From North Pole to Equator: Studies of Wild Life and Scenes in Many Lands

by Alfred Edmund Brehm

A very small species of titmouse occurring in Southern Europe and Africa. Its remarkable nest (see figure) is formed of a felt woven of hemp or wool often mixed with goat’s hair. It usually hangs on the extreme end of a branch just over water. Both birds share in the work of building, as also in that of hatching and rearing the young, of which there are usually seven.

INDEX.

• Aard-vark or ant-eater, [194].
• Abiad, Bahr-el-, White Nile, [368].
• Abu tok, a small hornbill, [216].
• Adony, heronry on island of, [544].
• Altai, crown-estate of the, [513], [585].
• Altrices and præcoces, [59], [566].
• Antelope, migrations of the, [245].
• Anthropoid apes, [308].
• Apes and Monkeys, [282];
• an Arabic legend about baboons, [282];
• ancient beliefs of Egypt and India, [284];
• the “monkey question” discussed, [285], [580];
• their distribution and habits, [286], [582];
• talents and abilities, [291];
• New-World monkeys, [293];
• a concert of red howlers, [295];
• Old-World monkeys, [296];
• two types, the Dog-like and Man-like, [296];
• endowments and characteristics of the Dog-like monkey, [296], [582];
• examples of their bravery, intelligence, and self-esteem, [299], [582];
• Man-like or anthropoid apes, [308];
• their structure, habits, and voice-power, [308];
• highest specimens of this type, [311];
• the chimpanzee, [311];
• differences between man and the ape, [317], [583].
• Archar, a giant wild sheep, [110], [397], [584].
• Arctic fox, [73], [155], [567].
• Asiatic steppes, the, [86].
• Aspis, a venomous snake, [184], [575].
• Assuan, on the Nile, [359].
• Auk, life and habits of the, [57], [566].
• Aul of the Kirghiz, [464], [478], [497].
• Azrek, Bahr-el-, Blue Nile, [203], [368].
• Baboons in Central Africa, [238].
• Baobab-tree, [209].
• Bards among the Kirghiz, [493].
• Barnaul, town of, [518].
• Bat, migration of the, [251].
• Bateleur, or short-tailed African eagle, [188];
• poetic legend regarding, [189];
• its remarkable flight during pairing-time, [265].
• Bear, habits of the, [163];
• value of its skin, [165];
• its teeth and claws considered potent charms, [165];
• methods of its capture, [166];
• stories of encounters with bears, [166].
• Beaver, extermination of the, [135], [573].
• Bedouins of the desert, [352].
• Bee-eater, courting of the, [266].
• Bird-bergs of Scandinavia, [40], [a]51].
• Birds, love and courtship among, [259];
• methods of their wooing, [262];
• combats of rival lovers, [272];
• unfaithfulness among, [278].
• Bird voices of the primitive forest, [215].
• Bison, migrations of the, [241], [579].
• Brehm, Alfred E., sketch of, [xxvii].
• Brick tea, [573], [585].
• Brooding islands of Scandinavia described, [48], [53];
• visits to, [49], [53].
• Buffalo, the, [97], [569].
• Bulban for decoying black grouse, [142].
• Buran or snow-hurricane, [94].
• Camel of the Kirghiz, [466], [571].
• Capuchin monkeys, [239], [296].
• Cat, ancestors of the, [116], [571].
• Cataracts of the Nile, [358], [583];
• navigation of the, [379].
• Cattle of the Kirghiz, [466].
• Cembra or stone-pine of Siberia, [128].
• Cerastes or horned viper, [178], [575].
• Chabir or leader of a caravan, [322].
• Chimpanzee, character of the, [311];
• story of one, [315].
• Chinese breakfast, a, [400].
• Climbing plants in primitive forests, [210].
• Colonists and Exiles in Siberia, [510], [586];
• their conditions of life, [511];
• abolition of serfdom, [512];
• the crown-estate of Altai, [513];
• condition of its inhabitants, [515];
• their character, [518];
• a peasant’s views, [519];
• over-abundant harvests, [521];
• early marriages, [522];
• marriage customs, [523];
• the criminal classes, [524];
• their transport and government allowances, [524];
• their considerate treatment, [530];
• a prison school, [532];
• orphan asylum, [533];
• among the criminals, [533];
• their reformation sought, [534];
• convict work in the mines, [534];
• attempted escapes, [536].
