3° 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



passing down the backstays, sometimes hanging by 

 his bands, at others by walking down them in the 

 erect posture, like a rope-dancer, balancing himself 

 by his long arms ; or he would spring from one rope 

 at a great distance to another, or would drop from 

 one above to another below. Being aware of his 

 inability to readily escape pursuit when running on a 

 level surface, his first object, when about to make an 

 attack, was to secure a rope, and swing towards the 

 object he was desirous of attacking ; if defeated, he 

 eluded pursuit by climbing out of reach. He was 

 very fond of sweetmeats, dates, &c. ; some Manilla 

 sweet cakes that were on board he was always eager 

 to procure, and would not unfrequently enter the 

 cabin in which they were kept, and endeavour to lift 

 the cork of the jar : he was not less fond of onions, 

 although their acridity would cause him to sneeze and 

 loll out his tongue ; when he took one he put it in 

 his mouth, and ate it with great rapidity. He could 

 not endure disappointment, and, like the human 

 species, was always better pleased when he had his 

 own way ; when refused anything, he would display 

 all the'ebullitions of temper of a spoiled child, lie on 

 deck, roll about, throw his arms and legs in various 

 directions, dash everything about that might be within 

 his reach, walk about, repeat the same scene as be- 

 fore, uttering during the time the guttural notes of 

 ra, ra ; the employment of coercive measures during 

 the paroxysms reduced him in a short period to a 

 system of obedience, and the temper was in some de- 

 gree checked. He had not an unapt resemblance to 

 a spoiled child, who may justly be defined as papa's 

 pride, mamma's darling, the visitor's terror, and an 

 annoyance to all the living animals, men and maid 

 servants, dogs, cats, &c, in the house that he may be 

 inhabiting. 



The position of the feet, when the animal walks, is 

 turned outwards, and the great toe, which has a 

 capability of great extension, is spread out wide, 

 giving a broader surface to the foot ; when he walks, 

 to use a nautical phrase, "he sways the body," and 

 stepping at once on the whole of the under surface of 

 the foot, occasions a pattering noise, like that which 

 is heard when a duck or any aquatic bird walks on 

 the deck of a ship. 



When the weather is cold, he is seen huddled 

 together, loses all his lively and playful manner, and 

 sleeps much during the day : on the return of warm 

 weather, it imparts life to the animal ; his spirits 

 revive, he resumes his gambols and sportive gaiety. 

 Although every kindness was shown to him by the 

 officers and crew, and sweetmeats were given to him 

 by them, he would not permit himself to be taken in 

 the arms, or caressed familiarly by any person on 

 board during the voyage, except the commander, Mr. 

 Hays, the third officer, and myself ; all those, in 

 particular, who wore large bushy whiskers he parti- 

 cularly avoided. 



When he came at sunset to be taken into my arms, 



and was refused, he would display a paroxysm of 

 rage, but that being unsuccessful, he would mount 

 the rigging, and hanging over the deck on which I 

 was walking, would suddenly drop himself into my 

 arms. It was ludicrous to behold the terrified looks 

 of the animal, and half-suppressed screams, if his 

 finger was taken towards a cup of hot tea, as if to 

 ascertain its temperature. He would frequently hang 

 from a rope by one arm, and, when in a frolicsome 

 humour, frisk about, shut his eyes, and have a re- 

 semblance to a person hanging and in the agonies 

 of death. When strangers came on board, he ap- 

 proached them at such a distance as he considered 

 consistent with his ideas of safety. The only lady 

 who had honoured him with her notice was one who 

 came on board from a ship (" Euphrates ") we spoke at 

 sea ; he evinced, however, no partiality to the gentle 

 sex, and would not permit her to caress him : whether 

 it was the bonnet, which was a la mode of 1828, or 

 other portions of the lady's dress, that excited his 

 indignation, I know not ; but he was evidently ;iot 

 eager to become acquainted with her : as she appeared 

 at first timid of approaching the animal, it may in 

 some degree have occasioned the cunning brute to 

 keep up the feeling. 



On the 19th of March (1831) we had reached the 

 latitude 45 41' N. and longitude 24 40' W. ; the 

 animal seemed (although clothed in flannel) to suffer 

 much from cold, and he was attacked by dysentery : 

 his attachment was so great, that he would prefer 

 going on the deck, in the cold air, with the persons 

 to whom he was attached, to remaining in the warm 

 cabin with those whom he did not regard. On the 

 24th he became much worse, his appetite gone, and 

 he had a dislike of being moved ; the discharge from 

 the bowels was bilious, mixed with blood and mucus, 

 sometimes entirely of blood and mucus, with a putre- 

 scent odour : the breath had a sickly odour, mouth 

 clammy, eyes dull and suffused ; drank a little water 

 occasionally, and sometimes a little tea ; he generally 

 remained with his head hanging on the breast, and 

 limbs huddled together ; he would, however, when 

 yawning, inflate the pouch as usual. On the 29th we 

 had prevailing easterly winds ; and he was daily 

 sinking until the 31st of March, when he died, in 

 latitude 48 36' N., longitude 9 1' W. 



On examination, the thoracic viscera were healthy ; 

 the spleen was healthy, of small size, and lobulated 

 at one extremity ; the liver was large and healthy, 

 the difference in size between that organ and the 

 spleen was considerable in comparison with the rela- 

 tive proportions of those organs in the human subject ; 

 the gall bladder contained a small quantity of dark, 

 thick, and viscid bile ; some of the mesenteric glands 

 were enlarged, some being of a white, others of a dark 

 colour. On laying open the duodenum, it was found 

 to contain a quantity of mucus slightly tinged with 

 bile ; the colon and caecum were full of liquid bilious 

 fasces mixed with mucus, and several ulcerated patches 



