodcock to seek its food in the comparatively milder copses of Britain and Ireland; while the Land Rail, which is with us a native or summer bird, migrates in autumn to more southern regions, where, of course, it is only known as a winter visitant. a GENUS ARDEA.-THE HERON. ORDER GRALLATORES. Characters of the Genus.--Bill as long or longer than the head, strong, hard, straight, compressed, sharp-pointed; the masticating edges cutting, the culminating edge rounded. Nostrils late- NOSTRILS ral, nearly basal, longitudinal, and partly closed by a membrane. EYES surrounded by a bare skin, which stretches forward to the base of the bill. Legs long, slender, naked, more or less bare above the knee. Toes, three anterior, the outer and middle connected by a membrane, the middle and anterior more deeply divided ; one posterior, articulated rather on the inside of the foot, but on the same level with the other toes. Claws long, sharp, compressed ; that of the middle toe serrated on its interior edge. Wings of medium length, with the second and third primaries the most elongated. HIS a His genus contains a considerable number of species, almost all of which are remarkable for beauty of plumage. They seldom, however, exhibit any thing like a preponderance of the brighter and more gaudy colours, such as red, yellow, or green, being chiefly distinguished by a delicate blending of grey, brown, black, white, pale blue, slate colour, and other sober hues. The forms of the plumage are graceful and elegant. Long pendant plumes frequently ornament the hinder parts of the head and neck, the lower part of the breast, and the dorsal region. The body is usual- ly small and light, the limbs long and delicate, the toes narrow and taper, and the neck slim, flex- ible, and very graceful. From the genus Ardea of the modern systems, many species are excluded which were regarded by LINNÆUS and LATHAM as true Herons. Thus, the Common Stork (A. ciconia), forms with the Jabirues and others the genus Ciconia ; the Curale Snipe of LATHAM ( A. helias), has been raised by ILLIGER to the rank of a genus, under the name of Eurypyga ; the Coromandel Heron and that of Pondicherry (which are in fact different conditions of the same species) form the genus Anastomus of the same author ; and the Curlew Heron (A. scolopacea), in the hands of M. VIEL- LOT has likewise been made to constitute a new genus under the title of Aramus. The habits of the heron tribe are aquatic : they usually walk or rather wade along the shores of lakes, rivers, stagnant marshes, or the land-locked waters of narrow seas, in search of their na- tural food, which consists of fish, frogs, several marine and fresh-water shells, slugs, worms, and various insects. During flight, they extend their legs backwards, instinctively, as is alleged, to counterbalance the weight of their anterior extremity, and by a duplication of the neck, they lower the head between the shoulders. In some instances they are gregarious, in others solitary. In the former case they build in trees ; in the latter, more frequently, among reeds, rushes, or other aquatic plants. Several species offer an excellent though now neglected article of food, and were not only prized as such in England in the olden time, but were objects of still higher inte- rest and regard, as affording the finest display of strength and intrepidity in the practice of the noble art of falconry. M. TEMMINCK divides the genus into two sections. The 1st, containing the Herons, properly so called, is distinguished by a longer bill and neck, and the greater proportion of the tibia which is bare above the knee. It preys chiefly on fish. The 2d section contains the Night Herons and Bitterns, of which the bills are shorter and more compressed, and a greater proportion of the THE GREEN HERON. tibia is covered with feathers. The Night Herons are usually characterised by two or three long subulated feathers, which depend from the occiput. The Bitterns have apparently a broad com- pressed neck, thickly covered laterally with long feathers, pointing rather backwards, and capable of partial erection at the volition of the bird. Many of these pass backwards beyond the neck, and meet behind it on either side, covering a lengthened downy space, from which no feathers spring. Both of these subdivisions of the second section prey less upon fish than upon insects and worms. Birds of this genus occur in almost every quarter of the known world. The species which in- habit high northern latitudes, such as Kamtschatka and the shores of Hudson's Bay, migrate southwards before the arrival of winter. Those which breed in warm or temperate climates are more stationary. THE GREEN HERON-ARDEA VIRESCENS. Linn. PLATE XII. var. A. LATHAM. SYNONYMS. Le Crabier gris à tete et queue vertes. Buff.-Crabier de Cayenne. Pl. Enl. 908. Le Crabier verd. Buff.—The Louisiana Heron. Lath. ?--Ardea Ludoviciana. Gmel.? Crabier roux à tete et queue vertes. Buff.?--Ardea virescens. Wilson's American Ornithology? Bill black or dark greenish horn colour above and along its cutting edges ; the greater part of the lower mandible pale greenish-yellow, brighter towards the base. Iris bright yellow. Legs greenish-yellow. Claws brown. Frontal feathers, upper part of the head, and lengthened occi- pital crest, black glossed with green. There is a small streak of black beneath the eyes. A fron- tal line of white and brown, richly intermingled, passes down the centre of the throat, neck and breast. The other parts of the neck, breast, and all the under parts of the body, are dingy pearl- grey or ash colour, partially tinged with pale brown. Long, pointed, dorsal feathers, varying from greyish-green to blue and slate colour, streaked and margined with white, cover the back and sca- pulars. Lesser and greater wing-coverts dark changing green, beautifully fringed with different shades of yellowish-white, or pale rust colour. Secondary quill-feathers dark green, edged with yellowish-white. Primary quill-feathers dark green, passing into a hoary lead colour. Tail black- ish-green above, with pale, narrow, terminal edges. Feathers on the thighs tinged with brown. Total length from 16 to 18 inches. This bird seems to present considerable variation, both in size and plumage, and has in conse- quence been described by different authors under different names. An examination of an exten- sive suite of specimens has enabled me to ascertain its characteristic condition : this I have repre- sented the size of life on Plate XII. from a fine specimen in the Edinburgh Museum. It is the Green Heron, variety A. of LATHAM'S Synopsis (var. B of Index ornithologicus). ALEXANDER Wilson, in his most meritorious and extraordinary work on the Birds of North America, appears to have figured under the name of Green Heron, that peculiar variety known to systematic writers under the name of Ardea Ludoviciana, and given as a distinct species by the inaccurate GMELIN. The chief difference consists in the sides of the head, neck, and greater portion of the under parts being rufous instead of ash colour, or, as Wilson expresses it, of" a dark vinaceous red.” Of four specimens in the Edinburgh Museum, which differ somewhat in size, and perfec- tion of plumage, none presents more than a very slight manifestation of this rufous colouring. 5 THE GREEN HERON. a Having had no means of acquiring any knowledge of the habits of this bird from personal obser- vation, I cannot do better than quote the remarks of my accurate and enlightened townsman, the late ALEXANDER Wilson of Paisley, of whom Scotland was the father-land, although America was the adopted country (unfortunately during his lifetime not much less of an ingrata patria than the other), and now holds his remains “ like Scipio's buried by the upbraiding shore.” “ The Green Heron makes its first appearance in Pennsylvania early in April, soon after the marshes are completely thawed. There, among the stagnant ditches, and amidst the bogs and quagmires, he hunts with great cunning and dexterity. Frogs and small fish are his principal game, whose caution and facility of escape require nice address, and rapidity of attack. When on the look-out for small fish, he stands in the water, by the side of the ditch, silent and motionless as a statue, his head drawn in over his breast ready for action. The instant a fry or minnow comes within range of his bill, by a stroke quick and sure as that of the rattlesnake, he seizes his prey, and swallows it in an instant. He searches for small crabs, and for the various worms and larvæ, particularly those of the dragon-fly, which lurk in the mud, with equal adroitness. But the capturing of frogs requires much nicer management. These wary reptiles sink into the mire on the least alarm, and do not raise up their heads again to the surface without the most cautious circumspection. The Heron, fixing his penetrating eye on the spot where they disappear, ap- proaches with slow stealing step, laying his feet so gently and silently on the ground as not to be heard or felt; and when arrived within reach stands fixed, and bending forwards, until the first glimpse of the frog's head makes its appearance, when, with a stroke instantaneous as lightning, he seizes it in his bill, beats it to death, and feasts on it at his leisure. “ This mode of life, requiring little fatigue where game is so plenty, as is generally the case in all our marshes, must be particularly pleasing to the bird, and also very interesting, from the con- tinual exercise of cunning and ingenuity necessary to circumvent its prey. Some of the natural- ists of Europe, however, in their superior wisdom, think very differently; and one can scarcely re- frain from smiling at the absurdity of those writers, who declare, that the lives of this whole class of birds are rendered miserable by toil and hunger ; their very appearance, according to BUFFON, presenting the image of suffering, anxiety, and indigence *". This bird, when alarmed, utters a hollow guttural scream ; and, when forced to take wing, sel- dom flies far, but alights on a neighbouring stump or bit of old fence, staring about with extended neck. He is among the least shy of the Herons, and builds among the swampy woods, sometimes in insulated pairs, at other times in small companies, and not unfrequently in friendly association with the Night Herons (A. nycticorax). “ The nest is fixed among the branches of the trees; is constructed wholly of small sticks, lined with finer twigs, and is of considerable size, though loosely put together. The female lays four eggs of the common oblong form, and of a pale light blue co- lour. The young do not leave the nest until able to fly.” Nidification commences about the 20th of April, and both young and old migrate from the United States on the approach of win- ter. The American ornithologist adds a singular circumstance attending this bird. After shoot- ing at and wounding one, he carried it some distance by the legs, which were at first yellow; but on reaching home, he perceived to his surprize that they were red. On letting the bird remain some time undisturbed, they again became yellow. He has observed the same alternation of co- lours in the legs of the Night Heron. The species above described is pretty widely distributed over the American continent, and occurs also in the West Indies. The sexes scarcely differ in plumage; the crest of the female is less elongated; and neither acquires the lengthened dorsal feathers until the second year †. * See Wilson's American Ornithology, vol. vii. + Ibid. R PLATE VIL. Une 3 پر رہا Š フリル ​را رہے Drawn from Nature by James Wilson - Engraved by W.H. Lizars. Scarlet Pons . IBIS RUBER CUV. UNIL GENUS IBIS. Cuvier. Gen. TANTALUS. Gmelin & Latham. Ord. GRALLATORES, Temm.-Fam. LONGIROSTRES, Cuv. Characters of the Genus.—Bill very long, slender, arched, broader, and almost square at the base, with the point depressed, obtuse, rounded. Upper mandible deeply furrowed throughout the whole of its length. Nostrils narrow, oblong, and pierced through the membrane of the fur- row near the base of the upper mandible. Forehead bare. No feathers between the bill and the eyes. Legs slender, lengthened, bare above the knee. Three toes before and one behind; the anterior united by a membrane as far as their first articulations; the posterior of sufficient length to rest upon the ground, and act as a support to the bird. Wings of moderate length, with the second and third primaries the most elongated. r The species of this genus are distributed over the warmer zones of all the four quarters of the globe. Only one species, however, called the Green or Glossy Ibis (T. falcinellus, Gm.), occurs in Europe. The Sacred Ibis (Ibis religiosa, Cuv.), so celebrated as an object of religious worship among the ancient Egyptians, pertains to this genus. The researches of MM. SAVIGNY and Cu- VIER have demonstrated that the supposed Sacred Ibis of preceding writers, is in fact a Tantalus, which, though it occurs occasionally in Egypt, has its chief dominion in Senegal , and has never been observed in the embalmed state. The signal advantages which the inhabitants of warm countries have been reputed to derive from the destruction of serpents, and other venomous rep- tiles, by birds of this genus, do not accord with the observations of practical naturalists. The true Ibises prey upon worms and various insects, the fry and ova of fishes, and on shells; but they are alleged, on good authority, not to intermeddle with the reptile race. The moult is single, and the sexes do not differ greatly from each other, though the young of several species present a striking contrast to the plumage of the adult birds. THE SCARLET IBIS.--IBIS RUBER. Cuvier. PLATE VII. (In the Plumage of the Second Year.) SYNONYMS. Tantalus ruber, Gm. adult. Tantalus fuscus, Gm. young.--L'Ibis rouge, Buff.-Red Curlew, Catesby. Usual length from twenty inches to two feet. Bill, bare parts about the eyes and forehead, legs and feet, pale flesh colour. The superior part of the base of the bill passes a little upwards between the eyes. The entire plumage is of a most dazzling scarlet, with the exception of the extremities of the first four primaries, which are of a rich bluish-black. The tarsi and toes are plated anteriorly, reticulated posteriorly. a M SCARLET IBIS. а a Such is a short description of the Scarlet Ibis in the adult state.--a condition in which it pre- sents one of the most brilliant examples of the feathered race. A bird of a much less imposing aspect, long regarded as a distinct kind, and known to the ornithologists of Europe under the name of Brown Ibis (T. fuscus, Gmelin), has been ascertained to be the young of this species ; but the transitions from the obscure nestling to the gorgeous plumage of the parent bird, have not been correctly stated in any ornithological work. The young are said to be first covered with a blackish down to become next ash-coloured—and then almost white, about the period of their taking wing-and the scarlet is alleged not to appear till after the expiry of the second year. A series of specimens in the Edinburgh Museum disproves the accuracy of these gradations. I have had no opportunity of examining the bird in the condition of a nestling ; but the young, when strongly fledged, and capable of rapid flight, are of a uniform glossy brown, slightly tinged with green on the wing-coverts and scapulars, and becoming paler on the neck, breast, and under parts. This state of plumage, I have reason to believe, continues for the first year ; after which, the brown feathers become paler, especially about the under parts. A few ash-coloured plumes now make their appearance, and, after the second autumnal moulting, become intermingled with irregular blotches of scarlet on the back and shoulders, which every succeeding season renders more uni- versal and intense ; but I cannot ascertain by observation, and, theoretically considered, it is highly improbable, that any intermediate white condition of plumage ever occurs. The pale brown of the lower parts passes into pale rose colour ; and that the scarlet is superadded to and combined with the deeper brown of the upper surface, is proved by the very beautiful and interesting specimen in the Museum, which is engraved on Plate VII., and exhibits in a clear and satisfactory manner the passage from the Brown to the Scarlet Ibis. The figure is reduced to about two-thirds of the natural size; but being in all other respects a faithful portrait of the original, a more detailed description is unnecessary. It combines the characters of these two supposed species, which were for so long a period disconnected, in consequence of naturalists having attended only to the two extremes ; and may be said to afford a new confirmation of an ancient rule, « In medio tutissimus IBIS." os teritong ako sa The Scarlet Ibis occurs in most of the intra-tropical countries of America, frequenting in troops the marshes and moist shores near the mouths of the great rivers. It is common during summer in East Florida, a few are seen in the south of Carolina, and many in the Bahama Islands. They also occur in the Brazils. Though they deposit their eggs, of a greenish colour, in a bed of leaves upon the ground, they frequently perch on trees, where the contrast of their fiery plumage with the surrounding foliage is said to produce a most resplendent appearance. According to Pen- NANT, they are often domesticated in Guaiana ; and Dr LATHAM informs us that he was possessed of one which was brought alive to England, and lived for some time with the poultry. In the tame state it exhibits great courage, and will oppose itself to a cat. I have not the means of re- conciling the contrariety of sentiment which exists regarding the migratory habits of this species, or of ascertaining which is the more correct opinion. PENNANT asserts in his Arctic Zoology that it is common in Georgia during the months of July and August, after which it retires southwards ; whereas Cuvier, in his Règne Animal, expressly states, “ que cette espece ne voyage point.” I am inclined, however, to believe that it is a bird of passage. a a a PLATE VIL. 3 ਐ. را در W * was and کرل Drawn from Nature by James Wilson Engraved by W.H. Lizars. Scarlet Ibis UND IBIS RUBER. CUV. GENUS IBIS. THE SCARLET IBIS.-IBIS RUBER *. Cuvier. PLATE XXXII. In the Plumage of the First Year. SYNONYMS. The Brown Ibis. Latham.