• Convicts in Siberia, [524].
• Crested crane, notes of the, [216].
• Crocodile, the, [225], [227], [577].
• Crocodile-bird, the, [227], [577].
• Cuckoo, courting of the, [264];
• its polygamy, [279].
• Danube, an Ornithologist on the, [540].
• Darwin, Charles, [xxiv];
• his Doctrine of Descent, [317], [438].
• Dauw, flight of the, [256].
• Desert Journeys, [318];
• bargaining with a sheikh, [318];
• preparations for a start, [321];
• camel-riding, [325];
• the Sahara or Great Desert described, [326];
• its animal life, [331];
• discomforts of the desert journey, [336];
• the camel-driver sketched, [338];
• a night in the desert, [340];
• the oasis, [341];
• life at a well in the desert, [345];
• a festival of nomads and travellers, [347];
• coming of the Simoom, [348];
• the mirage, [351];
• an interview with Bedouins, [352];
• the Nile reached, [355].
• Diving-birds in the tundra, [78].
• Dog-like monkeys, [296].
• Dogs, of the Ostiaks, [429];
• of the Kirghiz, [467].
• Domesticated animals, ancestors of our, [115], [571].
• Dove, courting of the, [266].
• Dromedary, the, [466].
• Duleb-palm, the, [210].
• Dwarf-birch of the tundra, [68].
• Eagle, hunting with the, [486].
• Eider-duck, the, [40];
• its appearance and habits, [41];
• her search for a brooding-place, [42];
• the nest robbed by the Norseman, [43];
• she builds a second nest, [43];
• value of the down on her breast, [43], [48], [565];
• her remarkable tameness, [45];
• the birds steal each other’s eggs, [45];
• the ducklings protected and placed in the sea by the natives, [46].
• Eider-holms, [40].
• Elephant, the, [233].
• Elephantine, on the Nile, [359].
• Elk, hunting of the, [147]; [573].
• Exiles. See Colonists.
• Faber’s description of a brooding-place, [60].
• Fall-trap, used in Siberia, [136].
• Family and Social Life among the Kirghiz, [482];
• alleged origin of the people, [482];
• their true character, [483];
• their expert horsemanship, [484];
• wrestling, [485];
• hunting, [486];
• their love of talking, [492];
• language, [493];
• bards, [493];
• education and religious feeling, [494];
• good qualities of the people, [494];
• family pride and vanity, [495];
• social customs and hospitality, [496];
• wedding ceremonies, [497];
• a lover’s song, [502];
• treatment of children, [506];
• funeral ceremonies, [507].
• Fata Morgana or “devil’s sea”, [351].
• Fighting-ruffs, combats of, [102]; [570].
• Forests of Siberia, [121];
• of Africa and America, [571], [572];
• forest-fires, [123].
• Fox, hunted for its valuable fur, [155]; [487].
• Fruskagora, hunting and exploring in, [557].
• Funeral ceremonies among the Kirghiz, [507].
• Gazelle of the desert, [332].
• Gecko lizard, the, [186], [575].
• Goat of the Kirghiz, [464], [571].
• Goat-sucker or night-jar, [193], [266].
• Gobi steppe, migrations from the, [242].
• Golden plover of the tundra, [78].
• Gulls, breeding-places of, [53], [60].
• Hare and Hounds, game of, in Nubia, [377].
• Hare of Western Siberia, [150].
• Hassanie, a Soudanese tribe, [204];
• their appearance and singular customs, [204];
• their huts, [205];
• life of a Hassanie matron, [206].
• Hazel-grouse, hunting of the, [142].
• Heat in the desert, [170], [574].
• Hippopotamus, the, [225], [230].
• Hochtiere, an order including man and the monkey, [317].
• Hornbill, the, [219], [576].
• Horse, among the Kirghiz, [458], [484];
• horse-racing, [485].
• Hulman and Bunder, monkeys worshipped, [238].
• Humboldt, Alexander von, [xx.]
• Hungary, bird-fauna of, [540].
• Hyæna-dog of African steppes, [195].
• Instinct versus Love, [259].
• Isegrim, name for the wolf, [152], [154], [564].
