"Wisest of brutes, the half-reasoning elephant,Trampling his path through wood and brakeAnd canes, which crackling fall before his way,And tassel-grass, where silvery feathers play,O'ertopping the young trees;On comes the elephant, to slakeHis thirst at noon in yon pellucid springs,Lo! from his trunk upturned, aloft he flingsThe grateful shower; and nowPlucking the broad-leaved boughOf yonder plume, with waving motion slowFanning the languid air,He waves it to and fro."
"Wisest of brutes, the half-reasoning elephant,Trampling his path through wood and brakeAnd canes, which crackling fall before his way,And tassel-grass, where silvery feathers play,O'ertopping the young trees;On comes the elephant, to slakeHis thirst at noon in yon pellucid springs,Lo! from his trunk upturned, aloft he flingsThe grateful shower; and nowPlucking the broad-leaved boughOf yonder plume, with waving motion slowFanning the languid air,He waves it to and fro."
The hippopotamus is a most peculiar, unwieldy animal, found only in Africa. Numerous fossil remains that have been found in other parts of the globe, would tend to prove that this animal was more widely distributed in prehistoric times.
Until quite recently but one variety of the hippopotamus was known in Africa. A new and distinctvariety has been found frequenting the large rivers of West Africa within the tropics. This differs from the other very materially in size. It is much smaller, in fact. It is said, also, to differ from the common hippopotamus and from all fossil specimens in having only two incisors, instead of four, in the lower jaw.
The hippopotamus is aquatic in its habits. It lives mostly in lakes or in rivers. Sometimes it is found in tidal estuaries, where the saltness of the water forces it to resort to springs in order to find water to drink. It has been found sometimes in the sea, but never at any great distance from the shore.
It may be said to be amphibious in its nature; for it spends most of its time in the water, but frequents the land in search of food, which consists of various plants that grow in shallow waters, or that may be found along the shores of lakes and margins of rivers.
The animal is of no little service in keeping the current of sluggish streams free from the luxuriant growth of tropical vegetation. Were it not that the creature browses upon this growth, the streams would soon become choked, and their beds would become dismal swamps, of the kind common to Africa.
When in want of food from the land these animals leave the water at night to feed along the banks, or to make havoc in the cultivated fields, as they trample down and devour the crops. As they always travel in herds of twenty or thirty, it is no small misfortune for a herd to visit any section under cultivation. It is little wonder, then, that war has been waged against them, until in some regions they have ceased to exist.Doubtless this accounts for the fact that they are no longer found in the districts of Lower Egypt, though found to quite a large extent farther up the Nile.
The common hippopotamus is one of the largest of all living animals. The bulk of its body is very nearly as great as that of the elephant. Its legs, being very short, give it a most ungainly gait as it tries to support its great bulk in walking. Unlike the elephant, it is not a very tall animal, its height rarely reaching above five feet.
The hippopotamus, like the elephant, belongs to the family ofthick-skinnedanimals. The skin on its back and sides is more than two inches thick. The skin is described as dark brown in color, and almost destitute of hair. It is kept constantly lubricated by means of the numerous pores, which exude a thick, oily fluid in great abundance.
The neck of the hippopotamus is short and thick, while the head is very large. Its small eyes and ears are placed so high on the head that, in spite of the shortness of the neck, they can easily be kept above the surface of any body of water in which the animal may lie almost hidden from view. The muzzle is very large, with a rounded, swollen surface. The great ugly nostrils and huge lips, which conceal the large front teeth, give the animal a most unattractive and repulsive expression.
It can cut down grass or corn with its large front teeth as well as if it were done with a scythe. So great is the strength of the teeth that stems of considerable thickness can be easily and neatly bitten through like a blade of grass.
The legs of the hippopotamus are, as we have seen, short and thick. Its feet are divided into four toes of nearly equal size, each covered with a horny hoof. Its short tail and the shape of its skull remind one of the pig family.
It breathes very slowly, and hence is enabled to remain under water for a long time, coming to the surface only at intervals for air. It can swim and dive easily, and often amuses itself by walking along the bottom of the river or lake with its body completely under water.