---Tantalus fuscus. Gmelin. a In a former Number of this work (see PLATE VII.), I figured and described the Scarlet Ibis in its adolescent condition, or that in which the brilliant plumage of the parent bird begins to appear through the sombre attire of the young. The adult is one of the most gorgeous examples of the class of birds, but its beauty has caused its frequent capture, and there are consequently few museums the shelves of which are not adorned by the glow of its fiery plumage. At present, however, we have to do with the less inviting aspect of this species, which is interesting in as far as it exhibits the remarkable changes to which the individuals are subjected, in passing from the young to the adult state. A general observer would scarcely suppose that the young bird now figured on Plate XXXII, which differs so greatly from its parent the Scarlet Ibis, should after- wards assume so bright a lustre. The young of the Scarlet Ibis, when fully fledged, has the head, neck, and upper part of the breast, of a pale brown colour, passing on the lower part of the breast into white, which latter co- lour also characterises all the lower portions of the plumage, and the under coverts of the tail. The back, scapulars, wing-coverts, primary and secondary quill feathers, and tail, are dark glossy brown The feathers on the thighs are white. The bill is pale yellowish-brown, the legs and feet are nearly of the same hue, and the claws are horn colour. * The old generic name of Tantalus has, by mistake, been engraved on Plate XXXII. . PLATE XX. གི་ * llll rele Welco 2018 fully ,re} } }}>ܬܥܥܐ،، CE Drawn by James Wilson. Engraved by W. H. Lizars // ان Wilaya The Sacred on @popitian 50 NIL IBIS RELIGIOSA CUV. Ech X GENUS IBIS. THE SACRED OR EGYPTIAN IBIS.IBIS RELIGIOSA. Cuvier. PLATE XIX. SYNONYMS. Tantalus Æthiopicus. Latham.—Abou-Hannes. Bruce. a a Having in an earlier portion of this work exhibited the ordinal and generic characters of the Ibis, I proceed to describe the most celebrated of the genus, a bird of which the history has been rendered famous by its connection with the most ancient monuments of antiquity. The sacred or Egyptian Ibis is a bird of very peculiar aspect, though undistinguished by much diversity in the colours of its plumage. It stands rather more than two feet high, and measures in length from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the tail, about 2 feet 6 inches. The bill is long and arched, about seven inches in length, and considerably thicker and broader towards the base than that of the scarlet Ibis. The head and neck for more than half a foot below the eyes, are entirely bare of feathers, and present nothing but a black cutaneous surface. A small portion of the lower part of the neck, the whole under parts of the body, likewise the back and scapulars, the greater and lesser wing-coverts, and the tail, are of a dingy or yellowish-white. Long fune- real-looking plumes, of a purplish-black colour, proceeding from beneath the tertiary wing-feathers, hang not ungracefully on either side of the tail, and, when the wings are closed, conceal the points of the primary and secondary quills, both of which are white, tipped with deep greenish-black, The legs and feet are deep lead colour, and the claws are black. Among the ancient Egyptians, a people prone to award divine honours to the brute creation, the Ibis was regarded as an object of superstitious worship, and its sculptured outline frequently occurs among the hieroglyphical images which adorn the walls of their temples. The conserva- tion of its mystical body occupied the assiduous care of their holiest priests, while living, and exer- cised the gloomy art of their most skilful embalmers, when dead. To slay or insult it would have been deemed a crime of the darkest hue, and sufficient to call down upon the offender the immediate vengeance of heaven. The incarnation of their gods was effected through the medium of this sa- cred bird, and the tutelary Deity of Egypt was supposed to be thus imaged to the eyes of adoring mortals when he descended from the highest heavens. The embalmed bodies of this species are still found in the catacombs, and other places of ancient sepulture; and the antiquary and the na- turalist marvel alike at the wonderful art which, for some thousand years, has handed down unim- paired to a far removed posterity, the form and features of so frail a creature. The perfection of an unknown process has almost defied the ravages of time, and, through its intervention, the self- same individuals exist in a tangible form, which wandered along the banks of the mysterious Nile in the earliest ages of the world, or “ in dim seclusion veiled,” inhabited the sanctuary of temples, which, though themselves of most magnificent proportions, are now scarcely discernible amid the desert dust of an unpeopled wilderness. The natural and mythological histories of this species are so closely combined by ancient au- thors, that it is scarcely possible to gather from their statements any rational meaning. Those, indeed, whose province it is to illustrate the history of mankind, by explaining the rise and pro- gress of superstition, and the frequent connection between certain forms of a delusive worship, and the physical conditions of clime and country, may find, in the distorted history of Egyptian ani- a ܪ a a U THE SACRED OR EGYPTIAN IBIS. e mals, an ample field for the exercise of such ingenious speculations ; but the zoologist has to do rather with things as they are, than as they were supposed to be, and his province is to explain (or attempt so to do) the works of the God of Nature as they exist in their most beautiful and harmo- nious simplicity, undeformed by the multitudinous fables of a remote antiquity. We need not then to inquire whether the Basilisk be born from an egg produced in the body of the Ibis, by a concentration of all the poison of all the serpents which it may have swallowed in the course of a long and reptile-eating life ;-nor whether the casual touch of its lightest plume still suffices not only to enchant and render motionless the largest crocodile, but even to deprive it at once of life ;- nor whether the Ibis itself, according to an expression of the Priest of Hermopolis, sometimes at- tains to so great an age that “it cannot die,” unless when, removed from the sustaining soil of its beloved Egypt, it sinks under the nostalgia of a foreign land! For we know that the basilisk does not exist ; that young Ibises have been seen flapping themselves across the out-stretched bodies of sleeping crocodiles, which afterwards sought the waters of the Nile with their accustomed ala- crity, and that the age of the sacred bird, though, from the skill of the embalmers, it may be said to be “ in death immortal,” does not exceed that of the rest of its congeners. The sacred Ibis belongs to that division of the genus, of which the legs, instead of being plated anteriorly as in the Scarlet Ibis (see Plate 7.), are reticulated or covered as it were by a sort of scaly net-work. It appears to have been indicated with sufficient precision by HERODOTUS, in his description of a bird with long black legs, a bare head and neck, an arched bill, a white body, and a black tail. The tail is in fact also white, but the pendent plumes before mentioned, by which it is usually concealed, produce exactly the appearance described by the ancient historian. The species described by ARISTOTLE, and recorded by Pliny under the name of Black Ibis, is not now distinctly known. It is most probably the Green or Glossy Ibis of modern writers, of which the darker plumage, though by no means black, may have been so called in contradistinction to the snowy aspect of the more celebrated kind. According to M. TEMMINCK, indeed, the Glossy Ibis was itself an object of religious worship; at least its body has been found embalmed, along with the other, in great numbers in the vast catacombs of the ancient Memphis. It was likewise ob- tained alive by the French sçavans who accompanied the Egyptian expedition. I conceive, how- ever, that the brief description given by HERODOTUS, the accurate comparison instituted by Cu- VIER between several embalmed Ibises and the recent specimens obtained from Upper Egypt, and the learned memoir by the acute Savigny, demonstrate that the sacred Ibis of the ancient Egyp- tians was neither the Glossy Ibis of LATHAM, nor the Tantalus Ibis of LINNÆUS, but the species described by Abyssinian Bruce, under the name of Abou-hannes, and now figured on the 19th Plate of these Illustrations. The sacred Ibis is usually observed either in pairs, or in small groups of eight or ten indivi- duals. They build their nests on palms, and other elevated trees, and lay two or three whitish eggs. They do not breed in Egypt, but arrive in that country when the waters of the Nile begin to swell. This apparent connection (as of cause and effect), between the presence of these birds and the fertilizing flow of the mighty river, probably gave rise to their worship as divine agents in immediate connection with those grander processes of nature by which the surface of the earth was regulated and sustained in a fit condition for the health and prosperity of the hu- man race. A slight knowledge of natural history would indeed have sufficed to shew, that such divine honours had not been awarded as a consequence of their destruction of serpents and other venomous reptiles ; for the modern Egyptians confirm the views of Colonel GROBERT, that the Ibis does not prey on serpents at all, but feeds very much after the manner of the curlew, on in- sects, worms, small fishes, and molluscous animals. + ORDER PALMIPEDES.WEB-FOOTED BIRDS. ANSERES. Linn. Characters of the Order.-Form of the Bill indeterminate. LEGS short, more or less withdrawn into the body, and set farther back than in most land birds. FEET webbed ; hind toe usually free, but sometimes connected with the others by means of an interior web. Birds of this order are more remarkable for the texture than the tints of their plumage, al- though many species of the Duck tribe are also distinguished by great brilliancy of colour. In- habiting, for the most part, the shores of the sea, and continually exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, their feathers are very close and compact, and abundantly imbued with an oily se- cretion, which renders them quite impermeable by moisture. This beautiful provision is more indispensable to the economy of the Palmipedes than to any other order, as many of them are strictly oceanic, being sometimes found 500 leagues from land, and consequently having no other place of repose, either by night or by day, than the surface of the sea. In addition to an abun- dant plumage, the truly aquatic kinds, such as Ducks and Divers, are furnished with a close, and in some instances very valuable down, which preserves them from the effects of cold and mois- ture, and is afterwards used in the formation of their nests on the arrival of the genial season. With the exception of Ducks and Mergansers, a very slight distinction prevails in the plumage of the sexes. The young differ greatly from the adults, and seldom attain the perfect plumage for several years. Their food consists chiefly of fish, molluscous animals, and marine insects,—al- though grain and other vegetable food is frequently sought after by Ducks, Geese and Swans. A striking diversity of form and aspect prevails among the genera of this order, from the light and elegant Tern to the heavy and almost wingless Penguin ; and a corresponding contrariety of in- stincts and modes of life is likewise observable. The Gull, the Sea Swallow, the Petrel, and the Solan Goose, are almost continually on the wing, and pick up their food either along the shores, or from the surface of the sea. They occasionally plunge, but never dive. Swans seek their food in bays and shallow waters, with their heads and necks only submerged. Ducks and Geese are enabled, by their external form, and internal structure, both to dive from the surface in pursuit of prey, and feel for it in pools and marshes ; while the Mergansers, Auks, Guillemots, Cormorants, and Divers, properly so called, subsist entirely by frequent and long-continued submersion, and may be said to swim as much beneath as upon the surface of the waves. The geographical distribution of many genera, particularly of the Gulls and Terns, is very widely extended. A species of Plotus or Darter, which occurs in North America, and is well known in China, was lately found by Major DENHAM in the central Deserts of Africa ; whilst the beautiful and silvery-plumaged Phæton ethereus, the soaring Albatross, and the remarkable Ryn- chops or Scissor-bill, are only found within the Tropics. In an economical point of view, the Palmipedes are of essential benefit to the human race. Their feathers and down are of great value for domestic purposes, and the flesh of many kinds affords an agreeable and nutritious food. Some of them have a peculiarly fishy flavour, and are therefore allowed in papal countries to be eaten during the period of Lent. - GENUS LARUS.GULL. ORDER PALMIPEDES; Family LONGIPENNES. Cuvier. Characters of the Genus.-BEAK rather long, straight, hard, compressed, the edges cutting, slightly bent inwards ; upper mandible curved downwards at the extremity, sharp-pointed ; under mandible forming a prominence more or less observable at the junction of its crura, and ob- liquely truncated at its tip. Nostrils lateral, mesial, longitudinal, narrow, rounded towards their extremity, and pierced through and through. Legs of moderate length and thickness, bare above the knee, perpendicular ; tarsi covered anteriorly with plates, posteriorly with hexa- gonal scales. Toes of moderate length, three before, fully palmated; one behind, elevated, not webbed (sometimes almost obsolete); claws bent, short, rather blunt. Wings very long and pointed, the first quill-feather slightly exceeding the second. Tail consisting of twelve fea- thers ; its form indeterminate, but usually square, or slightly rounded at the extremity. Disposition omnivorous. Habits gregarious, monogamous. ALTHOUGH the species which compose this genus are by no means very numerous, the elucida- tion of their history has been greatly retarded by some remarkable circumstances, which attend the periodical renewal of their plumage, and the prolonged adolescence of the younger birds. Among the greater proportion of land species, though the young in their first or nestling feathers usually differ from their parents, the assumption of the adult plumage is so quickly and obviously effected, as to be seldom a matter of doubt, or a source of uncertainty. It is otherwise, however, with the genus in question. Several of its larger species require from three to five years to acquire those conditions of plumage by which they are eventually characterized ; and, as a consequence of this, the individuals of such species present an aspect so dissimilar among themselves, according to their respective ages, that they have frequently been regarded and described by naturalists, as so many distinct kinds. Great attention having been paid to this subject of late years by TEMMINCK, BECHSTEIN, MEYER, MONTAGU, and others, the synonyms have been arranged, and the true his- tory of each species materially advanced. There still remains, however, an ample harvest for the zealous and discriminating ornithologist; but the investigation must be pursued, not as by a closet naturalist in the library or museum alone, but practically on the barren islands of the ocean,- among the wave-worn cliffs by the sea-coast-along the deceitful margins of swamps-or the shores and islets of retired inland waters. The other difficulty to which I have alluded above, arises from what is called the double moult, so universal in this genus. It is believed that all birds moult once a-year, during a period which, according to circumstances, and the peculiar constitution of the species, varies in its occurrence from the middle of summer to the close of the autumnal season. This is probably the primary rule; but another, secondary and supplemental to it, is observable among several tribes of the feathered race, especially the aquatics, according to which, a partial change takes place early in the year, by which the spring or nuptial plumage, as it has been named, is rendered in several re- spects so dissimilar to the clothing which the bird bears throughout the greater portion of the year, that a person ignorant of the nature of this temporary mutation, would not recognise it as the same species. It is in this state that the plumage is in the highest perfection, and presents the 3 E LARUS. most beautiful and varied aspect ----the autumnal and winter dress being usually plainer, and more uniform in hue. The birds of this genus, though distinguished by a remarkable purity of plumage, and consi- derable elegance of form, by both of which a favourable impression is naturally conveyed to the mind, have yet, by their greedy and gormandizing habits, obtained for themselves the appellation of “ Vultures of the Sea.” They have been observed, in the exercise of their omnivorous propen- sities, winging their buoyant flight along the shores of whatever countries our adventurous ma- riners have yet discovered ; and the terræ incognitæ of the earth have recently been much dimi- nished. In the Arctic Regions, they dispute with the polar bears their right to the mangled car- case of the whale; and, under a warmer sky, they are of essential service in cleansing the shores and waters of the ocean of those dead animal substances, the natural decay of which, however speedy, would be attended with disagreeable if not dangerous results. They frequently adventure far inland, following the courses of rivers and of lakes, where, indeed, several species take up their abode for the breeding-season; but their appearance at a distance from the sea, is usually regard- ed as the prognostic or immediate forerunner of a storm. The number of the eggs varies, according to the species, from two to four: they are, for the most part, whitish, spotted with black or brown, and are deposited either in a rude unskilful nest of dried grass, or among the bare stones. The young are at first covered with a hoary down, which speedily