The World and Its People Part 43

The African lion differs somewhat from the Asiatic. The latter has a more compressed form and a shorter mane; sometimes the mane is entirely wanting. Its tail, however, has a much larger tuft of hair at the end.

Africa may be said to be the chief home of the lion. It is the part of the world where his peculiar strength and beauty appear in all their perfection.

CHAPTER LX.

INCIDENTAL VIEWS OF ANIMAL LIFE.

In some parts of Africa great numbers of different kinds of mice exist.

The ground is often so pierced with their burrows that the foot sinks in at every step. Little hayc.o.c.ks two feet high, and more than that in breadth, are made by one variety of these little animals.

Wherever mice abound, serpents may be expected, for the one preys on the other. Some of these are venomous. They all require water, and come long distances to the rivers and pools in search of it.

Other serpents, according to Livingstone, are harmless, and even edible.

Of the latter sort is the great python, the largest specimens of which are about fifteen or twenty feet in length. They are perfectly harmless, and live on small animals, chiefly the rodentia. The flesh is much relished by the Bakalahari and Bushmen. When one is killed, they carry away their portions, like logs of wood, over their shoulders.

The carrion-feeding hyenas may be called the vultures among the four-footed animals. Like the owl and the bat they are averse to light, and conceal themselves in dark ruins or burrows so long as the sun is above the horizon; but, as soon as the shades of night appear, they come forth from their gloomy retreats with a lamentable howl or a satanic laugh.

The striped hyena is found in North Africa as far as the Senegal, while the spotted hyena roams over South Africa from the Cape to Abyssinia.

Both species are about the size of a wolf and have the same habits. The brown hyena, found in South Africa from the Cape to Mozambique and Senegambia, has a more s.h.a.ggy fur than the preceding species. Its habits are widely different. It is exceedingly fond of the sh.e.l.lfish, which the waves at ebb tide leave upon the beach, or which are found there in great quant.i.ties after a severe storm.

It inhabits the coasts exclusively, and is known as the seash.o.r.e wolf.

One can trace its tracks plainly upon the strand; for night after night it prowls along the borders of the sea to examine the refuse left behind by the retreating waves of the restless waters.

Africa, as if to make up for the hideousness of the rhinoceros and hippopotamus, can lay claim to being the birthplace of the beautifully striped zebras. These are the most gorgeously attired members of the equine family.

The tawny quagga, with its irregularly banded body marked with dark-brown stripes, is one species. The peculiar appearance of the animal is enhanced by the arrangement of these stripes; for, though stronger on the head and neck, they gradually become fainter until lost behind the shoulders. Its high crest is surmounted by a standing mane, banded alternately in brown and white. Formerly it was found in great numbers within the confines of Cape Colony. It still roams in large herds in the open plains farther to the north.

One traveler states that in the desert of Meritsane, after crossing a park of magnificent camel-thorn trees, he perceived large herds of quaggas and brindled gnus. These continued to join each other, until the whole plain seemed alive. The clatter of their hoofs was perfectly astounding, resembling the din of a tremendous charge of cavalry, or the rushing of a mighty tempest. They numbered not less than fifteen thousand, a great extent of country being checkered black and white with their congregated ma.s.ses.

Burch.e.l.l's zebra does not differ materially from the common quagga, either in shape or size. The quagga is faintly striped only on the head and neck, but the zebra is adorned on every part of the body with broad black bands, which contrast beautifully with a pale yellow ground.

Major Harris remarks of this animal, "Beautifully clad by the hand of nature, possessing much of the graceful symmetry of the horse, with great bones and muscular power united to easy and stylish action, thus combining comeliness of figure with solidity of form, this species, if subjugated and domesticated, would a.s.suredly make the best pony in the world. The senses of sight, hearing, and smell are delicate in the extreme. The slightest noise, the least motion, or the sight of any unfamiliar object, will at once rivet their attention and cause them to stop and listen with the greatest care. Any disagreeable odor in the air will as quickly attract their sense of smell.

"Instinct having taught these beautiful animals that in union consists their strength, they combine in a compact body when menaced by an attack either from man or beast; and, if overtaken by the foe, they unite for mutual defense, with their heads together in a close circular band, presenting their heels to the enemy, and dealing out kicks in equal force and abundance. Beset on all sides, or partially crippled, they rear on their hind legs, fly at their adversary with jaws distended, and use both teeth and heels with the greatest freedom. While the quagga roams over the plains, the zebra seeks only the high mountainous regions. The beauty of its light, symmetrical form is enhanced by the narrow black bands with which the whole of the white-colored body is covered."

The zebra is supposed to be the tiger horse of the ancients. This is the more probable as it has a much farther range to the north than the quagga; for it approaches the regions of Africa once comprised within the Roman Empire. It seeks the wildest and most secluded spots, hence it is extremely difficult of approach. The herds frequent the steep hillsides for their grazing grounds. A sentinel is always posted on some adjacent cliff, ready to give the alarm in case of danger. No sooner is the signal of alarm given than away they all scamper, with p.r.i.c.ked-up ears, and seek shelter in places where few people would venture to follow them.

CHAPTER LXI.

BIRD LIFE IN AFRICA.

It would be interesting to view more of the mammals of Africa, did s.p.a.ce permit. Certainly the field is a wide one; for out of the three hundred species which are known to exist among the animals of Africa more than two hundred varieties are found exclusively in that country and in the island of Madagascar.

As in all tropical countries, the birds of Africa are distinguished, in the main, for the brilliancy of their coloring, rather than for the beauty of their song.

