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Home Life in All Lands
Home Life in All Lands
BY CHARLES MORRIS Author of "Historical Tales," "History of the World," "History of the United States," etc. Book III. ANIMAL FRIENDS AND HELPERS ILLUSTRATED PHILADELPHIA & LONDON J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY PRINTED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
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Preface
Preface
In the earlier volumes of this series, man, as the maker of and dweller in the home, was dealt with in the varied aspects of his existence. But man is not the only occupant of the home. He has brought around him an interesting family of animals of great variety in form and habit, many of them kept as pets and companions, many aiding him in his sports and his labors, others supplying him with meat, milk, butter, eggs and other forms of food. It is a varied and active sub-family of the household,
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THE DOG, MAN'S FAITHFUL FRIEND
THE DOG, MAN'S FAITHFUL FRIEND
Where did the dog come from and how long has he made man his companion? These are questions not easy to answer. Almost ever since there has been a man there has been a dog to follow at his heels and aid him in his sports. If we go back far before the beginning of history we find the bones of man and dog in the same grave. And it is a strange thing that thousands of years ago there were the same kinds of dogs we see about us to-day. Bird Dogs "Pointing" Partridges How do we know this, you ask? Wh
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THE MANY KINDS OF DOGS
THE MANY KINDS OF DOGS
Any of us who go into a dog show might almost fancy ourselves in a zoological garden, for we seem to be in the midst of a multitude of different animals. It is hard to believe that the fluffy little Lapdog, not much bigger than a well-grown rat, belongs to the same family as the Great Dane, as tall as a pony and strong as a leopard. The same is the case if we bring together the slender and graceful Greyhound and the sturdy Mastiff; or compare the Collie with the Terrier or the Spaniel; or the ug
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ANECDOTES OF DOG WIT AND WISDOM
ANECDOTES OF DOG WIT AND WISDOM
What could we do without the dog? There are many other animals made use of by man, but the dog, his faithful friend and companion, stands first of all. It not only aids him in his sports, but clings to him in all the affairs of life, and has been known to lie down and die on its master's grave, not willing to leave him even after death. Not only faithful and loving is the dog, not only fond of play and sport, but it has a very good brain of its own and is one of the smartest of all the animals.
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THE CAT, OUR FIRESIDE INMATE
THE CAT, OUR FIRESIDE INMATE
When the sun has left the sky and night flings its dusky cloak over all things out-of-doors, then within the house we draw the curtain, light the lamp, and gather round the study table with books or games. And soon from her fireside nook steals up soft-footed puss, seeking a friendly lap in which she may nestle and purr the hours away. From Trueblood's Cats by the Way The Mother Cat and Her Playful Brood This bundle of fur we call by the short name of cat was born in other climes and trained in
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OTHER FOUR-FOOTED PETS
OTHER FOUR-FOOTED PETS
Looking around us for our household pets after the dog and the cat, we find that Bunny, the rabbit, comes next. Bunny is a darling pet of the little ones, who dearly love to fondle this pretty bundle of fur. They are sometimes too kind and the poor little thing suffers from their fondness. That is the sad way with children's pets, they are at times loved to death. But the rabbit is kept for something else than a child's plaything. It is often raised for food, much like the hen and the duck, and
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THE HORSE IN ALL LANDS
THE HORSE IN ALL LANDS
No matter where we find horses they are very much the same. They are not like dogs, of which there are so many kinds. Of course there is much difference in the size of horses and also in their colors, but little difference in other ways. If we travel together over the earth and see the horses of the various countries we shall find them very much alike. Yet such a journey is well worth taking, for it will show us many things we ought to know. The horse family, as very likely you know, differs fro
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RACER AND HUNTER
RACER AND HUNTER
The horse has long been used in many ways by man; in cart, wagon, and plough; on the race-track and in the hunting field; in war and in peace. It has been man's great aid and helper, and through all the ages until less than a century ago it was the fastest means of travel or of sending news. Up to about 1830 all land travel was on horseback or by coach, or else on foot. Then the locomotive came and brought a great change. It was later still when men began to send news by lightning express over t
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WAR-HORSE AND WORKING-HORSE
WAR-HORSE AND WORKING-HORSE
In far past times the horse was used in war far more than in our days. Men can now kill one another fast enough without the use of horses, but large numbers are still used in the army, to haul wagons and guns and for those who fight on horseback. In ancient days no saddle was used, soldiers riding their horses bareback, though the great men of the armies rode in war-chariots. The old Roman horsemen did not use bits or bridles, but guided their horses by a headband which pressed on the nose, the