• Jerboa of the Asiatic steppes, [108], [570].
• Journey, in the Desert, [318];
• in Siberia, [390].
• Kaisak, Kasak, or Cossack. See Kirghiz.
• Kalüm, price of a Kirghiz bride, [499].
• Kazan, town of, [393].
• Kirghiz, the, [397];
• a sample of their poetry, [398].
• See Nomad Herdsmen, and Family and Social Life.
• Kittiwake, brooding-places of the, [60].
• Korti, the Nubians defeated at, [370].
• Koumiss, [469], [498].
• Kulan, ancestor of the domestic horse, [115], [404], [571];
• migrations of the, [245].
• Lark of the Asiatic steppes, [105], [115].
• Lemming of the tundra, [74];
• migrations of, [254], [568], [580].
• Lizards in Africa, [185].
• Locusts, [230].
• Lofodens and their bird-life, [48].
• Love and Courtship among Birds, [259];
• intelligence and emotional life in animals, [260];
• all birds seek to pair, [261];
• various methods of bird-wooing, [262];
• their songs are love-songs, [263];
• their love-flights, [265];
• love-dances, [266];
• coyness of the female birds, [271], [581];
• combats among the rival males, [272];
• devotion of birds to their chosen mates, [275];
• occasional unfaithfulness, [277];
• polygamous birds, [279], [581];
• bird widows and widowers, [280], [581].
• Love versus Instinct, [259].
• Love-dances of birds, [266].
• Love-flights of kites, harriers, &c., [265].
• Love-song of birds, [263].
• Lynx in Siberia, [155].
• Mammals, migrations of, [234].
• Man-like apes, [308].
• Maral stag, hunting of the, [144];
• value of his antlers for preparing a Chinese quack specific, [144], [573].
• Marmoset, lowest of the monkey order, [291].
• Marriage ceremonies among the Kirghiz, [498].
• Marsh-harrier, a bird of prey, [102].
• Melik el Nimmr, the “panther king”, [371].
• Metallic starling, the, [214], [215].
• Migrations of Mammals, [234];
• causes of periodic migrations, [234];
• wanderings of the brown rat, souslik, and mice, [235];
• expeditions to obtain better food, [238];
• fundamental cause of all true migration, [239];
• scarcity of water a cause of migrations, [242];
• migration of sea animals, [248];
• mad flight of zebras and other animals in South Africa, [256].
• Mines of Siberia, convicts in, [534].
• Mohammed Aali subjugates the Nubians, [370].
• Monkeys. See Apes and Monkeys.
• Monkeys, long-tailed, [222], [581].
• Mosquito, a terrible pest in the tundra, [81], [568].
• Mud-fish of Africa, [183], [575].
• Naturalist-travellers, list of works by, [xxix].
• Nests of birds, [217];
• of the bee-eaters, [217];
• of the golden weaver-birds, [218];
• of the cow weaver-birds, [219];
• of finches, [219];
• of the hornbills, [219];
• of the umber-bird, [220];
• of the dwarf peregrine falcon and guinea-dove, [221];
• of the African swift, [221];
• of the crocodile-bird, [229].
• New-World or broad-nosed monkeys, [293].
• Nomad Herdsmen and Herds of the Steppes, [451];
• domain and tribes of the Kirghiz, [452];
• their racial affinities, [452];
• physical features, [453];
• dress, [453];
• dwellings, [454];
• wealth reckoned by their herds, [458];
• importance of the horse, [458];
• their sheep and goats, [464];
• cattle, [465];
• camels, [466];
• dog, [467];
• food of the people, [468];
• their constant roamings, [470];
• the winter camping-ground, [473];
• manner of travelling, [474];
• milking the animals, [477];
• a charming picture of pastoral life, [480].
• Northern Lights, the, [38], [86], [443].
• Norway, harvest of the sea, [38].
• Nubia and the Nile Rapids, [356];
• the region of the rapids, [357];
• its prehistoric ruins, [359];
• vegetation and fauna, [363];
• fertility of middle Nubia, [366];
• the Nubian and Egyptian contrasted, [368];
• Nubia subjugated by the Egyptians, [370];
• sketch of the Nubian people, [373];
• navigation of the rapids, [379];
• a night on one of the rocks, [382];
• the voyage down-stream, [383], [388];
• a warning unheeded, [388].
