Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 307: New Series, Saturday, November 17, 1849Various
History
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 307: New Series, Saturday, November 17, 1849
Various
Periodicals
DEER.
The deer is the most acute animal we possess, and adopts the most
sagacious plans for the preservation of its life. When it lies,
satisfied that the wind will convey to it an intimation of the approach
of its pursuer, it gazes in another direction. If there are any wild
birds, such as curlews or ravens, in its vicinity, it keeps its eye
intently fixed on them, convinced that they will give it a timely
alarm. It selects its cover with the greatest caution, and invariably
chooses an eminence from which it can have a view around. It recognises
individuals, and permits the shepherds to approach it. The stags at
Tornapress will suffer the boy to go within twenty yards of them, but
if I attempt to encroach upon them they are off at once. A poor man who
carries peats in a creel on his back here, may go 'cheek-for-jowl' with
them: I put on his pannier the other day, and attempted to advance, and
immediately they sprung away like antelopes. An eminent deer-stalker
told me the other day of a plan one of his keeper's adopted to kill
a very wary stag. This animal had been known for years, and occupied
part of a plain from which it could perceive the smallest object at
the distance of a mile. The keeper cut a thick bush, which he carried
before him as he crept, and commenced stalking at eight in the morning;
but so gradually did he move forward, that it was five P.M. before he
stood in triumph with his foot on the breast of the antlered king. 'I
never felt so much for an inferior creature,' said the gentleman, 'as
I did for this deer. When I came up it was panting life away, with its
large blue eyes firmly fixed on its slayer. You would have thought,
sir, that it was accusing itself of simplicity in having been so easily
betrayed.'--_Inverness Courier._
IVORY.
At the quarterly meeting of the Geological and Polytechnic Society of
the West Riding of Yorkshire, held in the Guildhall in Doncaster, on
Wednesday last, Earl Fitzwilliam in the chair, Mr Dalton of Sheffield
read a paper on 'ivory as an article of manufacture.' The value of
the annual consumption in Sheffield was about L.30,000, and about 500
persons were employed in working it up for trade. The number of tusks
to make up the weight consumed in Sheffield, about 180 tons, was
45,000. According to this, the number of elephants killed every year
was 22,500; but supposing that some tusks were cast, and some animals
died, it might be fairly estimated that 18,000 were killed for the
purpose.--_Yorkshire Gazette._
CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE.
The new and improved edition of this work, which has been in course of
publication during the last two years, is now completed. In its entire
form it consists of two volumes royal 8vo., price 16_s._ in cloth
boards.
The following is the list of subjects of which the work is composed;
each subject being generally confined to a single number. Price of each
number 1½_d._ The work is largely illustrated with wood-engravings:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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