The Wonders Of The Jungle - free ebook by Sarath Kumar Ghosh

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The Wonders Of The Jungle

Sarath Kumar Ghosh

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PREFACE

PREFACE

One of the great thinkers of the world has said that all the sciences are embodied in natural history. Hence natural history should be taught to a child from an early age. Perhaps the best method of teaching it is to set forth the characteristics of animals in the form of a narrative. Then the child reads the narrative with pleasure and almost as a story, not as a tedious "lesson." I have followed that method in the Wonders of the Jungle. The present work (Book One) is intended to be a supplemen

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THE WONDERS OF THE JUNGLE

THE WONDERS OF THE JUNGLE

My dear, I shall tell you all about the wonders of the jungle. You have seen many animals in the zoo or in a circus—elephants, bears, lions, tigers, leopards, and many others. But the jungle is the place where these animals live before they are brought to the zoo or the circus. In fact, jungle really means a wild place ; that is, a place where trees and bushes grow quite wild, so that men never cut down the trees or clear away the bushes. That is the natural home for all sorts of animals. Now I

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Elephants Drink First—but Down Stream

Elephants Drink First—but Down Stream

First let us watch the elephants as they come to the river through the gap in the jungle. See! They come one at a time, one behind another; for the gap is not big enough for more than one at the same time. The elephant is so big that it can get through the jungle only in this way. First come a number of bull elephants . They are the Papa elephants; you can always tell them by the huge tusks they have. The bulls come first, in case there are any enemies waiting to hurt their children; for then th

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How the Elephant Drinks

How the Elephant Drinks

But you must not think that an elephant actually drinks through his trunk! He does not! The elephant's trunk is really his nose, though it is a very long nose. What he does is to dip the trunk into the stream and suck in the water about halfway up the trunk; then he curls up the tip of the trunk and gets it near his mouth; then he blows through the nose, and squirts the water into his mouth. Of course he has to do that many times, to get enough to drink. But he tries each time to dip only the ti

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Why the Elephant Drinks with His Trunk

Why the Elephant Drinks with His Trunk

But, you may say, why cannot he drink like other animals, by going right into the stream till he gets his mouth into the water? Because his mouth is so high up, and his neck is so stiff, that he would have to go quite two or three yards deep into the stream before he could get his mouth into the water, and then his heavy feet would stir up the mud in the stream where he was standing, and so dirty the very water he was drinking. Now you see what a wise animal the elephant is! The only way he coul

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How Buffaloes Come to Drink—in Rows

How Buffaloes Come to Drink—in Rows

But why must they drink three or four at the same time? Because the buffaloes are like a body of soldiers, one row behind another. Sometimes twenty or thirty rows make up a herd. We see only the first row drinking now, but soon we shall see the others behind. And why do the buffaloes come like a body of soldiers? Because they are afraid of their enemy—the tiger! Once upon a time the buffaloes lived scattered about, and many of them got eaten by the tiger, one at a time. Then those that escaped f

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Buffalo Knights Guard the Timid Deer

Buffalo Knights Guard the Timid Deer

But wait a moment! Before the buffaloes go away, a most wonderful thing happens. You have read stories, how once upon a time there were brave knights who used to come to the help of ladies who were in danger. Well, you will be glad to know that these bull buffaloes are just like those brave knights. Do you see that timid little shadow creeping in by the side of the buffaloes? She is a blue deer , a very timid lady indeed; for she knows that a tiger is waiting in the high ground behind, to catch

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Wild Pigs—Careless

Wild Pigs—Careless

Here come the wild pigs . They are not exactly a herd; but still there are many dozens of them, all one large family with all their relations—cousins and uncles and aunts. Some of the wild pigs are called boars ; they are the Papas among the wild pigs. You can always tell them by the two sharp tusks , or teeth, one on each side, which grow upward from their under jaw. Each tusk is as long as a knife, and so sharp that a tiger does not always care to fight with a boar. The wild pigs drink in any

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Red Dogs—Bold, Fearing Nobody

Red Dogs—Bold, Fearing Nobody

Meanwhile other animals have also come. The moon is now quite high in the sky. A band of shadows in the moonlight seems to fall upon the water. It is a pack of red dogs ; they have come boldly, as they are afraid of nothing. For if a hungry tiger attacks them, the whole pack will jump on the tiger and tear him down—that is, the tiger could kill dozens of the dogs in a few minutes, but then the rest of the wild red dogs would tear the tiger to pieces. So the red dogs are not afraid as they come f

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Other Animals Come Alone

Other Animals Come Alone

The red dogs are the last of the animals that come in a bunch. Now you see other animals coming one by one. A sneaking shadow there! It must be a hyena . That is an animal that eats what remains from some other animal's supper; so the hyena waits to see if a tiger or a leopard has caught any supper, or else it will have to go hungry. But hush! Here is a red deer coming carefully to the water. This animal is much bigger than the blue deer, and more able to take care of herself. But, still, she co

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The Law of the Jungle—Clear Water for All

The Law of the Jungle—Clear Water for All

But before we leave the place, I want you to remember something. I showed you first the elephants; they were on our right—that is, down the stream, the way the water flows. And the elephants drank first among all the animals. Then all the other animals came to the stream, but more to our left—that is, up the stream. Why was that? Think! I shall tell you. By the time the elephants finish drinking by dipping their trunks into the stream many times, the water begins to get muddy. In fact, after dri

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Elephant Child Obeys Mamma—or Gets Spanked

Elephant Child Obeys Mamma—or Gets Spanked

But when the Mamma elephant calls to the baby to stop playing and come and stand by the bank, the baby comes at once, even though it hates to be bathed. The baby elephant obeys its Mamma almost the first time, whatever she tells it to do. But if the baby does not obey, does its Mamma spank it? Of course she does—like all Mammas! The elephant Mamma does the spanking with her trunk. But I must tell you at once that an elephant child never gets spanked more than once in its life—and that is enough!

