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Show 150 STERU .. ITY FROM CHAP. XVIII. breed. l\{r. Bates, in his admirable work on the Amazons, strongly insists on similar cases; 12 and he remarks, that the fact of thoroughly tamed native mammals and birds not breeding when kept by the Indians, cannot be wholly accounted for by their negligence or indifference, for the turkey is valued by them, and the fowl has boon adopted by the remotest tribes. In almost every part of the world-for instance, in the interior of Africa, and in several of the Polynesian islands-the natives are extremely fond of taming. the indigenous quadrupeds and birds; but they rarely or never succeed in getting them to breed. The most notorious case of an animal not breeding in captivity is that of the elephant. Elephants are kept in large numbers in their native Indian homo, live to old age, and are vigorous enough for the severest labour; yet, with one or two exceptions, they have never been known oven to couple, though both males and females have their proper periodical seasons. If, however, we proceed a little eastward to Ava, we hear fi·om :Mr. Crawfurd 13 that their" breeding in the domestic state, or at least in the half-domestic state in which the female elephants are generally kept, is of every-day occurrence;" and Mr. Crawfurd informs me that he believes that the difference must be attributed solely to the females being allowed to roam the forests with some degree of freedom. The captive rhinoceros, on the other hand, seems from Bishop Heber's account14 to breed in India far more readily than the eh~phant. Four wild species of the horse genus have bred in Europe, though here exposed to a great change in their natuml habits of life ; but the species have generally been crossed one with another. Most of the members of the pig family breed readily in our menageries: even the Red River hog ( Potamochrerus p enicillatus), from the sweltering plains of West Afi·ica, has bred twice in the Zoological Gardens. Here also the Peccary (Dicotytes torquatus) has bred several times; but another species, the D. labiatus, though rendered so tame as to be halfdomesticated, breeds so rarely in its native cotmtry of Paraguay, that according to Rengger 15 the fact requires con:fhmation. Mr. Bates remarks that the tapir, though often kept tame in Amazonia by the Indians, never breeds. R~ants .generally. breed quite freely in England, though brought from Widely different climates, as may be seen in the Annual Reports of the Zoological Gardens, and in the Gleanings fi·om Lord Derby's menagerie. The Carnivora, with the exception of the Plantigrade division, generally breed (though with capricious exceptions) almost as freely as ruminants. l\{any spe~ies of ~elidre have bred in various menageries, although imported from .vanous climates and ?losely confined. Mr. Bartlett, the present supermtendent of the Zoological Gardens/6 remarks that the lion appears to breed more frequently and to bring fOl'th more young at a birth than any other species of the family. He adds that the tiger has rarely bred; 12 ' The Naturalist on the Amazons ' 1863, vol. i. pp. 99, 193; vol. ii. ~. 113. 13 'Embassy to the Court of Ava,' vol. i. p. 334. 14 'Journal,' vol. i. p. 213. 15 'Saugethiere,' s. 327. 16 On the Breeding of the larger F elidre, 'Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' 1861, p. 1'10. CHAP. XVIII. CHANGED CONDITIONS. 151 "but there are several well-authenticated instances of the female tiger breeding with the lion." Strange as the fact may appear, man~ anim~ls under confinement unite with distinct species and produce hybnds qmte as freely as, or even more freely than, with then· own species. On inquiring from Dr. Falconer and others, it appears that the tiger when confined in India does not breed, though it has been known to couple. The cheetah (Felis y'ubata) has never been known by Mr. Bartlett to breed in England, but it has bred at Frankfort ; nor does it breed in India, where it is kept in large numbers for hunting; but no pains would be taken to make them breed, as only those animals which have hunted for themselves in a state of nature are serviceable and worth training.17 According to Rengger, two species of wild cats in Paraguay, though thoroughly tamed, have never bred. Although so many of the Felidre breed readily in the Zoological Gardens, yet conception by no means always follows union: in the nine-year Report, various species are specified which were observed to couple seventy-three times, and no doubt this must have passed many times unnoticed; yet from the seventy-three unions only fifteen births ensued. The Carnivora in the Zoological Gardens were formerly less freely exposed to the air and cold than at present, and this change of treatment, as I was assured by the former superintendent, Mr. Miller, greatly increased their fertility. Mr. Bartlett, and there cannot be a more capable judge, says, "it is remarkable that lions breed more freely " in travelling collections than in the Zoological Gardens; probably the "constant excitement and irritation produced by moving from place to "place, or change of ail·, may have considerable influence in the matter." Many members of the Dog family breed readily when confined. The Dhole is one of the most untameable animals in India, yet a pair kept there by Dr. Falconer produced young. Foxes, on the other hand, rarely breed, and I have never heard of such an occurrence with the European fox: the silver fox of North America (Canis argentatus), however, has bred several times in the Zoological Gardens. Even the otter has bred there. Every one knows how readily the semi-domesticated ferret breeds, though shut up in miserably small cages; but other species of Viverra and Paradoxurus absolutely refuse to breed in the Zoological Gardens. The Gcnetta has bred both here and in the Jardin des Plantes, and produced hybrids. The Herpestes fasciatus has likewise bred; but I was formerly assured that the H. griseus, though many were kept in the Gardens, never bred. The Plantigrade Carnivora breed Ullder confinement much less freely, without om being able to assign any reason, than other members of the group. In the nine-year Report it is stated that the bears had been seen in the Zoological Gardens to couple freely, but previously to 1848 had most rm·ely conceived. In the Reports published since this date three species have produced young (hybrids in one case), and, wonderful to relate, the white Polar bear has produced young. The badger (Meles taxus) has bred several times in the Gardens; but I have not heard of this 17 Sleeman's ' Rambles in India,' vol. ii. p. 10. |