It is very active and playful in the water, but it soon learns to hide away from man. If it cannot conceal itself among the reeds, it dives under water and remains there hidden from sight, raising only its nose above water, as it finds it necessary to take another breath. It is no unfrequent thing to see the mother hippopotamus swimming across a stream with her little one clinging to her back.
By nature the hippopotamus is rather an inoffensive animal. Occasionally it becomes greatly enraged, as when pursued by hunters in boats, and then may be well considered dangerous. Its voice, which is loud, harsh, and grating, has been likened to the creaking and groaning of a large wooden door upon its rusty hinges.
Like the elephant, the hippopotamus can be tamed. It then becomes much attached to man. In its wild state it commits such mischief among the crops of the fields and in sections under cultivation that it is closely hunted. Sometimes it is taken in pits which are dug along its usual tracks. Sometimes it is killed bypoisoned arrows, or by pursuing it in canoes. The natives harpoon it or shoot it with rifles.
Its flesh is highly prized. Under the skin there is a thick layer of fat, which is considered a great African delicacy. This fat, when salted, is called "lake-cow bacon" at the Cape of Good Hope. The tongue is much esteemed, as is also a jelly made from the feet. The thick hide is used for a variety of purposes. The great front teeth are very valuable as ivory and form an important feature of African commerce.
Livingstone gives an interesting description of a tribe of hippopotamus hunters, whose ancestors for generations had followed the same pursuit:—
"They follow no other occupation, but when their game is getting scanty at one spot they remove to some other part of the Loangwa, Zambesi, or Shiré, and build temporary huts on an island, where their women cultivate patches. The flesh of the animals they kill is eagerly exchanged by the more settled people for grain. They are not stingy, and are ever welcome guests. I never heard of any fraud in dealing, or that they had been guilty of an outrage on the poorest; their chief characteristic is their courage.
"Their hunting is the bravest thing I ever saw. Each canoe is manned by two men; the canoes are long, light crafts, scarcely half an inch in thickness, about eighteen inches beam, and from eighteen to twenty feet long. They are formed for speed and shaped somewhat like our racing boats.
"The crew use broad, short paddles, and as they guide the canoe slowly down stream to a sleeping hippopotamus,not a single ripple is raised on the smooth water. They look as if holding in their breath, and communicate by signs only.
"As they come near the prey, the harpooner in the bow lays down his paddle and rises slowly up, and there he stands erect, motionless, and eager, with the long-handled weapon poised at arm's length above his head, till, coming close to the beast, he plunges it with all his might in towards the heart.
"During this exciting feat he has to keep his balance exactly. His neighbor in the stern at once backs his paddle, the harpooner sits down, seizes his paddle, and backs, too, to escape. The animal, surprised and wounded, seldom meets the attack at this stage of the hunt. The next stage, however, is full of danger.
"The barbed blade of the harpoon is secured by a long and very strong rope wound round the handle. It is intended to come out of its socket, and while the iron head is firmly fixed in the animal's body, the rope unwinds and the handle floats on the surface.
"The hunter next goes to the handle and hauls on the rope until he knows that he is right over the beast. When he feels the line suddenly slacken, he is prepared to deliver another harpoon the instant that hippo's enormous jaws appear, with a terrible grunt, above the water.
"The backing by the paddles is again repeated, but hippo often assaults the canoe, crunches it in his jaws as easily as a pig would a bunch of asparagus, or shivers it with a kick by his hind foot.
"Deprived of their canoe the gallant comrades instantlydive and swim to the shore under water. They say that the infuriated beast looks for them on the surface, and being below they escape his sight. When caught by many harpoons, the crews of several canoes seize the handles and drag him hither and thither till, weakened by loss of blood, he succumbs. This hunting requires the greatest skill, courage, and nerve that can be conceived."
The rhinoceros derives its name from two Greek words meaningnose-horned. Like the elephant and the hippopotamus it belongs to the thick-skinned animals. It ranks among the largest and most powerful of the land animals. The elephant, however, we may consider its superior in size and strength.
