Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom Part 20

The more formidable species of this tribe are inhabitants of the warmer countries of the globe. The larger kinds prey upon animals, the smaller upon insects.

THE CROCODILE.

This animal is found on the banks of the Nile, Niger, and Ganges.

In crossing the Ba-Woolima, Mungo Park's attendant, Isaaco, met with a strange and nearly fatal adventure. In attempting to drive six a.s.ses across the river, just as he had reached the middle, a crocodile rose close to him, and instantly seizing him by the left thigh, pulled him under water. With wonderful presence of mind, he felt the head of the animal, and thrust his finger into its eye. This forced it to quit its hold: it soon, however, returned to the charge, and, seizing him by the other thigh, again pulled him under water. Isaaco had recourse to the same expedient, and thrust his fingers a second time into its eyes with such force, that it again quitted him, rose to the surface, floundered about as if stupid, and then swam down the stream. Isaaco, in the mean time, reached the bank of the river, bleeding very much--the wound in his left thigh being four inches long, that on the right somewhat less, but very deep, besides several single teeth-marks on his back. In six days, however, he recovered so as to be able to travel.

At Chantilly, in France, there was, in the year 1828, a crocodile so perfectly tame and well-disposed, that he was caressed with impunity by the keeper, who endeavored, although not always with success, to induce visitors to follow his example. He never attempted to bite any one, but seemed pleased by being fondled.

THE ALLIGATOR.

This creature is similar in habits and appearance to the crocodile. It is found only in America, and is most abundant in the tropical regions.

The anecdotes which display its ferocity are numerous; but we choose one which exhibits it in a different character. Mr. Jesse had one which he made so perfectly tame, that it followed him about the house like a dog, scrambling up the stairs after him, and showing much affection and docility. Its great favorite, however, was a cat; and the friendship was mutual. When the cat was reposing herself before the fire, the alligator would lay himself down, place his head upon the cat, and in this att.i.tude go to sleep. If the cat was absent, the alligator was restless; but he always appeared happy when puss was near him. The only instance in which he showed any ferocity was in attacking a fox, which was tied up in the yard. Probably, however, the fox had resented some playful advances which the other had made, and thus called forth the anger of the alligator. In attacking the fox, he did not make use of his mouth, but beat him with so much severity with his tail, that, had not the chain which confined the fox broken, he would probably have killed him. The alligator was fed on raw flesh, and sometimes with milk, for which he showed great fondness. In cold weather, he was shut up in a box, with wool in it; but having been forgotten one frosty night, he was found dead in the morning.

THE SALAMANDER.

Recently, as David Virtue, a mason in Scotland, was dressing a heavy barley millstone from a large block, after cutting away a part, he found a lizard of this species imbedded in the stone. It was about an inch and a quarter long, of a brownish-yellow color, and had a round head, with bright, sparkling, projecting eyes. When first found, it was apparently dead; but after being about five minutes exposed to the air, it showed signs of life. It soon became lively, and ran about with much celerity; and about half an hour after the discovery, was brushed off the stone, and killed. When found, it was coiled up in a round cavity of its own form, being an exact impression of the animal. There were about fourteen feet of earth above the rock, and the block in which the lizard was found was seven or eight feet in the rock; so that the whole depth of the animal from the surface was twenty-one or twenty-two feet.

The stone had no fissure, was quite hard, and one of the best which is got from the quarry of Cullaloe; the stone is reckoned one of the hardest in Scotland.

ORDER III.

OPHIDIA,

SERPENTS.

This order of animals is greatly diversified in their size, color, and qualities. Some are but five inches in length, and others reach the enormous extent of thirty feet. Some are inoffensive, and others are in the highest degree venomous. They are in general regarded with horror by mankind, and a universal instinct seems to call upon us to destroy them.

_Anecdotes._--Mr. Strohecker, of Pennsylvania, had a daughter three years of age, who, for a number of successive days, was remarked to leave home with a piece of bread in her hand, and go to a considerable distance. The mother's attention was attracted by the circ.u.mstance, who desired the father to follow the infant, and observe what she did with the bread. On coming up to her, he found she was busy feeding several snakes called b.a.s.t.a.r.d-rattlesnakes. He immediately took the infant away, and proceeded to his house for his gun, and on returning killed two of them at a shot, and another a few days afterwards. The child called these reptiles, in the same manner as chickens are called; and when her father told her she would certainly be bitten by them if she attempted it again, she innocently replied, "No, father, they won't bite me; they only eat the bread I give them."

It has been a common opinion that serpents possess a peculiar power of fascination. This is probably a vulgar error; yet the following story is told of the daughter of a Dutch farmer near Niagara. It was on a warm summer day that she was sent to spread out wet clothes upon some shrubbery near the house. Her mother conceived that she remained longer than was necessary, and seeing her standing unoccupied at some distance, she called to her several times, but no answer was returned.

On approaching, she found her daughter pale, motionless, and fixed in an erect posture. The perspiration rolled down her brow, and her hands were clinched convulsively. A large rattlesnake lay on a log opposite the girl, waving his head from side to side, and kept his eyes steadfastly fastened upon her. The mother instantly struck the snake with a stick; and the moment he made off, the girl recovered herself, and burst into tears, but was for some time so weak and agitated that she could not walk home.

ORDER IV.

BATRACHEA,

THE FROG KIND.

THE FROG.

