Chapter XI: Preface (9)

This little fellow, along with some other species, is very intelligent. Where they are not hunted they will come very close to boats and to men on shore. They have a fondness for music and will follow a boat for miles if a flute or some other instrument is played. The ringing of the churchbell of the little town of Hoy, in the Orkney Islands, has often brought a great many seals into the bay, drawn there by the bell tones.

Seals that have been taken and tamed are very gentle and docile, and will live long if they have water to bathe and swim in, and fish to eat. They like to be taken notice of and caressed, come like dogs when their names are called, and can be easily taught many little tricks, so that learned seals are often put on exhibition.

When taken young and brought up in a household the seal acts as if it felt itself to be one of the family, and likes much to lie and warm itself in front of the fire. It grows very fond of those who care for it, showing a tender and loving nature.

We are told of one that would follow its master about like a dog, eating from his hand and lying by his side when he sat before the kitchen fire. It would also nestle close to the dog, with which it had made friends. When anyone came into the room, up would go its head to see who the newcomer was. But it never tried to bite dog or stranger.

The winter after this young seal was taken was cold and stormy, so that it was not easy to catch fish enough to feed the family and the seal. They tried giving it milk, but it took so much of this that in the end the family could not afford to keep it and decided to set it free and let it fish for itself.

Taking the little thing--it was very young--into a boat, they rowed out to sea, and when far enough from land tossed it overboard. But they were not going to get rid of their pet seal so easily as this. It swam after the boat, crying in so pitiful a way that they could not bear the tone and in the end took it on board again. Thus it was brought back to the house and lived there several months more before it took sick and died.

There is a story very like this of another seal that its owners tried several times to get rid of. They failed to do so, the knowing creature always finding its way back. At one time it even crept into the room through an open window and made its way up to bask by the fireside.

While it is not strange that the seal can be easily tamed, we should not look for such a thing in so savage an animal as the alligator, the most feared and hated of the animals found in the waters of our Southern States. Yet even this ferocious reptile can be tamed, as the following story will show.

The alligator in question was taken when very young, before its wild nature had shown itself, and was fed and attended to by its master, of whom it became very fond. It grew so tame that it would follow him about the house like a dog, even scrambling up and down stairs after him.

But the funny thing about this comical pet was that its chief friend was the cat, and that pussy returned its friendship. When the cat lay drowsing before the fire, the alligator would crawl up, lay its head on her back, and go to sleep in this position. It seemed happy whenever the cat was near, but grew very restless if its furry friend was away.

Raw flesh was fed to it and sometimes milk, which it liked very much. At night, in cold weather, it slept in a box, with wool for it to nestle in. But one night there came a sharp frost and the little guest was forgotten. The next morning the native of warm climates was found frozen to death.

THE STORK, CORMORANT AND ALBATROSS

It would take many pages to tell about all the wild animals that have at times been tamed by man or made to serve him in various ways. As it is, we must confine ourselves to a few, and have selected the three water-birds named above all of which have been of service to man in some way.

The Stork is not a tame bird in the sense of being kept about the household, but it has so long been taken care of and laws made to protect it, that it has grown very familiar and may be seen walking about the streets of Holland, even among crowds of people, without a show of fear. No one wants it for food, for its flesh is not good, and it does so much service by eating frogs, snakes and other troublesome animals, that every one feels friendly towards it.

It also struts about in the market places and keeps them clean and fresh by eating all the offal. Thus it plays the part of the turkey-buzzard of our Southern cities, which is taken care of for the same reason.

The Common Stork of the Old World countries is a large bird, long-legged and long-necked. It is pure white in color, except that the wings are partly black and the bill and legs are red. It sleeps standing on one leg, with the neck folded and the head turned back on the shoulders. If alarmed, as when a dog comes near, it makes a loud snapping noise with its bill.

The stork spends the winter in Africa and flies back in the summer to Europe, where it is very common in Holland and North Germany. Its feeding place is in the marshes, where it wades about, eating the frogs and other small animals to be found there. It is very fond of eels and will follow people about the streets who feed it on this favorite morsel. It has a way of asking for food by nodding its head, flapping its wings, and blowing the air from its lungs.

Of a mild and peaceful disposition, the stork has long been much cared for and a halo of romance clings round it, coming down from ancient times. This arises from its devotion to its young, which brings it into esteem in various countries. It builds its nest on the roofs or chimneys of houses or the steeples of churches, the nest being a bunch of sticks, reeds and other debris. In the ruined cities of Asia a stork's nest may be seen on the top of nearly every standing pillar.

