- A true scorpion
The true scorpions are widely distributed throughout warm countries and everywhere bear an evil reputation. According to Comstock (1912), about a score of species occur in the Southern United States. These are comparatively small forms but in the tropics members of this group may reach a length of seven or eight inches. They are pre-eminently predaceous forms, which lie hidden during the day and seek their prey by night. The scorpions possess large pedipalpi, terminated by strongly developed claws, or chelæ. They may be distinguished from all other Arachnids by the fact that the distinctly segmented abdomen is divided into a broad basal region of seven segments and a terminal, slender, tail-like division of five distinct segments - A tumbling Ape
A tumbling Ape - A Well Shrimp (Niphargus aquilex)
- A whip-scorpion
The tailed whip-scorpions, belonging to the family Thelyphonidæ, are represented in the United States by the giant whip-scorpion Mastigoproctus giganteus, which is common in Florida, Texas and some other parts of the South. In Florida, it is locally known as the "grampus" or "mule-killer" and is very greatly feared. There is no evidence that these fears have any foundation, and Dr. Marx states that there is neither a poison gland nor a pore in the claw of the chelicera. - a white Persian - Muff
a white Persian - Muff - a wing to the seed
- a witch-hazel branch bearing both flowers and fruit
- A Wolf
- A wolf
A wolf howling - A Woodlouse (Porcellio scaber), One of the Isopoda
- A. Head of a typical Moth
showing proboscis formed by flexible maxillae (g) between the labial palps (p);c, face; e, eye; the structure m has been regarded as the vestige of a mandible. B. Basal part (b) of maxilla removed from head, with vestigial palp (p). Magnified. - Aardvark
Of the order of toothless animals, the aardvark (Orycteropus aethiopicus), which occurs from the lowlands to the Woina-Deka, should be mentioned. The shy animal, with its smell and hearing, dwells in self-dug caves, characterized by lively leaps and a kangaroo-like position, supported by the powerful tail. It often goes only on the hind feet and nd sniffs the earth with the long, constantly moving nose, which resembles a pig's trunk, in order to look for ants. When it has discovered such a place, it begins to dig very skillfully and vigorously with the forefeet and push back the agitated Earth with the hind feet. For urine and dung, the aardvark digs a small pit, which is then carefully covered up again. In the building itself, it sleeps curled up lying on its side. Pursued, it hurries away in rapid bursts and burrows quickly, closing the tube behind it. - Acanthus latifolius (lusitanicus).
Ornamental foliaged herbaceous Section; retaining its leaves till very late in the year. The leaves of this are bold and noble in outline, and the plant has a tendency, rare in some hardy things with otherwise fine qualities, to retain them till the end of the season without losing a particle of their freshness and polished verdure. In fact, the only thing we have to decide about this subject is, what is the best place for it? Now, it is one of those things that will not disgrace any position, and will prove equally at home in the centre of the mixed border, projected in the grass a little from the edge of a choice shrubbery, or in the flower-garden; nobody need fear its displaying anything like the seediness which such things as the Heracleums show at the end of summer. - Acokanthera spectabilis
Acokanthera spectabilis - acorn
- Adaption of Horned Poppy for needlework
- Adenium multiflorum
Adenium multiflorum - Advancing, ... her clear eyes fixed on mine
- Aëdes calopus; larva
The yellow fever mosquito breeds in cisterns, water barrels, pitchers and in the various water receptacles about the house. In our own Southern States it very commonly breeds in the above-ground cisterns which are in general use. Often the larvæ are found in flower vases, or even in the little cups of water which are placed under the legs of tables to prevent their being overrun by ants. They have been repeatedly found breeding in the holy water font in churches. In short, they breed in any collection of water in close proximity to the dwellings or gathering places of man. - Affection
Affection - African Fat-Tailed Sheep
- African Okapi
African Okapi - African Snake-necked bird
- Agalena and Her Funnel-Web
Agalenidæ, as our funnel-web weavers are called, are long-legged, brown spiders, in which the head part of the cephalo-thorax is higher than the thoracic part, and distinctly separated from it by grooves or marks at the sides. The eyes are usually in two rows, but in Agalena the middle eyes of both rows are much higher than the others. The feet have three claws, and the posterior pairs of spinnerets are two-jointed and usually longer than the others. Agalena nævia, the technical name of our Common Grass Spider, abounds in all parts of the United States, but its very commonness is the principal reason why it is so little known except by the trained naturalist, its very familiarity leading the average man and woman to look upon it with contempt. - Agalenidæ
Long-legged, brown spiders, with two spinnerets longer than the others, and extending out behind the body. Figure is Agalena nævia, the common grass spider. They make flat webs, with a funnel-shaped tube at one side, in which the spider waits. - Agapanthus Umbellatus
