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The Serval is smaller, and the ears are destitute of that tuft of hair so conspicuous at the tip in the lynx. It inhabits the mountainous parts of India and Thibet, feeding on birds, which it pursues by leaping among the branches, or from one tree to another. It is of a fawn colour, with very distinct spots of black.

We have now traced the principal distinctions of the panther kind, from the largest of the tribe down to the domestic cat, which is the smallest. This is too well known to require description. It is the only animal of this class that has been taken under human protection, and may be considered as a faithless friend brought to oppose a still more treacherous enemy.

NATIONAL LIBRARY-Abridged.

V.-ANIMALS OF THE DOG KIND.

THE second class of carnivorous quadrupeds are those of the dog kind. They are neither so numerous, nor, in general, so ferocious as those of the panther or cat kind. The principal species are the hyena, the wolf, the jackal, the fox, and the dog. This class may be principally distinguished by their claws, which have no sheath like those of the other class, but are placed at the point of each toe, without the capability of being stretched forward or drawn back. The nose, as well

as the jaw, of all the dog kind, is longer than in the cat; the body in proportion more strongly made, and covered with hair instead of fur. They also far exceed the other kind in the sense of smell, the olfactory nerves being diffused upon a very extensive membrane within the skull, which accounts for their surprising acuteness in this sense.

The Hyana is a fierce and solitary animal, to be found chiefly in the most desolate parts of the torrid zone. It resides in the caverns of mountains, or in dens that it has formed for itself in the earth. It lives by depredation like the wolf, but is much stronger and more courageous. It sometimes attacks man, carries off cattle, follows the flock, breaks open the sheep cots by

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night, and ravages with insatiable voracity. No words can give an adequate idea of this animal's figure, deformity, and fierceness; more savage and untameable than any other quadruped, it seems to be for ever in a state of rage or rapacity, for ever growling, except when receiving its food. Its eyes then glisten, the bristles of its back stand upright, its head hangs low, and yet its teeth appear; all giving it a most frightful aspect, which a dreadful howl tends to heighten. This howl is very peculiar ; its beginning resembles the voice of a man moaning, and its latter part, his making a violent effort to vomit. As it is loud and frequent, it may perhaps have been sometimes mistaken for a human voice in distress, and given rise to the accounts of the ancients who tell us, that the hyæna makes its moan to attract unwary travellers, and then to destroy them. However this may be, it seems one of the most untractable, and, for its size, most terrible of all quadrupeds. Nor does its courage fall short of its ferocity. It defends itself against the lion, is a match for the panther, and, attacking the ounce, seldom fails to conquer. The hyæna has some similitude to the wolf, but its legs are longer, and different from all other quadrupeds, in having but four toes, as well on the fore feet as on the hinder. Its hair is a dirty grey, marked with black, disposed in wavy lines down the body.

The Wolf is about three feet and a-half long, and about two feet and a-half high, larger than our great breed of mastiffs, which are seldom more than three feet by two. He bears a strong resemblance to the dog, but is much stronger, and the length of his hair contributes still more to his robust appearance. The feature which principally distinguishes the visage of the wolf from that of the dog, is the eye, which opens slantingly upwards in the same direction with the nose; whereas, in the dog, it opens more at right angles with the nose, as in man. The colour of the eyeballs in the wolf, is a fiery green, giving his visage a fierce and formidable air. He generally hides by day in the thickest coverts, and only ventures out at night; when, sallying forth over the country, he keeps peering round the villages, and carries off

such animals as are not under protection-attacks the sheep-fold, scratches up and undermines the thresholds of doors where the sheep are housed, enters furiously, and destroys all before he begins to fix upon and carry off his prey. The wolf has great strength, particularly in his foreparts, and the muscles of his neck and jaws. He carries off a sheep in his mouth without letting it touch the ground, and runs with it much faster than the shepherds who pursue him; so that nothing but the dogs can overtake and oblige him to quit his prey. Notwithstanding his great strength, cunning, and agility, the wolf being the declared enemy of man, is often hard pressed for subsistence; he has always a gaunt and starved appearance, and, indeed, often dies of hunger. He has been hunted down, and is now rarely to be found in civilized countries.