In Holland and many other parts of Europe it is common to put a box on the roof for the stork, and when the inmates find that a stork has built in their box they are glad, for they think it will bring good luck to the family. When a new baby comes to the household, children are told that the stork has brought it out of the well, and thus the young grow to like the stork. Four or five eggs are laid in the stork's nest, of white color tinged with buff, and the birds are apt to come back to the same nest year after year.

The stork not only shows great fondness for its young, but is also thought to take much care of its aged parents. Whether this is true or not, it adds to the affection people have for this bird. When the summer is over and it is time to fly south, the birds gather in large flocks as if to talk the matter over. The stork, indeed, has no voice, but it makes a great clatter with its bill. The meeting over, the flock flies off for the far-away tropics, the birds rising very high and making a loud rushing noise with their wings. They are gone, to be seen no more until the next summer is at hand.

Now let us take up the story of the Cormorant, one of the web-footed swimming and fishing birds, of which so many kinds dwell about the waters of the world. They belong to the same family as the pelicans, but while the pelican has a great net, or fish basket, under its lower bill, the cormorant has only a small one, not big enough to hold many fish.

The cormorants are great fish-eaters, so much so that it is common to call any large eater a cormorant. There are many species, some small, some large, living on the shores of islands and in some cases along rivers.

The way in which this bird is of service to man is in its being tamed and trained to catch fish for him. This used to be done in England and is still done in China. How it is done may be told in a few words.

The bird is easily tamed by the Chinese fishermen and is trained by them for its new duty. While being trained a string is tied to its leg so as to control its movements. Then small fish are thrown out and it springs after them. In time it learns to go into the water when a whistle is given and to come back when it hears a different whistle. After three or four weeks of this training the bird is ready for duty and no longer needs a string to hold it.

The birds become in time as docile as dogs and obey every order of their masters. When put regularly to work a small ring of hemp is tied around their throats, so that they cannot swallow large fish. When the fisherman rows out into the water the birds sit quietly on the side of the boat until they get his orders. Then into the water they dash and usually come up with a fish, which they bring to him.

If one comes up with a fish too large to handle, another bird, sometimes several birds, will come to his aid and help him to land the prize. Sometimes one of them takes a lazy fit and swims about the water, paying no heed to business. Then the fisherman shouts at the idle bird and strikes the water with his oar, keeping this up till it dives for prey.

At the end of the day's work the ring on the bird's neck is loosened or taken off and some of the fish are given it or it is allowed to fish for itself. Like the stork, the cormorant is very fond of eels, and when one of them comes up with an eel there is often a fight between two or three of them for the prize.

There is another bird on our list, the Albatross. It has never been tamed and cannot be said to be of service to man. At least I can name only one instance. In this case the bird is said to have been used to carry a message from shipwrecked sailors, telling where they could be found and asking for help. I cannot say whether this story is true or not, but it leads us to say something about this famous bird of the waves.

The albatross is a wonderful flyer. It is the largest of the web-footed birds, being four feet long and with a wing spread of from ten to seventeen feet. It seems to float or glide on the air rather than fly, hardly moving its long wings except when rising from the water.

It often follows ships for a long time; day after day, some people say, but this is doubtful. No ship can outsail it and it is said to be able to fly as much as eight hundred miles in a day. Sailors often fish for it with a baited hook, but find it hard to haul in, as it often draws out the hook or breaks the line. But a bait of blubber is very attractive and in a few minutes the same bird will take the hook again. Only by catching a fish in some such way as this could a message tied to its legs by shipwrecked sailors be found.

Sailors have long had a superstition about shooting the albatross, fearing that it would bring ill luck to the ship and its crew. All who can do so would do well to read Coleridge's famous poem of the "Ancient Mariner," in which the men who "shot the albatross" brought terrible misfortune to the ship and all on board.

THE HONEY-GIVING BEE

There is only one other animal of which I shall speak as a servant or aid of man, this time an insect, the well-known hive bee, which every one of you must have seen, and like enough many of you may have felt, for this little fellow has a very "hot foot."

The bee cannot be called a _tame_ animal. Although it lives with man and under his care, it does not know this but fancies that it is working for itself alone. And the honey which man gets from it is laid up by the busy bee for its own use. It has no notion of working for man, but is robbed by him of its sweet stores.