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THE HORSE TAMER
THE HORSE TAMER
The taming of wild horses is no light task. It is one that needs the greatest skill and daring. The lasso, a long, strong rope with a noose at its end, is the weapon of the tamer, with which he can bring down the strongest and wildest animal. Chasing the wild horse on a tamed one, trained in the art, the skilled rider, when near enough, will fling his lasso with wonderful skill and rarely fails to catch the fleeing animal in its strong noose. The horse he rides knows well its duty, which is to p
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THE ARAB AND HIS HORSE
THE ARAB AND HIS HORSE
Would you not like to hear some more about the Arabian horse, the noblest and best of his race? I have told how all our best racers are of Arab stock and how dearly the Arab loves his horse. A child of the desert, often having to go long and far without food and under a blazing sun, the horse becomes very hardy. It may be tied by all four legs to stakes set in the ground and kept there for many hours, the sun burning hot, yet if now its legs are set free and its master springs upon its back it i
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ANECDOTES OF THE HORSE
ANECDOTES OF THE HORSE
The horse has a mind of its own, and now and then lets us see that it can think, but it does not seem to have as good brain-power as the dog or the cat. There is much reason for this. The horse eats grass and does not need to think how to get its food. The dog and cat eat meat, and in their wild state have to catch other animals for food. To do this they have to use tricks and plans which need thought and thus their minds are kept busy. Also they are in danger from other animals. Take the fox, w
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THE ASS, ZEBRA AND MULE
THE ASS, ZEBRA AND MULE
The animal called the ass is a near relation of the horse, one best known to us under its common name of Donkey. It is like the horse in some ways and not like it in others. The ass is much smaller than the horse, being nearer the size of the pony. It has a heavy head, thick lips, long ears, and a tail not covered with long hair like the horse's tail, but with a tuft of hair at the end like that of a cow. A decided difference is in its voice, the bray of the donkey being an ear-splitting sound,
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THE OX AND BUFFALO
THE OX AND BUFFALO
That great lumbering beast we call the ox, with his long horns and his slow, lazy walk, is one of the strong workers of the world. Go where we will we see him, pulling the plough or the cart and wagon. If we leave home and go over the world we shall find many people using the ox. In South Africa we may see long teams of them pulling the heavy wagons of the farmers. In India the Hindu people eat no meat, but they keep many cattle to work in their fields. It is the same in many other countries bot
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THE LAPLAND REINDEER
THE LAPLAND REINDEER
While the buffalo is the draught animal of the sultry south and the ox of the more temperate regions, in the freezing north the Reindeer takes their place. Among the many species of deer, some of which, as the moose and elk, are large and strong, this is the only one that has been made to work for man. The people of Lapland could not live without it, and it is also of very much use to the tribes of northern Siberia. We have the same animal in the northern parts of America, where it is called the
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THE SHIP OF THE DESERT
THE SHIP OF THE DESERT
Far away from where we live, in what may be called the world of the East, there are mighty deserts, almost oceans of sand. These are oceans without water, vast tracts of land in which no blade of grass can grow, except where a green oasis rises like an island in their midst. Such a desert covers nearly the whole of Arabia and other wide regions in Asia. On the map of Africa may be seen a still greater one, that which bears the name of the Sahara. In these deserts no rain falls to water the thirs
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THE DROMEDARY
THE DROMEDARY
There are almost as many breeds of camels as there are of horses, and the kind used for riding is as different from the load-carrier as the race-horse is from the cart-horse. The burden-bearer has a thick body, heavy feet, coarse hair, and a slow pace. The racing breed is thin of body, fine-haired, and much more elegant in shape. It is as celebrated for its swift speed as is the Arabian horse, and a good animal is able to carry its rider a hundred miles in a day. While all the single-humped came
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THE LLAMAS AND ALPACAS
THE LLAMAS AND ALPACAS
If my readers are now ready to leave the deserts of Asia and go with me to the mountains of South America they will find there the only animals on the earth that are relatives of the camel. How the family of the camels came to be so widely separated no one knows. As it is, we find than on two sides of the earth with no links to join them. In Peru and Chile there are four different kinds of these camels of the New World, two of which, the Llama and Alpaca, have been tamed, the others being wild.
