USA > Vermont > History of Vermont, natural, civil, and statistical, in three parts, with a new map of the state, and 200 engravings > Part 10
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ORDER RUMINANTIA.
Animals of this order have three kinds of teeth. They have no incisors in the upper jaw, but have usually eight in the PT. I 7
the upper gums. In some species there are canmes only in the upper jaw, and others have them in both. The grinders are twelve in each jaw, marked with two double crescents of enamel on their crowns, of which the convexity is out- wards in the lower, and internal in the upper jaw ; articulations of the jaw adap- ted for a triturating motion. The limbs are disposed for walking ; the feet with two hoofed toes ; the two bones of the met- acarpus and metatarsus, consolidated in- to one ; organs of digestion calculated for ruminating, consisting of four stomachs ; intestines long ; two or four inguinal inammæ. The males have horns, and the females, too, in some species ; food always vegetable. The most remarkable faculty of these animals is that of rumination, or of returning the food into the mouth for the purpose of chewing it a second time, called chewing the cud, and hence the name of the order, Ruminantia.
GENUS CERVUS .- Linnaus.
Generic Characters. Teeth 32, or 34- Incisors 0-canines 0-0 or / .\ grinders 6-6. The canines, where they exist, are bent back and compressed. Head long, terminated by a muz- zle ; eyes large, pupils elongated transversely ; most of the species have a lachrymal sinus ; ears long and pointed; tongue soft ; horns solid, decid- uous, palmated, branched, or simple, in the males ; females destitute of horns, except in one species; four inguinal mammæ.
THE MOOSE. Cerrus alecs .- LAINNAUS.
DESCRIPTION .- Head long, narrow be- fore the eyes and enlarged towards the month, which has some analogy to that of the horse ; upper lip exceedingly devel- oped and very thick ; nostrils, a lateral slit, more open anteriorly than behind ; eyes small, near the base of the horns;
.
50
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART 1.
THE MOOSE.
THE ELK.
lachrymal pits small ; neck short ; ears very large and thick ; horns, consisting of a very large flattened expansion, fur- nished with numerous prongs on the ex- ternal border, with a large isolated branchof the principal stock. Tail excessively short. A tuft of long hair, like beard, beneath the throat, in both sexes, and a protuber- ance in the same place in the male. Legs long ; feet long, and placed obliquely on the soil. Ilair coarse and friable. Gen- eral color fawn-brown. Dimensions, as given by Dr. Harlan : length from the nose to the base of the tail, 6 ft. 10 in. ; height before, 5 ft. 23 in .- behind, 5 I't. 43 in. ; length of the head, 23 in. ; ears, 10 in. ; horns, 37 in .; neck, 18 in .; tail, 14 inch. Weight of the horns sometimes Go pounds.
HISTORY .- Moose were formerly very plentiful in Vermont, and in many places the early settlers depended upon their flesh for no inconsiderable part of the sub- sistence of their families. They are now exterminated from all portions of the state excepting the county of Essex, in the northeastern part. There they are still found, and several were killed there du- ring the two last winters. The head and horns of one of these, obtained by Judge Parker, of Orleans, and now in his pos- session, weighed 95 pounds, of which the horns are supposed to constitute one half. The hide and quarters of this Moose, when dressed, weighed a little more than 800 lbs. The height of its horns exceeded 3 feet, and the distance between their tips was more than 5 feet, and larger than this are not often found at the present day. But it would appear from the statement of Dr. Williams that larger individuals were ta- ken in early times. He says that one of these animals in Vermont was found by measure to be 7 feet high, and that the largest Moose were estimated by the hun- ters to weigh from 1300 to 1400 pounds. The food of the Moose consists of grass, shrubs, the boughs and bark of trees, es- pecially the beech, which they seem to prefer above all others, and a species of maple, Acer pennsylvanicum, which is call- ed Moosewood. In summer they keep pretty much in families. In winter they herd together, sometimes to the number of 20 or 30 in a company. They seem to prefer cold places ; and when the snow is deep they tread it down for a space of sev- eral acres, forming what is called a yard. Within this space they range, and sub- sist upon the twigs and bark of the trees, while the snow remains deep upon the ground. In order to eat from the ground, they are obliged to kneel or spread their fore legs, on account of the shortness of
their neck. They move with a long shamn- bling trot, and with a rattling of their hoofs, which may be heard at a consider- able distance. Their course is swift and straight, and they leap over the highest fences with ease. The males only have horns, which are shed and reproduced an- nually. The rutting season is in Septem- ber, and the young are produced about the first of June, usually two at a birth. The female is smaller than the male .* This animal was called Monsall by the Algonquin Indians, Orignal by the French inhabitants of Canada, and Moose, or Moose Deer, by the English.t
Since the above was written, I have had an opportunity of examining a living Moose in Burlington. It was a female, two years old, and had then been in cap- tivity about two months, having been ta- ken in Canada, near the north line of this state, in March, 1842. The height at the shoulder was about 6 feet, and it agreed fully with my description, so far as it is applicable to the female, that sex being without horns. It had become so tame as to be led by a halter without dilliculty.