• Nyke, visit to the, [53];
• its immense number of birds, [55].
• Oases of the desert, [341].
• Obdorsk, annual fair at, [440].
• Ohrt, the Ostiak god, [421], [443], [448].
• Old-World monkeys, [296].
• Omsk, town of, [396].
• Ornithologist (an) on the Danube, [540];
• a tempting invitation, [541];
• scenery on the Danube, [541];
• a famous heronry, [544];
• bird-life in the marshes, [546];
• sea-eagle hunting, [548];
• fighting and pairing of the birds, [549];
• care for their young, [552];
• protection of animal life in Hungary, [554];
• a grand river picture, [556];
• a wonderful district, [557];
• vulture-shooting, [561];
• a sail through a forest-wilderness, [563].
• Ostiaks, the Heathen, [416];
• condition of the people, [416];
• probable number of the tribe, [417], [584];
• contrasted with Ostiaks of the Greek Church, [418];
• their physical features, [421];
• language and dress, [422];
• dwellings, [423];
• employments, [425];
• their reindeer and dogs, [426];
• constant migrations, [431];
• a “bloody meal”, [434];
• at night in a tshum, [436];
• at a fishing-station, [437];
• hunting for game, [439];
• the fair of Obdorsk, [440];
• evils of brandy-drinking, [440];
• marriage customs, [441];
• domestic life, [445];
• performances and prophecies of a shaman, [445];
• religion of the people, [448];
• their burial customs, [450].
• Ostrich, legend regarding the, [190];
• habits and omnivorous appetite of, [191], [576];
• breeding of, [192].
• Ox of the Kirghiz, [465].
• Oyster-catcher, the, [49].
• Pairing-cry of birds, [273].
• Pallas’s sand-grouse or steppe-grouse, [115], [404].
• Palm-tree of the desert, [342].
• Pangolin of North Africa, [194].
• Phalarope in the tundra, [80], [568].
• Philæ, island of, [361], [584].
• Pichta fir of Siberia, [128], [394].
• Pine-marten, [158];
• hunting of the, [161].
• Polygamy of some birds, [279].
• Primeval Forests of Central Africa, [201];
• their magnificence in spring-time, [203];
• sailing up the Blue Nile, [204];
• a remarkable tribe, [204];
• the forest reached, [207];
• difficulty of penetrating it, [208];
• the baobab-tree and duleb-palm, [209];
• bird-fauna of the forest, [213];
• varieties of nests, [217];
• mammals of the forest, [222];
• animal life on the river-banks and islands, [225];
• rain-lakes and water-pools of the forest, [229];
• visits of the locust, [230];
• night in the primeval forest, [231].
• Ptarmigan of the tundra, [77]
• Quagga, flight of the, [256]; [569].
• Ramwood of the Asiatic steppes, [112].
• Rat, invasion of the, [235]; [578].
• Razor-bill or auk, [57], [61].
• Reindeer, [76], [150], [240], [578];
• ravages of disease among, [412], [426], [584].
• Roe-deer, hunting of the, [146].
• Rouble and kopek, [573].
• Sable, rarity of the, [157];
• hunting the, [161].
• Sahara, the, [326].
• Salt-steppes, [90], [98].
• Salt’s antelope, [223].
• Samoyedes, [417], [440].
• Sand-grouse of the desert, [334], [570].
• Scandinavia, ancient legend concerning, [33];
• general aspect of the land, [34];
• its fjords, [a]35];
• islands and skerries, [37];
• fisheries, [38];
• bird-bergs, [40], [a]51].
• Schlangenberg or Snakemount, [107], [129], [157], [408].
• Schohazen or Catholic Servians, [555].
• Sea-birds, habits of, [39];
• value of their eggs and flesh as food, [48].
• Sea-eagle hunting in Hungary, [548].
• Seal, migrations of the, [250], [580].
• Secretary-bird, [184], [187].
• Serfdom, abolition of, [512].
• Shaman or Ostiak priest, [445], [585].
• Sheep of the Kirghiz, [464].
• Shendy, massacre at, [371];
• Nubians defeated at, [373].
• Shrikes, different notes of male and female, [216].