The form of the rhinoceros is clumsy and uncouth; while its appearance is dull and heavy. It has thick strong limbs, with feet that are divided into three toes covered with broad, horny nails resembling hoofs. The tail is short, with a small tuft of hair at the end.
The ears are of moderate size, but the eyes are extremely small. The head is large, with a somewhat lengthened muzzle; while the bones of the nose are formed into an arch to give support to a kind of rudimentary horn, which grows out from the skin. This horn is a very peculiar organ, and can be used as apowerful weapon when needed, or it can be used to root up bushes and small trees from which the animal wishes to eat the foliage and fruit. Though solid, it is not of a bony substance, but resembles in some ways the horny excrescences on the inner surface of a horse's legs. It is, in reality, a mass of tubes around which the horny substance is packed in circular layers one within the other. Sometimes a second horn, also starting from the skin, grows above the first, and rests for support upon the bones of the forehead. The upper lip of the rhinoceros is somewhat prolonged, and also prehensile to no small degree. By means of it the animal can pick up very small objects.
The whole body, the head, and the limbs are covered with a very thick, hard skin. This skin has very little hair, showing, generally, mere traces of it. A striking peculiarity of the skin is that its extreme hardness does not permit the free movements of the animal. This lack of pliancy in the skin is overcome in a measure by means of thick folds, almost joints, in it, in the region of the neck, behind the shoulders, in front of the thighs, and on the limbs.
The rhinoceros is not a very intelligent animal. It is usually harmless, but can be easily provoked. It is then capable of showing a very capricious temper. When irritated it becomes very dangerous; and though usually very slow in moving, it can, when worked into a frenzy, run at a rapid rate.
Its great weight and strength enable it to force a passage through jungles and forests, and thus to break down all small trees that come in its way.
Its hide is so tough that the animal has nothing to fear from the lion or the leopard, and little to dread in man. It is only at a short distance that the hunter can penetrate the hide with a leaden bullet, and then only in some of the thinnest parts along the neck and chest. Usually bullets of iron or tin are used to shoot the animal.
The rhinoceros, like the hippopotamus, is hunted for its flesh, which is used as food by the natives, though it is not as highly prized as that of the hippopotamus. The tough hide of the South African species is sliced up into thongs, which the natives use in various ways.
The rhinoceros is found sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, but never in a herd. There are various species of the animal in Asia and India as well as Africa. Let us confine our attention to the African species alone. Thebovele, or black rhinoceros of South Africa, is the smallest of all known species. Its first horn is thick at the base and not very long, while its second is quite short and conical. It is a very fierce, dangerous animal. When hunted it is capable of such activity that it is more to be dreaded than the lion.
Thekeitloais larger than the bovele, and has its two horns of nearly the same length. The forward horn is curved backward, while the other is curved forward. This species of rhinoceros is also a native of South Africa. It is much dreaded on account of its great strength and ferocity. The white rhinoceros is the largest of all the African species. One of its horns attains the length of four feet.
The food of the black rhinoceros differs from that ofthe white. The former species lives almost wholly upon roots, which it digs up with its larger horn. Sometimes it eats the branches and the young sprouts of the thorny acacia tree. The white rhinoceros lives almost wholly upon grasses. Possibly this mild, succulent food gives it a nature resembling more that of the ordinary grazing animals, for it falls an easy prey to the invading Europeans. Even the flesh of the two species varies. That of the black rhinoceros is thin and tough, and has a sharp bitter taste. That of the white rhinoceros is juicy and of a good flavor, and is counted a delicacy by the natives and by the settlers.
The rhinoceros has an extraordinary acuteness of smell and hearing. It listens closely to the sounds of the desert, and can scent the approach of man from a great distance. The size of its unwieldy horns often impedes the range of its small, deep-set eyes, hence it can see only what comes immediately before it. To compensate for its imperfect sight, the rhinoceros is often accompanied by a bird. This bird seems as much attached to it as the dog is to man. Its warning cry acquaints the beast with the approach of danger. When the natives address a superior they call him "My Rhinoceros." This is by way of compliment, and serves to show that the inferior, like this bird, is ready to be of service.
