Goldsmith's Natural History, Abridged for the Use of Schools

Front matter

BINDERY COPY 2

'Bound to Last'

104 Ramah Circle So.

Preface

In abridging a Work of acknowledged celebrity, an Author must, in some degree, be liable to disrepute; for many beautiful descriptions must of course be mutilated, and many interesting remarks necessarily withheld.

Dr. Goldsmith's History of Animated Nature is so justly and universally admired, that the slightest altera tion in the original design may subject the deviator to censure or diizrace ; but whilst the Naturalist must admire his descriptions, the delicate mother may think them too replete , and fear that the young mind might be incited to investigate what ought only to be explained in maturer years.

The following Work is presented to the Public, and to those who have the instruction of Youth, as a faithful transcript of the Author’s original descriptions, and as being well adapted for the general use of Schools.

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CHAP. L Pa(?e

Introduction, . . 9

CHAP. VI. Birds of the Pie kind

The Raven, the Crow, and their affinities; the Magpie and its affinities; the Woodpecker and its varieties; thj Bird of Paradise and its varieties'; the Cuckoo and its varieties ;

The Parrot and its affinities; the Pigeon and its varieties, 168

CHAP. VII. Birds of the Sparrow kind

The Thrush and its affinities; the Nightingale, the Redbreast, the Lark, the Black-cap, the Wren, the Canary-Bird, the Swallow, and the Humming-Bird, . 171)

CHAP. VIII. Birds of the Crane kind

The Crane, the Stork, the Balearic, and other foreign Cranes, the Heron, the Bittern, the Spoonbill, the Shoveler, the Flamingo, the Avosetta, small birds of the Crane kind, the Water-hen, and the Coot, . 187

CHAP. IX. i Water-Fowls.

The Pelican, the Albatross, the Cormorant, the Gannet, Gulls and Petrels, the Penguin, the Swan, the Goose, the Duck, and the King-fisher, . 198

FISHES.

Introduction

THE World may be considered as one large mansion, where man is permitted to enjoy the works of Nature, and to admire the hand which called it into life. Blest with talents, and endowed with sense, he feels himself the lord of earth’s domain ; but, whilst he contemplates the superiority of his station, he is apt to forget from whom it is derived.

Amidst the many advantages which the mind enjoys from tracing Nature through her varying course, that of finding it raised with admiration to the Power which formed it, is one of the most beneficial that can be produced ; for it is im¬ possible to behold its nice dependencies, without observing an Almighty hand!

In taking a view of Animated Nature, and beholding the connexion which exists in every part, we cannot but observe the exact resemblance which subsists between the human and the animal race. If Providence has bestowed upon us the gift of intellect, they are endowed with sagacity, or strength ; and so great is the similitude in the formation of our bodies, that we might be termed animals erected on the hinder legs.

This resemblance between man and beasts, though it may degrade the body, should elevate the mind, and point out the folly of personal arrogance, when we reflect that our form bears affinity to a brute’s. Man’s superiority consists in virtue, and of that possession he may well be vain ; there he enjoys that pre-eminent distinction, which raises him above every other tribe. — Leaving man to the possession of that

INTRODUCTION.

superiority which the benevolent Author of his being has designed, I shall examine into the life of those inferior ani¬ mals, who, like him, wTere formed for some important use.

In taking a general survey of Nature, the mind expands at the important sight, and becomes lost in contemplating the wondrous power of Him who could endow such myri¬ ads with life ! Not only the forest, air, and waters teem with animals of various kinds, but almost every vegetable and leaf has millions of minute inhabitants, some of which are found objects of the greatest curiosity. In this seeming exuberance of Animated Nature, ignorance might lie down in hopeless uncertainty, and declare that what required such an immensity of labour to search out, must absolutely be inscrutable ; but, with the active investigating mind, diffi¬ culties are calculated to create exertion ; and it begins its task by numbering, grouping, and classing all the various kinds that fall within its notice.