_A Thief._--A correspondent of the Penny Magazine, who lived close to the outlet of a small lake, used to bestow a great deal of care and attention upon the rearing of young ducklings; but, after all, he had the mortification to find his efforts fruitless. The old ones would hatch fine healthy broods; but as soon as they were strong enough to waddle to a sedgy stream that issued from the adjoining lake, one or two daily disappeared, to the gentleman's great annoyance. Having suffered these continual depredations for two or three seasons, he one day noticed a nice duckling gradually disappear under the water; but judge of his surprise when he beheld a large bull-frog crawl out upon the prostrate trunk of a tree, with the duckling's feet still protruding from his capacious mouth! The mystery was thus solved; the bull-frogs had swallowed all the young ducks!

_Curious._--Some years ago, the city of Metz was afflicted by one among the seven plagues of Egypt, namely, frogs; certain streets were filled with these animals, and no one was able to conjecture from whence they came, until it was explained by a dealer in frogs applying to the tribunals for the recovery of his property. He had shut up about six thousand frogs, designed for food, in a particular place belonging to the fish-market, where they were discovered by some children, who took part away to sell, and on leaving the troughs in the fish-market, forgot to close them. Profiting by the opening thus left, the frogs began to spread themselves in various parts, and even got into some of the neighboring houses, whose inhabitants found much difficulty in ejecting the unwelcome intruders.

_An Escape._--A butcher in Glasgow found an ordinary-sized living frog in the stomach of a cow, which he had just killed. When laid down, it was full of spirit, and leaped about the slaughter-house, to the astonishment of a considerable crowd. The cow was killed between three and four o'clock in the afternoon; it was supposed she had swallowed the frog when drinking.

THE TOAD.

Not the least wonderful part of the history of the toad is the circ.u.mstance of its being frequently found in the bed of solid rocks, and the internal cavities of trees.

_Anecdotes._--We find it mentioned in the "Edinburgh Philosophical Journal," that "a specimen of a toad, which was taken alive from the centre of a solid ma.s.s of stone, has been sent to the College Museum of Edinburgh by Lord Duncan." It is mentioned, in the "Transactions of the Academy of Sciences," at Paris, that a live toad was found in the centre of an elm-tree, and another in an oak. Both trees were quite sound, and in a healthy condition. To these facts we may add another: It is related by Sir Thomas d.i.c.k Lauder, who is a close observer of nature, that, on his estate in East Lothian, a large toad was found in the heart of a smooth, straight beech-tree, at the height of thirty feet from the ground, where it was confined in a circular hole.

A gentleman who resided at Keswick, England, one evening in the latter end of July, observed a rustling among the strawberries in his garden, and on examining what it was, found that a toad had just seized a field-mouse, which had got on the toad's back, scratching and biting to get released, but in vain. The toad kept his hold, and, as the strength of the mouse failed, he gradually drew the unfortunate little animal into his mouth, and gorged him.

CLa.s.s IV. PISCES ... FISHES.

Fishes are extremely numerous in species, and many of them are little known. They are found in every ocean, sea, lake, or river,--under the dreary skies of the poles, and the burning lat.i.tude of the tropics.

Being the tenants of an element which excludes them from the familiar observation of man, we have fewer anecdotes of them than of those cla.s.ses which we have already noticed. We shall therefore only attempt to present a few of the most striking that have come to our notice.

THE MACKEREL.

The mackerel is one of the most voracious of all fishes; and when they get among a shoal of herrings, they make such havoc as frequently to drive it off the coast. Pontoppidan informs us that a sailor, belonging to a ship lying in a harbor of Norway, went into the water to wash himself, when he was suddenly missed by his companions. In the course of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with vast numbers of mackerels fastened to him. The people went to his a.s.sistance in a boat, and tore the fishes from him; but it was too late; for he very shortly afterwards expired from the effects of the wounds he had received, and from the loss of blood.

THE SWORD-FISH.

The extraordinary power of this fish is shown by the following statement, from the Penny Magazine: "In repairing his Britannic majesty's ship Leopard, in 1725, on her return from the coast of Guinea, a sword of this fish was found to have gone through the sheathing one inch, next through a three-inch plank, and, beyond that, four inches and a half in the firm timber. It was the opinion of mechanics that it would require nine strokes of a hammer weighing twenty-five pounds to drive an iron bolt, of similar size and form, to the same depth in the hull; yet this was accomplished by a single thrust."

THE PIKE.

_Anecdotes._--The rapacity of this fish is notorious. Jesse says, "Out of eight hundred gudgeons, which were brought to me by a Thames fisherman, and which I saw counted into the reservoir,--some few of which, however, died,--there were scarcely any to be seen at the end of three weeks. Indeed, the appet.i.te of one of my pike was almost insatiable. One morning, I threw to him, one after the other, five roach, each about four inches in length. He swallowed four of them, and kept the fifth in his mouth for about a quarter of an hour, when it also disappeared."

The pike is an animal of extraordinary boldness. A few years ago, the head keeper of Richmond Park was washing his hands at the side of a boat, in the great pond, when a pike made a dart at one of his hands, which the keeper suddenly withdrew, otherwise he would have received a severe snap.

Mr. Jesse says, "Fish appear to be capable of entertaining affection for each other. I once caught a female pike during the sp.a.w.ning season, and nothing could drive the male away from the spot at which the female disappeared, whom he had followed to the very edge of the water. A person who had kept two small fish together in a gla.s.s, gave one of them away; the other refused to eat, and showed evident symptoms of unhappiness, till his companion was restored to him."

In the year 1497, a pike was caught, in standing water, at Heilbronn, on the Neckar, which had a copper ring round its head; the ring bore the following inscription in Greek: "I am the first fish that was launched into this pond, and was thrown in by Frederick the Second, emperor of the Romans, on the 5th of October, 1230." It appeared, therefore, that the pike was two hundred and fifty-seven years old when thus caught; it weighed three hundred and fifty pounds; and an exact representation of it exists to this day upon one of the gates of Heilbronn.