becomes mottled with different shades of brown. It has been customary to divide the genus Larus into two great sections, of Gulls and Mews (Goelands and Mouettes of the French), the former containing the larger, the latter the smaller species. It would be easy to shew, that this division is not founded upon an essential basis, and that the transition, in regard to size, is so gradual from the greater to the less, that a line of de- marcation cannot be drawn without severing the links of a continuous chain. In the larger spe- cies, as Mr MacGILLIVRAY has well observed *, the bill is very deep, and the protuberance on the lower mandible strongly marked: it becomes shallower and more attenuated, with a less project- ing knob, in the smaller kinds. The form of the tail is usually square, or slightly rounded at the extremity; but two notable exceptions have recently been discovered in Larus Sabini and Rossii, in the former of which it is forked like that of a Tern; in the latter, cuneate or wedge-shaped +. a * Wernerian Society's Memoirs, vol. v. p. 249. + The following positions appear to me to contain some of the fixed principles by which the changes in the plumage of the Gull tribe are regulated :-Ist, It may be asserted, that the young of all the species are more or less mottled with brown, which gradually disappears as the individuals advance to maturity, and usually gives place, in the upper parts, either to deep slaty- blue, or pearl-grey; in the under parts, to pure white: 2, That, with the exception of the Skua and Arctic Gulls, which in fact do not belong to the genus Larus, brown may be considered as a colour which never characterizes the perfect state : 3d, That no gull is in the plumage of maturity, in which there is a predominating mixture of brown and pearl-grey, or white; and consequently, that the Wagel, the Great Grey Gull, and other similar birds, are the young of certain other species : 4th, That all Gulls in which the upper parts are pure pearl-grey, may be regarded as matured : 5th, That, with the exception of one spe- cies (the Ivory Gull of the Arctic Zoology, described in the Fauna Groenlandica under the name of Larus candidus), no gull has been hitherto discovered with the plumage entirely white: 6th, That with the exception of the same species, and a local (arctic) variety of the Herring Gull, all the species hitherto described have some parts of the primary quill-feathers marked with black or grey, for the most part with black : 7th, That black is a colour of maturity; and that although it appears at a very early period on the quill-feathers, yet the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, are never black, or of a deep slate colour, except in a state of perfection. Lastly, That pure white is a colour of perfect plumage, and is the characteristic colour of the under parts of all the known species. In considering the relation which the changes of plumage bear to each other, it may be observed, in regard to all light plumaged gulls, that the pure white of the throat, breast, and belly, is the first of the mature colours which is acquired ; that the pearl-grey, likewise a mature colour, appears soonest on the back and scapulars, and latest on the hinder part of the neck, and wing-coverts; and that the plumage of gulls is more perfect during the breeding-season than at any other period of the year, a a a 1 PLATE TIL *** n DIN Drawn by James Wilson Fing. by W.HLizars Edit s Sabines VB LARUS SABINI, SABINE'S GULL.-LARUS SABINI. PLATE III. SYNONYMS. Xema Sabini. Leach. Appendix to Ross's Voyage. Larus Sabini ; Fork-tailed Gull. Linn. Trans. vol. xii. p. 551. a Bill pale yellow towards the extremity, black at the base. Irides dark. Head and upper parts of the neck of a peculiar purplish-grey or lead colour, merging inferiorly into a deep black circular ring. Lower parts of the neck, breast, whole under parts, and tail, white. Back, scapu- lars (which are tipped with white), and greater and lesser wing-coverts, pearl-grey, or bluish-ash colour. Spurious wings black. The first five primary quill-feathers black, tipped with white, and marked with a considerable portion of the same colour on their inner webs; the sixth feather with a white shaft, its webs white, more or less marked with black; the remainder of the primaries white. The secondaries and tertials are partly pure white, partly white and cinereous. The ex- tent of the wings, when expanded, is about 33 inches, and, when closed, they reach an inch or more beyond the longest feathers of the tail. The tail is forked. The tail is forked. The legs and feet are deep lead colour, approaching to black. Weight varying from 64 to 7), ounces. Dimensions as on Plate III. This bird is one of the most elegant of the Gull tribe. Its colours, though sufficiently con- trasted for variety, and liveliness of effect, are finely harmonized, and in perfect keeping. The colour of the head is neither easy to represent nor describe. It assumes a considerable variety of appearances, according to the direction and degree of light in which it is examined,--a tinge of black, brown, blue, or purple, seeming alternately suffused over the deep lead colour which forms the prevailing tone, by which the parts are usually characterized. There is no difference in the plumage of the sexes; but the female is rather less than the male. The Sabine Gull is so named in honour of its discoverer Captain EDWARD SABINE of the Royal Artillery, who accompanied the expedition under Captain Ross in search of a North-West Passage. The species was met with in considerable numbers on the 25th day of July, on a group of three low rocky islands, each about a mile across, on the west coast of Greenland, twenty miles distant from the mainland, in Lat. 75° 29' N. and Long. 60° 9' W. Their nests, containing two eggs of an olive colour, blotched with brown, were placed on the bare ground, and were inter- mingled with those of the sea-swallow (Sterna hirundo). They flew with impetuosity towards persons approaching their nests and young; and when one bird of a pair was killed, its mate, though frequently fired at, continued on wing close to the spot where it lay. They get their food on the sea-beach, standing near the water's edge, and picking up the marine insects which are cast a a 66 LARUS SABINI. on shore *.” The young are hatched about the last week of July, and are at first mottled with brown and dull yellow. This bird, like the Red Grouse peculiar to the British dominions, was supposed to present a remarkable instance of confined locality. With the exception of a single specimen seen on the wing in Prince Regent's Inlet, during Captain Parry's first voyage, it had not been met with prior to 1822, in any other quarter of the world than the three small islands above mentioned in Baffin's Bay. It was new to SACCHEUS, the Esquimaux interpreter, who is stated to have been well acquainted with the birds of Greenland south of Disco t. I am informed, however, by Mr EDWARDS, surgeon of the Hecla, that several specimens of both sexes were obtained during the months of June and July 1822, at Winter Island and Aulitiwick. When newly killed, they were all delicately tinged with pink on the lower parts. A flock was seen in the end of June, in company with some Arctic Gulls; and, on the 5th of August, another flock was observed flying high, as if migrating. According to Dr RICHARDSON, a pair were killed at Spitzbergen by Captain SABINE, during his last voyage . It may be added, that this beautiful bird will probably, at an after period, when its true his- tory has been elicited by further opportunities of observation, afford an additional example of the prevalence of the double moult, alluded to in the general observations on the genus. The spe- cies which it most nearly resembles, such as the Brown-masked Gull of TEMMINCK (L. capistratus), the Black-headed Gull of NATTERER (L. melanocephalus), the Pewit Gull of BEWICK || (L. ridibun- dus), and several others, are characterized by the remarkable change which the plumage of the head undergoes from black, or very dark brown, to pure white. Reasoning, therefore, from ana- , logy, it may be fairly inferred, that the autumnal moult will also deprive the Sabine's Gull of the darker plumage of the head and neck, with which it is adorned during spring, and for some time after the breeding season. Its winter quarters are entirely unknown. * Mr SABINE, in Linn. Trans. vol. xii. p. 522. † See the Supplementary Appendix of Natural History to Captain Parry's First Voyage. Appendix to Captain Parry's Second Voyage. || On introducing for the first time into these pages the name of the venerable BEWICK, I cannot refrain from a brief ex- pression of the high estimation in which I hold the talents of that unrivalled artist, and most intelligent observer of nature. His engravings on wood of the British Birds, are distinguished by a force and truth of character, and a felicity of expression, which have neither been equalled nor approached in any other work on natural history. a / NIL PLATE VILL. நாம் belang 14 تروریسم اس Drawn by James Wilson Engraved by W. Lizars o Rolis Guill's LARTS RDSSIL RICHARDSON. LARUS ROSS's GULL.LARUS ROSSII. Richardson * PLATE VIII. SYNONYM. Larus roseus. Jardine and Selby's Illustrations f. Pl. xiv. a Bill proportionally smaller and shorter than in most of the genus, of a black colour. Head, neck, breast, and whole under parts, white; the breast and belly tinged with blush or pale rose- colour, which disappears soon after death. A black ring, descending obliquely forwards, sur- rounds the neck, and from being broad at the nape, becomes almost linear anteriorly. Back, sca- pulars, greater and lesser wing-coverts, pale cinereous or pearl-grey. First primary quill-feather having its exterior web black, except at the tip; the others cinereous, some of them edged with white at their extremities. Tail white, cuneated or wedge-shaped, with the two central feathers considerably longer than the others. Legs short, and, as well as the feet, of an orange-red colour. Claws brownish-black. Dimensions as on Plate VIII. I The individual now represented, being the only specimen of the kind known to exist in any collection, it is not possible at present to give the specific description in full, because, having been seen only in one condition of plumage, and that being perhaps not the perfect or most characte- ristic condition, it must be described in the mean time rather as an individual per se, than as the representative of an entire species. It has been supposed that this bird, like certain others of the genus, would be distinguished during the spring or nuptial plumage, by a dark or mouse coloured head, and upper neck; but the early period of summer at which it was obtained (27th June), by excluding the probability of an entire change having by that time taken place, scarcely admits * Appendix to Captain Parry's Second Voyage. + My reasons for having adopted the name of Ross's Gull, rather than that of Roseate Gull, under which the species in ques- tion is described in the first Part of the valuable work above referred to, are shortly these :-When the skin (which the Museum owes to the attention of Lord MELVILLE) was first brought down to Edinburgh by Dr RICHARDSON, the intrepid and intelli- gent traveller, I had the pleasure of immediately examining it at the house of that gentleman, in company with Professor JAME- SON. Dr RICHARDSON, who was at this time (winter of 1823–4) occupied in arranging and describing various arctic animals, proposed that this unique specimen should be named in honour of Lieutenant Ross, the gentleman by whom the bird was shot. It was accordingly so named in our MS. notes ; but the Doctor having ere long been called upon for a renewal of those dange- rous duties which he had previously so well performed, the Appendix of Natural History to Captain PARRY's Second Voyage, then in preparation, was from this and other circumstances delayed, and has only recently made its appearance. In the mean time, Professor JAMESON'S assistant in the Museum, Mr MACGILLIVRAY, probably not aware of Dr RICHARDSON's intentions, labelled the bird ad interim Roseate Gull (Larus roseus), a designation of an objectionable nature, whether we regard it as ap- plying equally well to several species of the genus, or as expressing a character of so fleeting a quality, that not the slightest vestige of it was visible after the lapse of a few months. It was under this latter name (intended as merely temporary), that Sir William JARDINE first saw the specimen, then consigned to my hands by Professor JAMESON, for the purpose of making the drawing from which the annexed plate is engraved ; and as it thus fell to my lot to be the first to figure it, I considered it as due to Dr RICHARDSON to retain the name which he had previously (though privately) imposed. Its description has since been published, without any figure, in the Appendix to Captain PARRY's Second Voyage, p. 359. | For the general observations on the Order Palmipedes, and the Genus Larus, to which this species belongs, see No. I. of these Illustrations. ROSS'S GULL. > of such a supposition. At all events, I should consider the black ring which surrounds the neck as permanent. “ Of the manners of this species,” Dr RICHARDSON observes, “ we know nothing. Two indi- viduals only were seen during the voyage (PARRY's Second Expedition), both killed in the month of June at Allagnak. The first killed by Mr now Lieutenant Ross, is here described, and under a specific name adopted in compliment to his exertions for the advancement of ornithology, fre- quently referred to in the narrative. The second one, killed by Mr SHERER, differed only in having the exterior wing-coverts of the same blackish colour with the outer web of the first pri- mary.” I have not been able to trace this last mentioned specimen. The dark markings of the wing-coverts were no doubt the result of immaturity. The individual now figured is of the male sex. M PLATIL XXIII. پاک کننده در دست من ایرانی عکس نوشته ها cui " 2014 gutted one بنایا ۔ Ritu Drawn by James Wilson Engraved by W I Lizars Samesoni ) Guld LARUS TAMESONII. x GENUS LARUS.GULL. O'RDER PALMIPEDES; FAMILY LONGIPENNES. Cuv. JAMESON'S GULL.LARUS JAMESONII. PLATE XXIII. ) 10 10 a 10 DESCRIPTION. 1st, Dimensions. From the tip of the upper mandible to the frontal feathers, 110 inch. From the same to the anterior angle of the eye, 21, inches. Length of wing when closed, from the anterior angle of the shoulder to the tip of the first primary, 12 inches. From the tip of the upper mandible to the end of the tail, 1 foot 2} inches. Length of line drawn from the tip of the bill through the eye to the back part of the head, 3. inches. Depth of the bill measured at the notch of the under mandible, four tenths and a half. Length of the tarsus 2 inches ; of the middle toe and claw, 11 inch. Length of wings beyond the tail, 13 inch. 2dly, Colours. Head, neck, breast, whole under parts of the body, and upper and under sur- face of the tail, pure white. Back, scapulars, and greater and lesser wing-coverts, and secondary quill-feathers, pale cinereous blue, or pearl-grey colour. Lateral edge of the wings and spurious wing feathers, white. First primary quill-feather black, with the exception of an irregular, lengthened transverse band of white, which embracing the shaft for about two inches of its length, terminates within an inch of the extremity of the feather, which is black tipped with an obscure speck of white. Second primary like the first, with an additional lengthened spot of white, spread- ing from the base of its outer web. In the three succeeding primaries, the basal spot of white increases, so as at last to occupy almost the entire portion of the outer webs, the inner being ci- nereous blue, margined with black ; the extremities black, passing upwards into the cinereous blue of the inner webs; the tips white. The sixth primary is cinereous blue, paler on the outer web, barred with black near the extremity, and tipped with white. The seventh primary is cinereous blue, with an obscure black margin on the inner web. The remaining primaries are cinereous blue, scarcely distinguishable from the secondary quill feathers. The bill, legs, and feet, are bright car- mine-red, with a tinge of orange. The claws are brownish-black. Colour of the irides unknown. This gull was brought to Leith by one of the Australian ships from the shores of New Hol- land. I am unable to indicate its locality with greater precision, nor am I acquainted with any of the particulars of its history. It appears to be an undescribed species, and I have named it in honour of Professor JAMESON, to whose exertions we already owe so many novelties in every branch of zoological science. The specimen is now in the Edinburgh Museum. It is obviously an adult bird, in the plumage of maturity. A a > PLATE XXXV. וויוורים DLEGELTEN ch Drawn by W.B Hawkins Engby W.H. Lizars The Front Nuh ALCA IMPENNIS. LINN. 3 4 GENUS ALCA.-AUK. ORDER PALMIPEDES; Family BRACHYPTERA, Cuv. Characters of the Genus.—Bill compressed, furrowed, bent at the tip; the lower mandible angu- lated beneath. Nostrils lateral, linear, concealed in a feathered membrane which covers the base of the bill. Legs short, apparently withdrawn into the abdomen. Hind toe wanting. a This genus, as now restricted, contains only two species, both of which are characteristic of nor- thern countries. The plumage of the sexes offers no striking disparity, and black and white are the prevailing colours. The moult is double; that is, in addition to the more general renewal of the feathers which takes place in autumn, a partial change of plumage is observable in spring, in consequence of which, the white portions of the plumage become unspotted and more pure, and the black portion increases about the throat and neck. It is only of late years that these changes have been clearly ascertained ; and prior to their discovery, the Razor-billed Auk (Alca torda) and the Black-billed Auk (Alca pica) were universally regarded as distinct species. The latter, however, is now known to be merely the adolescent bird, in the plumage of the winter season. THE GREAT AUK._ALCA IMPENNIS, Linn. PLATE XXXV. SYNONYMS. Gair-fowl, or King of the Auks ; Penguin of Willoughby.—Northern Penguin of Edwards, t. 11. 7.