THE ELK. Cervus canadensis .- GMEL.
DESCRIPTION,-Ilead well formed, ta- pering to a narrow point ; ears large and rapidly moveable ; eyes full and dark ; horns lofty, graceful, with numerous pointed cylindrical branches, which curve forward. The hair is of a bluish gray color in autumn; dark gray during the winter, and ut the approach of spring as- sumes a reddish, or bright brown color, which it retains during the summer. The croup of a pale yellowish white or clay color. Colors nearly the same in the two sexes ; but the females are without horns. Height at the withers, according to Dr. Harlan, 4 feet, the horns 3 feet, first ant- ler I foot, second 10 inches, length of the tail 2 inches.
IstoRY .- The horns of the elk have been often found in Vermont, which may be regarded as sufficient proof of the for- mer existence of that animal within the state ; and if the animal was found here after the settlement of the state was com- menced, it is doubtless now completely exterminated. Elks live in families. Their rutting season is in September, and the young, one and sometimes two in number, are produced in July. Their horns are generally shed in March. This spe- cies is said to be still found in numbers
* Williams' History, Vol. 1, p. 99.
t Huilan, Fauna Americana, p. 232.
51
QUADRUPEDS OF VERMONT
CHAP. 2.
THE COMMON DEER.
DOMESTIC QUADRUPEDS.
in the western states. A specimen of this species, preserved in the Philadelphia Museum, measures seven feet and seven inches from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, and the horus measure three feet and ten inches. The animal was 13 years old.
THE COMMON DEER. Cerous virginianus .- GMEL.
DESCRIPTION .- Form light and slender ; color reddish fawn in summer, and gray- ish in winter; horns moderate, with an antler placed high on the inside of each shaft, and two or three others on the pos- terior side, turned backwards, but varying with the age of the animal; lachrymal pits formed by a fold in the skin; muzzle partially developed ; tail proportionally longer than in the preceding species, and thin; no canine teeth. Length 5 feet 5 inches, tail 10 inches, height 3 feet, length of the head 12 inches, of the horns, following the curvature, 22 inches. Weight from 90 to 130 pounds.
HISTORY .- When the country was new this deer was one of the most common and valuable quadrupeds found in our forests, and upon its flesh were the first settlers of the state, to a very considera- ble extent, dependent for food. Indeed so eagerly was it hunted, and still so anxious were the people for its preserva- tion, that a law for its protection from the 10th of December to the 10th of June was one of the earliest acts of our legisla- ture. But notwithstanding all that has been done for their preservation, their numbers have been constantly diminish- ing within the state, till they have be- come exceedingly scarce, except in a few of the most unsettled and woody sections. The range of this species is very exten- sive, reaching from Canada to the Oro- noco in South America. In its form this deer is slender and delicate ; and its neck and tail proportionally longer than in
most other species ; but at the same time it possesses great muscular power, and runs with surprising speed. It is a very timid and shy animal, and, possessing a keen sense of hearing and smelling, it is found to be very ditheult to approach within gun shot of him without his taking alarm. In the fall the deer are in good condition, and the venison valuable. In the winter they herd together, und, when the snow is deep, they form what are called "yards," where they tread down the snow and gain a scanty subsistence by browsing the trees and bushes. During this period they become very lean, and .neither the skin nor the flesh is of much value. They produce their young in the early part of summer, and have two, and sometimes three, at a birth. The fawns are at first reddish, spotted with white. They lose their spots in autumn and be- come gruy in winter. This coat is shod about the first of June and in summer they are nearly red, which color continues till August and then changes to blue. The skin is said to be thinnest in the gray, tonghest in the red and thickest in the blue; the skin and the flesh being most valuable in the blue. The horns of the male are shed in January. The deer is said to manifest great enmity to the Rat- tle-snake. When it discovers one of these reptiles, it leaps into the air above it and alights upon it with all four of its feet brought together in the form of a square, and this operation is repeated till the hated reptile is destroyed.
