NATURAL HISTORY, GENERAL AND PARTICULAR, BY THE
COUNT DE BUFFON,
TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.
ILLUSTRATED With three hundred and one COPPER-PLATES; AND OCCASIONAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS BY THE TRANSLATOR.
VOLUME VIII.
EDINBURGH: Printed for WILLIAM CREECH.
M,DCC,LXXX.
CONTENTS.
Dissertation on Mules
page 1
The Nomenclature of Apes
page 39
Natural History of the Orang-Outangs, or the Pongo and Jocko
page 77
Natural History of the Pigmy
page 106
Natural History of the Gibbon, or long-armed Ape
page 113
Natural History of the Magot, or Barbary Ape
page 117
Natural History of the Baboon properly so called
page 121
Natural History of the Great Baboon
page 125
Natural History of the Mandrill, or ribbed nose Baboon
page 129
Natural History of the Ouanderou and the Lowando
page 132
Natural History of the Maimon, or pig-tailed Baboon
page 137
Natural History of the Macaque, or hare-lipped Monkey, and the Egret
page 140
Natural History of the Patas, or Red Monkey
page 144
Natural History of the Malbrouck and Chinese-Bonnet
page 148
Natural History of the Mangabey
page 154
Natural History of the Mona, or varied Monkey
page 156
Natural History of the Callitrix, or Green Monkey
page 160
Natural History of the Mustache
page 163
Natural History of the Talapoin
page 165
Natural History of the Douc, or Cochin-China Monkey
page 168
Natural History of the Sapajous and Sagoins
page 172
Natural History of the Ouarine and Alouate
page 176
Natural History of the Coaita and Exquima
page 184
Natural History of the Sajou, or Capuchin Monkey
page 193
Natural History of the Sai, or Weeper
page 196
Natural History of the Saimiri, or Orange Monkey
page 199
Natural History of the Saki, or Fox-tailed Monkey
page 201
Natural History of the Tamarin, or Great-eared Monkey
page 203
Natural History of the Ouistiti, or striated Monkey
page 205
Natural History of the Marikina, or silky Monkey
page 209
Natural History of the Pinche, or red-tailed Monkey
page 211
Natural History of the Mico, or fair Monkey
page 214
Natural History of the White, or Polar Bear
page 216
Natural History of the Cow of Tartary
page 225
Natural History of the Baikal Hare
page 228
Natural History of the Zisel
page 229
Natural History of the Zemni
page 232
Natural History of the Pouc
page 233
Natural History of the Perouasca
page 234
Natural History of the Souslik
page 234
Natural History of the gilded Mole
page 238
Natural History of the white water Rat ib.
Natural History of the Guiney Hog
page 239
Natural History of the Cape de Verd Boar
page 241
Natural History of the Mexican Wolf
page 258
Natural History of the Alco
page 261
Natural History of the Tayra, or Guiney Weasel
page 265
Natural History of the Merian Opossum
page 267
Natural History of the Akouchi
page 269
Natural History of the Tucan, or Mexican Shrew
page 271
Natural History of the Brasilian Shrew
page 273
Natural History of the Rock Cavy
page 274
Natural History of the Tapeti, or Brasilian Hare
page 276
Natural History of the Crab-eater
page 279
Natural History of an Anonymous Animal
page 283
Natural History of the Madagascar Rat
page 284
Systematic Index.
page 287
DIRECTIONS to the BINDER.
Place Plate CCLII. between page 104 and page 105.
Place Plate CCLIII. CCLIV. between page 116 and page 117.
Place Plate CCLV. CCLVI. between page 120 and page 121.
Place Plate CCLVII. CCLVIII. between page 124. and page 125.
Place Plate CCLIX. CCLX. between page 128 and page 129.
Place Plate CCLXI. between page 132 and page 133.
Place Plate CCLXIII. between page 136 and page 137.
Place Plate CCLXII. between page 138 and page 139.
Place Plate CCLXIV. CCLXV. between page 142 and page 143.
Place Plate CCLXVI. CCLXVII. between page 146 and page 147.
Place Plate CCLXVIII. CCLXIX. between page 152 and page 153.
Place Plate CCLXX. CCLXXI. between page 154 and page 155.
Place Plate CCLXXII. between page 158 and page 159.
Place Plate CCLXXIII. between page 162 and page 163.
Place Plate CCLXXIV. between page 164 and page 165.
Place Plate CCLXXV. between page 166 and page 167.
Place Plate CCLXXVI. between page 170 and page 171.
Place Plate CCLXXVII. between page 192 and page 193.
Place Plate CCLXXVIII. CCLXXIX. between page 194 and page 195.
Place Plate CCLXXX. CCLXXXI. between page 198 and page 199.
Place Plate CCLXXXII. between page 200 and page 201.
Place Plate CCLXXXIII. between page 202 and page 203.
Place Plate CCLXXXIV. between page 204 and page 205.
Place Plate CCLXXXV. between page 208 and page 209.
Place Plate CCLXXXVI. between page 210 and page 211.
Place Plate CCLXXXVII. between page 212 and page 213.
Place Plate CCLXXXVIII. between page 216 and page 217.
Place Plate CCLXXXIX. between page 224 and page 225.
Place Plate CCXC. between page 236 and page 237.
Place Plate CCXCI. between page 256 and page 257.
Place Plate CCXCII. between page 270 and page 271.
Place Plate CCXCIII. CCXCIV. between page 282 and page 283.
Place Plate CCXCV. between page 284 and page 285.
N. B. Place plate 2d CCXL. 3d CCXL. and 4th CCXL. in vol. VII. p. 294.—The Dedication to be prefixed to vol. 1.
ERRATA.
Page 8. line 16.
for
his
read
her.
Page 62. line 29.
after
organs
add
of.
Page 118. line 2.
for
grinded
read
ground.
Page 122. line 19.
for
suum
read
suam.
Page 146. line 22.
for
body
read
nose.
Page 168. line 13.
after
douc
add
alone.
Page 207. line 4.
for
china golden fish
read
gold-fish.
Page 214. line 14.
read,
and, when almost in sight of the French coast, it was still alive.
Page 263. line 3.
for
it
read
his head.
Plate CCLX.
for
Mandrill
read
Great Baboon.
NATURAL HISTORY.
OF MULES.
[From the supplementary Volume.]
WE shall retain the name of
Mule
to the animal produced by the jack-ass and mare; and to that procreated between the horse and she-ass, we shall give the denomination of
bardeau.
The differences which subsist between these two mongrel animals have never hitherto been marked by any author. These differences, however, afford the most certain criterion of distinguishing the relative influence of males and females in the product of generation. A comparison of these two mules, and other mongrels proceeding from a mixture of different species, will give us more precise ideas concerning this relative influence, than could be obtained by simply comparing two individuals of the same species.
The bardeau is much smaller than the mule, and seems to preserve the dimensions of its mother, the she-ass; and the mule retains the dimensions of the mare. Hence, in mixed species, the size of the body appears to depend more upon the mother than the father. Now, these two animals differ in figure. The neck of the bardeau is thinner, the back sharper, and the crupper more pointed; while the fore-head of the mule is better shaped, the neck more beautiful, the sides rounder, and the crupper more plump. Hence both of these animals retain more of the mother than of the father, not only in magnitude, but in figure of body. This remark, however, does not apply to the head, limbs, and tail. The head of the bardeau is longer, and not so thick in proportion as that of the ass; and the head of the mule is shorter and thicker than that of the horse. Hence, in the figure and dimensions of the head, they have a greater resemblance to the father than to the mother. The tail of the bardeau is garnished with hair nearly in the same manner as that of the horse; and the tail of the mule is almost naked, like that of the ass. In this extreme part of the body, therefore, the similarity to the father predominates. The ears of the mule are longer than those of the horse; and the ears of the bardeau are shorter than those of the ass. The limbs of the mule are hard and limber, like those of the horse; and the limbs of the bardeau are more fleshy. Hence these two animals, in the form of the head, limbs, and other extremities of the body, have a greater resemblance to the father than to the mother.
In the years 1751 and 1752, I made two hegoats copulate with several ewes, and I obtained nine mules, seven males and and two females. Struck with this difference between the number of males and females, I endeavoured to discover whether the number of male mules, produced by the ass and mare, predominated in the same proportion. The information I received did not ascertain this point; but I learned that the number of male mules always exceeded that of the females. The Marquis de Spontin-Beaufort made a dog intermix with a she-wolf, and procured four mules, three of which were males
Letter from the Marquis de Spontin-Beaufort to M. de Buffon, dated Namur, July 14. 1773, and attested by two letters from M. Surirey de Boisly, likewise dated Namur, June 9. and July 19. 1773.
. In fine, having made inquiries concerning mules which are more easily obtained, I learned, that the number of males greatly exceeded that of the females. In the article,
Canary-birds
See tom. 4. de l'Hist. Nat. des Oiseaux.
, I remarked, that of nine young produced between a gold-finch and a Canary-bird, there were only three females. These are the only certain facts I could collect on this subject
What is related by different authors, concerning the jumars, appears to be very suspicious. The Sicur Léger, in his history of the Vaudois, tells us,
That, in the vallies of Piedmont, there are mongrel animals, called
jumars
; that, when engendered by a bull and a mare, they are denominated
baf
or
buf,
and when produced by a bull and a she-ass, they receive the appellation of
bif
; that these jumars have no horns, and are of the size of mules; that they are very swift; that he mounted one of them on the 30th day of September, and performed, in a single day, a journey of eighteen leagues, or fifty four Italian miles; and that they were surer, and more easy than a horse.
From an assertion of this kind, we would be led to believe, that these jumars, produced by the bull and the mare and she-ass, either exist, or did formerly exist; yet I have never been able to discover any confirmation of these facts.
Dr Shaw, in his history of Algiers, p. 166. says,
To the mule we may join the
Kumrab,
as the Algerines call a little serviceable beast of burden, begot betwixt an ass and a cow. That which I saw at Algiers (where it was not looked upon as a rarity), was single hoofed, like the ass, but distinguished from it, in having a sleeker skin, with the tail and the head (though without horns) in fashion of the dam's.
Dr Shaw is an author who deserves credit. However, having consulted several persons who had been in Barbary, and particularly the Chevalier James Bruce, they all assured me, that they had no knowledge concerning these animals engendered by an ass and a cow.
, which merits more attention than it has yet received; for the mysteries of generation by the concourse of different species, and the ascertaining of the proportional effective powers of males and females in every kind of reproduction, can alone be developed by an assemblage of similar facts.
Of my nine mules produced by the he-goat and the ewes, the first was brought forth on the 15th day of April. When examined three days after birth, and compared with lambs of the same age, it differed from them in the following particulars: The ears, upper part of the head, as well as the distance between the eyes, were larger. It had, besides, a band of whitish gray hair from the nap of the neck to the extremity of the tail. The four legs, the superior part of the neck, the breast, and belly, were covered with the same white, coarse hair. There was a small quantity of wool upon the flanks only; and even this short, curled wool, was mixed with a great deal of hair. The legs of this mule were also a foot and a half longer than those of a lamb of the same age. When examined, eighteen days after birth, the white hairs were partly fallen off, and replaced by brown hairs, similar in colour to those of the he-goat, and nearly as coarse. The limbs continued to be more than a foot and a half longer than those of the lamb; and, on account of this length of limbs, it did not walk so well as the lamb. This lamb was killed by an accident; and I took no farther notice of the mule till four months afterward, when I compared it with a sheep of the same age. In the mule, from the space between the eyes to the extremity of the muzzle, the distance was at least an inch shorter than in the sheep; and the head of the mule was more than half an inch broader, at the broadest part. Hence the head of this mule was thicker and shorter than that of a sheep of equal age. The curvature of the upper jaw, taken from the corner of the mouth, was near half an inch longer in the mule than in the sheep. The head of the mule was not covered with wool, but with long, bushy hair. The tail was two inches shorter than that of the sheep.
In the beginning of the year 1752, I obtained, from the union of a he-goat with ewes, eight other mules, six of which were males, and two females. Two of them died before I could examine them; but they seemed to resemble those who survived. Two of them, a male and a female, had four teats, two on each side, like those of the goats. In general, these mules had long hair on the belly, and particularly about the penis, as in the he-goat, and also on the feet, and particularly those behind. Most of them had the chanfrin less arched than is common to lambs, the distance between the hoofs larger, and the tail shorter.
Under the article
Dog,
I related some experiments made with a view to procure an intermixture between a dog and a wolf, where all the precautions employed for that purpose were abortive
See vol. IV. p. 24.
. The conclusion drawn from these experiments was in the following words: 'I pretend not absolutely to affirm, that the wolf, in no age or country, never intermixed with dogs. The contrary is asserted positively by the antients. Aristotle remarks, that, though animals of different species seldom intermix; yet it certainly happens among dogs, foxes, and wolves.' I have since learned the propriety of being thus cautious in my conclusions; for M. le Marquis de Spontin-Beaufort has succeeded in the junction of a dog and a wolf. I was informed of this fact by M. Surirey de Boissy, in a letter which he wrote me in the following terms:
Namur,
June
9. 1773.
The Marquis de Spontin has in this place reared a very young she-wolf, to whom he gave, as a companion, a dog of nearly the same age. They were left at full liberty, and came into the apartments, the kitchen, the stable, &c. They live in the most intimate friendship, and are extremely caressing, lying under the table, and upon the feet of the persons who sit round it.
The dog is a kind of mongrel mastiff, and full of vigour. During the first six months, the wolf was fed with milk, and afterward with raw flesh, which it preferred to what was roasted. When she eat, no person durst approach her. At other times, she permitted every freedom, except abuse. She caressed all the dogs which came near her, till she began to give a preference to her old companion; after which, she was enraged at every other. She was covered, for the first time, on the 25th day of March last. Her amours continued fifteen days, with pretty frequent repetitions; and she brought forth her young on the sixth day of June at eight o'clock in the morning. Hence the time of her gestation was seventy-three days. The young were four in number, and of a blackish colour. Some of them have the half of the breast, and the pats, white. These colours are derived from the dog, who is black and white. From the moment of littering, she growled and attacked all who approached her. She no longer distinguished her masters; and would even have devoured the dog, if he had come near her.
I add, that she has been chained ever since she made a break at her gallant, who had leaped a neighbouring wall, in order to come at a bitch in season; that she nearly worried his rival; and that the coachman separated them by repeated blows of a large bludgeon, and conducted her to her lodge, where, imprudently commencing his chastisement, her fury rose to such a degree, that she bit him twice in the thigh, and the wounds confined him six weeks to his bed.
In my answer to this letter, I thanked M. de Boissy, and added some remarks, with a view to remove my doubts. M. le Marquis de Spontin having seen my answer, obligingly wrote me in the following terms:
Namur,
July
14. 1773.
I read with much satisfaction the judicious remarks you transmitted to M. Surirey de Boissy, whom I had begged to communicate to you, during my absence, a fact, which cannot be denied, notwithstanding the force of your arguments, and the opinion I have always entertained, as well as the rest of the world, of the excellence of the many learned productions by which you have enlightened the republic of letters. But, whether it was an effect of chance, or one of those sports of Nature, who, as you remark, sometimes departs from her established laws, the fact is incontestible; and you will be convinced of its truth, if you give credit to what I have the honour of writing you, which can be attested by two hundred persons at least, who were witnesses to it as well as myself. This she-wolf was only three days old when I purchased it from a peasant, who had carried it off, after killing the mother. I fed it with milk till it was able to eat flesh. I recommended to those who had the care of it, to caress, and handle it often, with a view to render it as tame as possible. At last, it became so familiar that I have taken it to hunt in the woods at the distance of a league from my house, without any danger of losing it. Sometimes, when I was unable to call it back, it returned of its own accord in the night. I was always more certain of keeping it at home when I had a dog; for it was fond of dogs; and those, who had overcome their natural repugnance, sported with it, as if they had been animals of the same species. During all this time, it attacked only cats and poultry, whom it strangled, without discovering any inclination to eat them. As soon as she attained the age of twelve months, her ferocity increased, and I began to perceive that she had a strong desire to attack sheep and bitches. I then chained her; because she frequently sprung upon her master, when he attempted to restrain her. she was at least one year old when I introduced her to the acquaintance of the dog who covered her. She has been kept in my garden, which is situated in the centre of the town, since the end of November last; and, therefore, no male wolf can be supposed to have had any communication with her. As soon as she came in season, she discovered such an affection for the dog, and the dog for her, that each of them howled frightfully when they were not together. She was first covered on the 28th day of March, and twice each day during the two following weeks. They continued attached to each other more than a quarter of an hour at every embrace, during which time the wolf complained, and seemed to suffer pain; but the dog was perfectly at his ease. Three weeks after, her pregnancy was perceptible. On the 6th day of June, she brought forth four young, whom she still suckles, though they are five weeks old, and have pretty long sharp teeth. They have a perfect resemblance to puppies, having long pendulous ears. One of them is black, with a white breast, which was the colour of the dog. The others will probably be of the colour of the mother. The hair of each of them is courser than that of ordinary dogs. There is but one female, with a very short tail, like the dog, who had scarcely any tail. They promise to be large, strong, and very ferocious. The mother is extremely solicitous concerning their wellfare. . . . . . I doubt whether I shall keep her any longer, having been chagrined by an accident that befell my coachman, whom she bit so cruelly, that he has been confined to his bed these six weeks past. But I will engage, that, if preserved, she will again have puppies by the same dog, who is white, with large black spots on the back. I hope, Sir, that what I have said will answer for a reply to your remarks, and that you will no longer hesitate concerning the truth of this singular event.
My doubts are entirely removed, and I am happy to embrace this opportunity of expressing my thanks. The establishment of a rare fact in natural history is a great acquisition. The means of obtaining such facts are always difficult, and often, as we have seen, very dangerous. It was for this last reason that I fequestered my wolf and dog from all society. I had formerly reared a young wolf, who, till the age of twelve months, did no mischief, and followed his master like a dog. But, in the second year, he committed so many excesses that it was necessary to kill him. I learned by experience, that these animals, though softened by education, resume, with age, their natural ferocity. Willing to prevent these inconveniences, I kept my shewolf always confined along with the dog; and I acknowledge that this method of procuring an union between them, was ill imagined; for, in this state of slavery and disgust, the dispositions of the wolf, instead of being softened, were soured to such a degree, that she was more ferocious than if she had been at full liberty; and the dog, having been early detached from his equals, and from the society of men, had assumed a savage and cruel character, which the bad humour of the wolf served only to augment; so that, during the two last years, their antipathy rose to such a degree, that they desired nothing so much as to devour each other. In the experiment made by the Marquis de Spontin, every circumstance was reversed. The dog was in his ordinary condition: He had all the mildness and other qualities which this docile animal acquires by his intercourse with man. The wolf was likewise reared in perfect freedom and familiarity along with the dog, which, by being under no restraint, had lost his repugnance to her; and she, by the same mild management, became susceptible of attachment to him. She, therefore, received him with cordiality, whenever the hour of Nature struck: And, though she seemed to complain and to suffer, she felt more pleasure than pain; for she allowed the operation to be repeated every day, during all the time she was in season. Besides, the proper moment for this unnatural union was seized. The wolf felt the impression of love for the first time. She was only in the second year of her age; and, of course, had not entirely resumed her natural ferocity.
All these circumstances, and perhaps some others which were not observed, contributed to the success of this fertile embrace. From what has been remarked, it would appear, that the most certain method of rendering animals unfaithful to their species, is to place them, like man, in society, and to accustom them gradually to individuals which, without such precautions, would not only be indifferent, but hostile to each other. However this matter stands, the Marquis de Spontin has ascertained the fact, that the dog can produce with the wolf even in our climates. I could have wished that the success of this experiment had induced its author to try the union of a wolf with a bitch, and of foxes with dogs. But if this desire should be considered as exorbitant, he must ascribe it to the insatiable enthusiasm of a naturalist
A similar fact has been announced by M. Bourgelat, in a letter to me, dated April 15. 1775: 'My Lord Pembroke,' says he, 'informed me, that, within these few days, he saw a large mastiff copulate with a she-wolf; that the wolf is tame; that she is always in her master's chamber, and consequently under his eye; that she never goes out alone; and that she follows her master with all the fidelity of a dog. He adds, that an animal merchant has had, at four different times, mules produced by the wolf and dog. He alledges, that the wolf is only a wild dog; and in this opinion he is joined by the celebrated anatomist Mr Hunter. He thinks differently with regard to the fox. He tells me, that a bitch, who was a daughter of a wolf, and belonged to Lord Clanbrazil, intermixed with a setting dog, and produced puppies, which, according to his hunter, will be excellent pointers.'
.
But to return to our mules. In those I obtained from the he-goat and ewe, the number of males was as seven to two; in those from the dog and she-wolf, the males were as three to one; and, in those from the goldfinch and Canary bird, the mules were as sixteen to three. It appears, therefore, to be certain, that the number of males, which is always greater than that of females in pure species, is still greater in mixed species. Hence, the male, in general, has a greater influence on the produce of generation than the female, because he transmits his sex to the greatest number, and because the number of males augments in proportion to the remoteness of the species who intermix. The same thing must happen in the conjunction of different races: By crossing the remotest of these, we will not only procure the most beautiful productions, but the greatest number of males. I have often endeavoured to investigate the reason why any religion, or any government, should prohibit the marriage of brothers and sisters. Did men learn, by very antient experience, that the union of brother and sister was less fertile than an intermixture with strangers, or that the former produced fewer males, and feebler and more unhandsome children? It is certain, however, that, from a thousand experiments, both in men and the other animals, crossing the breed is the only mode of ennobling and preserving the perfection of the species.
To these facts and experiments, let us add what the antients have said upon this subject. Aristotle tells us, that the mule engenders with the mare, and that the junction produces an animal which the Greeks called
hinnus
or
ginnus.
He likewise remarks, that the she-mule easily conceives, but seldom brings the foetus to perfection
Arist. hist. animal. lib. 6. cap. 24.
. Of these two facts, the second is more rare than the first; and both happen only in warm climates. M. de Bory, of the royal academy of Sciences, and formerly governour of the American islands, communicated to me a recent fact of this kind, in a letter, dated May 7. 1770, of which the following is an extrat.
You will perhaps recollect, Sir, that M. d' Almbert read, last year, in the Academy of Sciences, a letter, which informed him, that a she-mule, in the island of St Domingo, had brought forth a foal. I was desired to write for proper vouchers of the fact; and I have now the honour of sending you the certificate which I received. . . . . My correspondent is worthy of the highest credit. He adds, that he has seen mules cover, indiscriminately, she-mules and mares, and likewise she-mules covered by stallions and he-mules.
This certificate is judicially attested, and signed by witnesses of unquestionable veracity. The substance of it is, that, on the 14th day of May 1769, M. de Nort, Knight of St Louis, and late Major of the Royal Legion of St Domingo, had a she-mule brought to him, which was said to be sick; that her belly was remarkably large, and a membrance protruded through the vagina. M. de Nort, believing the animal to be inflated, sent for a Negro farrier, who had been accustomed to take care of diseased animals; that this Negro, who arrived in the absence of M. de Nort, had thrown down the mule, in order to give her a draught; that, the moment after the fall, she brought forth a young mule, perfectly formed, and covered with long and very black hair; that the young mule lived an hour; but that, having been both hurt by the fall, and foal died soon after birth, and the mother ten hours after; and, in fine, that the young mule was skinned, and the skin sent, says M. de Nort, to Doctor Matty, who deposited it in the Musaeum of the Royal Society at London.
Other eye-witnesses, and particularly M. Cazavant, surgeon, add, that the young mule seemed to have been mature, and well formed; that, from the appearance of its hair, head, and ears, it had a greater resemblance to the ass than common mules; that the paps of the mother were swelled, and full of milk; that, when the ignorant Negro perceived the feet issuing from the vagina, he drew so forcibly as to invert the uterus, and lacerate the parts, which occasioned the death of both mother and foal.
These facts, which appear to be well ascertained, demonstrate, that, in warm climates, the mule is not only capable of conception, but of bringing the foetus to full maturity. From my correspondents in Spain and Italy, I learn, that similar events have happened in these countries: But the facts are not so completely authenticated. It still remains to be inquired, whether this St Domingo mule was impregnated by an ass or a mule. The superior resemblance of the young mule to the former seems to indicate, that she had been covered by an ass. The ferocious ardour of the ass renders him very indifferent in the choice of females, and makes him attack, with nearly the same avidity, the she-ass, the mare, and the mule.
We may, therefore, consider it as an established fact, that the he-mule can generate, and the she-mule produce. Like other animals, they have a seminal liquor, and all the organs necessary to generation. But mongrel animals are always less fertile, and more tardy than those of a pure species. Besides, mules have never produced in cold climates, seldom in warm regions, and still more seldom in temperate countries
To the above facts, the Translator has to add an instance of the prolific powers of a she mule in the North of Scotland. Having heard that a mule, belonging to Mr. David Tullo, farmer in Auchtertyre, in the county of Forfar, had some years ago brought forth a foal, he transmitted a few queries to be put to Mr Tullo; and requested that his answers might be legally attested before a magistrate. This request was chearfully complied with; and the following is an exact copy of the queries, answers, and attestations.
Interrogatories to be put to Mr Tullo tenant in Auchtertyre, parish of Newtyle, and county of Forfar, with his answers thereto.
1
mo,
Had you ever a she-mule? At what period? Is it true that the mule had a foal? At what time was she covered; and when did she foal?
Answered by Mr Tullo: That he bought a she-mule about twenty years ago: That she was constantly in season for a horse: That, about some years thereafter, he gave her a horse; and that she, thereafter, gave him a foal, about the 10th of June. The mule's price was four pounds five shillings Sterling.
2
do,
What was the colour of the foal? Was there any thing particular in its figure?
Answer: The foal was exactly the colour of its mother, inclined to black, with a very large head, big ears, and small tail; and the declarant thinks, had its head been weighed when foaled, it would have weighted nearly as much as its body.
3
tio,
How long was the animal allowed to live?
Answer: The next day after the mule foaled, it was sent, with its mother, to the Loch of Lundie, in order to let the foal die, as the declarant could not want the mule's work, and the mother seemed not fond of the foal: That it was accordingly left, and next day came to Auchtertyre, about two miles distance, over a hill, with the cattle of Auchtertyre. that had been grazing near to that place, and was drowned in a ditch the day following.
4
to,
Was its skin preserved, or the head, or any other bones of the skeleton? Could any part thereof be still found?
Answered: neither the skin, nor any part of the skeleton was preserved, nor can now be had; though the declarant has often regretted the not preserving the foal, as its mother always performed any work that a horse of fifteen pounds value could do.
5
to,
Is the mother still alive? What is her age?
Answer: The mother died, about eight years ago, of an epidemic cold that was raging among the horses in this country: The mule had little or no milk after foaling, and the foal got some cow's milk: And this is all that he remembers of the matter.
DAVID TULLO.
Auchtertyre,
4th February 1780.
We James Small tenant in Burnmouth, and Rober Ramsay tenant in Newtyle, hereby certify, That we have often seen the mule above described, and we know that she had a foal, as is narrated by David Tullo.
JAMES SMALL.
ROB. RAMSAY.
Ballantyne house,
4th February 1780.
The within interrogatories were put to David Tullo, tenant in Auchtertyre, anent the mule he had, and the foal she produced, to which he gave the answers subjoined to each query, and signed them, as did James small and Robert Ramsay, attesting the truth thereof, in presence of
GEORGE WATSON, J. P.
The original attestation is in the possession of the Translator; and he lately transmitted
otorial or authenticated copies of it to the Count de Buffon, and to Thomas Pennant,
Esq
of Downing, in Flintshire.
. Hence their barrenness, without being absolute, may be regarded as positive; since their productions are so rare, that a few examples only can be collected. But men were wrong in asserting that mules were absolutely barren, and that all animals proceeding from a mixture of different species were, like the mules, incapable of producing. The facts formerly related concerning the produce of a he-goat and a ewe, of a dog and a she-wolf, and of Canary birds and gold-finches, demonstrate, that these mongrels are by no means barren, and that some of them are equally prolific with their parents.
It is an unhappy circumstance, that a small, and often nominal error, extends over every object to which it has any relation, and at last not only becomes in an error in fact, but gives rise to a general prejudice, that is more difficult to remove than the particular opinion from which it originated. A single word, a name like that of
mule,
which ought solely to represent the idea of the animla proceeding from the ass and mare, has been improperly applied to the animal produced by the horse and the she-ass, and afterward, with still greater impropriety, to all quadrupeds, and all birds, of mixed species: And, as this word
mule,
in its original acceptation, included the idea of the barrenness common to the animal proceeding from the ass and mare, this idea of barrenness has been conveyed to all beings who have the denomination of
mules
; I say to all beings; for, independent of quadrupeds, birds, and fishes, mule plants have been fancied, to which, without hesitation, this general sterility has also been ascribed. None of these beings, however, is absolutely barren. The
mule,
properly so called, or the animal produced by the ass mare, is not absolutely barren; but its prolific powers, when compared with those of pure species, or even with those of other animals of a mixed species, are much more feeble and uncertain.
All mules, says Prejudice, are vitiated animals, incapable of producing: No animal, says Reason and Experience, though proceeding from two species, is absolutely barren. It ought to be remarked, however, that, in pure, as well as mixed species, the degrees of fertility are very different. In the first, some, like the fishes and insects, multiply, annually, by millions; others, as the birds and small quadrupeds, produce by twenties and dozens; in fine, others, as man, and the larger quadrupeds, produce only one in twelve months. The number produced may be said to be in the inverse proportion of the magnitude of animals. The horse and ass bring forth but one in a year; and, in the same period, the mouse and Guinea pig produce thirty or forty. Hence the fecundity of these small animals is thirty or forty times greater; and, if a scale were formed of the different degrees of fertility, the small animals above enumerated would occupy the highest points, while the horse and ass would be found nearly in the lowest; for the elephant alone is less fertile.
In mixt species, there are also differnt degrees of fecundity; for animals proceeding from two species partake of two natures, and are, in general, less fertile; and this want of fertility increases in proportion to the infecundity of the parents. Hence, if the horse and ass, two animals naturally not very fertile, mix, the original infecundity, instead of diminishing in the mongrel race, must be augemented. The mule will not only be less fertile than its parents, but, perhaps, the most unfertile of all mongrels; because all the other mules which produce, such as those proceeding from the he-goat and ewe, from the goldfinch and Canary bird, &c. are much more fruitful than the ass and horse. It is to this original and particular cause, that the infecundity of the mule and bardeau should be referred. A second cause, still more particular, renders the last animal less prolific than the first. The mule proceeding from the ass and mare retains the ardent temperament of the father, and, of course, possesses a high degree of prolific power; while the bardeau proceeding from the horse and ass is, like its father, less potent, and less able to engender. Besides, the mare being less ardent than the she-ass, is likewise more fertile, since she conceives and retains with more certainty. Thus every circumstance concurs in rendering the mule more prolific than the bardeau; for ardour of temperament in the male, which is so necessary to successful generation and the number produced, is hurtful in the female, and almost always prevents conception and retention.
This fact holds generally both in man and the other animals. Cold women, joined to ardent men, produce a number of children. A woman, on the contrary, who feels too acutely the emotions of love, is seldom fertile. But, in most women who are merely passive, the effect is more certain; because the fruit of generation is less disturbed by the convulsions of pleasure. These are so marked, and so destructive to conception, in some females, such as the sheass, that she requires cold water to be thrown on her crupper, and even heavy blows, in order to repress them. Without such disagreeable aids, the she-ass would never be impregnated, till age abated the fury of her passion. The same means are sometimes employed to make mares conceive.
But, it may be said, that female dogs and cats, who seem to be more ardent than the mare and she-ass, never fail to conceive; and, therefore, that the fact advanced concerning the infecundity of females whose feelings are exquisite, is too general, and admits of many exceptions. But the example of dogs and cats, instead of being an exception, is rather a confirmation of the general rule; for, in the bitch, however violent the convulsions of the internal organs may be supposed, they have full time to be appeased during the long interval between consummation and the retreat of the male, who cannot detach himself till the turgidity and irritation of the parts subside. The female cat is in a similar situation. Of all females, she appears to be the most ardent in her amours; for she calls to the males with lamentable cries, which announce the most pressing necessity. But, as in the dog, from a particular conformation of the male cat, this violent female never misses conception. Her desires, which are excessive, are necessarily tempered with a pain almost equally acute. The glans of the male cat is covered with large sharp prickles. The intromission of it, therefore, must be extremely painful to the female, who announces her sufferings by loud cries. The pain is so great, that she instantly makes every effort to escape, and the male, to retain her, is obliged to seize her by the neck with his teeth, and to compell submission from the very female who had invited his embraces
In domestic animals, who are well fed and taken care of, multiplication is greater than in those who continue in a wild state. Of this we have an example in domestic dogs and cats, who produce several times every year; but, when in a natural state, they produce only once in the same period. Domestic birds furnish an example still more striking: Can the fecundity of any species of wild birds be compared to that of a well fed hen, when properly served with a cock? And, even in the human species, what a vast difference betwen the scanty propagation of savages, and the immense population of civilized nations, under the administration of a wise government? But we here confine ourselves to the fecundity natural to animals in full possession of liberty, the relative fertility of whom is exhibited in the following Table, from which some important conclusions may be drawn.
TABLE of the Relative Fecundity of ANIMALS.
Names.
Age at which males can engender, and females produce.
Times of gestation.
Number of young produced at a litter.
Age at which males cease to engender, and females to produce.
 
MALE.
FEMALE.
 
 
MALE.
FEMALE.
 
Years.
Years.
 
 
Years.
Years.
Elephant
30
30
2 years
1 in 3 or 4 years
lives 200
 
Rhinoceros
15 or 20
15 or 20
. . . .
1
lives 70 or 80
 
Hippopotamus
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
1
. . . .
 
Walrus
. . . .
. . . .
9 months
1
. . . .
 
Camel
4
4
1 year nearly
1
lives 40 or 50
 
Dromedary
4
4
idem
1
lives 40 or 50
 
Horse
2½
2
11 months
1, sometimes 2
at 25 or 30
at 18 or 20
Zebra
2
2
11 ditto
1, rarely 2
at 25 or 30
at 18 or 20
Ass
2
2
11 do. & more
1, rarely 2
at 25 or 30
at 25 or 30
Buffalo
3
3
9 months
1
lives 15 or 18
 
Ox
2
1½
9 ditto
1, rarely 2
at 9
at 9
Stag
1½
1½
8 do. & more
1, rarely 2
lives 30 or 35
 
Rain-deer
2
2
8 months
1
lives 16
 
Lama
3
3
. . . .
1, rarely 2
at 12
at 12
Man
14
12
9 months
1, sometimes 2
 
 
Large apes
3
3
. . . .
1, sometimes 2
 
 
Mouflon
1½
1
5 ditto
1, sometimes 2, twice a year in hot climates
at 8
at 10 or 12
Saiga
1
1
5 months
1, sometimes 2
lives 15 or 20
 
Roebuck
1½
2
5 ditto
1, 2, sometimes 3
lives 12 or 15
 
Chamois goat
1
1
5 ditto
1, 2, rarely 3
lives 20
 
Goat
1
7 months
5 ditto
1, 2, rarely 3, and never above 4
at 7
at 7
Sheep
1
1
5 ditto
1, sometimes 2, twice a year, in warm climates
at 8
at 10 or 12
Seal
. . . .
. . . .
several months
2 or 3
 
 
Bear
2
2
ditto
1, 2, 3, 4, and never above 5
lives 20 or 25
 
Badger
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
3 or 4
 
 
Lion
2
2
. . . .
3 or 4 once a year
lives 20 or 25
 
Leopards and Tiger
2
2
. . . .
4 or 5 once a year
 
 
Wolf
2
2
73 days or more
5, 6, to 9, once a year
at 15 or 20
at 15 or 20
Dog in a natural state
9 or 10 months
9 or 10 months
63 days
3, 4, 5, 6
at 15
at 15
Isatis
. . . .
. . . .
63 days
6 and 7
 
 
Fox
1
1
In season in winter, and produces in April
3, 4, to 6
at 10 or 11
at 10 or 11
Jackal
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
2, 3, or 4
 
 
Cat in a natural state
before 1
before 1
56 days
4, 5, or 6
at 9
at 9
Martin
1
1
56 days, it is said
3, 4, and 6
at 8 or 10
at 8 or 10
Pine Weasel
1
1
idem
3, 4, and 6
at 8 or 10
at 8 or 10
Polecat
1
1
idem
3, 4, and 5
gener. dur. life
prod. during life
Weasel
1st year
1 st year
. . . .
3, 4, and 5
idem
idem
Ermine
idem
idem
. . . .
idem
idem
idem
Squirrel
1
1
copulates in March, and produces in May
3 or 4
idem
idem
Flying Squirrel
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
3 or 4
 
 
Hedgehog
1
1
40 days
3, 4, and 5
 
 
Dormice
1st year
1 st year
. . . .
3, 4, and 5
lives 6
 
Musk Rats
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
4, 5, or 6
 
 
Opossums
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
4, 5, 6, and 7
 
 
Hogs
1 year or 9 mos.
1 year or 9 mos.
4 months
10, 12, 15, to 20, twice a year
at 15
at 15
Armadillos
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
4 several times a year
 
 
Hare
1st year
1st year
30 or 31 days
2, 3, 4, several times a year
lives 7 or 8
 
Rabbit
5 or 6 months
5 or 6 months
idem
4, 5, to 8, several times a year
idem
 
Ferret
1st year
1st year
40 days
5, 6, to 9, twice a year
during life
 
Rats
idem
idem
5 or 6 weeks
5 or 6 several times a year
idem
 
Field Mice
idem
idem
1 month or 5 weeks
9 or 10 several times a year
 
 
Mouse
idem
idem
idem
5 or 6 several times a year
idem
 
Brown Rat
idem
idem
. . . .
12 to 19 thrice a year
idem
 
Guinea pig
5 or 6 weeks
5 or 6 weeks
3 weeks
eight times a year; 1st litter 4 or 5; 2d, 5 or 6; and the others 7, 8, to 11
lives 6 or 7, and produces during life
 
