CHATTERBOX
STORIES OF
NATURAL HISTORY
NEW YORK R. WORTHINGTON 770 BROADWAY.
COPYRIGHT,
1880,
By R. WORTHINGTON.
New York: J. J. Little & Co., Printers, 10 to 20 Astor Place.
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+------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Transcriber's note: There was no Table of Contents in the original book,| |and one has been provided for this version. | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
THE KING OF THE CASTLE. ZEBRA AND YOUNG. MRS. BRUIN AND FAMILY. LITTLE OWLS. AUROCHS. THE KANGAROO. THE PEACOCK. SWANS. THE SEA LION. A--THE ASS. BADGERS. THE BIRD'S NEST. THE CHAMOIS. JACKO WITH PUSSY'S BONE. MEMBERS OF THE POACHING FRATERNITY. A COW WORKING A PUMP. CARRIER PIGEONS. THE SIASIN, OR ANTELOPE OF INDIA. THE COMMON SNIPE. D--THE DOE. MRS. BUNNY AND FAMILY. THE LYNX. THE SWAN AND THE DRAKE. THE BEAVER. LIONESS AND CUBS. A PET JACK. THE SWALLOW'S NEST. THE BRAVE DOG OF ST. BERNARD. G--THE GIRAFFE. MOTHER-DEER AND BABY. WHOOPING CRANE. THE ELK. TOYS FOR ANIMALS. THE SUCKING-PIG. BELL-RINGERS. THE GUINEA-PIG. J--THE JAY. WAITING. THE ARGUS. THE YOUNG MONKEY. THE CLEVER FOX. TESTING HIS STRENGTH. A WISE DOG. M--THE MANDRILL. SPRING. SUMMER. TIMOTHY. THE BRAVE COCKATOO. HARE TAKING THE WATER. AUTUMN. WINTER. OUR WILD BIRDS. P--THE PELICAN. BLACKBIRDS AND YOUNG. A USEFUL PILOT. JACK. S--THE SWALLOW. A SINGULAR HABIT OF THE WOODCOCK. THE SKY-LARK THE STORY OF A SEAL. THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS. THE BEE. V--THE VULTURE. MOTHER AND PUPS. THE FRIENDLY TERNS. Y--THE YAK. SHEEP AND LAMBS. THE CAPTIVE SQUIRREL. A STROLL IN THE COUNTRY. THE OTTER. THE MASTIFF. THE CUNNING WOOD-PIGEONS. SEA REPTILES. SWISS MOUNTAIN SCENERY. PARTRIDGE AND YOUNG. THE KINGFISHERS' HOME. RATS CARRYING EGGS UP STAIRS. A HERON ATTACKED BY A HAWK. A HORSE GUARDIAN. BATTLE BETWEEN A FOX AND A SWAN. TOUSY.
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THE KING OF THE CASTLE.
As the lion is called the king of beasts, so the eagle is called the king of birds; but except that it is bigger, stronger, and swifter than other birds, there does not seem much reason for the name. It is a mistake to attribute noble or mean qualities to animals or birds, or to think they can do good or bad actions, when they can only do what God has created them to do, and as their instinct teaches.
The most powerful of the eagles is the Golden Eagle, so called because of the rich yellowish-brown bordering to its feathers. It makes its nest in the clefts of the rocky sides of the mountains, and seldom on a tree, unless where one has sprung up in between the clefts, and the tangled roots make a sort of platform. This the eagles cover with sticks, and here they make their house, living in it always, and not only when they lay eggs or have young ones.
If there are eaglets in the nest, the food is at once carried home to them, and the skinning and eating done at home. Eagles are very attentive to their young, and feed them with great care until they are able to take care of themselves.
ZEBRA AND YOUNG.
Mrs. Zebra, standing with her baby by her side, asks proudly of the lookers-on, "Did you ever see such a likeness?" and certainly mother and child are very much alike, striped all over their bodies, from head to foot, and from nose to tail, with the same regular marks of black. Strong and wild by nature, the zebra family are left very much to themselves, which is a source of great happiness to the mother and child in the picture before us. "No! no! my baby is not going to become as tame as the donkey, or to draw carts and carriages like the horse; it is to have its freedom, and go just where it likes all over these large plains;"--so says Mrs. Zebra, and she means it too, for if anybody took the trouble to go all the way to the hot country of Africa, where Mrs. Zebra is at home, and tried to carry off her baby, they would find their journey a vain one, and that she would kick severely, and perhaps break the legs of the person bold enough to take away her darling.