Method is one of the first requisites to be observed in Natural History, and without it very little progress can be made, for it is by that alone we can hope to dissipate the glare which naturally arises from a multitude of objects at once presenting themselves to our astonished sight. Without the aid of system, Nature must have lain undis¬ tinguished, like furniture in a lumber room ; every thing we wish for is there indeed, but we know not where to find it. If, for instance, in a morning excursion, I find a plant, or an insect, the name of which I desire to learn, or perhaps am curious to know whether its species is undiscovered, I can only derive information from examining those methodi¬ cal systems which Naturalists have arranged in regular course. This single proof of the utility of method will completely evince the necessity of the plan ; yet, instead of perplexing the mind by technical expressions, or oppressing the memory with scientific terms, I shall endeavour to make the subject clear and comprehensive to the under¬ standing of those for whom it is designed. In this succinct and elucidating method, I shall adhere to the Author’s plan from whom it is abridged, and divide the different Classes under those fourteen heads with which he commenced his intelligent Work.

All quadrupeds (the number of which, according to Buffon, amounts to about two hundred,) may be classed ac lording to the following plan : —

First, those of the Horse kind This class contains the

INTRODUCTION. 1 1

Horse, the Ass, and the Z e bra r; None of these have horns, and their hoofs are undivided.

; The second class are those of the Cow kind, compre bending the Urus, the Buffalo, the Bison, and the Bonasus, which have cloven hoofs, and chew the cud.

The third class is that of the Sheep kind, with cloven hoofs, and chewing the cud like the former. In this is comprehend ed the Sheep, the Goat, the Lama, the Vigogne, the Gazella, the Guinea deer, and all of a similar make and form, j

| The fourth class is that of the Deer kind, with cloven houfs, and solid horns, which they annually shed.-/ This class contains the Elk, the Rein-deer, the Stag, the Buck, the Roe-buck, and the Axis.

-The fifth class comprehends all those of the Hog kind, the Peccari and the Barbyrouessa.

! The sixth class is that numerous one of the Cat kind. This comprehends the Cat, the Lion, the Panther, the? Leopard, the Jagnow, the Congar, the Jagnaretta, the Lynx, the Ounce, and the Catamountaimi These are all carnivorous, and furnished with crooked claws, which they can sheathe and unsheathe at pleasure.

The seventh class is that of the Dog kind, carnivorous and furnished with claws like the former, but which they cannot sheathe. This class contains the Dog, the Wolf, the Fox, the Jackall, the Isatis, the Hyena, the Civitte, the Gibet, and the Genet. J

The eighth class is that of the Weasel kind ; a long small body, with five toes, or claws, on each foot; the first ot them separated from the rest like a thumb. ^ This includes the Weasel, the Martin, the Pole-cat, the Ferret, the Mangoust, the Vansire, the Ermin, with all the varieties of the American Moufettes.

y The ninth class is that of the Rabbit kind, with two large cutting teeth in each jaw. This comprehends the Rabbit, the Hare, the Guinea-pig; all the various species of the Squirrel, the Dormouse, the Marmotte, the Rat, the Mouse, the Agouti, the Paca, the Aperea, and the Tapeti.i

\The tenth class is that of the Hedge-hog kind, with clawfeet, and covered with prickles, comprehending -the Hedge hog, the Porcupine, the Conando, and the Urson.

The eleventh class is that of the Tortoise kind, covered with a shell or scales.XThis includes the Tortoise, the Pan¬ golin, and the Phataguin.

The twelfth is that of the Otter, o" amphibious kind, com-

INTRODUCTION.

prehending the Otter, the Beaver, the Desman, the Morse, and the Seal.

The thirteenth class is that of the Monkey kind. And the fourteenth class is that of the Winged Quadrupeds, or the Bat kind, containing the Bat, the Flying Squirrel, and some other varieties.

The animals which seem to approach no other kind, either in form or nature, are the Elephant, the Rhinoceros, the Hippopotamus, the Cameleopard, the Camel, the Bear, the Badger, the Tapir, the Cabiai, the Coati, the Antbear, the Tataar, and the Sloth.