Among all the wild animals that are of service to man this little humming insect stands first. Nimble, active, always at work, always singing over its work, the happiest of the working class, it keeps itself busy through all the season of flowers in gathering honey from their cups and carrying it to store away in its neat cells of wax. It is a winter store of food it is laying up. By good fortune the bees are able to collect more than they need for their own use, so their keepers can take part of it and still leave the little workers enough to live on the winter through.

The bee has been working in this way for man during long ages. Go far back in time and you will find writers telling about the bees and their ways. The Greek and Roman writers tell us much about them,--some of it fancy, some of it fact,--and within later times these useful insects have been much studied and written about.

I do not propose to tell the story of the bee, for it is much too long a one to be given in this place. All I need speak of here is the service it renders to man. There are many varieties of bees but only one, the hive bee, is of interest to us in this story, for it is the only one that works for us.

What we do for the bee is to supply it a home to live in, a cage or hive in which it may dwell, take care of its young, and lay up a store of its sweet food. How all this is done is very interesting. There is nothing in nature more neatly built than the waxen comb of the bee, and no prettier dish for our tables than a comb full of the golden honey. And there is nothing which most of us like better to eat. So it is the comb of the bee that I shall speak of here, rather than the bee itself.

The bee goes abroad for honey, but the wax which it uses for the comb is formed in its own body. It comes out from a sort of wax-pocket in the lower part of the body, is scraped up by the legs and carried to the mouth. Here it is well chewed and then laid on the floor for the use of the comb-builders.

From this wax the bees build a series of six-sided cells, laid side by side, some of them to hold honey, others as cradles for the young. They are fastened to the walls and hang downward. It is well to say here that there is only one egg-layer in the hive. This is called the queen bee. The others are workers and drones. The workers store up food, the drones (the male bees) do nothing but eat it. This the workers let them do while the summer lasts and food is plenty, but they do not let them spend the winter in the hive, eating the food which they have not helped to gather. When the summer season is over they drive the drones from the hive and sting them to death.

Is there a lesson for us in this habit of the bees? They have no room in the hives for those who do no work, and kill them on the spot rather than let them starve or freeze. While we could not do a thing like this, it might be well if everybody was made to work for the food they eat, as the bees do.

Now let us come back to the waxen cells, built so neatly and packed into the hive so closely that no man could do it better. Some of these, as I have said, are cradles for the young; some are store-houses for food. The queen bee is a wonderful egg layer. For every egg laid by the hen she will lay several hundred, each in a cell of its own. From the egg comes a little maggot, which feeds on the honey and pollen given it till it swells into a fat little worm. Then it builds around itself a cocoon of fine silk, in which it lies hid while it is going through the process of changing from a worm into a bee. In the end it comes out a winged insect, ready to take its part in the business of the hive.

Egg-laying is the work of the queen; food gathering is that of the workers. As soon as warm weather comes and blossoms open on bushes and trees, the bees may be seen at work, visiting flower after flower and sucking up by aid of the tongue the sweet juice to be found in so many flower cups. This is partly used for food, but much of it is stored in the honey bag of the bee to be carried to the hive and laid away in the honey cells.

As the season goes on new plants bear blossoms, so that all through the blossom season the busy bees find plenty of their sweet food. Another thing they collect is the pollen of the flowers. This clings to the hairs of the body while they are at work in the blossoms, and is cleaned off by the jaws and feet, a little honey being mixed with it. In this way little pellets are formed which are used as food for the young. On this rich food the little ones soon grow fat.

Another thing gathered by the bee is a sticky substance called _propolis_. It is used as a cement, to varnish the combs and stop up all holes. The bees carry this home on their legs and the workers in the hive clean it off and use it while it is soft to cover up all weak spots.

I have said that the wax is formed in the body of the bee. The same may be said of the poison. This flows into the sting, and by its aid the bee is able to defend itself, not only against its natural enemies, but against artificial ones, like meddlesome boys. But the sting is barbed, so that the bee often fails to draw it back after using it. Thus the sting is pulled from the body and the bee dies from the wound.

For long ages men have kept bees, making hives for them. Every season new swarms come from the old hives and are brought in various ways to start fresh colonies in new ones. Hives have been made of many things, often of straw, which was long used in England. To get the honey from these the bees were first killed by the fumes of sulphur. It seems a cruel thing to kill them in order to rob them, and it is not now done.

In our country the straw hive has never been used. The hives now in use have frames on which combs may be built and filled with honey and then drawn out, leaving the lower combs for the bees' own use. There is a process by which the honey can be drawn from the combs without breaking them in any way, so that they may be filled again by the bees. As in this case they do not have to make new combs the active insects can soon fill the old ones again.