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THE ARCTIC BEAST OF BURDEN
THE ARCTIC BEAST OF BURDEN
A fact many of you may know is that nearly all the animals kept by man for work or for food are those with hoofed feet. Among other animals that he puts to work may be named the dog, and this is not used much as a worker. A little has been said in former pages about working dogs, but the only region in which the dog is kept only for work is in the Arctic zone. The dog is the working animal of the Eskimo and the only one. Therefore in speaking of animals that work for man we must not forget the E
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THE ELEPHANT IN MAN'S SERVICE
THE ELEPHANT IN MAN'S SERVICE
I do not need to tell you what the Elephant is like. Almost everybody has seen this noble creature, the largest of all animals except the whale. It belongs in its way to the hoofed animals, though it has five toes on each foot. For these are covered by a sort of elastic hoof, something like that of the camel, which gives it an easy, springy step. Though its home is in Asia and Africa, it has often been brought to America and shown in menageries and other places. It is a great, clumsy-looking bru
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ANECDOTES OF THE ELEPHANT
ANECDOTES OF THE ELEPHANT
The stories just told show that the great beast we are talking about has a keen idea of danger, often a better one than his drivers, and is more careful than a good many men we have seen. We give them as examples of the wit and wisdom of this sensible animal. If we look for stories of this kind among the other working animals, such as the ox, the buffalo, and the camel, we find little show of powers of thought, but of the elephant as a thinker there are very many interesting anecdotes. Some of t
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THE CATTLE OF THE FIELD
THE CATTLE OF THE FIELD
Is there anything that adds more to the beauty of a scene in the country than the grazing cows that give life to the fields, now cropping the grass, now resting under the shade of the trees, now wading in cool streams, now lying in midday rest? They are so mild and gentle, and look at us so quietly out of their big, kindly eyes that we cannot help keeping a soft spot for them in our hearts. Making Friends with a Guernsey Calf They wear horns, but they do not use them, and we can walk through a h
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MILK-GIVING COWS
MILK-GIVING COWS
There are a number of animals from which men get milk, but chief of all these is the cow. Those are breeds of cows which are kept only for milk-giving and which have been brought to yield so much and such rich milk as to make them of great value. In all history we read of the milkmaid, the girl whose duty it is to milk the cows, one of the chief duties on a farm. Nowadays we do not hear so much about the milkmaid. She has for the most part gone out of business. No doubt, many of my young friends
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BEEF-MAKING CATTLE
BEEF-MAKING CATTLE
In the United States the raising of cattle for meat is a great business. For years past this country has fed its own people and helped to feed those of Europe. The meat of cattle killed in Chicago and other cities is sold in the markets of London and other parts of England and the people of that country have long been growing fat on American beef. This is not so much the case in Germany, France, and Russia, for great num bers of cattle are raised there, but at times we could find the beef of our
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IN THE BULL RING
IN THE BULL RING
The bull is not a nice animal to deal with. It is often surly and savage, and few of us care to be in the same field with it. In some parts of the world its courage is made use of in a brutal kind of sport. In former times what was called bull-baiting was very common in England, and might be to-day only for the laws. A bull was driven into a closed-in place and dogs were sent in to fight with him. Sometimes, to make him furious, pepper was blown into his nose before he was set free. At times a d
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THE WOOL-CLAD SHEEP
THE WOOL-CLAD SHEEP
Long, long ago, hundreds of years before men began to write history, perhaps before they had tamed any other animal, the woolly creature called the sheep began to share the home-life of man. In the first pages of the Bible we find its name. Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, was a keeper of sheep before he was killed by his brother Cain. It may have been kept in very early times in all parts of the earth, for the sheep can live in all climates, from hot to cold, and its meat and wool are of g