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How the Elephant Child is Bathed

How the Elephant Child is Bathed

But now I shall tell you about the baby elephant when its Mamma calls it to come and be bathed. It comes to the edge of the bank, and stands facing its Mamma. Then the Mamma fills her trunk with water, brings the trunk quite near the baby, and squirts the water all over it. The baby may howl and jump about and make faces, but it never runs away ! Again and again the Mamma squirts the water, till all the mud and dust of the jungle is washed away from the baby's body. Then she tells the baby to pl

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How the Elephant Child Learns to Swim

How the Elephant Child Learns to Swim

So the Mamma elephant stretches out her trunk before her, just like an arm, and tells her child to lie across it. In that way she holds up the child in the water, so that the little elephant has only to think of curling up the tip of its own little trunk out of the water to breathe. Then she tells her child to kick out with its legs, so as to move forward through the water. But sometimes, in kicking out, the little elephant forgets to hold up the tip of its trunk out of the water at the same tim

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Elephant Child Learns to Feed

Elephant Child Learns to Feed

First, the Mamma elephant eats like that from several boughs, while the little elephant watches her do it. Then she looks at a low bough within easy reach, and says in the elephant language, "Eat that!" The little one looks at the bough, grabs it anyhow with its trunk, and pulls it down. But it cannot get the end of the bough into its mouth ! Instead, the bough pokes it on the forehead, or eyes, or cheeks. "Hold it straight!" says Mamma, laughing. The little one tries several times, but still it

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Elephant Child "Swats" Tormenting Flies

Elephant Child "Swats" Tormenting Flies

But now about Salar's early boyhood. After his Mamma had taught him to swim, to eat from the boughs of trees, and to drink for himself by dipping his trunk into the water, she had another useful thing to teach him. In the jungle there are swarms of tormenting flies; they come buzzing around the elephants, and bother them, just as they bother us. Now, we can whisk off the flies with our hands, but how about an elephant? Of course, you will say, his trunk is his hand; and so he can use the trunk t

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Elephant Covers his Back from Hot Sun

Elephant Covers his Back from Hot Sun

I shall tell you. He breaks off many small boughs, one at a time, and lays them on his back with his trunk; he is careful to lay them in proper order, and to criss-cross them, so that the boughs will not fall off. In fact, he tries to arrange them very much like the thatched roof of a cottage. That is very clever of him, is it not? But then he does something else, still more clever! When a cottager builds his thatched roof, he has to plaster the ceiling to prevent any rain or sunshine from creep

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How Elephants Walk under Water

How Elephants Walk under Water

The first thing he taught was at the stream at midnight. By this time Salar could swim quite well; so he was enjoying himself with the grown-ups. But his Papa kept watching him with the corner of his eye. Little by little he drew nearer and nearer to Salar, and waited till the youngster came to a part where the water was not at all deep. Then suddenly his Papa gave Salar a butt with his head. Down went Salar under the water, snorting and spluttering and hollering. "Hold up your trunk, you simp!"

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How Elephants Break Down or Pull Out Trees

How Elephants Break Down or Pull Out Trees

First he chose a small tree, not much thicker than your wrist; this he pulled out easily with his trunk, just as you might use your hand to pull out a small shrub. Then he chose a tree about six inches thick. He tried it first carefully with his trunk; but the tree was too strong to pull out in that way. So the old elephant put his foot on the side of the tree, and pressed with all his weight—as you see in the picture. The tree bent more and more, and then suddenly broke off near the ground with

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The Elephant Taps Suspicious Ground with his Trunk

The Elephant Taps Suspicious Ground with his Trunk

His father came up to him, and looked around carefully. Then he tapped on the ground with the end of his trunk . "An elephant must always tap with his trunk when he is coming to suspicious ground, before he puts his foot on it," he said to Salar. "What does suspicious ground mean?" Salar asked. "Ground where there might be danger, though you do not see the danger," his father answered. He went on a couple of yards, tapping the ground before him all the time. Then he suddenly stopped. "Gr-r-r-rum

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Elephant Tricks the Tricky Trappers

Elephant Tricks the Tricky Trappers

Then at last another thought seemed to come into the wise old elephant's head. He put that end of the bamboo into his mouth and began to chew it; for an elephant has very strong teeth at the back of his mouth. As his mouth was very big, that clever elephant chewed as much of the end of the bamboo as his mouth would hold—and that was as long as your arm. So the end of the bamboo became like fibers, that is, like a bunch of hair, only very thick and rough. Then that cunning elephant sat down on th

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Buffaloes Cover Body with Mud against Flies

Buffaloes Cover Body with Mud against Flies

No, my dear, you are wrong this time! Like some little boys, buffaloes do not want to make themselves clean! In fact, the buffaloes go into the stream or the pond to cover themselves with mud ! To wallow , as it is called. They do that by rolling in the mud where the water is shallow. And why do they want to cover themselves with mud? Because of the tormenting flies! Buffaloes of this kind do not have long hair on their necks, like the American buffaloes. In fact, they do not have much hair anyw

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How Buffaloes Guard against Tiger while Feeding

How Buffaloes Guard against Tiger while Feeding

It is a big crescent, as there are so many buffaloes that make it up. The ends of the crescent bend in toward each other, just as if the two tips of the letter C were to close up a little, leaving only a small opening between the tips. The buffaloes have their faces toward the outside of the crescent. So, as we are following the buffaloes from behind, we are looking at them through the gap between the tips. There are only bulls in the line making up the crescent; the cows and the calves come beh

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How Buffaloes Know Danger is Coming—Three Ways

How Buffaloes Know Danger is Coming—Three Ways

"But how could they know if any danger were coming?" you may still ask. They could know it in three ways: they could smell the danger, or hear it, or see it. I shall tell you how they do all that. First, if the danger came from the direction in which the wind was blowing, they would sniff the air, and so smell the danger. If the danger were a tiger, the buffaloes could smell him half a mile off; that is about as far as ten blocks in a city. And if the wind were not blowing that way, the buffaloe

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Buffalo Sentinels

Buffalo Sentinels

Let us see what the two buffaloes at the two ends of the crescent are doing. They are the watchers, or sentinels , as they are sometimes called. They keep a lookout nearly all the time. Do you see the one on our left? After every two or three mouthfuls he stops, and takes a look around; he even looks right to the back. Then he takes four or five strides to catch up with the herd, and starts grazing again. Then in a minute or two he takes another look around in the same way. And the sentinel on o

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Buffaloes Make a Ring when Tiger Comes