Little more remains to be said. There are certain flowers which yield honey of fine flavor, such as those of the heather, the white clover, the buckwheat, the rosemary and the orange-flower. In ancient times the most famous honey was that of Mount Hybla in Sicily and Mount Hymettus in Greece. In our own days the countries in which bee-farming is carried on most largely are the United States and Canada, and of this country, Southern California is the paradise of the beekeeper.

On some bee farms are from two thousand to three thousand hives and it is said that as much as seven hundred pounds of honey have been taken from one hive. Thus this little buzzing insect is one of the most active and able of the animals that help to feed and serve us, and with the busy bee we may close our list of man's Animal Friends and Helpers.

INDEX

A

Albatross, the, 333, 334

Alderney cattle, 139

Alligator, the, 326;
story of a tame one, 327

Alpaca, the, 111, 113

Anecdotes of the dog, 29-39;
of the cat, 49-51;
of the horse, 82-85;
of the mule, 85;
of the elephant, 121-132;
of the pig, 174;
of song-birds, 225, 226;
of the parrot, 232-236;
of the raven, 236, 237;
of the jackdaw, 238-240;
of the crow, 240, 241;
of the starling, 241-246;
of the monkey, 250, 255, 257, 259, 262, 263, 266, 267-282;
of snakes, 291;
of the squirrel, 307-309;
of the bear, 321;
of the seal, 325, 326

Angora cat, the, 48

Angora goat, the, 165

Angora rabbit, 52

Animals of the household, 13-15;
of the earth, 283-285;
of the aquarium, 286

Animals, varied uses of, 133

Apes, man-like, 260-262

Aquarium, pets of the, 286

Arab horse, the, 66, 79-81

Arabia, falconry in, 311

Arabian camel, 104, 109

Armadillo, the, 300, 304;
as a pet, 305, 306

Ass, the wild, 87-88

Astrakhan fur, 155

Aylesbury duck, 189

Ayrshire cows, 139

B

Bactrian camel, 104, 109

Bantam fowls, 183

Bear, the, 319;
intelligence of, 321;
in Yellowstone Park, 322

Bee, the, 334;
habits of, 335;
combs and honey, 336;
cell building, 337;
labors of, 338;
hives and swarming, 339;
the honey harvest, 340

Beef, American, 141

Big-horn sheep, 152

Bird of Juno, 206;
bird of Venus, 208

Birds, trick, 229, 230

Bison, the, 97

Blackbird, the English, 226;
anecdotes of, 226, 227

Boa-constrictor, the, 290-293

Brahma fowls, 179

Buffalo, the, 96;
as a worker, 98-99;
habits of, 99-100

Bulbul, the, 228

Bull, the, 134

Bull-fighting, 145-149

Bullfinch, the, 224;
anecdote of, 225

Burro, the, 89

Butter, 137;
making of, 140

C

Cage-birds, 217, 218

Camel, the, 103;
its fitness for desert life, 105, 106;
as a worker, 107;
intellect of, 109;
uses of, 110

Canary, the, 218;
habits of, 219;
song of, 220;
breeds of, 221

Carabao, the, 98, 99

Caribou, the, 101, 102

Carrier pigeon, the, 211-213

Cashmere goat, the, 164

Cat, habits of the, 42, 45, 46;
ancient, 23;
treatment of, 43, 44;
origin of, 44;
cat and mouse, 45;
cat and dog, 46;
varieties of, 47-48;
anecdotes of, 49-51

Cat-bird, the, 224

Cattle, 134;
wild, 135;
colors of, 136;
uses of, 136-141, 145;
in United States, 143;
in other countries, 144

Chameleon, the, 300

Chamois, the, 159

Chariot races, ancient, 70-71

Cheese, 138, 141;
from sheep, 155;
from goat, 160

Chicken, uses of the, 176, 180

Chimpanzee, anecdote of the, 263

China, hawking in, 311

Chinese pig, the, 172

Christmas goose, the, 192

Christmas turkey, the, 195

Cloven-hoofed animals, 92-132

Cobra, the, 293;
as a house guard, 295;
charming of, 296

Cochin-china fowls, 179

Cock, morning call of the, 176, 177;
its fighting habits, 182

Collie, the, 22

Cormorant, the, 331;
fishing with, 332

Cow, the, 134;
uses of, 135;
milk-giving, 136, 138, 139;
in United States, 142

Creameries, 140

Crow, thefts of the, 240;
anecdote of, 241

Crows, the monkey and the, 252, 253

D

Deserts of Asia and Africa, 102, 103

Dick Turpin's horse, 65

Dog, man's friend, 15;
anecdotes of the, 29-39;
eulogy on the, 39-41

Dog wit and wisdom, 29

Dogs, ancient, 16;
origin of, 17;
kinds of, 19;
hunting, 20;
working, 21;
sheep, 22;
cur, 23;
watch, 24;
pet, 24-29