This is the order in which Nature has presented to us the different degrees of fecundity in quadrupeds; and from it we perceive, that this fecundity diminishes in proportion to the magnitude of the animal. In general, this same scale of fecundity extends to all the other tribes of animated Nature. Small birds are more prolific than the larger kinds. The same thing holds in fishes, and perhaps in insects. But, confining our remarks to quadrupeds alone, it appears from the above table, that the hog is the only exception to the general rule; for, from the size of his body, he should be ranked with those animals which produce only two or three, once in twelve months, while, in fact, he is equally prolific with the small quadrupeds.
This table contains all that is known with regard to the fertility of pure species. But the fecundity of mixed species, which is always less than that of the pure, merits particular attention. The reason will be apparent, by supposing, for example, that all the males in the horse species, and all the she-asses, or, rather, all the jack-asses and all the mares, were destroyed: In this case, those mixed animals alone, which we call
mules
and
bardeaux,
would be produced; and the number brought forth would be much fewer than that of horses or asses; because the natural conformities or relations between the horse and she-ass, or between the jack-ass and mare, are less than between the horse and mare, or the male and female ass. It is the number of conformities and dissimilarities which constitutes or distinguishes species; and, since the species of the ass has at all times been separated from that of the horse, it is apparent, that, by mixing these two species, whether by means of females or males, we diminish the number of conformities which constitute the species. Hence the males will engender and the females produce seldomer, and with more difficulty; and even those mixed species, if their conformities were fewer, would become entirely barren. Mules of every kind, therefore, must be rare; because it is only from being deprived of its natural female, that any animal will intermix with a female of a different species. Even when mongrel animals approach each other with some degree of warmth, their produce is neither so certain nor so frequent as in pure species, where the number of conformities is greater. Now, the produce of mixed species will be less frequent, in proportion to the infecundity of the pure species from whom they proceed; and the produce of animals proceeding from mixed species will always diminish in proportion as they recede from the original stock; because the conformities between them and any other animal are augmented. For example, I am persuaded, from the reasons above assigned, that an intercourse between two bardeaux would be abortive. Besides, these animals proceed from two species which are not very fertile, and are also under the influence of the same causs which often prevent the she-ass from conceiving with her own male. I am more uncertain with regard to the sterility of
mules
properly so called; because they are not liable to the last cause of barrenness; for, as the mare conceives more easily than the she-ass, and the jack-ass is more ardent than the horse, their respective prolific powers are greater, and their produce not so rare as that of the she-ass and horse. The mules, of course, will be less barren than the bardeaux. I suspect, however, that two mules never engender; and I presume, even from the examples of fertile mules, that they owe their impregnation to the ass, rather than to the mule; for we ought not to regard the he-mule as the natural male of the she-mule, though they both have the same name, or rather, differ only in sex.
To explain this matter, let us suppose an order of kindred in species, like that which takes place in families. The horse and mare will be brother and sister in species, and parents in the first degree. It is the same with the male and female ass. But, if the male ass is given to the mare, they are only counsins in species, or kindred in the second degree. The mule produced by them, participating one half of both species, will be removed to the third degree of kindred. Hence the male and female mule, though proceeding from the same father and mother, instead of being brother and sister in species, are only kindred in the fourth degree; and, of course, will produce more difficultly between themselves, than the jack-ass and mare, who are kindred species in the second degree. For the same reason, the male and female mules will not produce so easily between themselves, as with the mare or ass; because the kindred of the latter in species is only in the third degree, while that of the former is in the fourth degree. The infecundity, which appears in the second degree, should be more conspicuous in the third, and perhaps absolute in the fourth.
In general, kindred of species is one of those mysteries of Nature, which man can never unravel, without a long continued and difficult series of experiments. How can we otherwise learn, than by the union of different species of animals many thousand times repeated, the degree of their kindred? Is the ass more allied to the horse than the zebra? Does the wolf approach nearer to the dog than the fox or jackal? At what distance from man shall we place the large apes, who resemble him so perfectly in conformation of body? Are all the species of animals the same now that they were orginally? Has not their number augmented, instead of being diminished? Have not the feeble species been destroyed by the stronger, or by the tyranny of man, the number of whom has become a thousand times greater than that of any other large animal? What relations can be established between kindred species, and another kindred still better known, that of different races in the same species? Does not a race, like the mixed species, proceed from an anomalous individual, which forms the original stock? In the dog species, there is, perhaps, a race so rare, that it is more difficult to procreate than the mixed species proceeding from the ass and mare. How many questions does this subject admit of; and how few of them are we in a condition to resolve? How many facts must be discovered before we can even form probable conjectures? However, instead of being discouraged, the philosopher ought to applaud Nature, even when she is most mysterious, and to rejoice that, in proportion as he removes one part of her veil, she exhibits an immensity of other objects, all worthy of his researches. For, what we already know ought to point out what may still be known. There is no boundary to the human intellect. It extends in proportion as the universe is displayed. Hence man can and ought to attempt every thing: He wants nothing but time to enable him to obtain universal knowledge. By multiplying his observations, he might foresee all the phaenomena and all the events of Nature with equal certainty, as if he deduced them from their immediate causs: And what enthusiasm can be more pardonable, or rather more noble, than to believe that man is capable, by his labours, to discover all the powers and mysteries of Nature!
These labours consist chiefly in making observations and experiments, from which we discover new truths. For example, the union of animals of different species, by which alone we can learn their kindred, has never been sufficiently tried. The facts we have been able to collect concerning this union, whether voluntary or forced, are so few, that we are not in a condition to ascertain the existence of
jumars.
This name was first given to mules said to have proceeded from the bull and mare; but it has likewise been applied to denote mongrels alledged to have been procreated by the jack-ass and cow. Dr Shaw tells us, that, in the provinces of Tunis and Algiers, 'there is a little serviceable beast of burden, called
Kumrah,
begot betwixt an
ass
and a
cow.
That which I saw at Algiers (where it was not looked upon as a rarity) was single hoofed like the ass, but distinguished from it in having a sleeker skin, with the tail and the head (though without horns) in fashion of the dam's
Shaw's Travels, p. 166.
.
Thus we have already two kinds of jumars, the one proceeding from the bull and mare, and the other from the jack-ass and cow. A third is mentioned by Merolle, and is pretended to proceed from the bull and she-ass.
'There was a beast of burden which proceeds from the bull and she-ass, and is obtained by covering the ass with a cow's skin, in order to deceive the bull
Voyage de Merolle au Congo, en 1682.
.'
But I am equally doubtful concerning the existence of all the three kinds of jumar; though I pretend not to deny the possibility of the fact. I have even enumerated some facts which prove an actual copulation between animals of very different species: But their embraces were ineffectual. Nothing seems to be more remote from the amiable character of the dog than the brutal manners and instinct of the hog; and the form of their bodies is as different as their natural dispositions. I have seen, however, two examples of a violent attachment between a dog and a sow. Even during this very summer 1774, a large spaniel discovered a violent passion for a sow which was in season: They were shut up together for several days; and all the domestics were witnesses of the mutual ardour of these two animals. The dog exerted many violent efforts to copulate with the sow; but the dissimilarity of their organs prevented their union
This fact happened in the house of M. le Conte de la Feuillée, in Burgundy.
. The same thing happened some years before
At Billy, near Chanceau in Burgundy.
. Hence animals, though of very different species, may contract a strong affection to each other; for it is certain, that, in the above examples, nothing prevented the union of the dog and sow but the conformation of their organs. It is not equally certain, however, that, if consummation had taken place, production would have followed. It often happens, that animals of different species spontaneously unite. These voluntary unions ought to be prolific, since they imply that the natural repugnance, which is the chief obstacle, is surmounted, and also a conformity between the organs. No fertility, however, has resulted from such commixtures. Of this an example recently passed before my own eyes. In 1767, and some succeeding years, the miller at my estate of Buffon kept a mare and a bull in the same stable, who contracted such a passion for each other, that, as often as the mare came in season, the bull covered her three or four times every day. These embraces were repeated during several years, and gave the master of the animals great hopes of seeing their offspring. Nothing, however, resulted from them. All the inhabitants of the place were witnesses to this fact, which proves, that, in our climate at least, the bull cannot procreate with the mare, and renders this first kind of jumar extremely suspicious. I have not equal evidence to oppose to the second kind, which Dr Shaw says proceeds from the jack-ass and cow. I acknowledge, that, though the dissimilarities in structure appear to be nearly equal in both cases, the positive testimony of a traveller so well informed as Dr Shaw, seems to give a greater degree of probability to the existence of this second kind of jumar than we have for the first. With regard to the third jumar, proceeding from the bull and she-ass, I am persuaded, notwithstanding the authority of Merolle, that it has no more existence than the one supposed to be produced by the bull and mare. The nature of the bull is still farther removed from that of the she-ass, than from that of the mare: And the unfertility of the mare and bull, which is ascertained by the above examples, should apply with greater force to the union of the bull and ass.
The NOMENCLATURE of APES.
TO teach children, and to address men, are two very different tasks. Children receive, without examination, and even with avidity, the arbitrary and the real, the true and the false, whenever they are presented to them under the form of precepts. Men, on the contrary, reject with contempt all precepts which are not founded on solid principles. We shall, therefore, adopt none of those methodical distributions by which, under the appellation of
Ape,
a multitude of animals, belonging to very different species, have been huddled together in one indiscriminate mass.
What I call an
ape
is an animal without a tail, whose face is flat, whose teeth, hands, fingers, and nails resemble those of man, and who, like him, walk erect on two feet. This definition, derived from the nature of the animal itself, and from its relations to man, excludes all animals who have tails; all those who have prominent faces or long muzzles; all those who have crooked or sharp claws; and all those who walk more willingly on four than on two legs. According to this precise idea, let us examine how many species of animals ought to be ranked under the denomination of
ape.
The antients knew only one. The
pithecos
of the Greeks, and the
simia
of the Latins, is a true
ape,
and was the subject upon which Aristotle, Pliny, and Galen instituted all the physical relations they discovered between that animal and man. But this ape, or pigmy of the antients, which so strongly resembles man in external structure, and still more strongly in its internal organization, differs from him, however, by a quality, which, though relative in itself, is not the less essential. This quality is magnitude. The stature of man, in general, exceeds five feet; that of the
pithecus,
or pigmy, never rises above one fourth of this height. Hence, if this ape had been still more similar to man, the antients would have been justified for regarding it only as an
homunculus,
an imperfect dwarf, a pigmy, capable of combating with cranes; while man knew how to tame the elephant and conquer the lion.
But, since the discovery of the southern regions of Africa and India, we have found another ape possessing this quality of magnitude; an ape as tall and as strong as man, and equally ardent for women as for its own females; an ape who knows how to bear arms, to attack his enemies with stones, and to defend himself with clubs. Besides, he resembles man still more than the pigmy; for, independent of his having no tail, of his flat face, of the resemblance of his arms, hands, toes, and nails to ours, and of his walking constantly on end, he has a kind of visage with features which approach to those of the human countenance, a beard on his chin, and no more hair on his body than men have, when in a state of nature. Hence the inhabitants of his country, the civilized Indians, have not hesitated to associate him with the human species, under the denomination of
Orang-outang,
or
wild man
; while the Negroes, almost equally wild, and as ugly as these apes, who imagine not that civilization exalts our nature, have given it the appellation of
Pongo,
which is the name of a beast, and has no relation to man. This orang-outang or pongo is only a brute, but a brute of a kind so singular, that man cannot behold it without contemplating himself, and without being thoroughly convinced that his body is not the most essential part of his nature.
Thus, we have discovered two animals, the pigmy and the orang-outang, to which the name of
ape
ought to be applied. There is a third, to which, though more deformed both in relation to man and to the ape, this appellation cannot be refused. This animal, which till now was unknown, and was brought from the East Indies, under the name of
gibbon,
walks on end, like the other two, and has a flat face. He likewise wants a tail. But his arms, instead of being proportioned to the height of his body, like those of man, the orang-outang, or the pigmy, are so enormously long, that, when standing on his two feet, he touches the ground with his hands, without bending either his body or limbs. This ape is the third and last to which the name ought to be applied: In this genus, he constitutes a singular or monstrous species, like the race of thick-legged men, said to inhabit the island of Saint-Thomas
See the Dissertation on the Varieties of the Human Species, Vol. III. of this work.
.
After the apes, another tribe of animals present themselves, to which we shall give the generic name of
baboon.
To distinguish them more accurately from the other kinds, let it be remarked, that the baboon has a short tail, a long face, a broad high muzzle, canine teeth, proportionally larger than those of man, and callosities on its buttocks. By this definition, we exclude from the baboon tribe all the apes, who have no tail; all the monkeys, whose tails are as long or longer than their bodies; and all those who have thin, sharp pointed muzzles. The antients had no proper names for these animals. Aristotle alone seems to have pointed out one of the baboons under the name
simia porcaria
The denomination
Simia Porcaria,
which is employed by no other author but Aristotle, was not improperly applied to denote the baboon; for I find in the works of several travellers, who probably never read Aristotle, the muzzle of the baboon compared to the snout of a hog. Besides, these animals have some resemblance in the form of their bodies.
, though he has given but a very imperfect idea of the animal. The Italians first called it
babuino
; the Germans,
bavion
; the French,
babouin
; the British,
baboon
; and all the modern writers of Latin,
papio.
We shall call it
baboon,
to distinguish it from the other species which have since been discovered in the southern regions of Africa and India. We are acquainted with three species of these animals: 1. The
baboon
properly so called, which is found in Lybia, Arabia, &c. and is probably the
simia porcaria
of Aristotle. 2. The
mandrill,
or
ribbed-nose,
is still larger than the baboon, has a violet coloured face, the nose and cheeks ribbed with deep oblique furrows, and is found in Guinea and in the warmest provinces of Africa. 3. The
ouanderou,
which is smaller than the baboon and mandrill; its body is thinner, its head and face are surrounded with a kind of long bushy mane, and is found in Ceylon, Malabar, and other southern regions of India. Thus we have properly defined three species of apes, and three species of baboons, which are all very different from one another.
But, as Nature knows none of our definitions, as she has not classed her productions by bundles or genera, and as her progress is always gradual and marked by minute shades, some intermediate animal should be found between the ape and baboon. This intermediate species actually exists, and is the animal which we call
magot,
or the
Barbary ape.
It occupies a middle station between our two definitions. It forms the shade between the apes and baboons. It differs from the first by having a long muzzle and large canine teeth; and, from the second, because it actually wants the tail, though it has an appendix of skin, which has the appearance of a very small tail. Of course, it is neither an ape nor a baboon, but, at the same time, partakes of the nature of both. This animal, which is very common in Higher Egypt, as well as in Barbary, was known to the antients. The Greeks and Romans called it
cynocephalus,
because its muzzle resembled that of a dog. Let us now arrange these animals in their proper order: The
orang-outang
is the first ape; the
pigmy
the second; and the
gibbon,
though different in figure, the third; the
cynocephalus
or
magot
the fourth ape, or the first baboon; the
papio
is the first baboon; the
mandrill
the second; and the
ouanderou,
or little baboon, the third. This order is neither arbitrary nor fictitious, but agreeable to the scale of Nature.
After the apes and baboons, come the
guenons,
or
monkeys
; that is, animals resembling the apes and baboons, but which have tails as long, or longer than their bodies. The word
guenon
has, for some ages, had two acceptations different from that we have here given it: It is generally employed to signify small apes, and sometimes to denote the female of the ape. But, more antiently, we called
singes,
or
magots,
the apes without a tail, and
guenons,
or
mones,
those which had long tails. This fact appears from the works of some travellers
In Senegal there are several species of apes, as the
guenons,
with a long tail; and the
magots,
who have no tail;
Voyage de le Maire, p.
101.—In the mountains of South America, there is a kind of
mones,
or long-tailed monkeys, which the savages call
cacuyen.
They are of the same size with the common kind, from which they differ only by having a beard on their chin.—Along with these
mones,
there are found a number of small yellow animals, called
sagouins
;
Singularités da la Fr. Antarct. par Thevet, p.
103.
in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The word
guenon
is probably derived from
kébos,
or
képos,
which the Greeks employed to denote the long-tailed apes. These
kébes,
or
guenons,
are smaller and weaker than the apes and baboons. They are easily distinguishable from one another by this difference, and particularly by their long tail. With equal ease, they may be distinguished from the
makis
or
maucaucos
; because they have not a sharp muzzle, and instead of six cutting teeth, like the makis, they have only four, like the apes and baboons. We know eight species of guenons; and, to prevent confusion, we shall bestow on each a proper name: 1. The
macaque,
or hare-lipped monkey; 2. The
patas,
or red monkey; 3. The
malbrouk
; 4. The
mangabey,
or monkey with the upper eye-lids of a pure white colour; 5. The
mone,
or varied monkey; 6 The
callitrix,
or green monkey: 7. The
moustac,
or whiskered monkey; 8. The
talapoin
; 9. The
douc,
or monkey of Cochinchina. The antient Greeks knew only two of these
guenons,
or long-tailed monkeys, namely, the mone and the callitrix, who are natives of Arabia and the northern parts of Africa. They had no idea of the other kinds; because these are only found in the southern provinces of Africa and the East Indies, countries entirely unknown in the days of Aristotle. This great philosopher, and the Greeks in general, were too wise to confound beings by common, and, therefore, equivocal names. They called the ape without a tail
pithecos,
and the monkey with a long tail,
kébos.
As they knew these animals to be distinct species, they gave to each a proper name, derived from their most striking characters. All the apes and baboons which they knew, namely, the
pigmy,
the
cynocephalus,
or
magot,
and the
simia porcaria,
or
papio,
have their hair nearly of a uniform colour. But the monkey, which we have called
mone,
and the Greeks
kébos,
has hair of different colours, and is generally known by the name of the
varied ape.
This species of monkey was most common, and best known in the days of Aristotle; and, from its most distinguished character, he called it
kébos,
which, in Greek, signifies
varieties in colour.
Thus all the animals belonging to the class of apes, baboons, and monkeys, mentioned by Aristotle, are reduced to four, the
pithecos,
the
cynocephalos,
the
simia porcaria,
and the
kébos
; which we believe to be the
pigmy,
the
magot,
or Barbary ape, the
baboon,
and the
mone,
or varied monkey, not only because they agree with the characters given of them by Aristotle, but likewise because the other species must have been unknown to the antients, since they are natives of countries into which the Greek travellers had never penetrated.
Two or three centuries after Aristotle, we find, in the Greek writers, two new names,
callithrix
and
cercopithecos,
both relative to the
guenons,
or long-tailed monkeys. In proportion as discoveries were made of the southern regions of Africa and Asia, we found new animals, and other species of monkeys: And, as most of these monkeys had not, like the
kébos,
various colours, the Greeks invented the generic name
cercopithecos,
or
tailed ape,
to denote all the species of monkeys or apes with long tails; and, having remarked, among these new species, a monkey with hair of a lively greenish colour, they called it
callithrix,
which signifies
beautiful hair.
This callithrix is found in the south part of Mauritania, and in the neighbourhood of Cape de Verd, and is commonly known by the name of the
green ape.
With regard to the other seven species of monkeys, mentioned above under the appellations of
makaque, patas, malbrouk, mangabey,
moustac, talapoin,
and
douc,
they were unknown to the Greeks and Latins. The makaque is a native of Congo; the patas, of Senegal; the mangabey, of Madagascar; the malbrouk, of Bengal; the moustac, of Guinea; the talapoin, of Siam; and the douc, of Cochinchina. All these territories were equally unknown to the antients.
As the progress of Nature is uniform and gradual, we find between the baboons and monkeys an intermediate species, like that of the magot between the apes and baboons. The animal which fills this interval has a great resemblance to the monkeys, particularly to the makaque; its muzzle, at the same time, is very broad, and its tail short, like that of the baboons. Being ignorant of its name, we have called it
maimon,
or
pig-tailed baboon,
to distinguish it from the others. It is a native of Sumatra. Of all the monkeys or baboons, it alone has a naked tail; and, for this reason, several authors have given it the denomination of the
pig-tailed,
or
rat-tailed ape.
We have now enumerated all the animals of the Old World, to whom the common name of
ape
has been applied, though they belong not only to different species, but to different genera. To augment the confusion, the same names of
ape, cynocephalus, kébos,
and
cercopithecos,
which had been invented by the Greeks fifteen centuries ago, have been bestowed on animals peculiar to the New World, though so recently discovered. They never dreamed that none of the African or East Indian animals had any existence in the southern regions of the New Continent. In America, we have discovered animals with hands and fingers. This similarity was alone sufficient to procure to them the name of
apes,
without considering that, for the transference of a name, identity of genus, and even of species, is necessary. Now, these American animals, of which we shall make two classes, under the appellations of
sapajous,
or monkeys with prehensile tails; and
sagoins,
or monkeys with long tails, which are not prehensile, or want the faculty of laying hold of any object, are very different from the apes of Asia and Africa; and, in the same manner, as no apes, baboons, or monkeys are to be found in the New World, there are neither sapajous nor sagoins in the Old. Though we have already given a general view of these facts, in our dissertation concerning the animals of both Continents, we can now prove them in a more particular manner, and demonstrate, that, of seventeen species, to which all the animals of the Old World called
apes,
may be reduced, and, of twelve or thirteen in the New World, to whom this name has been transferred, none of them are the same, or to be found equally in both Worlds; for, of the seventeen species in the Old Continent, three or four apes must first be retrenched, who certainly exist not in America, and to whom the sapajous and sagoins have no resemblance. In the second place, three or four baboons must likewise be retrenched: They are larger than the sapajous and sagoins, and also very different in figure. There remain only nine monkeys with whom any comparison can be instituted. Now, all these monkeys, as well as the apes and baboons, have general and particular characters, which separate them entirely from the sapajous and sagoins. The first of these characters is to have naked buttocks, and natural callosities peculiar to these parts: The second is to have
abajoues,
or pouches under the cheeks, in which they can keep their victuals. The third is to have a narrow partition between the nostrils, and the apertures of the nostrils themselves placed in the under part of the nose, like those of man. The sapajous and sagoins have none of these characters. The partition between their nostrils is always very thick; the apertures of their nostrils are situated in the sides of the nose, and not in the under part of it. They have hair on their buttocks, and no callosities. They have no pouches under the cheeks. Hence they differ from the monkeys not only in species, but in genus, since they possess none of the general characters which are common to the whole tribe of monkeys. This difference of genus necessarily implies greater differences in species, and shows that these animals are very remote from each other.
It is with much impropriety, therefore, that the names
ape
and
monkey
have been applied to the
sapajous
and
sagoins.
We must preserve their names, and, instead of associating them with the apes, we should begin by comparing them with one another. These two tribes differ from each other by a remarkable character: All the sapajous use their tail as a finger to hang upon branches, or to lay hold of any object they cannot reach with their hand. The sagoins, on the contrary, have not the power of employing their tail in this manner. Their face, ears, and hair are also different: We may, therefore, separate them into two distinct genera. In giving the history of the species, I shall avoid all those denominations which can only apply to the apes, baboons, and monkeys, and preserve the names they receive in their native country.
We are acquainted with six or seven species of sapajous, and six of sagoins, most of which have some varieties. We have carefully searched all the writings of travellers in order to discover the proper name of each species; because the names they receive in the places they inhabit, generally point out some peculiar characteristic, which alone is sufficient to distinguish them from one another.
With regard to the varieties, which, in this class of animals, are perhaps more numerous than the species, we shall endeavour to refer each of them to their proper kinds. We have had forty of these animals alive, each of which differed more or less from one another; and to us it appears that the whole may be reduced to thirty species, namely, three apes, and an intermediate species between them and the baboons; three baboons, and an intermediate species between them and the monkeys; nine monkeys; seven sapajous; and six sagoins. All the others, or at least most of them, ought to be regarded as varieties only. But, as we are uncertain whether some of these varieties may not be distinct species, we shall endeavour to give all of them proper names.
On this occasion, let us consider terrestrial animals, some of which have a great resemblance to man, in a new point of view. The whole have improperly received the general name of
quadrupeds.
If the exceptions were few, we would not have found fault with the application of this name. It was formerly remarked, that our definitions and denominations, however general, never comprehend the whole; that beings always exist which elude the most cautious definitions which ever were invented; that intermediate beings are always discovered; that several of them, though apparently holding a middle station, escape from the list; and that the general names, under which we mean to include them, are incomplete; because Nature should only be considered by unities, and not by aggregates; because man has invented general denominations with the sole view of aiding his memory, and supplying the defects of his understanding; and because he afterwards foolishly considered these general names as realities; and, in fine, because he has endeavoured to comprehend under them beings, and even whole classes of beings, which required different appellations. I can give an example, without departing from the class of quadrupeds, which, of all animals, we are best acquainted with, and, of course, were in a condition to have bestowed on them the most precise denominations.
The name
quadruped
supposes that the animal has
four feet.
If it wants two feet, like the manati; if it has arms and hands, like the ape; or if it has wings, like the bat, it is not a quadruped. Hence this general term, when applied to these animals, is abused. To obtain precision in words, the ideas they present must be strictly true. If we had a term for two hands similar to that which denotes two feet, we might then say that man was the only biped and
bimanus,
because he alone has two hands and two feet; that the manati is a
bimonus
; that the bat is only a biped; and that the ape is a
quadrimanus,
or four-handed animal. Let us now apply these new denominations to all the particular beings to which they belong, and we shall find, that, from about two hundred animals who go under the common name of
quadrupeds,
thirty-five species of apes, baboons, monkeys, sapajous, sagoins, and makis, must be retrenched, because they are
quadrimani,
or four-handed; and that to these thirty-five species, the loris, or tailless maucauco, the Virginian, murine, and Mexican opossum, the Egyptian and woolly jerboa's, &c. should be added, because they are fourhanded like the apes and monkeys. Thus the list of four-handed animals being at least forty species, the real number of quadrupeds is one fifth diminished. We must likewise retrench twelve or fifteen species of bipeds, namely, the bats, whose fore-feet are rather wings than feet, and likewise three or four jerboa's, because they can walk on their hind feet only, the fore-feet being too short. If we subtract also the manati, which has no hind feet, the arctic and Indian walrus, and the seals, to whom the hind feet are useless; and, if we still retrench those animals which use their fore-feet like hands, as the bears, the marmots, the coati's the agouti's, the squirrels, the rats, and many others, the denomination of
quadruped
will appear to be applied improperly to more than one half of these animals. The whole and cloven-hoofed are indeed the only real quadrupeds. When we descend to the digitated class, we find four-handed, or ambiguous quadrupeds, who use their fore-feet as hands, and ought to be separated or distinguished from the others. Of whole-hoofed animals, there are three species, the horse, the ass, and the zebra. If to these we add the elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, and the camel, whose feet, though terminated by nails, are solid, and serve the animals for walking only, we shall have seven species to which the name of
quadruped
is perfectly applicable. The number of cloven-hoofed animals greatly exceeds that of the wholehoofed. The oxen, the sheep, the goats, the antilopes, the bubalus, the lama, the pacos, the the giraffe, the elk, the rain-deer, the stag, the fallow-deer, the roebuck, &c. are all clovenfooted, and constitute about forty species. Thus we have already fifty animals, ten whole and forty cloven-hoofed, to whom the name
quadruped
is properly applied. In the digitated animals, the lion, tiger, panther, leopard, lynx, cat, wolf, dog, fox, hyaena, badger, polecat, weasels, ferret, porcupines, hedgehogs, armadillos, ant-eaters, and hogs, which last constitute the shade between the digitated and clovenfooted tribes, form a number consisting of more than forty species, to which the term of
quadruped
applies with perfect precision; because, though their fore-feet be divided into four or five toes, they are never used as hands. But all the other digitated species, who use their fore-feet in carrying food to their mouths, are not, in strict propriety of language, quadrupeds. These species, which likewise amount to forty, make an intermediate class between quadrupeds and four-handed animals, being neither the one nor the other. Hence, to more than a fourth of our animals, the name of
quadruped
does not apply: and, to more than a half of them, the application of it is incomplete.
The four-handed animals fill the interval between man and the animals; and the two-handed species constitute a mean term in the distance between man and the cetaceous tribes. The bipeds with wings form the shade between quadrupeds and birds; and the digitated species, who use their fore-feet as hands, fill the whole space between the quadrupeds and the fourhanded kinds. But I will pursue this subject no farther: However useful it may be for acquiring a distinct knowledge of animals, it is still more so by affording a fresh proof, that all our definitions or general terms want precision, when applied to the objects or beings which they represent.
But why are these definitions and general terms, which appear to be the most brilliant exertions of the human intellect, so defective in their application? Does the error necessarily arise from the narrow limits of our understanding? Or, rather, does it not proceed solely from our incapacity of combining and perceiving at one time a great number of objects? Let us compare the works of Nature with those of man. Let us examine how both operate, and inquire whether the mind, however acute, can follow the same route, without loosing itself in the immensity of space, in the obscurity of time, or in the infinity of related beings. When man directs his mind to any object, if his perceptions be accurate, he takes the straight line, runs over the smallest space, and employs the least possible time in accomplishing his end. What an expence of thought, how many combinations are necessary to avoid those deceitful and fallacious roads which at first present themselves in such numbers, that the choice of the right path requires the nicest discrnment? This path, however, is not beyond the reach of the human intellect, which can proceed without deviating from the straight line. The mind is enabled to arrive at a point by means of a line; and, if another point must be gained, it can only be attained by another line. The train of our ideas is a delicate thread, which extends in length, without any other dimensions. Nature, on the contrary, never moves a step which extends not on all sides, and runs at once through the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness. While man reaches but one point, Nature accomplishes a solid, by penetrating the whole parts which compose a mass. In bestowing form on brute matter, our statuaries, by the union of art and time, are enabled to make a surface which exactly represents the outside of an object. Every point of this surface requires a thousand combinations. Their genius is directly exerted upon as many lines as there are strokes in the figure. The smallest deviation would be a deformity. This marble, so perfect that it seems to breathe, is, of course, only a multitude of points at which the artist arrives by a long succession of labour; because human genius, being unable to seize more than one dimension at the same time, and our senses reaching no farther than surfaces, we cannot penetrate matter: But Nature, in a moment, puts every particle in motion. She produces forms by exertions almost instantaneous. She at once developes them in all their dimensions. As soon as her movements reach the surface, the penetrating forces with which she is animated operate internally. The smallest atom, when she chooses to employ it, is instantly compelled to obey. Hence she acts, at the same time, on all sides, before, behind, above, below, on the right and left; and, consequently, she embraces not only the surface, but every particle of the mass. How different likewise is the product? What comparison is there between a statue and an organized body? How unequal, at the same time, are the powers, how disproportioned the instruments? Man can employ only the power he possesses. Limited to a small quantity of motion, which he can only communicate by the mode of impulsion, his exertions are confined to surfaces; because, in general, the impulsive force is only transmitted by superficial contact. He neither sees nor touches more than the surfaces of bodies; and, when he wishes to attain a more intimate knowledge, though he opens and divides, still he sees and touches nothing more than their surfaces. To penetrate the interior parts of bodies, he would require a portion of that force which acts upon the mass, or, of gravity, which is Nature's chief instrument. If man could employ this penetrating force as he does that of impulsion, or if he had a sense relative to it, he would be enabled to perceive the essence of matter, and to arrange small portions of it, in the same manner as Nature operates at large. It is owing to the want of instruments, therefore, that human art cannot approach that of Nature. His figures, his pictures, his designs, are only surfaces, or imitations of surfaces; because the images he receives by his senses are all superficial, and he has no mode of giving them a body.
What is true with regard to the arts, applies likewise to the sciences. The latter, however, are not so much limited; because the mind is their chief instrument, and because, in the former, it is subordinate to the senses. But, in the sciences, the mind commands the senses as often as it is employed in thinking and not in operating, in comparing and not in imitating. Now, the mind, though bound up by the senses, though often deceived by their fallacious reports, is neither diminished in its purity nor activity. Man, who naturally loves knowledge, commenced by rectifying and demonstrating the errors of the senses. He has treated them as mechanical instruments, the effects of which must be submitted to the test of experiment. Proceeding thus with the balance in one hand, and the compass in the other, he has measured both time and space. He has cognised the whole outside of Nature; and, being unable to penetrate her internal parts by his senses, his deductions concerning them have been drawn from comparison and analogy. He discovered that there exists in matter a general force, different from that of impulsion, a force which falls not under the cognisance of our senses, and which, though we are incapable of using it, Nature employs as her universal agent. He has demonstrated, that this force belongs equally to all matter, in proportion to its mass or real quantity; and that its action extends to immense distances, decreasing as the spaces augment. Then, turning his views upon living beings, he perceived that heat was another force necessary to their production; that light was a matter endowed with infinite elasticity and activity; that the formation and expansion of organized bodies were effects of a combination of all these forces; that the extension and growth of animals and vegetables follow the laws of the attractive force, and are effected by an augmentation in the three dimensions at the same time; and that a mould, when once formed, must, by these laws of affinity, produce a succession of other moulds perfectly similar to the original. By combining these attributes, common to the animal and vegetable, he recognised, that there existed in both an inexhaustible, circulating store of organic substance; a substance equally real as brute matter; a substance which continues always in a live as the other does in a dead state; a substance universally diffused, which passes from vegetables to animals by means of nutrition, returns from animals to vegetables by the process of putrefaction, and maintains a perpetual circulation for the animation of beings. He perceived, that these active organic particles existed in all organized bodies; that they were combined, in smaller or greater quantities, with dead matter; that they were more abundant in animals, in whom every thing is alive, and more rare in vegetables, in which death predominates, and life seems to be extinct, organization being surcharged with brute matter; and that plants are, of course, deprived of progressive motion, of heat, and of life, exhibiting no other quality of animation but expansion and reproduction. Reflecting on the manner in which these last are accomplished, he discovered that every living being is a mould that has the power of assimilating the substances with which it is nourished; that growth is an effect of this assimilation; that the development of a living body is not a simple augmentation of volume, but an extension in all dimensions, a penetration of new matter through all parts of the mass; that these parts, by increasing proportionally to the whole, and the whole proportionally to the parts, the form is preserved and continues always the same, till growth is completed; that, when the body has acquired its full expansion, the same matter, formerly employed in augmenting its volume, is returned, as superfluous, from all the parts to which it had been assimilated, and, by uniting in a common point, forms a new being perfectly similar to the first, and, to attain the same dimensions, requires only to be developed by the same mode of nutrition. He perceived that man, quadrupeds, cetaceous animals, birds, reptiles, insects, trees, and herbs, were nourished, expanded, and reproduced by the same law; and that the mode of their nutrition and generation, though depending on the same general cause, appeared to be very different, because it could not operate but in a manner relative to the form of each particular species of being. Proceeding gradually in this investigation, he began, after a sucession of ages, to compare objects. To distinguish them from each other, he gave them particular names; and, to unite them under one point of view, he invented general terms. Taking his own body as the physical model of all animated beings, he measured, examined, and compared all their parts, and he discovered that the form of every animal that breathes is nearly the same; that, by dissecting an ape we may learn the anatomy of a man; that, taking another animal, we always find the same fund of organization, the same senses, the same viscera, the sames bones, the same flesh, the same motion of the fluids, the same play and action of the solids. In all of them he found a heart, veins, and arteries, and the same organs, circulation, respiration, digestion, nutrition, and secretion; in all of them, he found a solid structure composed of the same pieces, and nearly situated in the same manner. This plan proceeds uniformly from man to the ape, from the ape to quadrupeds, from quadrupeds to cetaceous animals, to birds, to fishes, and to reptiles: This plan, I say, when well apprehended by the human intellect, exhibits a faithful picture of animated Nature, and affords the most general as well as the most simple view under which she can be considered: And, when we want to extend it, and to pass from the animal to the vegetable, we perceive this plan, which had at first varied only by shades, gradually degenerating from reptiles to insects, from insects to worms, from worms to zoophytes, from zoophytes to plants; and, though changed in all its external parts, still preserving the same character, the principal features of which are nutrition, growth, and reproduction. These features are common to all organized substances. They are eternal and divine; and, instead of being effaced by time, it only renews and renders them more conspicuous.
If, from this grand picture of resemblances exhibited in animated Nature, as constituting but one family, we pass to that of the differences, where each species claims a separate apartment, and a distinct portrait, we shall find, that, with the exception of a few large kinds, such as the elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, the tiger, and the lion, which ought to have particular frames, all the others seem to unite with their neighbours, and to form groups of degraded similarities, or genera, represented by our nomeclators in a net-work of figures, some of which are supported by the feet, others by the teeth, by the hair, and others by relations still more minute: And, even the apes, whose form seems to be most perfect, or approaches nearest to that of man, present themselves in a group, and require the utmost attention to be distinguished from each other; because the privilege of separate species depends less on figure than magnitude; and man himself, though a distinct species, and infinitely removed from that of all other animals, being only of a middle size, has a greater number of neighbouring species than the very large kinds. In the history of the orang-outang, we shall find, that, if figure alone be regarded, we might consider this animal as the first of apes, or the most imperfect of men; because, except the intellect, the orang-outang wants nothing that we possess, and, in his body, differs less from man that from the other animals which receive the denomination of
apes.
Hence mind, reflection, and language depend not on figure, or on the organization of the body. These are endowments peculiar to man. The orang-outang, though he neither thinks nor speaks, has a body, members, senses, a brain, and a tongue perfectly similar to those of man: He counterfiets every human movement; but her performs no action that is characteristic of man. This imperfection is perhaps owing to want of education, or to an error in our judgment. You compare, it may be said, an ape in the woods with a man in polished society. But, in order to form a proper judgment of them, a savage man and an ape should be viewed together; for we have no just idea of man in a pure state of nature. The head covered with bristly hair, or with curled wool; the face veiled with a long beard; two crescents of hairs still grosser, by their length and prominency contract the front, and not only obscure the eyes, but sink and round them like those of the brutes; the lips thick and protruded; the nose flat; the aspect wild and stupid; the ears, the body, and the members covered with hair; the breasts of the female long and flabby, and the skin of her belly hanging down as far as her knees; the children wallowing in filth, and crawling on their hands and feet; the father and mother sitting squat on their hams, both hideous, and besmeared with corrupted grease. This sketch, drawn from a savage Hottentot, is a flattering portrait; for the distance between man in a pure state of nature and a Hottentot, is greater than between a Hottentot and us. But, if we want to compare the ape to man, we must add the relations of organization, the conformities of temperament, the vehement appetite of the males for the females, the same structure of genitals in both sexes, the periodic courses of the female, the voluntary or forced intermixture of the Negresses with the apes, the produce of which has entred into both species; and then consider, on the supposition that they are not the same, how difficult it is to perceive the interval by which they are separated.
If our judgment were limited to figure alone, I acknowledge that the ape might be regarded as a variety of the human species. The Creator has not formed man's body on a model absolutely different from that of the mere animal. He has comprehended the figure of man, as well as that of all other animals, under one general plan. But, at the same time that he has given him a material form similar to that of the ape, he has penetrated this animal body with a divine spirit. If he had conferred the same privilege, not on the ape, but on the meanest, and what appears to us to be the worst constructed animal, this species would soon have become the rival of man; it would have excelled all the other animals by thinking and speaking. Whatever resemblance, therefore, takes place between the Hottentot and the ape, the interval which separates them is immense; because the former is endowed with the faculties of thought and of speech.
Who will ever be able to ascertain how the organization of an idiot differs from that of another man? Yet the defect is certainly in the material organs, since the idiot is likewise endowed with a soul. Now, as between one man and another, where the whole structure is perfectly similar, a difference so small that it cannot be perceived is sufficient to prevent thought, we should not be surprised that it never appears in the ape, who is deprived of the necessary principle.
The soul, in general, has a proper action totally independent of matter. But, as its divine Author has been pleased to unite it to the body, the exercise of its particular acts depends on the state of the material organs. This dependence is apparent, not only from the case of idiots, but from people affected with delirium, from sleep, from new born infants, who cannot think, and from very old men, whom the power of thinking has forsaken. It is even probable, that the chief effect of education consists not so much in instructing the mind, or maturing its operations, as in modifying the material organs, and bringing them into the most favourable state for the exercise of the sentient principle. Now, there are two kinds of education, which ought to be carefully distinguished, because their effects are extremely different; the education of the individual, which is common to man and the other animals; and the education of the species, which appertains to man alone. A young animal, both from natural encitements and from example, learns, in a few weeks, to do every thing its parents can perform. To an infant, several years are necessary before it acquires this degree of perfection; because, when brought forth, it is incomparably less advanced, weaker, and more imperfectly formed, than the smaller animals. In early infancy, the mind is nothing, when compared to the powers it will afterwards acquire. In receiving individual education, therefore, the infant is much slower than the brute; but, for this very reason, it becomes susceptible of that of the species. The multiplicity of succours, the continual cares, which this state of imbecillity for a long time requires, cherish and augment the attachment of the parents. In training the body, they cultivate the mind. The time employed in strengthening the former gives an advantage to the latter. The bodily powers of most animals are more advanced in two months than those of the infant in two years. Hence the time employed in bestowing on the infant its individual education is as twelve to one, without estimating the fruits of what follows after this period, without considering that animals separate from their parents as soon as they can provide for themselves, and that, not long after this separation, they know each other no more. All education ceases the moment that the aid of the parents become unnecessary. This time of education being so short, its effects must be very limited: It is even astonishing that the animals acquire, in two months, all that is necessary for them during the rest of life: If we suppose that a child, in an equal period, were strong enough to quit his parents, and never return to them, would there be any perceptible difference between this infant and a brute? However ingenious the parents, they would not have time sufficient to modify and prepare his organs, or to establish the smallest communication of thought between their minds and his. They could not excite his memory by impressions frequently enough reiterated. They could not even mollify or unfold the organs of speech. Before a child can pronounce a single word, his ears must be struck many thousand times with the same sound; and, before he can make a proper application of it, the same combination of the word and the object to which it relates, must be many thousand times presented to him. Education, therefore, which alone can develope the powers of the mind, must be uninterruptedly continued for a long time. If stopt, not at two months, as in the animals, but even at the age of one year, the mind of the infant, having received no instruction, would remain inactive like that of the idiot, the defect of whose organs prevents the reception of knowledge. This reasoning would acquire redoubled strength, if the infant were born in a pure state of nature, if it were confined to the sole tutorage of a Hottentot mother, and were enabled by its bodily powers to separate from her at the age of two months, would it not sink below the condition of the idiot, and, with regard to its material part, be entirely levelled with the brutes? But in this condition of nature, the first education requires an equal time as in the civilized state; for in both, the infant is equally feeble, and equally slow in its growth; and, consequently, demands the care of its parents during an equal period. In a word, if abandoned before the age of three years, it would infallibly perish. Now, this necessary, and so long continued intercourse between the mother and child, is sufficient to communicate to it all that she possesses: And though we should falsely suppose, that a mother, in a state of nature, possesses nothing, not even the faculty of speech, would not this long intercourse with her infant produce a language? Hence a state of pure nature, in which man is supposed neither to think nor speak, is imaginary, and never had an existence. This necessity of a long intercourse between parents and children produces society in the midst of a desert. The family understand each other both by signs and sounds; and this first ray of intelligence, when cherished, cultivated, and communicated, unfolds, in process of time, all the germs of cogitation. As this habitual intercourse could not subsist so long, without producing mutual signs and sounds, these signs and sounds, always repeated and gradually engraven on the memory of the child, would become permanent expressions. The catalogue of words, though short, forms a language which will soon extend as the family augments, and will always follow, in its improvement, the progress of society. As soon as society begins to be formed, the education of the infant is no longer individual, since the parents communicate to it not only what they derive from Nature, but likewise what they have received from their progenitors, and from the society to which they belong. It is no longer a communication between detached individuals, which, as in the animals, would be limited to the transmission of simple faculties, but an institution of which the whole species participate, and whose produce constitutes the basis and bond of society.
Even among brute animals, though deprived of the sentient principle, those whose education is longest appear to have most intelligence. The elephant, which takes the longest time in acquiring its full growth, and requires the succour of its mother during the whole first year of its existence, is also the most intelligent of all animals. The Guiney-pig, which is full grown, and capable of generating at the age of three weeks, is for this reason alone, perhaps, one of the most stupid species. With regard to the ape, whose nature we are endeavouring to ascertain, however similar to man, he is so strongly marked with the features of brutality, that it is distinguishable from the moment of his birth. He is then proportionally stronger and better formed than the infant: He grows faster: The support of his mother is only necessary for a few months: His education is purely individual, and consequently as limited as that of the other animals.
Hence the ape, notwithstanding his resemblance to man, is a brute, and, instead of approaching our species, holds not the first rank among the animals; because he is by no means the most intelligent. The relation of corporeal resemblance alone has given rise to the prejudice in favour of the great faculties of the ape. He resembles man, it has been said, both externally and internally; and, therefore, he must not only imitate us, but do every thing which we perform. We have seen, that all the actions which ought to be denominated
human,
are relative to society; that they depend, at first, on the mind, and afterwards on education, the physical principle of which is the long intercourse that necessarily subsists between the parents and children; that, in the ape, this intercourse is very short; that, like the other animals, he receives only an individual education; and that he is not susceptible of that of the species. Of course, he can perform no human actions, since no action of the ape has the same principle, or the same design. With regard to imitation, which appears to be the most striking character of the ape-kind, and which the vulgar have attributed to him as a peculiar talent, before we decide, it is necessary to inquire whether this imitation be spontaneous or forced. Does the ape imitate us from inclination, or because, without any exertion of the will, he feels the capacity of doing it? I appeal to all those who have examined this animal without prejudice, and I am convinced that they will agree with me, that there is nothing voluntary in this imitation. The ape, having arms and hands, uses them as we do, but without thinking of us. The similarity of his members and organs necessarily produces movements, and sometimes successions of movements, which resemble ours. Being endowed with the human structure, the ape must move like man. But the same motions imply not that he acts from imitation. Two bodies which receive the same impulse, two similar pendulums or machines, will move in the same manner. But these bodies or machines can never be said to intimate each other in their motions. The ape and the human body are two machines similarly constructed, and necessarily move nearly in the same manner. But parity is not imitation. The one depends on matter and the other on mind. Imitation presupposes the design of imitating. The ape is incapable of forming this design, which requires a train of thinking; and, consequently, man, if he inclines, can imitate the ape; but the ape cannot even incline to imitate man.
This parity is only the physical part of imitation, and by no means so complete as the similitude, from which, however, it proceeds as an immediate effect. The ape has a greater resemblance to us in his body and members, than in the use he makes of them. By observing him attentively, we easily perceive, that all his movements are brisk, intermittent, and precipitous; and that, in order to compare them with those of man, we must adopt another scale, or rather a different model. All the actions of the ape are derived from his education, which is purely animal. To us they appear ridiculous, inconsequent, and extravagant; because, by referring them to our own, we assume a false scale, and a deceitful mode of measuring. As his nature is vivacious, his temperament warm, his dispositions petulant, and none of his affections have been softened or restrained by education, all his habitudes are excessive, and resemble more the movements of a maniac than the actions of a man, or even of a peaceable animal. It is for this reason that we find him indocile, and that he receives with difficulty the impressions we wish to make on him. He is insensible to caresses, and is rendered obedient by chastisement alone. He may be kept in captivity, but not in a domestic state. Always melancholy, stubborn, repugnant, or making grimaces, he may be said to be rather conquered than tamed. The species, of course, have never been rendered domestic in any part of the world, and, consequently, is farther removed from man than most other animals: For docility implies some analogy between the giver and the receiver of instruction. It is a relative quality, which cannot be exerted but when there is a certain number of common faculties on both sides, that differ only between themselves, because they are active in the master, and passive in the scholar. Now, the passive qualities of the ape have less relation to the active qualities of man than those of the dog or elephant, who require no more than good treatment to communicate to them the delicate and gentle sensations of faithful attachment, voluntary obedience, grateful service, and unreserved devotion.
In relative qualities, therefore, the ape is farther removed from the human race than most other animals. His temperament is also very different. Man can inhabit every climate. He lives and multiplies in the northern as well as the southern regions of the earth. But the ape exists with difficulty in temperate countries, and can multiply only in those which are warm. This difference of temperament implies others in organization, which, though concealed, are not the less real: It must likewise have a great influence on his natural dispositions. The excess of heat, which is necessary to the constitution and vigour of this animal, renders all his qualities and affections inordinate. No other cause is requisite to account for his petulance, his salaciousness, and his other passions, which appear to be equally violent and disorderly.
Thus the ape, which philosophers, as well as the vulgar, have regarded as a being difficult to define, and whose nature was at least equivocal, and intermediate between that of man and the animals, is, in fact, nothing but a real brute, endowed with the external mark of humanity, but deprived of thought, and of every faculty which properly constitutes the human species; a brute inferior to many others in his relative powers, and still more essentially different from the human race by his nature, his temperament, and the time necessary to his education, gestation, growth, and duration of life; that is, by all the real habitudes which constitute what is called
Nature
in a particular being.
The ORANG OUTANGS, or the PONGO
In the East Indies this animal is called
Orang-outang
; in Lowando, a province of Congo,
Pongo
; and, in some parts of the East Indies, according to Kjoep, chap. 86. quoted by Linnaeus,
Kukurlacko.
Homo sylvestris. Orang-outang;
Bontius, p.
84.
Satyri sylvestres.
Orang-outang
dicti;
Icones arborum, ut et animalium,
Lugd. Bat.
apud Vanderaa, tab. antepenult.
Traglodytes. Homo nocturnus;
Linn. Syst. p.
33.
Oran-outan;
Beakman's Travels.
Oerangs-oetangs;
Voyages de Gauthier Schoutten aux Indes Orientales.
Drill;
Charleton, Exercit. p.
16.
Smitten;
Bosman, Voyage de Guinée, p.
528.
Barris,
according to several voyagers, Pongo;
Battel, Purchass,
&c.
and JOCKO
Jocko, Enjocko,
the names of this animal in Congo;
Baris
in Guiney, according to Pyrard,
p.
369.
Nieremberg, p.
179.
Chimpanzee;
Scotin's print,
1738.
Man of the wood;
Edwards, p.
213.
Barrys;
Barbet's Guiney, p.
101.
Quojas marrou;
ibid. p.
115.
Satyrus Indicus;
Tulpii observ. med. lib.
3.
c.
56.
Homo sylvestris, Ourang-outang;
Tyson's anatomy of a pigmy, p.
108.
Simia satyrus, ecaudata, ferruginea, lacertorum pilis reversis, natibus tectis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
34.
L'homme de bois, simia unguibus omnibus planis et rotundatis, caesarie faciem cingente;
Brisson, quad. p.
134.
Mr Pennant, in his Synopsis of Quadrupeds,
p.
96. makes but one species of the pongo and jocko, of which he gives the following description:
Great ape
with a flat face, and a deformed resemblance of the human; ears exactly like those of a man; hair on the head longer than on the body; body and limbs covered with reddish and shaggy hair; longest hair on the back, thinnest on the fore parts; face and paws swarthy; buttocks covered with hair.
.
WE shall give the history of these two animals under one article; because it is not improbable they belong to the same species. Of all the apes, they have the greatest resemblance to man; and, consequently, deserve particular attention. We have seen the small orangoutang, or jocko, alive, and have preserved its skin. But, of the pongo, or great orang-outang, we can only give the relations of travellers. If these were faithful, if they were not often obscure, false, and exaggerated, we could not hesitate in pronouncing it to be a different species from the jocko, a species more perfect, and approaching nearer to that of man. Bontius, who was chief physician of Batavia, and has left us some excellent remarks on the natural history of that part of the Indies, says expressly
Quod meretur admirationem, vidi ego aliquot utriusque sexus erecte incedentes imprimis (cujus effigiem hic exhibeo) satyram femellam tanta verecundia ab ignotis fibi hominibus occulentem, tum quoque faciem manibus (liceat ita dicere) tegentem, ubertimque lacrymantem, gemitus cientem, et caeteros humanos actus exprimentem, ut nihil humani ei deesse diceres praeter loquelam. . . . Nomen ei indunt
Ourang. outang,
quod hominem silvae significat;
Jac. Bont. Hist. nat. Ind. cap.
32.
p.
84.
et
85.
, that he saw, with admiration, some individuals of this species walking on their two feet, and, among others, a female (of which he gives a figure) who seemed to have a sense of modesty, who covered herself with her hand when men appeared of whom she had no acquaintance, who wept, groaned, and seemed to want nothing of humanity but the faculty of speech. Linnaeus
Homo nocturnus. Homo sylvestris
Orang-outang
Bontii. Corpus album, incessu erectum, nostro dimidio minus, pili albi contortuplicati, oculi orbiculati, iridi pupillaque aurea. Palpebrae antice incumbentes cum membrana nictitante. Visus lateralis, nocturnus. AEtas viginti quinque annorum. Die caecutit, latet; noctu videt, exit, furatur.
Loquitur sibilo, cogitat, credit sui causa factam tellurem, se aliquando iterum fore imperantem,
si fides peregrinatoribus. . . . . Habitat in Javae, Amboinae, Ternatae speluncis;
Linn. Syst. nat. edit.
x.
p.
24.
, upon the authority of Kjoep, and some other voyagers, tells us, that the orang-outang is not deprived of this faculty; that he thinks, speaks, and expresses himself by a kind of hissing words. This author calls him
homo nocturnus,
and, at the same time, gives such a description of him, that it is impossible to ascertain whether he is a brute or a man. It may, however, be remarked, that, according to Linnaeus, this being, whatever he is, exceeds not the half of the human stature; and, as Bontius takes no notice of the magnitude of his orang-outang, we may presume that they are the same. But this orangoutang of Linnaeus and Bontius would not be the true kind, which is larger than the tallest man. Neither is he the jocko, which I have seen alive; for, though he was of the same size with that described by Linnaeus, he differed in every other character. I saw him frequently, and I can affirm, that he neither spoke, nor expressed himself by hissing, and that he did nothing which a well trained dog could not perform. Besides, he differs in almost every article from Linnaeus's description of the orang-outang, and corresponds better with the
satyrus
of the same author. For these reasons, I suspect the truth of the description of this
homo nocturnus.
I even doubt of his existence. It has probably been a white Negro, a Chacrelas
See vol. 3. Art.
Varieties of the human species.
, whom the voyagers quoted by Linnaeus have superficially examined and falsely described: For the Chacrelas, like the
homo nocturnus
of this author, have white, woolly, frizled hair, red eyes, a feeble voice, &c. But they are men, and neither hiss, nor are they pigmies of thirty inches high: They think and act like other men, and are also of the same size.
Throwing aside, therefore, this ill described being, and supposing a little exaggeration in the recital of Bontius concerning the modesty of his female orang-outang, there only remains a brute creature, an ape, of which we shall find more pointed information in writers of better credit. Edward Tyson
The anatomy of a Pygmie.
, a celebrated English anatomist, who has given an excellent description both of the external and internal parts of the orang-outang, tell us, that there are two species, and that the one he described is not so large as the other, which is called
barris
The
baris
or
barris,
which they describe to be much taller than our animal, probably may be what we call a
drill
;
Tyson, anat. of a pygmie, p.
1.
or
baris
by travellers, and
drill
by the English. This
barris
or
drill
is the large orang-outang of the East Indies, or the Pongo of Guiney. Gassendi having advanced, upon the authority of a voyager called
St Amand,
that, in the island of Java, there was creature which constituted the shade between man and the ape, the fact was strenuously denied. To prove it, Peiresc produced a letter from M. Noël, (
Natalis
), a physician who resided in Africa, from which it appeared
Sunt in Guinea simiae, barba procera canaque, et pexa propemodum venerabiles; incedunt lente, ac videntur prae caeteris sapere; maximi sunt et
barris
dicuntur; pollent maxime judicio, semel dumtazat quidpiam docendi. Veste induti illico bipedes incedunt. Scite ludunt fistula, cythara, aliisque id genus. . . . Foeminae denique in iis patiuntur menstrua, et mares mulierum sunt appetentissimi;
Gassendi, lib.
5.
, that large apes were found in Guiney under the denomination of
barris,
who walk on two legs, have much more gravity and intelligence than the other species, and are extremely desirous of women. Darcos, and afterwards Nieremberg
Nieremberg, Hist. Nat. Peregr. lib. 9. cap. 44.
and Dapper
Descript de l'Afrique, par Dapper, p. 249.
, give nearly the same account of the barris. Battel calls it
pongo,
and describes it in the following manner: 'The greatest of these two monsters is called
Pongo,
in their language; and the lesser is called
Engeco.
This
Pongo
is in all proportion like a man; but that he is more like a giant in stature than a man; for he is very tall, and hath a man's face, hollow eyed, with long hair upon his brows. His face and ears are without hair, and his hands also. His body is full of hair, but not very thick, and it is of a dunnish colour. He differeth not from a man, but in his legs, for they have no calf. He goeth always upon his legs, and carrieth his hands clasped on the nap of his neck, when he goeth upon the ground. They sleep in the trees, and build shelters for the rain. They feed upon fruit that they find in the woods, and upon nuts, for they eat no kind of flesh. They cannot speak, and have no understanding more than a beast. The people of the country, when they travel in the woods, make fires where they sleep in the night; and in the morning, when they are gone, the Pongoes will come and sit about the sire, till it goeth out; for they have no understanding to lay the wood together. They go many together, and kill many Negroes that travail in the woods. Many times they fall upon the elephants, which come to feed where they be, and so beat them with their clubbed fists, and pieces of wood, that they will run roaring away from them. Those Pongoes are never taken alive, because they are so strong, that ten men cannot hold one of them; but yet they take many of their young ones with poisoned arrows. The young Pongo hangeth on his mother's belly, with his hands fast clasped about her; so that, when the country people kill any of the females, they take the young one, which hangeth fast upon his mother.
Purchas's Pilgrimes, part 2. p. 982.
.' It is from this explicit passage that I have derived the names
pongo
and
jocko.
Battel farther remarks, that, when one of these animals dies, the others cover his body with branches and leaves of trees. Purchas adds in a note, that, in the conversations he had with Battel, he learned that a pongo carried off a young Negro from him, who lived a whole year in the society of these animals; that, on his return, the Negro said, that they had never injured him; that they were generally as tall as a man, but much thicker; and that they were nearly double the volume of an ordinary man. Jobson assures us, that, in places frequented by these animals, he saw a kind of habitations composed of interlaced branches of trees, which would at least protect them from the scorching rays of the sun
Hist. gen. des Voyages, tom. 3. p. 295.
. 'The apes of Guiney,' says Bosman
Voyage de Guinée, p. 258.
, 'which are called
smitten
by the Flemish, are of a yellow colour, and grow to a great size. I saw with my eyes one which was five feet high. These apes have an ugly appearance, as well as those of another species perfectly similar in every respect, except that four of them would hardly be as large as one of the former kind. . . . They are capable of being taught almost every thing we choose.' Gauthier Schoutten remarks
Voyage de Gaut. Schoutten.
, 'that the apes called
orang-outangs
by the Indians are nearly of the same figure and size with men, only their back and reins are covered with hair, though there is no hair on the fore part of their bodies; that the females have two large breasts; that their visage is coarse, their nose flat, and even sunk, and their ears like those of men; that they are robust and active; that they defend themselves against armed men; that they are passionately fond of women, who cannot pass through the woods, without being suddenly attacked and ravished by these apes.' Dampier, Froger, and other travellers, assure us, that the orang-outangs carry off girls of eight or ten years of age to the tops of trees, and that it is extremely difficult to rescue them. To these testimonies we may add that of M. de la Brosse, who assures us, in his voyage to Angola in the year 1738, that the orang-outangs, which he calls
quimpezés,
'endeavour to surprise the Negresses, whom they detain for the purpose of enjoying them, and entertain them plentifully. I knew a Negress at Loango who remained three years with these animals. They grow from six to seven feet high. They erect huts, and use bludgeons in their own defence. They have flat faces, broad flat noses, flat ears, skins clearer than those of Molattoes, long thinly scattered hairs in several parts of their bodies, bellies extremely tense, and flat heels raised behind about half an inch. They walk upon two or four feet, at pleasure. We purchased two young ones, a male of fourteen months of age, and a female of twelve,' &c.
We have thus enumerated the most certain facts we could collect concerning the great
orangoutang
or
pongo
; and, as magnitude is the chief character by which it differs from the jocko, I persist in thinking that they are of the same species: For, two circumstances are at least possible: 1. The jocko may be a permanent variety, a race much smaller than that of the pongo. In fact, they both inhabit the same climate; they live in the same manner; and, of course, ought to resemble each other in every article, since they both receive equally the influences of the same soil and sky. In the human species, have we not an example of a similar variety? The Laplander and Fin, though they live under the same climate, differ nearly as much in stature, and much more in other qualities, than the jocko differs from the great orang-outang. 2. The jocko, or small orang-outang, which we have seen alive, as well as those of Tulpius, Tyson, and others which have been brought to Europe, were all, perhaps, young animals, who had acquired only a part of their growth. The one I saw was about two feet and a half high; and the Sieur Nonfoux, to whom it belonged, assured me that it exceeded not two years of age. On the supposition, therefore, that its growth were proportional to that of man, it might, if it had lived, arrived at the height of more than five feet. The orang-outang of Tyson was still younger; for it was only about two feet high, and its teeth were not perfectly formed. Those of Tulpius and Edwards were nearly of the same stature with the one I saw. Hence it is probable, that these young animals, if possessed of liberty in their own climate, would have acquired with age the same height and dimensions which travellers have ascribed to the great orang-outang. Of course, till better information be received, we must regard these two animals as constituting but one species.
The orang-outang which I saw, walked always on two feet, even when carrying things of considerable weight. His air was melancholy, his gate grave, his movements measured, his dispositions gentle, and very different from those of other apes. He had neither the impatience of the Barbary ape, the maliciousness of the baboon, nor the extravagance of the monkeys. It may be alledged, that he had the benefit of instruction; but the other apes, which I shall compare with him, were educated in the same manner. Signs and words were alone sufficient to make our orang-outang act: But the baboon required a cudgel, and the other apes a whip; for none of them would obey without blows. I have seen this animal present his hand to conduct the people who came to visit him, and walk as gravely along with them as if he had formed a part of the company. I have seen him sit down at table, unfold his towel, wipe his lips, use a spoon or a fork to carry the victuals to his mouth, pour his liquor into a glass, and make it touch that of the person who drank along with him. When invited to take tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on the table, put in sugar, poured out the tea, and allowed it to cool before he drank it. All these actions he performed, without any other instigation than the signs or verbal orders of his master, and often of his own accord. He did no injury to any person: He even approached company with circumspection, and presented himself as if he wanted to be caressed. He was very fond of dainties, which every body gave him: And, as his breast was diseased, and he was afflicted with a teazing cough, this quantity of sweetmeats undoubtedly contributed to shorten his life. He lived one summer in Paris, and died in London the following winter. He eat almost every thing; but preferred ripe and dried fruits to all other kinds of food. He drank a little wine; but spontaneously left it for milk, tea, or other mild liquors. Tulpius
Erat hic satyrus quadrupes, sed ab humana specie quam prae se fert vocatur Indis
ourang-outang,
homo silvestris, uti Africanis
Quojasinorrou
: Exprimens longitudine puerum trimum, ut crassitie sexennem; corpore erat nec obeso nec gracili, sed quadrato, habilissimo tamen ac pernicissimo. Artubus vero tam strictis et musculis adeo vastis, ut quidvis et auderet et posset. Anterius undique glaber at pone hirsutus ac nigris crinibus obsitus. Facies mentiebatur hominem; sed nares simae et aduncae rugosam et edentulam anum. Aures vero nil discrepant ab humana forma, uti neque pectus ornatum utrinque mamma praetumida (erat enim sexus foeminei). Venter habebat umbilicum profundiorem, et artus, cum superiores tum inferiores, tam exactam cum homine similitudinem ut vix ovum ovo videris similius. Nec cubito defuit debita commissura, nec manibus digitorum ordo; nedum pollici figura humana vel cruribus surae vel pedi calcis fulcrum. Quae concinna ac decens membrorum forma in caussa fuit, quod multoties incederet erectus, neque attolleret minus gravate, quam transferret facile qualecumque gravissimi oneris pondus. Bibiturus praehendebat canthari ansam manu altera; alteram vero vasis fundo supponens, abstergebat deinde madorem labiis relictum.—Eandem dexteritatem observabat cubitum iturus; inclinans caput in pulvinar et corpus stragulis convenienter operiens, &c.;
Tulpii. Observ. Medicae, lib.
3.
c.
56.
, who gives a good description and a figure of one of these animals, that had been presented to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, makes nearly the same observations with regard to it, as I have already related. But, if we wish to distinguish the instincts peculiar to this animal from the improvement it receives by education, we must compare the facts of which we have been eye-witnesses, with the relations of travellers who have seen it in a state of nature, in the full possession of liberty, and in captivity. M. de la Brosse, who purchased from a Negro two orang-outangs, whose age exceeded not twelve months, does not say that they had been instructed by the Negro. It appears, on the contrary, that they spontaneously performed most of the actions above recited.
'These animals,' he remarks, 'have the instinct of sitting at table like men. They eat every kind of food, without distinction. They use a knife, a fork, or a spoon, to cut or lay hold of what is put on their plate. They drink wine and other liquors. We carried them aboard. At table, when they wanted any thing, they made themselves be understood to the cabbin-boy: And, when the boy refused to give them what they demanded, they sometimes became enraged, seized him by the arm, bit, and threw him down. . . . . . The male was seized with sickness in the road. He made himself be attended as a human being. He was even bled twice in the right arm: And, whenever he found himself afterwards in the same condition, he held out his arm to be bled, as if he knew that he had formerly received benefit from that operation.'
Henry Gross informs us, vol. 1. pag. 233.
That some places towards the hills are covered with immense impenetrable forests, that afford a shelter for wild beasts of all sorts. But in that which forms the inland boundary of the Carnatic Rajah's dominions, there is one singular species of creatures, of which I had heard much in India, and of the truth of which the following fact, that happened some time before my arrival there, may serve for an attestation.
Vancajee, a merchant of that country, and an inhabitant on the sea coast, sent up to Bombay to the then governour of it, Mr Horne, a couple of those creatures before mentioned, as a present, by a coasting vessel, of which one Captain Boag was the master, and the make of which, according to his description, and that of others, was as follows.
