Twilight And Dawn by Caroline Pridham

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You will not be surprised to hear that the lion was the one chosen by all
the little boys, when they answered their question about animals mentioned
in the Bible. They all found the story telling how David, when he was a
shepherd boy, killed both a lion and a bear, when they had taken a lamb
from the flock, and rescued the helpless little creature out of the very
mouth of the lion--and how he said to King Saul, "The Lord hath delivered
me out of the paw of the lion" [that strong paw which can knock a man
down], "and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand
of this Philistine;" and, strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,
he went to meet the boastful giant of whom everyone was afraid.

[Illustration: "THE LONELY LION LEAVES HIS LONELY LAIR."]

I also had references given me to Daniel in the den of lions and to the sad
story of the prophet who disobeyed the word of the Lord, and was slain by
a lion. Will you see whether you can find the name of one against whom a
young lion roared? "And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and
he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand."
And also the name of one of King David's mighty men, who "went down ... and
slew a lion in the midst of a pit, in time of snow?" There are no lions now
in Palestine, but they were at one time often seen there; they made their
lair in caves among the mountains, and on the reedy banks of the Jordan.

[Illustration: THE LEOPARD.]

Other wild beasts--which are really great cats--are the beautifully spotted
Panthers or Leopards of Africa and Asia, the fierce and cunning Jaguar of
South America, and the Puma, sometimes called, without much reason for the
name, the American lion.

Wild cats were once common in England, and it has been thought that our
home-cats are their descendants, only tamed; but I believe this is not
true, and that our cats came from the East. It is generally thought that
they are not very affectionate animals, or rather that their affections are
set upon places more than upon people; but they are certainly very fond of
their own kittens, and very proud of them when they first begin to "walk
high," which I suppose answers to a baby's beginning to "run away."

Mr. Wood, in _The Boy's Own Book of Natural History_, tells a pretty story
about a baker's cat, which was so fond of him, when he was a young man at
college, that she used to come regularly morning and evening to have her
breakfast and tea with him. He says, "She continued her attentions for some
time, but one morning she was absent from her accustomed corner, nor did
she return till nearly a week had passed, when she came again, but always
seemed uneasy unless the door were open. A few days afterwards, she came
up as usual, and jumped on to my knee, at the same time putting a little
kitten into my hand. She refused to take it back again, so I restored it to
its brothers and sisters myself. A few hours afterwards, on going into my
bedroom, I found another black kitten fast asleep on the bed." Fancy this
mother being so anxious to show her kittens, and so sure that her friend
would be pleased to find one in his bed!

Next to the Cat family comes that of the Dog, and in this family Wolves,
Jackals, and Foxes are placed, as well as Dogs. I had some texts about
wolves given me by the boys, but I do not think we shall have time to speak
of them now. Wolves and jackals and foxes are very much like dogs run wild,
while dogs in many respects are like these wild animals become tame; so
much so, that it is believed that the "friend of man" has altered a good
deal in the thousands of years during which he has been his constant
companion; he has become less fierce, but has also lost some of the
independence which once belonged to him, and is very much behind foxes and
jackals in knowing how to take care of himself and get his own living.

We ought to treat with great respect and kindness a creature which we have
in this way made dependent upon us, and one which gives us its affection
so freely, and is so glad even of a kind word or look from its master or
mistress.

Dogs have a good deal of dignity, and their feelings are very easily hurt.
Perhaps you think it is saying too much for a doggie to talk of its having
feelings that can be hurt, but I assure you dogs _have_ feelings, and very
keen ones too.

The master of a little Skye terrier found that a reproachful word, or a
look of displeasure, would make him miserable for a whole day; he never
thought of such a thing as beating him; but once, when he was away from
home, his brother, who did not know the dog, kindly took him out every day
for a walk in the park. One day, when he wanted him to come on, he gave him
a blow with his glove. The dog, who had been playing about with a friend
he had met, stopped and looked up at him in surprise, as if he would have
said, "If you knew whose dog I am you would never treat me so,"--then
turned and ran away home. Next day he was again taken out by his master's
brother, but when they had gone a little way he stopped, looked in his face
as much as to say, "You remember what you did?" and then trotted home; he
could never again be induced to go out with the person who had so offended
his dignity. This sensitive little Skye could not bear to see anyone hurt,
and when driving with his master would pull his sleeve, and try to check
him every time he touched the horse with his whip.

