The Illustrated London Reading Book Part 6

_Mr. S._ They probably receive pleasure from the company of their own kind, as men and various other creatures do. Then, though they do not a.s.sist one another in building, they are mutually serviceable in many ways. If a large bird of prey hovers about a rookery for the purpose of carrying away the young ones, they all unite to drive him away. And when they are feeding in a flock, several are placed as sentinels upon the trees all round, to give the alarm if any danger approaches.

_F_. Do rooks always keep to the same trees?

_Mr. S._ Yes; they are much attached to them, and when the trees happen to be cut down, they seem greatly distressed, and keep hovering about them as they are falling, and will scarcely desert them when they lie on the ground.

_F_. I suppose they feel as we should if our town was burned down, or overthrown by an earthquake.

_Mr. S._ No doubt. The societies of animals greatly resemble those of men; and that of rooks is like those of men in the savage state, such as the communities of the North American Indians. It is a sort of league for mutual aid and defence, but in which every one is left to do as he pleases, without any obligation to employ himself for the whole body.

Others unite in a manner resembling more civilised societies of men.

This is the case with the heavers. They perform great public works by the united efforts of the whole community--such as damming up streams and constructing mounds for their habitations. As these are works of great art and labour, some of them probably act under the direction of others, and are compelled to work, whether they will or not. Many curious stories are told to this purpose by those who have observed them in their remotest haunts, where they exercise their full sagacity.

_F_. But are they all true?

_Mr. S._ That is more than I can answer for; yet what we certainly know of the economy of bees may justify us in believing extraordinary things of the sagacity of animals. The society of bees goes further than that of beavers, and in some respects beyond most among men themselves. They not only inhabit a common dwelling, and perform great works in common, but they lay up a store of provision, which is the property of the whole community, and is not used except at certain seasons and under certain regulations. A bee-hive is a true image of a commonwealth, where no member acts for himself alone, but for the whole body.

_Evenings at Home._

[Ill.u.s.tration: A HERONRY.]

PALMS.

These beautiful trees may be ranked among the n.o.blest specimens of vegetation; and their tall, slender, unbranched stems, crowned by elegant feathery foliage, composed of a cl.u.s.ter of gigantic leaves, render them, although of several varieties, different in appearance from all other trees. In some kinds of palm the stem is irregularly thick; in others, slender as a reed. It is scaly in one species, and p.r.i.c.kly in another. In the _Palma real_, in Cuba, the stem swells out like a spindle in the middle. At the summit of these stems, which in some cases attain an alt.i.tude of upwards of 180 feet, a crown of leaves, either feathery or fan-shaped (for there is not a great variety in their general form), spreads out on all sides, the leaves being frequently from twelve to fifteen feet in length. In some species the foliage is of a dark green and s.h.i.+ning surface, like that of a laurel or holly; in others, silvery on the under-side, as in the willow; and there is one species of palm with a fan-shaped leaf, adorned with concentric blue and yellow rings, like the "eyes" of a peac.o.c.k's tail.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PALMS OF ARIMATHEA.]

The flowers of most of the palms are as beautiful as the trees. Those of the _Palma real_ are of a brilliant white, rendering them visible from a great distance; but, generally, the blossoms are of a pale yellow. To these succeed very different forms of fruit: in one species it consists of a cl.u.s.ter of egg-shaped berries, sometimes seventy or eighty in number, of a brilliant purple and gold colour, which form a wholesome food.

South America contains the finest specimens, as well as the most numerous varieties of palm: in Asia the tree is not very common; and of the African palms but little is yet known, with the exception of the date palm, the most important to man of the whole tribe, though far less beautiful than the other species.

THE PALM-TREE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Letter I.]

It waved not through an Eastern sky, Beside a fount of Araby; It was not fann'd by Southern breeze In some green isle of Indian seas; Nor did its graceful shadow sleep O'er stream of Afric, lone and deep.

But fair the exiled Palm-tree grew, 'Midst foliage of no kindred hue: Through the laburnum's dropping gold Rose the light shaft of Orient mould; And Europe's violets, faintly sweet, Purpled the moss-beds at its feet.

Strange look'd it there!--the willow stream'd Where silv'ry waters near it gleam'd; The lime-bough lured the honey-bee To murmur by the Desert's tree, And showers of snowy roses made A l.u.s.tre in its fan-like shade.

There came an eve of festal hours-- Rich music fill'd that garden's bowers; Lamps, that from flow'ring branches hung, On sparks of dew soft colours flung; And bright forms glanced--a fairy show, Under the blossoms to and fro.

But one, a lone one, 'midst the throng, Seem'd reckless all of dance or song: He was a youth of dusky mien, Whereon the Indian sun had been; Of crested brow, and long black hair-- A stranger, like the Palm-tree, there.

And slowly, sadly, moved his plumes, Glittering athwart the leafy glooms: He pa.s.s'd the pale green olives by, Nor won the chesnut flowers his eye; But when to that sole Palm he came, Then shot a rapture through his frame.

To him, to him its rustling spoke; The silence of his soul it broke.

It whisper'd of his own bright isle, That lit the ocean with a smile.

Aye to his ear that native tone Had something of the sea-wave's moan.

His mother's cabin-home, that lay Where feathery cocoos fringe the bay; The das.h.i.+ng of his brethren's oar, The conch-note heard along the sh.o.r.e-- All through his wak'ning bosom swept: He clasp'd his country's tree, and wept.

Oh! scorn him not. The strength whereby The patriot girds himself to die; The unconquerable power which fills The foeman battling on his hills: These have one fountain deep and clear, The same whence gush'd that child-like tear!--

MRS. HEMANS.

A CHAPTER ON DOGS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Letter N.]

Newfoundland Dogs are employed in drawing sledges laden with fish, wood, and other articles, and from their strength and docility are of considerable importance. The courage, devotion, and skill of this n.o.ble animal in the rescue of persons from drowning is well known; and on the banks of the Seine, at Paris, these qualities have been applied to a singular purpose. Ten Newfoundland dogs are there trained to act as servants to the Humane Society; and the rapidity with which they cross and re-cross the river, and come and go, at the voice of their trainer, is described as being most interesting to witness. Handsome kennels have been erected for their dwellings on the bridges.

DALMATIAN DOG.

There is a breed of very handsome dogs called by this name, of a white colour, thickly spotted with black: it is cla.s.sed among the hounds. This species is said to have been brought from India, and is not remarkable for either fine scent or intelligence. The Dalmatian Dog is generally kept in our country as an appendage to the carriage, and is bred up in the stable with the horses; it consequently seldom receives that kind of training which is calculated to call forth any good qualities it may possess.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DALMATIAN DOG.]

TERRIER.