Buffaloes Make a Ring when Tiger Comes

The two ends of the crescent have come close together, and all the Papa buffaloes have made a perfect ring around the Mammas and the children. The Papas are facing the outside of the ring; so they can meet the danger from whatever side it comes. Why do they do that? Look again at the grass! The tall grass is waving nearer and nearer. So, the animal that is in the grass is coming nearer and nearer. He comes right to the end of the tall grass. There he makes a gap in the grass, and walks out into

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Small Animals Find Safety in Buffalo Ring

Small Animals Find Safety in Buffalo Ring

Yes, there is the ring of buffaloes! So those small animals rush straight toward the ring and creep inside—and the buffaloes raise their heads to make a way for them under the horns. Some of them, like the wild goats, jump over the buffaloes' horns to get inside the ring. Anyway, the small animals reach safety inside with the Mammas and the children of the buffaloes. The tiger stands outside the ring, and still roars in fury. But now nobody is afraid. The bull buffaloes paw the ground impatientl

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Wild Buffaloes Tamed Quickly by Kindness

Wild Buffaloes Tamed Quickly by Kindness

They put the wild buffaloes and the tame ones together in a pen, or corral. Inside the corral there is a pond. In the deep part of the pond there is plenty of good water to drink; and in the shallow part of the pond there is plenty of mud in which the buffaloes may roll about and wallow. The men keep the buffaloes there together for many days, the wild ones and the tame ones. Every day the men throw into the corral plenty of fresh grass, which the buffaloes can eat all day. Now, what more could

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Little Boys Take Charge of Buffaloes

Little Boys Take Charge of Buffaloes

Then who does it? I shall tell you. The little boys of the village! They are about five or six years of age. They are not old enough to go to school, and not old enough to do any work; so they can play all day. The most useful thing they can do is to take charge of the buffaloes. The boys soon learn all the buffalo calls—"Come out to graze," "Come to wallow," or "Come home now." And the wonderful thing is that these huge animals soon learn to obey these calls. When the boys call to them, the buf

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How the Big Buffaloes Love the Little Boys

How the Big Buffaloes Love the Little Boys

It is quite wonderful to see a little boy actually twisting a huge buffalo's tail. As I have told you, a buffalo is often more than ten feet long, and taller than a tall man; and it has horns that reach out more than a yard from each side of the head. This huge animal could charge and smash up a big wagon as easily as if it were a match box; and yet he will stand still and let his tail be twisted by any little tot in the village. Sometimes you may see a sight like this: A huge buffalo is grazing

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CHAPTER VIII The Buffalo and the Boy

CHAPTER VIII The Buffalo and the Boy

In a village there were many tame buffaloes, and among them thirty bull buffaloes. The little boys of the village took charge of them every day. The smartest boy among them was called Gulab. He was six years of age. Gulab knew quite well each of the thirty bull buffaloes, and was a friend of each. Sometimes he alone had charge of them, and took them out to graze and to wallow. That was because his father was the herdsman. The buffaloes loved Gulab, and they did exactly as he told them to do. Whe

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Horns and Antlers Different in Three Ways

Horns and Antlers Different in Three Ways

The antelope's horns and the deer's antlers are also different in other ways, which you cannot see in the pictures. So I shall tell you about them: 1. The antelope's horns are hollow inside, and made of the same kind of thing as the hoofs or nails of an animal, only they are thicker and harder. But a deer's antlers are solid , and made of bone . 2. Both the Papas and the Mammas among antelopes have horns. But among most kinds of deer, only the Papas have the antlers; the Mammas have none. 3. Amo

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Elk and Other American Deer

Elk and Other American Deer

The biggest kind of deer in America is the moose ; in fact, it is the biggest kind of deer in the world. The second biggest is the elk ; he is nearly as big as the moose. Some people think that the moose and the elk are exactly the same kind of deer, but that is not quite correct. In this book I must not make it too hard for you to understand, by telling you how they are different. So I shall tell you all about the elk, as his picture is on page 109. Once upon a time elks lived in all parts of A

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Other Kinds of Deer

Other Kinds of Deer

I must now tell you about some other kinds of deer that live in jungles and forests in other countries. The fallow deer lives in Europe. When he is wild, he lives in a forest; but when he is tame, he lives in a park. He is a small deer, about the size of a donkey. His coat is very soft and glossy and beautiful. In winter his coat looks dark brown, and his legs and the under part of his body are light brown. But in summer his coat becomes a lovely light red in color, with white spots jotted all o

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Each Animal has the Gift he Needs Most

Each Animal has the Gift he Needs Most

So, you understand, the deer can hear farther and smell farther; but the tiger can see farther. And that is so because it is a wonderful rule in the jungle that each animal has the gift that he needs most . But can you think why the tiger needs to see farther, and why the deer needs to hear farther and smell farther? I shall tell you. The tiger is the catcher, and the deer is the one that is caught. So the tiger tries to get to the deer, and the deer tries to run from the tiger. But to get to th

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The Camel's Wonderful Gifts

The Camel's Wonderful Gifts

Now I am going to tell you of the most wonderful things a camel can do. First, I must tell you that no other animal could cross a desert at all. To begin with, if such an animal as a horse tried to walk on the sand, his hoofs would sink into the sand up to the ankles, and it would be hard work for him to go even a mile. But a camel's foot is different. It has a soft pad of muscles under it, just like a cushion; and when the camel walks or runs on the sand, the pad spreads out under his foot, and

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CHAPTER XII The Camel and the Thief

CHAPTER XII The Camel and the Thief

Now I shall tell you a story about a camel and a thief. It is a true story, and happened many, many years ago. The story shows what we can learn by watching the animals. Once upon a time, a traveler was going on foot across the country. In his belt he had a purse full of money. One day, as the sun began to get hot, he lay down on the grass under a tree near the roadway, and fell asleep. After a few hours he woke up, and what was his surprise to find that the purse was gone! While he was asleep,

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The Polar Bear

The Polar Bear

This kind of bear is called the polar bear . (See the picture on page 155.) He lives in a place far up North, where it is always very cold. The land is nearly covered with snow, and the water at the top of the sea is frozen. There are no berries or fruits there for the polar bear to eat; so he has to live on fish, and seal, which is a water animal. The way the bear catches the fish or the seal is this: He makes a hole in the ice with his paws, so that he can reach the water below. Then he sits d