A little white, curly dog, whom the children knew well, had a great
objection to his Saturday bath, and would get out of the way when he saw
it was coming. Tippoo submitted to be washed when he found there was no
escape; but a little dog belonging to a lady used to make such a fuss over
his weekly bath that at last none of the servants would run the risk of
being bitten and snapped at by him. His mistress tried threatening him,
then beating, then keeping him without his dinner; but all was of no use
until she made up her mind to see what taking no notice of him would do.
The doggie found it very hard when his dear mistress came home, and he ran
out with his joyful bark to welcome her, to see her turn her head away from
him just when he was longing for a pat or a kind word; and I fancy the
lady found it hard too, constantly to disappoint all his little efforts to
attract her attention; but she went on for more than a week, showing her
pet in this way that something was wrong, and there is no doubt at all that
the wise little creature knew what it was. He looked very miserable all the
time, and at last crept quietly to her side, and, as she says in telling
the story, "gave a look which said as plainly as any spoken words could
have done, 'I can stand it no longer; I submit.' Then, after patiently
bearing the washing, without snapping or fighting, he came in wagging his
tail with a joyful bark, as much as to say, 'It's all right now'!"

I am sure you have read or heard accounts of the large Newfoundland dogs;
of whose courage in saving children who fall into the water, many beautiful
stories are told; and also of the dear, faithful Collies with their pointed
noses, who know all their master's sheep, and will drive them wherever they
are told to go; and even, when two flocks have got mixed, will separate
them with the most wonderful patience and cleverness. A Scotch shepherd,
who loved poetry, and made some verses about the skylark, which Sharley and
May repeat, tells a story of one of these dogs which I am sure you will
think worth remembering.

The collie's name was Sirrah, and his master prized him greatly. When the
shepherd first bought him he was scarcely a year old, "and," he says, "knew
so little of herding that he had never turned a sheep in his life; but as
soon as he discovered that it was his duty to do so, and that it obliged
me, I can never forget with what anxiety and eagerness he learned his
different evolutions. He would try every way deliberately, till he found
out what I wanted him to do, and when I once made him understand a
direction he never forgot or mistook it again."

Sirrah's master once had charge of a flock of seven hundred lambs, and one
night the whole flock broke up into three divisions, and ran away in the
dark, so that the shepherd could not tell where they had gone. The night
was so dark that he could not even see Sirrah, much less tell him how to
find the lost lambs; but the dog knew exactly what had happened, and had no
doubt at all about whose duty it was to get the flock together again. All
night long the shepherd sought in vain, not being able even to discover
what direction either of the three flocks of truant lambs had taken; but in
the morning he suddenly came upon his dog, guarding the whole flock--all
the seven hundred brought back, and not one of them lost.

I have been told that while a trained sheep-dog is so valuable to his
master, and can be so trusted by him, one that has been allowed to grow
up without any teaching or training is of little worth. The training must
begin while the collie is young, and an old hand at it says, "The first
thing to learn your pup is to mind at the word." From this beginning the
dog goes on until he seems almost to read his master's thoughts in his
face, and to watch each movement of his hand and each glance of his eye. Of
one of these dogs his master says:

"I have known him lie night and day among from ten to twenty pails full of
milk, and never once break the cream of one of them with the tip of his
tongue; nor would he suffer cat, rat, nor any other creature to touch it."

Sheep-dogs become very much attached to each other, as this story shows.
Two Scotch collies were fast friends, going everywhere together until one
of them died, and was buried on the top of a hill. The other watched the
spot, and when no one was by, actually scratched at the new-made grave, and
dug up the body of his comrade. Afterwards, when it had been buried again,
and heavy stones laid round the place, he still kept watch there, howling
piteously and eating nothing, until he died upon the grave of the friend he
had loved so well.