DOMESTIC QUADRUPEDS.
Thus far we have confined ourselves to an account of the Quadrupeds which have been found in Vermont in a wild state. In addition to these we have several quad- rupeds which have been introduced and are kept in a domesticated state. The fol- lowing is a list of such as may be regard- ed as permanent residents.
ORDER CARNIVORA.
Canis familiaris, The Dog.
Felis catus, The Cat.
ORDER PACHYDERMATA.
Equus caballas, The Horse.
Equus asinus, The Ass.
Sus scrofa, The Hog.
ORDER RUMINANTIA.
Bos taurus, The Ox.
Ovis aries, The Sheep.
There are a few other Quadrupeds, which are sometimes kept as a matter of curiosity, such as the Goat, the English Rabbit, the Guinea Pig, &c.
52
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART I.
THE DOG.
THE CAT.
THE HORSE.
THE DOG. Canis familiaris .- LINN.
The Dog has been in a domesticated state from time immemorial ; and from him has sprung so great a number of va- rieties, that it is perhaps impossible to de- termine which now approaches nearest to the original stock. The dog is mention- ed as being a familiar animal nearly two thousand years before the Christian era, but the allusions to him in the Bible seem to imply that he was formerly more san- guinary and savage in his disposition than at present. The dog is the only quadru- ped which has been the companion of man in every state of society, and in eve- ry region and climate of the earth, and no other animal manifests so great and so faithful an attachment to his master as this ; and this attachment seems to arise from the purest gratitude, and truest friendship. In works on natural history we have no less than sixty permanent va- rieties of the dog named and described .* In Vermont, each family in the country usually finds it convenient to keep one dog, and very few have more than one. In our villages a few dogs are kept, (bet- ter if fewer,) but as a person's standing in society is not here, as in some countries, indicated by the number of his dogs, the dog mania has never prevailed to any considerable extent, and consequently lit- the pains have been taken to procure rare and popular varieties. As the expense of keeping a dog is generally much more than the profit, and as direful consequences are to be apprehended when dogs are nu- merous, from the occurrence of hydropho- bia among them, we should by no means regret the reduction of the dogs in this state to a moiety of their present number.
THIE DOMESTIC CAT. Felis catus .- LINN.
Our domestic Cat is said by Cuvier to have been originally from the forests of Europe, where it is still found in a wild state. The color of the wild animal is grayish brown on the back and sides, with dark transverse undulations, while below it is lighter colored, and the inside of the thighs and feet are yellowish. There are three bands upon the tail, the inferior third of which is blackish. In the domes- ticated state this animal varies, as is well known, in the length and fineness of its hair, but infinitely less so than the dog, and is also much less submissive and af- fectionate. The Cat renders essential service by the destruction of vermin, and
most families consider it to their advan- tage to keep onc at least upon their prem- ises. Cats were formerly held in so high estimation on account of their mousing qualities, that in the 10th century laws were passed in England regulating the price of them. It was also enacted, that " whoever stole or killed the cat that guarded the granary of the prince, should forfeit an ewe, with her fleece and lamb, or as much wheat as, when poured npon a cat, suspended by its tail, (the head touching the floor,) would form a heap high enough to cover the creature to the tip of its tail."
ORDER PACHYDERMATA.
This order is named from the thickness of the skin of the animals which compose it. They have two and sometimes the three kinds of teeth. The four extremni- ties are furnished with toes, variable in nuinber, and terminated with strong nails or hoofs. They have no clavicles; and the organs of digestion are not formed for ruminating. We have no animal of this order existing in Vermont in a wild state, and only three, the Horse, the Ass, and the Ilog, which have been introduced.
Genus Equus, LINNEUS.
Generic Characters .- Teeth 40-Incis- ors @, canines 2-1, grinders G_G. Grinders furrowed on each side with flat crowns, and sev- eral ridges of enamel ; between the canines and grinders a vacant space. Upper lip capable of considerable motion ; eyes large ; cars rather large, pointed and erect ; feet with a single vis- ible toe, covered with a strong hoof; tail with long hair, or in some species with a toft at the extremity ; two inguinal feats ; stomach simple and membranous ; intestines and cæcum large.
THE HORSE. Equus caballus .- LINNEUS.