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American Bears

American Bears

First you shall hear about the bears that live in America. The biggest kind is called the grizzly bear . In fact, he is the largest bear in the world. Some grizzly bears are ten feet tall when they stand up on their hind legs! The color of a grizzly bear is yellow, but with many shades; sometimes between brown and yellow, and sometimes between red and yellow. Teddy bears, with which you have played, are sometimes made of that color. Teddy bears of course are very nice, as they are toys; but I am

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Other Bears

Other Bears

Another kind of bear is called the brown bear . He lives in Europe, Asia, and also in some parts of America, especially in Alaska. There he is rather big, though not quite so big as the grizzly bear. He too lives on berries, fruits, and roots, and he also catches fish. For in the rivers of Alaska there are lots of salmon. But the brown bear is not at all fierce, like the grizzly bear. He is peace-loving, and sometimes quite friendly. The nicest kind of bear is called the black bear . He is found

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CHAPTER XIV Bears: The Tricky Trap

CHAPTER XIV Bears: The Tricky Trap

Now I am going to tell you something funny about the bear. You have seen lots of wild animals in the zoo, and you may sometimes have wondered how these animals were caught. In another book I shall tell you all about the different ways of catching different kinds of wild animals; but now I shall only tell you how a wild bear is caught. Of course, there are two or three ways of catching him alive, but I shall describe to you now just one way. You must know by this time that everybody in the world—

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The Flamingo

The Flamingo

I shall tell you first about the flamingos, as they live together in flocks . They were once found in America, and only a few years ago there were many flocks of them in Florida, but now there are very few left in this country. They are now found in Africa and in the countries of southern Asia; a few are found also in Europe. This is the way the flamingos live. They choose a place in the jungle where there is a lake or a river, and build their nests all around the lake, or by the bank of the riv

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The Parrot

The Parrot

Another bright bird that lives in the jungle in a flock is the parrot . You know all about him, as you must have often seen him caged, or chained by the leg to a stand. But he is different in his happy home in the jungle. He lives in almost every sunny country, and flies about in flocks. Wild parrots also make their nests in flocks. In India there is a deserted city called Amber. Once upon a time a great King lived there in a lovely marble palace; and the nobles and courtiers also had lovely mar

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The Cockatoo

The Cockatoo

Another bright bird which you may have seen in a cage, or chained to a stand, is the cockatoo . He is a cousin of the parrot, but much larger, and far more gorgeous. He has a beautiful crest of red and orange feathers on his head. His wings are a rosy pink in color; and he has a long pink and white tail. In other ways he is very much like the parrot. He lives chiefly in the countries of southern Asia, and in the islands between Asia and Australia....

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The Peacock

The Peacock

And now I come to the most beautiful bird of all, the peacock . When he spreads out his long tail, it looks just like a lady's fan, only far lovelier than any fan made by men. In color the tail is a kind of blue and green, with touches of gold and violet, and with "eyes" dotted all over it in shades of many other colors. The peacock can also close up his tail like a fan. Then the long feathers of the tail all come together in many folds, and stand out a yard long behind him. The peacock is found

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The Golden Pheasant

The Golden Pheasant

There is another beautiful bird which has been brought to America, and now lives here; it is the golden pheasant . Once upon a time he lived only in China; but a few years ago people brought a number of golden pheasants to America, and put them in the forests of Oregon and Washington. So now there are many thousands of golden pheasants flying about and making their nests there. There are other kinds of pheasants in England and in some parts of Europe, and these the people shoot and eat. But the

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The Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret

And now, my dear children, I shall finish this chapter by telling you about a beautiful bird that once lived quite wild in great numbers in the United States. This bird has lovely soft feathers, which are pure white; so it is called the snowy egret . The feathers are as soft as silk. They are also long, with a gentle droop at the end. Because these feathers are so lovely, rich women want to wear them in their hats; and these rich women are willing to pay a great deal of money for the egret feath

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CHAPTER XVI The Caged Parrot

CHAPTER XVI The Caged Parrot

I shall finish this book by telling you a story—a true story, which, I hope, will make you think. Many years ago a sea captain returned to his home in the north of Scotland, after sailing the sea for a long time. He brought with him a parrot. The parrot had lived in South America, where the people speak the Spanish language. So all the words the parrot knew were in Spanish. The captain knew Spanish quite well, and often talked to the parrot in that language. But after a time the captain died, an

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THE WONDERS OF THE JUNGLE

THE WONDERS OF THE JUNGLE

PRINCE SARATH GHOSH Book Two D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY Copyright, 1918, By D. C. Heath &amp; Co. 3 B 1 PRINTED IN U.S.A....

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TO THE CHILDREN

TO THE CHILDREN

My dear, I am now going to tell you many more Wonders of the Jungle, as I promised to do in Book I. In that Book, as you will remember, I promised to tell you more about the elephants and about the laws of their herd. So I shall do so now. Then I shall tell you about some animals which I did not describe in Book I. Among these you may like to know especially about the tiger, the lion, the leopard, and the wolf. You may like to know how really clever some of these animals are, and how some of the

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The Elephant Herd a Republic

The Elephant Herd a Republic

An elephant herd is a kind of republic, something like the United States of America, only much smaller and much simpler. So its leader is a sort of president. He is usually the wisest elephant in the herd. You may like to know how the elephants choose their president. I shall tell you how they do that. But you must first consider how the people of the United States choose their President. They find out who among their important men is best able to lead them in all the great duties of the nation.