Agapanthus Umbellatus - Ailuropus Melanoleucus
Besides these two varieties of bears, there is another animal, which, though it is not properly a bear, resembles one so closely that it is classed by the Chinese and Tibetans in that family. It is known to the Chinese as hua hsiung, or "mottled bear," and Milne Edwards, who studied and described it, has called it Ailuropus melanoleucus. This animal was, I believe, discovered by that enterprising missionary and naturalist, Father Armand David (who called it "white bear"), in the little eastern Tibetan principality of Dringpa or Mupin, in western Ssu-ch'uan.[13] Five specimens have so far been secured of this very rare animal: three are in the Jardin des Plantes of Paris, the other two in the Museum at the Jesuits' establishment, at Zikawei, near Shanghai. - air ships of the milkweed
- Alderney Cow
- Alligator
Alligator - Aloe Pienaarii
Aloe Pienaarii - Aloe pretoriensis
Aloe pretoriensis - Aloe Globuligemma
Aloe Globuligemma - Alpine hare or Snow Hare
The Alpine hare or Snow Hare (Lepus timidus, L. variabilis) differs by physique and appearance clearly from the Gewonen Haas. "He is," says Tschudi, "more cheerful, livelier, three-star, has a shorter, rounder, more curvaceous head, a shorter nose, smaller ears (which, pressed against the head, do not reach to the spire of the snout). - American Coot
American Coot This slate-gray bird with white bill and white patch under the tail, belongs to the rail family but spends more time with ducks. He swims with a jerky motion of the head, dives like a grebe, walks out on the shore and eats grass like a goose. Yes, the “mudhen,” for that is what he is commonly called, is quite versatile. When taking flight, he either runs into the breeze or skitters across the water for a short distance until he can gain sufficient speed to gain altitude, then away to safety. Coots feed largely on underwater vegetation and prefer algae or musk grass. Small fish or other aquatic animals are eaten on occasion while grass, grain or weeds are not overlooked. When diving for food, these birds often are robbed by the American Widgeon, or Baldpate, which relishes such juicy morsels but does not dive. Coots take such invasions as a matter of course. - American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch The American or Common Goldfinch often is called “wild canary.” Altho he is not a canary, his small size, color and twittering notes remind people of their pets. While smaller than sparrows, these birds are rugged and winter over much of their nesting range. Their habit of flocking and tendency to feed on weed seeds makes them easily found. The male of this species is a rich lemon yellow with a small black mark above the bill, black wings and tail. The wings show distinct white bars especially in winter when the yellow has faded to the more somber hue of the female. The tail is forked with white tips on the outer feathers and coverts. The bill is yellow. Goldfinches are noted for their cheerful dispositions. A feeding flock can be heard uttering twittering conversational notes even in winter. Spring brings the notes of their beautiful but varied song which usually can be identified as “tzee,” or “per-chic-o-ree,” which is the song heard when the birds pass overhead. - American Luna Moth
Larva on Branch Below, and Cocoon on Twig Just Above. No insect affords a better proof of high art in nature, and of the transcendent beauty of the Creator’s thoughts, than the Luna moth, which is as preëminent above her fellows as her namesake, the fair empress of the sky, above the lesser lights that dominate the night. Her elegant robes of green, set off with trimmings of purple, and jewelled with diamonds, added to her queenly grace and personal charms, will always distinguish her from the profanum vulgus of the articulata. - American Merganser
Mergus merganser Many birds have developed beaks which help them secure their food. The American Merganser is no exception. His beak is long and narrow and both mandibles are edged with sharp, pointed teeth which are inclined backward. The tip is covered by a nail or hook designed for catching and holding fish which form the major portion of this duck’s food. These birds are expert divers and the entire flock soon joins one of its members which has located a school of fish. Both rough and game fish are relished. The male is a beautiful bird with his red bill, greenish-black head, black back fading to an ashy-gray rump and tail. The chest, sides and breast are white and often show a pinkish-salmon tint. Wings show a black and white pattern and the feet are red. A large streamlined duck sitting low in the water with a white body and black trim is descriptive. The female has a reddish-brown head with an elongated brushy crest, ashy-gray back and white belly. They can be confused only with the Red-breasted Merganser, but in this case, both male and female are crested and the male shows a white collar and reddish upper chest. - American Merganser, Male