The black rhinoceros has a gloomy, melancholy temper. It often falls into a perfect frenzy of rage from no apparent cause. Yet, to see this creature in its wild haunts, cropping its favorite leaves from the bushes, or moving quietly along over the plains, one might think it one of the most inoffensive and good-tempered animals of the whole continent of Africa. When roused to anger, no more terrific sight can be imagined. The very beasts of the wilderness tremble in fear of it. The lion silently steals away out of its path; even the elephant is glad to escape its notice.
RHINOCEROS CHARGING THE HUNTERS.RHINOCEROS CHARGING THE HUNTERS.
The hippopotamus and the rhinoceros have been styled "gigantic hogs," and they well deserve the name. In South Africa, however, the hog proper reaches a size and strength which we, familiar only with the sleepy, indolent farm species, can hardly conceive.
Andersson, the explorer, says "Wild boars were rather numerous, and afforded us excellent coursing. The speed of these animals is surprisingly great. On open ground, when fairly afoot, I found the dogs no match for them. They fight desperately, and I have seen wild boars individually keep off most effectually half a dozen fierce assailants. I have also seen them when hotly pursued, attack and severely wound their pursuers."
The lion has been called the king of beasts, and his majestic form, noble bearing, stately tread, piercing eye, and dreadful roar not only strike terror to the heart of the other animals, but combine to mark him, as it were, with the stamp of royalty.
He is all nerve and muscle, while his enormous strength is shown in the tremendous bound he makes in rushing upon his prey, and in the rapid lashing of his tail. One stroke from his tail is sufficient to fell a man to the ground.
The expressive wrinkling of his brows is a strong characteristic of the lion. Judging from his appearance, man has endowed him with qualities he does not possess. Modern travelers, far from describing him as a noble beast, deem him a mean-spirited robber, prowling about under the secrecy of night to surprise animals weaker than himself.
The chief food of the lion consists of the flesh of the larger herbivorous animals. There are very few animals he is unable to master. The swift-footed antelope has no foe to be so much dreaded as the lion. Concealing himself in the high rushes which line the river's bank, he lies in ambush for the timid herd, till they approach the water at nightfall to quench their thirst. Slowly, cautiously, the beautiful antelopes approach. They listen with ears erect, straining their eyes to pierce the gloom of the thicket. Nothing suspicious nor alarming appears, and the beautiful creatures move along the bank.
They quaff long, deep draughts of the delicious water, without thought of danger. Suddenly, with a mighty spring, as lightning bursts from the cloud, the wary lion bounds upon the unsuspecting herd, and in a twinkling the leader lies prostrate at the mercy of his foe, while his frightened companions fly blindly into the desert.
Andersson witnessed the very uncommon sight of a lion seizing his prey in broad daylight. He had had an encounter late one evening with a lion, and had badly wounded him. The following morning he set out with some of his men to follow the tracks of the wounded animal.
"Presently," he writes, "we came upon the trail of a whole troop of lions, as also that of a solitary giraffe. So many tracks confused us, and while endeavoring to pick out from the rest those of the wounded lion, I observed my native attendants suddenly rush forward, and the next instant the jungle re-echoed with the shouts of triumph.
"Thinking they had discovered the lion we were in pursuit of, I also hurried forward; but imagine my surprise when, emerging into an opening in the jungle, I saw, not a dead lion, as I expected, but five living lions,—two males and three females,—two of which were in the act of pulling down a splendid giraffe, the other three watching close at hand, and with devouring looks, the deadly strife.
"The scene was of so imposing a nature that for the moment I forgot I carried a gun. The natives, however, in anticipation of a glorious gorge, dashed madly forward, and with the most piercing shrieks and yells compelled the lions to a hasty retreat. When I reached the giraffe, now stretched at full length on the sand, it made a few ineffectual efforts to raise its head, its body heaved and quivered for a moment, and the next instant the poor animal was dead.
"It had received several deep gashes about the flanksand chest, caused by the claws and teeth of its fierce assailants. The strong and tough muscles of the neck were also bitten through. All thought of pursuing the wounded lion was now out of the question. The natives remained gorging on the carcass of the giraffe until it was devoured. A day or two afterward, however, I had the good fortune to fall in with my royal antagonist, and finished him without difficulty."