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WOOL SHEARING AND WEAVING
WOOL SHEARING AND WEAVING
Sheep are of value for various things: their meat, which so many like; their skins, from which parchment and fine leather are made; their bones, used in making buttons; their fat, for soap and candles; but most of all their wool, which has long been the most valued product. So here I must tell the story of this very useful animal fibre. Go back as far as we can in history we read of the sheep-shearing. You may find it spoken of in the early parts of the Bible as a time of feasting and merry-maki
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THE BEARDED GOAT
THE BEARDED GOAT
Now we come to an animal in some ways much like the sheep, but in other ways very little like it. This is the goat, a more vigorous and hardy animal. Unlike the sheep, it wears a beard under its chin. It is not kept much in our country, for it is not well fitted for cold climates, but likes best the warm airs of Southern Europe and Asia and Northern Africa. Some of my readers may only know this animal from taking a ride in a goat carriage when young. Or they may have seen it roaming about in rou
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IN THE PIG-STY
IN THE PIG-STY
Let us now take a glance at that grunting brute known to us by the various names of pig, hog, and swine, which dwells in the pig-sty when tame and in the forest when wild. Clad in bristles, with thick skin, short legs, curled-up tail, no neck, and round snout, no one would buy the pig for a beauty. But in his case use goes ahead of beauty, and who will say that he is not of use? Though the pig is a very docile brute in man's care, he is far from mild and gentle in his wild state. In fact, the wi
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THE HEN AND ITS BROOD
THE HEN AND ITS BROOD
The city, we know, is a hotbed of noises, sounds of all sorts troubling our ears by day and night. We try at times to get rid of them, but find that not easy to do. The best thing for us is to get used to them and learn to sleep in spite of them. We need to become like Jock the miller, who got so used to the roar and clang of his mill that he could not sleep when it was still. Some city people find it so hard to get used to the noises of the night that they go to the country for a quiet sleep. D
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THE GAME COCK AND ITS BATTLES
THE GAME COCK AND ITS BATTLES
I do not want to say much about cock-fighting, for it is a cruel sport and leads to the vice of gambling, through which many lose large sums of money. But the fighting of game-cocks has a history of its own, and cannot be quite passed over in our story of the hen and its brood. The males of all the higher animals are fond of fighting. It is one of their duties to act as guardians of the family against danger from outside, while the females look after home affairs. This fighting temper is very co
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THE WEB-FOOTED DUCK AND GOOSE
THE WEB-FOOTED DUCK AND GOOSE
While the hen is not fond of water, the duck and goose could not well live without it. They are born for swimming, with webs between their toes that serve as oars. On the land they walk with an ugly waddling gait, but in the water they are very graceful, and a flock of swimming ducks or geese is a pretty sight. In raising ducks the nature of the bird needs to be kept in mind. Water is its native element and it will not do well on the land. It cannot be kept in a coop or an inclosed place like fo
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THE TURKEY AND THE GUINEA FOWL
THE TURKEY AND THE GUINEA FOWL
So far we have had to do with birds and beasts of foreign birth. As men from abroad have peopled our cities, so animals from abroad have peopled our fields, and we have not as yet met with one true American in the list. It is lucky that I have a native American to offer you, and one that is in some ways the finest of all our birds of the farm. This is the Turkey, the largest of them all and the choicest when roasted and served upon the table. We may well ask, what would a Christmas dinner be lik
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THE SWAN, AN IMAGE OF GRACE
THE SWAN, AN IMAGE OF GRACE
Next on our list of home birds is the Swan, one of the most beautiful and graceful of the whole bird race. When afloat, like a winged boat, on the still surface of lake or pond, with its snow-white body and wings and its long, curving neck, it is a thing of beauty which we are all glad to see and enjoy. The swan may still be found wild, but it has long been tamed and kept as an ornament of lakes and rivers and the broad ponds of country homes. Here it may be seen gliding softly along, with its w