They were scarcely two feet high, walked erect, and had perfectly an human form. They were of a sallow white, without any hair, except in those parts that it is customary for mankind to have it. By their melancholy, they seemed to have a rational sense of their captivity, and had many of the human actions. They made their bed very orderly in the cage in which they were sent up, and on being viewed, would endeavour to conceal, with their hands, those parts that modesty forbids manifesting. The joints of their knees were not re-entering, like those of monkeys, but saliant, like those of men; a circumstance they have (if I mistake not), in common with the orangoutangs in the eastern parts of India, in Sumatra, Java, and the Spice-islands, of which these seem to be the diminutives, though with nearer approaches of resemblance to the human species. But, though the navigation from the Carnatic coast to Bombay is of a very short run, of not above six or seven degrees, whether the sea air did not agree with them, or that they could not brook their confinement, or that Captain Boag had not properly consulted their provision, the female sickening first, died; and the male giving all the demonstrations of grief, seemed to take it to heart so, that he refused to eat, and, in two days after, followed her. The Captain, on his return to Bombay, reporting this to the governour, was by him asked, What he had done with the bodies? He said he had flung them over board. Being further asked, why he did not keep them in spirits? He replied bluntly, that he did not think of it. Upon this, the governour wrote afresh to Vancajee, and desired him to procure another couple, at any rate, as he should grudge no expence to be master of such a curiosity. Vancajee's answer was, he should very willingly oblige him, but that he was afraid it would not be in his power: That these creatures came from a forest about seventy leagues up the country, where the inhabitants would sometimes catch them on the skirts of it; but that they were so exquisitely cunning and fly, that this scarcely happened once in a century.
Francis Pyrard
Voyages de François Pyrard, tom. 2. p. 331.
relates,
'That, in the province of Sierra Leona, there is a species of animals called
baris,
who are strong and well limbed, and so industrious, that, when properly trained and fed, they work like servants; that they generally walk on the two hind feet; that they pound any substances in a mortar; that they go to bring water from the river in small pitchers, which they carry full on their heads. But, when they arrive at the door, if the pitchers are not soon taken off, they allow them to fall; and, when they perceive the pitcher overturned and broken, they weep and lament.
Father Jarric, quoted by Nieremberg
Euf. Nieremberg. Hist. Nat. peregrin. lib. 9. cap. 45.
, says the same thing, nearly in the same terms. With regard to the education of these animals, the testimony of Schoutten
Voyages de Guat. Schoutten aux Indes Orientales.
accords with that of Pyrard.
'They are taken,' he remarks, 'with snares, taught to walk on their hind feet, and to use their fore feet as hands in performing different operations, as rinsing glasses, carrying drink round the company, turning a spit,' &c. 'I saw, at Java,' says Guat
Voyages de Fr. le Guat. tom. 2. p. 96.
, 'a very extraordinary ape. It was a female. She was very tall, and often walked erect on her hind feet. On these occasions, she concealed with her hands the parts which distinguish the sex. Except the eye-brows, there was no hair on her face, which pretty much resembled the grotesque female faces I saw among the Hottentots at the Cape. She made her bed very neatly every day, lay upon her side, and covered herself with the bed-clothes. . . . When her head ached, she bound it up with a handkerchief; and it was amusing to see her thus hooded in bed. I could relate many other little articles which appeared to be extremely singular. But I admired them not so much as the multitude; because, as I knew the design of bringing her to Europe to be exhibited as a shew, I was inclined to think that she had been taught many of these monkey-tricks, which the people considered as being natural to the animal. She died in our ship, about the latitude of the Cape of Good Hope. The figure of this ape had a very great resemblance to that of man,' &c. Gemelli Carreri tells us, that he saw one of these apes, which cried like an infant, walked upon its hind feet, and carried a matt under its arm to lie down and sleep upon. These apes, he adds, appear, in some respects, to have more sagacity than men: For, when the fruits on the mountains are exhausted, they come down to the sea coasts, where they feed upon carbs, oysters, and other shell-fishes. There is a species of oyster called
taclovo,
which weighs several pounds, and commonly lies open on the shore. The ape, when he wants to eat one of them, being afraid left it should close on his paw, puts a stone into the shell, which prevents it from shutting, and then eats the oyster at his ease.
'The apes along the banks of the river Gambia,' says Froger, 'are larger and more mischieveous than in any part of Africa: The Negroes dread them, and cannot travel alone in the country, without running the hazard of being attacked by these animals, who often present them with a stick, and force them to fight. I have heard the Portuguese say, that they have often seen them hoist up young girls, about seven or eight years old, into trees, and that they could not be wrested from them without a great deal of difficulty. The most part of the Negroes imagine them to be a foreign nation come to inhabit their country, and that they do not speak for fear of being compelled to work.'
'We might dispense,' another traveller
Descript. historique du royaume de Macacar, p. 51.
remarks, 'with seeing a number of apes at Macacar; because a rencounter with them is often fatal. It is necessary to be always well armed to defend ourselves against their attacks. . . . They have no tail, and walk always erect on their two hind feet, like men.'
These are nearly all the facts, concerning this animal, which have been related by voyagers who are least credulous, and deserve most credit. I have quoted the passages entire, because every article is important in the history of a brute which has so great a resemblance to man. And, that we may be enabled to ascertain the nature of this animal with the greater precision, we shall now mark the differences and conformities which make him approach or recede from the human species. He differs from man externally by the flatness of his nose, by the shortness of his front, and by his chin, which is not elevated at the base. His ears are proportionally too large, his eyes too near each other, and the distance between his nose and mouth is too great. These are the only differences between the face of an orang-outang and that of a man. With regard to the body and members, the thighs are proportionally too short, the arms too long, the fingers too small, the palm of the hands too long and narrow, and the feet rather resemble hands than the human foot. The male organs of generation differ not from those of man, except that the prepuce has no
fraenum.
The female organs are extremely similar to those of a woman.
The orang-outang differs internally from the human species in the number of ribs: Man has only twelve; but the orang-outang has thirteen. The vertebrae of the neck are also shorter, the bones of the pelvis narrow, the buttocks flatter, and the orbits of the eyes sunk deeper. He has no spinal process on the first vertebra of the neck. The kidneys are rounder than those of man, and the ureters have a different figure, as well as the bladder and gall-bladder, which are narrower and longer than in the human species. All the other parts of the body, head, and members, both external and internal, so perfectly resemble those of man, that we cannot make the comparison without being astonished that such a similarity in structure and organization should not produce the same effects. The tongue, and all the organs of speech, for example, are the same as in man; and yet the orang-outang enjoys not the faculty of speaking; the brain has the same figure and proportions; and yet he possesses not the power of thinking. Can there be a more evident proof than is exhibited in the orang-outang, that matter alone, though perfectly organized, can produce neither language nor thought, unless it be animated by a superior principle? Man and the orang-outang are the only animals who have buttocks and calfs of the legs, and who, of course, are formed for walking erect; the only animals who have a broad chest, flat shoulders, and vertebrae of the same structure; and the only animals whose brain, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach, and intestines are perfectly similar, and who have an appendix vermiformis or blind-gut. In fine, the orang-outang has a greater resemblance to man than even to the baboons or monkeys, not only in all the parts we have mentioned, but in the largeness of the face, the figure of the cranium, of the jaws, of the teeth, and of the other bones of the head and face; in the thickness of the fingers and thumb, the figure of the nails, and the number of vertebrae; and, lastly, in the conformity of the articulations, the magnitude and figure of the rotula, sternum, &c. Hence, as there is a greater similarity between this animal and man, than between those creatures which resemble him most, as the Barbary ape, the baboon, and monkey, who have all been designed by the general name of
apes,
the Indians are to be excused for associating him with the human species, under the denomination of
orang-outang,
or
wild man.
As some of the facts we have related may appear suspicious to those who never saw this animal, we shall support them by the authority of two celebrated anatomists. Tyson
The orang-outang has a greater resemblance to man than to the apes or monkeys; because, 1. The hairs on his shoulders are directed downward, and those of the arms upward. 2. His face is broader and flatter than that of the apes. 3. The figure of his ear has a greater resemblance to that of man, except the cartilaginous part, which is thin, as in the apes. 4. His fingers are proportionally thicker than those of the apes. 5. He is in every article formed for walking erect, which is by no means the case with the apes and monkeys. 6. He has thicker buttocks than all the other apes. 7. He has calfs to his legs. 8. His breast and shoulders are broader than those of the apes. 9. His heel is longer. 10. He has a cellular membrane, placed, as in man, under the skin. 11. His peritonaeum is entire, and not pierced or lengthened, as it is in the apes. 12. His intestines are longer than those of the apes. 13. The intestinal canal is of different diameters, as in man, and not equal or nearly equal, as in the apes. 14. His caecum has a vermicular appendix as in man; but this appendix is wanting in all the other apes: Besides, the neck of the colon is not so long as that of the apes. 15. The insertions of the biliary and pancreatic ducts have but one common orifice in man and the orang-outang; but, in the monkeys, these insertions are two inches asunder. 16. The colon is longer than that of the apes. 17. The liver is not divided into lobes, as in the apes, but entire, as in man. 18. The biliary vessels are the same as in man. 19. The spleen, and, 20. the pancreas, are the same. 21. The number of lobes in the lungs is the same. 22. The pericardium is attached to the diaphragm, as in man. 23. The cone of the heart is blunter than in the apes. 24. He has no pouches at the bottom of the cheeks, as the other apes and monkeys have. 25. His brain is larger than that of the apes, and exactly formed like the human brain. 26. The cranium is rounder, and double the size of that of the monkeys. 27. All the sutures of the cranium are similar to those of man; and the bones called
ossa triquetra Wormiana
are found in the lambdoid future, which is not the case in the other apes or monkeys. 28. He has the
os cribriforme
and the
crista galli,
which are wanting in the monkeys. 29. He has the
sella equina
exactly as in man; but, in the apes and monkeys, this part is more elevated and prominent. 30. The processus pteregoideus is the same as in man; but it is wanting in the apes and monkeys. 31. The temporal bones, and those called
ossa bregmatis,
are the same as in man; but, in the apes and monkeys, these bones are of a different form. 32. The os zygomaticus is small; but it is large in the apes and monkeys. 33. The teeth, and particularly the dog-teeth and grinders, are more similar to the human teeth than to those of the apes. 34. The transverse processes of the vertebrae of the neck, and the sixth and seventh vertebrae, have a greater resemblance to those of man than to those of the apes and monkeys. 35. The vertebrae of the neck are not perforated, as in the apes, for the transmission of nerves, but plain and entire, as in man. 36. The vertebrae of the back and their processes are the same as in man; and, in the lower vertebrae, there are only two inferior processes; but, in the apes, there are four. 37. As in man, there are only five lumbar vertebrae; but, in the monkeys, there are six or seven. 38. The spinal processes of the lumbar vertebrae are straight, as in man. 39. The
os sacrum
is composed of five vertebrae, as in man; but, in the apes and monkeys, it consists only of three. 40. The coccix is composed of four bones, as in man, and these bones are not perforated; but, in the apes and monkeys, the coccix is composed of a greater number of bones, which are all perforated. 41. In the orang-outang, there are only seven true ribs (
costae verae,
) and the extremities of the false ribs (
costae nothae
) are cartilaginous, and articulated with the bodies of the vertebrae; but, in the apes and monkeys, there are eight true ribs, and the extremities of the false ribs are osseous, and their articulations are placed in the interstices between the vertebrae. 42. The sternum of the orang-outang is as broad as that of man, and not narrow, as in the monkeys. 43. The bones of the four fingers are thicker than those of the apes. 44. The thigh bone is perfectly similar to that of man. 45. The rotula is round, and not long, single, and not double, as it is in the apes. 46. The heel, the
tarsus,
and
metatarsus,
are the same as those of man. 47. The middle toe is not so long as in the apes. 48. The
obliquus inserior capitis, pyriformis,
and
biceps femoris
muscles, are similar to those of man; but they are different in the apes and monkeys, &c.
The orang-outang differs from the human species more than from the apes or monkeys in the following articles. 1. The thumb is proportionally smaller than that of man; but it is larger than that of the other apes. 2. The palm of the hand is longer and narrower than in man. 3. He differs from man and approaches the apes by the length of his toes. 4. He differs from man by having the large toe of the foot removed nearly to the distance of an inch from the next one, and he should be rather considered as a four-handed animal than a quadruped. 5. His thighs are shorter than those of man; and, 6. his arms are longer. 7. The testicles are not pendulous. 8. The epiploon is larger than in man. 9. The gall-bladder is longer and narrower. 10. The kidneys are rounder than in man; and the ureters are also different. 11. The bladder is longer. 12. He has no
fraenum
to the prepuce. 13. The bone in the orbit of the eye is sunk deeper. 14. He wants the two cavities below the
sella turcica.
15. The mastoid and styloid processes are extremely small. 16. The bones of the nose are flat. 17. The
vertebrae
of the neck are short, as in the apes, flat before and not round, and their spinal processes are not forked, as in man. 18. He has no spinal process in the first
vertebra
of the neck. 19. He has thirteen ribs on each side, and man has only twelve. 20. The
ossa illa
are perfectly similar to those of the apes, being longer, narrower, and less concave than in man. 21. The following muscles are found in man, and are wanting in the orang-outang,
Occipitales, frontales, dilatatores alarum nasi, seu elevatores labii superioris, interspinales colli, glutaei minimi, extensor digitorum pedis brevis, et transversalis pedis.
22. The muscles which appear not in the orang-outang, and are sometimes found in man, are those called
pyramidales, caro musculosa quadrata,
the long tendon and fleshy body of the
palmaris,
the
and
auriculam.
23. The orang-outang, has the
elevator
muscles of the clavicles like those of the apes, and different from those of man. 24. The following are the muscles by which the orang-outang resembles the apes, and differs from man:
Longus colli, pectoralis, latissimus dorsi, glutaeus maximus et medius, psoas magnus et parvus, iliacus inter nus, et gastrocnemius internus.
25. He differs from man in the figure of the
deltoides, pronator radii teres, et extensor pollicis brevis.
Anatomy of the orang-outang by Tyson.
and Cowper dissected him with the most scrupulous exactness, and have given us the results of the comparisons they made between the different parts of his body with that of man. I have translated this article from the English, that the reader may be enabled to form a judgment of the almost entire resemblance between this animal and the human species. I shall only remark, for the better understanding of this note, that the English are not confined, like the French, to a single name to denote
apes.
Like the Greeks, they have two denominations, the one for the apes without tails, which they call
apes
Simiae dividuntur in cauda carentes, quae simiae simpliciter dicuntur; et caudatas, quae cercopitheci appellantur; quae prioris generis sunt Anglice
Apes
dicuntur; quae posterioris
Monkeys
;
Raii synops. quad. p.
149.
, and the other for the apes with tails, which they call
monkeys.
The apes of Tyson could be no other than those which we denominate
pithecus
or
pigmy,
and the
cynocephalus
or Barbary ape. I should likewise remark, that this author gives some resemblances and differences which are not sufficiently accurate.
1. Tyson makes it peculiar to man and the orang-outang, to have the hair on the shoulders directed downward, and that of the arms upward. The hair of most animals, it is true, is directed backward or downward; but there are some exceptions. The sloth, and the least ant-eater have the hair of their anterior parts directed backward, and that of the crupper and reins directed forward. Hence this character is of no great moment in the comparison of the orang-outang with man.
2. In the passage quoted from Tyson, I took no notice of the four first differences; because they are either too slight, or ill founded. The first is the difference of stature, which is an uncertain and gratuitous character, especially as the author acknowledges that his animal was very young. The second, third, and fourth are derived from the form of the nose, the quantity of hair, and other minute relations. I retrenched several other differences; for example, the twenty-first, drawn from the number of teeth. It is certain that both the human species and this animal have an equal number of teeth. If the latter had only twenty-eight, as our author remarks, it was owing to his youth; and, it is well known, that man, when young, has not a greater number.
3. The seventh difference is also very equivocal: The testicles of children are situated very high; and this animal, being young, ought not to have had them pendulous.
4. The forty-eight mark of resemblance, and the twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, and twenty-fifth marks of difference, are derived from the figure or presence of certain muscles, which, as they vary in most individuals of the human species, ought not to be regarded as essential characters.
5. All the resemblances and differences drawn from parts too minute, as the processes of the vertebrae, or derived from the position and magnitude of certain parts, should only be considered as accessory characters; so that the whole detail of Tyson's table may be reduced to the resemblances and differences we have pointed out.
6. I shall mention some characters of a more general nature, some of which have been omitted by Tyson, and others imperfectly related. 1. Of all the apes, baboons, and monkeys, the orang-outang alone wants those pouches within the cheeks, into which they put their food, before they swallow it; for the inside of his mouth is the same as in man. 2. The gibbon, the Barbary ape, all the baboons, and all the monkeys, except the douc, have flat buttocks, with callosities on them. The orang-outang alone has plump buttocks without callosities. The douc likewise has no callosities; but his buttocks are flat and covered with hair; so that, in this respect, the douc forms the shade between the orang-outang and the monkeys. 3. The orang-outang alone has calfs of the legs and fleshy buttocks. This single character shows that he is best formed for walking erect; only his toes are very long, and his heel rests with more difficulty on the ground than that of man. He runs with more ease than he walks; and, to enable him to walk easily and long, he would require artificial heels higher than those of our shoes. 4. Though the orang-outang has thirteen ribs, and man but twelve. This difference does not make him approach nearer to the baboons or monkeys than it removes him from man; because the number of ribs varies in most of those species, some of them having twelve, others eleven, others ten, &c. Hence the only differences between the body of this animal and that of man are reduced to two, namely, the figure of the bones of the pelvis, and the conformation of the feet. These are the only parts worthy of consideration, by which the orang-outang has a greater resemblance to the other apes than he has to man.
Plate CCLII. JOCKO.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The orang-outang has no pouches within his cheeks, no tail, and no callosities on his buttocks; which last are plump and fleshy. All his teeth are similar to those of man. His face is flat, naked, and tawny. His ears, hands, feet, breast, and belly, are likewise naked. The hair of his head descends on both temples in the form of tresses. He has hair on his back and loins, but in small quantities. He is five or six feet high, and walks always erect on his two feet. We have not been able to ascertain whether the females, like women, are subject to periodical courses; but analogy renders this matter almost unquestionable.
THE PIGMY
Ape with a flattish face; ears like those of a man; body of the size of a cat; colour above an olive brown, beneath yellowish; nails flat; buttocks naked; fits upright;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
98.
in Greek;
Simia
in Latin;
Le Pitheque
in French;
Chinchin
in Tartary; and
Sinsin
in China.
Pithecus;
Arist. Hist. anim. lib.
2.
cap.
8.
Simia;
Gesner, quad. p.
847.
Raii Synops. quad. p.
149.
Johnston de quad. tab.
59.
Ape, 2d spec.
Bosman's Guinea, p.
242.
Le Singe. Simia unguibus omnibus planis et rotundatis;
Brisson, quad. p.
133.
Figura prima est earum simiarum quae caudas non habent: Hae caeteris facilius et citius mansuefiunt; caeterisque solertiori ingenio praestant, hilarioresque et versutiores existunt; Prosp. Alp. Hist. Aegypt.
lib.
4.
tab.
20.
fig.
1.
Simia sylvanus, ecaudata, natibus calvis, capite subrotundo;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
34.
.
ARISTOTLE remarks, 'that there are animals whose nature is ambiguous, and are partly allied to man, and partly to quadrupeds; such as the
pigmies,
the
kebes,
and the
cynocephali.
The
kebe
is a pigmy with a tail; and the
cynocephalus
is perfectly similar to the pigmy, except that it is larger and stronger, and has a longer muzzle, approaching nearly to that of the bull-dog, from which circumstance its name has been derived. Its manners are likewise more ferocious, and its teeth are stronger than those of the pigmy, and have a greater resemblance to those of the dog.' From this passage, it is apparent, that neither the pigmy nor the
cynocephalus
mentioned by Aristotle have a tail; for he says, that the pigmies with tails are called
kebes,
and that the
cynocephalus
resembles the pigmy in every article, except the muzzle and teeth. Hence Aristotle takes notice of two apes without tails, the pigmy and
cynocephalus,
and other apes with tails, to which he gives the denomination of
kebes.
Now, to compare our own knowledge with that of Aristotle, we shall remark, that we have seen three species of apes without tails, the orang-outang, the gibbon, or long armed ape, and the magot, or Barbary ape, and that the pigmy is none of these three species; for the orang-outang and gibbon could not be known to Aristotle, since these animals are only found in the southern parts of Africa and India, which were not discovered in his time; besides, they have characters very different from those he ascribes to the pigmy. But the third species, which we call the
magot,
or Barbary ape, is the
cynocephalus
of Aristotle; for it has no tail; its muzzle resembles that of a bull-dog; and its canine teeth are long and thick. Besides, this animal is common in Asia Minor, and other eastern provinces which were known to the Greeks. The pigmy belongs to the same country; but we know it only from the relations of travellers. But, though we have never been able to procure this ape, its existence is equally real with that of the
cynocephalus.
Gesner and Johnston have given figures of the pigmy. M. Brisson mentions his having seen it, and he distinguishes it from the
cynocephalus
or Barbary ape, which he likewise saw. He confirms Aristotle's remark, that these two animals resemble each other in every thing, except that the
cynocephalus
has a longer muzzle than the pigmy
The first race of apes, which have no tail, and a short muzzle: 1. The ape. I saw several apes which differed only in magnitude: Their face, ears, and nails, were very similar to those of man. The hair which covered their bodies, except the buttocks, which are naked, is a mixture of green and yellow. The green predominates on the superior part of the body, and the yellow on the inferior. . . . The second race of apes, which have no tail, and a long muzzle: 1. The
cynocephalus
differs from the ape only in having a long muzzle, like that of a dog. I saw several of them which had no difference but in size;
Brisson. regn. anim. p.
189. 191.
.
We remarked, that the orang-outang, the pigmy, the gibbon, and the Barbary ape, are the only animals to which the generic name
ape
ought to be applied; because they alone want the tail, and walk spontaneously, and oftener on two feet than on four. The orang-outang and the gibbon are very different from the pigmy and Barbary ape. But, as the two latter have a perfect resemblance, except in the length of the muzzle and the largeness of the canine teeth, the one has frequently been mistaken for the other. They have always been mentioned under the common appellation of
ape,
even in languages which have one name for apes without tails, and another for those which have tails. In German, both the pigmy and Barbary ape are called
aff,
and
ape
in English. It is only in the Greek language that each of these animals has a proper name.
Cynocephalus
is rather an adjective than a proper substantive; and for that reason we have not adopted it.
From the testimony of the antients, it appears, that the pigmy is more mild and docile than all the other apes with which they were acquainted, and that it was common in Asia as well as in Lybia, and other provinces of Africa which were frequented by the Greek and Roman travellers. Hence I presume that the following passages of Leo Africanus and Marmol ought to be applied to the pigmy. They tell us, that the apes with long tails, which are shown in Mauritania, and which the Africans call
mones,
come from the Negro country; but that the apes without tails are natives, and very numerous in the mountains of Mauritania, Bugia, and Constantina: 'They have,' says Marmol, 'the feet, the hands, and the countenance of a man, and are extremely malicious and full of spirit. They live upon herbs, corn, and all kinds of fruits. They go in troops into the gardens or fields; but, before they leave the thickets, one of them ascends an eminence, from which he views the country; and, when he sees no person, he gives the signal, by a cry for the rest to proceed, and removes not from his station as long as they continue abroad. But, whenever he perceives any person approaching, he screams with a loud voice; and, by leaping from tree to tree, they all fly to the mountains. Their flight is worthy of admiration; for the females, though they carry four or five young ones on their backs, make great springs from branch to branch. Though extremely cunning, vast numbers of them are taken by different arts. When wild, they bite desperately; but by carresses they are easily tamed. They do much mischief to the fruits and corn; for they gather it together in heaps, cut it, and throw it on the ground, whether it be ripe or not, and destroy more than they eat or carry off. Those who are tamed perform things which are almost incredible, and imitate every human action
L'Afrique de Marmol, tom. 1. p. 57.
.' Kolbe relates nearly the same facts with regard to the apes of the Cape of Good Hope. But, from his figure and description, it is obvious, that these apes are baboons, and have a short tail, a long muzzle, pointed nails, &c.; and that they are much larger and stronger than the apes of Mauritania
See below, Art.
Baboon.
. We may, therefore, presume, that Kolbe has copied the passage from Marmol, and attributed to the baboons of the Cape the manners and dispositions of Mauritanian pigmies.
The pigmy, the Barbary ape, and the baboon, were known to the antients; these animals are found in Asia Minor, Arabia, Upper Egypt, and in all the northern parts of Africa. Hence this passage of Marmol may be applied to all the three. But it corresponds not with the baboon; for it mentions, that these apes have no tails. Neither is it the Barbary ape, but the pigmy, of which this author treats; for the Barbary ape is not easily tamed, and, instead of four or five, it generally produces only two young. But the pigmy, being smaller, should produce a greater number. Besides, it is milder and more docile than the Barbary ape, who is never perfectly tamed. For these reasons, I am convinced that it is not the Barbary ape, but the pigmy, to which the passage in the above author ought to be applied. The same remark is applicable to a passage of Rubruquis; when mentioning the apes of Cathay, he remarks, 'That, in every article, they are fashioned like man. . . . That they are more than a foot and a half high, and all covered with hair; that they live in caverns; that, in order to seize them, the natives put strong inebriating liquors in the caverns they frequent;. . . . that they assemble together to drink these liquors, crying
chinchin,
from which they have obtained the name of
chinchin
; and that, after intoxicating themselves, they fall asleep, when they are easily taken by the hunters.' These characters correspond with the pigmy, and by no means with the Barbary ape. The latter we have seen alive, and never heard it cry
chinchin.
Besides, it is much more than a foot and a half high, and has not so great a resemblance to man as the author alledges. We have the same reasons for applying to the pigmy the figure and remark of Prosper Alpinus: He tells us, that the small apes without tails, which he saw in Egypt, tame sooner and more easily than any other; that they have likewise more sagacity and industry, and are gayer and more frolicsome. Now, the Barbary ape is thick, and of a considerable stature; it is a dirty, ferocious, melancholy animal, and is never fully tamed. Hence the characters given by Prosper Alpinus to his ape without a tail, apply not to the Barbary ape, and can belong to no other animal than the pigmy.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The pigmy has no tail, and his canine teeth are not proportionally larger than those of man. He has a flat face; his nails are likewise flat, and rounded like those of the human species. He walks on two feet, and is about a foot and a half in length. His disposition is mild, and he is easily tamed. The antients alledge, that the female is subject to the menstrual discharge, and analogy permits us not to doubt the fact.
The GIBBON, or Long-armed APE
Long-armed ape, with a flat swarthy face, surrounded with gray hairs; hair on the body black and rough; buttocks bare; nails on the hands flat, on the feet long; arms of a disproportioned length, reaching quite to the ground when the animal is erect, its natural-posture; of a hideous deformity;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
100.
Gibbon
is the name under which M. Dupleix gave us this animal, which he brought from the East Indies. I first imagined this to be an Indian word. But I found, in a note upon Piiny by Dalechamp, that Strabo had denoted the
cephus
by the word
keipon,
from which
guibon
or
gibbon
had probably been derived. The following is the passage of Pliny, with Dalechamp's note;
'Pompeii Magni primum Iudi ostenderunt ex Ethiopia quas vocant
cephos
Cephos
; Strabo. lib. 15.
vocat, esseque tradit facie satyro similem;
Dal. Plin. Hist. Nat. lib.
8.
cap.
19.
Nota.
It appears that the
cebus
of the Greeks, and the
cephus
of Pliny, which ought to be pronounced
kebus
and
kephus,
may have originally come from
koph
or
kophin,
the Hebrew and Chaldean name of the ape.
, quarum pedes posteriores pedibus humanis et cruribus, priores manibus fuere similes: Hoc animal postea Roma non vidit.'
.
THE Gibbon keeps himself always erect, even when he walks on four feet; because his arms are as long as both his body and legs. We have seen him alive. He exceeded not three feet in height; but he was young, and in captivity. Hence we may presume, that he had not acquired his full dimensions, and that, in a natural state, he might arrive at four feet. He has not the vestige of a tail. But he is distinguished from the other apes by the prodigious length of his arms: When standing erect on his hind feet, his hands touch the ground; and he can walk on his four feet without bending his body. Round the face there is a circle of white, which gives him a very extraordinary appearance. His eyes are large, but deep sunk. His ears are naked. His face is flat, of a tawny colour, and pretty similar to that of man. After the orang-outang and the pigmy, the gibbon would make the nearest approach to the human figure, if he was not deformed by the excessive length of his arms; for, in a state of nature, man would likewise have a strange aspect. The hair and the beard, if neglected, would form round his countenance a circle similar to that which surrounds the face of the gibbon.
This ape appeared to be of a tranquil disposition, and of gentle manners. His movements were neither too brisk nor precipitant. He received mildly what was given him to eat. He was fed with bread, fruits, almonds, &c. He was afraid of cold and moisture, and did not live long in a foreign climate. He is a native of the East Indies, and particularly of Coromandel, Malacca, and the Molucca islands
Father le Comte tells us, that he saw in the Molucca's a kind of ape, which walked naturally on two feet, used its hands like a man, and had a face like that of a Hottentot. But the whole body was covered with a kind of gray wool. It had an exact resemblance to an infant, and expressed its passions and appetites in the most perfect manner. He adds, that these apes are extremely gentle; that they show great attachment to the people with whom they are acquainted, and embrace them with transport; that one of them, which he saw, was, at least, four feet high, and was very dexterous and agile;
Mem. sur la China, par Louis le Comte, p.
510.
. It appears that he is likewise found in more northern provinces, and that we ought to refer to the gibbon, the ape of the kingdom of Gannaura, on the frontier of China, to which some travellers have given the name of
fefé
In the kingdom of Gannaura, on the frontier of China, there is a very rare animal called
fesé.
It is nearly of the human figure. Its arms are very long; the body is black, and covered with hair; and it moves lightly and very quick;
Recueil des voyages, &c. tom.
3.
p.
168.
Nota.
1. This character of very long arms belongs only to the gibbon; and, consequently, indicates that the fefé is the same animal. 2. We may presume, that the word
fefé
comes from
jesef
or
sesef,
the name of the baboon in the provinces of Africa which border upon Arabia, and that it has been transferred from the baboon to the gibbon; for the arms of the baboon are not longer than those of the other apes.
.
The gibbon varies in size and colour. There are two in the royal cabinet, of which the second, though an adult, is much smaller than the first, and is brown in all the parts where the other is black. But they so perfectly resemble each other in every other article, that they unquestionably belong to the same species.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The gibbon has no tail. There are slight callosities on his buttocks. His face is flat, brown, and surrounded with a circle of gray hairs. His canine teeth are proportionally larger than those of man. The ears are naked, black, and round. The arms are enormously long. He walks on his two hind feet, and is about a foot and a half or three feet high. The female, like women, is subject to a periodical evacuation.
Plate CCLIII. GREAT GIBBON.
Plate CCLV. MAGOT.
The MAGOT, or BARBARY APE
Barbary ape, with a long face, not unlike that of a dog; canine teeth long and strong; ears like the human; nails flat; buttocks bare; colour of the upper part of the body a dirty greenish brown; belly of a dull pale yellow; grows to above the length of four feet;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
100.
Magot,
the old French name of this ape, which we have adopted.
Momenet,
according to Johnston. It is likewise called
Tartarin,
because it is very common in South Tartary.
Cynocephalus;
Arist. Hist. anim. lib.
2.
cap.
8.
Plinii lib.
8. cap. 54.
Gesner, quad. p.
859.
Prosper Alpin. AEgypt. vol.
2. p. 241.
tab.
16.
Simia cynocephala.
. . . . Le singe cynocephale:
Brisson, quad.
Simia inuus, ecaudata, natibus calvis, capite oblongo;
Linn. Syst. nat. p.
35.
.
OF all the apes without tails
It is certain that this ape has no tail, though there is a slight appearance of one, formed by a small appendix of skin about half an inch long, and situated above the anus. But this appendix has no vertebrae, and is only a portion of skin, which adheres not more to the coccix than to the rest of the skin.
, the Magot agrees best with the temperature of our climate. We kept one several years. In summer, he delighted to be in the open air; and, in winter, he might be kept in a room without fire. Though by no means delicate, he was always melancholy, and sometimes dirty. He used the same grimaces to mark his anger, or to express his appetite. His movements were brisk, his manners gross, and his aspect more ugly than ridiculous. When agitated with passion, he exhibited and grinded his teeth. He filled the pouches of his cheeks with the food which was given him, and generally eat every thing, except raw flesh, cheese, and whatever had undergone a kind of fermentation. When about to sleep, he loved to perch upon an iron or wooden bar. He was always chained; because, though he had been long in a domestic state, he was not civilized, and had no attachment to his masters. He seems to have been ill educated; for I have seen others of the same species more intelligent, more obedient, more gay, and so docile as to learn to dance, to make gesticulations in cadence, and to allow themselves peaceably to be clothed.
This ape, when erect upon his two hind legs, is generally two feet and a half, or three feet high; the female is smaller than the male. He walks more willingly on four feet than on two. When resting, he commonly supports his body on two prominent callosities, which are situated where the buttocks ought to be: The anus is placed higher. Hence his body is more inclined than that of a man, when sitting. He differs from the pigmy or ape properly so called: 1. Because his muzzle is thick and long, as in the dog; but the face of the pigmy is flat; 2. Because he has very long canine teeth; 3. Because his nails and fingers are neither so flat nor so round; and, 4. Because he is larger, more squat, and of a more ferocious and untractable disposition.
There are some varieties in this species. We have seen magots of different sizes, and with hair more or less deeply coloured, and more or less bushy. It even appears, that the five animals described and drawn by Prosper Alpinus, under the denomination of
cynocephali
Prosper. Alpin. Hist. Nat. AEgypt. lib. 4. tab. 15. fig. 1. et tab. 16. 17. 18. 19.
, are all magots, which differ only in magnitude, and in some other characters too slight to constitute distinct species. It likewise appears that the species is pretty generally diffused over all the warm climates of the Old Continent, and that they are found in Tartary, Arabia, AEthiopia, Malabar
The third species of Malabarian ape is ash-coloured, and has no tail, or a very short one. It is familiar, and easily apprehends what it is taught.—I received one in a present; and, one day I thought proper to beat it; but its cries brought about me such a number of its neighbours in a wild state, that, to prevent accidents, I restored it to liberty;
Voyage du P. Vincent Marie, p.
405.
, Barbary, Mauritania, and as far as the Cape of Good Hope
It is probably this species of ape which Robert Lade mentions in the following terms: 'We traversed a large mountain in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, and amused ourselves with hunting large apes, which are very numerous in that place.—I can neither describe all the arts practised by these animals, nor the nimbleness and impudence with which they returned, after being pursued by us. Sometimes they allowed us to approach so near them, that I was almost certain of seizing them. But, when I made the attempt, they sprung, at a single leap, ten paces from me, and mounted trees with equal agility, from which they looked at us with great indifference, and seemed to derive pleasure from our astonishment. Some of them were so large, that, if our interpreter had not assured us that they were neither ferocious nor dangerous, our number would not have appeared to be sufficient to protect us from their attacks. As it could serve no purpose to kill them, we did not use our guns. But the Captain happened to aim at a very large one which sat on the top of a tree, after having fatigued us a long time in pursuing him: This kind of menace, however, of which the animal, perhaps, recollected his having sometimes seen the consequences, terrified him to such a degree, that he fell down motionless at our feet, and we had no difficulty in seizing him. But, whenever he recovered from his stupor, it required all our dexterity and efforts to keep him. We tied his patts together. But he bit so furiously, that we were under the necessity of covering his head with our handkerchiefs;'
Voyages by Robert Lade.
.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The magot has no tail, though there is a small portion of skin which has the appearance of one. He has cheek-pouches, large prominent callosities on his buttocks, canine teeth, proportionally longer than those of man, and the under part of the face turned up, like the muzzle of a bull-dog. He has down on his face; the hair on his body is of a greenish brown colour, and that on his belly is a whitish yellow. He walks on the two hind feet, but oftener on four. He is three feet or three feet and a half high; and some of this species appear to be still larger. The females are subject to a periodical discharge.
Plate CCLIV. SMALL GIBBON.
Plate CCLVI. MAGOT.
The BABOON, properly so called
In Latin
Papio
; in English,
Baboon
; in German,
Pavyon
; at the Cape of Good Hope,
Choac-kama
; in French,
le Papion,
or
Babouin.
Papio;
Gesner. Icon. quad. p.
76.
Brisson. Regn. anim. p.
192.
Simia sphinx, semicaudata, ore vibrissato, unguibus acuminatis, natibus calvis;
Linn. syst. Nat. p.
35.
Nota.
Linnaeus erred in making whiskers a distinctive character of this animal; for the real baboon has no whiskers. See our figure, which was drawn from the life.
.
IN man, the physiognomy is deceitful, and the figure of his body gives no indication of the qualities of his mind. But, in the brute creation, we may judge of the disposition by the aspect; for every internal quality appears externally. For example, in looking at the apes and baboons, it is easy to perceive, that the latter ought to be the most savage and mischievous. Their manners differ as much as their figures. The orang-outang has the greatest resemblance to man; and he is the most grave, docile, and intelligent of the whole race. The Barbary ape, which begins to recede from the human figure, and approaches to that of the brutes by his muzzle and canine teeth, is brisk, disobedient, and nasty. The baboons, who resemble man in the hands only, and who have a tail, sharp nails, a large muzzle, &c. have the air of ferocious beasts, which they are in effect. The baboon, of which a figure is here given, I saw alive. He was not perfectly hideous; and yet he excited a degree of horror. Perpetually grinding his teeth, fretting and chafing with rage, his owner was obliged to keep him confined in an iron cage, the bars of which he moved so powerfully with his hands, that he inspired the spectators with terror. He is a squat animal, whose compact body and nervous members indicate strength and agility. He is covered with long close hair, which gives him the appearance of being larger than he is in reality. His strength, however, is so great, that he would easily overcome one or several men, if not provided with arms
It is to this species that the animal called
tré, tré, tré, tré,
at Madagascar, ought to be referred. It is as large, says Flacourt, as a calf of two years old. It has a round head, and the face of a man. The fore and hind feet are like those of the ape. The hair is crisped, the tail short, and the ears resemble those of man. It is similar to the
tanach
described by Ambrose Pary. It is a solitary animal, and much dreaded by the natives;
Voyage à Madagascar, p.
151.
. Besides, he is continually agitated by that passion which renders the gentlest animals ferocious. He is insolently salacious, affects to show himself in this situation, and seems to gratify his desires,
per manum suum,
before the whole world. This detestable action recalls the idea of vice, and renders disgustful the aspect of an animal, which Nature seems to have particularly devoted to such an uncommon species of impudence; for, in all other animals, and even in man, she has covered these parts with a veil. In the baboon, on the contrary, they are perpetually naked, and the more conspicuous, because the rest of the body is covered with long hair. The buttocks are likewise naked, and of a blood red colour; the testicles are pendulous; the anus is uncovered, and the tail always elevated. He seems to be proud of all those nudities; for the presents his hind parts more frequently than his front, especially when he sees women, before whom he displays an effrontery so matchless, that it can originate from nothing but the most inordinate desire
Papio, animal ad libidinem pronum, cum mulieres videt alacritatem suam ostendit.—Papio quem vidi vivum, ad nutum haud secus, atque caput reliqua animalia, anum vertebat frequentibus populo ostentans;
Gesner. Icon. quad. p.
77.—In the Philippine islands, the baboons are so salacious, that the women dare not go far from their own houses;
Voyage de Gemelli Carreri, tom.
5.
p.
209—The baboons have no hair on their buttocks, which are so full of cicatrices and scratches, that they seem to be even deprived of skin. These animals are inexpressibly lascivious;
Descript. du Cap de Bonneesperance, par Kolbe, tom.
3.
p.
59.—'Papio, animal libidinosum, mulieribus facile vim inferens, robustum et ferox;'
Linn. syst. nat. p.
35.
. The magot, and some others, have the same inclinations; but, as they are smaller and not so petulant, they are taught modesty by the whip. The baboon, however, is perfectly incorrigible, and nothing can tame him.
Notwithstanding the violence of their passion, these animals produce not in temperate climates. The female generally brings forth but one young at a time, which she carries between her arms, in a manner fixed to her pap. Like women, she is subject to a periodical evacuation, which is common to her with the other female apes who have naked buttocks. These baboons, though mischievous and fierce, are not carnivorous. They live chiefly on fruits, roots, and seeds
The baboons are passionately fond of raisins, apples, and, in general, of all fruits which grow in gardens. . . . . Their teeth and paws render them formidable to dogs, who overcome them with difficulty, unless when excess of eating has made them heavy and inactive.—I remarked that they neither eat fish nor flesh, except when boiled or roasted, and then they devour both with avidity—In their expeditions to rob orchards, gardens, or vineyards, they generally go in troops. Some of them enter the inclosure, while others remain on the wall as sentinels, to give notice of any approaching danger. The rest of the troop are stationed without the garden, at convenient distances from each other, and thus form a line which extends from the place of pillage to that of their rendezvous. Matters being disposed in this manner, the baboons begin the operation; and throw to those on the wall, melons, gourds, apples, pears, &c. Those on the walls throw these fruits to their neighbours below; and thus the spoils are handed along the whole line, which generally terminates on some mountain. They are so dexterous, and quick-sighted, that they seldom allow the fruit to fall in throwing it from one to another. All this is performed with profound silence and great despatch. When the sentinels perceive any person, they cry; and, at this signal, the whole troop fly off with astonishing rapidity;
Descript. du Cap de Bonne-esperance, par Kolbe, tom.
3.
p.
57.
. They assemble in troops for the purpose of robbing gardens: They throw the fruit from hand to hand, and over the walls; and they make great havock in all the cultivated lands.
Plate CCLVII. LARGE BABOON.
Plate CCLVIII. SMALL BABOON.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The baboon has cheek-pouches and large callosities on his thighs, which are naked, and of a blood colour. His tail is arched, and about seven or eight inches long. The canine teeth are proportionally much longer and larger than those of man. The muzzle is very thick and long; the ears are naked; the body is massy and contracted; the members are thick and short; the organs of generation are naked and flesh-coloured. The hair is long, bushy, of a reddish brown, and pretty uniform over the whole body. He walks oftener on four than on two feet. When erect, he is three or four feet high. In this species, there seem to be races still larger, and others much smaller. We have given figures both of the large and small kinds, in which we can perceive no other difference but that of magnitude. This difference, however, proceeds not from age; for the small baboon appeared to be an adult as well as the large. The females are subject to the menstrual discharge*
* In August 1779, a male baboon, remarkable for its magnitude, strength, and beautiful colours, was exihibited at Edinburgh. It was generally thought to be a variety of the mandrill described by Gesner, Buffon, Ray, Linnaeus, and Brisson. But, as it differed from the mandrill of these authors in a number of characters, the Translator caused a drawing of it to be made. [See the plate]. The mandrill is said not to exceed two feet in length. But this baboon, when erect, was near five feet high. The mandrill is represented as a good-natured, though not a sportive animal. This baboon, on the contrary, was excessively fierce, presented uniformly to the spectators the most threatening aspect, and attempted to seize every person who came within reach of his chain. On such occasions, he made a deep grunting noise, and tossed up his head almost perpetually. The baboon described by Buffon
presented his hind parts more frequently than his front, especially when he saw women.
But this baboon uniformly presented his face, and allowed no person to approach him behind. The Count de Buffon remarks, that the mandrill is an animal of the most disgusting deformity, and that he perpetually licks a snot which runs from his nose. But the baboon under consideration was an animal of great beauty, and had no visible distillation from his nostrils.
Since writing the above, Mr Pennant obligingly communicated to the Translator the proof sheet of a new and elegant edition of his excellent Synopsis of Quadrupeds, in which is contained the following accurate description of this animal, under the appellation of the
Great Baboon.
GREAT BABOON.
Papio;
Gesner. quad. p.
560. Simia Sphynx;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
35. Le Choras. Simia mormon;
Alstroemar Schreber. p.
92.
tab.
8. MUS. LEV.
Baboon with hazel irides; ears small and naked; face canine, and very thick; middle of the face and forehead naked, and of a bright vermilion colour; tip of the nose of the same; it ended truncated like that of a hog: Sides of the nose broadly ribbed, and of a fine violet blue; the opening of the mouth small; cheeks, throat, and goat-like beard, yellow: Hair on the forehead is very long, turns back, is black, and forms a kind of pointed crest. Head, arms, and legs, covered with short hair, yellow and black intermixed; the breast with long, whitish, yellow hairs; the shoulders with long brown hair.
Nails flat; feet and hands black: Tail four inches long, and very hairy: Buttocks bare, red, and filthy; but the space about them is of a most elegant purple colour, which reaches to the inside of the upper part of the thighs.
This was described from a stuffed specimen in Sir Ashton Lever's museum. In October 1779, a live animal of this species was shown at Chester, which differed a little in colour from the above, being in general much darker. Eyes much sunk in the head, and small. On the internal side of each ear was a white line, pointing upwards. The hair on the forehead turned up, like a toupée. Feet black; in other respects resembled the former.
In this I had an opportunity of examining the teeth. The cutting teeth were like those of the rest of the genus; but, in the upper and lower jaw, were two canine, or rather tusks, near three inches long, and exceedingly sharp and pointed.
This animal was five feet high, of a most tremendous strength in all its parts; was excessively fierce, libidinous, and strong.
Mr Schreber says, that this species lives on succulent fruits, and on nuts; is very fond of eggs, and will put eight at once into its pouches, and, taking them out one by one, break them at the end, and swallow the yolk and white: Rejects all flesh-meat, unless it be dressed: Would drink quantities of wine or brandy: Was less agile than other baboons: Very cleanly; for it would immediately fling its excrements out of its hut.
That which was shown at Chester was particularly fond of cheese. Its voice was a kind of roar, not unlike that of a lion, but low and somewhat inward. It went upon all fours, and never stood on its hind legs, unless forced by the keeper; but would frequently sit on its rump in a crouching manner, and drop its arms before the belly.
Inhabits the hotter parts of Africa;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. Edit.
2.
in
4
to, p.
173.
To this description very little can be added. In the individual shown at Edinburgh, which was probably the same that Mr Pennant afterwards saw at Chester, the colours of the face were distinct and unmixed. The ribbed cheeks were of a sky-blue colour. A vermilion line began a little above the eyes, and running down between them, and on each side of the nose, spread over the snout. The inside of the ears was blue, which, softening from purple, terminated in vermilion. The beard, at the roots, was of the same dark brown colour with that on upper part of the body; but it soon changed into a deep orange, and ended in yellow. The hairs on the belly were of an ash-colour, and speckled like the sides of a partridge. The rump was of a vermillion colour; and the beautiful colours on the hips were only gradations from red to blue. If it had any callosities on the buttocks, they were not apparent. The penis was nearly of the same red colour with the rump; that of the testicles was more fiery, and softened into a light blue, which likewise spread over the inside of the thighs.—It was very fond of the ears of wheat, the grains of which it dexterously picked out, one by one, with its teeth.
Plate CCLIX. MANDRILL.
Plate CCLX. MANDRILL.
The MANDRILL
Ribbed nose baboon, with a long naked nose compressed sidewise, of a a purple colour, and ribbed obliquely on each side; on the chin, a short picked orange beard; tail very hairy, about two inches long, which it carries erect; buttocks naked; hair soft, dusky mottled with yellow; length, from nose to tail, about two feet;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
103.
Simia maimon, caudata, subbarbata, genis caeruleis striatis, natibus calvis;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
35.
Cercopithecus cynocephalus, parte corporis anteriore longis pilis obsita, naso violaceo nudo;
Brisson. regn. anim. p.
214.
Mandrill,
the name which the British, who frequent the coast of Guinea, have given to this animal.
There is a strange sort of animal, called by the White men in Guiney a
Mandrill
; but, why it is so called, I know not, nor did I ever hear of the name before; neither can those who call them so tell, except it be for their near resemblance of a human creature, though nothing at all like an ape;
Smith's voyage to Guiney, p.
52.
, or Ribbed Nose BABOON.
THE uggliness of this baboon is perfectly disgusting. His nose, or rather his two nostrils, are flat, from which a snot perpetually runs, and he licks it into his mouth with his tongue. His head is very large, and his muzzle long. His body is squat, and his buttocks are of a blood colour. His anus is conspicuous, and situated almost as high as the loins. His face is of a violet colour, and surrounded on each side with deep longitudinal wrinkles, which augment the sullenness and deformity of his aspect. He is likewise larger, and perhaps stronger than the baboon; but, at the same time, he is more peaceable, and less ferocious. We here give figures of both the male and the female, which we have seen alive. Whether they had received a better education, or if they be naturally more gentle than the baboon, they appeared to be more tractable and less impudent; but they were equally disagreeable.
This species of baboon is found on the Gold Coast, and in the other southern provinces of Africa, where he is called
boggo
by the Negroes, and
mandrill
by the Europeans. Next to the orang-outang, he is the largest of all the apes or baboons. Smith relates
The bodies of the mandrill, when full grown, are as big in circumference as a middle-sized man's. Their legs much shorter, and their feet longer, their arms and hands in proportion. The head is monstrously big, and the face broad and flat, without any other hair but the eye-brows; the nose very small, the mouth wide, and the lips thin. The face, which is covered by a white skin, is extremely ugly, being all over wrinkled as with old age; the teeth broad and very yellow; the hands have no more hair than the face, but the same white skin, though all the rest of the body is covered with long black hair like a bear. They never go upon all four like apes, but cry when vexed or teazed, just like children. It is said, that the males often attack and use violence to the Black women, wherever they meet them alone in the woods. They are generally very snotty-nosed, and take great delight in scraping it down from their noses to their mouths. When I was at Skerbro one Mr Cummerbus made me a present of one of these strange animals, which are called by the natives
Boggoe.
It was a she-cub of six months age, but was then larger than a baboon:
Smith's voyage to Guinea, p.
51. In the same country, this animal is called
boogoc
or
boggo,
and
mandrill,
and they likewise call the orang-outang,
pongo
and
drill.
There is much similarity in these names, and they are probably derived from each other: And, in fact, the pongo and boggo, or the drill and mandrill, have several common characters. But the first is an ape without a tail, almost naked, and with a flat oval face; and the second is a baboon with a tail, long hair, and a thick and long muzzle.
Man,
in the German and English languages, signifies
man
in general; and
drill,
in the jargon of some of our French provinces, denotes a
vigorous libertine.
, that he had a present of a female mandrill, which was only six months old, and that it was as large as an adult baboon. He adds, that these mandrills walk always on two feet; that they weep and groan like men; that they have a violent passion for women, which they never fail to gratify when they find a woman at a distance from relief.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The mandrill has cheek-pouches, and callosities on the buttocks. The tail exceeds not two or three inches. The canine teeth are much thicker and longer than those of man. The muzzle is very thick, very long, and furrowed on each side with deep longitudinal wrinkles. The face is naked, and of a blueish colour. The ears, as well as the palm of the hands and soles of the feet, are naked. The hair is long, of a reddish brown upon the body, and gray upon the breast and belly. He walks on two feet oftener than on four. When erect, he is four or four and a half feet high; and some of them seem to be still larger. The females are subject to the
menses.
Plate CCLXI. FEMALE MANDRILL.
The OUANDEROU
Ouanderou, Wanderu,
the names of this animal in Ceylon.
Simia ex Egypto Venetias deducta;
Prosper. Alpin. vol.
2.
p.
245.
tab.
20.
Ouanderou, a kind of ape in Ceylon, of which there appears to be two species;
Relation de Ceylon, par Knox, tom.
1.
p.
105. 111.
fig. ibid.
Cercopithecus niger, barba incana promissa,
Wanderu
Zeylonensibus;
Raii synops. quad. p.
158.
Cercopithecus barbatus niger, barba incana;
Brisson. regn. anim. p.
207.
and the LOWANDO
Lowando, Elwandu,
the names of this animal in Ceylon.
Nota.
1. It appears to be only a variety of the ouanderou. 2. There seems to be another variety of these animals; the ouanderou with a black body and white beard, and the lowando with a gray body and black beard. Others of the same species are totally white.
.
THOUGH these two animals appear to belong to the same species, we have preserved to each of them the proper names they receive in Ceylon, which is their native country; because they constitute, at least, two distinct and permanent races. The body of the ouanderou is covered with brown and black hairs; it has a bushy head, and a large beard. The body of the lowando, on the contrary, is covered with whitish hairs, and the hair on its head and beard is black. In the same country, there is a third race or variety, which is probably the common stock of the other two; for the hair on its body, head, and beard, is of one uniform white colour. These three animals are not apes, but baboons, of which they have all the characters both in figure and dispositions. They are wild, and even ferocious. Their muzzle is long, their tail short, and they are nearly of the same size and strength as the baboons. Their bodies are indeed less squat, and their hind parts seem to be more feeble. That of which we have given a figure, was exhibited to us under false appellations, both with regard to its name and climate. Its owners told us, that it came from the continent of America, and that it was called
cayouvassou.
I soon recollected that this word
cayouvassou
is a Brasilian term, which is pronounced
sajuouassou,
and signifies
sapajou
; and, consequently, that it was improperly applied; since all the sapajous have very long tails. But the animal under consideration is a baboon with a very short tail. Besides, not a single species of baboon exists in America. Errors with regard to climate are very common, especially among those who exhibit wild beasts: When they are ignorant of the climate and the name of an animal, they fail not to give it a foreign denomination, which, whether true or false, equally serves their purpose.
These baboon-ouanderous, when not tamed, are so mischievous, that they must be kept in iron cages, where they are frequently agitated with vast fury. But, when taken young, they are easily tamed, and appear to be even more susceptible of education than the other baboons. The Indians delight in instructing these animals, and pretend that the other apes, that is, the monkeys, have a great respect for the baboons, who are possessed of more gravity and intelligence. In a state of liberty
In Malabar, we find four species of apes: The first is all black and lustrous, with a white beard, which surrounds its chin, and is more than a palm in length. The other apes have such a respect for this species, that they humble themselves in its presence, as if they were conscious of its superiority. The Princes and Nobles esteem those bearded apes; because they appear to have more gravity and intelligence than the other kinds. They are educated for ceremonies and sports, in which they acquit themselves to the admiration of the spectators;
Voyage du Pere Vincent Marie, p.
405.
, they are extremely wild, and keep perpetually in the woods
In Ceylon, there are monkeys as large as our spaniels. They have gray hair, a black visage, and a white beard which extends from the one ear to the other. . . . . We meet with others of the same size, but of a different colour. This difference in colour appears not to alter the species; for they equally receive the denomination of
ouanderous.
They do little injury to the cultivated lands, and generally remain in the woods, where they live upon leaves and buds; but, when taken, they eat any thing;
Relation de Knox, tom.
1.
p.
107. & 111.—
Hist. des voyages, tom.
8.
p.
545.
. If we may credit travellers, those which are all white are the strongest and most mischievous. They are violently fond of women, strong enough to ravish them when found alone
The white apes, which are sometimes of the size of the largest bull-dogs, are more dangerous than the black. They have a great desire for women, and, after committing many outrages on them, terminate the scene by strangling them. They sometimes come to the very houses; but the natives of Macacar, who are extremely jealous of their wives, take care to prevent the admission of such hideous gallants;
Descript. de Macacar, p.
50.
, and often injure them so as to prove fatal.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The ouanderous has cheek-pouches, and callosities on the buttocks. The tail is seven or eight inches in length. The canine teeth are longer and larger than those of man. The muzzle is thick and long. The head is environed with a broad mane, and a large beard of coarse hairs. The body is pretty long, and thin behind. In this species, there are races which vary in colour. Some have the hair on the body black, and a white beard; in others, the hair on the body is whitish, and the beard black. They walk more frequently on four than on two feet; and, when erect, they are three or three and a half feet high. The females are subject to the periodical evacuation.
Plate CCLXIII. OUANDEROU.
The MAIMON, or Pig-tailed BABOON
Pig-tailed baboon, with a pointed face; eyes hazel; above and beneath the mouth some few black hairs; face naked, of a swarthy redness; two sharp canine teeth; ears like the human; crown of the head dusky; hair on the limbs and body brown, inclining to ash-colour; palest on the belly; fingers black; nails long and flat; thumbs on the hind feet very long, connected to the nearest toe by a broad membrane; tail four inches long, exactly like a pig's, and almost naked; the bare spaces on the rump red, and but small; length from head to tail twenty-two inches.
Pig-tailed monkey;
Edwards, p.
8.
Simia Nemestrina, semicaudata, sub-barbata, grisea, iridibus brunneis, natibus calvis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
35.
Brit. Mus.
.
THE apes, baboons, and monkeys, form three tribes, with intervals between each, the first of which is filled by the magot, and the second by the maimon. The latter constitutes the link or shade between the baboons and monkeys, as the magot does between the apes and baboons. In effect, the maimon resembles the baboons by the thickness and largeness of his muzzle, and by his short, arched tail; but he differs from them, and approaches the monkeys, by the smallness of his size, and the mildness of his nature. Mr Edwards has given a figure and description of the maimon, under the denomination of the
pig-tailed ape.
This peculiar character is sufficient to distinguish him; for, of all the baboons or monkeys, he alone has a naked, slender, and arched tail, like that of a pig. He is nearly of the size of the magot, and has so strong a resemblance to the macaque, or hare-lipped monkey, that he might be regarded as a variety of this species, if his tail were not totally different. He has a naked, tawny face, chesnut-coloured eyes, black eye-lids, a flat nose, and thin lips, with some stiff hairs, but too short to form whiskers. He has not, like the apes and baboons, his testicles and penis prominent and apparent; the whole organs are concealed under the skin. Hence the maimon, though vivacious and full of fire, has none of that impudent petulance peculiar to the baboons. He is gentle, tractable, and even caressing. He is found in Sumatra, and probably in other southern provinces of India; of course, he endures with difficulty the cold of our climate. The one we saw in Paris lived only a short time, and that which Mr Edwards described, existed only twelve months in London
The pig-tailed monkey, from the island of Sumatra, in the Indian Sea, was brought to England in the year 1752. . . . . It was extremely lively and full of action. It was about the bigness of a common house-cat. It was a male. . . . But, since I purchased this, which lived a year with me, I have seen a female of the same species shown in Bartholomew fair, London. It was larger by half than mine, which I carried to compare with it. They seemed highly pleased with each other's company, though it was the first time of their meeting;
Edwards's Gleanings, p.
8.
.
Plate CCLXII. MAIMON
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The maimon has cheek-pouches, callosities on the buttocks, and a naked, curled up tail from five to six inches in length. The canine teeth are not proportionally longer than those of man. The muzzle is very large; the orbits of the eyes are prominent above; the face, the ears, the hands, and the feet are naked and flesh-coloured. The hair on the body is of an olive black colour, and of a reddish yellow on the belly. He sometimes walks on two, and sometimes on four feet. When erect, he is two feet, or two feet and a half high. The female is subject to the menstrual flux.
The MACAQUE or Hare-lipped MONKEY
Hare-lipped monkey, with the nostrils divided like those of a hare; nose thick, flat, and wrinkled; head large; eyes small; teeth very white; body thick and clumsy; buttocks naked; tail long; colour varies, sometimes like that of a wolf, but others are brown, tinged with yellow or olive. The tail is rather shorter than the body, and is always carried arched;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
111.
Cercopithecus Angolensis major, macquo;
Marcgrave, Brasil. p.
227.
Raii Synops. quad. p.
155.
Klein. quad. p.
89.
Cercopithecus cynocephalus, naribus bifidis elatis, natibus calvis;
Brisson. quad. p.
152.
Simia cynomolgus, caudata, imberbis, naribus bifidis elatis, cauda arcuata, natibus calvis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
38.
Simia AEgyptiaca, cauda elongata, clunibus tuberosis nudis;
Hasselquist.
Here the epithet
AEgyptiaca
is improperly applied; for AEgypt is not the native country of any species of monkeys. Etsi in AEgypto nullum simiarum genus nascatur, cujuslibet tamen generis et ex Arabia felici, et ex AEthiopia immensae mercaturae causa illuc convehuntur;
Prosper. Alpin. Hist. AEgypt. lib.
4.
p.
240.
, and the EGRET
The egret monkey, with a long face, and an upright sharp pointed tuft on the top of the head; hair on the fore head black; the tuft and upper part of the body light gray; eye-brows large; beard small. It is of the size of a small cat;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
116.
Simia aygula, caudata, subimberbis, grisea, eminentia pilosa verticis reversa longitudinali;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
39.
Os
's voyage, vol.
1.
p.
151.
Cercopithecus Angolensis, Macaquo. . . . Caudam portat arcuatam. . . . Clamat
hah, hah
; dentes habet albissimos. . . . Penem habet humano similem, instar pueri;
Marcgr. Hist. Nat. Brasil. p.
227.
.
OF all the
guenons,
or monkeys with long tails, the macaque makes the nearest approach to the baboons. Like them, his body is short and squat, his head and muzzle large, his nose flat, his cheeks wrinkled, and, at the same time, he exceeds most of the other monkeys in size. He is also extremely ugly; so that he might be regarded as a small species of baboon, if his tail were not long and bushy, while that of the baboons in general is very short. This species is a native of Congo, and other southern provinces of Africa. It is numerous, and subject to several varieties in size, in colour, and in the disposition of the hair. The body of that described by Hasselquist was more than two feet long; and those we have seen exceeded not a foot and a half. The one we have denominated
egret,
because it has a crest or tuft of hair on the top of the head, appears to be only a variety of the macaque, which it resembles in every article, except this, and some other slight differences in the hair. They are both of mild manners, and extremely tractable. But, independent of a disagreeable musky odour which they both diffuse, they are so dirty, so ugly, and so loathsome, that, when they make their grimaces, they cannot be viewed without horror and disgust. These monkeys go often in troops, especially in their expeditions to rob gardens. Bosman relates, that they take in each paw a quantity of millet, and an equal quantity under their arms and in their mouths; that they return thus loaded leaping on their hind feet, and, when pursued, they drop the stalks which they held under their arms and in their hands, preserving only what they carry in their teeth, to enable them to run with more speed on their four feet. He adds, that they examine, with the most scrupulous accuracy, every stalk of millet they pull, and, if it does not please them, they throw it on the ground, and tear up others. By this delicacy of choice, they do more damage than by their robberies
Voyage de Bosman, p. 258.
.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The macaque has cheek-pouches and callosities on his buttocks. His tail is from eighteen to twenty inches long. His head is large, his muzzle very thick, and his face naked, livid, and wrinkled. His ears are covered with hair. His body is short and squat, and his limbs thick and short. The hair on the superior parts of his body is of a greenish ash-colour, and of a yellowish gray on the breast and belly. He has a small crest of hair on the top of the head. He walks on four and sometimes on two feet. The length of his body, comprehending that of the head, is about eighteen or twenty inches. In this species, there appear to be races much larger,
Plate CCLXIV. MACAQUE.
Plate CCLXV. AIGRETTE.
and others much smaller, such as that of the following.
The egret seems to be only a variety of the macaque: He is about one third less in all his dimensions. Instead of a small crest of hair on the top of the head, as in the macaque, the egret has an erect, pointed tuft. The hair on his front is black; but that on the front of the macaque is greenish. The tail of the egret is likewise proportionally larger than that of the macaque. The females of both kinds have periodic evacuations.
The PATAS
The name of this monkey in Senegal, its native country. It is commonly called the
red ape of Senegal.
Brue found in Tabao a new species of ape, of so lively a red colour, that a person would have imagined it to be painted. The Negroes call it
Patas
;
Relat. de Brue, Hist. gen. des voyages, tom.
2.
p.
520.
Red monkey with a long nose; eyes sunk in the head; ears furnished with pretty long hairs; body slender: Over each eye, from ear to ear, extends a black line: The upper part of the body of a most beautiful and bright bay, almost red, so vivid as to appear painted; the lower parts ash-colour, tinged with yellow. The tail is not so long as the body, the length of which is about one foot six inches;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
116.
or red MONKEY.
THE Patas belongs to the same country, and is nearly of the same size with the macaque; but his body is longer, his face less hideous, and his hair more beautiful. He is remarkable for the brilliancy of his robe, which is of so vivid a red as to have the appearance of being painted. We have seen two varieties of this species. The first has a black line above the eyes, which extends from ear to ear. The second differs from the first only in the colour of this line, which is white. Both have long hair under the chin and round the cheeks, which makes a fine beard: But, in the first, it is yellow, and, in the second, white. This variety seems to indicate others in the colour of the hair; and I am inclined to think, that the monkey mentioned by Marmol
The apes of the colour of a wild cat, with a long tail, and a white or black muzzle, commonly called in Spain
Galospaulés,
come from the Negro country;
L'Afrique de Marmol, tom.
1.
p.
57.
, which is of the colour of a wild cat, and said to come from the Negro country, is a variety of the patas.
These monkeys are not equally dexterous as the other kinds; and, at the same time, they are extremely inquisitive.
'I have seen them,' says Brue, 'descend from the tops of the trees to the extremities of the branches, in order to admire the barks as they passed. They stare for some time, seem to be entertained with what they have seen, and then give place to those who come after. They became so familiar as to throw branches at the Frenchmen, who returned the compliment by the shot of their muskets. Some of them sell, others were wounded, and the rest were struck with a strange consternation. One party raised hideous cries; another collected stones to throw at the enemy: Some of them, with their bowels in their hands, attempted to throw their intrails at the spectators. At last, perceiving the combat to be at least equal, they retired
Relat. de Brue, Hist. gen. des voyages, tom. 2. p. 521.
.'
It is probably of this species of monkey which le Maire speaks of in the following terms:
'The havock which these monkeys make in the fields of Senegal, when the millet and other grains are ripe, is not to be expressed. They assemble to the number of forty or fifty. One of them stands sentinel on a tree, listens, and looks about on all sides, while the others are busy. When he perceives any person, he sets up loud shrieks to alarm the band, who obey the signal, fly off with their prey, leaping from tree to tree with prodigious agility. The females, who carry their young in their arms, fly with the rest, and leap as if they were loaded with no burden
Voyage de le Maire, p. 103.
'
Though, in every region of Africa, the species of apes, baboons, and monkeys, are very numerous, some of which are pretty similar; yet it is remarked by travellers, that they never intermix, and that each species commonly inhabits a different quarter of the country
It would be endless to describe all the species of apes which are found from Arquin to Sierra-Leona. It is remarkable, that they do not intermix, and that two kinds are never seen in the same quarter;
Hist. gen. des voyages, tom.
2.
p.
221.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The patas has cheek-pouches and callosities on his buttocks. His tail is as long as both his body and head. The top of his head is flat. His muzzle, body, and legs, are long. He has black hair on his body, and a narrow band of the same colour above his eyes, which extends from ear to ear. The hair on the upper parts of his
Plate CCLXVI. BLACK BANDED PATAS.
Plate CCLXVII. WHITE BANDED PATAS.
body is almost red, and that on the under parts, as the throat, breast, and belly, is of a yellow gray colour. This species varies in the colour of the band above the eyes. It is black in some, and white in others. They walk oftener on four than on two feet. When enraged, they agitate not their jaws, like the other monkeys. From the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, they are about a foot and a half or two feet in length. Some of them, as appears from the relations of travellers, are larger. The females menstruate.
The MALBROUCK
The name of this animal in Bengal, its native country. Cercopithecus primus Clusii,
p.
37. Clusius is wrong, when he says, that this monkey's tail terminates in a tuft.
, and CHINESE-BONNET
Chinese monkey with a long smooth nose, of a whitish colour; hair on the crown of the head long, lying flat, and parted like that of a man; colour, a pale cinereous brown;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
117. Rillow; Knox's Celyon. p. 26.
THESE two monkeys seem to be of the same species, which, though different in some respects from that of the Macaque, makes so near an approach to it, that we are doubtful whether the macaque, the egret, the malbrouck, and the Chinese-bonnet, are only four varieties, or permanent races, of the same species. As these animals produce not in our climate, we cannot ascertain the identity or diversity of their species, but must judge from the differences in their figure and in their external qualities. The macaque and the egret are so similar, that we presumed them to be one species. It is the same with the malbrouck and Chinese-bonnet. But, as the latter differ from the former more than they differ between themselves, we thought it best to separate them.
Our presumption, with regard to the diversity of these two species, is founded, 1. On the difference in their figure; 2. On that of the colour and disposition of the hair; 3. On the different proportions in the skeletons of the two kinds; and, in fine, on the two former being natives of the southern regions of Africa, while the two latter are natives of Bengal. This last consideration is of equal weight with any of the others; for we have shown, that, in wild animals totally independent of man, the distance of climate is a pretty certain indication of remoteness of species. Besides, the malbrouck and Chinese-bonnet are not the only species or races of monkeys found in Bengal
The monkey of Calicut, with grayish hair, mentioned by Pyrard, should probably be referred to the malbrouck species. In this country, the killing of monkeys is prohibited. They are so importunate, troublesome, and numerous, that they do much damage. The inhabitants of the towns and villages are obliged to lattice their windows, to prevent the monkeys from entering their houses;
Voyages de Fr. Pyrard, tom.
1.
p.
427.
It appears, from the evidence of travellers, that there are four varieties, namely, white, black, red, and gray monkeys. They alledge that the black kind are most easily tamed. Those we saw were of a reddish gray colour, and appeared to be tame, and even docile.
'These animals,' travellers remark
Voyages d'Inigo de Biervillas, p. 172.
'steal fruits, and particularly the sugar cane. One stands sentinel on a tree, while the others load themselves with the booty. If he perceives any person, he cries
houp, houp, houp,
with a loud and distinct voice. The moment this signal is given, the whole troop throw down the canes they held in their left hand, and run off on three feet. When pursued hard, they quit what they had in their right hand, and save themselves by climbing trees, which are the usual places of their abode. They leap from tree to tree; and even the females, though loaded with their young, which they hold firmly, leap like the others; but they sometimes fall. These animals are never more than half-tamed, and always require a chain. Even in their own country, they never produce, when in bondage: They require to be at perfect freedom in the woods. When fruits and succulent plants fail, they eat insects, and sometimes descend to the margins of rivers, and the sea-coast, to catch fishes and crabs. They put their tail between the pincers of the crab, and, whenever the pincers are closed, they carry it quickly off, and eat it at their leisure. They gather cocoa nuts, and are well acquainted with the method of extracting the juice for drink, and the kernel for food. They likewise drink the
zari
which drops from the
bamboos,
which they place on the tops of trees, in order to extract the liquors; and they use it occasionally. They are taken by means of a cocoa nut, with a small hole made in it. They put their paw into the hole with difficulty because it is narrow; and the people who are watching, seize them before they can disengage themselves. In the provinces of India inhabited by the Bramins, who kill no animals, the number of monkeys, which are highly venerated, is almost infinite. They come in troops into the cities, and enter the houses at all times with perfect freedom; so that those who sell provisions, and particularly fruits, pot-herbs, &c. have much difficulty in preserving their commodities.' In Amadabad, the capital of Guzarat, there are three hospitals for animals, where lame and sick monkeys, and even those who, without being diseased, choose to dwell there, are fed and cherished. Twice every week, the monkeys in the neighbourhood assemble spontaneously in the streets of the city. They then mount upon the houses, each of which has a small terrace, or flat roof, where they lie during the great heats. On these two days, the inhabitants fail not to lay upon these terraces rice, millet, sugar canes, and other fruits in their season; for, if these animals, by any accident, find not their provisions in the accustomed place, they break the tiles which cover the rest of the house, and commit great outrages. They never eat any thing, without thoroughly examining it; and, when full, they fill their cheek-pouches for another occasion. In places frequented by the monkeys, the birds dare not build their nests on the trees; for they never fail to destroy the nests, and dash the eggs on the ground
