it is obliged to serve; it requires no care, nor no expense in the attending or providing for its sustenance; it is supplied with a warm covering, and therefore does not require to be housed; satisfied with vegetables and grass, it wants neither corn nor hay to subsist it; it is not less moderate in what it drinks, and exceeds even the camel in temperance. Indeed, of all other creatures, it seems to require water least, as it is supplied by nature with saliva in such large quantities, that it spits it out on every occasion: this saliva scems to be the only offensive weapon that the harmless creature has to testify its resentment. When overloaded, or fatigued, and driven on by all the torturing acts of its keeper, it falls on its belly, and pours out against him a quantity of this fluid; which, though probably no way hurtful, the Indians are much afraid of. They say that wherever it falls, it is of such an acrimonious nature, that it will either burn the skin, or cause very dangerous eruptions.

Such are these animals in their domestic state; but as they are found wild in very great numbers, they exhibit marks of great force and agility in their state of nature. The stag is scarcely more swift, or the goat or the shammoy a better climber. All its shapes are more delicate and strong; its colour is tawny, and its wool is but short; in their native forests they are gregarious animals, and are often seen in flocks of two or three hundred at a time. When they perceive a stranger, they regard him at first with astonishment, without marking any fear or surprise; but shortly, as if by common consent, they snuff up the air, somewhat like horses, and at once, by a common flight, take refuge on the tops of the mountains: they are fonder of the northern than the southern side of the Andes; they often climb above the snowy tracts of the mountain, and seem vigorous in proportion to the coldness of their situation. The natives hunt the wild llama for the sake of its fleece. If the dogs surprise one upon the plain, they are generally successful; but if once the llama obtains the rocky precipice of the mountain, the hunters are obliged to desist in their pursuit.

The llama seems to be the largest of the camel kind in America; there are others which are called guanacoes and pacos, that are smaller and weaker, but endued with the same nature, and formed pretty

much in the same manner. They seem to bear the same proportions to each other that the horse does to the ass, and are employed with the same degree of subordination. The wool, however, of the paco seems to be the most valuable, and it is formed into stuffs, not inferior to silk either in price or beauty. The natural colour of the paco is that of a dried rose-leaf; the manufacturers seldom give its wool any other dye, but form it into quilts and carpets, which exceed those from the Levant. This manufacture forms a very considerable branch of commerce in South America, and probably too, might be extended to Europe, were the beauty and the durability of what is thus wrought up sufficiently known.*

LLAMAS IN ENGLAND.-Llamas have been frequently brought to England within the last twenty years, and have been exhibited in the menageries. His Majesty George the fourth had several at Windsor, which were allowed to range in a paddock, but they did not long endure the climate.

The greatest number of llamas that were ever brought over to Europe at one time, was a herd that arrived at Cadiz in 1808. It originally consisted of thirty-six individuals. They were brought from Lima in Peru and Conception in Chili, to Buenos Ayres, by slow journeys of two or three leagues. They

were fed on the road with potatoes, maize, and hay. Eleven only of the number arrived at Cadiz, of which two died there. These animals were brought to Europe, as a present from Godoy (the Prince of Peace) to the Empress Josephine; but they arrived just at the period of his disgrace, at the commencement of the Spanish revolution, and the populace, in hatred to their late minister, were about to throw the llamas into the sea. The governor of Cadiz, however, rescued them, and Marshal Soult, who subsequently traversed the province, took them under his care.-ED.

CHAP. XXVIII.

THE NYL-GHAU.

THIS animal, the name of which is pronounced nylgaw, is a native of India, and has but lately been imported into Europe; it seems to be of a middle nature, between the cow and the deer, and carries the appearance of both in its form. In size, it is as much smaller than the one, as it is larger than the other; its body, horns, and tail, are not unlike those of a bull; and the head, neck, and legs, are very like those of a deer. The colour, in general, is ash or grey, from a mixture of black hairs and white; all along the ridge or edge of the

(The Nyl-ghau.)

neck, the hair is blacker, larger, and more erect, making a short, thin, and upright mane. Its horns are seven inches long; they are six inches round at the foot, growing smaller by degrees, they terminate in a blunt point. The bluntness of these, together with the form of its head and neck, might incline us to suppose it was of the deer kind; but as it never sheds its horns, it has a greater affinity to the cow.

