Chatterbox Stories of Natural History Part 11

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A STROLL IN THE COUNTRY

Put on your hat and let us take A stroll amidst the rural scene-- The boat is gliding o'er the lake,

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The cows are browsing pastures green, The herdsman's horns the echoes wake, And holiday like Nature's self we'll make!

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Into the garden next let's come To pluck a pear or downy plum, And hear the bird's sweet trilling--

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While all around, on fragrant beds, The flowerets lift their little heads, The air with perfume filling.

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The merry kid is leaping gaily, And soberer Nanny gives us daily Sweet milk to make us cheese;

While all our tastes to please, His nets the busy fisher flings, And eels and carp for dinner brings.

THE OTTER.

The Otter belongs to a cla.s.s of animals which we may call the Weasel tribe. Their bodies are long and lithe, and their legs short. This family includes the weasel (its smallest member), the stoat, the ferret, the pole-cat, the marten, and the otter (its largest member). You may then think of the Otter as a water-ferret, or water-weasel. He can swim most elegantly, and he is a beautiful diver. Let a fish glide underneath him, and he is after it in a moment; and as the fish darts here and there to escape, the Otter follows each rapid movement with unerring precision. When the fish is caught, the Otter carries it to the bank and makes a meal. But the Otter is like naughty Jack who leaves a saucy plate--he spoils much more fish than he eats. The trout and other fish are so much alarmed at the appearance of an Otter, that they will sometimes fling themselves on the bank to get out of his way.

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THE MASTIFF.

The mastiff is a large, grave, sullen-looking dog, with a wide chest, n.o.ble head, long switch tail, bright eyes, and a loud, deep voice. Of all dogs this is the most vigilant watcher over the property of his master, and nothing can tempt him to betray the confidence reposed in him. Notwithstanding his commanding appearance, and the strictness with which he guards the property of his master, the mastiff is possessed of great mildness of character, and is very grateful for any favors bestowed upon him. I once went into the barn of a friend where there was a mastiff chained; I went up to the dog and patted him on the head, when out rushed the groom from the stable exclaiming, "Come away, sir! He's dangerous with strangers." But I did not remove my hand nor show any fear. The consequence was, that the dog and I were the best of friends; but had I shown any fear, and hastily removed my hand, I might have fared rather badly, for this dog always couples fear with guilt.

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THE CUNNING WOOD-PIGEONS.

One who loves our feathered friends has described a curious instance of their instinct. On the back lawn at a gentleman's house, they have a feeding-box for the pheasants, which opens on their perching upon it, but remains shut if any lesser bird than a hen pheasant perches there, which saves the contents from the thefts of these, and of rats, mice, and other vermin. But the gentleman discovered that the contents of the box was being more rapidly emptied than the wants of the pheasants warranted. So he kept a watch on the box, and soon discovered a wood-pigeon perch on the box, but his weight not being sufficient to open the lid, he beckoned to another pigeon, and their combined weight made the lid fly open, and after each had taken what they required, they flew away, and the box closed with a "click."

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SEA REPTILES.

There were in the sea in very ancient times--long before the flood--two very large and wonderful reptiles. Of them we present striking ill.u.s.trations. One of them has been named the Ichthyosaurus, which means Fish Reptile. Its head somewhat resembled that of the crocodile, except that the orbit was much larger, and had the nostril placed close to it, as in the whale, and not near the end of the snout. It had four paddles and a powerful tail, and was very active in its movements and a rapid swimmer.

The other huge reptile was the Plesiosaurus, the meaning of which is "Near to a Reptile." Its structure was very singular and its character very strange. In the words of Buckland: "To the head of a lizard, it united the teeth of the crocodile, a neck of enormous length, resembling the body of a serpent, a trunk and a tail of the size of an ordinary quadruped, the ribs of a chameleon, and the paddles of a whale."

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SWISS MOUNTAIN SCENERY.

In Switzerland, one of the chief employments of the people is that of herdsmen and shepherds, and nearly the half of the surface of the country is occupied as mountain pastures and meadows. Here you see the woman tending the sheep and goats, and spinning industriously, while her husband is busy with some other part of the duties of tending the sheep.

It is often painful to see how much the poor sheep and oxen suffer while being driven through the streets. It is pitiful to see them looking in vain for some place of rest and shelter. Little boys in towns sometimes like to HELP--as they call it--to drive cattle, but they generally increase the terror and confusion of the poor beasts, and little think of the pain they are causing. Sheep and goats are very useful to us; besides serving us for food, they supply our cloth and flannel clothes, blankets, and other warm coverings.

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PARTRIDGE AND YOUNG.

One afternoon, while walking across a meadow, near a village, I saw a dog of the terrier breed pursuing a partridge, which every now and then turned and made at it with its wings down, then rolled over, then ran, and again rushed at the dog. I drove the dog away, when I was surprised to see a number of young partridges running from behind the old bird who had been trying to protect them from the dog, and guarding their retreat. So you see how brave the most timid creatures become when in danger, and when their young are near. Instinct tells them that they have to protect their little ones, and risk everything, even their own lives, for their safety. We can get beautiful lessons every day from the birds and poor dumb animals, if we only study them as we ought.

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THE KINGFISHERS' HOME.

Very pretty birds were Mr. and Mrs. Kingfisher, with dark, glossy, green wings, spotted with light blue. Their tails were also light blue, and there was a patch of yellow near their heads. The little Kingfishers were quite as pretty as their parents, and Mr. and Mrs. Kingfisher were exceedingly proud of them.

"Only they eat a great deal," said Mr. Kingfisher; "I am getting very tired."