But while there are so many beautiful stories of the loving and faithful
and tender and true ways of dogs, we must not forget that they sometimes
show cruel and revengeful tempers, as well as something of that low kind of
cleverness which tries to deceive, and on account of which the fox has such
a bad name.

Only the other day I was told about a dog who actually killed a pretty
little kitten from pure jealousy, because he could not bear to see his
mistress pet and fondle it. _He_ had been the pet for a long time, and
when this new favourite came, he showed his dislike in many ways. One day
Flossie--the little kitten--was missing, and could nowhere be found. At
last, something about the dog's guilty look made his mistress sure that he
knew better than anyone else what had become of her. So she looked at him
very severely, and said, "Turk, _you_ know where little Flossie is. Show me
directly."

Turk walked straight to the waste-paper basket, which was under the table,
and began to take the paper out, bit by bit. At the bottom of the basket
lay the poor little furry pet, killed by the dog in a fit of jealousy! How
sad it is to think what sin has done, how even in the animals it may be
seen that they belong to a world where the man, whom God made head over
them, turned away from Him, and distrusted and disobeyed Him.

But since I have told you of Turk's cruel jealousy, I must not forget a
very pretty story of a dog who saved the life of a kitten which was to have
been drowned. When he saw the poor little thing thrown into the pond, he
swam after it and brought it back, laying it at the feet of the groom who
had thrown it into the water. The man took the helpless creature up and
threw it back again, and again the dog rescued it. A third time it was
thrown into the water, and a third time saved from drowning; but now the
dog brought it to the opposite side of the pool, carried it home in his
mouth, and laid it beside the fire to dry. In this case which would you
rather be like--the man or the dog?

The children often say that our Tippoo, the little white dog of which I
told you, does things "just like a person"; he will contentedly eat what
he does not care for, because he expects to get something he likes, as a
reward. If he has been naughty, you can generally know it by his face, and
he will hide away under the sofa, until brought out from his refuge, and
made to show what he has been doing. He cannot bear to be laughed at;
nothing hurts his feelings so sorely, unless indeed it be seeing a little
child petted: this is almost more than he can bear. But he behaves better
than Psyche, another little Maltese terrier of my acquaintance, who used to
fly at anyone who dared to kiss her mistress. Poor little Psyche's was a
sad end, for she was killed by a carriage while crossing the street to get
to her mistress.

Dogs have all sorts of ways of making their wants known, but I think you
will admit that a little dog called Button was particularly clever in his
way of doing it, when you hear how he managed. He used to have goat's milk
for breakfast, and one morning, when he thought breakfast-time had passed
without any being brought to him, he made up his mind that he had been
forgotten; so he went to the closet where the china was kept, fetched the
cup in which his milk was always given him, carried it in his teeth, and
laid it down at the feet of the maid who used to milk the goat for him. I
think he had earned his breakfast, don't you?

[Illustration: OUR GOAT--"NAN."]

Another dog, who has a drinking-trough of his own, draws attention to it,
if it is allowed to go dry by scratching at it, till someone fills it with
fresh water.

May knows a very pretty story in verse about a little dog called Music, who
did all she could to save a greyhound, Dart, from drowning, when he had
gone down beneath the ice while trying to cross a frozen river. It must
have been a touching thing to see her standing on the broken edge, and
stretching out her paw, like a hand, to save him, while she as the poem
says,

"... makes efforts and complainings, nor gives o'er
Until her fellow sank, and reappeared no more."

Faithful, loving little Music failed to save her friend; but a Scotch dog
was the means of saving the life of his master, as he was crossing a river
on the ice. When the crash came, and he sank, he had the presence of mind
to support himself by means of his gun, which lay across the broken ice.
The dog, after making attempts to save his master, seemed to understand
that the only thing he could do for him was to leave him, and go in search
of help. So off he ran to the next village, and pulled at the coat of the
first man he saw, so earnestly, that he got the man to follow him, and was
in time to save the life of the drowning man.

But more remarkable still is the story of a strange dog who seems to have
been sent by God to protect a poor miner's house in his absence.

In a very lonely place in Cornwall, the house of a miner is situated among
the rocks. Only he and his wife lived there, and the poor woman was often
left alone far into the night, as her husband's work kept him very late.