The lion is the desert's king; through his domain so wideRight swiftly and right royally this night he means to ride.By the sedgy brink, where the wild herds drink, close couches the grim oldchief;The trembling sycamore above whispers with every leaf.At evening on the Table Mount, when ye can see no moreThe changeful play of signals gay; when the gloom is speckled o'erWith kraal fires; when the Caffre wends home through the lone karroo;When the boshbok in the thicket sleeps, and by the stream the gnu;Then bend your gaze across the waste; what see ye! The giraffe,Majestic, stalks towards the lagoon, the turbid lymph to quaff;With outstretched neck and tongue, adust he kneels him down to coolHis hot thirst with a welcome draught from the foul and brackish pool.A rustling sound, a roar, a bound,—the lion sits astrideUpon his giant courser's back. Did ever king so ride?Had ever king a steed so rare, caparisons of stateTo match the dappled skin whereon that rider sits elate?In the muscles of the neck his teeth are plunged with ravenous greed;His tawny mane is tossing round the withers of the steedUp leaping with a hollow yell of anguish and surprise,Away, away, in wild dismay, the camel-leopard flies.His feet have wings; see how he springs across the moonlit plain!As from the sockets they would burst, his glaring eyeballs strain;In thick black streams of purling blood, full fast his life is fleeting;The stillness of the desert hears his heart's tumultuous beating.Like the cloud that, through the wilderness, the path of Israel traced,—Like an airy phantom, dull and worn, a spirit of the waste,—From the sandy sea uprising, as the waterspout from ocean,A whirling cloud of dust keeps pace with the courser's fiery motion.Croaking companion of their flight, the vulture whirs on high;Below, the terror of the fold, the panther fierce and sly,And hyenas foul, round graves that prowl, join in the horrid race;By the footprints wet with gore and sweat, their monarch's course they trace.They see him on his living throne, and quake with fear the while;With claws of steel he tears piecemeal his cushion's painted pile.On! on! no pause, no rest, giraffe, while life and strength remain!The steed by such a rider backed may madly plunge in vain.Reeling upon the desert's verge, he falls, and breathes his last;The courser, stained with dust and foam, is the rider's full repast.O'er Madagascar, eastward far, a faint flush is descried;—Thus nightly, o'er his broad domain, the king of beasts doth ride.—From the German.
The lion is the desert's king; through his domain so wideRight swiftly and right royally this night he means to ride.By the sedgy brink, where the wild herds drink, close couches the grim oldchief;The trembling sycamore above whispers with every leaf.
At evening on the Table Mount, when ye can see no moreThe changeful play of signals gay; when the gloom is speckled o'erWith kraal fires; when the Caffre wends home through the lone karroo;When the boshbok in the thicket sleeps, and by the stream the gnu;
Then bend your gaze across the waste; what see ye! The giraffe,Majestic, stalks towards the lagoon, the turbid lymph to quaff;With outstretched neck and tongue, adust he kneels him down to coolHis hot thirst with a welcome draught from the foul and brackish pool.
A rustling sound, a roar, a bound,—the lion sits astrideUpon his giant courser's back. Did ever king so ride?Had ever king a steed so rare, caparisons of stateTo match the dappled skin whereon that rider sits elate?
In the muscles of the neck his teeth are plunged with ravenous greed;His tawny mane is tossing round the withers of the steedUp leaping with a hollow yell of anguish and surprise,Away, away, in wild dismay, the camel-leopard flies.
His feet have wings; see how he springs across the moonlit plain!As from the sockets they would burst, his glaring eyeballs strain;In thick black streams of purling blood, full fast his life is fleeting;The stillness of the desert hears his heart's tumultuous beating.
Like the cloud that, through the wilderness, the path of Israel traced,—Like an airy phantom, dull and worn, a spirit of the waste,—From the sandy sea uprising, as the waterspout from ocean,A whirling cloud of dust keeps pace with the courser's fiery motion.
Croaking companion of their flight, the vulture whirs on high;Below, the terror of the fold, the panther fierce and sly,And hyenas foul, round graves that prowl, join in the horrid race;By the footprints wet with gore and sweat, their monarch's course they trace.
