The Natural History of Animals: Containing an Account of Remarkable Beasts, Birds, Fishes, and InsectsSmith & Son, 1822 - 180 pages |
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Common terms and phrases
Africa Albatross animal animal's appear attack Bear beautiful belly birds boat body bottom branches breed brown Bear called catgut chiefly claws colour continue covered creature danger darts destroy devour dogs druped ducks Eagles eggs Electrical Eel elephant enemy Europe eyes feathers feet long female fish flesh fond formidable frequently fright furnished gannet Glutton Greenland grows head Hippopotamus hole horns horse Hyæna inclosure insect killed kind labour land LANTERN FLY Lapland legs length Lion live Magellanic Penguin male manner Marmot motion mouth native nerally nest never night Ostrich pounds prey pursue quadrupeds quantity RAZOR FISH Rein-deer resembles retreat Rhinoceros river rock round sand season seems seen seize shell shew shore side skin sometimes soon South America species swim tail teeth Tiger trees trunk Whale whole wild wings winter woodlouse worms wounded young
Popular passages
Page 77 - ODE TO THE CUCKOO. HAIL, beauteous stranger of the grove ! Thou messenger of Spring ! Now Heaven repairs thy rural seat, And woods thy welcome sing. + What time the daisy decks the green, Thy certain voice we hear ; Hast thou a star to guide thy path, Or mark the rolling year ? Delightful visitant ! with thee I hail the time of flowers, And hear the sound of music sweet From birds among the bowers.
Page 78 - Sweet bird ! thy bow'r is ever green, Thy sky is ever clear : Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, No winter in thy year ! O could I fly, I'd fly with thee : We'd make, with social wing, Our annual visit o'er the globe, Companions of the Spring.
Page 74 - To view the structure of that little work A bird's nest. Mark it well, within, without ; No tool had he that wrought ; no knife to cut ; No nail to fix ; no bodkin to insert ; No glue to join ; his little beak was all ; And yet, how neatly finished ! What nice hand, With every implement and means of art, And twenty years...
Page 53 - ... begins to run at first but gently ; either insensible of his danger, or sure of escaping. In this situation he somewhat resembles a man at full speed; his wings, like two arms, keep working, with a motion correspondent to that of his legs; and his speed would very soon snatch him from the view of his pursuers ; but, unfortunately for the silly creature, instead of going off...
Page 6 - The lion, when hungry, boldly attacks all animals that come in his way ; but, as he is very formidable, and as they all seek to avoid him, he is often obliged to hide, in order to take them by surprise.
Page 33 - Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave ! Burning for blood! bony, and gaunt, and grim!
Page 78 - Thou fly'st the vocal vale, An annual guest in other lands, Another spring to hail. Sweet bird! thy bower is ever green, Thy sky is ever clear ; Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, No winter in thy year! O could I fly, I'd fly with thee; We'd make, with social wing, Our annual visit o'er the globe, Companions of the spring.
Page 56 - An instance is recorded in Scotland of two children being carried off by eagles: but fortunately they received no hurt by the way; and, the eagles being pursued, the children were restored unhurt out of the nests to the affrighted parents.
Page 54 - ... still employed, still followed, for two or three days together. At last, spent with fatigue and famine, and finding all power of escape impossible, he endeavours to hide himself from those enemies he cannot avoid, and covers his head in the sand, or the first thicket he meets. Sometimes, however, he attempts to face his pursuers ; and, though in general the most gentle animal in nature, when driven to desperation he defends himself with his beak, his wings, and his feet. Such is the force of...
Page 118 - But of all migrating fish, the herring and the pilchard take the most adventurous voyages. Herrings are found in the greatest abundance in the highest northern latitudes. In those inaccessible seas, that are covered with ice for a great part of the year, the herring and pilchard find a quiet and sure retreat from all their numerous enemies ; thither neither man, nor their still more destructive enemy, the fin-fish, or the cachalot, dares to pursue them.