One evening a large dog came up the hill to this cottage, and began to make
himself at home there, and to make friends with the miner's wife. At first
she petted him, but when it began to grow dark, she thought he ought to be
going to his own home, and used every effort to send him away. But the dog
would not be turned out, and at last the lonely woman allowed him to stay
with her. Late at night, a noise of footsteps was heard, and she ran to
open the door, as she thought, to her husband. But the dog sprang past her
into the darkness, and she heard the sound of a great struggle, and then
the footsteps again passing down the path. The dog presently came back to
her, but after a time she began to be alarmed lest he should have attacked
and frightened--perhaps injured--her husband, as he was returning home.
Lighting a lantern, she unbarred the door, and went out into the dark
night, still attended by the strange dog, who seemed resolved not to
leave her. They soon met the miner on his way home, and the dog, far from
springing upon him, went up to him, and then--without a word, I was going
to say--disappeared into the darkness. The miner's wife could never find
out anything about him, but she felt quite sure that it was God who had
sent this strange protector to take care of her in her loneliness.

Now this must be nearly our last Dog-story, or we shall never have done,
for there is no end to the wonderful tales which are told of the sense
and kindliness and courage and faithfulness of these creatures who are so
rightly called the friends of man.

You remember that wolves, foxes, and jackals are placed in the Dog-family;
and if you notice the wolves at the Zoological Gardens, you will see in
how many respects they resemble dogs. It is when they go about in great
numbers, as they do in the east of Europe and Asia, that these animals are
such dreaded foes, and devour so many defenceless sheep and cattle.

Do you not think this a wonderful account of a traveller and a wolf taking
shelter together in a storm and lying down side by side? It is called

"FATHER'S STORY.

"'Little one, come to my knee!
Hark! how the rain is pouring
Over the roof, in the pitch-black night
And the wind in the woods is roaring.

"'Hush, my darling, and listen;
Then pay for the story with kisses;
Father was lost in a pitch-black night,
In just such a storm as this is!

"'High up on the lonely mountains,
Where the wild men watched and waited;
Wolves in the forest and bears in the bush,
And I on my path belated.

"'The rain and the night came together
Came down, and the wind came after,
Bending the props of the pine-tree roof,
And snapping many a rafter.

"'I crept along in the darkness,
Stunned and bruised and blinded,
Crept to a fir with thick set boughs,
And a sheltering rock behind it.

"'There, from the blowing and raining,
Crouching, I sought to hide me;
Something rustled, two green eyes shone,
And a wolf lay down beside me.

"'Little one, be not frightened;
I and the wolf together,
Side by side, through the long, long night,
Hid from the awful weather.

"'His wet fur pressed against me;
Each of us warmed the other;
Each of us felt in the stormy dark,
That man and beast was brother.

"'And when the falling forest
No longer crashed in warning,
Each of us went from our hiding place
Forth in the wild, wet morning.

"'Now, darling, kiss me in payment,
And hark! how the wind is roaring;
Surely home is a better place,
When the stormy rain is pouring!'"

The Fox, as you know, is found in most parts of England, and in many other
countries. He is a sly, clever hunter, living by day in the hole which
he hollows out for himself, and prowling about at night, stealing from
hen-roosts, or pouncing upon some unwary hare or rabbit. The Jackal, which
is perhaps more like a wolf than a fox, and lives in Africa and parts of
Asia, is also a great devourer of game and poultry.

[Illustration: A FOX TAKING TO THE WATER.]

The Arctic-fox, which is found in the far north, is grey during the summer,
but turns white as snow in winter, and its coat then becomes so thick as to
cover even the soles of its feet. It is interesting to notice that those
creatures whose home is in the far north are clad in grey or white, for
animals which are hunted either as prey or for the sake of their fur, often
take the colour of the ground, whether it be covered with snow, as in the
Arctic regions, or brake and heather, as upon the moors and furzy coverts
where our own hares and foxes hide.

Now we come to the bears, which are found all the world over except in
Africa. The Brown bear, which is a peaceable creature, feeding on honey or
fruits, is still met with in the Alps and Pyrenees, as well as in the north
of Europe, but it has not lived in England since before the Conquest, at a
time when wolves were quite common with us; especially in Wales.

