stable yard at the Old Hall, a horse paraded for inspection, the boy George, already named, at his head; Mr. Blackwell, with hands in his coat-pockets; Dr. Hoofcut, ditto in his breeches' pockets. "There's an 'orse, Doctor! landed from Ireland last week-something of the right stamp, eh ?-a true colt of Wall-topper's, out of Flowers-de-Lis's! There's lines! there's a back! there's shoulders! The Squire gave an hundred-an-fifty-cheap at the money! He's a rare horse, I'll be bound, in a heavy country!" "Heugh!" said the Doctor, taking his hands from his pockets, and poking the horse all over with his fore-finger as if he were killing flies, and then running his hands down his legs, and looking well into his eyes; while Blackwell was abusing the lad for not holding him quiet, notwithstanding the poking. He said, "Take the harse in as you term him, lad-take him in, and take care of him! The Squire knows a horse and his value. He is worth £250, or my name is not Hoofcut!" And he was right: indeed, the Governor afterwards refused threehundred. His detestation of pulling horses almost equalled his love for his daughter-and not without reason, as I shall show-a fact well known to those who know life, and witnessed it. The tale ran as follows. (To be continued.) OBSERVATIONS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF TEXAS. BY WILLIAM BOLLAERT, F.R.G.S. Texas, not many years since, was one of the outlying districts of Mexico, inhabited only by wild Indians. After the separation of Mexico from Old Spain, exchanging the most absolute despotism for republican principles, it commenced having a direct intercourse with the United States, which led to the emigrating of American citizens into Texas. The emigrants and the Mexicans soon disagreed; the former, with their unerring rifles, defying the armies of the latter, beating them, and taking their commander, Santa Anna, prisoner at the battle of San Jacinto. Texas declared itself an independent republic, and shortly afterwards was induced to annex itself to the United States. Its seaboard commences at the Sabine River, in latitude 29 deg. 41 min. N., longitude 93 deg. 50 min. W.; continues south to the Rio Grande del Norte, a distance of 400 miles. The boundary then goes up the Rio Grande by Sante Fé to the Arkansas River, in 101 deg. W.; then south to Red River; along it to 94 deg. W.; then by a straight line to the Sabine, and down it to its mouth. The Gulf of Mexico may be considered as a very shallow sea: 300 miles from the coast of Texas I have met with soundings of sand and shells, affording a resting place for organic life; and on approaching nearer to the land, shell fish gets larger, and on its seaboard and inland waters large beds of oysters, mussels, &c., are met with. On its waters are seen floating fleets of the Portuguese men-of-war. The largest fish in the Gulf is the shark, which approaches near to its shore, and is most destructive to the smaller fish; shoals of which, including the excellent red fish, are always to be met with. Turtle is to be seen all over the Gulf; but it is in the shallow and undisturbed warm lagoons of the coast where they congregate in great numbers during the summer; hard and soft shell, as well as Terapin. We now arrive at the mouths of the great rivers; which, amongst other fresh-water fish, afford spotted trout and cat-fish, the latter in such good condition that at times it may be fried in its own fat. The river fish is in its turn persecuted by the alligator, which preys also upon dogs, pigs, and other smaller animals. The alligator gar: this latter attains a goodly size, is armed with impenetrable scales, and from its strength and voracity may be termed the river shark, it is sometimes eaten; but its meat is coarse. Some of the alligators in the Brazos River are nearly fifteen feet long. One I assisted to kill took many shots ere it expired; and on being hauled on shore began to decompose most rapidly, giving off an offensive odour. The alligator in this part of the world is, however, an object of terror rather from its bulk, strength, and hideous aspect, than from general actual aggression. On land they are sluggish and almost harmless, neither going out of their way to attack nor to avoid man. Were these coasts like those of Peru and some others, where rain seldom or ever falls, doubtless guano would be found; but as it is visited by heavy periodical rains, such wash the excrement away, but in its turn has a manuring effect upon the soil. The pelican, cormorant, and other birds keep near the sea shore in vast numbers, preying upon the fish. A little inland, in the bays and mouths of rivers, swans, geese, and ducks are in such abundance that the Americans say the "Great Nations" of these birds congregate here. The land all along the coast is very low; Galveston Island about ten feet above the sea. The prairies near the sea-board are generally swampy, and there is found the otter and occasionally the beaver. The traveller is much annoyed during the summer months of the year with that pest of tropical climates, the mosquito; of which there are several varieties: one in particular, a large one, called the " galley nipper;" destroyed in its turn by the mosquito hawk. A reptile of some curiosity is met with in these low prairies, known as the "horned frog of Texas;" which appears to be of the lizard family, and probably allied to the "moloch" tribe*. Having left the low regions, the habitable prairies are entered upon, including the undulating lands. Here the zoologist and botanist finds an ample field for research. In Texas there are prairies of such extent as to be monotonous, and to the mere traveller soon become irksome; * See Gray's description of "Moloch horrida." yet they are full of animal and vegetable life. I prefer giving here a short description of such a class of prairie as we can easily comprehend "These are the gardens of the Desert-these The boundless unshorn fields, where lingers yet The open wood-girdled lands, which the early French settlers in the Mississippi Valley distinguished by the name of "prairies" or meadows, and which are called "savannas" by the Spaniards, form the characteristic feature of much of the landscape of Texas. The surface of the prairies is sometimes termed "rolling," from the resemblance to the long, heavy swell of the ocean, when its waves are subsiding after a storm. An American writer says :— "The attraction of the prairie consists in its extent, its carpet of verdure and flowers, its undulating surface and fringes of timber. If it be in spring, the young grass has just covered the ground with a carpet of delicate green. When the eye roves off the plain to the groves or points of timber, these are also found to be in this season robed in the most attractive hues; the rich undergrowth is in full bloom, filling the air with fragrance. In the summer the prairie is covered with long grass, which soon assumes a golden hue, and waves in the wind like a ripe harvest. As the season advances from spring to midsummer, the individual flower becomes less beautiful when closely inspected; but the landscape is far more variegated, rich, and glowing. My amiable friend, Mrs. Holley, one of the first settlers in Texas, when speaking of the prairies that encircled her home in that country, says; The delicate, the gay, and the gaudy are intermingled with delightful confusion; and those fanciful bouquets of fairy nature borrow ten-fold charms from the smooth carpet of modest green which mantles around them."" Mr. Kendall thus writes of a prairie being on fire : "It was purely an accidental affair, and caused us but little damage; but had the wind been in a different direction it would have swept the whole face of the country for miles and miles in advance. The dry grass flashed up like powder, and the fire spread over the prairie with the speed of a racehorse. At first an attempt was made to extinguish it by means of switches made of green boughs and bushes; but those who exerted themselves in this way returned from the task with singed whiskers, eye brows, and hair, and without effecting anything." I will here just allude to the principal animals seen on the prairies; viz., deer, mustang, fox, wolf, puma, jaguar, ocelot, hare, rabbit, wild turkey, prairie hen, and approaching the mountainous region (which are of 3rd and 4th class in point of elevation, the bases covered with woods), elevated land succeeds, and continuing west, to the Rocky Mountains, bears, antelope, mountain goat, and buffalo, are found in abundance. In offering zoological remarks on new and distant countries, it may not be out of place to commence with its aboriginal inhabitants, which brings us immediately to the Red Man of America. Although Texas is only about three to four times the size of France, it contains within its boundary very many Indian tribes. Some of them have roamed over its prairies and mountains from time out of mind; remnants of others; and others, again, flying from before the white man. I have already given to the British Association (1846) and to the Ethnological Society, in 1850, the historical details, &c., of the Texan Indians, and will only here present a list, with the more salient points connected with them; for in a few years many of these tribes will be extinct. MAMMALIA. 1. Tehas or Texas Indians: their country they called Teha-lana, or Land of Beauty. 2. Adaes. 3, Jaramenes; 4, Caicaches: these were probably of Natchez origin, and are now entirely extinct. 5. Comanches, or letans, divided into 6 Lamparacs. 7. Tenuhas, These are large tribes, being always at war with the Mexicans; and of late years made descents upon the Texan settlers, by whom they have been severely punished; of Snake or Soshone origin. 8. Apaches, Mezcaleros, and Farones. Generally at war with the Mexicans; found on the Rio Grande and Puercos. 9. Carisos: a branch of the Apaches. 10. Tahuaconi. 11. Wacoe. 12. Carancahua or Koronks, almost extinct. 13. Cokes. 14. Kiaways, and perhaps some few others, are of Comanche origin. 15. Lipan. 16. Tonkeway, of Apache descent. 17. Arapahoe. 18. Pawnees or Towash, of the Algouguin race. 19. Ketchies. 20. Wishetaw. 21. Seratics. I am not able to give the history of these. 22. Creeks. 23. Chickisaws. 24. Bedies. 25. Then follow the Cherokees and their associate bands; viz. -26. Shawnee, 27. Delaware. 28. Kickapoos. 29. Quawpaws. 30. Choctaws. 31. Boluxies. 32. Iwanies. 33. Alabamas. 34. Coshattes. 35. Caddos. 36. Tahookatokies. 37. Anadarcos. 