See les voyages de la Boulaye le Gouz, p. 253. Relat. de Thevenot, tom. 3. p. 20. Voyage de Gemelli Carreri, tom. 5. p. 164. Le Recueil des voyages qui ont servi a l'êtablissement de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales, tom. 7. p. 36. Voyage d'Orient du P. Philippe, p. 312. et Voyage de Tavernier, tom. 3. p. 64.
.
Neither the tiger nor other ferocious animals are the most formidable enemies to the monkeys; for they easily make their escape by their nimbleness, and by living on the tops of trees, where nothing but serpents have the art of surprising them.
'The apes,' a traveller remarks, 'are masters of the forests; for their dominion is not disputed either by the tiger or lion. The only animals they have to dread are the serpents, who make perpetual war upon them. Some of these serpents are of a prodigious size, and swallow an ape in a moment. Others are smaller, but more agile, and go in quest of the apes on the trees. . . . . They watch the time when the apes sleep
Descript. Historique de Macacar, p. 51.
&c.'
Distinctive Characters of these Species.
The malbrouck has cheek-pouches and callosities on his buttocks. The tail is nearly as long as both the body and head. The eyelids are flesh-coloured, and the face of a cinereous
Plate CCLXVIII. MALBROUK
Plate CCLXIX. CHINESE BONNET.
gray. The eyes and muzzle are large. The ears are large, thin, and flesh-coloured. He has a band of gray hair, like the mone or varied monkey; but the superior parts of his body are of a uniform yellowish brown colour, and the inferior are of a yellowish gray. He walks on four feet, and is about a foot and a half long from the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail.
The Chinese-bonnet appears to be a variety of the malbrouck. They differ in the two following articles: In the former, the hair on the top of the head is disposed in the form of a flat bonnet, from which its name has been derived, and its tail is proportionally longer. The females of both these races are subject to a periodic evacuation.
The MANGABEY
Monkey with a long, black, naked, and dog-like face; the upper eye-lids of a pure white; ears black, and like the human; no canine teeth; hairs on the sides of the face, beneath the cheeks, longer than the rest; tail long; colour of the whole body tawny and black; flat nails on the thumbs and fore fingers; blunt claws on the others; hands and feet black;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
114.
Simia AEthiops, caudata, imberbis, capillitio arrecto, Innulaque frontis albis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
39.
, or MONKEY with white EYE-LIDS.
WE have had two individuals of this species, both of which were sent to us under the appellation of
Madagascar apes.
It is easy to distinguish the mangabeys from all the other monkeys by a very remarkable character. Their eye-lids are naked, and of a very splendid white colour. They have a thick, broad, long muzzle, and a prominent ring round their eyes. Some of them have the hair on the head, neck, and upper part of the body, of a yellow brown colour, and that on the belly white. In others, the hair on the head and body is lighter; and they are distinguished from the rest by a broad collar of white hair, which surrounds their neck and cheeks. Both carry their tail arched, and the hair on it is long and bushy. They come from the same country as the vari, or ruffed maucauco; and, as they resemble him in the length
Plate CCLXX. MANGABEY.
Plate CCLXXI. MANGABEY with a white Collar.
of the muzzle and tail, in the manner of carrying the latter, and in the varieties of colour, they seem to form the shade between the
makis
and the guenons, or long-tailed monkeys.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The mangabey has cheek-pouches and callosities on the buttocks. The tail is as long as both the body and head. He has a prominent ring round the eyes, and the upper eye-lid is extremely white. The muzzle is thick and long. The eye-brows consist of stiff, crisped hair, and the ears are black and almost naked. The hair on the superior parts of the body is brown, and that on the inferior is gray. There are varieties in this species: Some of them are of a uniform colour; others have a white circle round the neck, and round the cheeks, in the form of a beard. They walk on four feet, and are nearly a foot and a half long, from the extremity of the muzzle to the origin of the tail. The females of these species menstruate.
The MONA,
Mone, mona, monina, mounina,
the names of the long-tailed monkeys in the Moresk, Spanish, and Provençal languages.—'Peperiuntur in Mauritaniae sylvis simiarum variae species, quarum quae caudam gerunt
Monae
dicuntur;'
Leo Afric. Descrip. Afric vol.
2.
p.
757.—'Simii caudati et barbati, qui vulgo
Monichi
vocantur;'
Prosper. Alpin. Hist. Egypt. p.
242.
Nota.
The term
Monkey,
which the British give to the long-tailed apes, is derived from
monichi
; and both seem to come from
mona,
or
monina,
the original names of those animals.
Varied monkey, with a short thick nose, of a dirty flesh colour; hair on the sides of the face, and under the throat, long; the colour yellow and black; on the forehead, gray; above the eyes, from ear to ear, a black line; the upper part of the body dusky and red; the belly whitish; outside of the thighs, and the feet, black; the tail of a cinereous brown; length about a foot and a half, the tail above two;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
118.
Kebes,
and
Kipor,
names by which the Greeks and Arabs denote the long-tailed apes, with variegated colours.
Cercopithecus pilis ex nigro et rufo variegatis vestitus, pedibus nigris, cauda cinerea: Le singe varie;
Brisson. quad. p.
141.
or varied MONKEY.
THE mona is the most common of the monkeys. We had one alive for several years. The mona and the magot agree best with the temperature of our climate. This circumstance is alone sufficient to prove, that the mona is not a native of the southern regions of Africa and the East Indies; and, in fact, it is found in Barbary, Arabia, Persia, and other parts of Asia which were known to the antients
Monichi
simii caudati et barbati ex AEthiopia locis conterminis in Egyptum deducuntur; suntque admodum cicures et mundi;
Prosper. Alpin. Hist. Egypt. p.
242.
, who called it
kebos, cebus,
or
coephus,
on account of the variety of its colours. Its face is brown, with a kind of beard interspersed with white, yellow, and a little black. The hair on the top of the head and neck is a mixture of yellow and black: That on the back is a mixture of red and black. The belly, as well as the inside of the thighs and legs, are whitish. The external parts of the legs and feet are black, and the tail is of a deep gray colour. There are two small white spots, one on each side of the root of the tail, a crescent of gray hair on the front, and a black band from the eyes to the ears, and from the ears to the shoulder and arms. Some have called it
nonne
from a corruption of
mone
or
mona,
and others the
old man,
on account of its gray beard. But the vulgar appellation of
varied monkey
is best known, and corresponds with the Greek name
kebos,
and Aristotle's definition of the
monkey with a long tail, and various colours.
In general, the monkeys have milder dispositions than the baboons, and their character is less melancholy than that of the apes. They are extravagantly vivacious; but have no ferocity; for they become tractable the moment their attention is fixed by fear or restraint. The mona is particularly susceptible of education, and even of some attachment to those who take care of him. The one we kept allowed himself to be touched and carried about by the people with whom he was acquainted; but, to others, he permitted not this freedom, and even bit them. He likewise endeavoured to obtain his liberty: He was fixed with a long chain. When he could either break the chain or disengage himself, he fled to the fields, and, though he did not spontaneously return, he allowed himself to be taken by his master. He eat every thing, roasted meat, bread, and particularly fruits. He likewise searched for spiders, ants, and insects
It is probably this species which Ludolf mentions under the denomination of the
Abyssinian ape.
'They come,' says he, 'in great troops. As they are exceedingly fond of ants and worms, they reverse every stone, in order to catch the insects they cover;'
Hist. de l'Abyssinie. p.
41.
When several morsels were thrown to him at once, he filled his cheeks with them. This practice is common to all the baboons and monkeys, to whom Nature has given pouches in their cheeks, where they can keep a quantity of food sufficient to nourish them for a day or two.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The mona has cheek-pouches, and callosities on the buttocks. The tail is about two feet long, and more than half a foot longer than both the body and head. The head is small
Plate CCLXXII. MONA.
and round; the muzzle is thick and short; and the face is of a bright tawny colour. He has a gray band upon the front, and a black band extending from the eyes to the ears, and from the ears to the shoulders and arms. He has a kind of gray beard, formed by the hairs on his throat, which is longer than the others. The hair on the body is a reddish black, and whitish on the belly. The outside of the legs and feet are black; and the tail is of a grayish brown colour, with two white spots on each side of its root. He walks on four feet; and his length, from the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, is about a foot and a half. The female is subject to the
menses.
The CALLITRIX, or GREEN-MONKEY
Green monkey, with a black and flattish face, the sides of it bounded by long white hairs, falling backwards, and almost covering the ears, which are black, and like the human; head, limbs, and whole upper part of the body and tail, covered with soft hairs, of a yellowish green colour at their ends, and cinereous at their roots; under side of the body and tail, and inner side of the limbs, of a silvery colour; tail very long and slender; size of a small cat;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
113.
Simius callitrichus;
Prosper. Alpin. Egypt. vol.
1.
Simia Sabaea, caudata, imberbis, facie atra, cauda cinerea, natibus calvis;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
38.
Cercopithecus ex cinereo flavescens, genis longis pilis albis obsitis;
Brisson. quad. p.
145.
Green monkey;
Edward's Gleanings, p.
10.
In the Cape de Verd islands, there are apes with a long tail, and a black face;
Dampier's voyage, tom.
4.
.
CALLITRIX
is a term employed by Homer, to denote, in general, the beautiful colour of the hair of animals. It was not till several ages after Homer's time, that the Greeks applied this name to particular species of monkeys. Its application to the animal under consideration is peculiarly proper. The body is of a beautiful green colour, the throat and belly are white, and the face is of a fine black. He is found in Mauritania, and in the territories of antient Carthage. Hence it is probable that he was known to the Greeks and Romans, and that it was one of those long-tailed monkeys to which they gave the name of
callitrix.
In the neighbourhood of Egypt, both on the AEthiopian and Arabian side, there are white monkeys, which the antients have likewise denoted by the generic name of
callitrix.
Prosper Alpinus and Pietro della Valle
Simium Callitrichum Cairi in aedibus habuimus, selem magnam quadamtenus magnitudine aemulantem, prolixiori corporis figura, capite parvo erat et rotundo—corpore circa ilia gracilissimo, toto corpore rufo rutilove spectabatur, facies vero humanae similis fuit nigra, undique barbata, sed barba albi erat coloris—caudamque longam rutilamque habebat;
Prosp. Alp. Hist. AEgypt. lib.
4.
p.
244.
fig. tab.
20.
No.
4.—In Cairo, I likewise saw several living animals, as
callitrices,
or white monkeys;
Voyage de Pietro della Valle, tom.
1.
p.
401.
mention these white monkeys. We have not seen this white species: It is perhaps only a variety of the green monkey, or of the
mona,
which is very common in these countries.
The green monkey seems also to be found in Senegal, as well as in Mauritania and the Cape de Verd islands. M. Adanson relates, that the woods of Podor, along the river Niger, are filled with green apes. 'I discovered apes,' says he, 'only by the branches they throw down from the tops of the trees; for, in other respects, they are so silent and nimble in their gambols, that it would be difficult to perceive them. I killed one, two, and even three, before the others seemed to be alarmed. However, after most of them were wounded, they began to take shelter; some of them concealed themselves behind the large branches, some descended on the ground, and the greatest number sprung from the top of one tree to another. . . . . . . During this operation, I continued to shoot, and, in the space of twenty fathoms, I killed twenty-three in less than an hour, and not one one of them uttered the smallest cry, though they frequently assembled in troops, grinded their teeth, and assumed a threatening aspect, as if they meant to attack me;'
Voyage au Senegal,
par M. Adanson, p.
178.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The callitrix has cheek-pouches and callosities on the buttocks. The tail is much longer than both the body and head. The head is small, the muzzle long, and the face and ears are black. Instead of eye-brows, a band of black hairs runs along the bottom of the front. The body is of a vivid green mixed with a little yellow. He walks on four feet; and the length of his body, comprehending that of the head, is about fifteen inches. The female is subject to the menstrual flux.
Plate CCLXXIII. CALLITRIX.
THE MUSTACHE
Mustache monkey, with ashort nose, the end marked with a transverse line of pure white; the face naked, and of a dusky blue; on the cheeks, before the eyes, two large tufts of yellow hairs, like mustaches; the hair on the top of the head long and upright; round the mouth are some black hairs; the colour of the hair on the head yellow, on the body and limbs, a mixture of red and ash-colour; the part of the tail next the body of the same colour; the rest yellowish; the under part of the body paler than the upper; the feet black; the nails flat: Its length one foot, that of the tail eighteen inches;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
114.
Cercopithecus alius, Guineensis;
Marcgr. Brasil. p.
228.
Raii synops. quad. p.
156.
Simia cephus, candata, buccis barbatis, vertice flavescente, pedibus nigris, cauda apice ferruginea;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
114.
Cercopithecus nigricans, genis et auriculis longis pilis ex albo flavicantibus obsitis, ore caerulescente;
Brisson. quad. p.
146.
.
THE mustache seems to belong to the same country as the macaque; because, like the latter, his body is shorter and more squat than in the other monkeys. It is probably the same animal which the voyagers to Guinea have called
white-nose
There are other apes on the Gold coast, which are called
white-noses,
because that is the only part of their body which is of that colour. They are ferocious and stinking animals;
Relat. d'Artus, Hist. gen. des Voyages, tom.
4.
p.
238.
; because the lips below the nose are of a bright white colour, and the rest of the face is of a blackish blue. There are also two tufts of yellow hair under the ears, which give it a singular appearance; and, as it is, at the same time, very small, it appears to be the most beautiful of all the monkeys.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The mustache has cheek-pouches and callosities on the thighs. Its tail is much longer than the body and head, being nineteen or twenty inches in length. Its face is of a blueish black colour, with a large white mark which extends over the whole upper lip, which is naked, except a border of black hairs that surrounds the margins of both lips. Its body is short and squat. It has two tufts of bright yellow hair under the ears, and likewise a tuft of curled hair on the top of the head. The hair on the body is of a greenish ash-colour, and that on the breast and belly is of a whitish ash-colour. It walks on four feet; and, from nose to tail, exceeds not eighteen inches in length. The female is subject to the menstrual flux.
Plate CCLXXIV. MUSTAX.
THE TALAPOIN
The talapoin monkey, with a sharp nose, round head, large black naked ears; eyes and end of the nose, flesh-coloured; hair on the cheeks very long, and reflected towards the ears: On the chin a small beard; the colour of the whole upper part of the body, and the outside of the limbs, a mixture of dusky yellow and green; the lower part white tinged with yellow; the tail very long and slender, above, of an olive colour; beneath, cinereous; the paws black. Its length is about one foot, and that of the tail, one foot five inches;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
115.
.
THOUGH the size of this monkey be small, its figure is beautiful. Its name seems to indicate that it comes from Siam, and the other eastern provinces of Asia. It is certain, however, that it is a native of the Old Continent, and exists not in the New; because it has cheek-pouches and callosities on the buttocks, neither of which characters belong to the sagoins or sapajous, the only American animals who can be compared to the monkeys. But, independent of the name, I am inclined to think that this monkey is more common in the East Indies than in Africa; because it is affirmed by voyagers, that most of the apes in this part of Asia are of a brownish green colour.
'The apes of Guzarat are of a brownish green colour, and have long white beards and eye-brows. These animals, which the Banians, from a religious principle, allow to multiply without end, are so familiar, that numbers of them perpetually enter the houses; and the sellers of fruits and confections have much difficulty in preserving their wares
Hist. gen. des Voyages, tom. 10. p. 67.
.'
M. Edwards has given a figure and description of a monkey, under the denomination of
the middle-sized black ape,
which seems to make a nearer approach to the talapoin than any other. I here add Edwards's description
This monkey was about the size of a large cat, of a gentle nature in respect to any one. He loved playing with a kitten, as most monkeys do. He was a little vicious, according to their nature, being a male.
His head was pretty round; the skin of the face of a tawny flesh-colour, thinly covered with black hair: The ears were shaped like the human. The eyes were of a reddish hazel colour, with black pupils. The hair was long above the eyes, and the eye-brows joined together; it was also long on the temples, which partly covered the ears. The head, back, arms, legs, and tail, were covered with pretty long, loose, dusky, black hair, not very harsh, or over soft. His breast, belly, &c. were almost bare of hair, of a dusky flesh colour, with two nipples on the breast. The four paws were all of them formed something like a human hand: they are covered with black soft skin, having little or no hair on them; the nails are flat;
Edwards's Gleanings, p.
221.
, and refer to the figure he has given, that the reader may compare the two animals. If the size and colour be excepted, they have such a resemblance to each other, that they may be regarded as species very nearly allied, if not varieties of the same species. In this case, as we are not certain
Plate CCLXXV. TALAPOIN
that our talapoin is a native of the East Indies, and as Edwards assures us, that his monkey came from Guinea, we must refer the talapoin to the same climate, or rather suppose that it is common to the southern regions of both Africa and Asia. It is probably the same species of black apes mentioned by Bosman, under the name of
Baurdmannetjes,
whose skin, he remarks, is an excellent fur
In Guinea, there is a third species of ape, which is very beautiful, and generally exceeds not two feet in length. Its hair is extremely black, and more than an inch long, and its beard is white; from which circumstance the Dutch call it
Bourd-mannetje.
Bonnets are made of their skins, and each fur sells at four crowns;
Voyage de Bosman, p.
258.
.
The DOUC
The name of this animal in Cochin-China. It is called
Sisac
in Madagascar.
Cochin-China monkey, with a short flattish face, bounded on each side by long hairs of a yellowish white colour; on the neck a collar of purplish brown; the lower part of the arms, thighs, and tail, are white; the upper part of the arms and thighs black; the back, belly, and sides, gray, tinged with yellow: Above the root of the tail is a spot of white, which extends, beneath, as far as the lower part of the belly and part of the thighs: The feet are black, and the buttocks covered with hair. This is a very large species, about four feet long, from the nose to the tail; but the tail not so long;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
119.
Cercopithecus cinereus, genis longis pilis ex albo flavicantibus obsitis, torque ex castaneo purpurascente. Le grand singe de la Cochin-Chine;
Brisson. quad. p.
146.
, or Cochin-China Monkey.
THE Douc is the last of that class of animals which we have called
apes, baboons,
and
monkeys.
Without being precisely any of these three kinds, he participates of each. He is allied to the monkeys by the length of his tail, to the baboons by his size, and to the apes by his flat face. He seems, by a particular character, to form the shade between the monkey's and sapajous: In these two tribes of animals, the monkeys are distinguished by naked buttocks, and all the sapajous have these parts covered with hair: Of all the monkeys the douc has hair on the buttocks, like the sapajous. He resembles them also in the flatness of the muzzle. But, upon the whole, he has much more affinity to the monkeys than to the sapajous, from which he differs by his tail not being prehensile, and by other essential characters. Besides, the interval which separates the two tribes is immense; for the douc and all the monkeys belong to the Old Continent, and all the sapajous are natives of the New World. It may likewise be remarked, that, as the douc, like the monkeys, has a long tail, but has no callosities on the buttocks, he forms the shade between the orang-outangs and monkeys; as the gibbon does on another account, having no tail, like the orang-outangs, but, like the monkeys, having callosities on the buttocks. Independent of these general relations, the douc has peculiar characters which render him distinguishable, at first sight, from the apes, baboons, monkeys, and sapajous. His robe, which is variegated with many colours, seems to indicate the ambiguity of his nature, and distinguishes his species in a conspicuous manner. Round his neck there is a collar of a purplish blue colour. A white beard surrounds his cheeks. His lips are black, and he has a black ring round his eyes. His face and ears are red, the top of his head and body gray, the breast and belly yellow. His legs are white below and black above. His tail is white, with a large spot of the same colour on the loins. The feet are black, with several shades of different colours.
This animal, which I was assured came from Cochin-China, is likewise found in Madagascar; and it is the same with what Flacourt mentions, under the name of
Sifac,
in the following terms: 'In Madagascar, there is another species of white monkey, with a tawny collar, which frequently walks on the two hind legs. It has a white tail, and two tawny spots on the flanks. It is larger than the
vari
(maucauco), and smaller than the
varicossi
(vari). This species is called
Sifac,
and feeds upon beans. It is very frequent about Andrivoura, Dambourlomb, and Ranafoulchy
Voyage de Flacourt, p. 153.
.' The tawny collar, the white tail, and the spots on the flanks, indicate, in the clearest manner, that the Sifac of Madagascar is the same species with the douc of Cochin-China.
Travellers assure us, that, in the stomachs of the large apes in the southern provinces of Asia, bezoars are found of a superior quality to those of the goats and gazelles. These large apes are the ouanderou and the douc; and, of course, to them the production of the bezoars must be referred. It is alledged, that the bezoars of the ape are always round, while the other kinds are of different figures
As the apes, as well as the goats, eat the buds of certain shrubs, bezoar stones are produced in their bellies. They are often found in the excrements which they discharge when flying from danger. These stones are dearer and more esteemed than any other kind: They are likewise rounder, and have more powerful virtues. One grain of this bezoar has been found to have an equal effect with two of that produced by the goats;
Descript. Hist. de Macacar, p.
51.
Nota.
From comparing this passage with that of Knox, related in the article
ouanderou,
it appears, that the ouanderous feed upon the buds of trees, and, of course, most commonly produce bezoars.
.
Plate CCLXXVI. DOUC.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The douc has no callosities on the buttocks, but is every where covered with hair. His tail is not so long as his body and head. His face is covered with a reddish down. The ears are naked, and of the same colour with the face. The lips, as well as the orbits of the eyes, are brown. The colours of the hair are vivid and various. He has a purplish brown collar round his neck. He has white on his front, head, body, arms, legs, &c. and a kind of yellowish white beard. The top of the front and the upper part of the arms, are black. The under parts of the body are of a cinereous gray and a whitish yellow colour. The tail and under part of the loins are white. He walks as often on two as on four feet. When erect, he is three and a half or four feet high. It is uncertain whether the females of this species be subject to the menstrual discharge.
The SAPAJOUS
Sapejou,
a word derived from
cayouassou,
the name of these animals in Brasil, and which is pronounced
sajouassou.
and the SAGOINS
Sagoin,
a word derived from
cagui,
which is pronounced
sagcui,
and is the name of these animals in Brasil.
WE now pass from the Old Continent to the New. All the four-handed animals formerly described, and which were comprehended under the generic names of
apes, baboons,
and
monkeys,
belong exclusively to the Old Continent; and all the rest, whose history we are about to relate, are found only in the New World. We first distinguish them by the two generic names
sapajous
and
sagoins.
The feet of both are constructed nearly in the same manner with those of the apes, baboon, and monkeys. But they differ from the apes by having tails. They differ from the baboons by the want of cheek-pouches and callosities on their buttocks. In fine, they differ from the apes, baboons, and monkeys, by having the portion between their nostrils very broad and thick, and the apertures placed to a side and not under the nose. Hence the sapajous and sagoins differ not only specifically, but generically from the apes, baboons, and monkeys. When compared with each other, we likewise find that they differ in generic characters; for all the sapajous have prehensile tails, which are so constructed that the animals can use them as fingers to lay hold of any thing. This under part of the tail, which they fold, extend, curl up, or unfold at pleasure, and by the extremity of which they suspend themselves on the branches of trees, is generally deprived of hair, and covered with a smooth skin. The tails of all the sagoins, on the contrary, are proportionally longer than those of the sapajous, and are straight, flaccid, and entirely covered with hair; so that they can neither use the tail in laying hold of any thing, nor in suspending themselves. This differnce alone is sufficient to distinguish a sapajou from a sagoin.
We know eight sapajous, which may be reduced to five species: 1. The
ouarine
or
gouariba
of Brasil. This sapajou is as large as a fox, and differs from the
alouate
of Cayenne in colour only. The hair of the ouarine is black, and that of the alouate is reddish; and, as they resemble each other in every other respect, I consider them as belonging to the same species. 2. The
coaita,
which is black like the ouarine, but not so large. The
exquima
seems to be a variety of this species. 3. The
sajou,
or
sapajou
properly so called, is small, of a brown colour, and commonly known by the name of the capuchin monkey. Of this species there is a variety, which we shall call the
gray sajou,
to distinguish it from the
brown sajou.
4. The
sai,
which some travellers have called the
weeper,
is somewhat larger than the sajou, and has a broader muzzle. There are two kinds, which differ only in colour, the one being reddish brown, and the other whitish red. 5. The
saimiri,
which is commonly called the
orange monkey.
It is the smallest and most beautiful of the sapajous.
We are acquainted with six species of sagoins: 1. The
saki,
which is the largest, and whose tail is covered with hair so long and bushy, that it has been called the
fox-tailed monkey.
There seems to be a variety in this species. I have seen two, both of which appeared to be adults; but the one was almost twice as large as the other. 2. The
tamarin
is generally black, with the four feet yellow. But they vary in colour; for I have seen some of them brown, and spotted with yellow. 3. The
ouistiti,
which is remarkable for large tufts of hair round its face, and an annulated tail. 4. The
marikina,
which has a mane round the neck, and bushy hair, like the lion, at the end of the tail. From this circumstance it has received the appellation of the
lionmonkey.
5. The
pinche,
whose face is of a beautiful black colour, with hair which descends from the top and each side of the head, in the form of long smooth tresses. 6. The
mico
is the most beautiful of the sagoins. Its hair is of a silver white colour, and its face is as red as vermilion.
We proceed to the history and description of each of these sapajous and sagoins, most of which have hitherto been unknown.
The OUARINE
Ouarine, the name of this animal at Maragnon.
The preacher monkey, with black shining eyes, short round ears, and a round beard under the chin and throat. The hairs on the body are of a shining black, long, yet lie so close on each other, that the animal appears quite smooth. The feet and end of the tail are brown. The tail is very long, and always twisted at the end. It is of the size of a fox:
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
122.
The monkeys called
ouarines
are all black, and of the size of large dogs. They cry so loud as to be heard at the distance of a league;
Miss. du P. Abbeville. p.
152.
Guariba;
Marcgr. Brasil.
p. 226.
Raii Synops. quad. p.
153.
Aquiqui;
De Laet, p.
486.
Grew's Mus. p.
133.
Howling baboons; Guariba;
Bancroft's Guiana, p.
153.
Simia Beelzebub, caudata, barbata, nigra, cauda prehensili, extremo pedibusque fuscis;
Linn. syst. Nat. p.
37.
Cercopithecus niger, pedibus fuscis;
Brisson, quad. p.
137.
and ALOUATE
Alouate,
aleuata
at Cayenne, is only a variety of the ouarine. It is of a ferruginous or reddish bay colour; and the Indians call it the
king
of the monkey's.
Cercopithecus barbatus maximus, ferruginosus, ste ntorosus. Alouata. Singe rouge;
Barrère, Hist. Franc. Equin. p.
150.
Cercopithecus baratus saturate rufus;
Brisson. quad. p.
147.
Simia seniculus, caudata, barbata, rufa, cauda prehensili;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p
37.
Arabata;
Gurnilla Orenoque, tom.
2.
p.
8.
Bancroft's Guiana, p.
135.
.
THE Ouarine and Alouate are the largest four-handed animals in the New Continent. In size they much exceed the largest monkeys, and approach to the magnitude of baboons. They have prehensile tails, and consequently belong to the family of sapajous, in which they hold a distinguished rank, not only by their stature, but also by their voice, which resounds like a drum, and is heard at a great distance. Maregrave relates
Marcgrav. Hist. Bras. p. 226.
, 'That, every morning and evening, the ouarines assemble in the woods; that one of them takes a more elevated station, and gives a signal with his hand for the others to sit around and listen to him; that, when he peceives them to be all seated, he begins a discourse, in a tone so loud and rapid as to be heard at a great distance; and a person would be led to think that the whole were crying together; that all the rest, however, keep the most profound silence; that, when he stops, he gives a signal with his hand for the others to reply; that, in an instant, the whole cry together, till he commands silence by another signal, which they obey in a moment; that the first resumes his discourse or song; and that, after hearing him attentively for a considerable time, the assembly breaks up.' These facts, which Marcgrave says he has often witnessed, may perhaps be exaggerated, and seasoned a little with the marvellous: The whole may be founded on the terrible noise made by these animals. They have a kind of osseous drum in their throat, in the concavity of which the sound is augmented, multiplied, and makes a howling noise. Hence these sapajous have been distinguished from all others by the name of
howlers.
We have never seen the ouarine, but have the skin of an alouate, and likewise a dried foetus of the same species, in which the bone of the throat, the instrument of the great noise he makes, is already perceptible
The alouate monkey is a savage animal, of a reddish bay colour, very large, and, by means of the singular structure of the os hyoides, makes a terrible rattling noise, which is heard at a great distance:
Barrère, Hist. Franc. Equin. p.
150.—In the island of St. George, under the Tropic, and about two leagues from the continent of America, there are monkeys as large as calves, which make such a strange noise, that people who are not accustomed to it think the mountains are falling.—They are exceedingly wild;
Voyage de Gentil, tom.
1.
p.
15.
. According to Marcgrave, the ouarine has a large square face, black and brilliant eyes, short, roundish ears, and a tail naked at the extremity, which adheres firmly to every thing it can embrace. The hair on the whole body is black, long, smooth, and lustrous; that on the chin and throat is longer, and forms a kind of round beard; and that on the hands, feet, and part of the tail, is brown. The female is of the same colour with the male, and differs from him only in being smaller. The females carry their young on their back, and leap with them from branch to branch, and from tree to tree. The young embrace with their arms and hands the narrowest part of the mother's body, and remain firmly fixed as long as she is in motion. Besides, these animals are so wild and mischievous, that they can neither be conquered nor tamed. They bite cruelly; and, though not carnivorous, they fail not to excite terror by their frightful voice, and their ferocious aspect. As they feed only upon fruits, pot-herbs, grain, and some insects, their flesh is not bad eating
Monkeys are the most common game, and the most agreeable to the taste of the Amazon Indians.—Some of them are as large as a greyhound;
Voyage sur la rivière de l'Amazone, par M. de la Condamine, p.
164.—Cayenne is the country of monkeys.—When the reluctance at eating them is once overcome, it is certain that their flesh is very good. It is white, and, though generally not overcharged with fat, it fails not to be tender, delicate, and well tasted. Fine soup is made of their heads, which are served up like boiled capons;
Voyage de Desmarchais, tom.
3.
p.
311.
et
338.—There are monkeys in Cayenne of the size of large dogs, and of a reddish colour. They are called
howlers
; because, when in troops, they make a noise like a flock of hogs fighting. They inspire terror, and have very large mouths. I believe they are ferocious. When the Savages shoot them with arrows, they extract the arrow out of their bodies with their hands, like a human creature. The flesh of the howlers is very good, and resembles mutton. One of them is a meal to six persons. They have a horn in their throat, which renders their cries hideous;
Voyage de Binet, p.
341.—The Achagua savages along the river Oronoko are fond of the yellow monkeys called
arabata,
which make an insupportable noise every morning and evening;
Hist. de l'Orenoque, par Gumilla, p.
8.
.
'The hunters,' Oexmelin remarks, 'bring home in the evening the monkeys they kill in the country of Cape Gracias-a-Dio. They roast one part of these monkeys, and boil the other: The flesh is good, and resembles that of the hare; but it is sweetish, and requires a great deal of salt in dressing. The fat is very good, and as yellow as that of a capon. We lived upon these animals during all the time we remained there, because we could procure no other food, and the hunters supplied us daily with as many as we could eat. I went to see this species of hunting, and was surprised at the sagacity of these animals, not only in distinguishing particularly those who make war against them, but, when attacked, in defending themselves and providing for their own safety. When we approached, they all assembled together, uttered loud and frightful cries, and threw at us dried branches which they broke off from the trees. Some of them voided their excrements in their hands, and threw them at our heads. I likewise remarked, that they never abandoned one another; that they leapt from tree to tree with incredible agility; and that they flung themselves headlong from branch to branch, without ever falling to the ground; because, before reaching the earth, they always caught hold of a branch either with their hands or tail; so that, if not shot dead at once, they could not be laid hold of; for, even when mortally wounded, they remain fixed to the trees, where they often die, and fall not till they are corrupted. More than four days after death, I have seen them firmly fixed to the trees; and fifteen or sixteen of them are frequently shot before three or four of them can be obtained. What is singular, as soon as one is wounded, the rest collect about him, and put their fingers into the wound, as if they meant to sound it; and, when much blood is discharged, some of them keep the wound shut, while others make a mash of leaves, and dexterously stop up the aperture. This operation I have often observed with much admiration. The females bring forth but one young, which they carry in the same manner as the Negresses do their children. The young monkey embraces its mother's neck with the two fore-feet, and with the two hind it lays hold of the middle of her back. When she wants to give it suck, she takes it in her paws, and presents the breast to it, like a woman. . . . There is no other method of obtaining the young but by killing the mother; for she never abandons it. When she is killed, it falls from her, and may then be seized. When these animals are embarrassed, they assist each other in passing a brook, or from one tree to another. . . . Their cries are heard at the distance of more than a league
Hist. des Aventuriers, par Oxemelin, tom. 2. p. 251.
.'
Most of these facts are confirmed by Dampier
The monkey's found in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Campeachy, are the ugliest I ever saw. They are much bigger than a hare, and have great tails, about two feet and a half long. The under side of their tails is all bare, with a black hard skin; but the upper side, and all the body, is covered with coarse, long, black, staring hair. These creatures keep together 20 or 30 in a company, and ramble over the woods, leaping from tree to tree. If they meet with a single person, they will threaten to devour him. When I have been alone, I have been afraid to shoot them, especially the first time I met them. They were a great company dancing from tree to tree, over my head, chattering and making a terrible noise, and a great many grim faces, and shewing antick gestures. Some broke down dry sticks and threw at me; others scattered their urine and dung about my ears; at last, one bigger than the rest, came to a small limb just over my head, and leaping directly at me, made me start back; but the monkey caught hold of the bough with the tip of his tail, and there continued swinging to and fro, and making mouths at me.—At last I past on, they still keeping me company, with the like menacing postures, till I came to our huts. The tails of these monkeys are as good to them as one of their hands; and they will hold as fast by them. If two or more of us were together, they would hasten from us. The females with their young ones are much troubled to leap after the males; for they have commonly two: One she carries under one of her arms; the other sits on her back, and clasps her two fore-paws about its neck. These monkeys are the most sullen I ever met with, for all the art we could use would never tame them. It is a hard matter to shoot one of them, so as to take it, for if it gets hold with its claws or tail, it will not fall as long as one breath of life remains. After I have shot at one and broke a leg or an arm, I have pitied the poor creatures to see it look and handle the wounded limb, and turn it about from side to side. These monkeys are very rarely, or (as some say) never on the ground;
Dampier, vol.
2.
part
2.
p.
60.
: He assures us, however, that the females generally produce two young, one of which the mother carries between her arms, and the other on her back. In general, the sapajous, even of the smallest species, are not very prolific; and it is probable that the largest produce not above one or two at a time.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The ouarine has the apertures of the nostrils placed at a side, and not under the nose; the partition of the nostrils is very thick. He has neither cheek-pouches, nor callosities on the buttocks, which are covered with hair, like the rest of the body. He has a long, prehensile tail, black, long hair, and a large concave bone in his throat. He is of the size of a greyhound; and the long hair under his neck forms a kind of round beard. He generally walks on four feet.
The alouate has the same characters with the ouarine, and only differs from him by having a larger beard, and the hair of a reddish brown colour. I know not whether the females of these species be subject to the menses: From analogy, I should presume that they are not, having generally found, that the apes, baboons, and monkeys with naked buttocks, are alone subject to this evacuation.
The COAITA
Four-fingered monkey, with a long flat face, of a swarthy flesh colour; eyes sunk in the head; ears like the human; limbs of a great length, and uncommonly slender; hair black, long, and rough; only four fingers on the hand, being quite destitute of a thumb; five toes on the feet; nails flat; tail long, and naked below, near the end; body slender; about a foot and a half long; tail near two feet, and so prehensile as to serve every purpose of a hand.
Coaita
or
quoata,
the name of this animal in Guiana.
Cercopithecus major niger, saciem humanam referens.
Quoata
;
Barrère Hist. nat. de la Franc. Equin. p.
150.
Quato;
Bancroft's Guiana, p.
131.
Cercopithecus in pedibus anterioribus pollice carens, cauda inferius versus apicem pilis destituta; Le Belzebub;
Brisson, quad. p.
150.
Simia paniscus, caudata, imberbis, atra, cauda prehensili, et apicem subtus nuda;
Linn. Syst. nat. p.
37.
Spider monkey;
Edwards's Gleanings, vol.
3.
p.
222.
Simia fusca major, palmis tetradactylis, cauda prehensili, ad apicem subtus nuda; the four-fingered monkey;
Brown's Hist. of Jamaica, chap.
5.
sect.
5.
and EXQUIMA
Spotted monkey, with a long white beard; colour of the upper parts of the body reddish, as if they had been singed, marked with white specks; the belly and chin whitish; tail very long: Is a species of a middle size.
Cercopithecus barbatus Guineensis, Exquima;
Marcgrav. Hist. Nat. Brasil. p.
227.
Raii Syn. quad. p.
156.
Cercopithecus barbatus fuscus, punctis albis interspersis, barba alba;
Brisson. quad. p.
147. No. 23.
p.
148. No. 24.
Simia Diana, caudata, barbata, fronte barbaque fastigiata;
Linn. Syst. nat. p.
38.
.
NEXT to the ouarine and alouate, the coaita is the largest of the sapajous. I saw one of them at the palace of the Duke of Bouillon, where, by its familiarity, and even its caresses, it procured the affection of those who had the charge of it. But, notwithstanding all the care and attention it received, it was unable to resist the cold of the winter 1764. It died, to the regret of its master, who was so obliging as to send it to me, to be placed in the Royal Cabinet. I saw another in the house of the Marquis de Montmirail. This was a male, and the former a female. Both were equally tractable and well tamed. Hence this sapajou, by its mild and docile disposition, differs much from the ouarine and alouate, who are so wild that no art can tame them. Neither has it, like them, an osseous pouch in the throat. Like the ouarine, its hair is black, but rough. The coaita likewise differs from all the other sapajous, by having only four fingers on his hands. By this character and his prehensile tail, he is easily distinguished from the monkeys, who have all five fingers, and a flaccid tail.
The animal called
exquima
by Marcgrave, is a species very nearly allied to the
coaita,
and is perhaps only a variety of it. This author seems to have been deceived when he tells us, that the exquima is a native of Guiney and Congo. The figure he has given of it was alone sufficient to have convinced him of his error; for it represents this animal with a tail rolled up at the point, a character which belongs exclusively to the sapajous. Of course, Marcgrave's exquima is not a monkey of Guiney, but a sapajou with a prehensile tail, which had been transported thither from Brasil. The name
exquima,
or
quima,
by abstracting the article
ex,
and which ought to be pronounced
quoima,
is not very different from
quoaita,
the manner in which several authors spell the name
coaita,
Hence every circumstance concurs in establishing Marcgrave's
exquima,
which he calls a Guiney monkey, to be a Brasilian
sapajou,
and a variety only of the coaita, which it resembles in dispositions, size, colour, and the prehensile tail. The most remarkable difference is, that the exquima has whitish hair on the belly, and a white beard, two inches long, under the chin
Cercopithecus barbatus Guineensis; in Congo vocatur
Exquima,
pilos habet suscos, sed per totum dorsum quasi adustos seu ferrugineos; fuscis autem punctulatim inspersus color albus: venter albicat er mentum inferius; barbam quoque egregie albam habet, constantem capillis duos digitos longis et amplius passis quasi ordinatim pexa fuisset; quando haec species irascitur, os ample diducendo et mandibulas celeriter movendo exagitat hominem; egregie saltant, varios fructus comedunt;
Maregr. Hist. nat. Brasil. p.
227.
et
228. Ubi vide figuram.
. Our coaitas have neither a beard nor white hair on the belly. But these differences seem not sufficient to constitute two distinct species; for we learn from the evidence of travellers, that some coaitas are black and others white, and some have beards and others no beards: 'There are,' says Dampier, 'great droves of monkeys, some of them white, but most of them black; some have beards, others are beardless. They are of a middle size, yet extraordinary fat at the dry season, when the fruits are ripe; and they are very good meat, for we ate of them very plentifully. The Indians were shy of eating them for a while; but they soon were persuaded to it, by seeing us feed on them so heartily. In the rainy season they have worms in their bowels. I have taken a handful of them out of one monkey we cut open; and some of them seven or eight feet long. They are a very waggish kind of monkey, and played a thousand antick tricks as we marched at any time through the woods, skipping from bough to bough, with the young ones hanging at the old ones backs, making faces at us, chattering, and, if they had opportunity, pissing down purposely on our heads. To pass from top to top of high trees, whose branches are a little too far asunder for their leaping, they will sometimes hang down by one another's tails in a chain; and swinging in that manner, the lowermost catches hold of a bough of the other tree, and draws up the rest of them
Dampier's voyages, vol. 3. p. 330.
.' All these facts, even the worms in the intestines, correspond with our coaitas. M. Daubenton, in dissecting these animals, found a great number of worms, some of which were from twelve to thirteen inches long. It is obvious, therefore, that the exquima of Marcgrave is a sapajou of the same species, or, at least, of a species very nearly allied to that of the coaita.
We must likewise remark, that, if the animal mentioned by Linnaeus, under the name of
Diana
Diana simia caudata barbata, fronte barbaque fastigiata. Cercopithecus barbatus Guincensis. Marcgravii.—Habit at in Guinea, magnitudo felis majoris; nigra punctis albidis. Dursum postice ferrugineum, femora subtus helvola, gula pectusque alba, frons pilis erectis albis fastigiatis, linea transversa in sormam lunae crescentis, barba fastigiata nigra subrus alba insidens tuberi adiposo, linea alba ab ano ad genua ab exteriori latere femorum ducta. Ludibunda omnia dejicit, peregrinos nutitando salutat, irata ore hiat maxillasque exagitat: vocata respondet
greek
;
Linn. Syst. nat. p.
38.
, is really, as he says, the
exquima
of Marcgrave, he has omitted the
prehensile tail,
which is the most essential character, and ought alone to determine whether this
diana
belongs to the genus of
sapajous,
or to that of the
monkeys,
and, of course, whether it is found in the Old or the New Continent.
Independent of this variety, the characters of which are conspicuous, there are other varieties, though less remarkable, in the species of the coaita. That described by M. Brisson had whitish hair on all the under parts of the body. But those I have seen were entirely black, and had very few hairs on the inferior parts of the body, where the skin appeared, and was equally black with the hair. Of the two coaitas mentioned by Mr Edwards
Gleanings, p. 222.
, the one was black and the other brown. On account of the length and slenderness of their legs and tail, they were called
spider monkeys.
Some years ago, a coaita was sent me, under the denomination of
chamek,
which, I was told, came from the coast of Peru. I shall give a description of it in the margin
This animal was brought from the coast of Bancet in Peru, when thirteen months old. It weighed about six pounds. The whole body was black. The skin of the face was naked, of a coarse grain, and of the colour of a Mulatto. The hair was coarse, and from two to three inches in length. The ears, which resembled those of man, were naked, and of the same colour with the face. The tail was one foot ten inches long, five inches thick at the base, and about one inch at the point. It was round, and garnished with hair above and below about thirteen inches from the origin, but naked below nine inches from the extremity, where the under part of it is flat and furrowed in the middle, and round above. This animal suspends itself by the tail, and likewise uses it as a fifth hand to lay hold of any thing it wants. Its length was thirteen inches from the point of the nose to the origin of the tail. It had only two paps, placed nearly under the armpits.
, from which it will appear that this chamek of Peru, with the exception of a few varieties, is the same animal with the coaita of Guiana.
These sapajous are very dexterous and intelligent. They go in companies, and mutually warn and assist each other. It uses its tail as a fifth hand, and seems to employ this instrument more than either its hands or feet
This creature has no more than four fingers to each of its fore paws, but the top of the tail is smooth underneath, and on this it depends for its chief actions; for the creature holds every thing by it, and slings itself with the greatest ease from every tree and post by its means.—It is a native of the main continent; and a part of the food of the Indians;
Russel. Hist. of Jamaica, chap.
5.
sect.
5.
. To balance this advantage, Nature has deprived this animal of a thumb. We are assured that it seizes fishes with its tail; which is by no means incredible; for we have seen one of our coaitas lay hold in this manner of a squirrel, which had been put into its chamber as a companion. They have the address to break the shells of oysters, in order to eat them
At the island of Gorgonia, on the coast of Peru, we took notice of several monkeys who lived partly upon oysters, which they got out of the sea at low water. Their way was to take up an oyster, and lay it upon a stone, and with another stone to keep beating of it till they had broke the shell in pieces;
Dampier's voyages, vol.
3.
p.
382.
. It is certain, that, in order to pass from one tree to another, whose branches are too distant for a leap, they form a chain, by hanging down
In travelling to Panama, I saw, at Capira, one of these monkeys leap from one tree to another, which was on the opposite side of the river. When they want to reach a place which they cannot accomplish by one leap, they link themselves to each other's tail, and by this means form a long chain. They then spring forward, and the first, being aided by the impulse of the rest, reaches the intended branch; and, after fixing himself, he continues to assist the progress of the others till the whole attain their end;
Hist. Nat. du Indes, par Joseph Acosta, p.
200.
, linked to each other by their tails, and swinging in that manner till the lowest catches hold of a branch, and draws up the rest. They sometimes pass rivers by the same expedient. The females bring forth but one or two young, which they always carry on their back. They eat fish, worms, and insects; but fruits are their common food. When the fruits are ripe, they become very fat, and their flesh is then said to be excellent
They are of a middle size, yet extraordinary fat at the dry season, when the fruits are ripe; and they are very good meat, for we ate of them very plentifully;
Dampier's voyages, vol.
3.
p.
330.
.
Distinctive Characters of these Species.
The coaita has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. He has a very long, prehensile tail. The partition of the nostrils is very thick, and their apertures are placed at a side, and not under the nose. He has only four fingers on his hands or fore feet. Both his hair and skin are black. His face is naked and tawny. His ears are also naked, and resemble those of man. He is about a foot and a half in length; and his tail is longer than the body and head together. He walks on four feet.
The exquima is nearly of the same size with the coaita, and has likewise a prehensile tail. But his colour, instead of being black, is variegated. The hairs on his back are black and yellow, and white on the throat and belly. He has, besides, a remarkable beard. These differences, however, are not sufficient to constitute two distinct species; especially as some coaitas are not entirely black, but are whitish on the throat and belly. The females of these two species are not subject to the periodical evacuation.
Plate CCLXXVII. COAITA.
The SAJOU
The capuchin monkey, with a round head, and a short flesh-coloured face, with a little down on it; hair on the fore head more or less high and erect in different subjects; top of the head black and dusky, hair on it pretty long; hind part of the neck, and middle of the back, covered with long dusky airs; rest of the back and the limbs of a reddish brown; hands and feet covered with a black skin; tail longer than the head and body, and often carried over the shoulders; the hair on it very long, of a deep brown colour, and appear very bushy from beginning to end: It is a species that varies a little in colours, which induced Linnaeus to form three species out of this one;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
126.
Sajou,
a word abridged from
Cayouassou
or Sajouassou, the name of these animals in Maragnon.
Simia trepida, caudata, imberbis, capillitio arrecto, manibus pedibusque caeruleis, cauda prehensili villosa;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
39.
Simia capucina, caudata, imberbis, fusca, cauda prehensili hirsuta, pileo artubusque nigris, natibus tectis;
Linn. syst. mat. p.
42.
Simia apella, caudata, imberbis, cauda subprehensili, corpore fusco, pedibus nigris, natibus tectis;
Ibid.
Cercopithecus fuscus, capitis vertice fusco;
Brisson. quad. p.
137.
Bush-tailed monkey;
Edw. p.
312.
Simiolus Ceylonicus;
Seb. Mus. tom.
1.
p.
77.
tab.
48. This animal is not found in Ceylon, but in America.
Cayouassou;
Miss. du. P. d'Abbeville, p.
252.
, or Capuchin Monkey.
WE are acquainted with two varieties of this species, the
brown sajou,
or capuchin monkey; and the
gray sajou,
which differs from the brown in colour only. They are both of the same size, and have the same figure and dispositions. They are both very agile, and their nimbleness and dexterity are extremely amusing. We have had them alive; and, of all the sapajous, their constitution seems to be best adapted to our climate. If kept in a chamber during the winter, they live comfortably for several years. We can even give several examples of their producing in this country. Two young ones were brought forth in the M. de Pompadour's lodging at Versailles; one in the house of M. de Reaumur at Paris, and another in Mad. de Poursel's in Gatinois
M. Sanches, formerly first physician to the court of Russia, communicated this last fact to me, in a letter from Mad. de Poursel, of which the following is an extract: 'Bordeaux, Jan. 26. 1764. On the 13th day of this month, the female sapajou brought forth a young one, whose head was almost as large as that of the mother. During two hours, she suffered great pain; and we were obliged to cut the belt by which she was fixed, otherwise she could not have brought forth. Nothing could be more beautiful than to see the father and mother occupied with their little one, which they teazed incessantly, either by carrying it about, or by caressing it.
ernambuco,
the name given to the male, because he was brought from that part of Brasil, loves his child to distraction. The father and mother carry it alternately; and, when it does not hold properly, they give it a pretty severe bite.'
. But, in this country, they never produced above one at a time, while, in their native climate, they often produce two. Besides, these sajous are very whimsical in their taste and affections. They are fond of particular persons, and discover the greatest aversion to others.
Plate CCLXXVIII. BROWN CAPUCHIN MONKEY.
Plate CCLXXIX. GRAY CAPUCHIN MONKEY.
We remarked a singularity in these animals, which makes the females be often mistaken for the males. The clitoris is prominent, and appears to be as large as the penis of the male.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The sajous have neither cheek-pouches, nor callosities on their buttocks. Their face and ears are flesh-coloured, with a little down above. The partition of the nostrils is thick, and their apertures are placed at a side, and not under the nose. The eyes are chesnut-coloured, and situated near each other. The tail is prehensile, naked below at the point, and very bushy every where else. In some, the hair is black and brown, both round the face, and upon all the upper parts of the body. In others, the hair round the face is gray, and of a brownish yellow on the body. The hands are always black and naked. From the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, they exceed not a foot in length. They walk on four feet. The females are not subject to the menses.
The SAI
Cay,
pronounced
Sai,
the Brasilian name of this animal.
Monkey with a round and flat face, of a reddish brown colour, very deformed; the hair on the head and upper part of the body black, tinged with brown; beneath, and on the limbs, tinged with red; tail black, and much longer than the head and body: The young are excessively deformed; their hair very long, and thinly dispersed;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
127.
Cercopithecus Brasiliensis secundus;
Claus. exot. p.
372.
Cay;
De Laet, p.
486.
Raii syn. quad. p.
155.
Cercopithecus totus niger;
Brisson. quad. p.
139.
, or WEEPER.
WE have seen two varieties of this species; the first was of a blackish brown colour; and the second, which I have called
Sai with a white throat,
has white hair on the breast, throat, and round the ears and cheeks. It differs from the first by having less hair on the face. But, in every other article, they perfectly resemble each other. Their dispositions, size, and figure, are the same. Travellers have mentioned these animals under the name of
weepers
In the island of St George, two leagues distant from the continent of America, there are monkeys called
weepers,
because they imitate the cries of an infant;
Voyage de la Gentil, tom.
1.
p.
15.
; because they make a plaintive noise, and, when irritated, have the appearance of crying. Others have called them
musk monkeys,
because, like the maucauco, they have a musky odour
In the neighbourhood of the bay of All Saints, there are small monkeys, who are extremely ugly, and have a great scent of musk;
Dampier's voyages.
. Others have given them the name of
macaque
At the bay of All Saints, I saw two species of monkeys, the one called
sagouins,
and the other
macaques.
The sagouins are of the size of a squirrel. Some of them are gray, and others of a fine yellow colour. They are extremely beautiful.—The macaques are larger, and of a brown colour: They weep perpetually, &c.;
Voyages de de Gennes, par Froger, p.
150.
, which they borrowed from the macaque of Guiney. But the macaques are monkeys with flaccid tails; while the former belong to the sapajous, because their tails are prehensile. The females have only two paps, and produce two young at a time. They are mild, docile, and so timid, that their common cry, which resembles that of a rat, becomes a kind of groaning when they are threatened with danger. In this country, they eat May-bugs and snails
All the monkeys of South America live upon fruits, flowers, and particular insects;
Hist. des Avanturiers, par Oexmelin, tom.
2.
p.
256.
in preference to all other food. But, in Brasil, their native climate, they live chiefly on grains and wild fruits
The Cays or Sais never remove from the top of a tree that bears fruit in a pod as large as our beans, which is their principal food. They assemble in troops, and particularly when it rains. It is pleasant to hear them chattering on the trees. The female produces but one at a time; and the young, as soon as brought forth, holds firm by the neck of its mother or father. When pursued by the hunters, they save themselves by leaping from branch to branch, carrying their young on their backs. The savages, therefore, being unable to seize either the young or the old, are obliged to wound them with arrowes; after which they fall from the tops of the trees, either stunned or wounded. When cured of the wounds, and rendered somewhat tame, they are sold by the Savages; for, when first taken, they are so ferocious, and bite so obstinately, that they quit not their hold till they are torn in pieces;
Voyage de Lery, p.
164.
, which they gather from the trees, and rarely descend upon the earth.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The sais have neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on their buttocks. The partition of their nostrils is very thick, and the apertures are placed at a side, and not under the nose. The face is round and flat, and the ears are almost naked. The tail is prehensile, and naked below toward its extremity. Upon the upper parts of the body, the hair is of a blackish brown colour, and, on the inferior parts, of a pale yellow or dirty white. These animals exceed not fourteen inches in length; and their tail is longer than both body and head. They walk on four feet. The females are not subjected to the menses.
Plate CCLXXXI. SAI with a WHITE THROAT
Plate CCLXXX. SAI or WEEPER.
The SAIMIRI
Orange monkey, with a round head, nose a little pointed, and the end of it dusky; orbits flesh-coloured; ears hairy; hair on the body short and fine, of a yellow and brown colour; but, in its native country, when in perfection, of a brilliant gold colour; the feet orange; nails of the hands flat, of the feet like claws; tail very long, and less useful for prehensile purposes than that of the rest; body of the size of a squirrel;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
128.
Caymiri,
or
Saimiri,
the name of this animal in the country of Maragnon.
Caitaia;
Marcgr. p.
227.
Raii synops. quad. p.
175.
Cercopithecus pilis ex fusco flavescente, et candicante variegatus, vestitus, pedibus ex flavo rufescentibus;
Brisson. quad. p.
140.
Cercopithecus minor luteus; le sapajou jaune;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
151.
Simia sciurea, caudata, imberbis, occipite prominulo, unguibus quatuor plantarum subulatis, natibus tectis;
Linn, Syst. Nat. p.
43.
, or Orange Monkey.
THE Saïmiri is commonly known by the name of the
golden, orange,
or
yellow sapajou.
It is common in Guiana; and therefore has received from some voyagers the appellation of the
Cayenne Sapajou.
From the gracefulness of its movements, the smallness of its size, the brilliant colour of its hair, the largeness and vivacity of its eyes, and its round visage, the saïmiri has uniformly been preferred to all the other sapajous: It is indeed the most beautiful of this tribe. But it is likewise the most delicate
The Cayenne sapajou is a yellowish monkey. It has large eyes, a white face, a black chin, and a slender make. It is alert and caressing; but it is equally injured by cold as the sagions of Brasil;
Relat. du voyage de Gennes, par Froger, p.
163.
, and the most difficult to transport and preserve. From these characters, and particularly from that of the tail, which is only half-prehensile, and, though not so muscular as that of the sapajous, is not absolutely useless and flaccid, the saïmiri seems to form the shade between the sapajous and the sagoins.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The saïmiri has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. The partition of his nostrils is thick, and their apertures are placed at a side, and not under the nose. He may be said to have no fore head. His hair is of a brilliant yellow colour; and he has two fleshcoloured rings round his eyes. His nose is elevated at the base, and flattened at the point. The mouth is small, the face flat and naked; and the ears are garnished with hair, and a little pointed. The tail is half-prehensile, and longer than the body. From the point of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, he exceeds not ten or eleven inches in length. He stands with ease on his two hind legs; but he commonly walks on four. The female is not subject to the menses.
Plate CCLXXXII. SAMIRI or ORANGE MONKEY.
The SAKI
Fox-tailed monkey, with a swarthy face, covered with short down; fore head and sides of the face with whitish and pretty long hair; body with long dusky brown hairs, white or yellowish at their tips; hair on the tail very long and bushy, sometimes black, sometimes reddish; belly and lower part of the limbs a reddish white. Length from nose to tail near a foot and a half, tail longer, and like to that of a fox: Hands and feet black, with claws instead of nails;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
130.
Saki. Simia minima, capite albido, dorso susco, pone rufescente, cauda crinita. Sakee Winkee;
Brown's nat. hist. of Jamaica, chap.
5.
sect.
5.
Cagui major Brasiliensibus;
Marcgr. p.
227.
Cercopithecus pilis nigris, apice albido, vestitus, cauda pilis longissimis nigris obsita;
Brisson. quad. p.
138. 141.
Simia pithecia, caudata, imberbis, vellere nigro, apice albo, cauda nigra villosissima;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
40.
Saccawinkee;
Bancroft's Guiana, p.
135.
, or Fox-tailed Monkey.
THE Saki, which is commonly called the
fox-tailed monkey,
because its tail is garnished with very long hair, is the largest of the sagoins. When full grown, it is about seventeen inches long, while the largest of the other five species exceeds not nine or ten. The hair on the body of the saki is very long, and that on the tail is still longer. His face is reddish, and covered with a whitish down. He is easily distinguished from all the other sagoins, sapajous, and monkeys, by the following characters.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The saki has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on his buttocks. His tail is flaccid, not prehensile, and one half longer than both head and body. The partition of the nostrils is very thick, and the apertures placed at a side. The face is tawny, and covered with a fine, short, whitish down. The hair on the upper parts of the body is blackish brown, and that on the belly and other inferior parts is reddish white. The hair on the body is still longer than that on the tail, beyond the point of which it hangs near two inches. The hair on the tail is generally blackish brown, like that on the body. This species seems to vary in colour. Some sakis have the hair both on the body and tail of a reddish yellow colour. This animal walks on four feet, and is near a foot and a half in length. The females are not subjected to the periodical evacuation.
Plate CCLXXXIII. SAKI or FOX TAILD MONKEY.
The TAMARIN
Great-eared monkey, with a round head, and a swarthy, flesh-coloured, naked face; upper lip a little divided; ears very large, erect, naked, and almost square; hair on the forehead upright and long; on the body soft, but shaggy: The head, whole body, and upper part of the limbs, black, except the lower part of the back, which is tinged with yellow; hands and feet covered with light orange coloured hairs, very fine and smooth; nails long and crooked; tail black, and twice the length of the body; teeth very white;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
131.
Cercopithecus minimus niger leontocephalus, auribus elephantinis;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
151.
Simia midas, caudata, imberbis, labio superiore fisso, auribus quadratis nudis, unguibus subulatis, pedibus croceis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
42.
The little black monkey;
Edwards's Hist. of Birds, p.
196.
Tamarin,
the name of this animal in Cayenne;
Binet, p.
341.
, or Great-eared Monkey.
THIS species is much smaller than the preceding, and differs from it in several characters. The tail of the tamarin is covered with short hair, while that of the saki is garnished with hair remarkably long. The tamarin has also large ears, and yellow feet. It is a beautiful animal
In Cayenne, there are very small monkeys called
tamarins,
which are extremely beautiful. They exceed not the size of a squirrel, and have the head and face of a lion, small teeth as white as ivory, and arranged with great symmetry. They are black, with yellowish spots on the shoulders. The pats are like those of the monkey, and orange coloured. They are very familiar and playsome;
Voyage à Cayenne, par Antoine Binet, p.
341.
, very lively, and easily tamed, but so delicate that it cannot long resist the inclemency of our climate.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The tamarin has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. The tail is flaccid, and twice the length of the body and head. The partition between the nostrils is very thick, and the apertures are placed at a side. The face is of a dusky flesh-colour. The ears are square, large, naked, and of the same colour; and the eyes are chesnut. The upper lip is divided nearly like that of the hare. The head, body, and tail, are covered with soft, blackish brown hair, and the hands and feet with short orange coloured hair. The body and limbs are finely proportioned. This animal walks on four feet; and the head and body together exceed not seven or eight inches in length. The females are not subject to the menses.
Plate CCLXXXIV. TAMARIN or GREAT EARD MONKEY.
The OUISTITI
Ouistiti,
a sound articulated by this animal, and which we have adopted for its name.
The striated monkey, with a very round head. About the ears are two very full tufts of white hairs standing out on each side; irides reddish; face a swarthy flesh-colour; ears like the human; head black; body ash-coloured, reddish, and dusky, the last forms striated bars cross the body; tail full of hair, annulated with ash-colour and black; body seven inches long; tail near eleven; hands and feet covered with short hairs; fingers like those of a squirrel; nails, or rather claws, sharp;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
132.
Galeopithecus,
sagoin
a Brasiliensibus nominatus;
Gesner. Icon. quad. p.
96.
Sagouy;
Mission au Maragnon, par le P. d' Abbeville, p.
252.
Cagui minor;
Marcgr. Hist. Nat. Brasil. p.
227.
Cercopithecus Brasilianus tertius
sagouin
;
Claus. Exot. p.
372.
Gesner. quad. p.
869.
Raii Synops. quad. p.
154.
Klein. quad. p.
87.
tab.
3.
Ludolph. Com. AEthiop. p.
58.
Cercopithecus teniis transversis alternatim fuscis, et e cinereo albis variegatus, auriculis pilis albis circumdatis;
Brisson, quad. p.
143.
Simia Jaccus, caudata, auribus villosis patulis, cauda hirsutissima, curvata, unguibus subulatis, pollicum rotundatis;
Linn. syst. Nat. p.
40.
, or Striated Monkey.
THE Ouistiti is still smaller than the tamarin, both the head and body not exceeding half a foot in length. His tail is more than a foot long, and, like that of the maucauco, marked with alternate rings of black and white; the hair on the tail is still longer, and more bushy than that of the maucauco. The face of the ouistiti is naked, and of a dark flesh-colour. He has two tufts of long white hair before his ears, which conceal them when we look the animal in the face. Mr Parsons has given a good description of this animal in the Philosophical Transactions
Phil. Trans. vol. 47. p. 146.
; and Mr Edwards, in his Gleanings, has given an excellent figure of it. He remarks, that, of several he saw, the largest weighed not above six ounces, and the smallest only four and a half; and judiciously adds, That the supposition that the small AEthiopian monkey mentioned by Ludolph, under the denomination of
fonkes,
or
guereza,
was the same animal with the ouistiti, is without any foundation
J. Ludolphus, in his history of AEthiopia or Abyssinia, hath given two figures of this animal. They are described, p. 58. in the English translation of that work. He calls it
Fonkes,
or
Guereza
: but his description doth not agree at all with the figures: So that I imagine this was met with in Holland, and supposed to be the little monkey described by Ludolphus, though it was really brought from Brasil, which was possessed by the Hollanders at the time of the publication of that history;
Edwards's Gleanings, p.
16.
. It is certain, that neither the ouistiti, nor any other sagoin, exists in AEthiopia; and the
fonkes
or
guereza
of Ludolph is probably the
maucauco
or
loris,
which are common in the southern regions of the Old Continent. Mr Edwards farther remarks, that, when the ouistiti is in good health, its hair is very bushy; that one of those he saw, which was very vigorous, fed upon several things, as biskets, fruits, pot-herbs, insects, and snails; that, one day, being unchained, it darted upon a small china golden fish that was in a basin, which it killed and devoured with avidity; and that, afterward, small eels were presented to it, which, at first, frighted it, by twisting round its neck; but that it soon overcame and ate them. Mr Edwards subjoins a fact, which proves that these small animals might be multiplied in the southern parts of Europe: He tells us that they produced young in Portugal, where the climate is favourable to them. They are at first very ugly, having hardly any hair on their bodies; and they adhere firmly to the teats of the mother. When they have become a little larger, they fix themselves upon her back or shoulders; and, when she is fatigued by carrying them, she rubs them off against a wall, and the father instantly allows them to mount upon his back, in order to assist the mother
Edwards's gleanings, p. 17.
.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The ouistiti has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. His tail is flaccid, very bushy, annulated with alternate bars of black and white, or rather of brown and gray, and twice as long as the head and body. The partition of the nostrils is very thick, and the apertures are placed at a side. The head is round. The top of the front is covered with black hair; and above the nose there is a white spot without hair. The face is likewise almost naked, and of a deep flesh-colour. On each side of the head, before the ears, is a tuft of long white hairs. The ears are roundish, flat, thin, and naked. The eyes are of a reddish chesnut colour. The body is covered with gray ashcoloured hair, interspersed with a little yellow on the throat, breast, and belly. He walks on four feet; and often exceeds not half a foot in length. The females do not menstruate.
Plate CCLXXXV. OISTITI or STRIATED MONKEY.
The MARIKINA
Marikina,
the name of this animal in Maragnon;
Mission du P. d' Abbeville, p.
252.
The silky monkey, with a flat face, of a dull purple colour; ears round and naked; on the sides of the face the hairs very long, turned backwards, of a bright bay colour; sometimes yellow, and the former only in patches; the hair on the body long, very fine, silky, glossy, and of a pale bright yellow; hands and feet naked, and of a dull purple colour; claws instead of nails to each finger; length of head and body ten inches; tail thirteen and a half, a little bushy at the end;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
133.
Cercopithecus minor dilute olivaceus, parvo capite,
Acarima
a Cayenne;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
151.
Cercopithecus ex albo flavicans, faciei circumferentia saturate rufa; le petit singe-lion;
Brisson. quad. p.
142.
Simia rosalia, caudata, imberbis, capite piloso, faciei circumferentia pedibusque rubris, unguibus subulatis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
41.
, or Silky Monkey.
THE Marikina is commonly distinguished by the name of the small
lion-ape.
We reject this compound denomination, because the markina is not an ape, but a sagoin. Besides, he has no more resemblance to a lion than a lark has to an ostrich, there being no other relation between them but a kind of mane round the face of the marikina, and a tuft of hair at the end of his tail. His hair is long, silky, and vivid. He has a round head, a brown face, red eyes, and round naked ears, concealed under the long hair which surround his facé: These hairs are
of a bright red colour, and those on the body and tail are pale yellow, almost white. This animal has the same manners, the same vivacity, and the same inclinations with the other sagoins. Its constitution seems to be more robust; for we have seen one that lived five or six years in Paris, without anyother precaution than keeping in during the winter in a warm room.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The marikina has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. His tail is flaccid, or not prehensile, and almost twice as long as both the head and body. He has round naked ears, long reddish hairs around the face, and bright yellowish white hairs, nearly of an equal length, on the rest of the body, with a considerable tuft at the extremity of the tail. He walks upon four feet; and exceeds not eight or nine inches in length. The female is not subject to the menses.
Plate CCLXXXVI. MARIKINI or SILKY MONKEY.
The PINCHE
Pinche,
the name of this animal at Maynas;
Condamine's voy. p.
83.
Red-tailed monkey with a round head and black pointed face; ears round and dusky; hair on the head white, long, and spreading over the shoulders: The shoulders and back are covered with long and loose brown hairs; rump and half the tail deep orange coloured, almost red; the remaining part black; the throat black; breast, belly, and legs, white; insides of the hands and feet black; claws crooked and sharp; length of the head and body eight inches; tail above twice as long;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
134.
Cercopithecus pilis ex fusco et rufo vestitus, facie ultra auriculas usque nuda et nigra, vertice longis pilis obsita;
Brisson. quad. p.
150.
Simia Oedipus, candata, imberbis, capillo dependente, cauda rubra, unguibus subulatis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
41.
The little lion-monkey;
Edward's Hist. of Birds, p.
195.
, or Red-tailed Monkey.
THE Pinche, though very small, is larger than either the ouistiti or the tamarin. Including head and body, it is about nine inches long, and the length of the tail is, at least, eighteen inches. It is rendered remarkable by a kind of smooth white hair upon the top and sides of the head, especially as this colour is wonderfully contrasted by that of the face, which is black, and interspersed with a gray down. The eyes are black, and the tail, from its origin to near the middle, is of a lively red, where it changes to a brownish black, which continues to the point. The hair on the superior parts of the body is of a yellowish brown colour; that on the breast, belly, hands, and feet, is white. The whole skin is black. The throat is naked and black, like the face. Though its figure be singular, it is a beautiful animal. Its voice is soft, and rather resembles the chanting of a small bird than the cry of a quadruped. It is extremely delicate, and requires great precautions to be transported from America to Europe
In Brasil, de Lery remarks, there is a marmot, which the savages call
sagoin.
It exceeds not the size of a squirrel, and is of the same reddish colour. Its muzzle resembles that of the lion. It is one of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen; and, if it were as easily transported as the monkey, it would be much more esteemed. It is so delicate, that it cannot endure the motion of a ship; and, besides, it is so haughty, that the smallest affront makes it die with chargin;
Voyage de Jean de Lery, p.
163.
.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The pinche has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on the buttocks. His tail is not prehensile, and is more than twice the length of the head and body. The partition of the nostrils is thick, and the apertures are placed at a side. The face, throat, and ears are black; on the head are long white hairs. The muzzle is broad, and the face round. The hair on the body is pretty long, of a yellowish brown or reddish colour till near the tail, where it becomes
Plate CCLXXXVII. PINCHE or RED MONKEY.
orange; on the breast, belly, hands, and feet, it is white, and shorter than on the body. The tail, from the origin to one half of its length, is a vivid red, then brownish red, and toward the point it is black. He is about nine inches in length, and walks on four feet. The females are not subject to the menstrual evacuation.
The MICO
The fair monkey, with a small round head; face and ears of the most lively vermilion colour; body covered with most beautiful long hairs of a bright and silvery whiteness, of matchless elegance; tail of a shining dark chesnut; head and body eight inches long; tail twelve;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
134.
Cercopithecus ex cinereo albus argenteus, facie auriculisque rubris splendentibus, cauda castanei coloris;
Brisson. quad. p.
142.
, or fair MONKEY.
WE owe our knowledge of this animal to M. de la Condamine; and, therefore, we shall transcribe the account he has given of it: 'The monkey, of which the Governour of Para made me a present, is the only one of the kind that had been seen in this country. The hair on its body was of a beautiful silvery white colour; and that on its tail was a shining chesnut approaching to black. Its ears, cheeks, and muzzle, were of so lively a vermilion colour, that it had the appearance of being the work of art. I kept it for twelve months; and, now that I am in sight of the French coast, it is still alive. But, notwithstanding all my precautions to defend it against the cold, it fell a victim to the rigour of the season before my arrival. . . . I have preserved it in aquavitae, which will be sufficient to show that my description is not exaggerated
Voyage sur la rivière des Amazones, par M. de la Condamine, p. 165.
.' From this narration it is obvious, that M. de la Condamine's description will apply to no other animal than the
Mico
; and that it is a distinct, and probably a very rare species. Though remarkable for the beauty of its hair, and the lively red which adorns its face, it was never mentioned by any former author or traveller.
Distinctive Characters of this Species.
The mico has neither cheek-pouches nor callosities on-the buttocks. The tail is about one half longer than the head and body, and is not prehensile. The partition of the nostrils is thinner than that of the other sagoins; but their apertures are placed at a side. Its face and ears are naked, and of a vermilion colour. The muzzle is short; the eyes are distant from each other; the ears are large; the hair is of a beautiful silvery white colour, and that of the tail of a glossy brown, approaching to black. It walks on four feet, and exceeds not seven or eight inches in length. The females are not subject to the menses.
NOTICES of some Animals which are not expressly treated of in the Course of this Work.