MRS. BRUIN AND FAMILY.
This is the American black bear, who is looking so lively and seemingly inviting the young folks to have a romp, which they will be only too willing to join in. The black bear is of a timid disposition, and seldom attacks man except in self-defense. The female bear is a most affectionate mother, and many stories are related showing her care and love for her young, and her sorrow and mournful cries when any evil befalls them. On one occasion a black bear with her two cubs was pursued across the ice by some armed sailors. At first she urged her cubs to increased speed, but finding her pursuers gaining upon them, she carried, pushed, and pitched them, alternately, forward, until she effected their escape from her pursuers.
LITTLE OWLS.
Who has not at one time or other of his life read fairy tales and sympathized with stories of enchanted princes and princesses? I once thought of this when a country boy offered me a nest with four of the young of the Little Owl. I put them into a large cage, where they could stare at each other and at my pigeons to their hearts' content.
Let me say that this little owl is a very useful bird, for it keeps mice, bats, beetles, and other creatures in check, which might otherwise multiply too fast. On a spring or summer evening you may hear its plaintive hoot among the apple-blossoms of an orchard, or the sheaves of a cornfield. Curiously enough, this simple sound earned the little bird the name of being the harbinger of death, and peasants believed that whenever its cry was heard where sickness was in the family, the patient was sure to die.
AUROCHS.
An Aurochs in blind rage, charging through thick and thin, has had a fascination for me as long as I can remember. The true aurochs and this, the European Bison, ceased to exist in the British Isles, except in the Zoological Gardens; but the latter is still found wild in Lithuania, and is also carefully preserved in other parts of Russia, of which the Emperor has a herd. There is much talk about their being untamable--that they will not mix with tame cattle--that tame cows shrink from the aurochs' calves; but does not any cow shrink from any calf not her own? The American Bison, with which you are all pretty familiar, is very similar to the one just mentioned. There have been several attempts made to domesticate the American bison, and have been so far successful. The size and strength of the animal make it probable that if domesticated, it would be of great use.
THE KANGAROO.
"Well," said little Herbert Joyce, as he looked over the books of drawings which his cousin had just brought home from Australia, "I never saw anything so extraordinary before in all my life; why here is an animal with three heads, and two of them are very low down, and much smaller than the others." "What do you mean, Herbert?" asked his cousin, who just then came into the room. "There are no three-headed animals--let me see the picture. Oh! no wonder you were puzzled; it does look like a queer creature. That is a kangaroo, and the small heads belong to her children, whom she carries about in a bag formed by a hole in her skin, until they are old enough to walk; and the little things seem very happy there; and sometimes, as their mother moves along over the grass, you may see them nibbling it."
THE PEACOCK.
Proud bird! I watched thee stalking by, With stately step and slow, As though thou fain would'st charm each eye With glittering pomp and show:
And truly thou art brave to see, In heaven's hues arrayed, And plainer birds at sight of thee Might shrink and be dismayed:
Yet, pampered bird! there still are those I value higher far, Albeit their garb nor glints nor glows With many a jeweled star.
I love them for their gentle ways, Their voices soft and sweet In summer chorus, that repays Right well their winter's meat.
For what is outward form at best But accident of birth? That form in splendid raiment drest Is still but common earth.
And yet 'tis he whose painted plumes Shine fairest in the sun, Who haughtiest look of pride assumes, As though by him 'twere done.
We smile to see yon bird strut by, Thus proud of his array; But human friends we may espy As foolish every day.
Not beauty's form nor grand attire Upon the wise will tell, But acts of those who e'er aspire To do their DUTY well.
SWANS.
This beautiful and majestic bird was considered the bird-royal in England, owing to a law of England that when found in a partially wild state on the sea and navigable rivers it belonged to the crown; but of course it is to be found on the ponds and lakes of many a gentleman's estate, and is always prized as a great ornament to the lake. The swan is also very valuable in clearing the ponds of weeds, and makes a most effective clearance, as they eat them before they rise to the surface. The swan affords a pleasing illustration of the love of the mother-bird for its young, and has been known to vanquish a fox who made an attack on its nest--showing that the instinct of motherhood kindles boldness and bravery in the breast of the most timid animals. The nest is generally made on an islet, and composed of reeds and rushes, and when the five or seven large eggs are hatched, the mother may be seen swimming about with the young ones on her back.