The Broken Heart
During the French Revolution M. des R----, an ancient magistrate and most
estimable man, was condemned to death on the charge of conspiracy and
thrown into prison. M. des R---- had a water spaniel, which had been
brought up by him, and had never quitted him. Refused admission to the
prison, he returned to his master's house, and found it shut; he took
refuge with a neighbour. Every day at the same hour the dog left the
he constantly passed an hour before it, and then returned. His fidelity at
length won over the porter, and he was one day allowed to enter. The dog
saw his master and clung to him. The gaoler with difficulty forced him
away. He came back the next morning, and every day; once each day he was
admitted. He licked the hand of his friend, looked him in the face, again
licked his hand, and went away of himself.
After the execution, at which the dog was present, he walked by the side
of the corpse to its burial-place, and after the ceremony laid himself
upon the grave. There he passed the first night, the next day, and the
second night. The neighbour in the meantime, unhappy at not seeing him,
goes in search of his friend, finds him by his master's grave, caresses
him, and makes him eat. An hour afterwards the dog escaped, and regained
his favourite place. Three months passed away, each morning of which he
came to seek his food, and then returned to the grave of his master; but
each day he was more sad, more meagre, more languishing. He was chained
up, but broke his fetters; escaped; returned to the grave, and never
quitted it more. It was in vain that they tried to bring him back. They
carried him food, but he ate no longer. For hours he was seen employing
his weakened limbs in digging up the earth that separated him from his
master. Passion gave him strength, and he gradually approached the body;
at last his faithful heart gave way, and he breathed out his last gasp, as
if he knew that he had found his master.
More
-
Long Lost Found Again
A female elephant belonging to a gentleman at Calcutta broke loose from her keeper, and was lost in the woods. The excuses which the keeper made were not admitted. It was supposed that he had sold the elephant; his wife and family therefore were s... Making Sure
During the war between Augustus Caesar and Marc Antony, when all the world stood wondering and uncertain which way Fortune would incline herself, a poor man at Rome, in order to be prepared for making, in either event, a bold hit for his own advan... Maternal Affection
Whilst a ship on a voyage of discovery to the North Pole was locked in the ice, one morning the man at the masthead reported that three bears were making their way towards the ship. They had, no doubt, been invited by the scent of some blubber of ... Mice As Navigators
Although there are few who would dispute the cleverness and sagacity of the larger animals, it is doubtful if there are many who credit the mouse with even average intelligence. The following instance may go far to raise our humble friend in the p... Mimic
A priest once brought up an ourang-outang, which became so fond of him that, wherever he went, it was always desirous of accompanying him. Whenever therefore he had to perform the service of his church, he was under the necessity of shutting it up... Monkey Versus Snake
The monkeys in India, knowing by instinct the malignity of the snakes, are most vigilant in their destruction; they seize them when asleep by the neck, and running to the nearest flat stone, grind down the head by a strong friction on the surface,... More Faithful Than Favoured
A gentleman once possessed a mastiff which guarded the house and yard, but had never met with the least particular attention from his master. One night, as his master was retiring to his chamber, attended by his faithful valet, an Italian, the mas... Musical Mice
"One rainy winter evening, as I was alone in my chamber," relates an American gentleman, "I took up my flute and commenced playing. In a few minutes my attention was directed to a mouse that I saw creeping from a hole, and advancing to the chair i... Musical Seals
Seals have a very delicate sense of hearing, and are much delighted with music. A gentleman, in his account of a voyage to Spitzbergen, mentions that the captain of the ship's son, who was fond of playing on the violin, never failed to have a nume... Noble Perseverance
Elephants were, of old, employed in India in the launching of ships. It is related of one, that, being directed to force a very large vessel into the water, the work proved superior to its strength; his master, with sarcastic tone, bid the keeper ... Odd Fraternity
A gentleman travelling through Mecklenburg was witness to the following curious circumstance in an inn at which he was staying. After dinner, the landlord placed on the floor a large dish of soup, and gave a loud whistle. Immediately there came in... Of Two Evils Choosing The Least
A French dog was taught by his master to execute various commissions, and among others, to fetch him victuals from a restaurant in a basket. One evening when the dog was returning to his master thus furnished, two other dogs, attracted by the savo... Old Habits