WE have now finished, according to the extent of our ability, the history of quadrupeds. But, to render it still more complete, those of which we could not procure an exact knowledge must not be passed over in silence. Their number is small; and, even of this small number, several of them are only varieties of the species already described.
NOTICE I.
The White, or POLAR BEAR
Polar bear, with long head and neck; short round ears, end of the nose black; vast teeth; hair long, soft white, and tinged in some parts with yellow; limbs of great size and strength. It grows to a vast size, the skins of some being thirteen feet long;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
192.
White bear;
Martin's Spitzbergen, p.
100.
Egede, Greenl. p.
59.
Ellis's voy. p.
41.
Crantz, Greenl. vol.
1.
p.
73.
Barentz's voy. p.
18
and
45.
La Hontan's voy. vol.
1.
p.
235.
Catesby's Carolina, app. p.
26.
Ursus albus Martensii;
Klein. quad. p.
82.
L'Ours blanc;
Brisson. quad p.
128.
.
Plate CCLXXXVIII MICO or FAIR MONKEY
Colour, size, and mode of living, being insufficient, no other essential characters remain but those which may be derived from figure. Now all that voyagers have said of the sea-bear, amounts only to this, that his head, body, and hair are longer than those of our bear, and that his skull is much harder. If these differences were real and considerable, they would be sufficient to constitute another species. But I am not certain that Marten has examined with accuracy, and that the other writers who copied him, have not exaggerated
Anderson's hist. of Greenland; and Ellis Voy. to Hudson's Bay.
. 'These white bears,' he remarks, 'are quite otherwise shaped than those that are seen in our country; they have a long head like unto a dog, and a long neck, and they bark like dogs that are hoarse, and all their whole body is much otherwise shaped than ours. They are slenderer in the body, and a great deal swifter;'
Marten's voyage to Spitzbergen, p.
100. This description furnishes the following remarks: 1. That the author does not make these bears larger than ours; and, consequently, that we ought to suspect the evidence of those who tell us that the sea-bear is sometimes thirteen feet in length
A white bear, which had been killed, was brought aboard. Its skin was thirteen feet long;
Troisième voyage des Hollandois par le Nord, p.
35.
. 2. That hair as soft as wool is not a specific character; for, to render hair soft, and even more bushy, it is only necessary that an animal be frequently in the water, as appears from the land and water beavers. The latter, who dwelt oftener in the water than on land, have coarser and less bushy hair: And, I am inclined to think, that the other differences are neither real nor so conspicuous as Marten would have us to believe; for Dithmar Blefken, in his description of Iceland, mentions these bears, and assures us that he saw one killed in Greenland, which raised itself on the two hind feet, like our bears; but he says not one word which indicates that the white bear of Greenland is not entirely similar to ours
Habet Islandia coloris albi ingentes Ursos . . . in Groenlandia ursum magnum et album habuimus obviam, qui neque nos timebat neque nostro clamore abigi poterat, verum recta ad nos tanquam ad certam praedam contendebat, cumque proprius nos accessisset, is bonbarda trajectus, ibi demum erectus, posterioribus pedibus tanquam homo stabat donec tertio trajiceretur, atque ita exanimatus concidit;
Dithmar Blefken. p.
64.
. Besides, when these animals find prey on land, they never go to sea in quest of food. They devour rain-deer, and such other animals as they can seize. They even attack men, and never fail to dig up dead bodies
The white bears live upon dead whales, and, in the neighbourhood of these carcasses, they are most frequently found. They likewise devour men, when they can surprise them. If they scent the place where a dead body is interred, they remove the earth and stones, open the coffin, and eat the carcass;
Recueil des voyages du Nord, tom.
2.
p.
126.
. But hunger, which they often feel in these desert and barren lands, obliges them to frequent the water, in quest of seals, young walruses, and whales. They take up their residence on islands of ice, on which they are often seen floating at a distance, and never abandon their station as long as they can find abundance of food. When these boards of ice are detached in the spring, the bears allow themselves to be carried along; and, as they cannot regain the land, or abandon the ice on which they are embarked, they often perish in the open sea. Those who arrive with the ice on the coasts of Iceland or Norway
When the islands of ice separate from the North of Greenland, and are driven southward, the white bears dare not depart from them. When they arrive in Norway, or at any island, they are mad with hunger; and strange stories are told of the ravages made by these animals;
Recueil des voyages du Nord, tom.
1.
p.
100.
, are starved to such a degree, that they devour every thing they meet, which may have given rise to the prejudice, that these sea-bears are more fierce and voracious than the common kind. Some authors tell us, that the sea-bears are amphibious like the seals, and that they can live as long as they please under water. But the contrary is evident from the manner of hunting them: They are incapable of swimming long, and never accomplish above a league at a time. They are followed by a small boat, and are soon worn out with fatigue. If they could dispense with respiration, they would dive to the bottom, in order to rest themselves. But, when they dive, it is only for a few seconds; and, for fear of drowning, they allow themselves to be killed on the surface of the water
This white bear swam about a mile. We pursued him briskly with three boats; and, after he was fatigued, we killed him;
Trois navigations des Hollandois au Norà, par Gerard de Vera, p.
110.—They swim from one board of ice to another: When we pursued them in our boats they dived at one end of the boat and came up at the other. They likewise run very well upon land;
Recueil des Voyages du Nord, tom.
2.
p.
116.—Upon the coast of Spitzbergen, a white bear took the water, and swam more than a league. We followed with our boats, and killed him, &c.;
Troisième voyage des Hollandois, p.
34.
.
Seals are the common prey of the white bears
When we killed this white bear, his stomach was opened, in which we found entire pieces of the sea-dog, with the hair and skin on them, which shows that he had but lately devoured them;
Ibid. p.
36.
. But the walrus, from whom they sometimes carry off the young, pierces them with its tusks, and puts them to flight. The whale likewise overwhelms them by its weight, and banishes them from the places they frequent. They sometimes, however, devour the young whales. All bears are naturally very fat; and the whitebears, who live upon animals loaded with grease, are fatter than the common kind. Their fat is very like that of the whale. The flesh of these bears is not bad, and their skin makes a very warm and durable fur
The white bears go in quest of wolves and sea-dogs, and prefer whales to any other fish. . . . They dread the whale, who scent and pursues them from a natural antipathy; because they eat her young;
Recueil des voy. du Nord, tom.
1.
p.
99.—The skins of the white bear are of great use to those who travel in winter. They are dressed, even at Spitzbergen, by steeping them in warm water, which extracts the grease; and they are afterwards dried. . . . Their grease is like suet, and, after being well melted, it becomes as clear as whale oil. It is generally burnt in lamps, and has not so bad a smell as fish oil. Our sailors sell it for whale oil. The flesh of these bears is fat and whitish.—Their milk is very white and fat;
Troisieme voy. des Hollandois, tom.
2.
p.
115.
.
SUPPLEMENT.
I here give a figure of the white sea bear, from a drawing sent me by the late Mr Colinson. If this drawing be exact, it is certain that the sea bear is a different species from the land bear. The head is so long, when compared with that of the common bear, that this character alone is sufficient to constitute a distinct species: And those voyagers adhere to truth when they tell us, that the figure of the sea bear is totally different from ours, and that its head and neck are much longer. From the drawing it likewise appears, that the feet, instead of resembling the human hand, like those of the land bear, are formed nearly like the feet of a large dog, and other carnivorous animals of this kind. Besides, from several relations, it appears, that some of these bears are much larger than the land bear.
Gerard de Veira asserts, that, after killing one of these bears, he measured the skin, and found it to be twenty-three feet long, which is more than triple the length of the common bear
Trois navigations admirables faites par les Hollandois au Septentrion, p. 110.
. We likewise find, from the Collection of Voyages to the North, that these sea bears are larger and more ferocious than ours. But, in the same Collection, it is said, that, though these bears are differently formed, and have the head and neck much longer, and the body more slender and agile, they are nearly of the same size with the common kind
Recueil de Voyages du Nord, tom. 2. p. 115.
.
All voyagers also agree, that the sea bears have the bones of the head so hard, that no blow of a club, though sufficient to bring an ox to the ground, can stun them; and that their voice rather resembles the barking of an engraged dog than the deep murmuring cry of the common bear. Robert Lade assures us, that, in the environs of the river Rupper, he killed two sea bears of a prodigious size; that these famished and ferocious animals attacked the hunters with such impetuosity, that they killed several Savages, and wounded two Englishmen. In page 34. of the third Dutch Voyages to the North, we are told, that the sailors killed, on the coast of Nova Zembla, a sea bear whose skin was thirteen feet long. Upon the whole, therefore, I
Plate CCLXXXIX. WHITE or POLAR BEAR.
am inclined to believe, that this animal, so much celebrated for its ferocity, is really a much larger species than our bear.
II.
The COW of TARTARY
Grunting ox, with a mane on the neck; whole body covered with long hair, reaching almost to the ground; back hunched; tail like that of a horse, covered with full white and long hairs; strikes with its head like a goat; is very unruly; found in the country of the Calmucks;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
5.
Vacca grunniens, villosa, cauda equina, Sarluk;
Nov. Com. Petrop. tom.
5.
p.
339.
Rubruquis voy. Harris's coll. vol.
1.
p.
571.
Bos grunniens, cornibus teretibus, extrorsum curvatis, vellere propondente, cauda undique jubata;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
99.
Le boeuf velu;
Le Brun Voy. Moscov. tom.
1.
p.
120.
Bubul;
Bell's Trav. vol.
1.
p.
224.
.
M. GMELIN, in the New Memoirs of the Academy of Petersburg, has given a description of a Tartarian cow, which, at first sight, appears to differ from all those we have enumerated under the article
buffalo.
'This cow,' says he, 'which I saw alive, and had a drawing made of it is Siberia, came from Calmuck. It was about two and a half Russian ells in length. By this standard we may judge of its other dimensions, the proportions of which have been accurately observed by the painter. The body resembles that of a common cow. The horns are bended inward. The hair on the body and head is back, except on the front and ridge of the back, where it is white. It has a mane on the neck; and the whole body, like that of a buck, is covered with very long hair, which descends as far as the knees, and makes the legs appear short. It has a bunch on the back. The tail resembles that of a horse, and is white and very bushy. The fore legs are black, the hind ones white, and the whole resemble those of the ox. Upon the heels of the hind feet, there are two tufts of long hair, the one before and the other behind; and, on the fore feet, there is but one tuft placed behind. The excrements are more solid than those of cows; and, when the animal discharges urine, it draws its body backward. It lows not like an ox, but grunts like a hog. It is wild, and even ferocious; for, except the man from whom it receives its food, it gives blows with its head to every person who comes near it. It hardly suffers the presence of domestic cows: Whenever it perceives one of them, it grunts, which it seldom does on any other occasion.' To this description M. Gmelin adds, 'That it is the same animal mentioned by Rubruquis in his travels into Tartary: That there are two species of it among the Calmucks, the first called
Sarluk,
which I have already described, and the second
Chainuk,
which differs from the other by the largeness of its head and horns, and also by the tail, which at its origin resembles that of the horse, and terminates like that of a cow. But they both have the same natural dispositions.'
In the whole of this description, there is only a single character which indicates the Calmuck cows to be a particular species, and that is their grunting instead of a lowing. It every other article, they have so strong a resemblance to the bison, that they must belong to the same species, or rathe the same race. Besides, though the author says, that these cows do not low, but grunt, he acknowledges that they very rarely utter that kind of sound. Perhaps it was an affection peculiar to the individual he saw; for Rubruquis, and the other writers whom he quotes, mention not this grunting. Perhaps the bisons, when enraged, likewise make a grunting noise. Even our bulls, particularly in the rutting season, have a hollow, interrupted voice, which has a greater resemblance to grunting than to lowing. I am persuaded, therefore, that this grunting cow of Gmelin is nothing else but the bison, and does not constitute a particular species.
III.
The TOLAI, or BAIKAL HARE
Baikal hare, with a tail somewhat longer than that of a rabbit; fur of the colour of the common hare; red about the neck and feet; tail black above, white beneath. It is larger than a rabbit, and inhabits the country beyond Lake Baikal;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
253.
Lepus cauda in supina parte nigra, in prona alba;
Brissn. quad. p.
97.
.
THIS animal is very common in the neighbourhood of Lake Baikal in Tartary. It is somewhat larger than the rabbit, which it resembles in the figure of the body, the fur, the gait, the colour, the taste of the flesh, and the habit of digging a retreat in the earth. Their internal structure is likewise the same
Cuniculus insigniter caudatus coloris leporini.—Circa internas partes haec observavi. Caecum colo paulo angustius erat, sed longius, utpote octo pollicum longitudinem aequans: prope ilei insertionem caerulescens, digiti medii capax, sensimque decrescens, in extremitate vix calamum scriptorium latitudine capit, colore ibidem albente gaudens. Oesophagus uti in lepore ventriculum medium subit. A Mongolis
Tolar
dicitur, idemque nomen Russis etiam harum regionum usitatum est;
Gmelin, nov comment. Ac. Petrop. tom.
5.
tab.
15.
fig.
2.
; and there is no difference but in the length of the tail, that of the tolai being considerably longer. Hence it is extremely probable that this animal is only a variety in the species of the rabbit. Rubruquis, when treating of the animals in Tartary, says, 'There are rabbits with a long tail, and black and white hairs at the point. . . . There are no stags, few hares, a vast number of gazelles,' &c. This passage seems to insinuate, that our short-tailed rabbit is not found in Tartary
Relation des voyages en Tartarie, par Rubruquis, p. 25.
, or rather, that it has undergone some variations in that climate, and particularly in the length of the tail; for, as the tolai resembles the rabbit in every other respect, it is unnecessary to consider them as belonging to different species.
IV.
The ZISEL
Marmot without external ears, having only a small orifice on each side of the head for the admittance of sunds. It has a blunt nose, a long slender body, and a very short tail. The colour is dark gray, or cinereous brown;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
276.
Mus Noricus;
Gesner, quad. p.
737.
Raii synops. quad. p.
220.
Ziesel;
Schwenkfelt. Theriotroph. p.
86.
Mus citellus, cauda abbreviata, corpore cinereo, auriculis nullis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
80.
Cuniculus caudatus auriculus nullis, cinereus;
Brisson. quad. p.
101.
, or EARLESS MARMOT.
SOME authors, and among others Linnaeus, have doubted whether the
Zisel
or
Ziesel
Mus Noricus quem citellum appellant, in terrae cavernis habitat, ei corpus ut mustelae domesticae longum et tenue, cauda admodum brevis, color pilis ut cuniculorum quorumdam pilis, cinereus, sed obscurior. Sicut talpa caret auribus, sed non caret foraminibus quibus sonum ut avis recipit. Dentes habet muris dentium similes; ex hujus etiam pellibus, quanquam non sint preciosae, vestes solent confici;
Georg. Agricola de animantibus subterraneis, p.
488.
, (
citellus
) be a different animal from the hamster (
cricetus
). They have, indeed, a great resemblance to each other, and inhabit nearly the same countries
The hamster is found in Misnia, Thuringia, and Hannover; and the zisel in Hungary, Austria, and Poland, where it is called
suset.
. They differ, however, in so many characters, that I am convinced they constitute two distinct species. The zisel is smaller than the hamster. Its body is long and slender, like the weasel; but that of the hamster is thick like the rat. It has no external ears, but two auditory passages concealed under the hair. The ears of the hamster are short; but they are broad, and very conspicuous. The zisel is of a uniform cinereous gray colour; but the hamster has three large white spots on each side of the breast. These differences, when joined to this circumstance, that the two animals, though they inhabit the same regions, never intermix, are sufficient to remove every doubt with regard to the diversity of their species, though they resemble one another in the shortness of the tail and legs, in having teeth like those of the rat, and even in natural habits, such as digging retreats in the earth, laying up magazines of provisions, destroying the corn, &c. Besides, what must remove every doubt on this subject, Agricola, an exact and judicious writer, in his treatise on subterraneous animals, gives a description of both animals, and distinguishes them so clearly, that it is impossible to confound them
Istius (viverrae scilicet) ferocitatis est etiam agri vastator et cereris hostis
hamster,
quem quidam
cricetum
nominant.—Existit iracundus et mordax.—In terrae cavernis habitat non aliter atque cuniculus, sed angustis, et idcirco pellis qua parte utrinque coxam tegit a pilis est nuda. Major paulo quam domestica mustela existit; pedes habet admodum breves: Pilis in dorso color est fere leporis, in ventre niger, in lateribus rutilus; sed utrinque latus maculis albis tribus numero distinguitur. Suprema capitis pars, ut etiam cervix, eundem quem dorsum habet colorem; tempora rutila sunt; guttur est candidum. Caudae quae ad tres digitos transversos longa ut similiter leporis color. Pili autem sic inhaerent cuti ut ex ea difficulter evelli possint. Ac cutis quidem a carne facilius avellitur quam pili ex cute radicitus extrahantur, atque ob hanc causam et varietatem pelles ejus sunt preciosae;
Georg. Agricol. de anim. subt. pag.
490.—This description of the hamster, when compared with that of the zisel given by the same author, and which the reader will find in a note on the preceding page, is sufficient to demonstrate that these animals are very different from one another.
. Hence we may conclude, that the hamster and zisel are very different species, and perhaps as remote from each other as the weasel from the rat.
V.
The ZEMNI, or PODOLIAN MARMOT
Podolian marmot, with the cutting teeth of the lower jaw half as long again as those of the upper; eyes very minute, and as much hid in the fur as those of the mole; four toes, and a claw instead of the fifth, on the fore feet; five on the hind; tail short; colour cinereous; size of a squirrel;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
277.
Zits-jan;
Le Brun, voyag. Muscov. vol.
2.
p.
402.
.
IN Poland and Russia there is another animal called
ziemni
or
zemni,
which is of the same genus with the
zisel,
but larger, stronger, and more mischievous. The head is pretty thick, the body slender, and the ears short and rounded. It has four large cutting teeth, which project out of the mouth, the two in the under jaw being thrice as long as the two in the upper. The feet are very short, covered with hair, divided into five toes, and armed with crooked claws. The hair is soft, short, and of a mouse-gray colour. The tail is of a moderate size. The eyes are as small, and equally concealed as those of the mole. Rzaczinski gives it the denomination of the
little earth dog.
This author seems to be the only one who mentions the zemni, though it be very common in some of the Northern provinces
Reperitur hoc animal in Podolia, Ukraina, Volhinia circa Suraz, Chodaki, Rienki, Mossezenica, Sezurowee, et alibi; non raro eruitur ab agricolis ibidem vomeribus;
Rzaczinski, Auct. pag.
325.
et
326.
. Its natural dispositions and habits are nearly the same with those of the hamster and zisel. It bites cruelly, eats voraciously, and lays waste the corn fields and gardens. It digs a habitation in the earth, and feeds upon grains, fruits, and pot-herbs, of which it lays up magazines in its retreat, where it passes the winter.
VI.
THE POUC.
RZACZINSKI mentions another animal which is larger than the domestic rat, and called
pouch
by the Russians. It digs a retreat in the earth, and lays waste the gardens. This animal was so numerous near Suraz in Volhinia, that the inhabitants were obliged to abandon the culture of their gardens. It is perhaps the same with Seba's
Norwegian rat,
of which he gives a figure and description
Mus ex Norvegia cinereo fuscus; rostro gaudet snillo, capite longiusculo, brevibus latisque auriculis, promisso mystace utrinque ad latera narium rigente, dorsum ejus latum et incurvum est, abdomen pendulum, femora grossa, pedum digiti longi acutis unguibus ad fodiendum adaptatis; talparum enim instar in erutis sub terra antris degit; pilus ex dilute cinereo fuscus est;
Seba, vol.
2.
p.
64.
fig. tab.
63.
fig.
5.
.
VII.
THE PEROUASCA.
RUSSIA and Poland furnish another animal: In the language of the former country it is called
perewiazka,
and in that of the latter
przewiaska
Rzaczinski, Auct. pag. 328.
, or
gridled weasel.
It is smaller than the polecat, and covered with whitish hair, rayed transversely with several bands of yellowish red. It lives in the woods, and burrows in the ground. Its skin is a beautiful fur.
VIII.
The SOUSLIK, or CASAN MARMOT
Casan marmot, with short round ears; smooth hair, of a yellowish brown colour, marked with faint round spots of white; above and below the eye, a bar of white; face, breast, belly, and legs, of a pale yellow; four toes before, five behind; tail half the length of the body, covered with short hair of the colour of the body; size of a large rat;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
273.
Mus marmotta, sp. 15.;
Forster, Hist. Nat. Volgae. Phil. Trans. vol.
57.
p.
343.
.
IN Casan, and the provinces watered by the Wolga, as far as Austria, there is a small animal called
souslik
in the Russian language, which furnishes a beautiful fur. In figure and shortness of tail, it has a great resemblance to the short-tailed field mouse. But it is distinguished from the mouse or rat kind by its fur, which is every where interspersed with small spots of a bright and shining white. These spots exceed not a line in diameter, and are placed at the distance of two or three lines from each other. They are more conspicuous and better defined upon the loins than on the shoulders and head. Mr Pennant, a well known and very able Naturalist, favoured me with one of these sousliks, which had been transmitted to him from Austria, as an animal unknown to the Naturalists. I recognised it to be the same animal with that of which I had a skin in my possession, and of which M. Sanchez
Formerly physician to the court of Russia.
sent me the following notice: 'Great numbers of the rats called Sousliks are taken in the barks loaded with salt in the river Kama, which desend from Solikamski, where there are salt pits, and fall into the Wolga, above the town of Casan, at the confluence of the Teluschin. The Wolga, from Simbuski to Somtof, is covered with these salt barks; and it is in the lands adjacent to these rivers, as well as in the barks, where the sousliks are taken. They have obtained the denomination of
souslik,
which signifies
nice-tased,
because they are extremely fond of salt.'.
SUPPLEMENT.
I now give a figure of this animal, which is not in the original work. Prince Galitzin, at the desire of M. de Buffon, was so obliging as to send eight sousliks, with the necessary precautions for preserving them alive, till they should arrive in France. These eight animals arrived in Petersburg, after a long journey from Siberia. But, notwithstanding all the attention paid to them, they died in passing from Petersburg to France. The instructions from Siberia were, to feed them only with grain or hempseed; to give them as much air as possible; to put a considerable quantity of sand in their cage, because, in their natural state, they burrow in light soils.
Plate CCXC. SOUSLIK
These animals generally dwell in the deserts, and dig holes in the declivities of mountains, provided the earth be blackish. Their holes are not of equal depths, and are seven or eight feet long, never straight, but winding, and have from two to five entries, the distances of which are unequal, being from two to seven feet asunder. In these holes they make different apartments, and amass in them their winter provisions during the summer. In the cultivated fields, they collect ears of corn, pease, lint, and hemp seeds, and place them separately in different departments of their holes. In uncultivated lands, they collect the seeds of various herbs. During summer, they feed upon grains, herbs, roots, and young mice; for, when the mice are large, the souslik is unable to kill them. Beside their magazines of provisions, these animals dig separate holes some feet distant from the former, in which they repose. They throw all their ordure out of their retreats. The females bring forth from two to five young at a litter, which are blind and naked, and begin not to see till after the hair appears. The time of gestation is not exactly known.
IX.
The SIBERIAN, or GILDED MOLE
Siberian mole, with a very short nose; no ears; three toes on the fore feet, on the utmost toe a very large claw; four toes on the hind feet; body of an equal thickness; rump quite round; no tail; of a beautiful green and gold colour, variable with the light;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
313.
Talpa Sibericus versicolor,
Aspalax
dictus;
Seb. Mus. tom.
1.
p.
51.
tab.
32.
fig.
4. 5.
Klein. quad. p.
60.
Talpa Asiatica, ecaudata, palmis tridactylis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
73.
Talpa ecaudata, ex viridi aurea, pedibus anticis tridactylis, posticis tetradactylis;
Brisson. quad. p.
206.
.
IN Siberia, there is a mole called the
gilded mole,
whose species is probably different from the common kind; because it wants the tail, has a very short muzzle, the hair mixed with green and a gold-colour, and only three toes on the fore feet, and four on those behind, while the common mole has five toes on all the feet. We are ignorant of the proper name of this animal.
X.
The WHITE WATER RAT.
THE water rat of Europe is found in Canada; but its colours are different. It is brown on the back; and the rest of the body is white, and in some places yellow. The head, muzzle, and end of the tail are white. The hair is softer and more glossy than that of our water-rat. But, in every other article, these animals are perfectly similar, and undoubtedly belong to the same species. The white hair is an effect of cold; and it is probable, that white water-rats may be found in the North of Europe, as well as in Canada.
XI.
THE GUINEY HOG
Hog with a lesser head than the common kind; very long, slender, and sharp pointed ears; tail hanging down to the heels, without hairs; the body covered with short red shining hairs, but about the neck and lower part of the back a little longer, no bristles; a domestic variety of the common kind;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
69.
Porcus Guineensis;
Marcgrave, Brasil. p.
230.
Raii Synops. quad. p.
96.
Sus porcus, dorso postice setoso, cauda longitudine pedum;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
103.
.
THOUGH this animal differs from the common hog in some characters, I presume that it is the same species, and that these differences are only varieties produced by the influence of climate. Of this we have an example in the Siam hog, which likewise differs from that of Europe; and yet it is unquestionably the same species, since they intermix and produce together. The Guiney hog is nearly of the same figure with ours, and of the same size with the Siam hog, that is, smaller than the wild boar, or the domestic hog. It is an original native of Guiney, and has been transported to Brasil, where it has multiplied prodigiously. It is domestic, and perfectly tame. It has short, red, shining hair, and no bristles, even on the back. The neck and crupper, near the origin of the tail, are covered with longer hairs than those on the rest of the body. Its head is not so large as that of the European hog, from which it differs in the figure of the ears, which are very long, sharp-pointed, and lie back upon the neck. Its tail is also much longer, reaching near the ground, and entirely destitute of hair. This race, which, according to Marcgrave, is peculiar to Guiney, is found likewise in Asia, and particularly in the island of Java
In the island of Java the hogs have no bristles; and they are so fat, that their bellies drag upon the ground;
Voyage de Mandelso, tom.
2.
p.
349.
, from whence they seem to have been transported by the Dutch to the Cape of Good Hope
The hogs which have been brought from Java to the Cape have very short legs; and they are black, and without bristles. Their belly is so large that it nearly reaches the ground. Their lard is not so firm as that of the European hog.—Their flesh is extremely good;
Descript. du Cap. de Bonne esperance, par Kolbe, tom.
3.
p.
48.
.
XII.
The ETHIOPIAN, or CAPE VERD BOAR
Ethiopian hog with small tusks in the lower jaws; very large ones in the upper, in old boars, bending up towards the forehead in form of a semicircle; no fore teeth; nose broad, depressed, and almost of a horny hardness; head very large and broad; beneath each eye a hollow, formed of loose skin, very soft, and wrinkled; under these a great lobe or wattle, lying almost horizontal, broad, flat, and rounded at the end, placed so as to intercept the view of any thing below from the animal. Between these and the mouth, on each side, a hard callous protuberance; mouth small; skin dusky; bristles disposed in
fasciculi,
of about five each; longest between the ears, and on the beginning of the back, and but thinly dispersed on the rest of the back. Ears large and sharp-pointed, inside lined with long whitish hairs; tail slender and
; does not reach lower than the thighs, and covered with hairs disposed in
fasciculi
;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
70.
Engalla;
Sorranto's voyage in Churchill, vol.
1.
p.
667.
Barbot,
p. 487.
Dampier's voyage, vol.
1.
p.
320.
African wild boar;
Adanson's voyage, p.
139.
Deslandes Martyns, Mem. Acad. tom.
5
p.
386.
Sus AEthiopicus, Hardlooper;
Pallas Miscel. Zool. p.
16.
tab.
11.
Specil fasc.
2.
p.
1.
tab.
1.
Flacourt Hist. Madagasc. p.
511.
Sus AEthiopicus, sacculo molli sub oculis;
Linn. Syst. Nat. Append. tom
3.
p.
223.
.
IN the neighbourhood of Cape Verd, there is another hog or boar, which, from the number of his teeth, and the enormous size of the tusks in his upper-jaw, appears to be a peculiar race, if not a different species from that of all the other hogs, and approaches toward the babiroussa. These tusks have a greater resemblance to ivory horns than to teeth. They are half a foot long, five inches in circumference at the base, and bended nearly like the horns of a bull. This character alone is not sufficient to constitute a difference in species. But, what supports this presumption, he likewise differs from all other hogs in the length of the aperture of his nostrils, in the great breadth and figure of his jaws, and in the number and form of his grinders. However, we have seen the tusks of a wild boar, which was killed in the woods of Burgundy, and made an approach to the Cape Verd boar: Its tusks were about three inches and a half long, and four inches in circumference at the base. They had also a double bend, like the horns of a bull. They appeared likewise to consist of solid ivory; and, it is certain, that this boar must have had larger jaws than the common kind. Hence we may presume, that the Cape Verd boar is only a simple variety, a particular race, in the species of the common hog.
SUPPLEMENT.
We formerly suggested, that the wild boar of Cape Verd appeared to be a different race, and perhaps a different species from all the other hogs. The celebrated M. Allamand, professor of Natural History at Leyden, was kind enough to send us an engraving of this animal, and afterwards wrote M. Daubenton in the following terms:
I believe, Sir, that the wild boar represented in the plate which I sent you, is the same with that pointed out by you under the denomination of the
Wild Boar of Cape Verd.
This animal is still living (May 5. 1767) in the menagerie of the Prince of Orange. I visit him occasionally, and always with fresh pleasure. I cannot help admiring the singular form of his head. I have written to the Governour of the Cape of Good Hope, begging him, if possible, to transmit me another. But of this I have little hope; because, even at the Cape, it was regarded as a monster, which had never hitherto been seen by any person. If, however, I succeed in my request, I shall send the animal to France, that you and M. de Buffon may have an opportunity of examining it. We tried to make the one in our possession copulate with a sow; but, as soon as she was presented to him, he darted upon her with fury, and tore her to pieces.
We have copied the engraving transmitted to us by M. Allamand. M. Pallas, and M. Vosmaër have used the same figure, and each of them have given a description of this animal. M. Allamand, in his letter to M. Daubenton, dated at Leyden, October 31. 1766, remarks, that the head is the most singular part of this boar, which chiefly differs from that of our hogs by two uncommon appendixes, in the form of ears, at the side of each eye.
We shall here remark, that the disdain and cruelty, mentioned by M. Allamand, of this wild boar to the sow when in season, seems to prove it to be a different species from our hogs. A farther proof arises from the difference in the form of the head, both external and internal. However, as it approaches the hog much nearer than any other animal, and as it is found not only in the neighbourhood of Cape Verd, but not very distant from the Cape of Good Hope, we shall call it the
African boar,
and give the history and description of it from the writings of Pallas and Vosmaër.
Vosmaër calls it the
wild African boar,
or the
boar with a large snout,
and distinguishes it, with propriety, from the Guiney hog with long pointed ears, from the American pecari, and from the Indian babiroussa.
'M. de Buffon,' he remarks, 'speaking of a part of the jaws, the tail and feet of a singular wild boar of Cape Verd, preserved in the royal cabinet, says, that it has cutting teeth: But no such teeth appear in our subject.'
Hence M. Vosmaër insinuates, that it is not the same animal. We have seen, however, that M. Allamand and I agree, that this Cape de Verd boar, of which I have had an opportunity of examining a part of the head only, is found, notwithstanding, to be the same large snouted hog which M. Vosmaër said was unknown to all the naturalists.
M. Tulbagh, Governour of the Cape of Good Hope, who transmitted this wild boar to Europe, writes, that it was taken between Caffraria and the country of the great Namaquas, about two hundred leagues from the Cape, and that it was the only one of the species which had been there seen alive. M. Vosmaër likewise received the skin of an animal of the same species, which appeared to differ in some particulars, from the live animal.
This animal was kept in a cage;
and, as I was informed,' M. Vosmaër remarks, 'that he was not mischievous, I opened the door of his cage. He came out, without showing any marks of rage. He gaily frisked about in quest of food, and greedily devoured whatever was given him. Having left him alone for a few moments, I found him, on my return, busy in digging the earth, where, notwithstanding the pavement was made of small bricks well cemented, he had already made a hole of an incredible size, with a view, as we afterwards discovered, to reach a common sewer which passed below at a great depth. I caused his labour to be interrupted; and it was not without much trouble, and the assistance of several men, that we could overcome his resistance, and make him return to his cage. His resentment was expressed by sharp and mournful cries. He seems to have been taken in the African woods when he was very young; for he has grown considerably since his arrival in Europe, and is still alive (1767). He passed the last winter very well, though the frost was severe, and he was confined during the greatest part of that season.
In agility, he exceeds the hogs of this country. He freely allows himself to be stroaked with the hand, and even with a stick. He seems to be pleased with rough friction; for it was by this means that we made him remain quiet when the painter drew his picture. When provoked or rudely pushed, he retires backward, always facing the assailant, and shaking or striking forcibly with his head. When let loose after long confinement, he is very gay, leaps, and pursues fallow-deer, and other animals. On these occasions, he erects his tail, which is commonly pendulous. He emits a strong odour, which is not disagreeable; but I cannot compare it to any other smell. When I stroaked him with the hand, this odour approached to that of new cheese. He eats all kinds of grains. His food, when on ship-board, was maize, and as much fresh herbage as could be procured. But, after he had tasted barely and European wheat, with which other animals in our menagerie are fed, he preferred this kind of food, and roots dug out of the earth. He was so fond of rye-bread, that he followed any person who had a piece of it. When he eats or drinks, he supports himself on the knees of his fore feet; and he often rests in this position. His senses of hearing and smelling are very acute; but his sight is limited by the smallness and situation of his eyes, which prevent his seeing objects around him, because they are placed higher and nearer each other than in other hogs, and there are two large excrescences at the sides and below the eyes. He has more sagacity than the common hog.
The figure of the head is terrible. The flatness and breadth of the nose, joined to the length of the snout, the singular excrescences rising from the sides of the eyes, and the strong tusks, give to the animal a monstrous aspect. The length of the body is about four Rhenish feet.
The figure of the body makes a near approach to that of the domestic hog: He appears to be smaller, hsi back being flatter, and his legs shorter.
When compared with other hogs, his head is deformed both in figure and dimensions. The muzzle is large, flat, and very hard. The nose is moveable, a little bended laterally toward the base, and terminates obliquely. The nostrils are large, distant from each other, and appear only when the head is raised. The upper lip is hard, and thick at the side. Round the tusks it is prominent and pendulous, forming behind them a kind of oval cartilaginous protuberance, which covers the corners of the muzzle.
This animal wants fore teeth both above and below but the gums are smooth, rounded, and hard.
The tusks of the upper jaw are an inch thick at the base, crooked, and project out of the mouth five inches and a half, and terminate in an obtuse point. On the side of each of them there is a kind of furrow. Those of the under jaw are much smaller, less crooked, and almost triangular. By continual friction against the upper tusks, they appear to be cut obliquely. We were prevented from examining the grinders by the furious resistance of the animal.
In proportion to the head, the eyes are small, placed higher, and nearer each other and the' ears, than in the common hog. The iris is of a deep brown colour, and the cornea white. The upper eye-lids are garnished with brown, stiff, erect, and very close ciliae, which are longer in the middle than at the two sides. There are no ciliae on the under eye-lids.
The ears are pretty large, more round than pointed, covered in the inside with close yellow hair, and bend back toward the animal's body. Under the eyes there is a kind of bulbous or glandular fac; and immediately below that, appear two round, flat, thick, and horizontal excrescences, about two inches and a quarter in diameter. . . . . . In a straight line between these excrescences and the muzzle, there is, on each side of the head, a hard, round, sharp protuberance.
The skin seems to be very thick, filled with lard in the ordinary places, but flaccid on the neck, groin, and dewlap. In some places it appears to be slightly furrowed, unequal, and as if the upper part of it fell off by intervals. Thinly dispersed over the body are some tufts of hairs, consisting of three, four, or five, longer and shorter, and placed in a straight line near one another. The front, and between the ears, seem to be wrinkled, and are adorned with very close, white, and brown hairs. From thence, toward the base of the muzzle, descends a narrow band of black and gray hairs, which, separating in the middle, fall upon each side of the head. On the nap of the neck, and the anterior part of the back, the bristles are the longest and most close: Their colour is a dusky brown and gray. Some of them are seven or eight inches long: In thickness they exceed not those of the common hog, and they split in the same manner. These bristles are not straight, but slightly inclined. Upon the back, their number is so small, that the skin appears to be naked. The flanks, breast, belly, sides of the head and neck, are garnished with small white bristles.
The feet, like those of our hogs, are divided into two black, pointed hoofs. The tail is naked, hangs perpendicularly, and terminates almost in a point.
The colour of the head is blackish; but that of the back and belly is a bright reddish gray.'
Notwithstanding these differences pointed out by M. Vosmaër, and the repugnance which this boar discovered to the sow that was presented to it, I am uncertain whether it is not a variety only of our European hog. This species varies greatly in Asia, Siam, and China. My uncertainty is increased by having found, about thirty years ago, an enormous head of a wild boar that was killed in my own woods, the tusks of which were nearly as large as those of the Cape boar.
Besides, M. Comerson informs me, that there are wild boars in Madagascar, whose head, from the ears to the eyes, is of the ordinary form; but that below the eyes is a protuberance which gradually tapers to the end of the snout, so that the animal appears to have two heads, the half of the one sunk into the other. The flesh of this hog is slimy and insipid. This information made me suspect, that the animal I had first mentioned under the denomination of the
Wild Boar of Cape Verd,
because its head was brought from the neighbourhood of that Cape, and afterwards called it the
Wild African Boar,
because it exists in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, is likewise found in the island of Madagascar.
Addition by Professor Allamand.
M. de Buffon, in his history of the hog, has shown, that the hog eludes all those methodical distributions into classes and genera, the distinguishing characters of which are derived from particular parts of the body. Though his reasons are not to be answered, they would have acquired additional force, if he had been acquainted with the animal under consideration. It is a wild boar sent from the Cape of Good Hope, in the year 1765, to the menagerie of the Prince of Orange, which has hitherto been unknown to the Naturalists. Beside the many singularities which make the European hog a detached species, this animal exhibits fresh anomalies, which distinguish him from all the other varieties of the same genus; for the figure of his head is not only different, but he has no cutting teeth, from which most of our Nomenclators have drawn their distinctive characters, though the number of the teeth is by no means uniform, even in our domestic hogs.
To M. Tulbagh, Governour of the Cape of Good Hope, who misses no opportunity of transmitting to Europe the curious productions of that country, we are indebted for this wild boar. In his letter, he remarks, that this animal was taken about two hundred leagues from the Cape, and that it was the first which had ever been seen there alive. The last year, however, he sent another, which is still living; and, in 1767, he transmitted a skin, of which we have only been able to preserve the head. These circumstances seem to indicate, that this animal is not rare in its native country. I know not whether Kolbe means to speak of these boars in the following passage. 'In the country occupied by the Dutch, we rarely meet with
wild hogs
: As there are few woods, which are their common retreats, they have no motive to frequent these territories. Besides, the lions, tigers, and other rapacious pacious animals, prevent the multiplication of the hogs, by devouring great numbers of them
Descript. du Cap de Bonne-esperance, tom. 3. p. 43.
.' He adds no description; and, therefore, no conclusion can be drawn. Besides, he ranks among the number of Cape hogs the large ant-eater, which is an American animal, and has no resemblance to the hog. What credit is due to an author so ill informed?
The body of our African boar resembles that of the European kind: But it differs widely in the form of the head, which is of an enormous size. The most conspicuous objects are the large tusks which spring from each side of the upper jaw, and are directed almost perpendicularly upward. They are near seven inches long, and terminate in a blunt point. Two similar tusks, but smaller and thinner, rise from the under jaw, and apply themselves exactly to the external side of the superior tusks when the mouth is shut. These are powerful arms, which he may use to advantage in his native country, where he must be often exposed to the attacks of carnivorous animals.
His head, which is large and flat before, terminates in an ample snout, nearly equal in diameter to the breadth of the head, and of a hardness which approaches to that of horn. He uses it, like our hogs, in digging the earth. His eyes are small, and situated so far forward in the head, that he can only see straight before him. They are nearer each other and the ears, than in our European boars. Below the eyes, there is a depression in the skin, which forms a kind of wrinkled sac. The inside of his ears are closely covered with hair. A little lower, and near the side of the eyes, the skin rises and forms two excrescences, which, when viewed at a certain distance, have a perfect resemblance to a couple of ears, being of the same figure and size, and, though not moveable, they lie nearly in the same plane with the fore-head. Still lower, between these excrescences and the tusks, there is a large wart on each side of the head. It is easy to perceive, that a configuration of this kind must give a very singular aspect to the animal. When viewed in front, we think we see four ears upon a head which has no resemblance to that of any known animal, and inspires terror by the largeness of its tusks.
Pallas
Pallas, Miscellanea Zoologica; et ejusdem Spicilegia Zoologica, Fasciculus Secundus.
and Vosmaër, who have given good descriptions of this boar, tell us, that, when he arrived in Holland, he was very mild and tame; that, as he had been several months on board the vessel, and had been taken young, he was become almost domestic; but that, when pursued by strangers, he retired slowly backward, and presented his front with a menacing air; and even those who were daily near him were not without apprehensions of danger. One day he conceived a resentment against his keeper, whom he wounded so desperately in the thigh with his tusks, that the poor man died next day. To prevent similar accidents, he was taken out of the menagerie, and so closely imprisoned that no body could approach him. He died in about twelve months, and his skin is preserved in the Prince of Orange's cabinet. The other one, which is now in the same menagerie, is still very young, and his tusks exceed not two inches in length. When allowed to come out of the place where he is confined, he testifies his joy by leaping, bounding, and running with much more agility than our hogs. On these occasions he carries his tail perfectly erect. The inhabitants of the Cape, on account of his swiftness, give him the denomination of
hartlooper,
or courser.
This animal unquestionably forms a genus distinct from all the other known races of hogs. Though he resembles them in the body, the want of cutting teeth, and the singular structure of the head, are characters too marked to be ascribed to the influence of climate, especially as there are hogs in Africa which differ from ours only by being smaller. Besides, it would appear that he cannot produce with our hogs. A Guiney sow was presented to him. After smelling her for some time, he pursued her into a narrow place from which she could not escape, and tore her to pieces with his tusks. He afterwards abused a common sow to such a degree, that she was carried off, in order to save her from destruction.
Plate CCXCI. BOAR of CAPE VERDE
But in Africa there is, perhaps, another species of wild boar, with which we are still unacquainted, and was the animal seen by M. Adanson. This conjecture is supported by the description which M. Daubenton has given of a part of the jaws of a Cape Verd wild boar. His remarks clearly prove, that it differs from our boars, and would apply directly to the one under consideration, if there had not been cutting teeth in each of these jaws.
I willingly assent to most of M. Allamand's reflections. But I persist in believing, as he himself at first believed, that the Cape Verd boar which I mentioned, and the jaws described by M. Daubenton, belong to the same species, tho' the former had no cutting teeth; for in no animal is the number and order of the teeth so various as in the hog kind. This difference alone seems not sufficient to constitute two species of the African wild boar and that of Cape Verd, especially as all the other characters of the head appear to be the same.
XIII.
THE MEXICAN WOLF
Wolf with a very large head; great jaws; vast teeth; on the upper lips very strong bristles, reflected backwards, not unlike the softer spines of a porcupine; and of a gray and white colour; large erect cinereous ears; the space between marked with broad tawny spots: The head ash-coloured, striped transversely with bending dusky lines; neck fat and thick, covered with a loose skin, marked with a long tawny stroke: On the breast is another of the same kind: Body ash-coloured, spotted with black; and the sides striped, from the back downwards, with the same colour; belly cinereous; tail long, of the colour of the belly, tinged in the middle with tawny; legs and feet striped with black and ash-colour: Sometimes this variety is found white;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
151.
Xoloizcuintli;
Hernand. Mex. p.
479.
Cuetlachtli, seu lupus Indicus;
Fernand. Ann. Nov. Hisp. p.
7.
Canis cinereus, maculis fulvis variegatus, taeniis subnigris a dorso ad latera deorsum hinc inde deductis;
Brisson. quad. p.
172.
Canis Mexicanus, cauda deflexa, laevi, corpore cinereo, fasciis fuscis maculisque fulvis variegato;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
60.
.
AS the wolf is a native of cold climates, he must have passed by the northern lands, as he is found equally in both Continents. We have mentioned black and gray wolves in North America. It appears that this species is diffused as far as New Spain and Mexico; and that, in this warm climate, it has undergone some alterations, without having his nature or dispositions changed; for the Mexican wolf has the same figure, appetites, and habits as the European or North American wolf; and all of them appear to be the same species. The Mexican wolf, or rather the wolf of New Spain, where he is more common than in Mexico, has five toes on the fore feet, and four on those behind. The ears are long and erect; and the eyes sparkle like those of our wolf. But the head is twice as large, the neck thicker, and the tail less bushy. Above the mouth, there are some bristles as large, but not so stiff, as those of the hedge-hog. Upon an ash-coloured ground, the body is marked with some yellow spots. The head is of the same colour with the body, and marked with transverse brownish lines, and the front is spotted with yellow. The ears are gray, like the head and body. There is a long yellow spot on the neck, another on the breast, and a third on the belly. On the flanks are transverse bands from the back to the belly. The tail is gray, with a yellow spot in the middle. The legs are barred with gray and brown. This is the most beautiful of all wolves, and its skin should be esteemed for its variety of colours
It might be supposed, on account of the variety of colours, that the Mexican wolf is a lynx, which, like the wolf, is found in both Continents. But a bare inspection of the figure given by Recchi will show, that it has a perfect resemblance to the wolf, and none at all to the lynx.
. But nothing indicates it to be a different species from the common kind, which varies from gray to white, from white to black, and a mixture of both, without changing its species: And we learn from Fernandes, that those wolves of New Spain vary like the European wolf; for, even in this country, they are not all marked according to our description, some of them being of a uniform colour, and even totally white
Cuetlachtli, seu lupus Indicus Jo. Fabri. Xoloitscuintli. Forma, colore, moribus, et mole corporis lupo nostrati similis est, atque adeo ejus (ut mihi quidem videtur) speciei, sed ampliori capite. Tauros vero sicut et nostras lupus aggreditur, et interdum etiam homines; reperiuntur nonnulli candentes.—Vivit in calidis Novae Hispaniae locis;
Fernand. Hist. Anim. Nov. Hisp. p.
7.
.
XIV.
THE ALCO.
WE formerly remarked, that, in Peru and Mexico, before the arrival of the Europeans, there were domestic animals called
alco,
which were nearly of the same size and dispositions with our small dogs; and that, from this conformity, and because they were equally faithful and attached to their masters, the Spaniards gave them the name of
Mexican
or
Peruvian dogs.
The species of these animals, indeed, seems not to differ essentially from that of the dog. Besides, the word
alco
might, perhaps, be a generic and not a specific term. Recchi has left us a figure of one of these alcos, which, in the Mexican language, was called
Ytzcuinte Porzotli.
It was prodigiously fat, and probably degraded by its domestic state, and by too much nourishment. The head is represented to be so small, that it has no proportion to the size of the body. Its ears are pendulous, which is another mark of slavery. The muzzle resembles that of a dog; the fore part of the head is white, and the ears are pretty yellow. The neck is so short, that there is no interval between the head and shoulders. The back is arched, and covered with yellow hair. The tail is white, short, and pendulous, and descends no lower than the thighs. The belly is large, tense, and marked with black spots. It has six conspicuous paps. The legs and feet are white; and the toes, like those of the dog, are armed with long sharp claws
Ytzcuinte porzotli. Canis Mexicana.—Ad unguem animal quod hic prostat, nanum, pingue, et mansuetum effigiatum mihi videtur illud esse quod Americani nomine communi Alco vocabant;
Hernand. Hist. Mex. p.
466.
et
478.
fig. p.
466.
. Fabri, who gives this description, concludes, after a long dissertation, that this animal is the same with the
alco
; and I believe his conclusion is well founded. But this appellation must not be regarded as exclusive; for there is another race of dogs in America to which it applies with equal propriety. Beside the dogs, Fernandes remarks, which the Spaniards transported from Europe to America, there are three other species, which are pretty similar to ours, both in their nature and dispositions; neither is their figure altogether different. The first and largest of these American dogs is called
Xoloiztcuintli.
He is often three cubits long; and, what is remarkable, he is totally destitute of hair, and only covered with a soft close skin, marked with yellow and blue spots. The second is covered with hair, and of the size of our small Maltese dogs. He is marked with white, black, and yellow. His deformity, though singular, is not disagreeable: His back is arched; and his neck so short, that it seems to proceed immediately from the shoulders. He is named in his own country
michuacanens.
The third, which likewise resembles our small dogs, is called
techichi.
But he has a wild and melancholy aspect. The Americans eat his flesh
Fernand. Hist. Anim. Nov. Hisp. p. 6. cap. 20. et p. 10. cap. 21.
.
From comparing the testimonies of Fabri and Fernandes, it is obvious, that the second dog, which this last author calls
michuacanens,
is the same with the
ytzcuinte porzotli,
and that this species of animal existed in America before the arrival of the Europeans; and the same must have been the case with the
techichi.
I am persuaded, therefore, that the word
alco
was a generic name, which applied equally to both, and perhaps to other races or varieties that we are unacquainted with. But, as to the first, Fernandes seems to have been deceived both with regard to the name and the animal. No author mentions naked dogs in New Spain. This race, commonly called
Turkish dogs,
come from India, and other warm climates of the Old Continent; and, it is probable, that those seen in America by Fernandes, had been transported thither, especially as he mentions his having seen this kind in Spain, before his departure for America. The proof is still farther corroborated by the circumstance of this animal's having no American name: Fernandes gives it the borrowed one of
Xoloitzcuintli,
which is the name of the Mexican wolf. Thus, of these three species or varieties of American dogs, there remain only two, which are called indiscriminately
alco
; for, independent of the far alco, which served as a lap-dog to the Peruvian ladies, there was a meagre and melancholy alco, which was employed in the chace; and, it is by no means impossible, that the three races, apparently different from those of our dogs, spring from the same stock. The dogs of Lapland, Siberia, Iceland, &c. must have passed, like the foxes and wolves, from the one Continent to the other, and degenerated by the influence of the climate and a domestic state. The first
alco,
with the short neck, approaches the Iceland dog; and the
techichi
of New Spain is, perhaps, the same animal with the
koupara
Canis ferus, major, cancrosus, vulgo dictus
koupara
;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
149.
, or
crab-dog
of Guiana, which in figure resembles the fox, and in hair the jackal. He has been called the
crab-dog,
because he chiefly lives upon crabs and other crustaceous animals. I have seen only one skin of this Guiana animal; and I am unable to determine whether it is a particular species, or whether it should be referred to those of the dog, fox, or jackal.
XV.
THE TAYRA, GALERA, OR GUINEY WEASEL
Guiney weasel, with the upper jaw much longer than the lower; eyes placed mid-way between the ears and tip of the nose; ears like the human; tongue rough; tail declining downwards, lesseuing towards the point; feet strong, and formed for digging; shape of the body like that of the rat; size of a small rabbit; of a dusky colour; the hair rough;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
225.
Galera subfusca, cauda elongata, auribus subnudis appressis;
Brown's Hist. of Jamaica, p.
485.
tab.
49.
.
THIS animal, of which Mr Brown has given a figure and description, is of the size of a small rabbit, and has a considerable resemblance to the weasel or martin. He digs an habitation in the earth, and has great strength in his fore-feet, which are much shorter than those behind. His muzzle is long, a little sharp, and garnished with whiskers. The under jaw is much shorter than the upper. He has six cutting and two canine teeth in each jaw, without reckoning the grinders. His tongue is rough, like that of the cat. His head is oblong, as well as the eyes, which last are placed at an equal distance between the ears and the point of the muzzle. His ears are flat, and resemble those of man. His feet are strong, and adapted for digging. The metatarsal bones are long; and he has five toes on all his feet. His tail is long, and tapers to a point. His body is oblong, and has a great resemblance to that of a large rat. He is covered with brown hairs, some of which are longer than others. This animal appears to be a small species of martin or polecat. Linnaeus imagined, that the black weasel of Brasil might be the
galera
of Mr Brown; and, indeed, the two descriptions afford some reason for the conjecture
Mustela atra collo subtus macula alba triloba. Habitat in Brasilia. . . .
Holmens. Confer. Brown, Jam.
485.
tab.
49.
fig.
1. Galera, statura martis, at nigra, pilis rigidioribus, auriculae rotundae villosae. Area ante oculos cinerascens, maculae sub medio collo non vero sub gula. Mammae pone umbilicum quatuor.—
Nota.
Mr Brown says, that he saw only two paps on the lower part of the belly; but the other two might escape his observation. He also says, that the galera is found in Guiney, and the black weasel in Brasil. But this assertion ought not to stumble us; for it happens daily, that Brasilian animals are first transported to Guiney, and afterward pass for animals belonging to that country; and
vice versa.
I agree, therefore, with Linnaeus, in thinking that the galera of Mr Brown is the same animal with the black weasel of Brasil.
. Besides, this black weasel of Brasil is likewise found in Guiana, where it is called
tayra
Mustela maxima atra, Moschum redolens. Tayra. Grosse belette. This animal, by rubbing itself against trees, leaves a kind of unctuous humour which has a strong odour of musk;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
155.
; and I suspect that the word
galera
is a corruption derived from
tayra,
which is the true name of this animal.
XVI.
THE MERIAN OPOSSUM
Merian opossum, with long, sharp pointed, naked ears; head, and upper part of the body, of a yellowish brown colour; the belly white, tinged with yellow; the fore feet divided into five fingers; the hind into four and a thumb, each furnished with flat nails; tail very long, slender, and, except at the base, quite naked;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
210.
Dezak;
Merian. Insect. Surinam. p.
66.
tab.
66.—
Merian
is the name of a German paintress, who first discovered this species at Surinam.
Mus sylvestris Americanus;
Seb. Mus. tom.
1.
p.
49.
tab.
31.
fig.
5.
Philander ex rufo helvus in dorso, in ventre ex flavo albicans;
Brisson quad. p.
212.
Mus sylvestris Americanus, catulos in dorso gerens;
Klein. quad. p.
58.
Didelphis dorsigera, cauda basi pilosa, corpore longiore, digitis manuum muticis;
Linn. syst. nat. p.
72. Le Philandre de Surinam;
Buffon.
.
THIS animal is a native of the same climate, and belongs to a neighbouring species with the other opossums. Sibilla Merian is the first writer who has given a figure and a short account of it
Hic genus gliris sylvestris depictum est, qui catulos quorum vulgo quinque vel sex una foetura enititur in dorso secum portat; ex flavo fusci coloris, at subucula ejus alba est: Cum antra exeunt alimenti causa, a catulis circum curruntur, qui jam saturi vel molestias suspicantes, illico matris dorsum ascendunt, et caudas suas parentum caudis involvunt, qui illos statim in antra apportant;
Mar. Sibil. Merian. Insect. Surinam. p.
66.
fig. tab.
66.
. Seba afterwards gave Merian's figure for the female, and added a new figure for the male, with a kind of description. This animal, says he, has very brilliant eyes, which are surrounded with a circle of deep brown hair. The body is covered with soft hair, or rather wool of a reddish yellow colour, but of a bright red on the back. The front, muzzle, belly, and feet, are whitish yellow. The ears are naked, and pretty hard. On the upper lip, and also above the eyes, there are long hairs in the form of whiskers. Its teeth, like those of the dormouse, are very sharp. Upon the tail of the male, which is naked, and of a pale red colour, there are dusky red spots, which appear not on the tail of the female. The feet resemble the hands of an ape; those before have the four toes, and the thumb garnished with short, blunt, nails; but on the hind feet the thumb alone has a flat, blunt nail, the other four toes being armed with small sharp claws. The young of these animals grunt nearly in the same manner as a pig. The paps of the female resemble those of the murine opossum. Seba properly remarks, that, in the figure given by Merian, the feet and toes are ill represented
Seba, vol. 1. p. 49. tab. 21. fig. 4.
. The females produce five or six at a litter. The tail is very long, and prehensile, like that of the sapajous. The young mount upon the back of the mother, and adhere firmly with their tails twisted round hers. In this situation she carries them about with great nimbleness and security.
XVII.
The AKOUCHI, or OLIVE CAVY.
THE akouchi is pretty common in Guiana and other parts of South America. It differs from the agouti by having a tail, which is wanting in the agouti. The akouchi is generally smaller than the agouti, and its hair is not red, but of an olive colour
Cuniculis minor, caudatus, olivaceus;
Akouchi. Barrère, hist. nat. de la Fr. Equin. p.
153.
.
These are the only differences we know between the akouchi and agouti, which, however, seem to be sufficient to constitute two distinct species.
SUPPLEMENT.
In the original work we remarked, that the akouchi was a different species from the agouti; because the former had a tail, and the latter had no tail. The akouchi differs from the agouti still more in magnitude, being no larger than a young rabbit of six months old. The akouchi is found only in extensive woods. He feeds on the same fruits, and has nearly the same manners with the agouti. In the islands of Saint Lucia and Grenada he is called
agouti.
His flesh is white, and has the flavour of a young rabbit; and he is ranked amongst the finest game in South America. When the akouchis are pursued by dogs, rather than take the water, they allow themselves to be taken. M. de la Borde informs us, though I doubt the fact, that the females produce only one, or at most two young at a litter. They are easily tamed, and have a small cry like that of the Guiney pig; but it is seldom heard.
We have given a figure of this animal, drawn from a well preserved skin. Messrs Aublet and Olivier assure me, that, in Cayenne, the hare is called
agouti,
and the rabbit
akouchi
; but that the agouti is the best food; and, speaking of the game of this country, they inform me, that
Plate CCXCII. ACOUCHI.
the armadillos are still better food, except the nine-banded armadillo, which has a strong smell of musk; that, after the armadillos, the paca is the best game, because its flesh is wholesome and fat: The next in order are the agouti and akouchi. They likewise maintain, that the red couguar is used as food, and that its flesh has the taste of veal.
XVIII.
The TUCAN, or MEXICAN SHREW
Mexican shrew, with a sharp nose; small round ears; without sight; two long fore teeth above and below; thick, fat, fleshy body, short legs, so that the belly almost touches the ground; long crooked claws; tawny hair; short tail; length from nose to tail, nine inches;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
310.
.
FERNANDES has given the name of
Tucan
to a small quadruped of New Spain, whose size, figure, and natural habits, make it approach nearer to the mole than to any other species. It appears to be the same animal described by Seba under the denomination of the
red mole
of America
Seba, vol. 1. p. 51. tab. 32. fig. 2.
; at least, the descriptions of the two authors correspond sufficiently to justify this conjecture. The tucan is perhaps somewhat larger than our mole. It is equally fat and fleshy, and its legs are so short that the belly touches the ground. The tail is short; the ears are small and round; and the eyes are so minute that they can scarcely be of any use to the animal. But it differs from the mole in the colour of the hair, which is reddish yellow, and in the number of toes, having only three before and four behind, while the mole has five toes on all the feet. It seems to differ from the mole in other articles: Its flesh is good eating, and it possesses not the instinct of discovering its retreat after having once left it, but, at every time, is obliged to dig a new hole; so that, in certain soils, which are agreeable to these animals
Fernand. hist. anim. Nov. Hisp. p. 9. cap. 24.
, the holes are so numerous, and so near each other, that circumspection is necessary to walk there with safety.
XIX
The BRASILIAN SHREW
Brasilian shrew, with a sharp nose and teeth; pendulous scrotum. It is of a dusky colour, marked along the back with three broad black strokes. The length from nose to tail, five inches; that of the tail two;
Pennant's Synops. of quad. p.
309.
Mus araneus figura muris;
Marcgr. Brasil. p.
229.
.
WE mention this animal under the denomination of the
Brasilian shrew
; because we are ignorant of its proper name, and it has a greater resemblance to the shrew than to any other animal. It is, however, considerably larger, being about five inches long from the extremity of the muzzle to the origin of the tail, which is not two inches, and, consequently, is proportionally shorter than that of the common shrew. It has a pointed muzzle, and very sharp teeth. Upon a brown ground-colour, three pretty large black bands extend longitudinally from the head to the tail, under which the scrotum appears hanging between the hind feet. This animal, says Marcgrave, sports with the cats, who discover no inclination to eat it. In the same manner the cats kill the European shrews, but never eat them.
XX
THE ROCK CAVY
Rock cavy, with divided upper lip; short ears; four toes on the fore feet, and three on the hind: Colour of the upper part of the body like that of the common hare; belly white: The length one foot;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
244.
Aperea
Brasiliensibus, nobis vel
dratte
vel
boschratte
;
Marcgr. Brasil. p.
223.
Piso, Brasil. p.
103.
Raii synops. quad. p.
206.
.
THIS animal, which is a native of Brasil, is neither a rabbit nor rat, but seems to partake of both. It is about a foot long, by seven inches in circumference. Its general colour is the same with that of our hares; and its belly is white: Its upper lipe is divided in the same manner, and it has the same large cutting teeth, and whiskers round the mouth and on the sides of the eyes. But its ears are rounded like those of the rat, and so short that they exceed not the height of a finger's breadth. The fore legs are not above three inches in length, and those behind are a little longer. The fore feet have four toes covered with a black skin, and armed with small short claws. The hind feet have only three toes, and the middle one is the longest. It has no tail. Its head is somewhat longer than that of the hare, and its flesh is like that of the rabbit, which it resembles in its manner of living
Mrcgrav. hist. nat. Brasil. p. 223.
It likewise retires into holes: It does not, however, dig the earth, like the rabbit, but conceals itself in the clefts of rocks. Hence it is easily seized in its retreat. It is hunted as game, and its flesh is preferable to that of our best rabbits
Piso, hist. Brasil. p. 103.
. The animal mentioned by Oviedo, and afterwards by Charlevoix
Oviedo remarks, that the
cori
resembles a small rabbit; and that some of them are totally white, and others a mixture of different colours;
Hist. de St Dominique, par le P. Charlevoix, tom.
1.
p.
35.
and du Perrier de Montfraisier, under the denomination of
cori,
appears to be the same with the
aperea
or rock cavy
The
cori
is a small quadruped, somewhat resembling our rabbits and moles. It has small ears, which it carries so flatly reclined backward, that it is difficult to perceive them. It has no tail. Some of them are white, others black, and others spotted with black and white. Some of them are totally red, and others spotted with red and white. They are tamed, and never defile the houses. They eat herbage, and are easily maintained. Their flesh has the taste and flavour of the best rabbits;
Hist. des voyages, par Duperrier de Monifraizier, p.
343.
. In some parts of the West Indies, these animals may, perhaps, be reared in warrens, or in houses, like our rabbits; and this may be the reason why some of them are red, white, black, and variegated. This conjecture is not without foundation; for Garcilasso informs us, that, in Peru, there are wild and domestic rabbits which have no resemblance to those of Spain
Hist. des Incas, tom 2. p. 267.
.
XXI.
THE TAPETI, or BRASILIAN HARE
Brasilian hare, with very long ears; a white ring round the neck; face of a reddish colour; chin white; black eyes; colour of the body like the common hare, only darker; belly whitish; no tail; some want the white ring round the neck;
Pennant's synops. of quad. p.
252.
Tapeti;
Marcgr. Brasil. p.
223.
Piso, Brasil, p.
102.
Cuniculus Brasiliensis
tapeti
dictus;
Raii synops. quad. p.
205.
Lepus Brasiliensis, cauda nulla;
Linn. Syst. Nat. p.
78.
Lepus e caudus;
Brisson. quad. p.
97.
Collared rabbit;
Wafer's voyage, in Dampier.
.
THE tapeti
Tapity,
according to P. d'Abbeville;
Miss. au Maragnon. p.
251.
seems to make a near approach to the species of the hare or rabbit. It is found in Brasil, and many other parts of America. In figure, it resembles the European rabbit; and it resembles the hare in size and colour, only it is a little browner. Its ears are very long, and shaped like those of the hare. Its hair is red on the fore head, and whitish on the throat. Some of them have a white circle round the neck; but others have a white throat, breast, and belly. They have black eyes, and whiskers like our rabbits; but they want the tail
Marcgr. hist. nat. Brasil. p. 223. fig. p. 224.
. The tapeti resembles the hare in its manner of living, in fecundity, and in the quality of its flesh, which is extremely good. Like the hare, it dwells in the fields or in the woods, and burrows not, like the rabbit
Pison, hist. Brasil. p. 102.
The animal of New Spain, mentioned by Fernandes, under the name of
citli,
appears to be the same with the
tapeti
Citli.—Lepores novae Hispaniae nostratibus similes forma atque alimento sed auriculis longissimis pro corporis magnitudine, latissimisque;
Fernandes, hist. anim. nov. Hisp. p.
2.
cap.
3.
of Brasil; and both are perhaps only varieties of the European hares, who have passed by the northern lands from the one Continent to the other.
Some other species of animals might be added to the preceding list; but the accounts given of them are so vague, that I choose rather to confine myself to what is known with some degree of certainty, than to give way to conjecture, or to exhibit creatures of imagination as real species. But, notwithstanding this limitation, intelligent men will easily perceive, that my history of quadrupeds is as complete as they could possibly expect. It comprehends a great number of new animals, and none of those who were formerly known are omitted.
The preceding notices, though composed of twenty-one articles, contain not above nine or ten distinct species; for all the others are only varieties. The white bear is only a variety of the common kind; the Tartarian cow, of the bison; the Guinea and Cape-Verd hogs, of the common hog, &c. Hence, by adding these ten species to about one hundred and eighty, whose history we have given, the total number of quadrupeds, the existence of which is properly ascertained, exceeds not two hundred species upon the surface of the whole known world.
ADDITIONS from the Supplementary Volume.
THE CRAB-EATER
Cayenne opossum, with a long slender face; ears erect, pointed, and short; the coat woolly, mixed with very coarse hairs, threè inches long, of a dirty white from the roots to the middle; from thence to the ends of a deep brown; sides and belly of a pale yellow; legs of a dusky brown; thumb on each foot distinct; on the toes of the fore feet, and thumb on the hind, are nails; on the toes of the hind feet crooked claws; tail very long, taper, naked, and scaly. Length seventeen inches; that of the tail fifteen and a half. The subject measured was very young;
Pennant's synops. of quad. Edit.
2.
p.
309.
Canis ferus major, Cancrosus vulgo dictus. Koupara;
Barrère, Franc. Equin. p.
149.
.
THE name
crab-eater,
or
crab-dog,
has been given to this animal, because crabs are his principal food. He has a very little relation to the dog or fox, to which some travellers have compared him. He seems to be more nearly allied to the opossums; but he is much larger, and the female crab-eater carries not her young, like the female opossum, in a pouch under her belly. Hence the crab-eater appears to be a detached species, and different from all those we have formerly described.
In the figure, the long naked, scaly tail, the large thumbs without claws on the hind feet, and the flat claws on the fore feet, are remarkable. This animal, whose skin is preserved in the royal cabinet, was young when it was transmitted to us. It is a male; and the following is a description of it.
The length of the whole body, from the nose to the origin of the tail, is about seventeen inches. Before, it is six inches three lines high, and six inches and a half behind. The tail, which is grayish, scaly, and naked, is fifteen inches and a half long, ten lines in circumference at the origin, and gradually tapers to a point.
As the legs of this animal are very short, he has, at a distance, some resemblance to a terrier. The head is not very different from that of a dog, and exceeds not four inches one line in length, from the point of the nose to the occiput. The eye is not large; the edges of the eye-brows are black; and, above the eye, there are hairs of an inch and a quarter in length. There are similar hairs on the side of the cheek near the ear. The whiskers are black, and about an inch and a half long. The opening of the mouth is near two inches. The upper jaw is armed, on each side, with a crooked canine tooth, which reaches beyond the under jaw. The ear is brown, naked, broad, and round at the extremity.
The hair on the body is woolly, and interspersed with other long stiff black hairs. These long hairs increase upon the thighs and the spine of the back, which is totally covered with them, and form a kind of mane from the middle of the back to the origin of the tail: They are three inches long, of a dirty white colour from the base to the middle, and afterwards of a dark brown as far as the point. The hair on the sides, as well as on the belly, is yellowish white; but it approaches more to yellow toward the shoulders, and on the thighs, neck, breast, and head, where this yellow tincture is mixed in some places with brown. The sides of the neck are yellow; and the legs and feet are of a blackish brown colour. There are five toes on each foot. The fore foot is an inch and three quarters long, the largest toe nine lines, and the furrowed claw two lines. The toes are a little bended, like those of the rat, the thumb alone being straight. The hind feet are an inch and eight lines long, the largest toe nine lines, and the thumb half an inch. The thumb is thick, broad, and at a distance from the toes, as in the apes. The nail of the thumb is flat; but those of the other toes are crooked, and reach beyond their points. The thumb of the fore foot is straight, and not removed from the other toe.
M. de la Borde informs me, that this animal is very common in Cayenne, and that it always frequents the savannahs, and other marshy places.
'It climbs trees,' he remarks, 'with great dexterity, and continues oftener upon them than on the ground, especially during the day. It has fine teeth, and defends itself against the dogs. Crabs are its principal nourishment, and it is always fat. When unable to draw the crabs from their holes with its foot, it introduces the tail, which it uses as a hook. The crab sometimes lays hold of the tail, and makes the animal cry. This cry has some resemblance to that of a man, and is heard at a great distance. But its ordinary voice is a kind of grunting like pigs. The female produces four or five young at a litter, and deposits them in the hollows of old trees. The natives of the country eat its flesh, which resembles that of a hare. These animals are easily tamed, and they are fed in the houses, like dogs and cats, with all kinds of victuals. Hence their taste for crabs is by no means exclusive.'
It is alledged, that there are two species of crab-eaters in Cayenne. The first is the animal we have already described: The other is not only a different species, but belongs to a different genus. Its tail is totally covered with hair, and it seizes crabs with its paws only. These two animals resemble each other in the head alone; and they differ in the figure and proportions of the body, as well as in the structure of the feet and claws.
Plate CCXCIII. CRAB EATER.
Plate CCXCIV. ANONYMOUS ANIMAL.
ANONYMOUS ANIMAL.
WE here give the figure of an undescribed animal, the drawing of which was made by the Chevalier Bruce, who permitted me to copy it. This animal, which we shall call
anonymous,
till we learn its real name, has some similarities to the hare, and others to the squirrel. Mr Bruce gave the following account of it in writing.
In Lybia, on the south side of the lake formerly called
Palus Tritonides,
there is a very singular animal, from nine to ten inches long, with ears nearly as long as the half of the body, and proportionally broad, a circumstance which takes place in no other quadruped, except the long-eared bat. Its muzzle resembles that of the fox; and yet it seems to approach nearer to that of the squirrel. It lives on the palm-trees, of which it eats the fruit. It has short retractile claws, and is a very beautiful creature. Its colour is white mixed with a little gray and a bright yellow. The inside of the ears is naked in the middle only. They are covered with brown hair mingled with yellow, and garnished within with large white hairs. The end of the nose is black, the tail yellow, and black at the point. The tail is pretty long, but of a different form from that of the squirrel; and all the hair, both on the body and tail, is very soft.
MADAGASCAR RAT.
IN the figure is represented a small animal from Madagascar, which was drawn alive, when in the possession of the Countess of Marsan. It appeared to make a nearer approach to the species of the palm-squirrel than to that of the rat; for I was assured that it frequented the palm-trees. I have not been able to procure farther information concerning this animal. It may be remarked, however, that, as its claws did not project, it seemed to constitute a species very different from that of the rat, and to approach nearer to the palm-squirrel. To this animal may be referred the rat on the south-west coast of Madagascar, mentioned by the Dutch voyagers; for they tell us, that these rats live in the palm-trees, and eat the dates; that their body is long, their muzzle sharp, their legs short, and their tail long and spotted
Recueil des voyages qui ont servi à l'établissement de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales, tom. 1. p. 413.
. These characters correspond so well with those represented in the figure of our Madagascar rat, as to induce us
Plate CCXCV. MADAGASCAR RAT.
to believe that the animal formerly mentioned belongs to this species.
It lived several years with the Countess of Marsan. Its movements were extremely brisk, and its cry was nearly similar, though much weaker, than that of the squirrel. Like the squirrels, it carried its food to its mouth with the fore paws, erected its tail, and leaped about. It bit desperately, and could not be tamed. It was fed with almonds and fruits. It never came out of its cage, except in the night; and it endured the winters very well in an apartment where the cold was moderated by a small fire.
THE END.
[As the
COUNT DE BUFFON
has observed no systematic order in his History of Quadrupeds, the following Index, in which the Animals are arranged according to the improved Edition of
MR PENNANT'S
Synopsis, will, in some measure, supply that defect.]
SYSTEMATIC INDEX.
DIV. I. HOOFED QUADRUPEDS.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
GENUS I. HORSE.
GENUS I. HORSE.
1
GEnerous
 