After having classed the preceding divisions in regular order, and pointed out the method the reader is to pursue, I shall beg leave to draw his attention from the subject in¬ tended to occupy the following sheets, and, before I expa¬ tiate upon the animal creation , give him an epitome of the characters that mark Ids own.

Hitherto I have compared Man with Animals ; but I shall now point out the varieties that mark the human race : Hitherto I have considered him as an individual being en¬ dowed with excellencies above the rest of the creation : I khall now point out the advantages which civilization be stows, and show that he is little superior to the brute, in an uncultivated state.

Tne Polar regions are universally allowed to exhibit the most marked difference in the human race ; the Laplanders, the Esquimaux Indians, the Samoid Tartars, the inhabitants of Nova Zembla,- the Borandians, the Greenlanders, and the natives of Kamtschatka, may be considered as a distinct set of people, ail resembling each other in their form, stature, customs, and ignorance of mind. Born under a rigorous climate, where Nature’s productions are coarse and few, their stature* seems to have, been as much affected by the hardness of their fare, as their complexion appearsuto have been darkened by the severity of the cold. Their persons are as uncouth, as their manners are uncultivated ; their face large and broad, th# nose flat and short, the eyes of a yellowish brown, inclining io blackness, the eye-lids drawn towards the temples, the clwdk bones high, the mouth large, the hair black end straight, and the colour of the skin a dark-greyish. In all theoo different nations the women

* The height of a Laplander sole <m exceeds four feet, and the tallest amonj tffsm scarcely reaches live.

INTRODUCTION.

bear so striking a similitude to the men, that it is difficult to distinguish the difference between them. There is not only a personal resemblance in the inhabitants of these rigid climes, but their manners and inclinations are the same, for they are all equally rude, stupid, and superstitious Their religion (if such it may be called) is idolatrous ; but the Danish Laplanders have a large black Cat, to which they communicate their secrets, and consult in their affairs. Their attachment to their country is carried to such an ex¬ cess, that they cannot bear to live out of it ; their food is principally dried fish, the flesh of rein-deer, and bears ; and their bread is composed of fish-bones, pounded, and mixed with the inside tender bark of the pine-tree : their drink is train-oil or brandy, or, when deprived of these, water in which juniper-berries have been infused. They are all hunters, and particularly pursue the ermin, the fox, the ounce, and the martin, for the sake of their skins ; these they barter with their southern neighbours for brandy, of which they are immoderately fond. They use skates made of fir, near three feet long, and half a foot broad, and with these they dart forward with such rapidity, over the ice, as to enable them to overtake the fleetest animals. The women are no less hardy than the men, and are equal¬ ly rude and uncultivated. They have no idea of religion, or a Supreme Being ; and with regard to their morals, they have all the virtues of simplicity , and all the vices of ig - norance.

Krantz, in his description of the Greenlanders, observes, K that notwithstanding their rough and unpolished state, they possess the highest notions of their own excellence ; and nothing is more common, when they meet together, than to turn the manners of Europeans into ridicule. The wretched inhabitants of this rigorous country seem formed by Heaven to endure the severity of their fate ; for as their food is both scanty and precarious, it is no uncommon thing for a man to fast three or four days, yet his strength does not seem diminished by this deprivation \ and he stems the fury of the waves in a small canoe, which requires more exertion and skill to manage than a European could possibly use. The women are endowed with no less strength, and are capable of enduring the utmost fatigue ; the Colour of their bodies is a dark-grey, and their faces a kind of olive-brown. They daub themselves over with train-oil ; and in all their habits are dirty in the extreme.”

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INTRODUCTION.