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THE PROUD AND GAUDY PEACOCK
THE PROUD AND GAUDY PEACOCK
Among all the birds of the poultry yard first in display stands the peacock, one of the most splendid in show of all birds. This fine fellow, with his glowing colors and royal tail, has some claim to be proud of his looks. Any of you who have seen him will agree with me in this. For those who have not seen him I must try and tell what he is like. Rising from the head of the peacock is a crest of feathers of the most brilliant green and gold, while all its plumage is richly colored. But its fines
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THE DOVE-LIKE PIGEON
THE DOVE-LIKE PIGEON
Is there not something very soft and tender in the word dove and in the loving ways of this fine bird? When we speak of the Turtle-dove there rises in our mind an image of tenderness and love which never comes to us when the Pigeon is named. Yet these two are the same. Pigeon and dove are two names for one family of birds. Long ago the species known as the rock-pigeon was tamed, and this is the one that lives with us in such numbers as one of our chief home birds. The place we keep him in is oft
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THE OSTRICH AND ITS SPLENDID PLUMES
THE OSTRICH AND ITS SPLENDID PLUMES
After our talk about the pigeon, with its swift powers of flight, we now come to a bird which has no power of flight at all, yet which is of much value to us from the splendid feathers of its wings. It would take strong wings indeed to lift from the ground the ostrich, the largest of all birds, standing six to eight feet high. But what it lacks in wings it makes up in legs, for it is a wonderful runner, being able to outrun the fastest horse. As it runs it spreads its wings, which seem to act as
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THE CANARY AND ITS SONG
THE CANARY AND ITS SONG
Of the home birds the gold-hued Canary comes first, as the chief favorite among them all. From its native home on the Canary Islands it has been taken to Europe and America and kept so long in cages that it has quite forgotten its old-time liberty, so that a canary-bird escaped from its cage is the most helpless creature in the feathered flock, and is likely to become the prey of the cat if not captured and brought back to its cage-home. The wild canary is not noted for its beauty and not greatl
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THE MARVELLOUS MOCKING BIRD
THE MARVELLOUS MOCKING BIRD
We have said much about the canary because it is far the most common of cage-birds, but we have at home a bird of our own, not so often kept in cages, but in its way one of the most marvellous of birds. This is the Mocking-bird, a native American with so rich and tender a voice that in the West Indies, where it is very common, it is called the nightingale. This is due both to the melody of its song and its habit of singing at night. It is not quiet in the day-time, but then shows its powers in a
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OTHER CAGED SONGSTERS
OTHER CAGED SONGSTERS
The smaller birds are often so bright and beautiful and have such musical voices, that many of them are made tenants of the cage. Here they do not seem sad or mournful, but are likely to make themselves much at home. There is the Bullfinch, a nervous, uneasy fellow, always in a flutter, yet easy to keep in cage life and ready to raise a family in captivity. These birds are at once beautiful and tuneful. In color they are as handsome as many of the birds of the tropics, while they can be taught a
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THE PARROT AS A TALKER
THE PARROT AS A TALKER
Chief among the talking birds are the parrots. These quaint and curious winged chatterers have long been kept in the home of man, for we have tales of them more than two thousand years old. It was 1504 when the first parrot reached England, but now they are to be seen in all parts of the world, some kept for their brilliant colors, some for their wonderful power of speech. Best known among them as a cage-bird is the Gray-parrot, the ablest talker of the family, the amusing Poll-parrot seen in so
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OTHER TALKING BIRDS
OTHER TALKING BIRDS