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The Duties of the President

The Duties of the President

First Duty: He must lead the herd in such a manner that all the elephants will get enough food to eat every day. Second Duty: He must lead the herd in such a manner that all the elephants will get enough water to drink every day. Third Duty: He must keep order in the herd, and not allow any naughty elephant to fight or quarrel. Fourth Duty: He must guide the elephants in such a manner as to avoid all danger from outside ; and if such danger does happen to come, he must guard the herd from that d

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He Must Provide Daily Food

He Must Provide Daily Food

Elephants are such large animals that they need a great amount of food. So they have to walk a long way every day, munching the leaves of the trees as they go. They walk in line, one behind another, as that is the easiest method of walking through the thick jungle; for then one gap through the jungle is enough for all the elephants to go through, one at a time, and they need not make a different gap for each elephant. Now you will understand that if that one gap is big enough for the largest ele

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He Must Provide Daily Drink

He Must Provide Daily Drink

After the elephants have had enough to eat for the day, they must have enough clear water to drink. And to get this is the hardest daily duty of the leader . In the jungle, even if the leader makes a little mistake and goes the wrong way, there may still be enough to eat, because the elephants can always find enough trees in the end by going a little farther: so they would have only a little more trouble in getting their food, if the leader made a mistake. But with water it is quite different—th

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He Must Keep Order in the Herd

He Must Keep Order in the Herd

The third duty of the elephant leader is to keep order in the herd. Most elephants are by nature gentle, docile, and obedient. That is why men can tame them and make them work; otherwise, if elephants were by nature fierce and disobedient, men could not train them so perfectly as to perform at a circus, or carry people in a procession. So even in the jungle, where the elephants are wild, they usually obey the leader and keep the laws of the herd. These laws chiefly concern their daily food and d

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He Must Avoid Danger from Outside

He Must Avoid Danger from Outside

The president of the herd must lead the elephants in such a manner as to avoid any danger that may come to the herd from outside. In the jungle there are other wild animals; most of them are, of course, too small to be able to hurt so large an animal as an elephant; but a tiger is so strong and so fierce that he could kill a small, half-grown elephant. The tiger could hide in the jungle, and if the small elephant happened to stray from the herd, the tiger could spring upon it and kill it. So the

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War and Neutrality in the Jungle

War and Neutrality in the Jungle

Now I must tell you about another duty of the president of the elephant herd: he must avoid another kind of danger that may come to the herd from outside. I am sorry to say that herds of elephants sometimes fight with one another, just as nations of people do. Alas, although elephants are usually such wise animals, they are sometimes as foolish as men! Two herds of elephants may find the same feeding ground, which has plenty of trees to eat from, and a convenient stream of water to drink from. T

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Wise Elephant Leader Avoids War

Wise Elephant Leader Avoids War

Then what does the president of the first herd do? Alas, he usually stays there to fight it out. But he gains nothing by it; instead, some of his bulls get killed or wounded—and in the end his herd has to flee just the same. A very wise leader would have done that from the first; for he might find another feeding ground just as good somewhere near. And besides, the quarrelsome herd will be punished soon enough! "How will it be punished?" you may ask. I shall tell you. A quarrelsome herd gets int

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The Wise Elephant Leader Keeps Neutral

The Wise Elephant Leader Keeps Neutral

There is still another duty that the leader of the elephant herd must do. Sometimes it happens that as he is taking his herd through the jungle, he meets two other herds that are fighting. Then what must he do? He must lead his herd by another path. He must not take part in the fighting between the two other herds. He must keep neutral . What does that mean? It means that he must not meddle with other peoples' fights and quarrels. He must not take sides; that is, he must not help either of the h

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When it is Impossible to Remain Neutral

When it is Impossible to Remain Neutral

When two herds are fighting, they may get very reckless. When men make war, they knock down houses with their guns, and trample on growing corn. In the same manner, when two herds of elephants fight they knock down trees, and trample on shrubs and bushes—sometimes the very trees and shrubs and bushes for which they are fighting! There never is a fight of any kind without a lot of damage being done. So it may happen that one of the fighting herds gets so reckless that it comes into the ground of

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The Policemen of the Elephant Herd

The Policemen of the Elephant Herd

I have already told you that the president of an elephant herd must keep order within his own herd; that is, he must not allow a naughty elephant to commit a crime, such as to attack any other member of the herd. And if a naughty elephant does commit a crime, it is the duty of the president to punish him. I shall now tell you how he does these things. There is a wonderful police system in an elephant herd. You will understand that better if I tell you first about an old police system among men.

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The Punishment of the Wicked Elephant

The Punishment of the Wicked Elephant

Now I shall tell you how naughty elephants are punished. I have already told you that if a naughty elephant attacks any other elephant in the herd, all the other bulls surround him and keep him there, till the president of the herd comes and punishes him. Now I shall tell you how that is done. The bull elephants stand in a ring a few yards away from the culprit; but they all face him, so that they can watch him all the time. Then the president of the herd steps into the ring, and walks toward th

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The Princes and the Bad Elephant

The Princes and the Bad Elephant

It happened a few years ago, when King George and Queen Mary of England went to India. At that time a young reigning prince in India had just succeeded to his father's throne. So there were many ceremonies at the palace, and festivities among the people. These functions lasted a whole week, and several elephants were used in processions. One day the elephants were taken to a place ten miles away to do useful work, such as to pile timber for building a bridge. Among these elephants was one called

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The Trial of the Criminal Elephant—as in a Court of Law

The Trial of the Criminal Elephant—as in a Court of Law

There they held a trial, just as in a court of law. Mukna was accused of two crimes: first, disobedience; second, attempted murder. A man was appointed to defend him at the trial, just as in a court of law a criminal may have a lawyer to defend him. The elephant master presided at the trial of Mukna. He was the judge. When the trial began, Mukna's keeper first gave evidence; that is, he said that Mukna had disobeyed his order, not only once, but three times. Then several other keepers came forwa

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The Infliction of the Punishment

The Infliction of the Punishment

Now among the bull elephants forming the ring around Mukna was one who had huge tusks. So the elephant master ordered him to give Mukna the twenty blows. Of course the elephant could not count the number of blows he was to give. So the elephant master was to count for him, and tell him when to stop. The elephant who had the huge tusks stepped into the ring, and tried to get behind Mukna, but Mukna turned around to prevent him from doing so. Then the elephant master ordered two other elephants to

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The Rogue Elephant

The Rogue Elephant

Among wild elephants in the jungle it sometimes happens that an elephant becomes so wicked that he does not repent when he is being punished by the president of the herd. Then the president gives him as many blows as he can bear; that is, till he cannot rise from the ground. Then he is left there to recover by himself. Sometimes such an elephant goes from bad to worse. For a few months his wounds may hurt him; and so he may be on his good behavior. But afterward, when the wounds have healed comp