An eminent Scotch lawyer, having cause to visit London, decided to perform the journey on horseback in preference to posting, for this was before the days of railways. He therefore purchased a horse before starting, and on his arrival at the metro... Ostrich Riding
A gentleman tells how, during the time of his residence at Podor, a French factory on the banks of the river Niger, there were two ostriches, though young, of gigantic size, which afforded him a very remarkable sight. "They were," he says, "so t... Oyster Opening
A well-known traveller relates a circumstance concerning the orang-otang in its wild state, which is indicative of very considerable powers, both of reflection and invention. When the fruits on the mountains are exhausted, they will frequently des... Porus Saved By His Elephant
King Porus, in a battle with Alexander the Great, being severely wounded, fell from the back of his elephant. The Macedonian soldiers, supposing him dead, pushed forward, in order to despoil him of his rich clothing and accoutrements; but the fait... Pugnacity
The town of Bindrabund in India is in high estimation with the pious Hindoos, who resort to it from the most remote parts of the empire. The town is surrounded by groves of trees, which are the residence of innumerable apes, whose propensity to mi... Rare Honesty
A mastiff dog, who owed more to the bounty of a neighbour than to his master, was once locked by mistake in the well-stored pantry of his benefactor for a whole day, where milk, butter, bread, and meat, within his reach, were in abundance. On the ... Remorse
An elephant, from some motive of revenge, killed his cornack, or conductor. The man's wife, who beheld the dreadful scene, took her two children, and threw them at the feet of the enraged animal, saying, "Since you have slain my husband, take my l... Retaliation
A wild stork was brought by a farmer into his poultry yard to be the companion of a tame one, which he had long kept there; but the tame stork, disliking a rival, fell upon the poor stranger, and beat him so unmercifully that he was compelled to t... Retribution
In a park a fawn, drinking, was suddenly pounced upon by one of the swans, which pulled the animal into the water, and held it under until quite drowned. The atrocious action was observed by the other deer in the park, and did not long go unreveng... Sabinus And His Dog
After the execution of Sabinus, the Roman general, who suffered death for his attachment to the family of Germanicus, his body was exposed to the public upon the precipice of the Gemoniae, as a warning to all who should dare to befriend the house ... Sagacious Bruin
The captain of a Greenland whaler being anxious to procure a bear, without wounding the skin, made trial of the stratagem of laying the noose of a rope in the snow, and placing a piece of meat within it. A bear ranging the neighbouring ice was soo... Snake Destroyers
The Indian ichneumon, a small creature in appearance between the weasel and the mangoose, is of infinite use to the natives from its inveterate enmity to snakes, which would otherwise render every footstep of the traveller dangerous. This diminutive... Soliciting Succour
A party of a ship's crew being sent ashore on a part of the coast of India, for the purpose of cutting wood for the ship, one of the men having strayed from the rest was greatly frightened by the appearance of a large lioness, who made towards him... Sonnini And His Cat
M. Sonnini, when in Egypt, had an Angora cat, of which he was extremely fond. It was entirely covered with long white silken hairs; its tail formed a magnificent plume, which the animal elevated at pleasure over its body. Not one spot, nor a singl... Strange Rooks
In a large north of England town a pair of strange rooks, after an unsuccessful attempt to effect a lodgment in a rookery at a little distance from the Exchange, were compelled to abandon the attempt, and to take refuge on the spire of a building;... Studying
A magpie, belonging to a barber at Rome, could imitate to a nicety almost every word it heard. Some trumpets happened one day to be sounded before the shop, and for a day or two afterwards the magpie was quite mute, and seemed pensive and melancho... Tame Hares
The hare is scarcely a domestic animal; yet we have an account of one who was so domesticated as to feed from the hand, lay under a chair in a common sitting-room, and appear in every other respect as easy and comfortable in its situation as a lap... The Bear And Child
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, had a bear called Marco, of the sagacity and sensibility of which we have the following remarkable instance. During a severe winter, a boy, ready to perish with cold, thought proper to enter Marco's hut, without reflecti... The Bear Cubs
A female bear, with two cubs, approached near a whaler, and was shot. The cubs not attempting to escape, were taken alive. These animals, though at first evidently very unhappy, became at length in some measure reconciled to their situation, and b... The Broken Heart
During the French Revolution M. des R----, an ancient magistrate and most estimable man, was condemned to death on the charge of conspiracy and thrown into prison. M. des R---- had a water spaniel, which had been brought up by him, and had never q... The Cat And Crows