1. HORSE
 
iii
306
2
Dshiketei
4
 
 
 
 
3
Ass
8
3
Ass
ib
398
4
Zebra
13
4
Zebra
vi
264
5
Quacha
14
Mules
viii
1
II. OX.
II. BULL.
1
Bull
15
1
Ox
iii
423
 
A. Great Indian
16
 
 
 
 
 
B. Small Indian
17
 
 
 
 
 
C. Abyssinian
ib
 
 
 
 
 
D. Boury
ib
 
 
 
 
 
E. Tinian
ib
 
 
 
 
 
F. Lant
ib
 
 
 
 
 
G. European
ib
 
 
 
 
 
H. American
19
 
H. Bison
vi
198
2
Grunting
20
2
Cow of Tartary
viii
225
3
Buffalo
24
3
Buffalo
vi
151
4
Musk
27
4
Musk
ib
191
 
A. Cape
28
 
 
 
 
5
Dwarf
30
5
Dwarf
vi
164
III. SHEEP.
III. SHEEP.
1
A. Common
33
1
A. Common
iii
462
 
B. Cretan
ib
 
B. Cretan
vi
211
 
C. Hornless
34
 
C. Hornless
iii
472
 
D. Many-horned
ib
 
D. Many-horned
ib
484
 
E. Long-hared
ib
 
 
 
 
 
F. African
35
 
F. African
vi
212
 
G. Broad-tailed
35
 
G. Broad-tailed
ib
208
 
H. Fat-rumped
36
 
 
 
 
 
H*. Wild
38
 
 
 
 
2
Bearded
46
 
 
 
 
IV. GOAT.
IV. GOAT.
1
Ibex
49
1
Ibex
vi
363
2
Caucasan
51
 
 
 
 
 
a.
Domestic
53
 
a.
Domestic
iii
462
 
b.
Angora
55
 
b.
Angora
ib
498
 
c.
Syrian
56
 
c.
Syrian
vi
378
 
d.
African
57
 
d.
African
vi
379
 
e.
Whidaw
ib
 
e.
Juda
vi
378. 390
 
f.
Capricorn
ib
 
f.
Capricorn
ib
373
V. GIRAFFE.
V. GIRAFFE.
1
Camelopard
58
1
Camelopard
vii
109
VI. ANTILOPE.
VI. ANTILOPE.
1
Gnou
62
 
 
 
 
2
Chamois
64
2
Chamois
v
363
3
Blue
66
 
 
 
 
4
AEgyptian
67
4
AEgyptian
vi
408
5
Leucoryx
68
 
 
 
 
6
Algazel
69
6
Algazel
ib
414
7
Indian
70
7
Indian
vii
40
8
Harnessed
71
8
Harnessed
ib
12
9
Guinea
72
9
Guiney, or Grimm
ib
14
10
Royal
ib
10
Royal
ib
27
11
Indostan
73
 
 
 
 
12
White-footed
74
 
 
 
 
13
Swift
76
13
Nanguer, or Swift
vi
409
14
Red
ib
14
Nagor, or red
vii
39
15
Striped
77
15
Condoma, or striped
ib
8
16
Common
78
16
Common
vi
412
 
a.
Brown
80
 
a.
Brown, or Lidmée
ib
413
 
b.
Smooth-horned
ib
 
b.
Smooth-horned
ib
414
17
Barbary
81
17
Barbary, or Gazelle
ib
397
18
Flat-horned
81
18
Flat horned, or Kevel
vi
400
19
White faced
82
19
White-faced, or Pygargus
ib
417
20
Springer
ib
 
 
 
 
21
Chinese
84
21
Chinese, or Tzeiran
ib
405
22
Scythian
86
22
Scythian, or Saiga
ib
393
23
Corine
89
23
Corine
ib
401
24
Cervine
90
24
Cervine
vii
1
25
Senegal
91
25
Senegal, or Koba
vi
405
26
Gambian
92
26
Gambian, or Kob
ib
406
VII. DEER.
VII. DEER.
1
Elk
93
1
Elk
vi
315
2
Rain
99
2
Rain-deer
ib
316
3
Fallow
101
3
Fallow
iv
113
4
Stag
102
4
Stag
ib
72
5
Virginian
104
 
 
 
 
6
Spotted Axis
105
6
Axis
vi
230
7
Middle-sized Axis
106
 
 
 
 
8
Great Axis
ib
 
 
 
 
9
Porcine
107
 
 
 
 
10
Rib-faced
ib
 
 
 
 
11
Roe
108
 
 
 
 
 
A. Tail-less
109
 
 
 
 
11
Mexican
110
11
Roe
iv
120
12
Gray
111
12
Mexican, or Cariacou
vii
30
VIII. MUSK.
VIII. MUSK.
1
Tibet
112
1
Tibet Musk
vii
44
2
Brasilian
114
2
Brasilian, or Cuguacuete
ib
31
3
Indian
115
3
Indian, or Memina
ib
28
4
Guinea
ib
4
Guiney
ib
27
IX. CAMEL.
IX. CAMEL.
1
Arabian
117
1
Arabian
vi
119
 
b.
Bactrian
120
 
a.
Bactrian
ib
18
2
Lama
121
2
Lama
vii
133
3
Pacos
124
3
Pacos
ib
134
X. HOG.
X. HOG.
1
Common
126
1
Common
iii
500
 
a.
Guinea
128
 
a.
Guiney
viii
239
b.
Siam
128
 
b.
Siam
iii
522
 
c.
Chinese
129
 
c.
Chinese
ib
ib
2
AEthiopian
ib
2
AEthiopian, or Cape Verd
viii
241
3
Cape-Verd
132
 
 
 
 
4
Mexican
133
4
Mexican or Pecari
v
271
5
Baby-roussa
134
5
Babiroussa
vii
58
XI. RHINOCEROS.
XI. RHINOCEROS.
1
Two-horned
136
1
Two-horned
vi
92
2
One-horned
138
2
One-horned
ib
116
XII. HIPPOPOTAME.
XII. HIPPOPOTAMUS.
1
Hippopotame
142
1
Hippopotamus
vi
277
XIII. TAPIR.
XIII. TAPIR.
1
Long-nosed
148
1
Tapir
vi
243
XIV. ELEPHANT.
XIV. ELEPHANT.
1
Great
150
1
Elephant
vi
1
2
American
160
 
 
 
 
DIV. II. DIGITATED QUADRUPEDS.
SECT. I. ANTHROPOMORPHOUS.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
*
*
XV. APE.
XV. APE.
1
GREAT
166
1
GREAT, or Jocko and Pongo
viii
77
2
Pigmy
168
2
Pigmy
ib
106
3
Long-armed
170
3
Long-armed, or Gibbon
ib
112
 
a.
Lesser
ib
 
a.
Lesser
ib
115
4
Barbary
171
4
Barbary, or Magot
ib
117
**
**
BABOONS.
BABOONS.
5
Great
173
5
Great
ib
125
6
Ribbed-nose
175
6
Ribbed nose
ib
129
7
Wood
176
 
 
 
 
8
Yellow
ib
 
 
 
 
9
Cinereous
176
 
 
 
 
10
Blue-faced
177
 
 
 
 
11
Brown
ib
 
 
 
 
12
Little
ib
 
 
 
 
13
Crested
178
 
 
 
 
14
Pigtail
ib
14
Pigtail
viii
137
15
Dog-faced
179
 
 
 
 
16
b.
Ursine
181
 
 
 
 
17
Mottled
182
17
Mottled
ib
121
 
b
Little
183
 
 
 
 
18
Lion-tailed
ib
 
 
 
 
 
d.
Bearded Men
184
 
 
 
 
***
***
MONKEYS.
MONKEYS.
19
Purple faced
ib
19
Purple-faced, or Ouanderou
viii
132
20
Palatine
185
 
 
 
 
21
Hare-lipped
ib
21
Hare-lipped, or Macaque
ib
140
22
Spotted
186
22
Spotted, or Exquima
ib
184
23
Long-nosed
187
 
 
 
 
24
Yellowish
188
 
 
 
 
25
Green
ib
25
Green, or Callitrix
ib
160
26
White-eyelid
189
26
White-eyelid, or Mangabey
ib
154
27
Mustache
190
27
Mustache
ib
163
28
White-nose
ib
 
 
 
 
29
Talapoin
191
29
Talapoin
ib
165
30
Negro
ib
 
 
 
 
31
Egret
192
31
Egret
ib
140
32
Mone
ib
 
 
 
 
33
Red
193
33
Red, or Patas
ib
144
34
Chinese
194
34
Chinese
ib
148
35
Bonnetted
195
 
 
 
 
36
Varied
ib
36
Varied
ib
156
37
Cochin China
196
37
Cochin-China
ib
168
38
Tawny
ib
 
 
 
 
39
Goat
197
 
 
 
 
40
Full-bottom
ib
 
 
 
 
41
Bay
198
 
 
 
 
42
Annulated
ib
 
 
 
 
43
Philippine
ib
 
 
 
 
AMERICAN.
AMERICAN.
44
Preacher
199
44
Preacher, or Ouarine
viii
176
45
a.
Royal
200
45
a.
Royal, or Alouate
ib
ib
46
Four-fingered
201
46
Four-fingered, or Coaita
ib
184
47
Fearful
202
47
Fearful, or Sajou
ib
193
48
Capucin
203
48
Capuchin
ib
ib
49
Weeper
204
49
Weeper, or Sai
ib
196
50
Orange
205
50
Orange, or Saimiri
ib
199
51
Horned
206
 
 
 
 
52
Antigua
ib
 
 
 
 
53
Fox-tailed
207
53
Fox-tailed, or Saki
ib
201
54
Great-eared
208
54
Great-eared, or Tamarin
ib
203
55
Striated
209
55
Striated, or Ouistiti
ib
205
56
Silky
210
56
Silky, or Marikina
ib
209
57
Red-tailed
ib
57
Red-tailed, or Pinche
ib
211
58
Fair
211
58
Fair, or Mico
ib
213
XVI. MAUCAUCO.
XVI. MAUCAUCO.
1
Tail-less
212
1
Tail-less
vii
232
2
Loris
213
 
 
 
 
3
Woolly
ib
3
Woolly
ib
223
4
Ringtail
214
4
Ringtail
ib
ib
5
Ruffed
215
5
Ruffed, or Mongous
ib
226
6
Tarsier
216
6
Tarsier
ib
171
7
Little
217
 
 
 
 
8
Flying
218
 
 
 
 
DIV II. SECT. II. SIMPLY DIGITATED.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XVII. DOG.
XVII. DOG.
1
FAITHFUL
219
1
FAITHFUL
iv
1
2
Wolf
231
2
Wolf
ib
20
3
Mexican
233
3
Mexican
viii
258
4
Fox
234
4
Fox
iv
214
 
b.
Cross Fox
ib
 
b.
Cross Fox
ib
222
 
c.
Black Fox
235
 
 
 
 
 
d.
Brant Fox
ib
 
 
 
 
 
e.
Karagan Fox
ib
 
 
 
 
 
f.
Corsak Fox
236
 
 
 
 
5
Arctic
238
5
Arctic
vii
268
6
Antarctic
240
 
 
 
 
7
Gray
241
 
 
 
 
8
Silvery
ib
 
 
 
 
9
Barbary
242
9
Barbary
vii
355
10
Schakal
ib
10
Jackal
ib
ib
11
Capesch
246
 
 
 
 
12
Surinam
247
 
 
 
 
13
Zerda
248
 
 
 
 
XVIII. HYAENA.
XVIII. HYAENA.
1
Striped
250
1
Striped
v
226
2
Spotted
252
 
 
 
 
XIX. CAT.
XIX. CAT.
1
Lion
254
1
Lion
v
64
2
Tiger
257
2
Tiger
ib
153
3
Panther
260
3
Panther
ib
167
4
Leopard
262
4
Leopard
ib
ib
5
Lesser Leopard
263
 
 
 
