|
Check out children's author Rick Walton's books. |
| These stories provided by children's author Rick Walton's Online Library. |
|
|
|
|
The Burgess Animal Book For Children |
|
To the Cause of Wild Life in America, Especially the Mammals Many of Which Are Seriously Threatened With Extinction,
This Book Is Dedicated
.
The cordial reception given the Burgess Bird Book for Children, together with numerous letters to the author asking for information on the habits and characteristics of many of the mammals of America, led to the preparation of this volume. It is offered merely as an introduction to the four-footed friends, little and big, which form so important a part of the wild life of the United States and Canada.
There has been no attempt to describe or classify sub-species. That is for the scientist and student with specific interests. The purpose of this book is to acquaint the reader with the larger groups--orders, families, and divisions of the latter, so that typical representatives may be recognized and their habits understood.
Instead of the word mammal, the word animal has been used throughout as having a better defined meaning to the average child. A conscientious effort to avoid technical terms and descriptions has been made that there may be nothing to confuse the young mind. Clarity and simplicity have been the objects kept constantly in view.
At the same time the utmost care to be accurate in the smallest details has been exercised. To this end the works of leading authorities on American mammals have been carefully consulted and compared. No statements which are not confirmed by two or more naturalists of recognized standing have been made.
In this research work the writings of Audubon and Bachman, Dr. E.W. Neson, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Dr. W.T. Hornaday, Ernest Thompson Seton and others, together with the bulletins of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, have been of the greatest value. I herewith acknowledge my debt to these.
Whatever the text may lack in clearness of description will be amply compensated for by the wonderful drawings in color and black-an-white by Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the artist-naturalist, whoese hearty cooperation has been a source of great help to me. These drawings were made especially for this book and add in no small degree to such value as it may possess.
If the reading of these pages shall lead even a few to an active interest in our wild animals, stimulating a desire to preserve and protect a priceless heritage from the past which a heedless present threatens through wanton and reckless waste to deny the future, the labor will have been well worth while.
Only through intimate acquaintance may understanding of the animals in their relations to each other and to man be attained. To serve as a medium for this purpose this book has been written. As such I offer it to the children of America, conscious of its shortcomings yet hopeful that it will prove of some value in acquainting them with their friends and mine--the animals of field and wood, of mountain and desert, in the truest sense the first citizens of America.
Chapter I Jenny Wren Gives Peter Rabbit an Idea
Peter arranges to go to school to Old Mother Nature.
II Peter and Jumper Go to School
The Cottontail Rabbit, Northern Hare and Marsh Rabbit.
III More of Peter's Long-Legged Cousins
The Swamp Hare, Arctic Hare, Prairie Hare, Antelope
Jack and common Jack Rabbit.
IV Chatterer and Happy Jack Join
The Squirrel family and order of Rodents.
V The Squirrels of the Trees
The Red, Gray, Fox, Kaibab and Abert Squirrels.
VI Striped Chipmunk and His Cousins
The Chipmunk, Spermophiles, and Flying Squirrel.
VII Johnny Chuck Joins the Class
The Woodchuck and his ways.
VIII Whistler and Yap Yap
The Whistling or Hoary Marmot and Prairie Dogs.
IX Two Queer Little Haymakers
The Pika or Cony and the Mountain Beaver or Sewellel.
X Prickly Porky and Grubby Gopher
Introducing the Porcupine and Pocket Gopher.
XI a Fellow With a Thousand Spears
More about the Porcupine.
XII a Lumberman and Engineer
The Beaver and his works.
XIII a Worker and a Robber
The Muskrat and the Brown or Norway Rat.
XIV a Trader and a Handsome Fellow
The Cotton Rat, Wood or Pack Rat and the Kangaroo Rat.
XV Two Unlike Little Cousins
Whitefoot the Wood or Deer Mouse and Danny Meadow
Mouse, also called Field Mouse.
XVI Danny's Northern Cousins, and Nimbleheels
The Banded and Brown Lemmings and the Jumping Mouse.
XVII Three Little Redcoats and Some Others
The Pine Mouse, Red-backed Mouse, Rufous Tree Mouse,
Rock Mouse and Beach Mouse.
XVIII Mice With Pockets, and Others
The Silky and Spiny Pocket Mice, Grasshopper Mouse,
Harvest Mouse and House Mouse.
XIX Teeny Weeny and His Cousin
The Common or Long-tailed Shrew or Shrew Mouse,
Short-tailed Shrew or Mole Shrew and Marsh or Water
Shrew.
XX Four Busy Little Miners
The Common Mole, Brewer's or Hairy-tailed Mole, Oregon
Mole and Star-nosed Mole.
XXI Flitter the Bat and His Family
The Red Bat, Little Brown or Cave Bat, Big Brown or
House Bat, Silvery Bat, Hoary Bat and Big-eared Bat.
XXII an Independent Family
The Common Skunk, Hog-nosed or Badger Skunk and Little
Spotted Skunk.
XXIII Digger and His Cousin Glutton
The Badger and Wolverine or Carcajou.
XXIV Shadow and His Family
The Common or Bonaparte Weasel or Ermine, New York
Weasel, Long-tailed or Yellow-bellied Weasel, Least
Weasel and Black-footed Ferret.
XXV Two Famous Swimmers
Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter.
XXVI Spite the Marten and Pekan the Fisher
The Pine Marten or American Sable and the Fisher or
Pennant Marten.
XXVII Reddy Fox Joins the School
The Red, Black and Silver Foxes, Gray Fox, Kit Fox
Or Swift, Desert Fox, Arctic and Blue Foxes.
XXVIII Old Man Coyote and Howler the Wolf
The Prairie Wolf or Coyote and the Timber or Gray Wolf.
XXIX Yowler and His Cousin Tufty
The Bay Lynx or Bob Cat and the Canada Lynx or Lucivee.
XXX Some Big and Little Cat Cousins
Puma the Panther, also called Cougar and Mountain Lion,
The Jaguar, the Ocelot, and the Jaguarundi Cat or Eyra.
XXXI Bobby Coon Arrives
The Raccoon and the Civet or Ring-tailed Cat, also
Called Coon Cat and Bassaris.
XXXII Buster Bear Nearly Breaks Up School
The Black Bear and his habits.
XXXIII Buster Bear's Big Cousins
Silvertip, the Grizzly Bear, the Alaska or Great Brown
Bear and the Polar Bear.
XXXIV Unc' Billy and Old Mrs. Possum
The Virginia Opossum, which is the only American
Marsupial.
XXXV Lightfoot, Blacktail and Forkhorn
The White-tailed or Virginia Deer, Black-tailed Deer
And Mule Deer.
XXXVI Bugler, Flathorns and Wanderhoof
The Elk or Wapiti, Moose or Caribou.
XXXVII Thunderfoot, Fleetfoot and Longcoat
The Buffalo or Bison, Antelope or Musk-Ox.
XXXVIII Two Wonderful Mountain Climbers
The Rocky Mountain Sheep or Bighorn and the Rocky
Mountain Goat.
XXXIX Piggy and Hardshell
The Peccary or Wild Pig and the Armadillo.
XL the Mammals of the Sea
The Sea Otter, Walrus, Sea Lions, Seals and Manatee
Or Sea Cow.
The Burgess Animal Book For Children
(from The Burgess Animal Book for Children , by Thornton W. Burgess)
   |
          |
|