HEADS AND TALES;
OR,
ANECDOTES AND STORIES OF QUADRUPEDS
AND OTHER BEASTS,
CHIEFLY CONNECTED WITH INCIDENTS IN THE
HISTORIES OF MORE OR LESS DISTINGUISHED MEN.
COMPILED AND SELECTED BY
ADAM WHITE,
LATE ASSISTANT IN THE ZOOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, BRITISH MUSEUM.
PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
Second Edition.
LONDON:
JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET.
MDCCCLXX.
The Tasmanian Wolf. Thylacinus Cynocephalus.PREFACE.
In this work, a part of which is, so far as it extends, a carefulcompilation from an extensive series of books, the great order mammalia,or, rather, a few of its subjects, is treated anecdotically. Theconnexion of certain animals with man, and the readiness with which mancan subdue even the largest of the mammalia, are very curious subjectsof thought. The dog and horse are our special friends and associates;they seem to understand us, and we get very much attached to them. Thecat or the cow, again, possess a different degree of attachment, andhave "heads and hearts" less susceptible of this education than thefirst mentioned. The anecdotes in this book will clearly show facts ofthis nature. In the Letter of the Gorilla, under an appearance ofexaggeration, will be found many facts of its history. We have a strongbelief that natural history, written as White of Selborne did his Letterof Timothy the Tortoise, would be very enticing and interesting to youngpeople. To make birds and other animals relate their stories has beendone sometimes, and generally with success. There are anecdotes hinging,however, on animals which have more to do with man than the othermammals referred to in the little story. These stories we have felt tobe very interesting when they occur in biographies of great men. Cowperand his Hares, Huygens and his Sparrow, are tales—at least the[Pg vi]former—full of interesting matter on the history of the lower animal,but are of most value as showing the influence on the man who amusedhimself by taming them. We like to know that the great Duke, aftergetting down from his horse Copenhagen, which carried him through thewhole battle of Waterloo, clapped him on the neck, when the war-chargerkicked out, as if untired.
We could have added greatly to this book, especially in the part ofjests, puns, or cases of double entendre. The few selected maysuffice. The so-called conversations of "the Ettrick Shepherd" are fullof matter of this kind, treated by "Christopher North" with a happycombination of rare power of description and apt exaggeration of detail,often highly amusing. One or two instances are given here, such as theFox-hunt and the Whale. The intention of this book is primarily to beamusing; but it will be strange if it do not instruct as well. There ismuch in it that is true of the habits of mammalia. These, with birds,are likely to interest young people generally, more than anecdotes ofmembers of orders like fish, insects, or molluscs, lower in the scale,though often possessing marvellous instincts, the accounts of which formintensely interesting reading to those who are fond of seeing or hearing[Pg vii]of "the works of the Lord," and who "take pleasure" in them.