 
6
Hunting
264
6
Hunting, or Guepard
vii
249
7
Ounce
265
7
Ounce
v
167
8
Brasilian
266
8
Brasilian, or Jaguar
ib
187
9
Mexican
267
9
Mexican, or Ocelot
vii
243
10
Puma
269
10
Puma, or Couguar
v
197
11
Jaguar
270
11
Jaguar, or Jaguarette
ib
190
12
Cape
271
 
 
 
 
13
Cayenne
ib
13
Cayenne
vii
249
14
Bengal
272
 
 
 
 
15
Manul
274
 
 
 
 
16
Common
ib
16
Common
iv
49
 
a.
Angora
275
 
a.
Angora
ib
57
 
b.
Tortoise shell
276
 
 
 
 
 
c.
Blue
ib
 
c.
Blue
ib
56
 
d.
Longheaded
ib
 
 
 
 
17
New Spain
277
 
 
 
 
*
*
LYNX.
LYNX.
18
Mountain
ib
18
Mountain, or wild cat of Carolina
vii
253
19
Serval
278
19
Serval
ib
241
20
Lynx
279
20
Lynx
v
206
21
Bay
281
 
 
 
 
22
Caspian
ib
 
 
 
 
23
Persian
283
23
Persian, or Caracal
v
221
 
b.
Lybian
284
 
b.
Lybian, or Caracal of Bengal
ib
224
XX. BEAR.
XX. BEAR.
1
Black
285
1
Black
v
16
 
a.
American
286
 
a.
American
ib
19
2
Polar
288
2
Polar
viii
216
3
Wolverene
291
3
Wolverene
vii
282
4
Glutton
293
4
Glutton
ib
274
5
Raccoon
295
5
Raccoon
v
46
XXI. BADGER.
XXI. BADGER.
1
Common
297
1
Common
iv
226
 
b.
American
298
 
 
 
 
2
Indian
299
 
 
 
 
XXII. OPOSSUM.
XXII. OPOSSUM.
1
Virginian
301
1
Virginian
v
404
2
Mollucca
303
2
Mollucca
ib
430
3
Javan
305
 
 
 
 
4
Kanguru
306
 
 
 
 
5
Murine
308
5
Murine
ib
435
6
Mexican
309
6
Mexican
ib
438
7
Cayenne
ib
7
Cayenne, or Crab-eater
viii
279
8
New Holland
310
 
 
 
 
9
Short-tailed
311
 
 
 
 
10
Phalanger
ib
10
Phalanger
vii
174
11
Merian
312
11
Merian
viii
267
XXIII. WEASEL.
XXIII. WEASEL.
1
Common
313
1
Common
iv
257
2
Stoat, or Ermine
314
2
Stoat, or Ermine
ib
262
3
S. Am. fitchet
315
3
Martin of Guiana,
iv
243
4
Fitcher
316
4
Fitchet, or Polecat
ib
248
5
Sarmatian
317
 
 
 
 
6
Siberian
318
 
 
 
 
7
Ferret
319
7
Ferret
ib
252
8
Martin
320
8
Martin
ib
249
9
Pine
321
9
Pine
ib
245
10
Sable
322
10
Sable
vii
309
11
Fisher
328
 
 
 
 
12
Madagascar
329
12
Madagascar, or Vansire
ib
221
13
Pekan
330
13
Pecan
ib
307
14
Vison
330
14
Vison
vii
307
15
White-cheeked
331
 
 
 
 
16
Grison
ib
16
Grison
iv
266
17
Guiney
332
17
Guiney
viii
265
18
Guiana
ib
 
 
 
 
19
Woolly
333
 
 
 
 
20
Ichneumon
ib
20
Ichneumon
vii
210
21
Four toed
336
21
Four-toed
ib
166
22
Yellow
337
 
 
 
 
23
Mexican
338
 
 
 
 
24
Brasilian
340
24
Brasilian
v
53
25
Stifling
341
25
Stifling
vii
296
26
Striated
342
26
Striated
ib
297
27
Skunk
343
27
Skunk
ib
ib
28
Zorilla
344
28
Zorilla
ib
298
29
Ratel
ib
 
 
 
 
30
Quoll
345
 
 
 
 
31
Blotched
346
 
 
 
 
32
Civet
ib
32
Civet
v
239
 
b.
Zibet
348
 
a.
Zibet
ib
ib
33
Genet
349
33
Genet
ib
254
34
Fossane
ib
34
Fossane
vii
219
XXIV. OTTER.
XXIV. OTTER.
1
Greater
351
1
Greater
iv
232
2
Brasilian
353
 
 
 
 
3
Lesser
354
 
 
 
 
4
Saricovienne
355
4
Saricovienne, or Cayenne otter
ib
237
5
Sea
356
5
Sea
vii
321
DIV. II. SECT. III. Without Canine Teeth.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XXV. CAVY.
XXV. CAVY.
1
Capibara
360
1
Cabiai
vii
64
2
Restless
361
2
Restless, or Guiney-pig
iv
296
3
Rock
362
3
Rock, or Aperea
vii
274
4
Patagonian
363
5
Spotted, or Paca,
v
392
5
Spotted
ib
 
 
 
 
6
Long nose
364
6
Long-nosed
ib
58
7
Olive
365
7
Olive
vii
269
8
Javan
366
 
 
 
 
9
Cape
366
9
Cape
iv
348
10
Musk
367
10
Musk
v
261
XXVI. HARE.
XXVI. HARE.
1
Common
368
1
Common
iv
137
2
Varying
370
 
 
 
 
3
American
372
 
 
 
 
4
Rabbit
373
4
Rabbit
ib
155
 
b.
Angora
374
 
 
 
 
 
c.
Hooded
ib
 
 
 
 
5
Baikal
ib
5
Baikal
vii
228
6
Cape
375
 
 
 
 
7
Brasilian
376
7
Brasilian
ib
276
8
Alpine
377
 
 
 
 
9
Ogotona
379
 
 
 
 
10
Calling
380
 
 
 
 
XXVII. BEAVER.
XXVII. BEAVER.
1
Castor
383
1
Castor
v
21
2
Musk
388
2
Musk
ib
260
XXVIII. PORCUPINE.
XXVIII. PORCUPINE.
1
Crested
390
1
Crested
vii
69
2
Brasilian
392
2
Brasilian
ib
76
3
Canada
394
3
Canada
ib
83
XXIX. MARMOT.
XXIX. MARMOT.
1
Alpine
396
1
Alpine
iv
339
2
Quebec
397
2
Canada
ib
346
3
Maryland
398
3
Maryland
ib
ib
4
Hoary
ib
 
 
 
 
5
Bobak
399
5
Bobak
vii
198
6
Earless
403
6
Earless
viii
229
7
Gundi
405
 
 
 
 
8
Quill-less
ib
 
 
 
 
XXX. SQUIRREL.
XXX. SQUIRREL.
1
Common
406
1
Common
iv
268
 
c.
White-legged
407
 
 
 
 
2
Ceylon
408
 
 
 
 
3
Abyffinian
ib
 
 
 
 
4
Javan
409
 
 
 
 
5
Bombay
ib
 
 
 
 
6
Ruddy
ib
 
 
 
 
7
Gray
410
7
Gray
v
321
8
Black
411
 
 
 
 
9
Hudson's Bay
412
 
 
 
 
10
Varied
413
10
Varied
vii
176
11
Fair
ib
 
 
 
 
12
Brasilian
414
 
 
 
 
13
Mexican
ib
 
 
 
 
14
Palm
415
14
Palm
v
328
15
Barbary
416
15
Barbary
ib
ib
 
c.
Plantane
ib
 
 
 
 
*
 
 
 
 
 
 
16
Sailing
417
16
Sailing
ib
312
17
Severn river
418
 
 
 
 
18
Flying
ib
18
Flying
ib
307
19
Hooded
419
 
 
 
 
XXXI. DORMOUSE.
XXXI. DORMOUSE.
1
Striped
422
1
Striped, or ground squirrel
v
329
2
Fat
423
2
Fat
iv
325
3
Garden
424
3
Garden
ib
332
4
Common
425
4
Common
ib
334
5
Earless
426
 
 
 
 
XXXII. JERBOA.
XXXII. JERBOA.
1
Egyptian
427
1
Egyptian
vii
201
2
Siberian
429
2
Siberian, or flying hare
ib
202
 
b.
Middle
ib
 
 
 
 
 
c.
Pigmy
430
 
 
 
 
3
Cape
432
 
 
 
 
4
Torrid
433
 
 
 
 
XXXIII. RAT.
XXXIII. RAT.
1
Labrador
435
 
 
 
 
2
Circassian
436
 
 
 
 
3
Tamarisk
437
 
 
 
 
4
Black
438
4
Black
iv
275
5
Brown
439
5
Brown
ib
336
6
American
441
 
 
 
 
 
b.
Curaco
ib
 
 
 
 
7
Water
442
7
Water
ib
290
8
Mouse
443
8
Mouse
ib
282
9
Field
444
9
Field
ib
285
10
Harvest
445
 
 
 
 
11
Oriental
446
 
 
 
 
12
Barbary
447
 
 
 
 
13
Mexican
447
 
 
 
 
14
Virginian
ib
 
 
 
 
15
Wandering
447
 
 
 
 
16
Beech
448
 
 
 
 
17
Rustic
ib
 
 
 
 
18
Little
449
 
 
 
 
**
**
19
Rock
450
 
 
 
 
20
Oeconomic
451
 
 
 
 
21
Red
452
 
 
 
 
22
Garlic
453
 
 
 
 
23
Soricine
ib
 
 
 
 
***
***
24
Lemming
454
24
Lemming
vii
316
25
Ringed
457
 
 
 
 
26
Hudson's
ib
 
 
 
 
27
Hare tailed
458
 
 
 
 
28
Social
459
 
 
 
 
29
Meadow
460
29
Meadow
iv
293
30
Gregarions
461
 
 
 
 
****
****
31
Hamster
ib
31
Hamster
vii
178
32
Vormela
465
 
 
 
 
33
Yaik
ib
 
 
 
 
34
Zarizin
466
 
 
 
 
35
Sand
ib
 
 
 
 
36
Songar
367
 
 
 
 
37
Baraba
368
 
 
 
 
**
**
***
***
38
Blind
469
38
Blind, or Zemni
viii
232
39
Danurian
471
 
 
 
 
40
African
472
 
 
 
 
41
Cape
473
 
 
 
 
42
Talpine
474
 
 
 
 
XXXIV. SHREW.
XXXIV. SHREW.
1
Musky
476
1
Musky
v
261
2
Perfuming
477
 
 
 
 
3
Mexican
478
3
Tucan
vii
271
4
Brasilian
ib
4
Brasilian
ib
273
5
Murine
479
 
 
 
 
6
Foetid
ib
6
Foetid
iv
305
7
Water
480
7
Water
ib
308
8
Minute
481
 
 
 
 
9
Pigmy
481
 
 
 
 
10
White throated
ib
 
 
 
 
11
Square-tailed
482
 
 
 
 
12
Carinated
ib
 
 
 
 
13
Unicorn
ib
 
 
 
 
XXXV. MOLE.
XXXV. MOLE.
1
European
483
1
European
iv
309
 
b.
Yellow
484
 
 
 
 
2
Varying
485
 
 
 
 
3
Radiated
486
3
Siberian
viii
238
4
Long-tailed
ib
 
 
 
 
5
Brown
ib
 
 
 
 
6
Red
487
 
 
 
 
XXXVI. HEDGEHOG.
XXXVI. HEDGEHOG.
1
Common
488
1
Common
iv
300
2
Siberian
489
 
 
 
 
3
Asiatic
490
3
Asiatic
vii
86
4
Guiana
491
 
 
 
 
DIV. II. SECT. IV. Without Fore-teeth.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XXXVII. SLOTH.
XXXVII. SLOTH.
1
Three-toed
494
1
Three-toed
vii
150
2
Two-toed
496
2
Two-toed
ib
151
XXXVIII. ARMADILLO.
XXXVIII. ARMADILLO.
1
Three banded
497
1
Three-banded
v
366
2
Six-banded
498
2
Six-banded
ib
369
3
Eight banded
500
3
Eight banded
ib
371
4
Nine-banded
ib
4
Nine-banded
ib
373
5
Twelve-banded
501
5
Twelve-banded
ib
375
6
Eighteen-banded
502
6
Eighteen-banded
ib
377
DIV. II. SECT. V. Without Teeth.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XXXIX. MANIS.
XXXIX. MANIS.
1
Long-tailed
504
1
Long tailed
v
355
2
Short-tailed
505
2
Short tailed
ib
ib
XL. ANT-EATER.
XL. ANT-EATER.
1
Great
507
1
Great
v
333
2
Middle
508
2
Middle
ib
334
3
Striped
509
 
 
 
 
4
Least
510
4
Least
ib
ib
DIV. III. PINNATED QUADRUPEDS.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XLI. WALRUS.
XLI. WALRUS.
1
Arctic
514
1
Arctic
vii
354
2
Indian
517
2
Indian
ib
370
XLII. SEAL.
XLII. SEAL.
1
Common
518
1
Common
vii
336
2
Mediterranean
520
 
 
 
 
3
Long-necked
521
 
 
 
 
4
Falkland
ib
 
 
 
 
5
Tortoise-headed
522
 
 
 
 
6
Rubbon
523
 
 
 
 
7
Leporine
ib
 
 
 
 
8
Great
524
8
Great
ib
340
9
Rough
ib
 
 
 
 
10
Hooded
525
 
 
 
 
11
Harp
ib
 
 
 
 
12
Little
526
12
Little
ib
338
13
Ursine
ib
 
 
 
 
14
Bottle-nose
531
14
Bottle-nose, or Sealion
ib
347
15
Leonine
534
 
 
 
 
XLIII. MANATI.
XLIII. MANATI.
1
Whale-tailed
536
 
 
 
 
2
Round-tailed
540
2
Round-tailed
vii
374
3
Sea Ape
544
 
 
 
 
DIV. IV. WINGED.
PENNANT's Synopsis.
BUFFON.
No.
Species.
Page.
No.
Species.
Vol.
Page.
XLIV. BAT.
XLIV. BAT.
1
Ternate
548
1
Ternate
v
281
2
Roussette
ib
 
 
 
 
3
Rougette
549
3
Rougette
ib
282
4
Spectre
552
4
Spectre
ib
ib
5
Javelin
553
5
Javelin
vii
234
6
Leaf
ib
6
Leaf
ib
235
7
Cordated
554
 
 
 
 
8
Peruvian
ib
 
 
 
 
9
Bull-dog
555
9
Bull-dog
v
303
10
Senegal
556
10
Senegal
ib
302
11
Pouch
ib
 
 
 
 
12
Bearded
557
12
Bearded
ib
305
13
New York
ib
 
 
 