— Le grand Pingouin, Buffon, Ois. ix. p. 393. t. 29.; Id. Pl. Enl. 367.--Figured in Nordisk Ornithologie, af T. E. Ch. Walter, fol. Copenhagen, 1829, Heft i. pl. v.-In the Feroe Isles called Gaarfugler; in Ice- land Geirfugl; in Greenland Isavokitsok ; in Norway Angledemager, Peegivie. 3 This large, and almost wingless bird, is an inhabitant of the northern regions. It measures about 3 feet in length from the point of the mandibles to the extremities of the toes. The bill is black, about 3 inches long from the forehead to the point, above 2 inches in depth at the base, and marked by oblique ridges, which meet each other at the cutting edges of the mandibles. These ridges, and their intermediate furrows, vary in number and distinctness, according to the age of the individual. The head, neck, back, dorsal surface of the tail, and wings, are black, tinged in parts with brown. A large spot between the eye and the upper mandible, the breast, abdomen, all the under parts, and sides anterior to the junction of the wing, and the tips of the sec econdaries, are white. The legs and feet are black, and placed so near the caudal extremity, that, to preserve the centre of gravity, the bird, when out of the water, is obliged to assume an almost upright po- sition. Of this rare species, however, the true sphere of action is the water, through which it swims and dives with extraordinary power and rapidity,--and where its short wings, entirely useless for the purposes of flight, become efficient locomotive organs when used as oars or fins beneath the B THE GREAT AUK. : a 66 a e a * surface. Its powers of swimming and diving exceed, indeed, those of almost any other species of the feathered tribe. It has been seen cresting the waves during the prevalence of the most fear- ful storms, or shooting through the raging surf with the rapidity of an arrow. The great Auk is found along the shores of Iceland and Greenland : it occurs occasionally among the Feroes, and has been once or twice observed in the Orkney Islands. Mr BULLOCK, during his first tour to that country, had the pleasure of chasing one of these birds for several hours in a six-oared barge, but its rapidity under water baffled pursuit. “ When on the eve of our departure from this island” (Scalpa or the Isle of Glass), Dr FLE- MING observes, in a communication to Professor JAMESON, we got on board a live example of the Great Auk (Alca impennis), which Mr MACLELLAN, the tacksman of Glass, had captured some time before off St Kilda. It was emaciated, and had the appearance of being sickly; but, in the course of a few days, it became sprightly, having been plentifully supplied with fresh fish, and permitted occasionally to sport in the water, with a cord fastened to one of its legs, to prevent its escape. Even in this state of restraint, it performed the motions of swimming and diving un- der water with a rapidity that set all pursuit at defiance. A few white feathers were at this time making their appearance on the sides of its neck and throat, which increased considerably during the following week, and left no room to doubt, that, like its congeners, the blackness of the throat feathers of summer is exchanged for white during the winter season *". In this individual, the . love of liberty soon proved stronger than the cord by which that liberty was restrained ; for, du- ring a subsequent washing with which it was favoured by its indulgent master off the Isle of Pladda, to the south of Arran, it made its escape, and was soon far beyond the rowers' reach. Sixty years ago it was known to breed in Norway, and about sixteen years back it was also be- lieved to rear its young along the south coast, and among the southern islands of Iceland. As a breeding bird, it appears, however, to have now deserted these places, and at present is only known to produce in southern Greenland, and the Isle of St Kilda. It is worthy of notice, that the Great , . Auk, though a northern species, is not found in the very highest latitudes; for, as far as we know, it occurs only in the southern parts of Greenland, and in Iceland has never been observed along the northern coast. From the total inability of these birds to fly, and their great inaptitude at walking, they are seldom observed out of the water. Neither are they often seen beyond soundings. This pro- bably arises from the necessity under which they labour, of drying their plumage occasionally, by mounting upon a rock or stone, as their feathers can derive no advantage from the usual effects of flight. The motion of swimming also being so much less rapid than that of flying, they are comparatively restricted in their aquatic excursions. A singular circumstance is stated by Dr FLEMING, on the authority of Mr BULLOCK, that an individual of this species was taken in a pond of fresh-water, two miles from the Thames, on the estate of Sir WILLIAM CLAYTON, in Bucking- hamshire t. Professor Jameson informs me, that, not long since, a dead specimen was picked up floating in the sea, off the Isle of Sundy, on the coast of south Devon. In common with the other species of the genus, the Great Auk lays only a single egg, of large dimensions, white, irregularly marked with purplish lines, and blotched with black and ferrugi- nous at the larger end. It is nearly six inches long. The specimen figured on Plate XXXV. was obtained by Mr BULLOCK in Papa Westra. It is now in the British Museum ; and I am indebted for the drawing from which the engraving was executed to the kindness of my valued correspondent J. G. CHILDREN, Esq. F. R. S. &c. * Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, No. 20. + History of British Animals, vol. i. p. 130. p EN PLATE XXIV. data ches ram امی که N w Vous IND III www um EN N IN less when Drawn from life by Patrick Syme Engraved by W.LL. Lizars The Gardenian Siren. SIREN LACERTINA, LINN. CLASS REPTILIA. REPTILES. a As in tracing the modifications of various organs, from the zoophytical animals to the molluscous. from these to the articulated classes, and onwards through the fishes to the reptile tribes, it is among the last-named that we first perceive the passage from the truly aquatic to the terrestrial or air-breathing animal, so the respiratory organs of such tribes are naturally those which ex- cite the greatest and most peculiar interest. Among the more important classes of animals, re- spiration is effected in one or other of two ways; 1st, Either by certain internal cellular sacs, for the reception of air, called lungs, which communicate with the mouth and nose by means of the trachea or windpipe; or, 2dly, By external organs called gills, which require either to float in wa- ter, or to be in some other manner continually immersed in that fluid. The object of both con- trivances is to subject the blood to the influence of vital air, and this end is attained very admi- rably, though in a different way, by each. All mammiferous animals or quadrupeds, including whales, all birds, and all reptiles (in the perfect state), possess the first form of the respiratory or- gans ;-all fishes, and several reptiles in their adolescent condition, are distinguished by the se- cond. But even among such as are furnished with true lungs, we observe different modifications of the circulating system. The principal characteristic of Reptiles in general, consists in this, that only a portion of the blood is transmitted through the lungs, the remainder being projected by the heart directly to the other parts of the body, without being specially subjected to the influence of the respiratory or- gans; whereas in the higher classes, such as man, the rest of the mammalia, and birds, the whole of the blood must pass by the lungs before it is retransmitted to the more distant parts of the cir- culating system. The amphibious habits of such reptiles as are unprovided with gills, result in a great measure from the power which they thus enjoy of carrying on a partial circulation of the blood, independent of respiration. The respiration of animals, or the process by which the blood is oxygenated, becomes weaker and less frequent in proportion to the diminution which takes place in the quantity of blood transmitted to the lungs, compared with that which passes directly from the heart; and as it is respiration which warms the blood, and produces in the fibres their susceptibility of nervous irritation, it follows, as observed by Cuvier, that the blood of reptiles is cold, and their muscular strength much less than that of birds or quadrupeds. The seat of their sensations is also much less centralized than in the last named classes, and hence many of them ex- hibit life and motion long after their heads have been severed from their bodies. A truly amphibious animal, according to the proper meaning of the term, ought to possess the power of breathing under water, like a fish, and of respiring the atmospheric air, like a land ani- mal. According to this interpretation, neither seals nor beavers, nor even whales, are truly am- phibious, for they cannot sustain their existence under water except by aid of a certain portion of air which they have inspired at the surface. In like manner, neither the frog nor the tadpole is amphibious (unless, it may be, for a very short time, at a certain intermediate period of life), for the former only seeks the water as a place of temporary resort, in which, however, it cannot breathe, and the latter is entirely aquatic, being unprovided with lungs, and consequently unable to respire, except through the medium of water. A frog can therefore only be said to be amphibious, in as far as it possesses, at two distinct periods of its life, the faculty of living first in the water, and a a a B b REPTILES. then on the land ; but its habit of life is by no means optional, and the change of structure, both in the respiratory and digestive system, as it passes from the immature to the adult state, is among the most extraordinary in the whole range of the animal economy. Born with gills, and destitute of external members, its form and functions are rather those of a fish than of a reptile ; but as it advances in growth, the four limbs become developed, the tail decreases, and finally disappears, the jaws are formed, the gills are absorbed, and their uses are supplied by lungs. It can no longer breathe under water. Among the many wonderful anomalies with which the kingdom of nature presents us, there exist, however, two truly amphibious animals, known under the names of Proteus and Siren, both of which are provided at one and the same time with the gills of a fish and the lungs of a terres- trial creature. But their propensities are decidedly aquatic. The former inhabits the subterranean waters of Carniola, and the latter dwells in the marshes and rice-fields of South Carolina. Before proceeding to narrate the history of the species which I have selected to illustrate this great division of the animal kingdom, I may mention, that the Class of Reptiles is divided by na- turalists into four orders, as follows: 1st, The Chelonian Reptiles, or Turtles ; 2dly, The Saurian Reptiles, or Lizards; 3dly, The Ophidian Reptiles, or Serpents; and, 4thly, The Batrachian Rep- tiles, or Frogs. In the last order (so named from Bergoyos, frog), are also comprehended the Salamanders, the remarkable animals above named (Proteus and Siren), the Axolotl of the Mexi- cans, and several other species. The most important anatomical character of the Batrachia con- sists in the heart having only a single auricle. Externally they are distinguished by the naked- ness of their bodies, being undefended by the hard bucklers of the turtles, or the flexible scaly mail of the serpents and lizards. Their forms and general aspect are otherwise exceedingly various. In regard to the geographical distribution of Reptiles, the first and most general observation is, that they augment in number as we advance towards the equatorial regions. While Sweden possesses scarcely a dozen lizards and snakes, about three or four frogs and toads, and not a single tortoise, the temperate parts of Europe produce about forty snakes and lizards, and several of the tortoise tribe. As soon as we gain the southern extremity of Spain, the number of species in these tribes greatly increases, and in Andalusia the African complexion of the country is still fur- ther manifested by the appearance of the cameleon. On proceeding farther south, not only does the number of reptiles increase, but they also augment in size, till, from the tropic of Cancer, on- wards and beyond the Line, we meet with the Crocodiles, Caymans, Boas, and other giants of the reptile race. Several species, however, are subjected, by their natural position, to the influence of severe cold. Even the Axolotl occurs in the chill waters of highly elevated lakes *; and the Salamander in early spring is frequently frozen up in ice, without being destroyed. Indeed, Dufay remarks as a singular circumstance, that those very animals, of which it was once fabled that they could endure the flames, are really endowed with the power of resisting frost—so generally fatal to the life of reptiles. The different species of terrestrial reptiles, considered separately, are probably of all animals the least perfectly provided with the power of migratory movement. Thus, the Siren is proper to Carolina, the Proteus to the Austrian territory, the Basilisk (so called) to the Molluccas, and our own despised Toad to the western parts of Europe. The Cameleons, entirely peculiar to the ancient world, never cross the deserts which separate the countries of the different species of which و * The specimens brought by Mr BULLOCK from Mexico, were from a height of 8000 feet. 2 THE GARDENIAN SIREN. that singular family is composed. The three known species of Dragon, though provided with wing-like appendages, are never found to wander beyond certain circumscribed provinces, of which they are characteristic. The various species and genera of Serpents are also probably confined within narrower limits than those usually assigned by naturalists, many of whom have been in- duced by false indications drawn from the inaccurate SEBA, and the superficial observations of later travellers by land and sea, to extend the geographical range of many species greatly beyond what a more accurate knowledge of their true character and locality would authorise. GENUS SIREN. THE SIREN. CLASS REPTILIA.-ORDER BATRACHIA. Brongniart. Characters of the Genus.—Body eel-shaped; head depressed, tail vertically flat- tened. LEGS two in number, placed immediately behind the head; number of toes varying according to the species. Gills external, three on each side. When on shore breathing by LUNGS. THE GARDENIAN SIREN* -SIREN LACERTINA. Linn. PLATE XXIV. SYNONYMS. Amphibious Bipes, or Mud Iguana. Ellis-Muræna Siren. Gmelin.-Eel-shaped Siren. Shaw. a In its general form and aspect, the Siren bears a great resemblance to an eel; but its anterior extremities, which are not fins, but genuine arms, distinguish it at once from every species of fish. The fine specimen (in the possession of PATRICK NEILL, Esq. Canonmills,) now figured from the life, measures 1 foot 5 inches in length, and about 4 inches in circumference. It is of a deep black- ish-brown, rather paler beneath, where it is partially tinged with a bluish hue, and marked all over with numerous small, irregular, pale ashy brown spots, not very perceptible except on a rather close inspection. The muzzle is blunt, depressed, sub-rounded or slightly square, and consider- ably narrower than the hinder portion of the head. The nostrils, which are inconspicuous, are placed near the anterior angle of the upper jaw. The head is broad and flat. The eyes are dim, and of an obscure blue. There is no very obvious distinction of colour between the iris and pu- pil, but both appear as if seen through a semi-transparent membrane. The gills consist of three fleshy peduncles, which increase in size from the first to the last. They are beautifully branched from beneath, and along their lateral and terminal edges, and these little branches are divided * The Siren lacertina of LINNÆUS was, not many years back, the only known species of the genus. Two additional species having been recently described, it becomes necessary to add to the English name of Siren some trivial or specific appellation, to distinguish the one in question. I have therefore presumed to name it the “ Gardenian Siren," in remembrance of Dr GARDEN, by whom the animal appears to have been first observed. For the accurate drawing engraved on Plate XXIV. I have to acknowledge my obligation to Mr PATRICK SYME of Edin- burgh, to whose friendship I stand indebted for much valuable assistance and advice during the progress of this work. THE GARDENIAN SIREN. а and subdivided into still more minute ramifications. This elegant fringe-work forms the true gills, the central and fleshy stalks serving merely as their support. Beneath, and rather in ad- vance of these bodies, are three nearly vertical clefts, through which the water is ejected back- wards from the inside of the mouth upon the gills, though with a much more languid and less perceptible action than in fishes. These clefts or branchial perforations are sustained and kept in separation by four arches, which GARDEN, Ellis, and Camper, appear to have mistaken for the gills * The Siren presents no appearance of external ear. The arms are capable of considerable ex- tension. The feet are tetradactylous, or furnished with four toes f. The thumb is wanting. The toes are terminated by black, curved, conical points, resembling claws, and varying in sharpness according to the greater or less degree of friction to which they have been exposed . The ge- neral surface of the animal is very smooth and slimy, and if covered with scales, they are not ap- parent to the naked eye. Towards the tail its form becomes thin and compressed, and that part is margined for several inches both above and below, as well as around its terminal point, by a narrow adipose membrane or fin, without rays, which greatly aids its movement through the wa- ter. When in motion, or reposing in a curved attitude, the lower parts of the sides become ringed, or as it were divided by distinctly marked perpendicular lines, on the concave portion, but remain quite smooth on the projecting or convex surface. This is no doubt caused by the form and action of the muscles beneath. Of this singular animal, the earliest notice appears to have been communicated by Dr GARDEN to LINNÆUS, through the medium of Mr Ellis, in the year 1765. He described the simultaneous existence of lungs and gills, and concluded that it was a perfect animal, chiefly because there did not exist in Carolina any species of salamander, or other amphibious reptile, of equal size, of which it could be considered as the larva. In consequence of the information communicated by Dr GAR- DEN, LINNÆUS, though, with some hesitation, founded his order of Amphibia Meantes, of which the characters were, 66 Branchiæ et Pulmones simul. Pedes brachiati, unguiculati.” The great nature. serves, 66 On * Both Ellis and CAMPER seem to have regarded the true gills as opercula, although LINNÆUS at once perceived their real SCHNEIDER's uncertainty as to the number of the gills, has arisen from this misapplication of terms. LINNÆus ob- 66 Branchia ad latera colli utrinque tres exserta ;" whereas GARDEN, who considered the arches as gills, and the gills as opercula, states the former as four, and the latter as three, or as a single operculum with three exserted lobes. That Ellis en- tertained an entirely false view of the subject, is evident from the following passage : “ The opercula or coverings to the gills in dry specimens appear shrivelled up, but yet we may plainly see they have been doubly pinnated. Under these coverings, are , the openings to the gills, three on each side, agreeably to the number of the opercula.”