Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match

Francis C. (Francis Channing) Woodworth

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• Publié par: theyp
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 49
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 16 Mo

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match, by Francis C. Woodworth This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match Author: Francis C. Woodworth Release Date: July 6, 2006 [eBook #18767] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS: WITH PICTURES TO MATCH*** E-text prepared by Ben Beasley, Paul Ereaut, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/) from page images generously made available by Literature for Children, a State University System of Florida PALMM Project (http://palmm.fcla.edu/juv/) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Literature for Children, a State University System of Florida PALMM Project. See http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx? c=juv&idno=UF00002052&format=jpg or http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx? c=juv&idno=UF00002052&format=pdf STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS. WITH PICTURES TO MATCH BY FRANCIS C. WOODWORTH, EDITOR OF "THE YOUTH'S CABINET," AUTHOR OF "STORIES ABOUT BIRDS," &c. BOSTON. PHILLIPS, SAMPSON AND COMPANY. 1851. Preface. n the following pages are grouped together anecdotes illustrative of the peculiarities of different animals—mostly quadrupeds—their habits, dispositions, intelligence, and affection. Nothing like a scientific treatise of any of these animals has been attempted. I do not even give a generic or specific history of one of them, except so far as they are all casually and incidentally described in these anecdotes. Their natural history, in detail, I leave for others, as the historian or biographer of men, bent only on a record of the thoughts, words, and acts of men, passes by the abstract details, however interesting they may be, of human physiology, and the general characteristics of the species. I have not aimed to introduce to the reader, in this volume, all the animals belonging to the race of quadrupeds, who have a claim to such a distinction. I have preferred rather to make a selection from the great multitude, and to present such facts and anecdotes respecting those selected as shall, while they interest and entertain the young reader, tend to make him familiar with this branch of useful knowledge. I ought, in justice to myself, to explain the reason why I have restricted my anecdotes almost exclusively to animals belonging to the race of quadrupeds. It is seldom wise, in my judgment, for an author to define, very minutely, any plan he may have, to be developed in future years—as so many circumstances may thwart that plan altogether, or very materially modify it. Yet I may say, in this connection, that the general plan I had marked out for myself, when I set about the task of collecting materials for these familiar anecdotes, is by no means exhausted in this volume, and that, should my stories respecting quadrupeds prove as acceptable to my young friends as I hope, it is my intention eventually to pursue the same, or a similar course, in relation to the other great divisions of the animal kingdom—Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Fishes, etc. The stories I tell I have picked up wherever I could find them—having been generally content when I have judged a particular story to be, in the first place, a good story, and in the second place, a reliable one. I have not thought it either necessary or desirable, to give, in every case, the source from which I have derived my facts. Some of them I obtained by actual observation; quite as many were communicated by personal friends and casual acquaintances; and by far the greater portion were gleaned from the current newspapers of the day, and from the many valuable works on natural history, published in England and in this country. Among the books I have consulted, I am mostly indebted to the following: Bingley's Anecdotes illustrative of the Instincts of Animals; Knight's Library of Entertaining Knowledge; Bell's Phenomena of Nature; the Young Naturalist's Rambles; Natural History of the Earth and Man; Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge; Animal Biography; and the Penny Magazine. The task of preparing this volume for the press has been an exceedingly pleasant one. Indeed, it has been rather recreation than toil, in comparison with other and severer literary labors. I trust my young friends will take as much pleasure in reading these stories as I have taken in collecting them. I hope too, that no one of my readers will fail to discover, as he proceeds, the evidences of the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Being who formed and who controls and governs the animal kingdom. Here, as in every department of nature's works, these evidences abound, if we will but perceive them. Look at