38. Muskovy. In all about 25,000 souls; but certainly not on the increase, but rather on the contrary, caused by the rifle of the white man, his diseases, and his liquors. The latter they call "rot-gut," otherwise bad whiskey. QUADRUPEDS. In the dense tropical vallies of the Brazos and Colorado and other spots, I searched in vain for the monkey tribe. I will commence with the Bat (Cheiroptera). There is a large and small species; the latter is met with in great numbers at San Antonio, particularly in the old and deserted missions on that river, where I have noticed their ordure in some places two feet thick on the pavements of the halls and chapels, their nests being located on the rafters and in the roofs. On the Cimaron river, near to the Arkansas, the bat is met with in caves. A friend of mine, whilst exploring one of these caves, says, The smoke of the fire we made started myriads of bats; they were dreadfully alarmed at seeing us and our fire, and in their state of wild excitement many of them flew into the flames, and perished. Insectivora.-Mole (Talpa), a common animal about the country, but I think there is more than one species. Carnivora.-Bear (Ursus americanus).Found in the woodlands. 1 have had fine hunting of this species in the Guadalupe mountains, where it revels in the rich "moist bottoms," particularly if there be much Peccan nut. It is taken by rifle shot, after being hunted out of its fastness by dogs. If the wound be not a mortal one, it is judicious to give the coup de grace with the bowie-knife or spear. The Indians generally take the bear by the arrow and pit-falls. Its meat is good, something between veal and pork, and when roasted is eaten in the woods with wild honey as a sauce; if maize cakes be added, then the hunter considers he has a good repast. Bear's grease is exported, From 500 to 600lbs. is the general weight of a bear, but some have been taken weighing 1,000lbs. Sometimes the hunters, when the bear has been taken young, make a pet of him. Grisly bear (Ursus ferox), erroneously called the white bear.-This animal is principally found in the mountainous parts of N.W. Texas. Le Grande, a famous backwoodsman and surveyor, found it amongst the snows of the Sierra Oscura. Racoon or coon (Procyon loton).-It is hunted like the opossum. Its meat is eaten, and fur collected. Skunk (Mephitis americanus) polecat).—It is the large species that is found in great numbers in Texas, roaming slowly about unfrequented prairies. My first introduction to this animal was on Big Hill prairie, near to Gonzales. Two European servants belonging to our party, one a Belgian the other a Dane, were much excited by the chase in those wilds, and had they been permitted would have shot at every animal they saw. Our backwoodsman guide used to tell them, "I guess you helps will be gunning away until the Tonkeways come down upon us, and then p'raps there'll be some scalping.' It was a scorching, cloudless hot day, the sun about 115° Faht.; our "helps" were at some distance ahead; we saw them running and dodging about. Pop! pop! went their rifles. They continued to run up to something they appeared to have shot, when after a short time we heard volleys of imprecations from them in French and Danish; the former we could understand, the latter we gave the Dane credit for his being pretty considerably" (so our guide observed) blasphemous. We got up to them quickly, thinking they might have been bitten by rattle-snakes, when we found they had only wounded a skunk, which, as they approached it, had so perfumed them with its horribly fetid vaporous exudation, particularly in the face and eyes, as almost to blind them. There they stood, writhing in an agony of pain, added to which the suffocating stench in which they were enveloped. Our guide looked serious, exclaiming, "I guess you've done gunning for a bit, and as we used to say in the far west, when any one got into a difficulty, that they had been kicked Hell west, and seen the elephant's hind leg!'" Fortunately there was a water-hole hard by, into which we directed the poor fellows to get, where they remained some time, washing themselves and their clothes; but it was many weeks ere the latter had got rid of the abominable odour; indeed, for many days they had to keep to leeward of us, when on our route. The prairies about the Medina river are frequented by this animal, where they are at times very fat. In hunting them, the moment they are seen they should be approached with care; they try to make a retreat, which is so slow and hobbling that they are easily shot. It is rather varied in its colour, but generally black, with a white stripe along its back. The fetid liquid is said to be contained in two small bags, of a whitish viscid character, situated near the tail, and said to be highly inflammable; it is exuded with such force as to throw it four or five yards, or even more. The animal exudes part of it upon its tail, and flicks it about; this operation generally keeps off dogs and young hunters. To cook a skunk you must first catch it—that is, give it a mortal wound, say in the head, ere it exudes its fetid matter: cut out the bags containing it, and the flesh in its vicinity; then suspend the animal by the tail over a fire, thus singeing the hair off; scrape it well, gut it, rub it with salt, hang it up in a tree for a night; the next day it may be roasted, and has the flavour |