From the disposition of that brought over to this country, which has been very accurately and minutely described by Dr. Hunter, their manners were harmless and gentle. Although in its native wildness, it is said to be fierce and vicious, this seemed pleased with every kind of familiarity, and always licked the hand that stroked, or gave it bread, and never once attempted to use its horns offensively; it seemed to have much dependence on its organs of smell, and snuffed keenly, and with noise, whenever any person came within sight; it did so likewise when any food or drink was brought to it; and was so casily offended with smells, or so cautious, that it would not taste the bread which was offered, when the hand happened to smell strong of turpentine. Its manner of fighting is very particular. It was observed, at Lord Clive's, where two males were put into a little inclosure, that, while they were at a considerable distance from each other, they prepared for the attack by falling upon their fore knees; then they shuffled towards each other with a quick pace, keeping still upon their fore knees, and when they were come within some yards, they made a spring, and darted against each other. The intrepidity and force with which they dart against any object, appeared by the strength with which one of them attempted to overturn a poor labourer who unthinkingly stood on the outside of the pales of its inclosure. The nyl-ghan, with the quickness of lightning, darted against the wood-work with such violence that he broke it to pieces, and broke off one of his horns close to the root, which occasioned the animal's death. At all the places in India where we have settlements, they are considered as rarities, and brought from the distant interior parts of the country. The emperor, sometimes kills them in such numbers, as to distribute quarters

of them to all his omrahs, which shows that they are internally wild and in plenty, and esteemed good or delicious food. The nyl-ghaus which have been brought to England, have been most, if not all of them, received from Surat or Bombay; and they seem to he less uncommon in that part of India than in Bengal; which gives room for a conjecture that they may be indigenous, perhaps, in the province of Guzarat, one of the most western and the most considerable of the Hindostan empire, lying to the northward of Surat, and stretching away to the Indian ocean.

CHAP. XXIX.

THE BEAR.

Or the bear there are three different kinds, the brown bear of the Alps, the black bear of North America, which is smaller, and the great Greenland, or white bear. These, though different in their form, are no doubt of the same original, and owe their chief variations to food and climate. They have all the same habitudes, being equally carnivorous, treacherous, and cruel. It has been said indeed, that the black bear of America rejects animal food, but of the contrary I am certain, as I have often seen the young ones, which are brought over to London, prefer flesh to every kind of vegetable aliment.

THE LABIATED BEAR OR URSINE SLOTH, (Shaw.)-In the year 1792, there was shown in London, under the name of lion-monster, an unknown animal from the neighbourhood of Patna in Bengal. Pennant and Shaw, who examined it, said it had grinders and canine teeth, but no fore teeth; and hence they referred it to the genus Bradypus or Sloth, and from its general resemblance to the bear, named it Ursine Sloth. This erroneous opinion was adopted by several succeeding naturalists Iliger referred it to the

family Tardigrada, considering the descrip. tion of Pennant and Shaw as correct; but on account of the form and number of its teeth, and the form of its claws, he separated it from the genus Bradypus, and described it as a distinct genus under the name Prochilus, from its remarkably movable and extensile lip. It is also mentioned by Cuvier; but he hesitates as to its true place in the system, and remarks that the form of its teeth does not agree with those of the sloth tribe. Very lately, Tidemann, the celebrated comparative anatomist, had an opportunity of examining

a live specimen of this curious animal, and was thus enabled to refer it to its true place in the system. He finds that it is provided with cutting teeth, and belongs not to the sloth, but to the bear, or ursus tribe. cording to Dr. Francis Hamilton, it lives in holes which it digs, and subsists on fruits, sorgho, and white

ants.