The Grizzly bear is a very different animal; its home is in North America,
and it will hunt down a man with such determination that it is very much
dreaded by the fur-hunters. The white or Polar bear belongs entirely to
the Arctic regions, so that I have often wondered that the great creature
which looks so innocent as it dives for the bread which is thrown to it by
visitors at the Gardens, or plays with its ball in the water, does not die
during our hot summer months. I have heard that the reason why the soles
of its feet are so hairy is because in its northern home it is constantly
travelling over icefields, sometimes climbing the lofty bergs--and the
long hair prevents it from slipping. If so, this is but one more instance
showing how perfectly the animals are fitted for the life which they live
in their natural state.

And now we must pass from this group to another great Division of the
Mammalia--the Herbivorous animals, which live, not on the flesh of birds or
beasts, which they hunt for themselves, but upon grass and green things.

In the first class the Gnawing creatures are placed; you can always know
them by their teeth. Perhaps you remember how different the front teeth of
a rabbit are from those long, sharp ones which pussy shows now and then
when she yawns. By constantly gnawing their food, the teeth of squirrels,
hares, rats, mice, dormice, and all animals called Rodents, or Gnawers,
would soon be worn away, but that, unlike our teeth, they never cease
growing while the creature lives. The most interesting of these creatures
is the Beaver, with its webbed hind feet and broad tail. I hope you will
some day read about the mud-built houses, and the clever dams which beavers
make across the rivers. Mr. Wood says that when they have been tamed they
will still go on building dams across one corner of the room in which they
are, and collecting boots, brushes, books, all sorts of things, and putting
them together industriously; for they still have in captivity the same
instinct which teaches them to dam the stream where they build, so that
the entrance to their houses may always be below the surface, and never be
barred by the ice, during frost.

The teeth of horses are differently formed from those of the gnawing
animals: at the back they are massive, and act like grindstones, crushing
the grain which they eat. The Horse-family includes the patient Ass, and
the beautifully marked Zebra of South Africa. I need not tell you that all
these animals have only one toe, with that hard and strong toe-nail which
is called the hoof.

The Ruminants, or animals that chew the cud, are cows, sheep, and goats,
deer, giraffes, and camels.

You have often noticed a Cow when lying down in the field, going on eating,
although she seems to have no food before her. This is because she has
already eaten plenty of grass, very fast, and now that she is resting, she
brings what she has, as it were, laid up in store, back into her mouth, and
chews it over again.

I think there are no animals so often mentioned in the Bible as oxen,
sheep, and lambs, goats and kids; and they are the only creatures, except
the turtle dove and the pigeon, which were offered as sacrifices, from the
time when Eve's second son brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of
the fat thereof, "and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering."

All creatures that chew the cud have two toes, or are what is called
cloven-footed. The Camel, whose home is in the dry and thirsty desert, has
the power of storing up water, and bringing it back into its mouth for
several days after it has drunk it. This enables it to make long journeys,
without needing a brook by the way. Its feet, too, are just fitted for
the sandy wastes which it has to tread. The one-humped camel is found in
Africa, and the two-humped, or Bactrian camel, in Asia. The Llama of South
America is like the camel in some respects, but, as you know, is very much
smaller; I knew one which had a disagreeable habit of spitting at those who
came to call upon him, and I have read or others doing the same. We read
of Abraham having camels, and of John the Baptist wearing clothes made of
camel's hair, and that King Solomon had deer.

The beautiful Giraffe, found only in South Africa, is like the camel in
some respects, and the deer in others. That long neck which it arches so
gracefully when you offer it a bun, enables it in its forest-home to feed
upon the leaves of trees; so you see it is for use, not only for beauty.

There could hardly be a greater contrast to the giraffe than the Elephant,
with its short neck and large body; but what the giraffe can do with its
long neck, that, and a great deal more, the elephant can do with the
wonderful trunk which is his nose, his hand, his trumpet, and we might
almost say his mouth, as he could neither reach his food nor drink except
by its help, his neck being so short.

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