—Phil. Trans. vol. lvi. p. 191. JOHN HUNTER, as might be expected, came nearer the truth, and gave another and more accurate account of the same organs. the posterior and lateral parts of the mouth are three openings on each side: these are similar to the slits of the gills in fish, but the partitions do not resemble gills on their outer edges, for they have not the comb-like structure. Above, and close to the ex- tremity of each of these openings externally, so many processes arise, the anterior the smallest, the posterior the largest ; their anterior and inferior edges and extremity are serrated, or formed of fimbriæ ; these processes fold down and cover the slits ex- ternally, and would seem to answer the purposes of the comb-like part of the gills in fish."-Supplement to Mr Ellis's paper, p. 307. + In the Regne Animal (t. ii. p. 103.), the Siren lacertina is said to have five toes. This is probably a misprint. The error has, however, misled Mr Gray, who in Annals of Philosophy for July 1825) also states the number as five. # “ On ne peut pas dire," observes Baron CUVIER, “ que la Sirene ait des ongles ; mais les derrieres phalanges sont poin- tues; et comme il n'y a point de chair dessus, la peau s'y colle intimement. C'est cette pointe osseuse, recouverte d'une peau sèche qu'on a pris pour un ongle ; mais il n'y a pas d'énveloppe cornée." —Recherches Anatomiques sur les Reptiles, &c. In Mr NEILL’s specimen, the toes are curved at their points, as if provided with claws, and are horny to the touch. The specimen examined by LINNÆus presented the same appearance. In his letter to Mr Ellis, there is the following passage : “ It is not easy to reconcile it (the Siren) to the larvæ of the lizard tribe, its fingers being furnished with claws; all the larvæ of lizards that I know are without them (digitis muticis).”—Phil. Trans. vol. lvi. Dr HARLAN, however, (American Herpetology, Phi- ladelphia, 1827), describes the different species of this and other nearly allied genera as “ clawless." same vol. + 3 THE GARDENIAN SIREN. a Swedish naturalist appears to have been particularly interested by the peculiarities of the Siren. In his reply to Mr Ellis, acknowledging receipt of “ Dr GARDEN's very rare two-footed animal with gills and lungs,” he observes that nothing had ever exercised his thoughts so much, nor was there any thing he so greatly desired to know as the real nature of so extraordinary a creature. In the course of the ensuing year, Ellis himself published a description of the same animal in the 56th volume of the Philosophical Transactions, accompanied by some anatomical observations by JOHN HUNTER. These writers regarded the Siren as a perfect animal. The propriety of this opinion, however, was by no means universally admitted. PALLAS (Nov. Comm. Petropol. t. xix. p. 438.), not perceiving that such metamorphoses as he supposed were ren- dered impossible by the absence of every germ of the hinder extremities, even in the skeleton, still insisted that the Siren was nothing more than the larva of a four-footed Salamander. A similar opinion was maintained by HERMANN in his Tabula Affinitatum Animalium, p. 256. ; by DE LACE- PEDE in his Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes ovipaires, p. 611.; and by SCHNEIDER in his His- toria Amphibiorum, fascic. i. p. 48. p About twenty years after the original discovery of this animal, CAMPER (in 1785) examined a specimen in the British Museum, the condition of which was so bad that he was unable to detect the lungs; whereupon he took up and promulgated an entirely new view, according to which, without reference to the existence of feet, he declared the Siren to be a fish. GMELIN of course immediately classed it with the eels, and it thus became the Murena Siren of the 13th edition of the Systema Naturæ ! Whatever may be thought of the anatomical skill of GARDEN, John HUNTER, as Baron Cu- VIER himself observes, “ n'étoit pas du même ordre;" and CAMPER’s conclusion, to say the least of it, was somewhat precipitate, in the face of so great an authority. The Dutch anatomist observes, that it would be absurd to admit the joint existence of lungs and gills, and that in the Frog the gills are destroyed as soon as the lungs begin to act; but this, adds Cuvier, is manifestly erroneous, for the tadpoles have for a long period both of these organs developed at one and the same time * In the year 1800, the Baron CUVIER received a young siren from M. DE BEAUVOIS. The great French anatomist, whose splendid labours have thrown such a flood of light upon many most obscure and difficult branches of zoological science, was not likely to allow so favourable an oppor- tunity to escape of illustrating this still disputed subject. His first observations were published in the Bulletin des Sciences (An. 8. p. 106.). In 1807, he read to the National Institute the ad- mirable memoir entitled, Recherches Anatomiques sur les Reptiles regardés encore comme douteux par les naturalistes, which was published in the Recueil d'Observations de Zoologie, &c. by MM. HUMBOLDT and BONPLAND (t. i. p. 93.). In this memoir, Baron Cuvier has, I think, successfully shown, from various anatomical peculiarities, that both the Siren and Proteus are perfect animals, belonging to different genera of Batrachian reptiles, but quite distinct from either Lizards or Sa- lamanders in any of their progressive stages t. a * In regard to this, I may state, from my own observations, that the period must be very short during which these animals are truly amphibious, or possessed of both lungs and gills. That the rudiments of the one organ may co-exist with the more ample development of the other, is very probable ; but I incline to believe, that the functions of both (and functions to the phy- siologist is always of higher interest than form) are never carried on in an equally efficient manner at the same time. In breed- ing Frogs from the egg, I have found that the true Tadpole immediately dies when deprived of water, and in like manner that the young Frog, if prevented from quitting it at a certain time, is speedily drowned. + The Axelotl or Mexican Siren is still regarded by CUVIER as an imperfect animal, that is to say, as the larva of some un- known reptile. Several of these supposed larvæ were brought by Mr Bullock from Mexico, where at certain seasons they stock the markets, and are eaten in great quantities by the peasants. Sir EVERARD HOME has published an account of their , Сс THE GARDENIAN SIREN. It does not, however, appear that the opposite opinion is yet entirely without adherents. In an elaborate Italian essay by CONFIGLIACHI and Rusconi (Del Proteo anguino di Laurenti Mono- grafia, Pavia, 1819), in which the Siren is incidentally mentioned, these naturalists infer from ana- logy, that, as the canal of the nostrils in this animal is not so perforated as to open in the inte- rior of the mouth, it must be unable to respire atmospheric air, and would therefore speedily die, if removed from its native element. Now, the value of the living specimen of Siren at present in high condition in Mr NEILL's in- teresting garden at Canonmills, consists in this, that it demonstrates de facto what was previously in a great measure a matter of mere logical inference on the part of the anatomist. The indivi- dual in question was sent by Dr FARMER of Charleston, South Carolina, to Dr Monro of Edin- burgh, who consigned it to Mr NEILL. It arrived in this country early in the summer of 1825, and has consequently been now between three and four years under observation. During this long period, no change whatever has taken place, either in the general aspect of the animal, or in the form or structure of its feet or gills. Had it been a larva, it must assuredly have lost these last-named organs long ago. But the most curious result regarding this specimen was obtained accidentally, and happily illustrates the very points on which it was most desirable to obtain in- formation. It is thus narrated by Mr NEILL in JAMESON'S Journal for January-April 1828, p. 351. * 66 a Although I certainly would not have made the experiment of the fragility of the Siren, by throwing it on the ground, and although I would have hesitated to keep the animal out of the water for several hours, while I knew that respectable naturalists doubted if it would live more than a few minutes out of that element, yet it so happened, that the animal, on one occasion, made, of its own accord, an experiment (if it may be so called) illustrative of both points. This was on the 13th of May 1826 (for the fact was recorded in my adversaria at the time), soon after he had begun to be active, and to take food for the season. The water-box itself (in which the Siren dwelt) was ten inches deep: it was placed on a plant-trellis or shelf, close by the lower end of the sloping roof-sash of the green-house, and thus stood nearly three feet from the ground. At that period the box happened to leak; and the gardener therefore filled it up with water be- tween seven and eight o'clock in the evening, at which time the Siren was seen safely lodged in the box. The door of the greenhouse was locked, as usual, over night, and before it was opened in the morning, the Siren, to the great surprise of the gardener, was found lying on a footpath which passes round the exterior of the greenhouse. I was speedily apprized of the circumstance; and, on examining the spot, we could most distinctly trace, by a shining glaze, derived from his skin, the passage of the animal through an edging of heath (Erica herbacea) and across a narrow flower-border, to a hole which he had scooped out under the brick-wall of the greenhouse, in es- caping from within. The foundation of this wall, it may be remarked, had intentionally been made shallow, or near to the surface, for the purpose of permitting the roots of some shrubs, plant- ed in the conservatory style within, to penetrate to the exterior border. “ We possess no data for fixing with certainty the number of hours during which the animal had been out of the water. The box, as already mentioned, being leaky, was filled near to the anatomical structure in the Philosophical Transactions for 1824 (part ii.). He is decidedly of opinion, that the Axolotl is also a perfect animal, sui generis ;-so this point is still at issue betwixt himself and the Baron. * “ Some account of the habits of a specimen of Siren lacertina, which has been kept alive at Canonmills, near Edinburgh, for more than two years past. By PATRICK NEILL, A.M. F. R. S. E. and Sec. W. S."--Read before the Wernerian Natural History Society, 12th January 1828. 2 THE GARDENIAN SIREN a a a brim between seven and eight in the evening: it seems likely that this filling up had disturbed the animal, and that it had been enabled partly to crawl and partly to glide over the margin, while the water yet stood high, or early in the night ; for the water had subsided five or six inches before morning. The escape of so much water had formed, of the soil below, a kind of sludge, probably somewhat analogous in character to the “ stiff clay” of its native swamps, in which it is said some- times to burrow; and this must have greatly facilitated the first under-ground operations of the Siren. Still, however, as the excavation made was not less than eight inches in depth, and nearly three feet in length, for the ascending aperture on the outside sloped at an angle of about 30°, it seems reasonable to conclude that the Siren must have been several hours hard at work in forming so extensive a tunnel for itself. In further proof of its exertions, it may be observed, that a consi- derable part of the dark-coloured epidermis, or covering of minute indistinct scales, was worn off its snout, and the skin of the upper part of the back was, in different places, ruffled.”—“ The morning was very cold, and the mercury, in a register-thermometer, kept in the greenhouse, had been as low as 33° Fahr. at one period of the preceding night. The animal was observed about 7 A. M. lying doubled, or with the body bent round, but not coiled, on the footpath. He was ex- ceedingly benumbed, being just able to shew signs of life when lifted by the gardener. Consider- ing the evidence of long-continued active exertions during the night, it seems reasonable to ascribe his almost torpid state when found, to the freezing cold which he had encountered when he had made his way fairly to the outside. When first restored to the watery element, the ani- mal breathed hard, rushing to the surface, and opening his mouth with a wide gape to inhale air. He soon after sunk down, and let several strings of air-bubbles escape. The branchiæ were doubtless to a certain degree dried, and thus obstructed ; and it evidently took some time before they could freely perform their accustomed office. When, however, I again examined the animal, several hours afterwards, he seemed perfectly contented to remain wholly under the water ; and, on being touched, appeared as lively and as well as ever. The decorticated portions of the back and snout shewed us the colour of the true skin below, which was of a pale leaden hue.” For the first year and a half, the Siren's box (filled with moss and water) was kept in a green- house, which merely excluded the severity of our winter frosts. During this period, he was very sluggish, exhibited slight signs of appetite, and from October to May entirely declined food. In April 1827, he was placed in a hot-house intended for the culture of tropical plants, where the temperature is generally about 65°. Here he became much more lively, and soon began his song, which, unlike the delusive voice of the ancient sirens, differed little from the croaking of a frog. He now devoured small earth-worms with some avidity, and has continued the practice, without any lengthened intermission, ever since. Still, however, he does not care for food more than once in five or six days. Little is known of the olfactory organs of reptiles in general. Although the nasal apertures in the Proteus are said to be entirely wanting, this is not the case in the Siren. I have observed, however, that the latter animal breathes air rather through the mouth than the nose, and it ex- pels it in the same manner, when put into the water, from which it may be inferred that the or- gan is in a rudimentary state, in so far at least as concerns the act of respiration. The eyes of the Siren are dim and motionless, and I did not perceive that an increase of light caused any appear- ance of contraction, or other change. Yet the sight must be tolerably acute, as, on pressing a fly downwards under water with the point of my brush, on the side of the basin in which the Siren lay, it made a catch at the insect the moment it touched the surface, and immediately snapped it in two. a THE GARDENIAN SIREN. a The teeth of the amphibia generally rather resemble the pointed teeth of fishes, than the more complicated forms which prevail among the mammalia. Those of the upper jaw in the Siren are placed in numerous transverse rows across the palate, into which, however, they are not implanted. The lower teeth are attached in a rather peculiar manner to the inner face of the lower jaw, and are not imbedded in its edges. The number of vertebræ in the Siren is 90. There are eight pair of false ribs, from the second to the ninth vertebra inclusive. Carus says there are only seven, which extend from the second to the eighth segment. He is probably wrong. Besides the species to which the preceding history and observations apply, two others are known to naturalists, as inhabitants of the southern states of North America, viz. the Siren striata of LE CONTE, and the Siren intermedia of the same author. The former is described in the An- nals of the Museum of New York, vol. i. and the latter very briefly in HARLAN's American Her- petology, p. 6. Diw AN PLATE XX. O ili The Foliatal Tipesha ) HIPPOCAMPUS FOLIATUS. Drawn by W* Thomson, Hobart Town - Engraved by WH. Lizars, Edinburgh CLASS PISCES.