V lie second great variety in the human species seems to be that of the Tartar race. The Tartar country, taken in general, comprehends the greatest part of Asia, and is con¬ sequently a general name given to a number of nations of various forms and complexions. All these nations have the upper part of their visage very broad and wrinkled, even during the period of youth. Their noses are short and flat ; their eyes little, and sunk in their heads ; their cheek bones high ; the lower part of their face narrow ; their chin long ; their teeth of an enormous size, and separated from each other ; their eye-brows thick, large, and covering their eyes ; their complexion olive, and the hair black ; they are of a middle size, extremely strong, and very robust : they all lead a vagrant, wandering life, rernaming under tents formed of different skins : their food is that of horse or camel’s flesh, which they either eat raw, or sodden, by placing it between the horse and the saddle : their drink is the milk of the mare, fermented with millet ground into meal : their head is shaven, except one lock of hair which is left at the top, and is allow¬ ed to grow long enough to form into tresses, which hang down on each side of the face. The women cannot boast of more beauty than the men ; their hair is adorned with pieces of copper, or stuck with ornaments no less inelegant. The majority of these nations are equally devoid of religion and morality, and generally subsist by robbery and theft. The chief of their riches consists in horses, of which there are more in Tartary than any part of the world. Of these animals the natives are so fond that they occupy the same house ; and so great is the skill displayed in their manage¬ ment, that the creatures seem to understand all their mas¬ ter’s designs.

To this race of men, also, we may attach the Chinese, and likewise the natives of Japan ; for though their cus¬ toms and ceremonies may widely differ, it is the formation of the body to which we here attend. It is universally al¬ lowed, that the Chinese have broad faces, small eyes, flat noses, and scarce any beard ; that they are square-shoul¬ dered, and rather less in stature than the Europeans. — These marks are common both to them and the Tartars ; and from thence it may be concluded, that they originally formed one race. With regard to difference of complexion, that must in a great measure depend upon the effect of cli mate and of food.

The Japanese bear so strong a resemblance to the Chi-

INTRODUCTION.

nese, that we cannot hesitate as to the propriety of ranking them in the same class; the only difference is, that theii complexion is browner, which is occasioned by their living in a more southern clime. Their customs and ceremonies are nearly the same ; their ideas of beauty exactly alike ; and their artificial deformities, of blackening the teeth and bandaging the feet, prove that they originally sprung from the same soil. — The Cochin Chinese, the Siamese, the Ton quinese, and the inhabitants of Aracan, Laos, and Pegu, though all differing from the Chinese, and varying in many instances from each other, yet, in essentials , bear so strong a resemblance, that, in former ages, it is to be believed they belonged to the same tribe.

The third variety in the human species is that of the South¬ ern Asiatics, the form of whose features and persons may easily be distinguished from the Tartar race. They are in general of slender shape, wfith long, straight, black hair, often with Roman noses, and resembling Europeans in stature and shape, though they differ from them in the colour of their skin. The women are both delicate and cleanly, and fre¬ quently accustom themselves to the use of the bath ; their colour is olive ; and the men are allowed to be both coward¬ ly and effeminate, which, in some degree, may be occasioned by the influence of the climate, which by tending to relax and enervate the body, must of course lessen the vigour ot the mind : yet there is a degree of humanity amongst soma of these unenlightened people, that proves the natural good ness of their hearts ; for they not only refuse to eat any thing that has life, but are fearful of killing the meanest insect. Indolence and sensuality are the vices that prevail, and pre¬ vent them from exerting the little vigour they possess : in short, since the time of Alexander the Great, there has scarcely been an instance of their success in arms.

The fourth variation in the human species is to be found among the negroes of Africa. This gloomy race of mankind may be said to extend from the southern parts of Africa, from eighteen degrees north of the line, to its extreme ter¬ mination at the Cape of Good Hope.

Each of the Negro nations, it must be owned, differ from each other ; like us, they have peculiar countries remark¬ able for beauty or deformity. Those of Guinea, for exam¬ ple, are extremely ugly, and have an unpleasant scent at¬ tached to their persons; whilst those of Mozambique are allowed to be beautiful, and are entirely free from a d»*

INTRODUCTION.

agreeable smell. The negroes, in general, are of a black colour, with a remarkably smooth and polished skin ; their hair is short, soft, and woolly, and the beard partakes of the same qualities: their eyes are generally of a deep hazel; their noses flat and short ; their lips thick, and their teeth of an ivory whiteness. They are in general allowed to be indolent, mischievous, and revengeful : though many in¬ stances might be brought to evince the goodness of their hearts, and to prove that where they are treated with kind¬ ness and compassion, their fidelity and attachment know no bounds.