The Fox is of a much more slender make than the wolf, and not nearly so large, being little more than two feet long. The tail is longer and more bushy, the nose smaller, approaching nearer to that of the greyhound, and its hair softer. Its eyes, however, are obliquely set like those of the wolf. The fox has long been famous for cunning; he is patient and prudent, and gains by address what is denied to his courage or strength. He is most destructive to poultry. When he gets into a farm yard, he begins by levelling all the poultry without remorse, and carrying off a part of the spoil, he hides it at some convenient distance. Returning, he carries off another fowl, which he hides in like manner, but not in the same place; and this he repeats several times, until the approach of day, or the noise of the domestics warns him to retire to his hole. He often destroys a large. quantity of game, seizing the partridge and quail while sitting on their nests. He even eats rats, mice, serpents, toads, and lizards. The wasp and the wild bee cannot escape or baffle him. Although at first they fly out upon the invader, and sometimes compel him to retire, this is but for a few minutes, until he has rolled himself upon the ground, and thus crushed such as stick to his skin; he then returns to the charge, and at length, by perseverance obliges them to abandon their combs,

which he greedily devours-both wax and honey. In vain does the hedge-hog roll itself up into a ball to oppose him; he teases it until it is obliged to appear uncovered, and then devours it.

The Jackal, one of the most common wild animals in the East, is about the same size as the fox, but in shape it more nearly resembles the wolf. Its colour is a

bright yellow, or sorrel. Its cry is a howl, mixed with barking, and a lamentation resembling that of human distress. The jackal may be considered as the vulture of the quadruped kind; the most putrid substances that once had life, are greedily devoured. Like the hyæna, the jackals scratch up with their feet the new-made grave, and devour the corpse, however putrid. While at this dreary work, they use a mournful cry, like that of children under chastisement, and having thus dug up the body, they amicably share it. In countries, therefore, where they abound, the people are obliged to beat the earth over the grave, and mix it with thorns, to prevent the jackals from scraping it away. The jackal never goes alone, but always in a pack of forty or fifty together. They watch the burying-grounds, follow armies, and keep in the rear of caravans. The jackal, after having tired down its prey, is often deprived of the spoil by the lion, the panther, or the tiger, whose appetites are superior to their swiftness; these attend its call, and devour the prey which it has run down by its unceasing perseverance; and this circumstance has given rise to the erroneous opinion, that the jackal is the lion's provider. The jackal abounds in most parts of Asia and Africa. Those of the warmest climates are the largest, and their colour is rather of a reddish brown than of that beautiful yellow by which the smaller jackals are distinguished.

But of all the animals which belong to this tribe, the Dog is entitled to claim the preference, being one of the most intelligent of all known quadrupeds, and the acknowledged friend of mankind." In those desert

countries where the dog is found wild, they seem entirely to partake of the disposition of the wolf; unite in large bodies, and attack the most formidable animals of the

forest-the couguar, the panther, and the bison. In its domestic state, the dog is remarkable for its usefulness, obedience, and attachment to its master; and the great variety of breeds that are trained and educated for our benefit or amusement, are almost too numerous to be mentioned. The principal are, the greyhound, noted for his speed; the Newfoundland dog, remarkable for his size, sagacity, and benevolence; the shepherd's dog, perhaps the most useful of all; the spaniel, the barbel, and the setter, useful in hunting; the pointer, the staunchest of all dogs; the Dalmatian or coach-dog, with a skin beautifully spotted; the terrier, useful for destroying vermin; the blood-hound, formerly used for tracing criminals; the harrier, beagle, and foxhound, distinguished for their quick sense of smelling; and the bull-dog and mastiff, which are our watch-dogs.

NATIONAL LIBRARY.-Abridged

VI. SPICES.

THE Nutmeg Tree, producing a precious and delicate spice, is a native of many of the Islands of the East Indies; but its cultivation was chiefly confined by the Dutch to the Island of Banda, for the purpose of retaining a monopoly of the trade; and, with the same view, all the plants within their power in the other Islands were destroyed. The nutmeg tree grows to the height of thirty feet. When the nutmegs are ripe, the natives ascend the trees and collect them with the hand, by pulling the branches towards them with long hooks. The fruit, in this state, is composed of a green shell or rind, inclosing a fibrous substance of a beautiful red colour, which is the spice called mace; and within these two coverings is the nutmeg itself. When the first rind is separated, which is done when they are gathered from the tree, the nutmegs are carried home, and the mace is carefully taken off with a small knife. Exposed to the sun for a day, and afterwards placed in an airy situation, the mace loses its bright red colour, is moistened with sea water to prevent it from drying too much, and then

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