-FISHES. a a Fisues may be defined as vertebrated oviparous animals, possessed of a double circulation, and re- spiring by means of gills, which cannot act except through the medium of water. Their exter- nal members are called fins; those named pectoral representing the fore-legs, while the ventral are regarded as analogous to the hinder extremities, of quadrupeds. The form and structure of a fish are as admirably adapted for rapid movement through the wa- ter, as those of a bird are for that aërial motion called flight. Suspended in a liquid element, of almost equal specific gravity with itself, external organs resembling those of a bird in size, would have been disproportioned and unnecessary; but the air-bladder (the functions of which, by no means clearly understood, have never been satisfactorily explained in all their bearings) is known to possess the power of contraction and dilatation, the exercise of which is followed by a corre- sponding descent or ascent of the animal's body. Thus, a small, central, and inconspicuous organ effects, in the easiest and most simple manner, the same object as that which even the soaring Eagle or the giant Condor can only attain by great exertion of the wings, and after laborious and frequent- ly repeated gyrations. This must surely strike the most incurious observer as a very beautiful pro- vision, by means of which the Creator enables the smallest fish to raise itself with facility to the sur- face from a profound depth, and thus overcome, without exertion, a weight of superimposed wa- ters, which it could never have surmounted by mere muscular force applied in the ordinary way, The swimming-bladder is certainly one of the most remarkable of those organs which are pe- culiar to fishes. It is placed within the abdomen, and close to the spine. It is sometimes single and sometimes double. In the latter case, the two vessels communicate by means of a small canal, and in either case there is usually an air-duct, as it is called, which opens from the bladder itself into the oesophagus or the stomach. WEBER (De Aure et Auditu, &c.) has indeed pointed out a remarkable connection between the swimming-bladder and the organs of hearing. It would appear that the former in many instances subserves the latter as a membrana tympani ; but its primary and most important purpose is to regulate the ascending and descending movements. It has been observed by Biot and others, that if a submarine fish is suddenly raised to the surface, the blad- der expands so rapidly, in consequence of the decreased pressure of the water, as frequently to burst asunder ; and it sometimes happens, that a fish, after swimming for some time near the sur- face, becomes so inflated by the expansion of the air, as to be unable to re-descend. When this bladder is pierced artificially, the fish almost immediately turns upon its back, and sinks to the bottom. Though of the highest importance in the structure of such tribes as possess it (and these are by far the greater number), yet the swimming-bladder is not indispensable in the general economy of the class of fishes. In several genera (e.g. the Pleuronectes), it is entirely wanting, and the species generally remain at the bottom, and, swimming obliquely on one side, propel themselves forwards by a nearly vertical motion of the tail. In such cases, both eyes are on the same side, and the whole structure of the fish, especially the skeleton of the head, presents an unsymmetrical aspect of a very extraordinary kind * In many cartilaginous fishes, such as the Ray, the want of a * I have lately observed a want of symmetry, both in the size and markings of the elytra in several insects of the genus Blatta. I do not mean an accidental variation of one side, but an evidently pre-ordained disparity of form and colour, FISHES. а the swimming-bladder seems compensated by the enormous size of the pectoral fins, which, of all the external organs, are probably the most efficient in raising the body, as the caudal extremity is the power chiefly employed during an onward course. The Lamprey, which has neither swimming- bladder nor pectoral fins, dwells in the mud. Flat fishes being unprovided with swimming-blad- ders, raise themselves to the surface with difficulty, and they do not appear to strike the water la- terally like other fishes, but swim rather after the manner of the Cetacea, by a motion alternately up and down. In all the animals of this class, the chief organ of progressive motion is the tail, or prolongation of the body, terminated by a caudal fin, the position of which, unlike that of the great aquatic Mammalia called Whales, is vertical. The reason of the difference is obviously this: A true fish, possessing the power of extracting air from water by means of its gills, does not re- quire to mount to the surface for the performance of the vital act of respiration; but all cetaceous animals being furnished with lungs, which cannot perform their functions except through an im- mediate communication with the atmosphere, require their bodies to be terminated by a horizon- tal expansion, the action of which is the most efficient for an ascending course. Some physiologists appear to have regarded the swimming-bladder as a true lung, which both admitted and returned the external air ; but in many species the air-duct which connects the bladder with the gullet is entirely wanting, and in many others which remain constantly at prodi- gious depths, the quantity of oxygen gas in the swimming-bladder is greater than in those whose usual abode is near the surface. Carus considers it probable that this vessel performs a part ana- logous to that of the expiratory functions of the lungs in the higher classes, by not only separating excrementitious azote and superabundant oxygen from the blood, but even discharging those ele- ments in such species as have this particular viscus provided with an air-duct. The chief propor- tion of air which the swimming-bladder contains, is azote. The oxygen which sometimes occurs increases in quantity in proportion to the depth at which the animal dwells. I have said that the great organ of movement in all fishes is the tail. The muscles by which it is brought into play, extend in lengthened masses on either side of the vertebral column. The body being supported by the swimming-bladder, is propelled forward by the rapid flexure of the extremity acting laterally upon the resistance offered by the water. Generally speaking, neither the pectoral nor the ventral fins are of any use during swift progressive motion; they rather serve to balance the body, or to aid its gentler movements while in a state of comparative repose. In flying fishes, the pectoral fins are of such great length and expansion, as to support the animal in the air ; and the strength of their muscular action might probably suffice even for a longer flight, but for the necessity of constant moisture, for the purposes of respiration. The drying of the gills in an individual of this class, is attended by results analogous to those produced by submersion in the case of a land animal; and a flying fish is obliged to descend to respire, in like manner as a swimming quadruped, or a disguised mammiferous animal (as we may term a whale) is under the necessity of ascending for the same purpose. The brain of fishes rarely, if ever, fills up the cavity of the cranium, and its dimensions are very small, whether it be regarded in relation to the size of the spinal marrow, or to that of the whole body. In the Burbot or Gadus lota, the weight of the brain to that of the spinal marrow, is estimated by Carus to be as 8 to 12, and to that of the whole body as 1 to 720. It was pre- viously known that the brain of the pike weighed in proportion to that of the whole body as 1 to 1305. Now, in many small birds, the brain, viewed in relation to the rest of the body, is equal to a twentieth part. In the generality of fishes, the spinal marrow extends through the whole of the caudal vertebræ, and it is thus that it preponderates over the brain. The Lophius piscatorius, a FISHES. a a however, and a few other species, form remarkable exceptions to this rule, as in them the spinal marrow disappears before it reaches the eighth vertebra. But in the greater proportion of cases, it may be said that the spinal marrow in this class terminates by a single thread in the last cau- dal vertebra. The number of vertebræ varies greatly. The four-horned Ostracion has only 13, , whilst the Shark has above 200. The teeth in fishes are in general less intimately connected with the skeleton than in quadru- peds. They frequently occur on the tongue, and other fleshy parts, and are of course in such cases imperceptible in an osteological preparation. Even the compressed angular teeth of the shark, which, in union with its ferocious habits, render it so dreadful an animal, are formed merely in what may be called the gums. Some fishes, indeed, may be said to have teeth upon their ribs, if, with Carus, and other anatomists, we regard as such the thoracic arches which support the gills. I am not aware that any of the senses are acute in this class. The tongue, being nearly im- moveable, frequently armed with teeth, generally composed of cartilage, and covered by an insen- sible membrane, can scarcely be regarded as an organ of taste. Many species, in fact, have no tongue, and in the Lamprey its place appears to be supplied by a remarkable bony projection at the base of the mouth, the office of which seems to be to close the posterior part of the cavity during the act of sucking. The sense of touch is very obtuse in all fishes. Indeed, with the ex- ception of a few species, which are furnished with a kind of tentacula near the mouth, they can- not be said to possess any external organs of touch. The sense of hearing is dull, and that of sight, as far as my own observations go, not very acute, though the contrary is the received opi- nion. In regard to the faculty of smell in fishes, although the olfactory organs have been minute- ly examined, and clearly described, the medium in which they exist is so different from that of terrestrial animals, that no very precise notions have as yet been formed regarding the mode in which they are exercised. Many fishes are remarkable alike for the elegance of their forms, and the splendour of their colours. The only general observation which occurs to me on this subject is, that these colours are always much deeper on the upper than the under parts, and that, in the unsymmetrical spe- cies before alluded to, one side is always much darker than the other. In almost all fishes, the lower surface is of a silvery whiteness. Our knowledge of the laws which regulate the geographical distribution of fishes, is meagre in the extreme: in other words, the facts concerning their true localities are few, and have never been properly generalized. From the immeasurable extent, and continuous nature of the fluid which they inhabit, they are supplied by nature with greater facilities of dispersion than most other animals; and the greater equality of the temperature of water, compared with that of earth or air, admits in several instances of the same species inhabiting almost every latitude from pole to pole. Those races especially, which, travelling together in vast shoals, speedily consume the na- tural food which each particular spot affords, are obliged, like the pastoral tribes of old, or the woodland hunters of America, to remove from place to place in search of additional supplies, and thus the species acquires a more widely extended geographical distribution. It is thus that the Cod and Herring are spread over the whole extent of the Northern Ocean, and in undiminished numbers, notwithstanding the war of extermination which man and other voracious animals ap- pear to wage against them. Those species which lead a solitary, and, as it may be called, a sta- tionary life, are frequently confined within very narrow limits. The Chætodons, for example, which delight in rocky coasts covered with madrepores, attach themselves to the torrid zone, which pro- duces so abundantly those magnificent ornaments of the sea. But though thus confined to parti- X FISHES. cular spots, from which the individuals of the species never wander, the species itself may be said to be repeated again in different and distant regions, separated from each other by almost insur- mountable obstacles. Thus, many of what be termed stationary species are found identically the same along the coasts of Brazil, in the Arabian Gulf, and over the multiplied shores of Polynesia. It has hence been concluded, that such species, incapable of colonizing themselves by leaving their accustomed shores, and hazarding a journey across unknown oceans, have either been created in more places than one, or have been enabled to transport themselves by means different from any of those which are now available in the ordinary course of nature. If the natural means by which the more powerful species inhabiting the saline waters of the ocean have spread themselves from clime to clime, be so far within the reach of our comprehen- sion, it is otherwise with those peculiar to rivers, and the waters of inland lakes. How these have contrived to migrate from one region to another, and to people with identical species the depth of far removed and solitary waters, separated from each other by chains of lofty mountains, or wide extended wastes of desert sand, is a problem which, in the present state of our knowledge, we seek in vain to solve. It may at times happen, that spawn or ova are carried by water-fowl from one great central reservoir to another, and thus the rivers of half a continent may be put in possession of species unknown before ; but this scarcely suffices to account for the general diffusion of cer- tain species, and still less for the narrow restriction of others equally exposed to the chances of such aërial flight. Be this as it may, we know that the Pike (Esox lucius) of Europe has been found by Bosc in the lakes of North America, and that the common Eel (Muræna anguilla) was observed by BORY ST VINCENT in the rivers of Mascareigne. On the other hand, a peculiar spe- cies of Millar's Thumb (the Gobia Awoua) is believed to be peculiar to certain rivulets of Otaheité, at least nothing at all resembling it has ever been observed elsewhere * a ORDER LOPHOBRANCHIA.-LOPHOBRANCHIAL FISHES. Cuvier. Characters of the Order. The Lophobranchial Fishes, or those of which the gills, instead of being comb-shaped, are divided into little rounded tufts, dis- posed in pairs along their arches, compose the fourth Order of the Cuvierian system. Their gills have this further peculiarity, that, instead of being to- lerably free, and exposed behind by large branchial openings, they are closed and shut up beneath a great operculum or cover, which is attached on all sides by a membrane, and permits the water, by which the branchial blood is aerified, to escape merely by a minute perforation. The genera of this or- der may be distinguished externally by the cuirassed aspect of their bodies, which are strongly plated, very angular, and frequently furnished with spiny projections. All the Fishes of this order are meagre creatures, of small size, and very extraordinary aspect. They have scarcely any flesh upon their bones. The order is almost entirely composed of the old * See GAYMARD's Memoire sur la Distribution Geographique des Poissons, and an Essay on Geography, considered in relation to Natural History, published in the 7th volume of the Dict. Class. d'Hist. Nat. THE FOLIATED PIPE-FISH. genera Syngnathus and Pegasus of LINNÆUS, of which one of the subdivisions rendered necessary by more recent investigation, is the GENUS HIPPOCAMPUS. Cuvier. Characters of the Genus.-Muzzle long and tubular; mouth terminal, and almost vertically cleft. Body compressed laterally, and much deeper than the tail ; its surface is raised into ridges, its edges are angular and incised, and the hinder part of the body and tail are apparently divided into segments. There is neither caudal nor ventral fins. Of this genus several species are found in the European seas, and one or two occur along the British shores. The greater number are exotic. In the dried specimens, the head is usually bent at right angles with the body, the thorax is curved, and the tail turned upwards. From the pe- culiar aspect which they exhibit in this condition, they have received the name of sea horses. In one respect they may be said to connect the osseous and the cartilaginous fishes, for the eggs are hatched within the body of the mother, and the young are produced alive. This fact was obser- ved by ARISTOTLE, and has lately been confirmed (so far, at least, as concerns S. acus) by Cavo- LINI. The most remarkable species is THE FOLIATED PIPE-FISH.-HIPPOCAMPUS FOLIATUS. PLATE XX. SYNONYMS. Syngnathus foliatus. Shaw.—Le Syngnathe à banderolles (S. tæniolatus). Lacepede. Ann. du Mus. t. 4. ? “ A most extraordinary species,” observes Dr SHAW, “ far exceeding all the rest of the genus in the singularity of its appearance, which is such as at first view rather to suggest the idea of some production of fancy than of any real existence. In its general shape it is greatly allied to the preceding species (S. Hippocampus), but it is considerably longer in proportion, or of more slender habit ; its great particularity, however, consists in the large leaf-shaped appendages with which the back, tail, and abdomen are furnished; these appendages are situated on very strong, rough, square spines or processes, and were it not for the perfect regularity of their respective proportions, might be mistaken for the leaves of some kind of fucus adhering to the spines.”