Many of my readers must know that there are other birds that can talk, some of them as well as the parrot. Those who may have read the novel of "Barnaby Rudge," by Charles Dickens, are likely to remember the Raven of that story, with its "Never say die." A very famous bird of this kind is Poe's raven, told of in the poem of that name, whose one word was "Nevermore." These are birds of fiction and poetry but there are talking ravens in the annals of fact. There was one, some years ago, at home in
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THE MONKEY AS A PET
THE MONKEY AS A PET
Among the many pets kept by man the monkey must be included. We take a fancy to it as if it were a far-off cousin of our own. With its power of walking on its hind legs and using its front legs as arms and its paws as hands, and also often in the shape of its face, it has something very human about it, and there is no animal in which young folks take more delight—and many older folks also. What many enjoy in it is its love of mischief. There is no trick that it is not up to. At any rate when we
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HOW MONKEYS TAKE REVENGE
HOW MONKEYS TAKE REVENGE
Many stories might be told of monkeys that take revenge on those who treat them badly. One or two of these may be worth telling. There is one story of a gentleman who kept a pet monkey and lived next door to a widow lady who had three boys, all fond of mischief. These boys were at home from school for the holidays and spent much of their time in teasing the monkey, in such ways as throwing lighted fire-crackers at him and giving him nuts filled with pepper and mustard. The little sufferer did no
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IMITATION A MONKEY TRAIT
IMITATION A MONKEY TRAIT
The monkey is an animal easy to teach, for it is very ready to do what it sees those around it do. It thus has two qualities very useful in teaching, curiosity and imitation. When it sees anything being done it is apt to watch closely and then try to do the same thing. These qualities we all have. Many of us are curious to see and prompt to do what our teacher does, and in this way the monkey is like man in his thinking powers. It does not wait to be told to do things, but will try to do them it
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THE KINDS OF MONKEYS
THE KINDS OF MONKEYS
The stories we have given about monkeys are only a few of the many that might be told, and it is well to give some more to show that monkeys think and act, up to a certain limit, very much as we do ourselves. But you must bear in mind that there are many kinds of monkeys, some with good and some with bad tempers and some with much better brains than others. When we talk of the house dog and cat, the horse and cow, it must be remembered that each of these is a single species of animal. But when w
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WHAT MONKEYS TEACH THEMSELVES
WHAT MONKEYS TEACH THEMSELVES
It may be said that much of what has been told is the result of training and only shows that the monkey is easily taught. It does things, it is true, which no dog could be taught to do, but it has the advantage of having fingers and thumbs in place of the dog's paws, and also of having learned how to use these in its forest life in much the same way as we use them. A monkey, for instance, can use a stone as a hammer and some of them can throw stones with a very good aim. They can use other tools
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ANECDOTES OF THE APE
ANECDOTES OF THE APE
While men like to have the monkey for a pet, the monkey imitates them by having pets of its own. It has a fancy for this and likes to have something or some animal under its care. It may be a doll, a guinea pig, a white rat, or anything to which it takes a fancy. This was the case with a monkey we are told of, which was very fond of nursing. His fancy in this way brought him to a sad end. Seeing a litter of young pigs, he grew eager to have one of these for a pet. Watching till the mother pig wa
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FEELING AND FRIENDLINESS IN THE MONKEY
FEELING AND FRIENDLINESS IN THE MONKEY
What has been said above goes to show that the monkey can think and that it comes next to man in doing its own thinking. It goes to school, no doubt, as boys and girls go to school, but it teaches itself also, as may be seen in the story of the monkey and the brush-handle. But the monkey can not only think, it can also feel, and when we tell of some of its shows of feeling it almost seems as if we were talking about people like ourselves. Here is a story that has been often told, but is worth te
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PETS OF THE AQUARIUM
PETS OF THE AQUARIUM