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The Brand of the Rogue

The Brand of the Rogue

How would they find that out at once? By seeing the scars of the wounds on the place where he had been repeatedly punished. Those scars are the brand of the rogue elephant . So the new herd also would drive him out, for neither do they want a rogue among them. Thus, no matter what herd the rogue elephant tried to join, he would be driven out. Then he would be fated to roam the jungle by himself all his life—which is a most awful punishment. An outlaw among men has a similar fate, as he is shunne

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The Reward of Repentance

The Reward of Repentance

On the other hand, how much wiser it is to repent, even if one has been so foolish as to do wrong! Mukna committed the most terrible crime—he actually tried to kill people; and then he tried to run away into the jungle and perhaps become a rogue elephant. But afterward, when he was being punished, he repented of his crimes. So, what happened? I shall tell you. Mukna was put on probation for a year; that is, the keepers watched him for a year to see if he would behave well. And for the whole year

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Flesh-Eating Animals: the Felines, or the Cat Tribe

Flesh-Eating Animals: the Felines, or the Cat Tribe

So far most of the animals I have described to you are vegetarians, that is, they eat vegetables of all kinds, for even leaves, herbs, and grass may be classed as vegetables. These animals are the elephant, the buffalo, the deer, the antelope, and others. The bear is the only animal I have so far described to you (in Book I) that eats both vegetables—that is, the roots of trees—and the flesh of other animals as well. But now I shall describe to you quite a different class of animals, namely, ani

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The Feline Has Strong Fangs

The Feline Has Strong Fangs

Besides the ordinary teeth, every feline has two pairs of strong fangs which look like big projecting teeth. One pair of fangs is placed on the upper jaw, pointing downward; they are wide apart. The other pair of fangs is placed in the lower jaw, pointing upward; they are not quite so far apart as the fangs of the upper jaw. Why? So that the animal can close its mouth comfortably without striking the lower fangs against the upper fangs. These fangs are three to four inches long in a tiger or a l

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The Feline's Tongue is Rough

The Feline's Tongue is Rough

A feline's fangs, however, are too big to tear off small pieces of meat from a bone. So it uses its tongue to scrape off the small pieces of meat. That is the reason why a feline's tongue is very rough. So again you see, as I told you in Book I, that every animal has the gift it needs. If the feline did not have a rough tongue, it could not eat the small pieces of meat on a bone; and so a portion of its food would be wasted. No inhabitant of the jungle wastes food. It is only we who waste food..

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The Feline's Claws are Retractile

The Feline's Claws are Retractile

The claws of every feline are retractile . That is, the claws can be drawn in , or sheathed, whenever the animal desires; also, the claws can be thrust out, whenever the animal desires to do that. Why is it necessary for a feline to be able to do both—to draw in its claws, and to thrust them out? Because when the animal needs food, it must thrust out the claws to seize it. But in just running about in the jungle, it does not need to use its claws; so it draws them in. In fact, if it did not draw

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The Feline Has Padded Paws

The Feline Has Padded Paws

The paws of every feline have also a special quality. The under part of each paw is thickly padded with powerful muscles. That gives the feline three advantages. First advantage: it enables the feline to stalk its prey. That is, the feline can creep up to its prey quite silently. As its paws are padded, they make no sound on the ground—just as your footfall makes no sound when you wear rubbers over your shoes. Second advantage: the padded paw enables the feline to strike down its prey with a sev

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The Tiger

The Tiger

The tiger lives in most of the countries along the south coast of Asia, that is, all the way from Persia to China. Some tigers are also found in the northern countries of Asia, such as Siberia; but there are very few of them there. And, of course, these few tigers in the cold northern countries of Asia are a little different from those in the hot southern countries. For the tigers in the cold countries have thick fur on their skin, and a layer of fat under their skin—just to keep them warm. So t

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The Life History of the Tiger Family

The Life History of the Tiger Family

I shall describe to you the actual life of a tiger family in the jungle. A tiger family consists of the father, the mother, and from two to four cubs. Three is the usual number of children that a tiger and tigress have. When the cubs are only a few days old, they are quite helpless. So the mother stays with them in the den, while the father goes in search of food. The den is usually a hollow under a large tree. If the father tiger catches a prey which he can carry, such as a deer, he brings it h

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The Tiger's Family Dinner

The Tiger's Family Dinner

It is very interesting to watch a tiger family having their dinner. I may remind you again that some hunters who go into the jungle sometimes hide in trees and watch the family life of different animals. So this is what they have observed at the tiger's family dinner. Suppose that the tiger has brought home a blue deer, which is a great delicacy among tigers. He drops the blue deer in front of the den. He and the tigress lie down and watch the cubs, who eat first. The tiger or the tigress will n

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The Tiger Cubs' Lessons

The Tiger Cubs' Lessons

Do tiger children have lessons? Of course they have! Almost all animal children have. You will remember the lessons in Book I which the elephant child had to learn. In the same manner other animal children must learn how to make a living in the jungle, and also how to avoid dangers. Among tiger children, their lessons begin even when the father and mother are providing them with the food; for, as I have just told you, the children must learn at least which part of the meat to eat, and which not

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Tiger Cubs Learn to Kill Prey, After their Parents have Caught It

Tiger Cubs Learn to Kill Prey, After their Parents have Caught It

As they are not yet big enough to catch the prey, they are first taught how to kill the prey, after their father or mother has caught it alive for them. And that is another wonder of the jungle, and another good quality of the tiger. If the tiger catches a deer, even the largest kind of deer, he could kill it at one blow, so as to eat it at once. But if the tiger is the father of a young family, he thinks of his family all the time; he remembers that he must not only provide his young children w

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Tiger Cubs Take Part in Hunt to Catch Prey

Tiger Cubs Take Part in Hunt to Catch Prey

When the cubs are six months old, they can take part in the actual hunt for the prey. So they go into the jungle with their father and mother. When they sight the prey, the cubs stay a little behind, while the father and mother stalk the prey. Suppose the prey is an antelope. You will remember what I told you in Book I, that an antelope looks like a deer; but it is a little different from a deer, because an antelope has horns, and a deer has antlers. Well, the tiger creeps around to the side, th

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Tiger Cubs Learn to Catch Prey by Themselves