— General Zoology, vol. v. p. 456. This rare and very singularly constructed fish is a native of the Southern Ocean. The specimen described by Dr Shaw was transmitted from New Hol- land to Sir Joseph BANKS. The one now figured was sent to Professor JAMESON from Van Die- man's Land. It was accompanied by a very beautiful and highly finished drawing, taken soon af- ter death by Mr WILLIAM THOMSON of Hobart Town. From Mr THOMSON’s drawing Plate XX. is engraved. I previously compared the drawing with the animal itself, and found it perfectly correct. The representation is of the exact size of nature, and supersedes the necessity of a de- tailed description. a a THE FOLIATED PIPE-FISH. I should not have hesitated to consider this species as synonymous with S. tæniolatus of LA- CEPEDE (and the more readily as they seem to be regarded as identical by CUVIER, Regne Animal, t. ii. p. 157.); but on comparing it with the figure in the Annals of the Museum, I find that the specimen figured by myself possesses two large appendages on the dorsal outline, not represented by the author of the “ Histoire Naturelle des Poissons.” I subjoin in a note the principal pas- sages of the Count's description, for the sake of those who may not have had an opportunity of consulting the voluminous work in which it is contained * * « Le syngnathe à banderolles est dénué de pectorales, de caudale, et de nageiore de l'anus. Un piquant double, deux aiguillons, et un rangée de petites pointes hérissent le tour de l'orbite. On voit un aiguillon très-long et terminé par une petite banderolle membraneuse, non seulement très-près de la nuque, et au-dessus de la partie antérieure du corps, mais encore à une , petite distance de chaque côté de l'anus, et sur trois points differens de chaque coté de la face superieure de la queue. On compte donc dix de ces dards garnis d'une sorte de petite flamme; de plus presque tout le corps et la partie anterieure de la queue for- ment un solide à sept faces longitudinales, et la queue, excepté sa portion anterieure, n'en presente que quatre.” The following supplementary note then occurs in the original : “ Le Syngnathe à banderolles parvient au moins à la longuer d'un tiers du mètre. La queue est aussi longue que la tête et le corps pris ensemble. Des taches arrondies, irrégulières, blanchâtres et tres-petites relèvent la couleur générale, qui est rousse. L'oeil est gros ; l'opercule convexe, presque ovale, et strié en rayons divergens. Les aiguillons garnis de banderolles, que l'on voit au dessus de la partie anterieure du corps auprés de l'anus, et de chaque coté de la face superieure de la queue, sont dentelés par devant et par derrière. Le corps proprement dit, presente d'abord à peu pres la même grosseur que le derrière de la tête, . se retrecit après l'aiguillon cylindrique et à banderolle, augmente ensuite insensiblement, et tout d'un coup s'agrandit vers le haut et vers le bas, de manière que sa hauteur égale presque la longueur de la tête. Cette troisième partie du corps est plus com- primée que la seconde, et la seconde plus que la première, qui est parsemée de tubercules tres-petits et inegaux. “ La première partie de la queue s’etend vers la bas, beaucoup moins que la troisième partie du corps. Elle est d'ailleurs à sept pans, a des boucliers placés sur ses arêtes, et soutient presque la totalité de la nageoire dorsale. “ La seconde partie de la queue est trois ou quatre fois plus longue que la première. Elle présente des boucliers sur cha- cune de ses arêtes, mais elle n'a que quatre pans longitudinaux. Au reste, chaque arête a dix-sept boucliers depuis la tête jusqu’ à l'anus, et trente-un depuis l'anus jusqu'à l'éxtrémité de la queue. “ Deux piquans dentelés, courts et denués de banderolles, sont situé au-devant de l'anus, et deux autres semblables auprés du commencement de la dorsale." Annales du Mus. d'Hist. Nat. t. iv. 1 my А PLATE XXXVI. out ya زرار M el balletta དག༽ rror { CAN Drawn & Engraved by W.1 Lizars ار Vices Mielenie CONUS NICOLII. GENUS CONUS.-CONE OR CONE SHELL. CLASS MOLLUSCA*_ORDER TRACHELIPODA; Family INVOLUTA. Characters of the Genus.—Shell turbinate or obversely conical, convolute. Spire short, with simple sutures. Aperture longitudinal, narrow, destitute of folds or dentations, effuse at the base. Tus genus is distinguished by the great beauty of the shells of which it is composed. The spe- cies, which are very numerous, about 200 having been described, are all natives of the warmer parts of the globe. They form the ornament of collections; and some of them, remarkable for their extreme beauty or rarity, as C. Cedo-nulli, C. ammiralis, C. aurisiacus, C. nobilis, are highly prized, and eagerly purchased by collectors at very extravagant prices. The shells of this genus are characterised by their obversely conical form, and their convoluted disposition, which leaves exposed only the edges of the turns, forming a short but broad spire. The aperture is narrow, destitute of folds or teeth, and longitudinal, so that the spiral cavity which contains the animal is compressed in its whole extent. Many species are covered with an epidermis, while others occur naked. The surface of the shell is generally smooth, shining, and variegated. Although closely allied to the Olive, the Cones are not liable to be confounded with these shells, as they possess not only very decided characters, but also a general aspect which enables one to refer them to their true genus without the least hesitation. They are generally of small or moderate size. Some species, however, as C. betulinus, C. literatus, C. geographus, attain a length of about 5 inches ; while the species about to be described, presenting, in the only individual with which we are ac- quainted, the extraordinary length of 8 inches, must take precedence of all others in respect to magnitude. NICOL'S CONE.-CONUS NICOLII, PLATE XXXVI. The form of this very remarkable shell is oblong-turbinate, approaching to claviform, the sides slightly concave. The aperture is somewhat wider than usual in the genus, especially below. The spire is convex, acuminate, with the turns angulate and concave, and irregularly waved at their margin, where they form a coarse suture. The last turn, or body of the shell, is also angulate at the commencement of the spire. Its surface is longitudinally striated, and irregularly wrinkled. The colour of the interior is yellowish-white; that of the exterior pale yellow, with numerous in- distinct transverse series of small spots, and two broad nebulous bands of pale orange. Four of * We shall give the generalities of the Class Mollusca in a future Number. NICOL'S CONE. the lines, towards the base, are more continuous than the others. The spire is pale yellow, spot- ted with orange. Greatest length 84 inches ; greatest breadth 41. The species of this genus are in general so imperfectly described, that some difficulty is expe- rienced by the investigator on referring to the published catalogues, with a view to the ascertain- ment of a particular species. Thus, the characters given by LAMARCK to C. papilionaceus and C. Prometheus, agree so well with our shell, that we might at first suppose it to belong to either of these species. Yet on referring to the figures cited by LAMARCK, we see at once that it cannot possibly belong to them. The figure which comes nearest to C. Nicolii, is that given in Pl. 329. fig. 8. of the plates of the Encyclopédie Méthodique ; but it differs considerably in outline, and in colouring presents so little similarity, as to banish all suspicion of its referring to the same object. This being the only individual of the species which I have had an opportunity of inspecting, I am unable to describe its appearance in the various stages of its growth. It has the aspect, however, of a very old individual, and is probably more highly coloured in the younger states. Nothing is known as to the native country of this singular specimen, hitherto unrivalled as to magnitude. I have named it in honour of its owner Mr WILLIAM NIcol of Edinburgh, whose extensive and well chosen collection of shells has ever been open to the inspection of the curious, and whose scientific knowledge in conchology, as well as in other departments of natural history, is worthy of a tribute, which I should not have thought of paying to the mere possessor of a unique speci- men. 1 PLATEXXVIII. 100 8] The ansios Britsley. NYMPIHALIS TASIUS. LATREILLE. Drawn Joy James Wilson Lithographed by Ceo Graves ve X CLASS INSECTA. INSECTS, PROPERLY SO CALLED. NSECTS Insects form a distinct and well-defined class, whether we regard their organs of movement, their respiratory system, or their metamorphoses. In the perfect state, their bodies usually con- sist of three principal portions, partly separated from each other, as it were by incision, (from whence the name of Insect), viz. the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. With the exception af- ter mentioned, they have never more than six articulated legs. The respiration of insects is effected chiefly by means of stigmata and trachea. The stigmata, , called also spiracles, or breathing pores, are small orifices in the trunk and abdomen, generally round, and capable of being relaxed and closed by particular muscles. Parallel with each side of the body of most insects, and extending its whole length, run two cylindrical tubes, which com- municate with the spiracles, and from which issue, at points opposite to those organs, other tubes, the ramifications of which are distributed to every part of the body. They also envelope the di- gestive organs, and demonstrate that the ultimate aim of respiration is assimilation, or the increase and reproduction of organic molecules, by the decomposition of food. The first of these tubes are called the trachea, and the latter the bronchiæ. This structure, however, cannot be regarded as universal, as in many of the Lamellicorn Beetles the bronchiæ spring directly from the spi- racles, the interior mouth of which is lined by a membrane from which they proceed * In cer- tain tribes, as among the hymenopterous and lepidopterous insects, there are on each side of the abdomen sacs or reservoirs of air, which may be compared to the air-vessels of birds. The metamorphoses of insects consist in certain singular changes of form, which these animals undergo in passing from the egg to the larva state—from the larva to the pupa or chrysalis-and from the chrysalis to the imago or perfect insect. There are different degrees of change exem- plified in these metamorphoses. Some insects undergo an entire alteration of form; others only * Kirby and SPENCE's Introduction, Vol. iv. p. 61. A volume would scarcely suffice to describe the beautiful and varied structure of the organs of respiration in insects. Among those tribes especially which pass their early stages under water, the changes of form and position in these organs cannot be suf- ficiently admired. Several common species of Gnat, the larvæ of which abound during the summer season in ponds and stag- nant pools, will afford an easy and excellent illustration of this phenomenon. When one of these is examined, a singular tun- nel-shaped organ, terminating in five points like a star, will be perceived, forming an angle with the last segment of the body but one: in the interior of this organ is a tube, which conveys the air to the tracheæ above described, and communicates with the atmosphere by means of several perforations in the centre of the star. The diverging rays of the star suspend the animal at the surface of the water, with its head downwards, till it wishes to descend. It has no sooner assumed the pupa state, than the respiratory tail disappears, and the insect (still an inhabitant of the water) then breathes through two projecting horns, each resembling a cornucopia, which proceed from the upper part of the trunk. Ere long, the skin of the pupa bursts asunder, and the perfect gnat or winged insect makes its appearance, with neither caudal nor thoracic appendages, but breathing by means of numerous lateral pores or stigmata, after the usual manner. The Rat-tailed Worm in this respect is still more extraordinary. In the larva state, it breathes through a tail formed of retractile tubes, like a telescope, and capable of being extended twelve times the length of its body. This also terminates in a star-like process, which, when viewed in a strong light, forms a percep- tible dimple on the surface of the water ; and as the body of the insect lies in the mud below, the tail is contracted or extended according to the varying depth of its stagnant habitation. On assuming the pupa state, in which it is no longer an aquatic ani- mal, the respiratory tail is cast off, and its function performed by four horns, which spring from the upper part of the thorax. It afterwards becomes one of those bee-like flies (Elophilus pendulus), so remarkable for the rapid vibratory movement of their wings, by which, during calm sunshine, they are often seen suspended in the air like hawks, without any perceptible motion. In this last stage, respiration is carried on by spiracles or breathing-pores. For a much better account than I can give of this singular subject, I beg to refer to the 38th Letter of the admirable work above named. a F INSECTS. а a cast their skin, and thus pass into the perfect state without any very remarkable change in their external aspect. The appearance of insects at different seasons of the year, depends on the pe- riods of their transformation; and to be well acquainted with these, is equally interesting and im- portant to the collector. We may indeed observe in all animals a metamorphosis more or less extended ; since every organic body must attain perfection by means of changes more or less per- ceptible in all its parts. But it is among the beautiful and infinitely varied beings which compose the Class INSECTA, that these changes are the most marked and surprising. Many insects require several years to attain the perfect state. The organs of digestion in insects, are greatly extended. Many species are furnished with numerous stomachs, and a multiplicity of biliary canals. The different organs of the senses in this class have not yet been demonstrated with precision. The sense of smell, as may be easily perceived, is exceedingly acute; but so various are the opinions of physiologists on this particular, that it would be difficult to point out the organ in which it has been indisputably established as contained. The eyes are frequently of a very complicated structure, not fewer than 34,650 lenses having been counted in the head of a butterfly. The antenne and palpi are sometimes endowed with so fine a sense of touch, as to form an obvious medium of communication between indivi- duals of the same species. Among the ants, this instinctive employment of the feelers has been regarded by some naturalists as answering the purposes of language in a very remarkable degree. The generative system of insects is clearly developed. There are, however, among those which live in society, such as ants, termites, wasps, bees, &c. individuals which compose the greater part of the population, and, by their labour and vigilance, provide for the well-being of the whole : these have been regarded as neuter, or belonging to neither sex. They are usually called workers or mules, and are now known or generally believed to be in almost all cases abortive females, the ovaries of which are in an imperfect state of developement. Among some insects, the eggs are hatched before exclusion from the body of the mother, which may therefore be called ovo-vivipa- A more limited number (such as the Hippobosca equina or Forest Fly), are not only hatched, but undergo their second transformation in the maternal matrix, and are born in the pupa state. The different species of spiders, scorpions, mites, and certain other insects, commonly so called, as well as the numerous tribes of crustaceous animals known under the names of Crab, Lobster, Cray-fish, &c. though included in the class INSECTA of the older systems, are not true insects, ac- cording to the precise and scientific definition of these creatures. They now form two separate classes, called CRUSTACEA and ARACHNIDA, which differ considerably in their external forms from the true insects, and are still more essentially distinguished from these by one or more of the fol- lowing characters, viz. the presence of a heart and its vessels; the absence of those peculiar or- gans called antennæ ; or the dissimilar nature of the respiratory system. The Crustacea, more- over, have never less than ten legs ; the Arachnida usually eight; and the Insecta (with the excep- tion of the MYRIAPODA proposed as a separate class by Dr LEACH and others) never more than six *. The characters on which the primary division of Insects into Orders is founded, have been taken by Linnæus from the wings, and by FABRICIUS from the organs of mastication ; while La- TREILLE, the “ Prince of Entomologists," as he is called by the Baron DE JEAN, has, by a judi- cious combination of the Linnean method with the Cibarian system, laid the foundation of a more natural order of classification : thus conferring on Entomology a benefit allied to that which the sister science of Botany had previously received from the kindred labours of BERNARD JUSSIEU. YOUS. a * For part of the preceding summary, I am indebted to M. Fischer of Moscow, the learned author of the Entomographia Imperii Russici. 1 ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. Characters of the Order—LEGs six. ANTENNÆ composed of numerous articula- tions, varying in shape and structure. Wings four, membranous, usually co- vered with minute coloured scales, imbricated or placed over each other, after the manner of tiles. PROTHORAX very short, covered with a pair of tippets. Mouth composed of tubular filaments or threads, the union of which forms an extensile spiral trunk or tongue, with which the nectarous juices of flowers are absorbed. TWO PALPI (corresponding to the labial palpi of masticating insects), consisting of three articulations, act as a sheath or guard on either side of the tongue when rolled up. The superior or maxillary palpi usually very small, inconspicuous, or obsolete. Metamorphosis obtected * This extensive and beautiful Order, including all Butterflies, Sphinxes, and Moths, presents great difficulties to the entomologist, in the way of division into sections and subgenera. Lepi- dopterorum ordo entomologorum scopulus, says LATREILLE. In fact, the parts of the mouth, from the complex and greatly varied structure of which, in the masticating insects, so many excellent distinguishing characters have been derived, are, among the lepidopterous tribes, restricted in number, simple in form, and very similar in composition. The antennæ, too, become in this order rather sexual than generic distinctions ; and as the metamorphoses, and general habits and history of many of the exotic species, which form the finest features in the richly stored cabinets of Europe, are almost entirely unknown, recourse cannot be had to such excellent aids to classifi- cation. An accurate, perspicuous, and natural arrangement of the Lepidoptera is therefore still a desideratum in the science. In the Linnean System, three great genera, named Papilio, Sphinx, and Phalana, constituted the whole of this order. These have since been converted into a corresponding number of prin- cipal sections, under the following denominations : a Sect. I. DIURNA.—The insects of this division, commonly called Butterflies, fly by day, and, in a state of repose, usually hold their wings erect. Their antennæ are capitated, or terminated by a club or knob, with a few exceptions, such as the splendid genus Morpho, in which they are almost filiform, and the Fabrician genus Urania, in which they become more slender towards their extre- mities. The caterpillar has always 16 feet. The chrysalis is generally naked, and angular. Sect. II. CREPUSCULARIA.