In our views of the Nile we have seen that various reed and water birds, as well as birds of prey, frequent its banks.

The African parrot is a bird worthy of mention. Though not as brilliant in coloring as the parrots of other tropical sections, yet it is considered the most valuable, perhaps, of all parrots, since it can easily be trained to speak fluently and very distinctly. Its coat of soft gray feathers and its scarlet-tipped tail make it by no means an unattractive bird, when compared with its more gorgeously dressed relatives from other lands.

The grosbeak of the wilds of Africa affords a wonderful example of nest building; for not one single pair, but hundreds, may be found living under the same roof. These nests resemble a thatch-roofed house with a projecting ridge, so that it is an impossibility for any reptile to approach the entrances, which are deftly hidden below.

One writer states, "Their industry seems almost equal to that of the bee. Throughout the day they appear to be busily employed in carrying a fine species of gra.s.s, which is the princ.i.p.al material they employ for the purpose of erecting this extraordinary work, as well as for additions and repairs.

"Though my short stay in the country was not sufficient to satisfy me, by ocular proof, that they added to their nest as they annually increased in numbers, still from the many trees which I have seen borne down by the weight, and others which I have observed with their boughs completely covered over, it would appear that this really was the case.

"When the tree which is the support of this aerial city is obliged to give way to the increase of weight, it is obvious they are no longer protected, and are under the necessity of rebuilding in other trees.

"One of these deserted nests I had the curiosity to break down, so as to inform myself of its internal structure, and I found it equally ingenious with that of the external. There are many entrances, each of which forms a separate street with nests on both sides, at about two inches from each other."

Livingstone gives the following description of a curious bird called the korwe: "We pa.s.sed the nest of a korwe just ready for the female to enter. The orifice was plastered on both sides, but a s.p.a.ce was left of a heart shape, and exactly the size of the bird's body.

"The hole in the tree was in every case found to be prolonged some distance upward above the opening, and thither the korwe always fled to escape being caught.

"In another nest we found that one white egg, much like that of a pigeon, was laid.

"The first time that I saw this nest I had gone to the forest for some timber. Standing by a tree, a native looked behind me and exclaimed, 'There is the nest of a korwe.' I saw a slit only, about half an inch wide and three or four inches long, in a slight hollow of the tree.

"Thinking the word korwe denoted some small animal, I waited with interest to see what he would extract. He broke the clay which surrounded the slit, put his arm into the hole, and drew out a red-beaked hornbill. He informed me that when the female enters her nest the male plasters up the entrance, leaving only a narrow slit by which to feed his mate, and which exactly suits the form of his beak.

"The female makes a nest of her own feathers, lays her eggs, hatches them, and remains with the young till they are fully fledged. During all this, which is stated to be two or three months, the male continues to feed her and the young family. The prisoner generally becomes quite fat, and is esteemed a very dainty morsel by the natives, while the poor slave of a husband gets so lean that, on the sudden lowering of the temperature which sometimes happens after a fall of rain, he is benumbed, falls down, and dies.

"The bird comes forth when the young are fully fledged, at the period when the corn is ripe. Indeed, her appearance abroad with her young is one of the signs for knowing when it ought to be harvested.

"She is said sometimes to hatch two eggs, and when the young of these are full-fledged, another pair are just out of the eggsh.e.l.l. She then leaves the nest with the two elder, the orifice is again plastered up, and both male and female attend to the wants of the young which are left."

The African weavers are remarkable for the eccentricity of the shape and design of their nests. Most of these nests dangle at the end of twigs and sway in every breeze. Some of them are long, others short.

Many have the entrance to the nest at one side, some have it at the bottom, others near the top.

Some of these nests are slung like hammocks; others are suspended from the end of a twig; others still are built in palms, and since these trees have no branches nor twigs the nests are fastened to the ends of the leaves.

Some nests are made of the finest and most delicate fibers, while others are of the coa.r.s.est kinds of straw. Many are of open texture, so that the eggs within can be easily seen; others are extremely strong and thick, so that one might well believe that they had been constructed by a professional thatcher.

One variety of weaver, though a pretty little bird, is no great favorite with the African farmers. It is very numerous in the cultivated regions, and does not scruple to help itself to the produce of the gardens. Hence the owners are obliged to keep a close watch if they would secure a fair share of the crops.

Another weaver, the yellow-capped, is remarkable for the extreme neatness and compactness of the nest it builds. The body of the nest is of seed-stems, so closely interwoven that it may be roughly handled, or even kicked about like a football, without being destroyed. Its interior is a lining which consists of layers of flat leaves, kept in place by their own elasticity, and thus affording a soft resting place for the eggs and nestlings.

On one occasion Livingstone, while collecting wood for the evening fire, found a bird's nest which consisted of live leaves sewn together with threads of the spider's web. Nothing could exceed the airiness of this pretty contrivance. The threads had been pushed through small punctures, and thickened to resemble a knot. Unfortunately he lost this nest, which was the second one he had seen resembling that of the tailor bird of India.

This same traveler states that while exploring the rapids of the Leeambye, in pa.s.sing along under the overhanging trees of the banks, he often saw the pretty turtle doves sitting peacefully on their nests above the roaring torrent. In one instance an ibis had perched her home on the end of a stump. Her loud, harsh scream of "Wa-wa-wa," and the piping of the fish-hawk, were sounds which could never be forgotten by any one who had sailed on the rivers north of 20 south lat.i.tude.

As he stepped on sh.o.r.e, a species of plover followed him, flying overhead, and it was most persevering in its attempts to give fair warning to all the animals within hearing to flee from the approaching danger.