This generous and noble spirited ani- mal, next to the sheep and the ox, has probably been the most useful servant of man. At what period he became domes- ticated we have at present no means of knowing. It must, however, have been soon after the deluge, if not before that event, as there is mention of the horse and his rider in the book of Genesis near- ly 2000 years before the Christian era. The horse is the associate and assistant of man in war, in the chase, and in the works of agriculture, of the arts and of commerce. Although wild horses exist at the present day in several parts of the world, yet it is believed that there are now no wild horses, which have descen- ded in a wild state from the original stock.
* Brown's Zoological Text Book, Vol. 1, p. 75.
53
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
CHAP. 2.
THE ASS.
THE MULE.
THE HOG.
The wild horses in Asia and America are | one employed as a beast of burden. It is all descended from such as had been for- much more sure-footed than the horse, and on that account is much used in rough mountainous countries. The hoarse- ness of the bray of the Ass is well known, and it is produced by two small, peculiar cavities, situated at the bottom of the lar- ynx. The Ass is not kept in Vermont for its labor, but a very few are kept for the production of Mules from the mare. merly domesticated, and had been set at liberty. These wild horses are said to be very numerous, going in troops upon the prairies at the southwest, and that the In- dians supply themselves with horses, by catching and taming them. The period of gestation in the horse is 11 months and in the domesticated state the colt is al- lowed to suck 5 or 6 months. At the age of two years the sexes are separated ; THE MULE .- The Mule is an unprolif- ic hybrid, produced betwixt the horse and the ass. When the sire was a horse and the dam a she-ass, the offspring was termed Hinaus by the ancients, but when the sire was a jack ass and the dam a mare, it was then called Mulus. At some periods a considerable number of Mules have been produced in Vermont, but they have al- ways been reared for exportation, none of them being kept within the state for their labor. at three they are handled and at four are broke to the saddle and harness, and are capable of service and of propagating without injury to themselves. The life of the horse is from 25 to 30 years, but they are not of much value after they reach 20 years. The age of a horse may be pretty nearly ascertained by his teeth. According to Cuvier the milk teeth appear about 15 days after the colt is foaled ; at 24 years the middle ones are replaced ; at 34 the two following ones ; and at 4} the outermost ones or corners. All these teeth have at first indented crowns, which GENUS SUS .- Linnaeus. are gradually worn down by use and en- tirely effaced at 7 years old. The lower canine teeth uppear at 3 years old, and the upper ones at 4. They remain poin- ted till G, and begin to peel off at 10.
Vermont produces excellent horses and considerable pains have been taken to in- troduce the best varieties. The greatest part of the labor upon the farmns, and nearly the whole of the travel and trans- portation in this state is performed by hor- ses, and large numbers of fine horses are annually sent to market out of the state. The whole number of horses in Vermont, (including the mules, which are very few,) according to the returns of 1840, was as follows :
Addison, 5,425|Orange, 6,674
Bennington, 3,397 Orleans, 3,462
Caledonia,
5,852 Rotland, 6,200
Chittenden,
4,231 |Washington, 4,360
Essex,
1,207 Windbam,
4,969
Franklin,
4,427| Windsor,
8,440
Grand Isle,
1,16)
Luruville,
2,597 Total number, 62,402.
THE ASS.
Equus asinus, -LINNAEUS.
The Ass is distinguished by his long ears, by the tuft which terminates his tail, and by the black eross on his shoulders. His usual color is a brownish gray. He was originally from the great deserts of central Asia, where these animals are still found in a wild state, and where they range in immense herds from north to south, according to the season. The Ass in the domesticated state, is a patient, submissive and serviceable animal, and in many parts of the world is almost the only
Generic Characters .- Teeth 42 or 46- incisors, 4 or 6, canines, 1-L, grinders, 2-4. Lower incisors directed obliquely forward, the up- per ones conical ; the canines protruded and bent upwards ; grinders simple and tuberculous Body covered with bristles ; nose elongated, cartilagin- ous and furnished with a particular bone to the snout; feet with four toes, the two middle ones only touching the ground, furnished with strong hoofs.
THE COMMON HIOG.
Sus scrofa .- LINNAEUS.
The color of the Hog, in a wild state, is blackish brown mixed with gray. Its tusks strong, prismatic, curved out- wards and slightly upwards ; its body short and thick ; its ears erect, and the young are striped with black and white. In the domestic state it is subject to very great variety, both in form and color. Pork or the flesh of the Hog, has always been to the people of Vermont one of the most important articles of food. When the country was new, the first settlers of the state depended, to a very considerable ex- tent, upon the spontaneous productions of the forests for the means of fattening their logs. Hogs are extremely fond of acorus, beech nuts, and other nuts, and with these the forests abounded. When, on the occurrence of frosts in autumn, these nuts began to fall from the trees, it was the practice of the early settlers to turn their hogs into the woods and let them run till the setting in of winter and the fall of deep snows, when they were usually found in good condition to be butchered. But on account of the great
51
NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.