— The most prominent members of this section are known by the name of Sphinxes or Hawk-moths. They are furnished with a spine or strong bristle on the an- terior margin of the inferior wings, which being received by a process of the under surface of the superior pair, maintains them in a horizontal or somewhat inclined position while in repose. Their antennæ are prismatic or fusiform, usually thickest in the middle. They fly with great a * A pupa or chrysalis is said to be obtected when the crustaceous covering in which it is enveloped exhibits the form of the thorax and abdomen, LEPIDOPTERA. a strength and celerity, owing to the extent and texture of their wings, and the bird-like manner in which their bodies are poised. They are seen abroad chiefly during the morning and evening twi- lights, and may be occasionally observed darting from flower to flower, even at mid-day, during the prevalence of dull and cloudy weather. As their capture is difficult, and their rearing from the caterpillar precarious, they are highly prized by collectors. In the larva state they have al- ways 16 feet. The chrysalis is cylindrical, rather blunt-headed, with a conical abdomen. Sect. III. NOCTURNA.-The numerous assemblage of species of which this section is composed, are known under the name of Moths: they are seldom seen on the wing till after sunset, and con- tinue their flight throughout the night until the morning twilight. Their wings are horizontal in repose, often deflected, decumbent, sometimes embracing the sides and upper surface of the abdo- men: their antennæ are setaceous, becoming gradually narrower towards their extremities, and frequently feathered or pectinated, especially in the males. The legs of the larva vary from 10 to 16 in number. In some species, both sexes want the tongue ; and the females of a few have no wings. a 2 BUTTERFLIES, OR DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA. Order LEPIDOPTERA; Family DIURNA; Tribe PAPILIONIDES. Latreille. In the First Number of this work, I gave a slight sketch of the distinguishing characters of the I Class INSECTA, followed by a brief exposition of the Order Lepidoptera, and its three great fami- lies of Diurnal, Crepuscular, and Nocturnal Insects. The genus Papilio of LINNÆUS, divided into certain sections, contained the whole of that splendid and infinitely varied tribe called Butterflies, of which the species are so numerous and diversified that naturalists soon felt the necessity of multiplying the genera for the sake of re- stricting the amount of species contained in each. In the later editions of the Systema Na- tura, Butterflies, or Diurnal Lepidoptera, were divided into six phalanges. The 1st, called Equites (which correspond to the true genus Papilio, as restricted by LATREILLE), was divided into Troes and Achivi, a division since ascertained to be rather unfortunate, as it separates, in some instances, the males and females of the same species ; the 2d phalanx was named Heli- conii ; the 3d, Parnassii ; the 4th, Danai, subdivided into Candidi and Festivi ; the 5th, Nym- phales, also subdivided into Gemmati and Phalerati ; and the 6th, Plebeii, again divided into Rurales and Urbicole. GEOFFROY (in his Histoire abregée des Insectes) follows the Linnean System, and improves it chiefly by applying the principles previously established by REAUMUR in his Memoires. DEGEER and OLIVIER likewise so far follow LINNÆUS, as to retain the name Papilio as a generic term ; but in order to facilitate the labours of the student, they have in- troduced additional sections and subdivisions. The labours of Scopoli in relation to this parti- cular tribe are defective, in consequence of his generic characters being drawn from the presence or absence of spots on the wings, and other distinctions which are of no value, except for the dis- crimination of species. In the earlier works of FABRICIUS, scarcely any alterations were made in the arrangement of the Linnean Papiliones. But in the Entomologia Systematica of that author, and still more in his Systema Glossata (left unfinished at the period of his death), a great number of genera were eventually created. LATREILLE, in many invaluable works *, has constituted va- rious generic groups, which appear to have been very generally adopted. Denis and SCHIFFER- MULLER (in the Catalogue des Lepidoptères de Vienne) had previously benefited this branch of natu- ral history, by assuming the form and metamorphosis of the caterpillar as principal bases of their divisions ; and OCHSENHEIMER has since successfully applied the same method to all the European species. Our ignorance of the history of the greater proportion of the exotic sections has unfortu- nately retarded the more general application of the principles of an improved system. DUMERIL and LAMARCK have also, each after his own manner, endeavoured to amend the classification of diurnal Lepidoptera ; and in regard to pictorial works in this department, CLERK, CRAMER, En- GRAMELLE, HUBNER, Ernst, EsPER, STOLL, HERBST, JABLONSKY, GODART, and others, have pub- * Histoire generale des Crustacés et des Insectes, 14 vols.--Genera Crustaceorum et Insectorum, 4 vols.--Considerations generales sur l'ordre naturel des animaux composant les Classes des Crustacés, des Arachnides, et des Insectes, 1 vol. ---Le Règne Animal of Cuvier, vol.iij.--Familles Naturelles du Regne Animal, 1 vol. ; and numerous articles on Entomology in the Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat. and the Encyc. Methodique. Ff DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA. lished collections of coloured figures, some of which stand unrivalled in extent and magnificence by the most costly productions of those who have laboured to illustrate any of the kindred branches of the science. Even in our own country, where natural history is so sparingly patro- nized, and so lightly valued, this beautiful branch of zoology has been rather sumptuously exhi- bited, and the names of Drury, HARRIS, WILKES, Shaw, Donovan, LEWIN, LEACH, SWAINSON, Curtis, Horsfield, &c. will readily present themselves to the recollection of the reader. , Indeed, from the exquisite beauty of their forms and colours, Butterflies have, from the ear- liest periods of natural history, excited the zeal and admiration of collectors. They occur in all quarters of the world, from the frozen shores of Greenland and Spitzbergen, to high southern lati- tudes; but the tropical countries of Asia and America are the most productive of large and splen- didly coloured species. The genus Papilio, as restricted by LATREILLE, contains about 150 spe- cies, of which only three are found in Europe, viz. P. Machaon, P. podalirius, and P. Alexanor. Such as have red spots on the breast (the Equites Troes of the Linnean System), are almost pecu- liar to India ; and it has been observed, that the species proper to New Holland bear a greater affinity to those of the Moluccas, than to such as occur in South America. Although almost every country is characterised by species peculiar to itself, certain kinds are very widely extended in their geographical distribution. As far as my own observations go, I am inclined to consider the Painted Lady Butterfly, La Belle Dame of the French (Papilio cardui, Linn.), as the most uni- versally spread of all insects, perhaps of all living creatures, except the human race. It inhabits a great portion of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, New Holland, and the Islands of the Indian Ocean. Indeed, many others are found on both sides of the Atlantic. Professor Jameson lately received the Camberwell Beauty (P. Antiopa), and several other British species, from Nova Sco- tia. The Chrysalids of Butterflies are naked, angular, and generally attached to some other sub- stance by the posterior extremity of the abdomen: they are also frequently supported by a silken cord, which the caterpillar has the instinctive skill to spin around its body, before assuming the metamorphosis. The beautiful Apollo Butterfly (Parnassus Apollo) presents, I believe, an almost solitary exception to the rule in this respect, that the chrysalis is not exposed like the others, but inclosed in a loose protecting net-work, intermingled with leaves, in which it rests till the exclu- sion of the perfect insect--thus far resembling some of the nocturnal tribes. The legs of Butterflies are six in number; the tarsi are composed of five joints, terminated by two hooks or crotchets ; but in many species, the two anterior feet are very small, of no apparent service in locomotion, the divisions of the tarsi indistinct, and the terminal hooks wanting.or imperceptible. The species so organised are called by naturalists tetrapodal or four- footed ; and their number being very great, they have been assorted under various groups and genera. That with which we are at present more immediately concerned, is the a GENUS NYMPHALIS. Latreille. Characters of the Genus.--Antennæ terminated by an elongated, cylindrical, obconical mass. Length of the inferior palpi not greatly exceeding that of the head; these palpi well furnished with hair, and their last articulation not being shorter than one-half of the length of the pre- ceding. Discoidal or central cell of the inferior wings open posteriorly, and their internal margins furnished with a concavity for the reception of the abdomen. Caterpillar naked, or GENUS NYMPHALIS. furnished with only a few spines or tubercles, with its posterior extremity terminated by a bi- fid point. The term Nymphalis was first applied by LINNÆUS to one of his great divisions of the genus Papilio. His successors branched it into many sections, which FABRICIUs formed into a still greater number of generá. Of these, many have been rejected by LATREILLE, as founded on in- sufficient characters. The last-named entomologist has retained in the genus Nymphalis the spe- cies which conform with the characters just enumerated. In addition to these, it may be stated, that the head is small, and the eyes round and full. The anterior feet are very small, of no use in walking: they are held on each side of the thorax, with the knee directed towards the head, and are unfurnished with claws. The second and third pairs of legs are three times as long as the first, and the terminal joints of their tarsi are provided with claws. The butterflies of this genus are frequently ornamented by brilliant and varied colours, and when in prime condition are highly prized by collectors. They are distinguished by the strength and thickness of their wings, which enable them to exercise a smooth, powerful, and sustained flight. Their motions are consequently not of that zig-zag nature observable in many species, but steady, and continuous, like the soaring of a bird of prey. They haunt the summits of forest trees, and other elevated stations, and are therefore difficult to capture. This difficulty is, how- ever, to a certain extent, obviated by the boldness of their disposition ; for, when their situation is accessible, they are not deterred by an unsuccessful attack from settling again on the spot where they were first observed. The European species, such as the Purple Emperor (P. Iris) are taken in bag-nets affixed to poles thirty feet high. They are said to be attracted by the smell of acrid or fermenting substances, and such are sometimes used by entomologists to induce them to descend from their inaccessible positions. The genus is extensive. GODART (in Encyclopedie Methodique, article Papillon), describes 267 different kinds. The species which I have selected for the sake of illustration, is one of the most beautiful of European insects. It is called a THE JASIUS BUTTERFLY-NYMPHALIS JASIUS. Latreille & Godart. PLATE XXVIII. Extent of wings varying from 3 to 4 inches. General colour of the upper surface deep brown- ish-black, changing to bluish-black, according to the direction and degree of light. Posterior mar- gin of the anterior wings more or less concave, and of an orange colour, intersected by black ner- vures. Near the orange margin there is a row of spots of the same colour. The posterior wings are margined by somewhat semilunar spots of a more yellow hue, and are each furnished with two nar- row tails, above and between which occur several small spots of very pale blue. The basal portion of the under surface of both wings is composed of rich chesnut or reddish-brown, and deep bluish- green ; the different compartments of these colours being separated from each other by pale out- lines of yellowish-white. A silvery band of white, slightly tinged in parts with blue and yellow, passes down each wing; and the parts exterior to this band are chiefly orange, variously spotted and margined with black. Four or five pale blue spots occur above the pointed elongations of the posterior wings. The female (a specimen of which I have not yet obtained) scarcely differs . THE JASIUS BUTTERFLY. * from the male. She is somewhat larger in size, and the central portion of the upper surface of the posterior wings is sprinkled over with pale blue scales The Jasius Butterfly is one of the largest, rarest, and most beautiful of the European diurnal Lepidoptera. It occurs in the southern countries of France, for example, in the neighbourhood of Lyons, the Iles d’Hières, near Toulon and Montpellier, also in Italy, Sicily, Corsica, some parts of northern Africa, and in Asia Minor. Le FEBURE DE CERISY of Toulon has paid considerable attention to the metamorphosis of this fine insect. The caterpillar, which in its early age is green, becomes afterwards of a yellowish hue, and its skin is, as it were, chagrined and transversely plaited. Its head is singularly armed with four vertical yellow horns, tipped with red, of which the two intermediate are the longest. A yellow line passes along each side of the body in the region of the stigmata, and the back is marked by four indistinct orange spots. The true feet are black, the membranous ones green. It feeds on the leaves of the strawberry tree (l'Arbousier commun), and never eats except during the night. Its habits are very lethargic. During day- light, it remains fixed and motionless on its favourite plant, which it resembles in colour, and thus escapes observation. The chrysalis is smooth, thick, carinated, and of a coriaceous texture; the co- lour pale green. Two broods or flights of the perfect insect are produced each year, the first in June, the second in September. The caterpillars of the autumnal brood survive the winter, and are not transformed into chrysalids till the ensuing May. The perfect insects are then produced in about fifteen days. These speedily deposite their eggs, which are hatched in June, and after three months occupied in the usual transformations, the second flight appears in September, and continues the race in the manner above mentioned. I am indebted for the fine male specimen figured on PLATE XXVIII. to the kindness of M. CASE-Nuove of Lyons, by whom it was bred from the larva. That excellent entomologist pro- poses to publish ere long a complete account of this species, with figures of the caterpillar, chry- salis, and perfect insect. Such as are bred in confinement are seldom so large as those which un- dergo their transformations in the open air. The chrysalis is usually found suspended by the tail to the branch of a shrub or tree. This Butterfly is well named by the Turks, The Pacha with two tails. a * The insect above described was placed by LINNÆUS among the Equites Achivi.--Syst. Nat. 12th edit. p. 749. No. 26. specific name misprinted Jason. It occupies the same position in the Species Insectorum of FABRICIUS, although it belongs more properly to the genus Paphia afterwards instituted by that author. Y 국 ​ PLATE IV. De SA W (147 D را گروه 29 The Sant Pol Methof Brazil NOCTUA EREBUS) STRIX. LAT. Engraved by W. H. Lizars. Drawn by James Wilson LEPIDOPTERA. SUBGENUS EREBUS, Latreille. SECTION NOCTURNA.-FAMILY NOCTUIDÆ.-GENUS NOCTUA* - Characters of the Subgenus — Wings horizontal, extended. Terminal joint of the palpi, elongated, projecting, elevated, cylindrical, or slightly compressed, naked. THE GREAT OWL-MOTH OF BRAZIL.-NOCTUA (EREBUS) STRIX, Lat. PLATE IV. 66 This superb moth, “ the glory of the Noctuidæ,” as it is called by the enthusiastic Kirby, is a native of Brazil. I had the good fortune to receive, during the course of last year, four speci- mens of it from that country, one of which, probably the finest in Europe, is figured on Plạte IV. It measures nearly eleven inches and a quarter from tip to tip of the extended wings, and is distin- guished alike by the rich though pale straw-coloured ground which forms the prevailing tone of the upper parts, and the distinct pencilling of the numerous arched and zig-zag lines of a deep sepia brown colour, which adorn its surface. The under face of the wings is of an obscure brown to- wards the body of the insect, with rich blue and purple reflections in the direction of their extre- mities, which vary in a very beautiful manner as the site varies in the gazer's hand.” There are, moreover, five waved lines of white spots (mostly pear-shaped) on the inferior surface of the posterior wings. Two other specimens in my collection accord with the preceding description, except in size, being smaller : the fourth is still less, and considerably darker and greyer than the rest, having, in addition to the zig-zag lines, the greater part of the intermediate spaces minutely imbricated with small blackish specks or scales. It is probably of a different sex. I am not acquainted with any detailed history of the habits and metamorphoses of this fine insect. I believe it is figured in Madame SIBILLA MERIAN's work, on the Insects of Surinam. The caterpillar is described as very beautiful, and is said to be furnished with a horn-like process on the penultimate segment of the body. a * The Fabrician genus Noctua is so numerous and diversified, as to compose more properly an extensive family, consisting of several genera and subgenera. 1 G / 1817 ARTES SCIENTIA LIBRARY VERITAS OF THE | UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN St PLURIBUS UNUM TUEBOR SI QUERIS-PENINSULAM AMOENAM CIRCUMSPICE ADVC28010 MUSEUM Museums sec