MERGANSER Mergus merganser americanus Cassin Other Names.—Shelldrake; Goosander; Fish Duck; Sawbill; American Merganser. Description.—One of the largest of the ducks; bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Adult male: Head and upper neck greenish black; lower neck, patches in wings, and underparts white; belly suffused with salmon-pink, noticeable in some individuals; back, shoulders, and wings black; rump and tail gray; bill and feet red; eyes bright red. Adult female: Head, with two large crests, and neck rich brown, marked with white areas in front of eye and on chin and upper throat; upperparts ashy gray; patch in wings, and breast and belly white. Length: 25 inches. Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant along the larger waterways and sometimes on the smaller streams from about March 15 to April 20 and from October 1 to December 1. It frequently occurs in winter when the water is free of ice. The mergansers are all expert fishermen and like to fish in swift water. They dive easily and their serrate bills help them to hold their slippery prey. The female Merganser is difficult to distinguish from the female Red-breasted Merganser; in the present species, however, the white area on the chin and upper throat is sharply defined, whereas in the Red-breasted species the chin and throat are not white, but of a brownish color, paler than the rest of the head. - American Pintail
Anas acuta This duck has the widest nesting range of any species in the northern hemisphere. An American Pintail looks much the same whether you find him in Hawaii, Europe, Asia, Alaska, Canada, Mexico or on either coast of the United States. The drake is a large gray-backed, white-breasted duck. The white of the breast extends up the long neck to a point back of the brown head; gray feathers extend up the back of the neck to the head. The tail gives a clue to the name, for the 2 center feathers are long, black and pointed. The female is a mottled brown and shows a long, thin neck, bluish-gray feet and a pointed but not elongated tail. These birds are strong fliers and do much of their courting on the wing, the female leading a convoy of males, each trying to outdo the others. Perhaps she chooses the strongest flier for her mate. The male has a whistled note while the female utters a muffled quack. - An American tarantula
n popular usage, the term "tarantula" is loosely applied to any one of a number of large spiders. The famous tarantulas of southern Europe, whose bites were supposed to cause the dancing mania, were Lycosidæ, or wolf-spiders. Though various species of this group were doubtless so designated, the one which seems to have been most implicated was Lycosa tarantula (L.). On the other hand, in this country, though there are many Lycosidæ, the term "tarantula" has been applied to members of the superfamily Avicularoidea, including the bird-spiders. - An Amphipod (Gammarus locusta)
- An anatomical diagram of about 1298
An anatomical diagram of about 1298 - An Eight-Armed Cuttlefish or Octopus Attacking a Small Crab
These molluscs are particularly fond of crustaceans, which they crunch with their parrot's beak-like jaws. Their salivary juice has a paralysing effect on their prey. To one side, below the eye, may be seen the funnel through which water is very forcibly ejected in the process of locomotion. - An Old Monarch
After Rosa Bonheur had painted horses, cows, and other tame animals a great many times, she began to want to paint wild animals, such as tigers and bears. She could not go to the far-away countries where they live, so she bought a lion and lioness from a man who had been there. These she kept in a very strong cage of heavy iron bars. Here she came to watch them every day. This is one of the pictures she painted of the lion. She called him “Nero,” and was so kind to him that after a while he became quite tame. The lioness was always wild, but good old Nero soon became so gentle that Rosa Bonheur could pet him and even go into his cage. - Anaconda
Anaconda - Anatifa lævis
- And from that hour they were fast friends
- And still looked directly in my eyes
- Angora Buck
Early Importation - Angora Goat
The next importation of practical importance, although it was claimed that nine head were received about 1861, by one Stiles, was made by Israel S. Diehl, a former U.S. consul and C. S. Brown, of Newark, New Jersey, about 1868. Mr. Diehl was commissioned by the United States government to investigate the industry in Turkey, and he secured a lot of Angoras, variously estimated at from one hundred to one hundred and sixty head. Mr. C. P. Bailey furnished the money for the transportation of these goats to California. He says, "Some were fairly good and some were only ordinary. They were of medium size, and with the exception of the neck, tolerably well covered with fleece, which however had a scattering of kemp throughout. They were conceded to be the best brought to California up to that time." Some of these bucks had been tampered with and were sterile. - Angora goat
Angora goat Shortly after the Angora goat became known in Europe, efforts have started to acclimatize it on our continent. So far, there has been no reason to complain about the results of these experiments, which have led to the breeding of this breed in Spain, Italy, France and Sweden; it is even said that the wool of animals born in France is finer than that of their ancestors. - Angora Goats
- Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquito
Anopheles quadrimaculatus mosquito, male and female - Another family portrait
- Antennæ of Goniodes
- Apple
- Apple cut crosswise
- Apple cut lengthwise
- Apple Flower