The inhabitants of America form a fifth race, different in colour as they are distinct in habitation. The natives of America, (except in the northern extremity, where they bear a strong resemblance to the Laplander,) are of a red or copper colour; and although, in the Old World, differ¬ ent climates produce a variety of complexions and colours, the natives of the New Continent scarcely vary, and all have a striking similitude to each other. Amongst the various tribes which people that extensive country, you will scarcely perceive any difference in the colour of their skin ; all have thick, black, straight hair ; and, in all, their beards are re¬ markably thin. They have in general small eyes, flat noses, and high cheek bones. These deformities of Nature they endeavour to increase by the injudicious aid of Art ; for, as soon as a poor infant is brought into the world, its head is compressed, its nose flattened, and its existence made wretched by unnecessary pain. Both men and women paint their bodies and faces ; but they are neither active, vigorous, nor strong. All the race appears to be cowardly, as they seldom are known to face their foes in the field, but watch the moment when they can take an advantage, and make up in cruelty what is deficient in strength. The wants which they sustain make them patient in adversity ; for dis¬ tress, by being familiar, becomes less formidable : therefore their patience may be considered as the effect of habit, rather than the proof of fortitude or resignation. They all possess a serious air, though few of them are accustomed to reflect or think : and notwithstanding the cruelty of their conduct to their enemies, to each other th >y are uniformly kind and just. The customs of savage nations are in most countries the same. A wild, independent, precarious life produces virtues and vices peculiar to itself ; for patience and hospitality, indolence and rapacity, content and sinceri-

Paoe 21

Buffalo r/ftrr.

PUrtr.J .

THE HORSE.

ty, are blended in America in the same degree of proportion as in other uncivilized parts of the globe.

The sixth and last division of the Human Race is com¬ prised under the term of Europeans, a set of people who possess those superipr advantages which religion and re¬ finement naturally produce : in these may be included the Georgians and Circassians ; the Mingrihans, the natives of Asia Minor and the northern parts of Africa, together with part of those countries that lie north of the Caspian Sea. The inhabitants of countries so remote from each other, of course must vary in their manners and designs ; but in their form and persons there is a striking similitude, and little variation in the colour of their skin : in that respect the Europeans have an advantage which no other part of the world enjoys ; for a fair complexion (if I may so express it) seems a transparent covering to the soul : impressions of joy vermilion the cheek, whilst sympathy and sorrow turn it pale ; and the sensations of the heart may be traced in the countenance, without applying to the aid of speech. Though this personal superiority is allowed to be desirable, it is tri¬ fling when compared with that of the mind; there the Euro¬ pean must feel his pre-eminence, and gratefully acknowledge the blessings of his fate.

Chap. II. The Horse, The Ass, And The Zebra

THE HORSE.

Op all the animals in the Brute Creation, the Horse doubtless claims pre-eminence, whether we consider him beautiful in form, swift in motion, or beneficial to the ease and comfort of mankind.

To have an idea of this noble animal in his native sim¬ plicity, we are not to look for him in the pastures or sta¬ bles to which he has been consigned by man, but in those wild and extensive plains where he has been originally pro¬ duced ; where he ranges without control, and enjoys that freedom bounteous Nature gave. The continual verdure of the fields supplies his wants, and the genial climate seems suited to a constitution which Nature has adapted to be,a<

b 2

THE HORSE.

heat. His enemies of the forest are but few, and he finds safety in the society of friends. In that happy state of na¬ ture and independence, five or six hundred of these animals herd together ; and in the boundless tracts of Africa and New Spain, by care elude the danger of surprise.*