A pair of crows once made their nest in a tree, of which there were several planted round the garden of a gentleman, who, in his morning walks, was often amused by witnessing furious combats between the crows and a cat. One morning the battle rage... The Catcher Caught
During a sudden inundation of the Rhine, a hare, unable to escape through the water to an eminence, climbed up a tree. One of the boatmen rowing about to assist the unfortunate inhabitants, observing puss, rowed up to the tree, and mounted it, eag... The Death Of Antiochus Revenged
When Antiochus was slain in battle by Centaretrius the Galatian, the victor exultingly leaped on the back of the fallen king's horse; but he had no sooner done so, than the animal, as if sensible that it was bestrode by the slayer of his master, i... The Dinner Bell
It is customary in large boarding-houses to announce the dinner-hour by the sound of a bell. A cat belonging to one of these houses always hastened to the hall on hearing the bell, to get its accustomed meal; but it happened one day that she was s... The Dog And Goose
A goose was once observed to attach itself in the strongest and most affectionate manner to the house dog, but never presumed to go into the kennel except in rainy weather; whenever the dog barked, the goose would cackle, and run at the person she... The Dog Of Montargis
A Frenchman of family and fortune, travelling alone through a forest, was murdered and buried under a tree. His dog, an English bloodhound, would not quit his master's grave, till at length, compelled by hunger, he proceeded to the house of a frie... The Dolphin
In the reign of Augustus Caesar there was a dolphin in the Lucrine lake, which formed a most romantic attachment to a poor man's son. The boy had to go every day from Baiae to Puteoli to school, and such were the friendly terms on which he had got... The Goat
A gentleman who had taken an active share in the rebellion of 1715, after the battle of Preston escaped into the West Highlands, where a lady, a near relative, afforded him an asylum. A faithful servant conducted him to the mouth of a cave, and fu... The Heroism Of A Hen
A contest of rather an unusual nature took place in the house of a respectable innkeeper in Ireland. The parties concerned were, a hen of the game species, and a rat of the middle size. The hen, in an accidental perambulation round a spacious room... The Horse And Greyhound
Various have been the opinions upon the difference of speed between a well-bred greyhound and a racehorse if opposed to each other. Wishes had been frequently indulged by the sporting world that some criterion could be adopted by which the superio... The Lion And His Keeper
In a large continental menagerie there was a lion called Danco, whose cage was in want of some repairs. His keeper desired a carpenter to set about it, but when the workman came and saw the lion, he started back with terror. The keeper entered the... The Newfoundland Dog
One of the magistrates in Harbour Grace, in Newfoundland, had an old dog of the regular web-footed species peculiar to that island, who was in the habit of carrying a lantern before his master at night, as steadily as the most attentive servant co... The Pig Pointer
A sow, which was a thin, long-legged animal (one of the ugliest of the New Forest breed), when very young conceived so great a partiality to some pointer puppies that a gamekeeper upon a neighbouring estate was breaking, that it played, and often ... The Power Of Music
One Sunday evening, five choristers were walking on the banks of a river; after some time, being tired with walking, they sat down on the grass, and began to sing an anthem. The field on which they sat was terminated at one extremity by a wood, ou... The Rights Of Hospitality
A native Moor who went to hunt the lion, having proceeded far into a forest, happened to meet with two lion's whelps that came to caress him; the hunter stopped with the little animals, and waiting for the coming of the sire or the dam, took out h... The Shepherd's Dog
James Hogg, the shepherd poet, had a dog named Sirrah, who was for many years his sole companion. He was, the shepherd says, the best dog he ever saw, in spite of his surly manners and unprepossessing appearance. The first time he saw the dog, a d... The Tame Sea-gull
Many years ago a gentleman had accidentally caught a sea-gull, whose wings he cut, and put it into his garden. The bird remained in that situation for several years, and being kindly treated, became so familiar as to come at call to be fed at the ... The Watch Dog
A thief who had broken into the shop of Cellini, the Florentine artist, and was breaking open the caskets in order to come at some jewels, was arrested in his progress by a dog, against whom he found it a difficult matter to defend himself with a ... Travellers
An innkeeper once sent, as a present by the carrier, to a friend a dog and cat tied up in a bag, who had been companions more than ten months. A short time after the dog and cat took their departure together and returned to their old habitation, a... Wrens Learning To Sing
A wren built her nest in a box, so situated that a family had an opportunity of observing the mother bird instructing the young ones in the art of singing peculiar to the species. She fixed herself on one side of the opening in the box, directly b...