• Siberia, false ideas concerning, [120];
• its vast forests, [121];
• forest-fires, [123];
• limited variety of trees, [127];
• difficulty of traversing the primeval forests, [130];
• their desolateness, [131];
• uncertainty of finding game, [132];
• Siberian methods of hunting, [135];
• the trade in furs and birds’ skins, [135], [573];
• game animals of the forests, [136];
• hunting of game birds, [140], and of big and smaller game, [144].
• Siberia, Journey in, [390];
• travelling in winter, [391];
• from Europe into Asia, [394];
• Western Siberia reached, [395];
• Russian hospitality, [395];
• a great hunting expedition, [397];
• entertained by a Chinese mandarin, [399];
• a horrible massacre, [401];
• at the Irtish river, [404];
• in the Altai Mountains, [404];
• camp-life with a Russian general, [405];
• summer scene in the Altai, [406];
• a voyage on the great river Obi, [408];
• an unfortunate exploring expedition, [411];
• ravages of disease, [412], [414];
• the return home, [415].
• Simoom, the, [171], [348].
• Skua in the tundra, [79].
• Sky-goat, [103], [570].
• Souslik, the, [108], [237], [407].
• Spiders and scorpions in a night-camp, [178].
• Splenic fever, ravages of, [412], [584].
• Springbok, flight of the, [257]; [580].
• Spring-gun of the Ostiaks and Samoyedes, [139].
• Squirrels, migrations of, [253].
• Steppe, origin and usage of the term, [87], [174].
• Steppe-fires, [397].
• Steppes, characteristics of the Asiatic, [87];
• their scenery, [89];
• vegetation, [91], [568];
• beauty of the flowers in spring, [95];
• animal life in the steppes, [97], [109], [115];
• insects and reptiles, [107];
• the giant wild sheep, [110];
• the kulan or wild horse, [115];
• a kulan hunt and capture of a foal, [119].
• Steppes of Inner Africa, [168];
• sketch of their seasons, [169];
• miseries of the winter, [170];
• spring heralded by terrible storm and rain, [171];
• definition of the African steppe, [174];
• inhospitable character of the region, [175];
• its vegetation, [176];
• difficulties of travelling, [177];
• a night’s experience in camp, [177];
• fauna of the country, [182];
• the bird-fauna, [187];
• mammals, [193];
• stampede and destruction of animal life caused by the steppe-fire, [198].
• Stone-seas in the Nile, [367].
• Storks, stories regarding, [276], [277], [278], [281].
• Swallow, courting of the, [266].
• Swärtholm brooding-place, [60], [62].
• Syene, or Sun, on the Nile, [359], [584].
• Taiga region in Siberia, [129], [572].
• Tarpan of the Dnieper steppes, [115], [571].
• Tchukutchak stormed by the Dungani tribe, [401].
• Termite or white ant in Africa, [181], [574].
• Tiger, hunting of the, [157].
• Titmouse, the penduline, [563], [586].
• Tiumen, town of, [395].
• Tragopan, wooing of the, [267].
• Tshum or hut of the Ostiaks, [410], [423].
• Tundra of the Polar region, described, [63], [566];
• its lakes, [67];
• vegetation, [68];
• prehistoric animals embedded in its ice-crust, [72], [567];
• fauna of the tundra, [72];
• characteristic birds, [77];
• the mosquito, [81];
• autumn and winter in the tundra, [85];
• an unhappy expedition to one, [411].
• Umber-bird, the, [220], [576].
• Ustkamenegorsk, school in, [494].
• Vodki in Siberia, [524].
• Voles, migrations of the, [253].
• Vulture, the crested black, [559].
• Wady Halfa, on the Nile, [357], [362], [387], [390].
• Wallace, Alfred Russel, [xxiv].
• Whale, systematic migrations of the, [248].
• Wild sheep hunting on the Arkat Mountains, [488].
• Willows (sallows) of the tundra, [69].
• Wolf, [93], [151], [152], [486], [488], [564].
• Wood-ibis, song of the, [216].
• Yamaul, messenger of the gods, [446], [447].
• Yurt or Kirghiz house, [454], [570].
• Zaizan, town of, [403], [494].
• Zebra, flight of the, [256].
• Zoology, history of, [xv].

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.

Perceived typographical errors have been changed.