 
14
Striped
558
14
Striped
ib
306
15
Molucca
ib
15
Molucca, or Cephalote
vii
236
16
Horse-shoe
559
16
Horse-shoe
iv
324
17
Noctule
ib
17
Noctule
iv
322
18
Serotine
560
18
Serotine
ib
323
19
Pipistrelle
561
19
Pipistrelle
ib
ib
20
Barbastelle
ib
20
Barbastelle
ib
ib
21
Common
411
21
Common
ib
319
22
Long-eared
ib
22
Long-eared
ib
322
INDEX.
A
ABUSSEID SERAFI gives an erroneous description of the musk, which is followed by Aldrovandus, vol. vii. pag. 46. note.
Abyss. See
Deluge.
Acara, a kingdom on the Gold Coast, produces hinds of an exceeding small size, vii. 27. n.
Addas, or Addax, a name for the antilope, vi. 415. 417.
Adil, the same with the
chryseos,
or
lupus aureus
of the antient Greeks, vii. 255. n.
Adimain, or large sheep of Senegal and India described, vi. 215.
Adive described, vii. 257. n.; is fond of leather,
ib.
seems to have an involuntary instinct for crying when it hears others of the same species do so,
ib.
; is fond of human bodies, 265. n. See
Jackall.
Aegagropili, a kind of balls found in the stomachs of ruminating animals, vi. 441.
Aethiopia said to be the only country which produces the camelopard, vii. 117. n.
Aetna; some account of its eruptions, i. 410.; their effects never extend to the distance of three or four hundred leagues, 433. A proof that the fire is lodged in the upper part of the mountain, 437.
Africa; its interior parts as little known to us as to the antients, i. 148. iii. 133. Circumnavigated in the time of Alexander the Great,
ib.
Accounts of a circumnavigation in the ninth century, 149. This continent probably as rich in gold as Mexico and Peru, 152. Remarkable for the variety of people it contains, iii. 194. Produces fewer lions now than formerly, v. 66. Produces a greater number of elephants than Asia, vi. 37. None of the South American animals found there, vii. 177.
African sheep described, vi. 212. n. Perhaps the
adimain
of Leo Africanus,
ib.
African goat the same with Seba's American stag, vii. 39.
African stag with reddish hair, vii. 24.
Agouti, or long nosed Cavy described, v. 58. Is a voracious and cunning animal,
ib.
; bites fiercely, and is very mischievous, 59. Produces two or three at a time, 60. Peculiar to the southern parts of America
ib.
A smaller species called
agouchi,
61. Erroneously described by Marcgrave, whose error has been followed by all other writers but Brisson and Buffon,
ib.
Is the most common quadruped in Guiana, 62.
Agricula described, vii. 36. n.
Ai, the Brasilian name of a species of sloth, derived from its voice, vii. 151. n.
Aiotochtli, the Mexican name of the armadillo, v. 138.
Air subjected to the action of a number of power, vi. 256.
Akonchi, or olive cavy described, viii. 269. Differs but little from the agouti,
ib.
Reckoned among the finest game in South America, 270.
Alagtaga, the Tartarian name of a species of jerboa, vii. 202. n. The animal described, 204.
Albours, a famous volcano near Mount Taurus, i. 413.
Alce. See
Elk.
Alco, the Mexican or Peruvian dog, described, viii. 261. A species lives wholly on crabs and crustaceous animals, 260.
Aldrovandus copies an error of Abusseid Serasi in describing the musk, vii. 46. Follows Gesner in describing the Porcupine, 74. Has given an erroneous figure of a sow-badger, v. 4.
Alexander the Great was the first European who mounted an Elephant, vi. 29.
Alexandrians keep tame ichneumons, vii. 216. n.
Algazel, the Arabic name of a species of antilope, vi. 407. The same with the Aleppo Gazelle.
Alicant dog, iv. 41.
All Saints Bay, abounds with small ugly monkeys, viii. 197. n.
Allocamelus of Gesner, the same with the Lama, vii. 136.
Alouate, or king of the monkeys, a variety of the ouarine, viii. 176. n. A savage animal, and makes a horrid noise, 178. n.
Alpague vicuna, vii. 134. n.
Amahut, the Indian name of a tree on which the sloths live, vii. 157. n.
Amadabad; three hospitals for animals in that city, viii. 151. Strange relation of the behaviour of the monkeys in that neighbourhood,
ib.
Amazon river runs more than 1000 leagues, i. 268. Receives more than 60 considerable rivers, 273. Its course described, 319. The Indians who dwell on its banks are fond of the flesh of monkeys, viii. 179.
Ambergris superseded the use of civet, and has itself ceased to be admired as a perfume, v. 253.
America much infested with volcano's, i. 416. Produces none of the animals common in the warm parts of the Old Continent, vii. 77. Produced no horned cattle similar to those of Europe, till they were imported, v. 96.; nor sheep nor goats, 99.; wild boars, nor domestic hogs, 100.; nor dogs nor cats, 103. 107.
American savages destitute of the principle of love, v. 130. 131.; may be considered as a new race of men, iii. 188. v. 139.; make a kind of balls of seals skin, which they use as rafts, vii. 347.
Andira guacu, v. 283. n.
Animalcules in semine masculino. See
Generation.
Animals; analogies between them and vegetables, ii. 1. Distinguished from vegetables by sensation, 6. Uncertain whether brutes have sensation or not, 7. Exceed plants in the number of species, 9. Differ more from each other than plants,
ib.
Distinguishable from each other by their manner of copulation, 10. Of their reproduction. See
Reproduction.
Their nutrition. See
Nutrition.
Their generation. See
Generation.
Account of the idea conveyed by the word
animal,
ii. 216. Large animals less prolific than small ones, 255. Those which produce but one at a birth, acquire nearly their full growth before they are capable of propagation, 257. Many animals propagate rather by a kind of compression than copulation, 259. Difference among them with regard to sexes, 260. Alterations which happen in the body, as preparatives to generation, 261. See
Organic matter.
Diversities with regard to their teeth, 456. Animals furnished with hands seem to have the most sagacity, iii. 46. 292. Such as have no hands, cannot have any idea of magnitude, and, therefore, are often terrified, iii. 46. A dissertation on their nature, 208. Animals have some senses of exquisite acuteness; but in general they are not all equal to man, 229. Their feelings more exquisite than those of man, 238. Of domestic animals. 301. Animals vary according to the different climates in which they live, 356. Of their degeneracy, 407. Cruelly treated by man, 426. Females more useful than males, 434. Most of them superior to man in agility, swiftness, strength, and courage, iv. 5 Changes produced on them by education, 60. Large animals fewer in number than small ones, 65. Of wild animals, 66. Are less fierce in cold countries, 68. Are the least subject to changes or variations of any kind, 71. Their faculties perpetually diminishing, 73. Of carnivorous animals, 164. These are but few in number,
ib.
Some of them detest sharp cries, v. 52. Of those peculiar to the Eastern Continent, 90. A list of them 111. Of those peculiar to the New World, 112. Of those common to both Continents, 123. Not above 200 species of them existing on the earth, 146. Remarks on the ridiculous methods of classing them, 147. Those of America proved to be distinct from the animals of the Eastern Continent, v. 112. Domestic animals differ considerably from wild ones of the same species, vi. 155. Animals in general grow torpid, and avoid each other, in winter, vii. 90. The unity of species more fixed in large than in small animals, 98. Animals in general more happy than men, 156. Notices of some which are not expressly mentioned in the book, viii. 216. An anonymous animal of Lybia described by Mr Bruce, 283.
Ant-eater described, v. 333. Three species of them; the great, the middle, and the least,
ib.
A fourth mentioned by Brisson, from Seba, but seems to be suspicious, 338. Six species mentioned by Seba,
ib.
The great ant-eater fights terribly with his fore-feet, and is almost invincible when he lies on his back, and uses all the four,
ib.
Dr Maudhuit's description of the great ant-eater, 347. M. de la Borde's observations concerning it, 348. His description of the middle ant-eater, 350.; and of the least ant-eater, 352.
Anta, a kingdom of Africa, produces great numbers of elephants, vi. 35. n.
Anta, a name for the Tapir, vi. 243. n. Eats a kind of clay in the night. 246. n. Is dazzled by the light of torches, and easily taken, 247. n.
Ante, another name for the Tapir, vi. 244. n.
Antilopes; thirteen different species of them, vi. 393. The common Antilope described, 412. Indian Antilopes have more spirit than those of other countries, 414. n. All the different kinds of them found in Asia and Africa, 415. Difficulty of arranging them, 416. The larger kinds more common in Africa than India, 422. The eyes of those in the neighbourhood of Alexandria so beautiful, that they are spoken of figuratively in praising the eyes of the ladies, 423. n. The different kinds particularly described, vii. 1.
et seq.
Antiparos; Tournefort's description of a remarkable cavern in that island, 1. 452.
Appennine mountains abound with Porcupines, vii. 73.
Aper in India, vii. 58. n.
Aper Mexicanus, v. 272. n.
Aperea, viii. 274. n.
Aperea Brasiliensibus, v. 119. n.
Apes imitate the actions of men completely, iii. 46. This imitation proceeds not from their genius, but merely from their organization, 280. Their bad character, vi. 3. Their nomenclature, viii. 39. Definition of an ape,
ib.
The same with the
Pithecus
of the Greeks, and
Simia
of the Latins, 40. The ape called Orang-Outang, very much resembles man,
ib.
The name of
Ape
ought to be given to an East Indian animal called Gibbon, 41. Several species of apes in Senegal, 45. n. The whole may be reduced to 30 species, 51. Apes of Guinea described, 83. Are very fond of women, 84. Description of an ape which exactly resembled an infant, 115. Ape of Barbary described, 117. See
Barbary Ape,
and
Magot.
Four species of apes found in Malabar, 135. The white apes first ravish women and then strangle them,
ib.
n. Immense numbers found in Africa, from Arquin to Sierra Leona, 146. A very beautiful ape of Guinea described, 167. n.
Apossums, v. 405. n.
Aquiqui, viii. 176. n.
Arabata, a kind of American monkeys, make an horrid noise, viii. 179. n.
Arabia Petraea, exceedingly destitute of water, i. 477. vi. 124. 127.
Arabians said to have invented the mariner's compass, i. 153. Their stature, complexion, &c. iii. 109. Marmol and Boulaye's account of them 110. Remarks on them by another traveller,
ib.
Their horses the most beautiful, iii. 357. Their descent, way in which they are treated, swiftness, &c. 365.
et seq.
Surmount many difficulties by means of their camels, vi. 128. First took notice of the musk, vii. 45.
Archipelago Islands, only the tops of mountains, i. 448. Their inhabitants excellent swimmers and divers, iii. 125.
Arctic dog. See
Isatis.
Aral, a salt-water lake near the Caspian Sea, described, i. 328.
Arequipa, a celebrated American volcano, i. 416.
Argali, or Siberian sheep, described, vi. 222. n. Monstrous size of the horns, 223. Young foxes very frequently take shelter in them when knocked off,
ib.
Aries pilosus, vi. 212. n. Guineensis five Angolensis, vi. 212. n.
Aries laniger, vi. 208.
Aristotle, the only antient writer on zoology who merits attention, pref. 1. His theory of generation, ii. 71. A mistake of his concerning the seminal fluids of women, 241. Asserts that there were no asses in Scythia, 417. That they degenerate in cold climates,
ib.
His remarks concerning the copulation of animals of different species, iv. 28. His account of the lion, v. 73. 79. His errors copied by other natural historians,
ib.
Makes no mention of the tiger, v. 87. His remarks on the Bubalus, vi. 163. His Bonasus the same with the Bison of the Latins, 168. His description of an animal called the Hippelaphus, vi. 236. Applies almost equally to the rain-deer, and stag of Ardennes,
ib.
Makes no mention of the Camelopard, vii. 110. Makes mention of six amphibious animals, of which only three are now known, 325. Was acquainted with the seal, 342. Observes that no animal possessed of crooked, or retractile claws, is social, 436. His assertions concerning the copulation of mules, viii. 15. His remarks concerning pigmies, 106.
Armadillo described, v. 361. Six different species of it, 365. Three banded Armadillo, 366. Six banded, 369. Nine banded 373. Twelve banded, 375. The last is the largest of the genus.
ib.
Eighteen banded, 377. Called also the weasel Armadillo,
ib.
Mistakes of Linnaeus concerning this animal, 379. The crust is a real bone composed of several pieces, 383. These creatures are not afraid of the bite of a rattlesnake, 386.
Asia may be reckoned the most antient country in the world, i. 32. Volcano's very numerous there, 413. Beauty of the Asiatic women, iii. 123. Produces none of the South American animals, vii. 77.
Ass described, iii. 398. Has the appearance of a degenerated horse,
ib.
; but is not so in reality, 411. Entirely different from the horse in his disposition, 412. Least infested with vermin of all quadrupeds, 414. The female exceedingly lascivious. 415. Directions with regard to their breeding,
ib.
Different races of them, 416. Account of their migrations, 417. Of the wild asses, 419. None found in America, 420. Asses flesh more disagreeable than that of horses, 421. The skin applicable to many purposes, 422. They can carry more weight, in proportion to their bulk, than any other animal,
ib.
Description of a very beautiful ass sent to the Grand Seignior from AEthiopia, vi. 270. n. These animals are now almost equally diffused all over the globe, 272. An ass destroys the generation of a horse; but the reverse does not take place, vii. 419. Has a tendency to sterility, 423. 425. Rules concerning the propagation of asses, 425. Asses less fertile than mares, viii. 23. Means to be used to make them conceive,
ib.
Assapanick, a name for the flying squirrel, v. 307.
Avicenna's account of the musk, vii. 46. n.
Axis, Sardinian hind, or stag of the Ganges, described, vi. 230, 238. Is found in Barbary, and is probably the same with the spotted fallow-deer of the Cape of Good Hope, 233. Forms an intermediate shade between the stag and fallow-deer,
ib.
Azore Islands, only the tops of mountains, 1. 448.
B
Babiroussa, or Indian hog, described, vii. 58. Has prodigious tusks; yet is less formidable than the wild boar, 60. Is an excellent swimmer, 61.
Baboon differs very much from an ape, v. 121. Called
papie
by the
Latins,
233. Has been mistaken for the hyaena,
ib.
The animal described, viii. 121. Is a strong and ferocious animal,
ib.
126. Is excessively lascivious, 123. Great Baboon described, 126. Description of the Ribbed-nose Baboon. See
Mandril.
Of the Pig-tailed Baboon. See
Maimon.
Badger described, iv. 226. An unsocial animal, who spends three-fourths of his life in his dark abode,
ib.
Is obliged to leave his hole by the fox, 227. Defends himself furiously when pursued by dogs,
ib.
Is an exceeding sleepy animal, 228.; and remarkably cleanly,
ib.
Cannot bear cold, 229. Is subject to the itch,
ib.
Two species mentioned by Dufouilloux; but this ought to be considered as a vulgar error, 230. Badgers perhaps exist in America,
ib.
; but not in Asia or Africa, 231. Was unknown to the Greeks,
ib.
Approaches to no other species of quadrupeds,
ib.
Baikal, a great lake of Asia, described, i. 335.
Baikal hare. See
Tolai.
Baltic Sea ought to be regarded as an immense lake, supported by a great number of rivers, i. 292.
Barbary horses described, iii. 357.
Barbastelle. See
Bat.
Baris, or Barris, a kind of Orang-Outang, viii. 81. n.
Barrere's notions concerning the formation of downs, mountains, and the duration of the sea upon the earth, i. 498. His opinion concerning the formation of mountains controverted, 500.
Bat described, iv. 317. A monstrous animal, 318. The bats fly aukwardly, and with difficulty; yet seize flies, gnats, and especially moths, during their flight, 319, 320. A vast quantity of their dung found in a cavern by M. Buffon, 320. Are viviparous animals, and will even carry their young when flying, 321. Sleep during the winter, and at any time can remain several days without food,
ib.
There are seven species, 322. All the species described, 322. 324. Ternate bat described, v. 281. There are two species of Ternate bats; the lesser of the size of a crow, and the larger as big as a large hen, 284. These large bats are very mischievous, and often wound people in the face, 286. Probably furnished the antients with the notion of harpies,
ib.
These creatures will intoxicate themselves with palm wine, 288. Are very numerous in the islands of Manilla, where the natives kill them for food,
ib.
n. The American bats can suck the blood of sleeping men and cattle, without waking them, 289. Their flesh tastes like that of the hare, 291. The foregoing description, according to M. de la Nux, is exaggerated, 291. His account of them, 292. Are not carnivorous, 300. Senegal bat described, 302. Bull dog bat, 303. Bearded bat, 305. Striped bat, 306. Javelin bat, vii. 234.
Bear described, v. 1. Two kinds, the land and sea bear, or the white bear of the frozen sea,
ib.
The land bears distinguished into the brown and black, 2. Brown bear described, 2. Black bears are not carnivorous, 3. A red kind of bears are as carnivorous and voracious as wolves, 4. Three kinds of bears in Norway,
ib.
One of these species said to feed on ants, 5. Bears are found in all rude and desert countries, 6. Are savage and solitary animals, 7. Are not torpid during the winter, though they pass part of that time without provisions,
ib.
The males of the brown species devour the cubs, 8. In the northern countries, the bears are said to be intoxicated by throwing ardent spirits on honey, after which they are easily taken, 11. In Canada and Louisiana they live in decayed trees, and have their habitations 30 or 40 feet high,
ib.
Method of purifying their grease, 12. Bears are excellent swimmers, 13. Enjoy, in an exquisite manner, the senses of seeing, hearing, and feeling, 14. Have some gross resemblances to man,
ib.
Accounts of some domestic bears, 15. Cannot endure each other's society, unless brought up together from their earliest infancy, 17. Difference between an European and American bear, 19. White or Polar bear described, viii. 216. Is falsely said to be more dangerous than the other kind, 221. Feeds commonly on seals, 223. Has the bones of the head so hard, that no blow of a club can bring him to the ground, 224.
Beaver described, v. 21. Is said to be among quadrupeds what the bee is among insects, 22. Has no pretensions to rationality, 24.; on the contrary, he is considerably inferior to some animals, 26. 27. Account of their method of operating and building their huts, 28. When a society is ruined by hunters, the rest disperse and become vagabond, 36. Some of these creatures are solitary, of which kind are all the European beavers, 39. It hath been falsely asserted, that the beaver cannot live upon land without water, 41. Accounts of a tame beaver, 26. 41. Beavers are enemies to the otter, 42. The perfectly black and perfectly white furs most esteemed, 43. This animal furnishes the castoreum,
ib.
See
Castoreum.
Beavers can be so effectually tamed, that they will fish for their masters, 45. Have received from Nature a gift almost equal to that of speech, vi. 4.
Bedas, a race of Ceylonese savages described, iii. 100. Are a peculiar race of men,
ib.
180.
Bees; an eulogium on them, iii. 283. Our admiration of them ill founded, 284. The genius of solitary bees inferior to that of the gregarious species, 285. Bees, taken separately, have less genius than many other animals,
ib.
; why they act in concert with one another, 286. The hexagonal cells of the bee furnish an argument of its stupidity, 290. Bees are not more ingenious than wasps, hornets, &c. 292. The provisions of the bee and other industrious animals, are only useless and disproportioned masses, 297.
Behemoth, the Hebrew name of the hippopotamus, vi. 277. n.
Beori, vi. 244. n.
Bergen; vast numbers of raw hides exported from thence, vi. 499.
Bezoar, said to be the production of one species of animals only, vi. 424; but without sufficient reason, 426. 431. A kind of bezoar from apes, 429.; different from the true bezoar, 430. The true kind described,
ib.
It is found in a great number of different animals, 432. Most quadrupeds, and even crocodiles and large serpents, produce a kind of bezoars, 440.
Birds; their sagacity and foresight arise merely from instinct, iii. 297. Instead of knowing the future, they are ignorant even of the past, 298. Why domestic poultry make nests worse than wild fowls,
ib.
Bison Jubatus, vi. 151. The bison is not properly a distinct species of animals, 154. 157. 172. 188. Origin of the word
bison
157. The bison of the Latins the same with the bonasus of Aristotle, 168. Bison of America might proceed originally from the European bison, 170. Bisons vary greatly in size, &c. 185. They have degenerated in America, 187.
Black sea receives more water from the rivers which run into it than is sufficient for its support, i. 36. Might have formerly been only a large lake joined by a narrow communication to the Caspian,
ib.
Ought still to be considered rather as a lake than a gulf of the ocean, 38. Is the only sea that freezes totally; and why, 47. Its direction similar to that of rivers, 253. According to Diodorus Siculus, it was originally a great lake or river, 323. A notion of Mr Tournefort's concerning it refuted,
ib.
Receives more rivers than the Mediterranean, 325. Is less clear and salt than the ocean, 327. Its tempests more violent and dangerous,
ib.
Black cattle fond of licking themselves, by which means balls of hair are formed in their stomachs, iii. 455.
Blind mouse. See
Water shrew.
Boar. See
Wild Boar,
and
Ethiopic
and
Cape Verd boar.
Bobak described, vii. 198.
Bonasus, vii. 150. The same with the bison of the Latins, 168.
Bonavista: An incredible number of goats on that island, iii. 493.
Bones; the manner in which they grow, ii. 473. Analogy between their growth and that of wood, 474. Become more solid as we advance in years, 477. Are softer in women than in men,
ib.
Bos, iii. 423. n. vi. 151. n.
Bosner, an East India island, where much bezoar is found, vi. 437. n.
Bosphorus will, in time, probably, be filled up, i. 323.
Bouc estain, vi. 363. n. Bouc savage,
ib.
Bourguet gives a specimen of a theory of the earth, but would probably not have succeeded had he gone on with it, i. 122. First remarked the regularity of the angles of mountains, 240. See
Mountain.
Brain cannot be the fountain of sensation, iv. 173. Is only a species of mucilage, and hardly organized, 174. Is an organ of secretion and nutrition, 175. Is not proportionally larger in man than other animals, 176. Ought not to be regarded as an organic part of the nervous system, 177. Why the compression of it destroys sensation,
ib.
Facts which shew that the brain is not the organ of sensation,
ib.
Brasilian cat. See
Jaguar.
Brasilian weasel. See
Coati mondi.
Britain formerly a part of the Continent, i. 489. 491.
Brittany, a province in it overwhelmed with sand, 508.
Brocks, a name for young dear, when their horns begin to be visible, iv. 87.
Brutes. See
Animals.
Bubalus, or cervine antilope, described, vii. 1. The name improperly given to the buffalo by the modern Latins, vi. 152. vii. 1. Resembles the stag, the gazelles, and the ox, 2.; hath but little resemblance to the elk, 4.; hath been called the
Barbary cow, ib.
Described by Caius, under the name of
Buselaphus,
6.
Bucks, vi. 384. n.
Buffalo described, vi. 150. Has no name either in Greek or Latin,
ib.
n. Is a native of the warm regions of Africa and the Indies, and was not transported into Italy till the seventh century, 152. Mistake of Belon concerning it,
ib.
Refuses to copulate with our common black cattle, 192. Is the dirtiest of domestic animals next to the hog,
ib.
The milk of the female buffalo is worse than that of the cow, but yielded in larger quantity, 193. The skin is of more use than the flesh,
ib.
Very robust buffaloes in the kingdoms of Aunau and Tonquin, 195. n. Are very dangerous when attacked and wounded, 196. The sight of the buffaloes at the Cape of Good Hope is bad, 203.
Buffle, vi. 150. n.
Buffon holds the most distinguished rank among natural historians,
Pref.
xi. Some of his sentiments of a dangerous tendency, xii. n. Vol. ii. 70. n. His meaning strangely misrepresented by a former translator,
Pref.
xvii. n.
Bull-dog, iv. 40.
Burnet's Theory of the Earth, i. 109. See
Earth.
Gives neither facts nor observations in support of his theory, 119. Falls into an error with regard to the deluge, 127. See
Deluge.
C
Cabiai, or thick-nosed Tapir, described, vii. 64. Cannot live in a cold climate, 65. This assertion contradicted, 67. Has some slight relations to the hog,
ib.
Escapes from hunters by taking the water,
ib.
; a peaceable animal, and a native of South America, 66.
Cuby-bara, vii. 64. n.
Cagui, viii. 201. n. 205. n. 209. n. 211. n. 214. n.
Cajeta; a mountain curiously split by an earthquake near that place, i. 455.
Caitaia, viii. 199. n.
Calicut, formerly a celebrated city, now decayed, and mostly covered with the sea, i. 495. The women there have sometimes ten husbands, iii. 99. The inhabitants lengthen their ears to such a degree, that they sometimes hang down below their shoulders,
ib.
Their legs sometimes as thick as the body of an ordinary man,
ib.
People with such thick legs also found in other places, 100.
Callitrix, or Green Monkey described, viii. 160.; found in Mauritania and the territories of antient Carthage,
ib.
Calmar; Needham's observations on the milt of that fish, ii. 62. 186. Animalcules in it of an extraordinary size, 186. Some bodies discovered in it like spiral springs,
ib.
Particular description of these bodies, 187. 188.
Calmuck Tartars described, iii. 68.
Camel described, vi. 118. Two species of that animal,
ib.
n. The Persians have several kinds, 120. n. The Persian Ambassador's account of the camel to M. Constance, 122. n. The whole species limited to a zone of three or four hundred leagues in breadth, 123. A native of Arabia,
ib.
Camels can live several days without drink, 124. Are of vast use to the Arabs, 126. Can travel 50 leagues in one day, 127. Camels can smell water at the distance of half a league, 131. Why they can live so long without drinking. 134. Their nature considerably changed by constraint, slavery, and labour, 135. Exist no where in a natural state, 138. Are guided by the sound of the human voice, or some instrument, 139. Become furious during the rutting season, 140. Are more valuable than elephants, 145. Method of preserving their flesh for food, 146. n. Their dung makes excellent feuel, 147. Might be made to live and be useful in other countries, 148.
Camelus, vi. 118. n. 119. n. 122. n. vii. 133. n.
Camelopard described, vii. 109. One of the largest and most beautiful of quadrupeds,
ib.
The species confined to the deserts of AEthiopia, and some provinces in the fourth of Africa and India, 110. Belon's description of the Camelopard, 112. Gillius's description, 113. Hasselquist's description censured; 115. 122. Mr Allamand's description of the horns, 123. His description of the whole animal, 129. The length of its fore legs misrepresented, 129.
Camelopardalis, vii. 112.
et seq.
Campagnol, iv. 293. n.
Canis, iv. 196. n. 214. n. 226. n. vii. 255. n. 268. n. viii. 264. n. 279. n.
Cape of Good Hope, famous for its tempests, i. 390. Account of the manner in which they are produced,
ib.
Cape Verd boar described, viii. 241. A different race from all other hogs, 243. Account of one kept in the menagerie of the Prince of Orange,
ib.
Refused to copulate with a sow, and tore her in pieces, 244. M. Vosmaer's account of another tame one, 245. Digs the earth with surprising ease and quickness,
ib.
The animal may, perhaps, be a variety of the common hog, 250. M. Comerson's account of boars in the island of Madagascar, 251. Mr Allamand's description of the Cape Verd boar, 251. Runs much more swiftly than the common hogs, 255. Mr Adanson's description of an African boar, 256. There may, perhaps, be another species which Adanson means to describe, 257.
Capivard, vii. 64. n.
Capra, iii. 486. n. iv. 120. n. vi. 363. n. 364. n. 394. n. 407. n. 408. n. 419. n. vii. 14. n. 38. n. 44. n.
Capreolus, iv. 120. n. vii. 44. n.
Capriolus, iv. 120. n.
Capricorne, vi. 363. n.
Capybara, v. 116. n.
Caracal described, v. 221. Is different from the lynx,
ib.
Is common in Arabia, Barbary, &c. 222. Is obliged to content himself with the remains of a lion's, or other wild beast's meal,
ib.
Why he hath been called the lion's provider,
ib.
Is about the size of a fox, but much stronger and more ferocious, 223. May be trained to hunting,
ib.
Mr Bruce's description of a Nubian Caracal, 224. This species no larger than a common cat, 225.
Cardites found in vast numbers in some places, i. 221.
Caribbees described, iii. 175.
Caribou, vi. 328. n.
Carigueya, v. 119. n. 405. n.
Carmel; some curious petrefactions found on that mount, i. 207.
Carnivorous animals. See
Animals.
Caspian Sea is a real lake, and communicates with no other sea in the world, i. 37. Is represented as nearly round in antient charts, 253.
Castor, v. 21. n. 260. n. 261. n.
Castoreum, a substance found in the body of the beaver, and used in medicine, v. 43. Hath a very offensive smell, 270.
Cat described, iv. 49. Is extremely amorous, and the female more so than the male, 51. The male has an inclination to devour the young,
ib.
; which the female will sometimes do, 52. In Cyprus, the cats were trained to hunt serpents,
ib.
Physical cause of the cat's watching, 53. These animals cannot be entirely tamed,
ib.
Are extremely hardy and vivacious, 55. Wild cat described,
ib.
Wild cats found in all countries of the world, 56. Pietro della Valle's description of a species of Persian cats,
ib.
Have a perfect resemblance to the cat of Angora, 57. Whence the beauty of these cats proceeds,
ib.
Father Tertre's description of American cats, 59. Cats sometimes sleep so profoundly, that they can scarce be awaked, 63. Sometimes their breath has an odour of musk, 64. Chinese cats have pendulous ears,
ib.
Some cats observed in France with pencils of hair at their ears, 65. Description of the Lion by the name of
cat,
&c. v. 64. n.
Catanea destroyed by an earthquake in 1683, i. 411.
Cataract. See
Cheselden.
Catus, iv. 49. n.
Caverns; dissertation on them, i. 442. Are in a manner peculiar to mountains, 450. Frequent in the Archipelago Islands,
ib.
Description of the cavern in Derbyshire, called the
Devil's Hole,
451. Of the cavern in Antiparos, the cave of Trophonius, and several others, 452. 453. Caverns are frequent in all countries infested with volcanos and earthquakes, 454. The labyrinth of Crete is a natural cavern augmented by art,
ib.
Cavia, iv. 296. n. v. 392. n. vii. 83. n.
Cavy, a name for the Guinea-pig, iv. 296. n. Long nosed Cavy. See
Agouti.
Spotted Cavy. See
Paca.
Cay. viii. 196. n.
Caymiri, viii. 199. n.
Cayopollin, v. 438. n.
Cayouassou, viii. 193. n.
Cemas, vi. 410. n.
Cephos, viii. 113. n.
Cerf, vii. 8. n.
Cerigo; an island which abounds in porphyry, i. 206.
Ceropithecus, viii. 129. n. 140. n. 141. n. 160. n. 163. n. 168. n. 176. n. 184. n. 193. n. 196. n. 199. n. 201. n. 203. n.
Cervus, iii. 74. n. 113. n. 120. n. vi. 316. n. 317. n. vii. 31. n. 32. n. 110. n. 114. n.
Ceylon said to have been separated from the peninsula of India by an earthquake, i. 488. 496. Account of the natives, iii. 100.
Chacal, vii. 255. n.
Changes of land into sea, and sea into land, i. 483.
Chamean, vi. 119. n.
Chamois goat described, vi. 363. See
Goat.
Charlevoix's description of the cataract of Niagara, i. 280. See
Niagara.
Chat, vii. 77.
Cheselden's account of a man affected with a strabismus, in consequence of a blow, iii. 6. Of a lad whom he cured of a cataract, 9.
Chevre, iii. 486. n.
Chevrotains or small antilopes described, vii. 22. Have a resemblance to the stag, but differ from him prodigiously in size,
ib.
Different species of them described, 23. Hinds of the size of a hare found in the East Indies, 26. n. Exceeding small ones found in some parts of Africa, 27. n. Are very easily tamed,
ib.
There are only two species of them known, 28. Are so delicate that they can scarce be transported to Europe, and soon die there,
ib.
Chimpanzee, viii. 77. n.
Chinche, vii. 297. n.
Chinese described, iii. 71.
Chinese Bonnet, viii. 148. A variety of the Macaque,
ib.
Found in the East Indies, 149. Their method of stealing sugar canes,
ib.
Distinctive characters of the species, 153.
Circassia produces very beautiful women, iii. 119.
Circumcision, a very antient custom, ii. 401. How practised in Persia, the Maldivia Islands, &c. 402.
Civet described, v. 239. Two species of the animal, 240. Has nothing in common with the cat but agility of body, 243. Description of the perfume called civet,
ib.
This must not be confounded with the musk,
ib.
The two species of civets have never been properly distinguished, 244. The civets, though originally natives of Africa and Asia, can live in temperate, and even cold countries, 249. Great numbers of civets kept in Holland,
ib.
Manner of collecting the perfume, 250. Exceeding strength of civet as a perfume, 251. These animals naturally savage, and even ferocious, 252. Civet now little used, 253. Account of a civet kept at Fort Mine, on the African coast,
ib.
Civette, v. 239. n.
Clay perfectly analogous with sand, i. 184.
Coaita, a species of monkey described, viii. 184. Cannot bear cold, 185.
Coal-mines sometimes take fire, but never burn like volcanos, i. 441.
Coati, or Brasilian weasel described, v. 53. Two varieties of the species,
ib.
Difference between the Coati and the Racoon, 54. This animal, by some, confounded with the sowbadger,
ib.
Mistake of Aldrovandus concerning it,
ib.
The Coati has a custom of gnawing the extremity of his own tail, 55. Inferences from this fact,
ib.
Is an animal of prey, 56.
Coati-mondi, a name given by some authors to the Coati, v. 53. Is a variety of the same species,
ib.
Account of one kept by Linnaeus, 56. Has an unaccountable aversion to hog's bristles,
ib.
Is a very sleepy animal, 57.
Cochon d'eau, vii. 64. n.
Cockles; vast numbers of petrified ones found in some places, i. 221.
Comets must sometimes fall into the sun, i. 66. Consequences of their falling perpendicularly, and of falling obliquely, i. 67. How they may detach a quantity of matter from the sun,
ib.
Such an event might possibly produce other changes in the solar system,
ib.
n. A comet of no great size might detach a 650th part of the sun's bulk, 68. A comet, supposed by Whiston to be the cause of the deluge, 99. 104. That the earth was at first an uninhabitable comet, 101. Its atmosphere was a chaos of heterogeneous materials,
ib.
Hence the heat of the earth may last 6000 years,
ib.
Whiston's account of the formation of the earth, 103.
Condoma, or striped antilope, described, vii. 8. Has a head like a stag, but horns like those of a goat, 9. Approaches to the Strepsiceros of Caius,
ib.
Greatly resembles the wild goat of the Cape of Good Hope, 11.
Coqualin, vii. 176. n.
Cordeliers, the highest mountains in the world, i. 237. Extend from the equator beyond the tropics on both sides,
ib.
Terminate in vast plains watered by the greatest rivers in the world, 243.
Cornu ignotum, vi. 407, n.
Cornu Ammonis, found in vast quantities in some places, i. 221.
Coudous, or Indian Antilope described, vii. 40. A very large animal, 41. Perhaps is one of those called
nil-gauts,
42.
Couguar described, v. 197. A very ferocious and cruel animal. 198. Is very common in South America,
ib.
Is afraid of fire, 199. The flesh is good food,
ib.
Couguar of Pensylvania described, 200. Black Couguar described, 201. This last species sometimes called the black tiger or cat, 202. Mr Pennant's description of that animal,
ib.
n. Is the same with the animal called
Jaguarette,
203. M. de la Borde's description of the animal,
ib.
Becomes perfectly tame and peaceable in a domestic state, 205. Account of a tame one, called the
Paltroon Tiger, ib.
Couti, v. 58. n.
Cow. See
Ox.
Cow of Tartary described, viii. 225. Differs from all the species of buffaloes,
ib.
The difference consists only in their grunting, instead of lowing, 227.
Crab-eater described, viii. 279. At a distance resembles a terrier, 280. Is very common at Cayenne, 281. M. de la Borde's description of it, 282.
Crystal, a new and spurious production, i. 199.
Cuandu, v. 119. n. vii. 77. n. 79. n.
Cuguacu, v. 118. n. 138. n. 197. n. 198. n.
Cuniculus, iv. 155. n. 296. n. v. 58. n. 392. n. vii. 202. n. 317. n. viii. 228. n. 230. n.
Currents; a dissertation on them, i. 351. Of their origin, 359. Ought to be regarded as large rivers, and subject to the same laws with the land rivers, 361. Account of the most remarkable currents in the world, 362. In mountainous places of the sea, the currents are necessarily violent, 364. Hence they are very rapid and dangerous in the Indian ocean,
ib.
Are produced by the coasts repelling the water of the sea to different distances, 365. The currents of the ocean have scooped out our valleys, and formed our mountains,
ib.
D
Dalenpatius pretends to have discovered several kinds of animals in the semen, ii. 131.
Dama, iv. 113. n.
Dasypus, v. 366. n.
Dead sea; account of the water it receives by rivers, and of what it loses by evaporation, i. 271.
Death; its natural cause common to animals and vegetables, ii. 478. Cannot be avoided, 479. We ought not to be afraid of it, 487. Is not attended with much pain,
ib.
The terror of death is greatest at a distance, 488. Death may be occasioned by continued pain, 491. Account of the death of Charles XII.
ib.
Many of the female sex die through the terror of death, 492. The author's doctrine confirmed by the uncertainty of the signs of death, 493. A certain condition of life has a great resemblance to death, 494. We ought not, therefore, to be hasty in burying persons supposed to be dead,
ib.
Deer; that species of animals described, iv. 74. n.
Deluge could not have transported from the ocean all the shells which are found on dry land, i. 14. Nor could it have dissolved the substance of the earth, 15. According to Whiston, the deluge happened on Wednesday 28th November, 104. Supposed to be occasioned by the tail of a comet,
ib.
And by the waters of the abyss, 105. How, on this supposition, the waters of the deluge were disposed of, 106. Burnet's hypothesis concerning it, 111. Woodward's hypothesis of an universal dissolution by the water, 113. The face of the earth before the deluge, much the same as now, 118. Wood-ward's hypothesis insufficient, 120. And likewise Whiston's, 121. Bourguet's theory, 123. Scheutzer's opinion, 126. The face of the earth could not be changed by the deluge, 129. Ought only to be considered as a supernatural mode of punishing human wickedness, 130. Could not possibly be the effect of any physical cause, 132. The earth, or at least some parts of it, must have been in a different situation before the deluge, from what it is now, 193. Examples of different deluges, 507.
Delos arose from the bottom of the sea, i. 442. Why called Pelagia, 443.
Des Cartes, the first who explained natural appearances on the principles of mechanism, ii. 47. How he attempted to explain the formation of the soetus on these principles, 81.
Devil's hole; a cavern in Derbyshire, described, i. 451.
Didelphis, v. 407. n.
Dog described, iv. 1. In a wild state is formidable to all animals, 2. Importance of this species in the system of nature, 4. Wild dogs differ from wolves only by the facility with which they are tamed, 7. Vast numbers of wild dogs in America, 8. Great varieties among dogs, 9. Shepherd's dog approaches nearer to the primitive race than any other, 16. The largest dogs found in those countries which produce the most beautiful of the human race, 18. Irish grey hound called by the antients the dog of Epirus or Albania,
ib.
Pliny's description of a battle between one of these dogs, first with a lion and then with an elephant,
ib.
Dogs degenerate in hot climates 23. Their flesh preferred by the negroes to that of all other animals.
ib.
An unsuccessful experiment made by Buffon, to make a dog copulate with a she wolf, 24. Another unsuccessful attempt to make a fox copulate with a bitch, 26. A successful experiment of making a wolf copulate with a bitch. 27. n. Another of the same kind, viii. 7. Thirty varieties of dogs enumerated, iv. 30. Dogs not perfectly formed at birth, 33. Genealogical table of dogs explained, 37. Account of a bitch who suckled puppies and cats, without having any connection with a male, 42. Siberian dogs of different kinds described, 43. Mr Colinson's description of those which draw carriages in Siberia, 45. Of the wild dogs, 47. The fox described under the name of dog, 214. n.
Domestic animals. See
Animals.
Dorcas, iv. 120. n.
Dordrecht; a terrible inundation there in 1446, i. 492. The city separated from the main land by a similar inundation in 1421, p. 493.
Dormouse, or sleeper, iv. 334. Specimens of these animals not easily procured,
ib.
Two species of them found in Italy, 335. Sleeps during the winter,
ib.
Douc, or Cochin-China monkey described, viii. 168.
Drake's account of the Acridophagi, or locust eaters of AEthiopia, iii. 135.
Dreams brought as a proof of the memory of brutes, iii. 256. Are produced independent of the mind, 257. In dreaming we have sensations, but no ideas, 258. They never occur during profound sleep, 259. Difference between our dreams and those of brutes, 261.
Drill, viii. 77 n.
Dromedary described, vi. 118. Their great swiftness, 129. n. 130. n. Whence the bunches on the backs of these animals, and of the camel, proceed, 137. Dromedaries produced at Dresden, 149.
Dugon, or Indian Walrus, described, vii. 370. Is distinct from the sea-lion, 371; called by some the sea-bear, or the sea-cow, 371. 372.
Dumb people have no abstract and general knowledge, iii. 36. Account of one who suddenly began to speak,
ib.
Dumb persons taught to speak by Pereire, 38.; and by Mr Braid-wood of Edinburgh, 39. n.
E
Earth, supposed by Whiston to have undergone various changes from the tail of a comet, i. 2. Burnet's imaginations concerning it, 3. Principal appearances of the globe explained by Woodward from the action of an internal; abyss,
ib.
General description of the earth, 4. Shows itself to be only the ruins of a world. Our knowledge of it only superficial, 6. Matter of which it is composed four times heavier than that of the sun,
ib.
Its upper stratum composed of decayed animals and vegetables, 12. Its strata always parallel to each other,
ib.
15. Great changes must have taken place on the surface of the earth in those ages immediately succeeding the creation, 13. It must have acquired a considerable degree of solidity before the deluge, 15. Could not have been dissolved by the deluge,
ib.
16. Horizontal position of its strata, owing to the operation of waters, 15. 18. 28. Why the strata in mountains are inclined to the horizon, 15. Figure of the earth not perfectly spherical, owing to its diurnal revolution, 17. How a true theory of the earth is to be established, 34. Enumeration of its principal phaenomena as a planet, 59. Of its figure, and the materials of which it is composed, 84. Whether its parts are homogeneous, 87. Whiston's theory of the earth, 97.—108. His hypothesis erroneous, but ingenious, 99. Fertility of the earth before the deluge, occasioned by a central fire, 103. Figure of the earth changed from a perfect sphere, 106. Remarks on Whiston's theory, 107. Burnet's theory defective, 109. Woodward's theory, 113—117. Futility of his system pointed out, 114. Examination of various theories and their absurdities, 118—132. Bourguet's account of the earth before and after the deluge, and how it is again to be destroyed, 123. Leibnitz's theory different from all others, 124. The earth was formerly a fixed and luminous star,
ib.
Division of the globe into two belts of land and two of water, 133. Antient continent the principal belt,
ib.
Number of square leagues it contains, 135. New continent the other belt, 135. What parts of the earth are to be reckoned the most antient, 136. Remarks on the division of the earth, 138. First discoveries of the New Continent, 140. Ignorance of the antients concerning the extent of the earth, 141. A much greater space occupied by sea than land, 142. Discoveries by different circumnavigators, 143. Formation of the different strata of the earth, 157—187. Figure assumed by the earth when in a melted state, 158. Interior parts composed of vitrified matter, 159. Formerly the earth must have been covered with water,
ib.
Changes on its surface, with the reasons of them, 160. Table of the different beds of earth found at different depths, in certain places, 163. The upper stratum composed of decayed vegetable and animal matter, 167. Arrangement of the strata, 170. Fishes, the first inhabitants of the globe, 174. The strata of the earth not arranged according to their specific gravities, 179. Probable conjecture concerning the formation of the globe, 181. Sand and clay, the scoriae of burnt matter, 187. Observations of different authors on the various changes which have taken place on the surface of the earth, 223. Of the inequalities on the earth's surface, 228—250. These inequalities necessary to life and vegetation, 228. Physical necessity for its irregularity, 229. Proofs of the author's theory, 243. Of the materials of the earth, and how they are arranged, 244. Surface of the earth most unequal in countries thinly inhabited, 282. The author's theory first suggested, from observing the correspondence between the angles of opposite mountains, 366. Summary of the doctrine concerning the earth, 512.
Earthquakes; dissertation upon them, i. 408.; are produced by volcanoes, 417. Accounts of several terrible earthquakes, 418. Gentile's remarks on earthquakes, 427. Whether earthquakes are capable of raising mountains, 429. See
Mountain.
Earthquakes of two kinds described, 432.; causes of those which extend their effects over wide regions, 434.
Echinus, iv. 300. n.
Ecureuil d'Amerique, v. 326. n.
—Suisse, v. 329. n.
—Volant, v. 307. n.
Eggs; Experiments upon them by Fabricius ab Aquapendente, ii. 86.; how they are disposed within the body of a hen,
ib.
Harvey's system of generation by means of eggs, ii. 89. See
Generation.
Eggs constitute the first class of organic beings, 219.; are only instruments for supplying the place of uteri in those animals deprived of this organ, 242. The term
Egg
applied by anatomists to things of a very opposite nature, 243.
Elephant, the most respectable animal in the world except man, vi. 1. Is able to kill a lion with his tusks, 6. His immense strength,
ib.
; hath been exceedingly esteemed in all ages, 7. Account of the famous white elephant in India, said to be 300 years old, 8. n. Elephants in a wild state are not sanguinary, 10. The hunters only dare attack the straggling ones, 11. These animals are extremely suspicious, and sensible of injuries, 12. Their sense of smelling is exceedingly acute,
ib.
They are excellent swimmers, 13. An enraged elephant can be stopped only by fire, 14. n. Account of their manner of generating, 15. Never generate in a domestic state, 16.; method of hunting and taming them, 18. A tame elephant is the most gentle and obedient of all domestic animals, v. 25. Instance of his great strength and sagacity, 26. n. 40.—43. Method of conducting an elephant, 27. Extreme affection of the elephant for its guide,
ib.
The species extremely numerous, and why, 28. Never change their climate, 29. Why elephants are no longer useful in war, 30. Manner of using them in war in the East, 32. The African elephants cannot be tamed without difficulty, 33 No wild elephants now found on this side of Mount Atlas, 34. Mr Adanson's account of the elephants at Senegal, 34. n. Are more numerous in Africa than in Asia, 37.; overturn the houses of the negroes,
ib.
n. Have a contempt for all other animals,
ib.
The largest elephants found in the south of India and the east of Africa, 38. The Asiatic elephants in general larger than the African ones,
ib.
Those of Ceylon excell all others,
ib.
n. Prince of elephants and manner of feeding them, 41. n. Of their extreme longevity, 42. Elephants of a white or red colour highly valued, 43. The properties of the elephant particularly considered, 47. Inconveniencies to which the elephant is subject from the figure of his body, 54. Water is as necessary to the elephants as air, 63. Many of the Indians devoutly regard the elephant's tail, 65. n. The growth of the elephant retarded by his being kept in a domestic state, 67. He loves wine, arrack, the smoke of tobacco, but hates bad smells, and will fly at the sight of a hog, 71. Some remarkable accounts of the properties of the elephant by the Marquis de Montmirail and others, 72.—81. The prodigious tusks and bones attributed to he
mammouth,
belonged in reality to the elephant, 82. Some account of the vast size of over grown elephants, and the bones of the mammouth found in Siberia, 82.—88. Mistake corrected with regard to the manner of their copulation, 90.
Elk described, vi 315. Unknown to the Greeks, 317.; and to the Latins before the time of Julius Caesar,
ib.
Existed formerly in the forests of Gaul and Germany, 322. Is found in lower latitudes in America than in Europe, 324. American elks described, 327. n. Comparison of the elk with the stag, 328. How the elk is killed by the glutton, 340. Description of the Elk in the memoirs of the Academy, 344.
Particular description of the elk, and the manner of hunting him, 347.—350. Is subject to the falling sickness, 348. n. Account of an elk kept by the Duke of Richmond, 351.
Elk of Africa described, vii. 3. n.
Empacassa, an animal resembling the buffalo, described, vii. 43 n.
Equus, iii. 306. n. 399. n. vi. 264. n.
Erinaceus, iv. 300. n. vii. 86. n.
Ermine described, iv. 262. Becomes white in winter, 263. Has always a slight tinge of yellow in the temperate climates,
ib.
Pontoppidan's remarks on this animal, 264.
Ethiopian boar. See
Cape Verd Boar.
Ethiopians described, iii. 134.
Eunuchs, their properties, ii. 407. Of the different modes of castration, 404.
Euriceros, iv. 113 n.
Exquima, a kind of monkey described, viii. 184. Perhaps only a variety of the coaita, 185. The same with the animal called
Diana
by Linnaeus, 188. Differences between the exquima and coaita, 191.
Eyes of the human species strongly express the passions, ii. 438.
Of the different colours of the eyes, 439.
Eye-brows and eye lids, their use, ii. 441.
F
Fallow-deer described, iv. 113. Approaches nearly to the stag,
ib.
The flesh of this animal preferred by dogs to all others, 114. Differences between the fallow deer and the stags. 114.—118.
Faras, or Ravale, v. 406. n.
Fecundity of different animals, table of it, viii. 26.
Felis, iv. 49. n. v. 64. n. 153. n. 168. n. 197. n. 206. n. 240. n. vii. 249. n.
Ferret described, iv. 252. A different species from the polecat,
ib.
Female ferrets die if their desires for a male are not gratified, 253. Excessively sleepy animals,
ib.
A natural enemy to the rabbit,
ib
; how employed to hunt the rabbits, 254. Brought from Africa to Spain, according to Strabo,
ib.
; uncertain whether it is the
ictis
of the Greeks, 255.; pretty strong proof against their identity,
ib.
Fial-mus, vii. 316. n.
Fial rache, vii. 258. n.
Field-mouse, iv. 42. 85. 293.
—Long-tailed described, iv. 285. Very generally and copiously diffused, especially through elevated countries,
ib.
A single animal will sometimes amass a whole bushel of acorns, nuts, &c. 287. Is an exceedingly prolific animal, 289. They devour one another,
ib.
—Short-tailed field-mouse more generally diffused than the former, iv. 293.; does great damage by cutting the stalks of corn,
ib.
; resembles the water-rat in its internal structure more than any other animal, 294.
Fishtal, vi. 206. n.
Fissures of the earth necessarily assume a perpendicular direction, and why, i. 42. Their sides correspond as exactly as those of a split piece of wood, 43. 470.; vary greatly in their extent,
ib.
470. Cause of the large fissures,
ib.
Dissertation on perpendicular fissures, 442.; their origin hitherto unexplained, 458.; are often filled with concretions, sometimes regular and transparent, and sometimes earthy and opaque, 463.; are found in flint rocks as well as in stone, 469.
Foetus; discourse on its formation, ii. 271. Is either male or female, according as the organic particles prevail in the male or female semen, 274. Why a foetus cannot be produced in the body of the male, 278. Placenta and membranes produced at the same time with the foetus, 279. Why two foetuses are not produced instead of one foetus with a placenta, &c. 80. Sexual parts of the male foetus derived solely from the father, and the rest of the body from the mother, and
vice versa,
283. The foetus is formed by a mixture of the organic particles of both sexes, 286. Attempt to explain its formation, 287. The whole foetus formed at the same time, 289. The whole perhaps formed in a moment, 294. How foetuses may be formed in the vagina,
ib.
Instances of their being found in the ovaria, Fallopian tubes, &c. 295.; of their being formed in the testicles of men, 296.; how this may happen, and how virgins may produce moles, 297. 298. Of the expansion, growth, and delivery of the foetus, 302. Two kinds of growth distinguishable in the foetus,
ib.
How the fundamental and essential parts of an animal body may be discovered, 304. The double parts of the body produced on each side of the single parts by a species of vegetation, 305. The spinal marrow and vertebrae appear to be the real axis of all the double parts of the body, and the source from whence they proceed,
ib.
Prooss that the double parts proceed from the single ones, 306. An attempt to explain the manner in which the foetus is expanded, 309. Size of the foetus at different periods of pregnancy, 314.—318. Why labour pains at last come on, 319. The most natural birth is when the foetus escapes without bursting the membranes, 321. Explanation of the uses of the umbilical chord, membranes, &c. to the foetus, 322. Of the existence of the
alantois
in the human species, 324. Whether the child may respire before its birth, 325. Of the circulation of the blood before birth, 326. Of the nourishment of the foetus, 328. The imagination of the mother cannot affect the foetus, 332. Of the times of gestation, 334. Various opinions concerning the causes of delivery, 336. The author's reasons for supposing that it is occasioned by the menstrual blood, 339. Why delivery is always followed by an haemorrhage in the human species, 344. No haemorrhage attends the delivery of cows, sheep, and other animals, 344.
Fossa, vii. 219. n.
Fossane described, vii. 219. Why called the genet of Madagascar,
ib.
The genitals of the male have an odour of musk,
ib.
Is very difficult to tame, 220. Is the same with the animal called
Berbe
in Guinea,
ib.
Fossil shells; dissertation upon them, i. 188. Prodigious quantities of them found in some places,
ib.
An ignorant porter in the 16th century, first asserted that they were really shells, in opposition to the learned, 189. An astonishing mass of shells discovered by Reaumur, 190. Mr Reaumur's observations concerning them, 191. 192. the above mentioned mass could not be the effect of the deluge, 193. How such prodigious quantities might be collected, 194. Shells are the medium employed by Nature in the formation of most kinds of stones, 195. Are never found in common rock, granite, or free-stones, 199. Are found on the tops of the highest mountains, 200. Strange opinion of Leibnitz and an Italian author concerning them, 203. Are to be met with in almost all countries, 205.—214. Woodward's opinion concerning their position, 217. His assertions not universally true, 218. Whole mountains, rocks, and extensive quarries often full of them, 221.
Fox described, iv. 214. The method of hunting him, 216. How he gets the better of wild bees, wasps, and hornets, 218. Will not copulate with bitches, 221. Of the foxes of different countries, 224.
Foyna, iv. 239. n.
Furo, iv. 252. n.
Furunculus, iv. 252. n.
Furor uterinus, a species of madness, ii. 423. Sometimes proves fatal, 424.
G.
Gainus, iv. 239. n.
Galeopithecus, viii. 205. n.
Galera, or Guiney weasel described, viii. 265. A small species of martin or polecat, 266.; has a strong odour of musk,
ib.
n.
Generation of animals; a dissertation upon it, ii. 49. Attempt to solve it by the hypothesis of organic matter, 50. Proof of the hypothesis drawn from the resemblance of children to their parents, 59. Examination of different systems, 64. Plato's system,
ib.
Final causes not to be admitted in reasoning on this subject, 69. Aristotle's system considered, 71. Opinions of Hippocrates, 81. His system preferable to that of Aristotle, 85. Aquapendente's observations on eggs, 86. Gives no clear idea of generation, 88. Harvey's system,
ib.
His observations concerning the growth of the chick, 91.—94. Concerning the growth of the foetus in deer, 94.—96. Supposes all animals to proceed from eggs, and that generation is a work of the uterus alone, 96. 97. His system uncertain and obscure, 98. Observations of Malphigius on eggs, 101.—105. Harvey censured for want of accuracy, 105. His experiments compared with those of De Graaf on rabbits, 107.—113. De Graaf and Malphigius better observers than Harvey, 113. No eggs exist in the testicles of females, 115. Malphigius and Valisnieri the most exact writers on generation, 116. Account of their observations and experiments, 116.—126. Lewenhoeck's system of generation by animalcules, 127.—137. Both the ovicular and animalcular system attended with insuperable objections, 138.—146. A celebrated experiment by Nuck in favour of eggs, 146. inconclusive, 147. Experiments of the author, shewing that the small moving bodies observed in the seminal fluids are not animalcules, 150.—192. Comparison of these with the experiments of Lewenhoeck, 193.—211. Reflections on these experiments, with a full explanation of the author's system, 212.—254. Of the varieties in the generation of animals, 255.—270.
Genet described; v. 254. Is more easily tamed than the martin, 255. Requires a warm climate for its subsistance and multiplication,
ib.
A particular kind of genet described, 257.
Genetta, v. 254. n.
Geography; a dissertation upon it, i. 133.—156.
Gerboise; vii. 202. n.
Gerbua;
ib.
Germ; immense quantity of matter produced by a single one, ii. 35.
Gibbon, or long armed ape, described, viii. 113. Etymology of the word
Gibbon, ib.
Is of a tranquil disposition and gentle manners, 114. Called the
Fesé
in the kingdom of Gannaura, on the frontier of China, 115. n. Derivation of the word
Fesé, ib.
Gibraltar; no double current runs through the Straits, as has been asserted, i. 313.
Giraffe; see
Camelopard.
Glis; iv. 235.—339. vii. 198.
Glouton; vii. 274. n.
Glutton described, vii. 274. First taken notice of by Olaus Magnus, 275. His incredible voracity, 277.—280. n. Account of one kept alive in France, 282. Description of a voracious American animal called
Carcajou,
285. A similar animal described, 289.
Goat described, iii. 486. Is superior to the sheep, 491. Is naturally a friend to man, 493. Does not thrive well in plain countries, 495.
—Wild goat, Chamois goat, &c. described, vi. 363. Both these were unknown to the Greeks,
ib.
Are to be considered as one species with the domestic goat, 377. All the ten species of goats, mentioned by different authors, ought to be reduced to one, 380. Goats are subject to the vertigo, 382. The wild and chamois goats only found in deserts, and on the highest and most rugged mountains, 383. Hunting the wild goat is very laborious, and sometimes dangerous, 385.
Grimm, or Guinea antilope described, vii. 14. Has a yellow humour secreted in its eyes, smelling like a mixture of musk and castoreum, 18.
Grison, or gray weasel described, iv. 266. Doth not belong to the weasel tribe, 267.
Guariba, viii. 176. n.
Guib, or harnessed antilope, described, vii. 12.
Guiney-pig described, iv. 296. Is an excessively salacious and prolific animal, 297.
Gulo wielfrass, vii. 274. n.
H
Hamster, or German marmot, described, vii. 178. Is the most destructive of all the rats,
ib.
The hamsters destroyed by the pole-cats, 185. They likewise devour each other,
ib.
Become torpid in winter, and cannot be awaked even by an electrical shock, 187. Particular account of the appearance of the hamster, when torpid, and in what manner he awakes, 193.—196. Seems to have no other passion but that of rage, 196. Even the male and female hamsters devour each other, 197. Is not a marmot, 198.
Hare described, iv. 137. Multiplies very fast, 143. Does not chew the cud, 145. Has an acute sense of hearing, but his sight is bad, 146. Surprising instances of instinct in the hare to preserve itself from danger, 147. Measled hares love marshy and watery grounds, 149. Mountain hares larger and better than those of the plains, 149. Become white in high mountains, and in northern regions, during winter, 149. Hares are equally diffused over all climates, 150. Their flesh is not relished by the Eastern nations, 151. Manner of hunting them, 152. Hares often make holes in the clefts of rocks, 153. Will sometimes catch mice like cats, according to Pontoppidan,
ib.
Haut, vii. 151. n. 158. n.
Hearing; a discourse on that sense, iii. 26. Is liable to deceptions in some instances,
ib.
Curious instance of a deception with regard to the sound of a bell, 27. Of the different tones of sounds, 28. Why some sounds are more agreeable than others, 31. Of the reflection of sounds, and the organs of hearing, 33. Of deafness, 34. Those who have bad ears, and unmusical voices, hear better with one ear than the other, 34. Of trumpets and funnels for assisting the hearing, 35.
Hedge-hog described, iv. 300. The female devours her offspring when confined, 302. Is a malevolent animal,
ib.
Very generally diffused, 303.
Herinaceus, iv. 300. n. 304. n.
Hiam, vii. 44.
Hippopotamus described, vi. 277. Imperfectly known to the antients, 278. No precise information obtained concerning him till the middle of the 16th century, 279. His skin is impenetrable, unless steeped in water, 281. Columna's description of this animal inferior to Zerenghi's, 285. Prodigious strength of the hippopotamus, 293. The species is not numerous, 295. Sometimes confounded with the sea-cow, 297. The hippopotamus mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, 304. Observations on the method of preparing the animal's skin, 305. His blood employed by the Indian painters as one of their colours, 314.
Hircus, vi. 206. n. vii. 33. n.
Hog, hog of Siam, and wild boar, described, iii. 500. Is not a distinct species from the wild boar, 501. Is approached by no other species of animals,
ib.
The fat of the hog differs from that of almost every other animal, 509. The hog is the most rude and brutal of all quadrupeds, 511. His sense of feeling is very imperfect, insomuch that mice will sometimes eat into his back without disturbing him, 512. Is subject to a leprous disease,
ib.
Best method of fattening hogs, 513. Wild boars never attack or devour other animals, 518. Method of hunting them, 520. Hogs have multiplied greatly in America, 521. The boar, by becoming domestic, degenerates in cold countries, 522.
—Mexican hog described, v. 271. Is the most numerous and remarkable of all the animals in the New World,
ib.
Goes by a great variety of names,
ib.
n. Has a remarkable aperture on his crupper, 272. Might easily be rendered domestic, 273. Never intermixes with the European hogs, 275. Two distinct species of these animals mentioned by M. de la Borde, 276. His description of them, 277.
—Guiney-hog described, viii. 239. Is domestic and perfectly tame, 240.
Hog-stag described, iv. 111.
Hoitzlacuatzin, vii. 76. n.
Homo duplex; or a dissertation upon the internal qualities of man, iii. 264.
Homo sylvestris, viii. 77. n.
Hooded serpent; a stone found in its head, vi. 440.
Horse described, iii. 306. His excellent character,
ib.
Is rarely seen in a natural state, 307. Is not ferocious, even when wild, 308. Accounts of them by different authors, 309. Directions for weaning foals, 314. 315. When the colts ought to be dressed, 316. The horse's mouth endowed with great sensibility, 318. Explanation of the technical terms employed to express the different external parts of a horse, 320. n. Of the properties which distinguish a good horse, 320.—335. Of the propagation of horses, 335.—344. Of crossing the breeds of horses, 346. Of different kinds of horses, 357. Remarkable instance of the swiftness of an English race-horse, 361. Of the feeding of horses in different countries, 385. Horses often removed from the dominion of their masters form the link between domestic and wild ones, 394.
Hottentots are not true Negroes, iii. 176. Kolbe's account of their method of extirpating one of the testicles of their males,
ib.
Huanuca-Chama, vii. 133. n.
Human species; varieties of it in the different countries of the world, iii. 57.
Hurricanes; dissertation on them, i. 386.
Hyaena described, v. 226. This animal confounded with the jackal, the civet, the glutton, and the baboon,
ib.
He is solitary, extremely ferocious, and can never be tamed, 235. Tears the dead bodies of men and animals out of the earth, 236. More absurdities related of the hyaena than of any other quadruped,
ib.
Account of a hyaena shewn at St Germain, 237. Great strength of the hyaena, 238.
Hymen; whether that membrane exists or not, ii. 415.
Hystrix, vii. 69. n. 76. n. 83. n.
I
Jackal described, vii. 255. Varies every where in size, 256. Diffused all over Asia, from Armenia to Malabar, 259. The same with the
Thos
of the antients, 263. Dig up the bodies of men though buried ever so deep, 264. Will eat leather, skins, tallow, and even excrements, 265. More troublesome than the hyaena,
ib.
Jaguar described, v. 187. The most cruel and formidable animal in America, 188. Is said to attack savages rather than Europeans, 189. Account of one sent to France from New Spain, 193. Manoncour's remarks on the jaguars of Guiana, 194. Is sometimes killed by the ant-eater, 196.
Jaguara, v. 188. n.
Jaguarete, v. 94. n.
Jarff, vii. 274.
Javelin Bat. See
Bat.
Ibex, vi. 363. n. 394. n.
Ichneumon described, vii. 210. Is domestic in Egypt like the cat in Europe,
ib.
Hunts and eats every living creature, 211. Destroys the eggs of the crocodile, and the young crocodiles themselves, 212. There are no distinct species of ichneumons, 213. Hasselquist's description censured, 214. n. Ichneumons cannot be easily reared in temperate climates, 217.
Ignavus, vii. 151. n.
Jerboas described, vii. 201. Four distinct species of them,
ib.
Cannot walk, but advance by leaping, 207. M. Gmelin's remarks on its internal structure, 207.
Indian Walrus See
Walrus.
Infancy; discourse on it, ii. 269.
Infibulation; how performed, ii. 403.
Jocko described, viii. 77. See
Orang Outang.
Isatis, or Arctic dog described, vii. 268. Is peculiar to the northern regions, 270. Why called the
Cross Fox,
271. Mr Colinson's remarks on this animal by the name of
Cossac,
172.
Islands; a discourse on the origin of new ones, i. 442. Are either produced suddenly by the operation of subterraneous fires, or accumulated by the sediment of the waters,
ib.
Accounts of the rising of many new islands, 443.
et seq.
New islands never appear but in the neighbourhood of old ones, 449. Why there are few islands in open seas,
ib.
Isthmus of Suez; would produce a great inundation if cut, i. 39.
K
Kebos, viii. 156. n.
Kevel, or flat horned antilope, described, vi. 400.
Krietsch, vii. 178. n.
Knmrak; a creature begot between an ass and a cow, viii. 35.
L
Lacerta, v. 356. n.
Lacertus, v. 355. n.
Lakes; a dissertation on them, i. 290. Wherein they differ from mediterranean seas, 322. Different kinds of lakes described, 330. 331. How salt lakes may be produced,
ib.
Enumeration of some of the most remarkable lakes, 333. Account of a lake in Bohemia, from whence often issue violent winds, 338.
Lama described, vii. 133. No exact history of this animal hitherto given, 135. The animal mentioned by Gesner under the name of
Allocamelus,
136.; and by Matthiolus under that of
Elaphocamelus, ib.
Peru is their native country, 138. Are extremely lascivious, yet copulate with difficulty, 141. Cannot be made to quicken their pace,
ib.
n. When wild, they will climb the highest rocks, 143.
Lamantin, vii. 375. n.
Land; a general view of it, i. 10. Was formerly covered with the ocean, 12.—17. In what manner it emerged from under the ocean, 30. Reasons for supposing the dry land and the ocean to change places with each other, 31. 32. Instances of these changes, 40. Dissertation on the changes of land into sea, 483.
Leem, vii. 316. n.
Leming, or Lapland marmot described, vii. 316. Inhabit the mountains of Norway and Lapland, 318. Sometimes appear in such numbers as to cover the whole surface of the earth,
ib.
n. Are thought by the vulgar to fall from the clouds, 319.
Lemmar, vii. 316. n.
Lemur, vii. 223.—231.
Leo, v. 64. vii. 348.
Leopard described, v. 169. Was unknown to the antients,
ib.
Is called
Engoi
at Congo, and
Antamba
at Madagascar, 184. See
Ouence
and
Panther.
Lepus, iv. 137. n. 155. n. viii. 228. n. 276. n.
Lepusculus, 4. 155. n.
Lidmée, or brown antilope described, vi. 413. n.
Life; table of the duration of it, ii. 498.
Lion described, v. 65. The species very numerous and fierce in the southern regions of Africa, 68. The lion is capable of being tamed, 69. His generous temper, 70. The American lion has no mane, 74. Lions may be kept alive, and even propagate, in temperate countries, 77. Aristotle's mistakes concerning the lion, 79. The senses of smelling and fight less acute in the lion than in other animals, 81. His manner of hunting his prey, 82. Is fond of the flesh of camels and young elephants, 85. How hunted, 85.
Loris, or tail-less Maucauco described, vii. 231. Differs from all other quadrupeds in the number of its vertebrae,
ib.
Thevenot's description of it, 233.
Loutre, vii. 231.
Lowando described, viii. 133.
Lupus, iv. 196. n. v. 206.—226. vii. 255.
Lutra, iv. 233. n. 236. n. vii. 321. n.
Lynx described, v. 206. The finest skins of lynxes come from Siberia and Canada, 209. Mistake of Mr Klein concerning it, 208.—210. The lynx prefers cold to temperate countries, 213. Fables of the antients concerning this animal, 215. Description of a Canadian lynx, 217. Norwegian lynx described, 218.
M
Macaque and Egret described, viii. 140. Are mild and tractable animals, but extremely dirty and disagreeable, 141.
Macauco. See
Maki.
Madagascar; account of the inhabitants of that island, iii. 160.
Magot, or Barbary ape described, viii. 117.
Maimon, or pig-tailed baboon described, viii. 137.
Makis, or maucaucos, described, vii. 223. Seem to be confined to Madagascar, Mosambique, and the lands adjacent to these islands, 229. Constitute the shade between the long tailed monkeys and digitated quadrupeds, 230.
Malbrook and Chinese bonnet described, viii. 148. Approach very near to the Macaque,
ib.
Man; his natural history, ii. 353. Is better acquainted with other objects than himself,
ib.
Ought first to acquire distinct ideas of the two substances of which he is composed, 354. All our knowledge derived from comparison, 355. Existence of the soul self-evident,
ib.
We are less certain of the existence of external than of internal objects, 357. Comparison of the mind with the body, 358. of man with other animals, 361. Proofs of the immateriality of the human soul, 361.—367.
Man of the wood, viii. 375.
Manati described, vii. 374. First described by Oviedo, 376. Another description, 382. M. de la Condamine's description more perfect than any other, 385. This animal found on the coasts and rivers of Africa as well as in America, 387.
Manatus, vii. 375. n.
Mandrill, or ribbed nose baboon described, viii. 129. Has a violent passion for women, 131.
Mangabey, or monkey with white eye-lids described, viii. 154.
Manhood; discourse on that state of the human body, ii. 436.
Mamcou, v. 406. n.
Manis, or scaly lizard described, v. 355. Two species of it, the long and short tailed,
ib.
Seem to constitute the last shade between quadrupeds and insects, 360. How they defend themselves against beasts of prey,
ib.
n.
Manitou, v. 406. n.
Margay, or Cayenne cat described, vii. 249. Is a ferocious and cruel animal, 250. The same with the
Pichou
of Louisiana,
ib.
The Guepard likewise belongs to this genus, 251. and the tiger-wolf,
ib.
Descriptions of tiger-cats by M. de la Borde and M. Condamine, 252. 253.
Marikina, or silky monkey described, viii. 209.
Marmose, or Marmosa, v. 245. n.
Marmot described, iv. 339. Is easily tamed when taken young, 340. Has some resemblance both to the bear and to the rat, 341. Is very subject to be rendered torpid by cold, 342. Some of these animals are said to allow themselves to be loaded with hay, and drawn by others like a cart, 343. Become extremely lean towards the end of the sleeping season, 344. The Greeks were unacquainted with this animal, and Pliny is the first Latin author who takes notice of it, 345. Marmot of Canada described, 346. Marmot of Kamtschatka, and of the Cape of Good Hope, described, 348. The latter sometimes known by the name of the
Rock badger,
349. Other marmots described, vii. 198.
Marriage. See
Puberty.
Marta, iv. 245. n.
Martarus; iv. 245. n.
Martes, iv. 229. n. 245. n. vii. 309. n.
Martin described, iv. 239. Cannot be perfectly tamed, 241, Sometimes sleeps two days successively, and at other times sleeps none for as long, 242.
Martin of Guiana described, 243.
Marshes; of their effects, i. 473. Account of the most remarkable marshes in Europe, 478.
Mazames described, vii. 30. The word, in the Mexican language, is a generic name for the stag, the fallow-deer, and the roebuck.
Meles, iv. 226. n. v. 239. n. vii. 210. n.
Memina described, vii. 28. n.
Merian opossum described, viii. 267. Merian's mistake with regard to it, 269.
Mico, or fair monkey described, viii. 214. Never described by any traveller but M. Condamine, 215.
Modena; peculiarity of the soil in that duchy, i. 481.
Mole described, iv. 309. Is more amply endowed with generative organs than any other animal, 310. Is most annoyed by the inundations of rivers, 311. Curious method of forming an habitation for its young, 312. Does not sleep during the winter, 313. Frequents only cultivated countries, 314. Mole of the Cape of Good Hope described, 315. Pensylvania mole described, 316. Raises not the earth like the European moles,
ib.
Siberian mole described, viii. 238.
Mona, or varied monkey described, viii. 156. Is fond of ants and other insects, 158.
Monax, or marmot of Canada. See
Marmot.
Mone, viii. 156. n.
Monghos, vii. 210. n.
Mongooz, vii. 224 n.
Mongous, vii. 224. n.
Moschus grimmia, vii. 14. n.
Moschus moschiferus, vii. 45. n.
Mouffetes, or stinking pole-cats described, vii. 295. Have been confounded with each other, and with animals of very different species, 296. Diffuse a most intollerable odour, 299.—305.
Mouflon, and other sheep described, vi. 205. Is the primaeval stockof all the other sheep, 228. Few now exist in Corsica, 229.
Moulds, internal; attempt to define them, and explain generation by them, ii. 33.
Mountains; how formed by the motion of the waters, i. 20.—30. Tropical mountains more elevated than those of the temperate climates, 231. Their figures very different, 233. Their tops at a distance resemble the waves of the sea, 234. The nearer we approach the Equator, the higher are the mountains, 237. The contours of all mountains resemble the works of regular fortifications, 241. Mountains have not been formed by subterraneous fires, 429. Nor by earthquakes, 43
. Composition of their internal parts, 461.
Mouse described. vi. 282. May be tamed to a certain degree,
ib.
Prodigious increase of these animals, 283. Why some people have a horror at them,
ib.
White and red mice found in different countries, 284.
Mules; dissertation on them, viii. 1. Differences between the mules produced by a jack-asa and a mare, and those produed by a horse and a female ass,
ib.
Remarks on the mules produced by a he-goat and ewes, 4. On those produced between a dog and wolf, 6. Aristotle's remarks on the offspring of a mule with a mare, 15. Proofs of the fecundity of common mules, 15—21.
Mus, iv. 275. n. 285. n. 290. n. 293. n. 296. n. 305. n. 334. n. 339. n.; v. 58. n. 261. n. 392. n. 406. n. 435. n. 438. n.; vii. 202. n. 316. n.; viii. 229. n. 233. n. 235. n. 267. n.
Musaraneus, iv. 305. n.
Mussascus, v. 260. n.
Musk described, vii. 44. This animal first taken notice of by the Arabians, 45. Guiney musk described, vii. 27.
Musk rats of Canada and Muscovey described, v. 260. These animals ought not to be confounded with each other, or with the musk-rat of the Antilles, 261. M. Sarrasin's observations on the Canadian musk-rat, 263. Differences between this animal and the beaver, 267. Their odour, though agreeable to the Europeans, is extremely disgustful to savages, 269. Musk-rat of Muscovey has never been examined alive, or dissected by any Naturalist, 270.
Musmon, vi. 205. n.
Musquask, v. 260. n.
Mustache monkey described, viii. 163. Called
White-nose
by the voyagers to Guinea,
ib.
Is the most beautiful of all the monkeys, 164.
Mustela, iv. 232. n. 239. n. 245. n. 248. n. 252. n. 257. n. 262. n.; v. 254. n. 328. n.; vii. 210. n. 220. n. 274. n. 309. n. 321. n.; viii. 267. n.
Myrmecophaga, v. 333.
N
Nature: First view of it, vi. 249.; may be considered as an immense living power,
ib.
; wants only the power of creating and annihilating to render her omnipotent, 250. View of the different bodies which constitute the system of Nature, 252. Second view of Nature, vii. 89. Consideration of the different species of animals by which the earth is inhabited,
ib.
Negroes; account of different nations of them, iii. 140.
et seq.
Niagara; Charlevoix's account of the famous cataract there, i. 280. Is not less than 140 or 150 feet high, 281.
Nil-gaux, vii. 42. n.
Northwest, or Northeast passage to China; of its existence,
144.
Nutrition and growth of animals; dissertation on it, ii. 39.
O
Ocean kept in perpetual motion since the beginning of time, i. 7. 17. Its bottom as irregular as the surface of the dry land, 7. Mountains, currents, calms, &c. in different parts of the ocean, 8. Different kinds of plants and animals found in it, 9. Its waters must have remained for a great number of years on the earth, 11. Flux and reflux of the ocean are the causes of the horizontal position of the strata of the earth, 18. Waters of the ocean have a constant motion from east to west, 31. 32. May again cover the earth, 41. General account of the changes produced by its flux and reflux, 57. The saltness of the ocean proceeds from banks of salt in its bottom, and likewise from the salts brought down by rivers, 275. Its water excessively cold at great depths,
ib.
Is not more salt at the bottom than at the surface, 276. Sulphureous springs, beds of bitumen, &c. found at the bottom of the sea, 276.
Ocelot, or Mexican cat described, vii. 243. The most beautiful of all spotted animals, 245. Is excessively fond of blood, 246. Cannot be tamed, 247.
Odobenus, vii. 355. n.
Old age; dissertation upon it, ii. 470.
Olive cavy. See
Akouchi.
Onager, vi. 264. n.
Opossum, v. 405. n.
Opossum of Virginia described, v. 404. Has a cavity under the belly, in which the young are received and suckled,
ib.
The same with the great oriental philander of Seba, 407. Remarks on his account of these animals, 411. The opossum is an original native of the warm countries of America, 422. Its time of gestation probably much shorter than that of other quadrupeds, 423. Its pouch not to be regarded as indispensibly necessary for the preservation of the young, 424. The young opossums never quit the teats with their mouths till they have strength to walk, 425. Manner of the opossum's catching its prey, 427. Is easily tamed, but has a disagreeable appearance and smell, 428. M. de la Borde's account of three tame opossums, 429. The opossum is not the same with the East India animal called
coescoes,
430. Murine opossum described, 435. The birth of the young in this species still more premature than in the former, 436. Mexican opossum described, 438. Have an ugly aspect, 440.
Orang-outang described, viii. 77. The same with the pongo and Jocko,
ib.
Have the greatest resemblance to man of all the apes, 78. Bontius's account of them,
ib.
This account suspicious, 80. Dr Tyson's description,
ib.
Accounts by other authors, 81. Buffon's account of one which he saw, 86. Of the natural instincts of these animals, distinguished from what they acquire by education, 89. Comparison of the body of the orang-outang with a human body, 95. Has a greater resemblance to man than to baboons or monkeys, 97. Tyson's account of him criticised, 101.
Organic matter defined, ii. 36. How distinguished from brute matter,
ib.
By means of organic matter Nature forms organized bodies, 37.
Ortohula, vii. 306. n.
Ossa, v. 406. n.
Otter described, iv. 232. The young otters less handsome than the old ones, 233. Is of a savage disposition, and cannot be tamed, 234. The species probably extend over all temperate climates, 235. Cayenne otters described, 236. Sea otters described, vii. 321. Canadian otter described, 324.
Oanderou described, viii. 133.
Ouarine and alouate described, viii. 176. Exceed the largest monkeys in size, and approach to that of the baboons,
ib.
Marcgrave's account of their oratory, 177. Remarkable instances of their sagacity, 180.
Ouaikare, vii. 151. n.
Ovis, iii. 462. n. vii. 133. n.
Ouistiti, or striated monkey described, viii. 205. Might be multiplied in the southern countries of Europe, 207.
Ounce described, v. 167. Taught by the Persians and others to hunt, 179. 182.
Ox described, iii. 423. The word, in common acceptation, denotes black cattle in general, without regard to sex,
ib.
n. The cow may be used in ploughing, 435. Of castrating black cattle, 436. The copulation or contact of oxen produces warty tumours on cows, 437. This disease never appears in Britain,
ib.
n. Of the propagation of black cattle, 438. Of their bellowing, 442. Marks of a good ox, 443. Of rumination, 448. Of milk, 453. Of the use of salt in fattening oxen, 454. They ought to be prevented from licking themselves, 455. Of the Siberian and Norway oxen, &c. 459.
P
Paca, or spotted cavy described, v. 392. Is an animal peculiar to America,
ib.
Is with difficulty taken alive, 394. Account of a tame one, 395. Is a very cleanly animal, 396. Gnaws wood surprisingly, 400. M. de la Borde's account of the animal, 402.
Pacasse, a species of buffalo in Congo, described, vii. 42.
Pacos. See
Lama.
Pag. v. 392. n. 394. n.
Panther described, v. 167.
Papio, viii. 121. n.
Pardalis, vii. 243. n.
Pasan, vi. 407. n.
Patagonian giants; account of them, iii. 186.
Patas, or red monkey described, viii. 144. Is less dexterous than the other monkeys, but extremely inquisitive, 145.
Pecari, v. 271. n.
Pekan and Vison described, vii. 307. The Pekan strongly resembles the pine-weasel, 308.
Perouasca described, viii. 234.
Petit-gris, v. 321. n.
Phalanger, or Surinam oposssm described, vii. 174.
Philander, v. 406. 436. 438. vii. 174.
Phoca, vii. 348. n.
Pholidotus, v. 355. n.
Pichou, vii. 249. n.
Pigmy described, viii. 106. Aristotle's remarks on pigmies, &c.
ib.
Pigmies were, by the antients, accounted more mild and docile than other apes, 109.
Piloris, a species of wood-rats described, v. 262. n.
Pinche, or red-tailed monkey described, viii. 211. Is a beautiful animal, but extremely delicate, 212.
Pine-weasel, or yellow-breasted martin described, iv. 235. The female seizes the nests of squirrels, ducks, and buzzards, 246.
Pismire-eater, v. 333. n.
Pithecus, viii. 206. n.
Planets, how formed, i. 58. Discoveries made concerning their revolutions by Galileo and Newton, 61. Difficulties attending the explanation of the planetary motions, 62. Their revolutions accounted for, from an impulsive and attractive force, 63. Probable cause of the impulsive forces,
ib.
Orbits of the planets nearly circular,
ib.
Conjecture concerning the formation of planets by the falling of a comet into the sun, 64. Have probably received their centrifugal forces all at one time, 66. All of them, together with their satellites, not equal to 1/
th of the sun, 67. Might be driven off in a liquid state, all at once, by the stroke of a comet, 68. Their densities decrease in proportion to their distance from the sun, and why,
ib.
Platyceros, iv. 113.
Polatouche, v. 307. n.
Polecat described, iv. 248. Might be usefully employed in diminishing the number of rabbits, 249. Is confined to the temperate climates, 250.
Pongo, See
Orang-outang.
Porc-epic, vii. 69.
Porcellus, vii. 178. n.
Porcupine described, vii. 69. Cannot dart its quills to a distance, 71. Can exist and multiply in cold countries, 73. Brasilian porcupine described, 76. Canada porcupine described, 83. Is a sleepy animal, 85.
Porcus, iv. 304. viii. 240.
Pouc described, viii. 233.
Preacher monkey described, viii. 176. n.
Prosimia, vii. 233. n.
Pteropus, v. 283.
Puberty; dissertation on it, ii. 400. Marriage the natural state of the human species after puberty, 422.
Putorius, iv. 248. n.
Q
Quato, viii. 184.
Quojas-marrou, viii. 77. n.
R
Rabbit described, iv. 155. Their surprising fecundity, 157. Have a great respect for their fathers, 161. Are fond of heat, 162.
Racoon described, v. 46. Dilutes in water every thing he intends to eat, 48. Account of a tame one, 49.
Rains occasion great changes on the surface of the earth, i. 51. Dissertation upon their effects, 473.
Rain-deer described, vi. 315. Is mentioned by Julius Caesar, 320. 322. Was confounded with the elk by Pliny, 323. Is found in more northerly regions than the elk, 324.—326. Great advantages derived by the Laplanders from these creatures, 330.—333. Cannot bear the warmth of a southern climate,
ib.
The rain-deer for drawing sledges, produced by a mixture of the wild and domestic kinds,
ib.
Manner of travelling in the sledges, 334. Similarity between them and the stags,
ib.
The rain-deer defends himself against the wolf, 339. But is killed by the glutton, 340. Methods used by the Laplanders of hunting the wild rain-deer, 343.
Rangier, vi. 317. n.
Rat described, iv. 275. Several small animals confounded under this name, 277. The whole species are natives of temperate climates, 279. Have never multiplied farther north than Sweden, 280. Brown rat described, 336. Approaches to the nature of the water-rat, 337. Madagascar rat described, viii. 284. Water-rat described, iv. 290. White water-rat described, viii. 239.
Rat de bois, v. 406. n.
Rat savage,
ib.
Reproduction of animals; dissertation on it, ii. 16.
Rhenos, vi. 317. n.
Rhinoceros described, vi. 92. Was unknown to the antient Greeks,
ib.
n. Account of one brought to London from Bengal, 99. The horn of the rhinoceros esteemed by the Indians, on account of its imaginary medical virtues, 105. The rhinoceros is an exceedingly brutal and untractable animal, subject to paroxysins of rage, which nothing can appease, 106. Does great damage to the cultivated fields, 108. Excessive hardness of his skin, 111. Has the senses of hearing and smelling very acute, but bad eyes, 113. Account of one brought to France, 114. Is capable of being tamed, 115.
River-horse, vi. 278. n.
River-pard, vi. 278. n.
River-hog, vii. 64. n.
Rivers generally run perpendicular to the sea-coasts where they empty themselves; i. 10. Follow the direction of the mountains from whence they derive their origin, 11. Some bury themselves under ground,
ib,
Sometimes block up seas, and form new lands; 36. Produce great changes on the surface of the earth, 51. Have angles corresponding to each other on their opposite banks,
ib.
Dissertation upon them, 251.
Rock cavy described, viii. 274. Partakes of the nature of the rabbit and rat,
ib.
Roe-deer described, iv. 120. His method of escaping from hounds, 121. Their horns, while soft, are extremely sensible, 127. M. de la Borde's account of the American rocdeer, 135.
Rosmarus, vii. 355. n.
Rosomaka, vii. 274. n.
Rougette, v. 282. n.
Rupicapra, v. 206. 363.
S
Sable described, vii. 309. Mr Gmelin, the first who gave a figure of the animal,
ib.
Manner of hunting them, 313.—315. This animal is probably the same with the
Satherius
of Aristotle, 313.
Sable mice; vii. 316. n.
Saccawinkee, viii. 201. n.
Sagouy, viii. 205. n.
Sai, or weeper described, viii. 196. Called also
musk monkeys,
ib.
Are mild, docile, and very timid animals, 197.
Saimiri, or orange monkey, described, viii. 199. Is a very beautiful animal; but very delicate,
ib.
Sajou, or capuchin monkey, described, viii. 193. Their constitution well adapted to temperate climates, 194.
Saki, or fox-tailed monkey, described, viii. 201.
Sapajous and Sagoins, described, viii. 172. Five different species of sapajous, 173. Six species of sagoins, 174.
Saricovienne, vii. 32. n.
Sarigoy, v. 405. n.
Satyri sylvestres, viii. 77. n.
Satyrus Indicus,
ib.
Sayga, or Scythian Antilope, described, vi. 393.
Schismus, iv. 239. n.
Schwein, iii. 500. n.
Sciurus, iv. 268. n. 325. n. v. 307. n. 312 n. 321. 328. n.
Sea communicates with certain lakes, i. 11. Gains on some places of the earth, and loses on others, 31. Its bottom perpetually filling up, 33. Dissertation upon seas, 290. Upon the inequalities in the bottom of the sea, 351.
Sea-ox, vi. 278. n.
Sea-lion. See
Seal.
Seals described, vii. 330. Is the model from whence the poets formed the Tritons, Sirens, &c. 331. Colour of the seal's hair becomes white with age, 338. n. Account of a very big one shown at London, 341. n. Three distinct species of this animal, 342. The seal seems to be entertained with thunder and lightening, and is fond of receiving rain, 345. Is very tenacious of life,
ib.
The sea-lion perhaps a species of seal, 347. That animal described, 348.
Seeing; dissertation on that sense, iii. 1.
Senses in general; dissertation upon them, 40.
Serval, or mountain cat, described, vii. 240. Is an exceedingly ferocious animal, 241.
Seruoi, v. 405. n.
Sheep described. iii. 462. The species could not have subsisted without the assistance of man, 463. Is the most stupid of all quadrupeds, 465. These two positions controverted, 463.—465. n. Some other assertions controverted, 468. n. Worms frequently found in their livers, 478. Account of the sheep of different countries, 482—485.
Shrew-mouse described, iv. 305. Seems to fill the interval between the rat and the mole,
ib.
A disease of horses falsely attributed to the bite of this animal, 306. Brasisian shrew described, viii. 273.
Siegen-boek, iii. 469. n.
Simi-vulpa, v. 406. n.
Simia, vii. 223. 231. n. viii. 77. n. 106. n. 117. n. 121. n. 129. n. 137. n. 140. n. 154. n. 160. n. 163. n. 176. n. 184. n. 194. n. 198. n. 201. n. 203. n. 205. n. 209. n. 211. n.
Singe, viii. 106. n.
Siyah-gush, v. 221. n.
Skunk, vii. 297. n.
Sloths described, vii. 151. Constitute the last term of existence in the order of animals endowed with flesh and blood, 155. Their miserable situation, 156. Are very tenacious of life, 158. Are peculiar to South America, 160. Account of a tame one, 161. M. de la Borde's account of the sloths in Cayenne, 163.
Sorax, iv. 305. n.
Souslik, or Casan marmot described, viii. 234. Is extremely fond of salt, 236.
Spider monkey, viii. 184.
Squashe, vii. 296. n.
Squirrel described, iv. 268. Approaches to the nature of birds, 269. Sails over rivers on a piece of the bark of a tree,
ib.
Few varieties of the species, 271. Squirrels are natives of cold rather than warm climates, 272. Fat squirrel described, 325. Sleeps during the winter, 327. The fat squirrels do not inhabit very cold countries, 331. Garden squirrel described, 332. Flying squirrel, described, v. 307. Manner of its flying described, 309. Resembles the bat, 311. Sailing, or great flying squirrel, described, 312. Account of a tame one, 316. Gray squirrel, 321. Palm-squirrel, Barbary squirrel, and ground squirrel, 328. Coquallin, or varied squirrel, vii. 176.
Stag, or red deer, described, iv. 74. Of the knowledge necessary for a huntsman, 77.
Stein boek, vi. 363. n.
Strata of the earth; why always in a horizontal position, i. 15. 18. 28. Those of stones in quarries almost all horizontal, or regularly inclined 25. Preserve the same thickness throughout their whole extent, 26. Beds of sand and gravel are an exception to the general rule concerning the formation of strata, 26. Those formed by rivers, how distinguished from the original strata of the earth, 27. No river-shells found in the original strata, 28. Dissertation on the formation of strata, 157.
Strepsiceros, vii. 8. n.
Surikate, or four toed weasel, described, vii. 167. Cannot subsist long in a cold climate, 168.
Surmulot, iv. 336. n.
Sus, iii. 500. n. v. 272. vii. 59. 64. viii. 240. 242.
T
Tajacu, v. 272. n.
Tajovanicus, v. 355.
Talapoin monkey, described, viii. 165.
Talpa, iv. 309. n. viii. 239. n.
Tamandua, v. 333. n.
Tamanoir, v. 333. n.
Tamarin, or great-eared monkey, described, viii. 203.
Tanrec and tendrac, or Asiatic hedge-hog, described, vii. 86. Sleep in the winter, during which time their hair falls off, 88.
Tapeti, or Brasilian hare, described, viii. 276.
Tapir described, vi. 243. The largest animal of America,
ib.
Supposed by some naturalists to belong to the hippopotamus, 247. Is a mild and timid animal, 248.
Tarandus, vi. 317. n.
Tardigradus, vii. 151. n.
Tarsier, or woolly jerboa, described, vii. 171. Is remarkable for the length of its hind legs,
ib.
Tatu, v. 369. n.
Tatus, v. 369. n.
Taxus, iv. 226. n. v. 226. n.
Tayra, Galera, or Guinea weasel, described, viii. 265. Is a small species of martin, or polecat, 266.
Tepe Maxtlaton, vii. 249. n.
Tides; dissertation on their causes and effects, i. 339.
Tiger described, v 153. Holds the second rank among carnivorous animals,
ib.
Is said to follow the rhinoceros for the sake of eating his dung, 155. His prodigious strength, 156. His excessive serocity, 159. Account of a combat between a tiger and two elephants, 160. The species more rare than the lions, 164. The skin much esteemed in China, 165.
Tiger cat, vii. 241.
Tigers; dissertation on them, v. 87.
Tigris, v. 153. 188. 197.
Tlacootzlotl, vii. 243.
Tolai, or Baikal hare, vii. 228. Resembles the rabbit,
ib.
Tragelaphus, v. 205.
Tragulus, vii. 14. n. 22. n. 27. n. 33. n. 45. n.
Tragus, vi. 412. n. vii. 45. n. 110. n.
Trichecus, vii. 355. n. 375. n.
Tucan, or Mexican shrew, described, viii. 271. The same with the red mole of Seba,
ib.
Has not sagacity sufficient to discover its retreat, after having once left it, 272.
V
Vacca, viii. 225. n.
Vache, vii. 2. n.
Vampire, or spectre, described, v. 281.
Vansire described, vii. 221. Is not a ferret, as some have thought,
ib.
The same with the Java weasel of Seba,
ib.
Resembles an animal called the
nems,
223. Description of that animal,
ib.
Vari, vii. 223. n.
Vespertilio, iv. 381. n. v. 281. n. vii. 234. n.
Vesuvius; account of its first eruption, i. 412.
Viper; has been said to suck cows, goats, and sheep, iii. 497. n.
Virginity; its signs equivocal, ii. 417.
Vison described, vi. 307. Has a great resemblance to the martin, 308.
Viverra, iv. 252. n. v. 53. n. 240. n. 254. n. vii. 210. n.
Unau. Se
Sloths.
Volcanoes may be the cause of considerable earthquakes, i. 47. Dissertation on them, 408.
Ursus, iv. 226. n. 313. n. vi. 46. n. 53. n.
Urus, vi. 151. n. Is the same animal with the common bull in its wild state, 171.
Vulpes, iv. 214. n. v. 46. n. 53. n. 406. n. vii. 268. n.
W
Walrus described, vii. 354. Is seldom seem but in the northern seas, 357. Formerly much more diffused than at present, 365. Can live for some time in a temperate climate, 367. Indian Walrus or dugon described, 370.
Water; subterraneous collections of it exist, especially under large plains, i. 54.
Water elephant, vi. 278.
Water-shrew, or blind mouse described, iv. 308.
Water spouts; account of them and their causes, i. 398.
Weasel described, iv. 257. Rarely found in the northern countries,
ib.
Cannot be tamed, 258. This assertion contradicted, 260.
Whirlwinds; account of them, i. 394. Produced by
winds, 395.
Whirlpools accounted for, i. 396.
Whiston's theory of the earth, i. 97. See
Earth.
Widdor Schaaf, iii. 462. n.
Wieprz lesny, iii. 500. n.
Wild animals. See
Animals.
Wild boar. See
Hog.
Winds: Of regular ones, i. 367. Of irregular ones, 386.
Wolf described, iv. 196. Has a very strong carnivorous appetite,
ib
Frequently dies of hunger,
ib.
Has a great resemblance to the dog, 197. May be tamed whilst young, 198. Is a solitary animal, 199. Differences between the wolf and dog, 201. Great strength of the wolf, 204 Method of hunting this animal, 205. Ferocity of the wolf comes on about the age of eighteen months, 208. Mistake of the author concerning the existence of wolves in Scotland, 210. n. Black wolf described, 212. Mexican wolf described, viii. 258.
Woodward's theory of the earth, i. 113.
X
Xoloizcuintli, viii. 258. n.
Y
Ysquipatl, vii. 296. n.
Ysard, vi. 364. n.
Ysarus, vi. 364. n.
Ytzcuinte porzotli, viii. 262. n.
Z
Zebra described, vi. 264. Is perhaps the most elegant of all quadrupeds,
ib.
Is neither a horse nor an ass, 265. Is not the
Onager
of the antients, 266. Approaches to the nature of the ass and the horse, 272. 273. Of the same species with the fertile mule of Tartary called
Czigithai,
274.
Zebu, or dwarf ox described, vi. 150. 240.
Zibet. See
Civet.
Zemni, or Podolian marmot described, viii. 232.
Zisel, or earless marmot described, viii. 229. Is very different from the hamster, 231.
Zits jan, viii. 232. n.
Zobel, vii. 309. n.
Zobela, vii. 309. n.
FINIS