It is not an easy matter to say to what country the Horse originally belongs : the colder climates, it seems, do not agree with him ; for, although he is to be met with in those parts of the world, his form is observed to be much dimin¬ ished, and his nature to be greatly changed. T he horses which are found in the remote parts of America, are allowed to have been of the Spanish breed, and transported thither upon the first discovery of that extensive and new-found sphere. It is not in the New, but the Old World, that we are to look for this animal in its natural state. In the ex¬ tensive deserts of Africa, and the wide-spread countries that separate Tartary from the more southern nations, absolute droves of them appear ; but Arabia is the spot where the most beautif ul breed of this serviceable animal is to be found. There is scarce an Arabian so poor and destitute as not to be in possession of a horse, and so anxious are they to pro¬ mote the comfort of its existence, that they take no less care of his health than their own. The Arabian and his horse occupy one tent; and husband and wife, mare, foal, and children, are frequently seen stretched upon the ground to¬ gether. Cruelty and severity are never practised ; for an Arabian treats his horse as if he were a friend, and never uses either whip or spur but in cases of absolute need. The Arabian horses are of a middle size, easy in motion, and rather inclined to be lean than fat. They are regularly dressed, morning and evening, with the nicest and most ex¬ act care : they wash the legs, the mane, and the tail ; but the hair is seldom combed for fear of making it thin : they keep them without food during the day, though once or twice in the course of it they are allowed to drink ; but at sun-set they hang a bag upon their heads, which contains about half a bushel of clean barley ; this they continue eat¬ ing the whole night, and the empty bag is removed at the approach of day. So particular are the Arabians about the pedigree of these animals, that they can trace their origin

*' In the uncultivated parts of Africa, where these noble animals collect in herds, one of the number always stands as sentinel, to apprize the rest of their enemies’ approach.

THE HORSE.

IS

from the most distant times; and a Welshman is not more vain of the blood of his ancestors , than they are of that which marks the dignity of their horse. Those which are found in the deserts are not quite so large as those which are bred up tame ; they are of a brown colour ; their mane and tail very short, and the hair black and tufted ; but their swiftness is incredible ; and such is the rapidity of their motion, that in a few moments they can outstrip the fleetest dog. The only method, therefore, of taking them, is by traps hidden in the sand, which by entangling their feet, detain them till the hunter arrives, who either kills them, or drives them home alive. If the horse be young, he is considered amongst the Arabians as a very great delicacy ; but if, from his shape and vigour, he promises to be serviceable in his more noble capacit /, they tame him by fatigue and hunger, and he soon becomes a useful and domestic friend. But the horses caught in this manner at present are very few, as the value of Arabian coursers, over all the world, has in a great mea¬ sure thinned the deserts of the wild breed. We arc told by historians, that the Arabians were the first people who at¬ tempted to make this noble animal subservient to the con¬ venience and power of man ; and that, as far back as the time of Sheque Ismael, they carried on a trade with dif¬ ferent nations, and furnished the stables of princes with the most beautiful of their breed, some of which have been known to be sold at the exorbitant sum of fifteen hundred pounds.

The Arabian breed has been diffused into Egypt, Barbary, and Persia ; and, in the latter place, we are told by Marcus Paulus, that there were studs of white mares of the most beautiful form, to the amount of ten thousand. The horses of these countries greatly resemble each other : they are usually of a slender make ; their legs fine, bony, and far apart ; a thin mane ; a fine crest ; a beautiful head ; the ears small, and well pointed; the shoulder thin; the side rounded, without any unsightly prominence; the croup is rather of the longest, and the tail »s generally set high.

In Numidia, the race of horses is very much degenerated, as the natives are discouraged from attending to the breed by the rapacity of the Turks, who seize upon all the good ones they can find, without making the owners the slightest compensation.

The Spanish Genette are allowed by travellers to rank next to the Barbary breed ; and though they are small in

THE HORSE.

size, they aie elegant in form, and swift in motion: their usual colour is black, or dark-bay, and they seldom have any white marks ; they are said to possess courage, obedience, grace, and spirit, in a greater degree than the Barb : and for this reason they have been preferred, as war horses, to those of any other country in the world.

The Italian horses boast of very little beauty, as they have greatly neglected the breed : they have large heads, thick necks, and are very unmanageable ; yet their motion is ele¬ gant, and they have a peculiar aptitude to prance.