PART. I.
THE OX.
THE OX.
number of bears, wolves and catamounts, | however, have been domesticated at a which embraced every opportunity to de- very early period, as the keeping of cattle is mentioned as an occupation before the flood .* After that event the keeping of cattle and sheep afforded the means of subsistence and constituted the principal part of the wealth of a large proportion of the human race ; and has continued to do so down to the present time. We read that when Abraham was in Egypt, 120 years before there is any mention of the horse, he was possessed of sheep and ox- en ;t and this account of the early domes- tication and acknowledged value of the ox is confirmed by the records of profane history. This animal was held in so high estimation as to be an object of worship in Egypt, and among the lindoos was highly venerated and believed to be the first animal created. The traditions of the Celtic nations also enrol the cow among the earliest productions, and rep- resent her as a kind of divinity. stroy them, the fattening of hogs in this way was, at best, a precarious business. In some places, where a considerable num- ber of hogs were turned into the woods together, a person was kept with them to protect them during the day, and collect thein into a place of safety for the night, and often has our blood chilled in our veins as we have heard our fathers nar- rate, with quivering lips, their bloody struggles with bruin for the possession of a favorite hog. Almost every family in the state fattens one hog, or more than one, for their own use, and by most of our farmers, more or less are fattened for mar- ket. Hogs are usually butchered in this state when about 20 months old, and their weight when dressed is from 150, to 400 pounds, according to kind and condi- tion. Considerable pains have been taken within a few years to improve our breed of hogs, and several new varieties have been introduced, one of the latest and most ap- proved of which is called the Berkshire Hlog. The log is a prolific animal, pro- ducing young twice a year, and often having 14 pigs at a litter. The period of gestation is 4 months. The hog increases in size for about 5 or 6 years, and some- times lives 20 years. The number of hogy in the several counties in Vermont, ac- cording to the returns of 1840, was as fol- lows :
Addison, 14,305] Lamoille, 7,987
Bennington,
9.900 (Orange, 2.2,516
('aledonia,
18,991| Orleans, 9,750
Chittenden,
25,310 Ruttaal, 15,564
Essex,
3,639 Washington, 12,150
Franklin.
8,935 Windham) 29,435
Grand Isle,
3,179]Windsor, 22,831
GENUS BOS .- Linnaeus.
Generic Characters .- Teeth 32 or 30- Incisors # or f, caminos g, grindersg.g. fond large; forchead straight ; muzzle square ; horns oc- copying the crest of the forehead ; eyes large; ears funnel shaped; dewlaps on the neck ; female with an udder, having four leats ; tail long and tuf- ted; horns simple, conical, round with various in- flections, sometimes directed laterally.
THE OX.
Bos taurus .- LINN.
We here use the term or in a general sense, to denote neat cattle, the male of which is called bull, and the female cow, although it is ordinarily applied to the male in an altered working state. Neith- er the native country of the ox, nor the tine when he was reclaimed from a wild state, is now certainl, known. It must,
Cattle, like most other domesticated animals, have run into a very considera- ble number of varieties, and it is now, perhaps, impossible to ascertain which approaches nearest to the original stock. The cattle which were first introduced into this country by the carly settlers, were such as were the common cattle of Great Britain 150 or 200 years ago, and from these the present stocks have gen- erally descended, and, till within a few years past, very little pains have been ta- ken for their improvement. These, com- ing from different parts of England, Scot- land and Ireland, consisted of many va- rieties, which here became amalgamated, and which have here formed what may be called the American stock, retaining, like our American people, many both of the good and bad qualities of the races from which it is descended. For many years past much pains have been taken to in- prove the breeds of cattle, particularly in England, and within a few years some of these improved breeds have been intro- duced into this country. The most ap- proved of these are the Ayrshire and Durham, and these are doubtless in many respects superior to onr native cattle. Still, it is the opinion of many, that the proper method of improving stocks of cattle is not by the introduction of foreign materials, but by selecting, for breeders, from our native stocks, the best varieties, and, from these, those individuals which possess the properties desired in the high- est perfection. In this way we shall be sure to have a race of cattle which is adapted to our country and climate, and
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