The aquarium is a very pretty piece of furniture for the lovers of animal life, for a variety of water-living things can be kept in it alike for study and pleasure. Plants are needed of various kinds, to give beauty to the collection and keep the water in a fit state for the fish, for animal life and plant life need to go together. The plant gives off oxygen for the fish to breathe. There are a number of other small animals kept in the aquarium, such as the tadpole, the water-beetle and several
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SNAKE CHARMERS
SNAKE CHARMERS
From the fish let us turn to the snake, a gliding creature without limbs and without joints. It is much like one of the fishes, the eel, in shape, but not in anything else, while no other animal is so much feared and hated by man. We hate this creeping reptile from the fact that a few species of snakes carry a deadly poison in their teeth, and the strongest of men, bitten by one of these, has often only a few minutes to live. It is this that makes man a bitter foe of the snake and quick to kill
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THE MONGOOSE AND OTHER SMALL ANIMALS
THE MONGOOSE AND OTHER SMALL ANIMALS
As I have now told the story of the snake, it is well to give a little time to one of the snake's chief enemies, the little weasel-like animal known in Egypt as the Ichneumon and in India as the Mongoose. Larger than a cat, but with a long, slender body, and very quick in its movements, the ichneumon is death to snakes. I cannot say that it is proof against the snake's bite, but it jumps about in so lively a way that the snake gets no chance to bite it, and when it once gets its teeth in the sna
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HAWKING OR FALCONRY
HAWKING OR FALCONRY
Perhaps you have read enough about tame animals of the four-footed kind. At any rate it will be well to turn now to the two-footed kind, the birds, and talk about a kind of sport in which birds have been used for many centuries. Nowadays, when one of us goes hunting, we take our shot-gun or rifle, with the dog for companion, and bring down the game with a bullet or load of shot. But long ago, before the gun was known, there was another way of catching game, and of this I wish to speak. It is cal
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THE DANCING BEAR
THE DANCING BEAR
You have seen, no doubt, the dancing bears, clumsy, ugly brutes that men lead around the country, visiting the summer resorts, and making the animals go through some awkward movements on their hind legs, which they call dancing. This is not a sign of any great sense in the bear. To get up on his hind legs is a common habit of this lumbering fellow. Many hunters who have made the bear angry have found this to be the case. When it wants to fight up comes the bear on its hind feet. It is not like a
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THE SEAL AND THE ALLIGATOR
THE SEAL AND THE ALLIGATOR
So far we have been talking of land animals, those that live, eat and breathe on solid ground. If we turn to the sea, we find it the native abode of the fish and of many animals lower than fish in nature's great family. And it is of interest to find that some land animals have gone back to the great world of waters, part of them to live there all the time, part to share their time between land and sea. Among the first of these is the mighty whale, much the largest of living beings; also the porp
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THE STORK, CORMORANT AND ALBATROSS
THE STORK, CORMORANT AND ALBATROSS
It would take many pages to tell about all the wild animals that have at times been tamed by man or made to serve him in various ways. As it is, we must confine ourselves to a few, and have selected the three water-birds named above all of which have been of service to man in some way. The Stork is not a tame bird in the sense of being kept about the household, but it has so long been taken care of and laws made to protect it, that it has grown very familiar and may be seen walking about the str
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THE HONEY-GIVING BEE
THE HONEY-GIVING BEE
There is only one other animal of which I shall speak as a servant or aid of man, this time an insect, the well-known hive bee, which every one of you must have seen, and like enough many of you may have felt, for this little fellow has a very "hot foot." The bee cannot be called a tame animal. Although it lives with man and under his care, it does not know this but fancies that it is working for itself alone. And the honey which man gets from it is laid up by the busy bee for its own use. It ha
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