Ac

"Of all bears the labiated or sloth bear presents the rudest and most shapeless figure. One might suppose that our great countryman Ray had had this species especially under

The brown bear is properly an inhabitant of the temperate climates; the black finds subsistence in the northern regions of Europe and America; while the great white bear takes refuge in the most icy climates, and lives where scarce any other animal can find subsistence.

The brown bear (g) is not only savage but solitary; he takes refuge in the most anfrequented parts, and

(g) Buffon.

the dormouse, but seems rather to subsist upon the exuberance of its former flesh, and only feels the calls of appetite when the fat it had acquired in summer begins to be entirely wasted away. In this manner when the bear retires to its den, to hide for the winter, it is extremely fat; but at the end of forty or fifty days, when it comes forth to seek for fresh nourishment, it seems to have slept all its flesh away. It is a common report, that during this time, they live by sucking their paws, which is a vulgar error that scarce requires confutation.* These solitary animals couple in autumn, but the time of gestation with the female is still unknown: the female takes great care to provide a proper retreat for her young, she secures them in the hollow of a rock, and provides a bed of hay in the warmest part of the den; she brings forth in winter, and the young ones begin to follow her in spring. The male and female by no means inhabit the same den; they have each their separate retreat, and seldom are seen together but upon the accesses of genial desire.

The voice of the bear is a kind of growl, interrupted with rage, which is often capriciously exerted; and though this animal seems gentle and placid to its master, when tamed; yet it is still to be distrusted and managed with caution, as it is often treacherous and resentful without a cause.

This animal is capable of some degree of instruction. There are few but have seen it dance in awkward measures upon its hind feet, to the voice or the instrument of its leader; and it must be confessed that the dancer is often found to be the best performer of the two. I am told that it is first taught to perform in this manner, by setting it upon hot plates of iron, and then playing to it while in this uneasy situation.

The bear, when come to maturity, can never be tamed; it then continues in its native fierceness, and though caged, still formidably impotent, at the approach of its keeper flies to meet him. But notwithstanding the fierceness of this animal, the natives in those countries where it is found, hunt it with great perseverance and alacrity. The least dangerous method of taking it is by intoxicating it, by throwing brandy upon honey, which it seems to be chiefly fond of, and seeks for in the hollow of trees. In Canada, where the black bears are very common, and where their dens are made in trees, that are hollow towards the top, they are taken by setting fire to their retreats, which are often above thirty feet from the ground. The old one is generally seen first to issue from her den, and is shot by the hunters. The young ones, as they descend, are caught in a noose, and are either kept or killed for provision. Their paws are said to be a great delicacy, and their hams are well enough known at the tables of the luxurious here. Their fat also, which still preserves a certain degree of fluidity, is supposed to be an efficacious remedy in white or indolent tumours, though probably very little superior to hog's lard.

The white Greenland bear differs greatly, both in figure and dimensions, from those already described; and though it preserves in general the external form of its more southern kindred, yet it grows to above three times the size. The brown bear is seldom above six feet long; the white bear is often known from twelve to thirteen. The brown bear is made rather strong and sturdy, like the mastiff; the Greenland bear, though covered with very long hair, and apparently bulky, is nevertheless more slender, both as to the head, neck, and body, and more inclining to the shape of the greyhound. In short, all the variations of its figure and its colour, seem to proceed from the coldness of the climate where it resides, and the nature of the food it is supplied with.

* SUCKING HIS PAws.-This exploded notion arose, perhaps, from the fact of the bear obtaining a new skin on the balls of his feet during the winter months. By licking his paws whilst in his den, the operation of nature is no doubt facilitated. "These animals," says Mr. Lloyd, "when last I saw them were constantly sucking, or mumbling, as the Swedes term it, their own legs and

paws; the operation which was often continued for hours together, was attended with a murmuring kind of noise, which might be heard at some distance. In consequence of this, their legs or feet were generally covered with saliva, or rather foam, which by ignorant people might not improbably be taken for the milk which it was at one time said, the bear was in the habit of extracting from his paws."