CHAPTER II. 



FAUNA, FLORA, AND INHABITANTS. 



ELGITJM, lying under the same skies as France and Germany, 

 resembles these countries in its fauna and vegetation. At the same 

 time the northern limits of several species of plants run across the 

 country. The chestnut-tree, which only flourishes where the tem- 

 perature of January exceeds 36° F., is unknown in the Ardennes, 

 and rarely met with in Flanders. The holly is unable to survive the cold winters 

 prevailing on the eastern slopes of the Fagnes. Maize, which requires a high 

 summer temperature, does not ripen in the humid lowlands, but succeeds on the 

 southern slopes of the Ardennes. The vine, capable of resisting the cold of 

 winter, is confined to the valley of the Meuse. 



The number of species has decreased in consequence of the extension of culti- 

 vation and the extinction of forests. Of larger mammals, the elk, urus, and bison 

 (aurochs) have disappeared long since. The brown bear, which in the twelfth 

 century still lived in the forests of Hainaut, is not found now even in the wildest 

 parts of the Ardennes. The lynx, likewise, has disappeared. The beaver has 

 struggled hard for existence, but has succumbed too, and the hedgehog is threat- 

 ened with the same fate. In exchange for these extinct species Belgium has been 

 invaded by black and brown rats, far more destructive animals than either the 

 bear or the l^'nx. 



In the secluded parts of the Ardennes the ancient fauna of the country main- 

 tained its ground most firmly. The roe is plentiful there, and even the stag 

 survives, more especially around that legendary town of huntsmen, St. Hubert, 

 owing to the protection extended to it by large landowners. The wild boar still 

 roams through the forests of the Ardennes, and occasionally invades the cultivated 

 fields of Condroz. Even in the country between the Sambre and Meuse it has not 

 completely disappeared. Other wild animals are the wolf, the fox, the marten, 

 the weasel, the polecat, the badger, the wild cat, the squirrel, the hare, the rabbit, 

 and several small gnawing animals. The otter still preys upon fish in the river 

 Semoy. The chivalrous art of falconry survives at Arendonck, near Turnhout. 



The caves of Belgium have furnished archaeologists with some of their most 