Tiger Cubs Learn to Catch Prey by Themselves

"But when do the tiger cubs actually learn to catch the prey?" you may ask. Well, that takes a little longer to learn. For when the cubs have learned to catch different kinds of prey—wild pigs, wild sheep, wild goats, deer, antelope, cattle—their education is almost finished, just as in the case of a boy who has learned to earn his living in several different ways. So it takes the tiger cubs at least the next four months, from the age of six months to ten months, to learn to catch different kind

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The Tigress Mother's Special Duties

The Tigress Mother's Special Duties

So far I have described to you how the tiger cubs learn the lessons of the jungle from their father and mother. But sometimes they have to learn some of their lessons from their mother alone. Food may be scarce in that part of the jungle. A tiger family eats so much that even if they catch a large wild pig or a deer every day, it will hardly provide more than a single meal for a tiger, a tigress, and two or three growing cubs. And as they do not usually catch prey every day, the family eats only

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The Truce of the Water Hole

The Truce of the Water Hole

But the tiger family must not kill a prey at the Water Hole. And all other flesh-eating animals—lions and leopards, and wolves and hyenas—must also abstain from killing prey there. Hundreds of pigs and sheep and deer may have come to drink at the Water Hole—- and every flesh-eating animal must abstain from killing any one of the pigs or sheep or deer. This "Truce of the Water Hole" is one of the greatest wonders of the jungle. It means that in other parts of the jungle there may be a kind of war

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The Special Qualities of Tiger and Tigress

The Special Qualities of Tiger and Tigress

Now I am going to tell you a few more things about the tiger, from which you will realize what a wonderful animal he is. First, the tiger's size . The finest specimen of the tiger is the Royal Bengal tiger. Such a tiger, when full grown, is sometimes seven feet long, without including the tail; the tail is usually half as long as the body. The tigress is slightly smaller. In height a Bengal tiger often measures three and a half feet from the shoulder to the ground; so his head would be more than

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Both Tiger and Tigress Defend their Cubs

Both Tiger and Tigress Defend their Cubs

I have told you that in a tiger family, when the cubs are very young, they must be guarded all the time by either their father or their mother. One day it happened that a tiger had killed a bullock. As he could not carry it to his den, he first ate enough of the bullock to satisfy his hunger. Then he came home to his den, and sent the tigress out to eat her share, while he guarded their two cubs in the den. But three English officers had gone hunting in the jungle, each of them on an elephant; a

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The Tiger Family's Lost Dinner

The Tiger Family's Lost Dinner

Now I shall tell you another true story. It will show you what sort of a husband and father in everyday life a tiger is. Near a jungle there was a river. At a special place in the river there was a bend. It was a good place for fishing, as the water there had plenty of fish. One afternoon two men went to fish there with fishing rods. As there was a jungle about a mile from the place, the men took their guns with them, in case any wild animals came from the jungle to attack them. After a time one

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The Tiger as a Heroic Husband

The Tiger as a Heroic Husband

Now I shall tell you another true story, which will show you in a different manner what a wonderful animal the tiger is. It is the story of a great tiger hunt. A few years ago Prince Henry of Orleans was one of the greatest hunters in the world. He had hunted lions and wild elephants in Africa, and also other big wild animals. Then he went to India, hoping to hunt tigers. There he was the guest of a rajah, that is, a sort of king. So the rajah arranged a tiger hunt for Prince Henry. In a jungle

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The Lion

The Lion

I shall now tell you about other felines or animals of the Cat Tribe. The lion looks the grandest of all such animals—I suppose just because he has a mane . Most lions live in Africa. There are some lions in Arabia and Persia, which are the two countries in Asia nearest to Africa. A few lions are also found in a jungle on the west side of India. These lions in the countries of Asia are not as big as the African lion. Then there is also a species of lion in America, though he has no mane. He is c

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The Lion has the Fangs, the Tongue, the Claws, and the Paws of a Cat

The Lion has the Fangs, the Tongue, the Claws, and the Paws of a Cat

You will remember what I said on page 66 : that all animals of the Cat Tribe have a special kind of fangs, tongue, claws, and paws. The lion, too, has that special kind of fangs, tongue, claws, and paws; so he is a true cat. And of course the lioness has them also; so she too is a cat. Now I shall describe these four things as possessed by the lion—or lioness. First, the fangs. The lion or lioness has two pairs of strong fangs—one pair in the upper jaw, pointing downward, the other pair in the l

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How the Lion is Different from Other Cats

How the Lion is Different from Other Cats

I have told you the many qualities which the lion has like all other animals of the Cat Tribe. But can you see in what qualities the lion is different from all other felines? I shall tell you. First, the lion has a mane; that is, the male animal has; the lioness has no mane. No other member of the Cat Tribe, male or female, has a mane. Also, the tail of the lion has a tuft of hair at the end; no other animal of the Cat Tribe has the tuft . Moreover, the tail of the lion or lioness hangs straight

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The Lion's Daily Life

The Lion's Daily Life

Now I shall tell you about the remaining habits of the lion, and how he lives every day. Lion cubs at birth are usually twins or triplets. Sometimes four or even five cubs are born together; but then they are very difficult to rear, and one or two of them usually die. So a lioness has generally a family of two or three cubs to take care of. She brings them up in almost the same way that a tigress rears her cubs, as I have already described. The lioness feeds her cubs with her milk for about the

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The Lion a Noble Animal Androcles and the Lion

The Lion a Noble Animal Androcles and the Lion

Many, many years ago, the Romans ruled a large part of the world; for they were a great nation. Their territories included the north of Africa. A rich Roman, who lived there, had many slaves. One of his slaves was called Androcles (An´ drō clēz). The Roman treated Androcles very cruelly. So Androcles ran away from him. But the Roman sent out many soldiers to capture Androcles. So after hiding in many places, Androcles was at last compelled to flee into wild regions, where there were few inhabita

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The Lady and the Lioness

The Lady and the Lioness

I shall close this chapter by telling you another true story. It happened quite recently, in America. In a zoo there was a lioness. She had two little cubs. She was very fond of them, and she used to lick them with her tongue many times every day to keep them clean. They used to trot around her and scramble over her, then lie down beside her, one on each side, to have another cleaning with her tongue. One day the lioness and her two cubs were lying like that quite close to the bars of the cage.