them, dear reader, and in your admiration of nature, forget not the love and reverence you owe to nature's God. Contents PAGE. The Dog The Wolf The Horse The Panther and Leopard 13 66 78 103 The Elephant The Lion The Galago The Bear The Rat and Mouse The Rabbit The Hare The Goat The Tiger The Rhinoceros The Alligator The Cat The Jackal The Sheep The Deer The Hippopotamus The Weasel The Squirrel The Giraffe The Monkey Tribe The Zebra The Ox and Cow The Lama 119 131 155 157 173 189 194 204 211 222 227 235 252 259 272 278 284 293 309 311 324 328 334 PAGE Rover and his Play-fellow The Dog at his Master's Grave Nero, saving Little Ellen The Servant and the Mastiff The Child discovered by the Indian's Dog The Dog of St. Bernard, rescuing the Child The Bloodhound Exploit of the New England Dog A Shepherd Dog feeding a lost Child An Encampment of Gipsies The Russian Sledge The Skirmish with Wolves A Scene in the old Wolf Story The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing The Horse watching over the Trumpeter Parting with the Favorite Horse Alexander taming Bucephalus Uncle Peter and his queer Old Mare The Horse sentenced to die The Leopard and the Serpent The Elephant The Lion The Lioness and her Cubs The Convention of Animals The Galago The Brown Bear The Juggler and his Pupils Field Mice The Rabbit Trap The Rabbit Tame Hares Portrait of Cowper Wonderful Feat of a Goat The Tiger 14 16 19 23 27 33 38 43 48 57 61 68 74 76 82 85 91 97 99 102 118 130 146 150 154 159 171 183 190 191 198 201 205 214 A Newfoundland, saving a Child from drowning 53 The Rhinoceros The Alligator The Cat The Jackal The Wounded Traveler Giotto, sketching among his Sheep The Invalid and the Sheep The Deer The Hippopotamus The Ferret Weasel A Hawk pouncing on a Weasel The Squirrel The Giraffe The Orang-outang The Zebra Cows, taking their comfort 222 228 241 254 258 263 266 273 280 285 290 299 308 317 325 329 Stories about Animals. The Dog. hatever may be thought of the somewhat aristocratic pretensions of the lion, as the dog, after all, has the reputation of being the most intelligent of the inferior animals, I will allow this interesting family the precedence in these stories, and introduce them first to the reader. For the same reason, too—because they exhibit such wonderful marks of intelligence, approaching, sometimes, almost to the boundary of human reason—I shall occupy much more time in relating stories about them than about any other animal. Let me see. Where shall I begin? With Rover, my old friend Rover—my companion and play-fellow, when a little boy? I have a good mind to do so; for he endeared himself to me by thousands of acts of kindness and affection, and he has still a place of honor in my memory. He frequently went to school with me. As soon as he saw me get my satchel of books, he was at my side, and off he ran before me toward the school-house. When he had conducted me to school, he usually took leave of me, and returned home. But he came back again, before school was out, so as to be my companion homeward. I might tell a great many stories about the smartness of Rover; but on the whole I think I will forbear. I am afraid if I should talk half an hour about him, some of you would accuse me of too much partiality for my favorite, and would think I had fallen into the same foolish mistake that is sometimes noticed in over-fond fathers and mothers, who talk about a little boy or girl of theirs, as if there never was another such a prodigy. So I will just pass over Rover's wonderful exploits—for he had some, let me whisper it in your ear —and tell my stories about other people's dogs. ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW. "Going to the dogs," is a favorite expression with a great many people. They understand by it a condition in the last degree deplorable. To "go to the dogs," is spoken of as being just about the worst thing that can happen to a poor fellow. I think differently, however. I wish from my heart, that some selfish persons whom I could name would go to the dogs. They would learn there, I am sure, what they have never learned before—most valuable lessons in gratitude, and affection, and self-sacrifice—to say nothing about common sense, a little more of which would not hurt them. There is an exceedingly affecting story of a dog that lived in Scotland as long ago as 1716: This dog belonged to a Mr. Stewart, of Argyleshire, and was a great favorite with his master. He was a Highland greyhound, I believe. One afternoon, while his master was hunting in company with this dog, he was attacked with inflammation in his side. He returned home, and died the same evening. Some three days afterward his funeral took place, when the dog followed the remains of his master to the grave-yard, which was nearly ten miles from the residence of the family. He remained until the interment was completed, when he returned home with those who attended the funeral. When he entered the house he found the plaid cloak, formerly his master's, hanging