They see him on his living throne, and quake with fear the while;With claws of steel he tears piecemeal his cushion's painted pile.On! on! no pause, no rest, giraffe, while life and strength remain!The steed by such a rider backed may madly plunge in vain.
Reeling upon the desert's verge, he falls, and breathes his last;The courser, stained with dust and foam, is the rider's full repast.O'er Madagascar, eastward far, a faint flush is descried;—Thus nightly, o'er his broad domain, the king of beasts doth ride.
—From the German.
The lion is said to have a special liking for the flesh of the Hottentots, and with great obstinacy will follow one of these unfortunate savages.
It commits so much devastation among the herds of antelopes that roam over the plains that hunters in North and South Africa pursue him and kill him wherever he appears.
Dr. Livingstone states that the Bushmen take advantage of the torpidity of the lion after a full meal to surprise him in his slumbers. Their mode of attack differs widely from that of the fierce Arabs of North Africa. While one native discharges a poisoned arrow from a distance, his companion dexterously throws his skin coat over the animal's head. In its surprise and amazement the lion loses its presence of mind and bounds away in a panic, terrified and confused.
The poison used in the arrows of the Bushmen is obtained from a caterpillar about half an inch long. It is a very active poison, causing intense agony to any one wounded by one of these arrows. The effect on the lion is equally distressing. He can be heard moaning in distress, and finally becomes furious, biting the trees and ground in his rage and torment.
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.
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 haycocks 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 SouthAfrica 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 shaggy fur than the preceding species. Its habits are widely different. It is exceedingly fond of the shellfish, which the waves at ebb tide leave upon the beach, or which are found there in great quantities after a severe storm.
It inhabits the coasts exclusively, and is known as the seashore 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 masses.
Burchell'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 assuredly 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 closecircular 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 pricked-up ears, and seek shelter in places where few people would venture to follow them.
It would be interesting to view more of the mammals of Africa, did space permit. Certainly the field is awide 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 grass, which is the principal 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 korwé: "We passed the nest of a korwé just ready for the female to enter. The orifice was plastered on both sides, but a space 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 korwé 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 korwé.' I saw a slit only, about half an inch wideand three or four inches long, in a slight hollow of the tree.
"Thinking the word korwé 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 eggshell. 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 eccentricityof 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 coarsest 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 passing 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 latitude.
As he stepped on shore, 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.
The alarm note, "tinc-tinc-tinc," of another variety of the same family has so clear a metallic ring that the bird is called "hammering iron." It has a sharp spur on its shoulder, much like that on the leg of a rooster, but scarcely half an inch in length.
The ostrich may be looked upon as the most peculiar bird of Africa. It is found in almost all sections, and is by far the largest of all living birds, though doubtless many extinct species were much larger. It is an immense bird, often two feet taller than the tallest man, and frequents the barren, sandy plains, such as are common in Africa.
The male is generally of a fine glossy black color, with long, loose, white, plumelike feathers in the wings and tail. These are the feathers for which the bird is hunted. They are largely used for decorating hats and bonnets. The female bird and the young are of a brownish-gray color.
The head and the neck of the ostrich are almost bare of feathers. Upon the body the feathers do not grow closely as they do upon other birds. The wind can thus blow through the feathers, cooling the body, while the covering is sufficient to protect the bird, like a shade, from the heat of the sun.
The ostrich has a keen sense of sight and hearing, and, as it is a swift runner, it is very hard to catch. It cannot fly, but it can use its wings like sails in running, and has been known to run at the rate of thirty miles an hour.
Its food is chiefly fruits, grain, leaves, tender twigs and shoots of plants, snails, and various kinds of insects. We often hear people speak of "the digestion of anostrich;" it is rather astonishing what this bird will take into its stomach to assist in grinding its food. Not only does it swallow instinctively vast quantities of small stones, but it has been known to swallow pieces of leather, bits of glass, iron, and other hard substances.