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The Leopard

The Leopard

The leopard is another animal of the Cat Tribe. You may know him at once by the spots on his body; and of course the female leopard also has the spots. These spots are usually black in color, or sometimes very dark brown. But the color of the body, or "ground color" as it is called, is different among the several kinds of leopards. For, I must tell you, the leopard lives in so many countries that he varies in size and in ground color in different countries. He is found in almost all parts of Afr

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The Leopard's Ground Color and Spots

The Leopard's Ground Color and Spots

The ground color of the leopard's skin is usually yellow, but the shade of yellow varies in different leopards; sometimes it is a bright yellow, sometimes a brownish yellow. There are leopards whose skin is even darker than that,—some actually black. "But why do different kinds of leopards have different ground colors?" you may ask. Because they live on different kinds of soil and amidst different kinds of vegetation. You will remember what I have already told you: that the color of an animal's

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Why the Leopard has Spots

Why the Leopard has Spots

Now you may wonder why different kinds of leopards have different kinds of spots, both in shape and in size. I shall tell you. Each has the kind of spot that is most useful to him. How is that? How can the spots on the leopard's skin be useful to him? Why does the leopard have spots at all? First, I must mention that all leopards can climb trees, just like cats. People believe that once upon a time lions and tigers could also climb trees. Of course, they climbed only big trees, which have a very

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The Leopard's Habits

The Leopard's Habits

Now I shall tell you the other qualities and habits of the leopard. First, his size . The leopard is smaller than the tiger; he is not quite three feet high at the shoulders. The length of the leopard's body, without the tail, is about five feet. That is the average size of the male leopard. In describing each kind of animal I am usually telling you about the male, because he is generally larger and stronger than the female. Why? Because the male has to do the fighting to protect the family, esp

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The Panther: Popular Name for Large Leopard

The Panther: Popular Name for Large Leopard

There is no such animal as the panther . That is only the popular name for a large leopard—particularly a large and ferocious leopard. Some people fear a large leopard even more than they do a tiger, because a large leopard attacks a man even more often than a tiger does. Other wild animals as a rule avoid man, as I have told you before. But a tiger very often attacks man, and a large leopard does so almost every time he can. He is by nature even more ferocious than a tiger. The leopard has this

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How the Leopard Seizes his Prey

How the Leopard Seizes his Prey

A leopard usually seizes his prey by the throat. He grips the throat in his jaws, and holds on till the animal cannot breathe and is suffocated. If the prey is large, such as a big stag, the leopard's grip on the throat may not suffocate it completely; then the leopard uses another method. He keeps his grip on the throat of the prey, and pulls downward with his full weight. The prey tries to rear up on its hind legs to throw off the leopard—but then the leopard pulls downward with a sudden jerk.

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The Leopard's One Amiable Quality—He Loves Perfumes

The Leopard's One Amiable Quality—He Loves Perfumes

The leopard is said to have at least one amiable quality. It is said that he is so fond of beautiful perfumes that he can be tamed with them! That is, if you use some beautiful perfume which the leopard likes, you can tame him with it for a time. But I cannot tell you whether that is always true. There are many things said about animals that are not always true, for instance, that every animal can be charmed with music—if only we use the particular kind of music which that particular animal like

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The Leopard and the Lavender

The Leopard and the Lavender

Once a wild leopard had been caught in a trap in the jungle. He was put into a cage and carried overland to a seaport. There the leopard in his cage was put on a ship to be taken to England. The cage was placed on the deck of the ship. The leopard was very wild and ferocious. If any of the passengers or crew came anywhere near the cage, he snarled with rage and leaped at the bars of the cage. He shook and bit the iron bars, as if he wanted to get out and attack the people. He was well fed all th

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American Leopard: The Jaguar

American Leopard: The Jaguar

Now I shall tell you about an American leopard. He is called the jaguar . He lives mostly in Central America and South America. His favorite country is Brazil, near the Amazon and other rivers that flow into the Amazon. Some people call the jaguar the American tiger . This is a mistake, because a tiger is striped, not spotted; and the jaguar is spotted, like a leopard. So it is more correct to call the jaguar the American leopard . He has all the qualities of other leopards that I have already d

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The Dog Tribe

The Dog Tribe

I have told you of several flesh-eating animals that are of the Cat Tribe. But there are some flesh-eating animals that are of the Dog Tribe. The most important one of these in the jungle is the wolf . How can you tell the difference between the Cat Tribe and the Dog Tribe? By the four qualities that the Cat Tribe has, and which the Dog Tribe does not have. I. The members of the Cat Tribe have four fangs. Those of the Dog Tribe do not have fangs. They have special teeth of their own kind. II. Th

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The American Gray Wolf

The American Gray Wolf

I have said that the most important wild animal of the Dog Tribe is the wolf. Wolves are found in every continent—Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. And there are many species of wolves in these continents. I shall tell you more about them in another book, but now I must tell you about the American gray wolf. There is in the United States one of the most wonderful animals in the world—the American gray wolf. He is perhaps the only animal in the world that has beaten man ! I mean this: Man has ki

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The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Gun

The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Gun

About a hundred years ago, when people began to go West, they shot many buffaloes, wolves, antelopes, and deer. They did that for sport or for profit; they made a profit, because they sold the skins and other parts of the animals' bodies. At that time the hunters did not want the animals to be killed off altogether, but they actually killed so many of these animals in a few years that the buffalo, the deer, and the antelope became scarce. These particular animals, of course, tried to use their w

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The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Trap

The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Trap

But the battle was not yet over. Seeing that his gun had now failed, man used his wits to kill the wolf in another way. He set traps for the wolf; and he cunningly baited the traps with tempting food. Then the man went away from the traps. He thought that because he was not himself anywhere near the traps, the wolf would not be afraid to approach them. Well, at first some wolves did go up to the traps, and were caught by them. But a few other wolves saw that fate of their unwary brothers. So tho

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The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Poison

The American Wolf Learns to Evade the Poison

Man set his wits to work, and at last devised the use of poison . He selected different kinds of poison, with different tastes and different smells,—or no taste and no smell at all! He chose the nicest kinds of meat, on which to put the poison. Then he cunningly placed pieces of the poisoned meat all over the paths by which the wolves must come to raid the sheep and cattle. He thought that now he would beat the wolf! Well, some of the wolves did eat the poisoned meat; they died. But a few of the

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