The ostrich has generally been considered rather a stupid bird. Indeed, the Arabs have a saying, "As stupid as an ostrich." This judgment of the bird doubtless arose from the habit it has of hiding its head in the sand or in a bush when hard pressed by its pursuers. No doubt it thinks that, because it cannot see, it cannot be seen by, the hunters it is trying to elude.
The ostrich is not easily caught; for, although its wings are small and weak, yet their flapping aids very materially in the flight from its pursuers. So rapid is this flight that the feet seem scarcely to touch the ground, while the length between the strides is frequently from twelve to fourteen feet. An ostrich at this rate might easily outstrip a locomotive running at good speed.
The strength of the legs is a great help to the bird in battling with its enemies, for it uses them as a means of defense. Many a panther or wild dog has had reason to wish it had kept at a safer distance from these formidable feet.
During its flight the ostrich frequently throws large stones backward with its feet, thus making the chase a more difficult one for its pursuers. Still, in spite of its great strength and rapid flight, the bird must often succumb to the hunter who is well versed in ways of making it a captive.
The ostrich makes its home in the African plains and wildernesses. Where the lion wanders in search of its prey, where the elephant, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus make the earth tremble under their heavy tread, where the long-necked giraffe plucks the leaves from the top-most branches of the acacia, where the herds of antelope bound gracefully over the ground, a troop of ostriches may not unfrequently be found enjoying the full liberty of the plain, as they wander, unsuspicious of danger, over its vast expanse, where the monotony of the scenery is relieved only by a clump of palms, a patch of candelabra-shaped trees, or a gigantic and solitary baobab.
The scene is an interesting one, as some leisurely feed upon the sprouts of the acacias, the hard, dry leaves of the mimosas, or the prickly, cactuslike shrub of the desert of which the bird is extremely fond. Some flutter their wings to allow the air to circulate through the delicate plumage, which is looked upon as a prize by the covetous eyes of the hunter.
No other birds ever associate with them, nor do any other birds lead a life so isolated as theirs; so we might well consider their lives solitary, did not the zebra and the antelope seek their company, evidently relying on their keenness of vision, which enables them to discern danger even on the extreme edge of the horizon.
This vigilance can avail the ostrich troop but little when the Arab hunters encircle them with their fleetest steeds. Vainly each bird tries to escape. It is driven from one hunter to another; the circle of riders growsnarrower and narrower, till the bird sinks to the ground from exhaustion and resigns itself to its fate.
Before the rainy season, however, it is not necessary to capture the ostrich through a protracted chase. When the heat is most intense, the bird is often found lying upon the sand with outstretched wings and open beak, suffering from the hot, sultry air, and burning sun. It is then an easy matter for a single horseman or a swift-footed Bushman to capture it after a short pursuit.
Just as the Esquimo of the north covers himself with the skin of the seal, and, by imitating its movements, is enabled to mingle with an unsuspicious group of them, so the Bushman of South Africa resorts to similar strategy to outwit the ostrich.
He first forms a saddlelike cushion, which he covers with feathers, to resemble the bird. He then stuffs the head and neck of an ostrich and introduces a small rod as a support. In preparing for the chase, he whitens his black legs with any suitable substance which he can find, and places the saddle on his shoulders. He then takes the bottom part of the neck in his right hand, while he holds his bow and poisoned arrows in the left.
Behind this mask he mimics the ostrich in the smallest details; picks at the verdure, turns his head from side to side as if to keep a sharp lookout for danger, flutters his feathers, walks, trots, till he gets within bowshot, shoots his arrow, and, if the flock runs in its alarm, runs too.
Should some wary old bird suspect the trick, the Bushman must get out of its way as the bird tries to approach him; for on no account does he wish it to catchthe scent and thus break the spell. If an ostrich should get too near in its pursuit, the Bushman has but to run to the windward or throw aside his saddle, to avoid a blow from the bird's wing, powerful enough to lay him prostrate.
Although the ostrich has been called a stupid bird, yet it resorts to many cunning artifices to protect its young. Andersson and a companion, while traversing a sterile plain, caught sight of a male and female ostrich, with a brood of young ones about the size of barnyard fowls. They immediately gave chase, and the pursuit proved of no ordinary interest.