Domestic animals, origin of, 284;
in America, 285

Donkey, the, 86, 88

Dove, the, 207

Dromedary, the, 108

Duck, habits of the, 186;
food of, 187;
the young, 188;
where kept, 189

Dutch rabbit, 53

E

Egg-harvest, the world's, 181, 182

Elephant, the, 117;
taming of, 178;
as a worker, 119, 120;
caution of, 121;
mental powers of, 124, 131;
anecdotes of, 124-132

Eskimo dogs, 21, 113-117

Eulogy on the dog, Senator Vest's, 39-41

F

Falcon, the, 309;
legend of, 312;
varieties of, 313;
taming of, 314

Falconry, 309;
in ancient times, 310;
in Asia, 311;
legend of, 312;
mediæval, 313;
method of, 314;
a modern instance, 315

Famous men, pets of, 60

Fat-tailed sheep, the, 153

Ferret, the, 56, 57

Fishes, aquarium, 286-289

Flea, the learned, 285

Foes of animals, 92-94

Foot of the horse, 63

G

Game-cock, the, 182-183;
cock-fighting, 184-186

Gellert, the faithful, 311

Gerfalcon, the, 313

Giant goose, the, 191

Giant rabbit, 54

Gibbon, training of the, 262

Goat, the, 158;
its climbing habits, 159;
where kept, 160;
grazing habits of, 161;
its mental powers, 161;
its uses, 162-165;
hunt of, 131

Goat-skins, uses of, 163

Gold-fish, the, 287

Goose, food of the, 189;
egg-laying of, 190;
strength of, 191;
anecdote of, 191;
uses of, 192

Goshawk, the, 313

Great Dane, the, 25

Grosbeak, the Virginia nightingale, 228

Guinea-fowl, the, 198;
its habits, 199

Guinea-pig, the, 57

H

Hawk, the, 309;
kinds of, 313;
taming of, 314

Hawking, 309-316

Hedgehog, the, 58, 300, 302;
as a house pet, 303

Hen, vocal powers of the, 178

Hermit-thrush, 229

Holstein cows, 139

Home comrades, 13-15

Hoof, the horse's, 63

Horse, the, 61-82;
anecdotes of the, 82-85

Horseback riding, 71

Horse-breaking, 78

Horse tamer, the, 77, 78

Horses of the steppes, 64, 65;
of Persia, Arabia and Russia, 66;
of Western Europe, 67;
of America, 69;
anecdotes of, 82-85

Hounds, varieties of, 20

Hunting horses, 73

I

Ibex, the, 159

J

Jackal, the, 18

Jackdaw, talking powers of the, 238;
anecdotes of, 238-240

K

Kangaroo, the, 59

L

Lapland reindeer, the, 101

Llama, the, 111-113

M

Magpie, talking powers of the, 238

Malay cat, the, 48

Manx cat, the, 47

Mastiff, the, 24

Mavis, the, 229

Merino sheep, the, 154

Milk, 137, 141, 162

Minnow, the, 288

Missel-thrush, the, 229

Mocking-bird, the, 222;
imitative powers of, 223, 228

Mohair wool, 165

Mongoose, the, 297;
in Jamaica, 298;
as a house pet, 299, 300

Monkey, organ-grinder and, 247;
as a pet, 248;
fondness of, for mischief, 249, 280;
revengeful spirit of, 250-253;
powers of imitation, 253;
anecdotes of, 254, 255, 270-282;
intelligence of, 256, 260;
varieties of, 259;
self-teaching of, 264-270;
feeling and friendliness of, 273

Mule, the, 85, 90, 91

N

Newfoundland dog, the, 25

Night, noises of the, 176

Nightingale, the, 228

O

Orang-outang, intelligence of the, 266

Organ-grinder's monkey, the, 247

Ostrich, the, 214;
farms of, 215;
feathers of, 216

Otter, the, 58, 59

Ox, the, 94

P

Parrot, the, 230;
intelligence of, 231;
talking powers, 231;
anecdotes of, 232-236

Peacock, the, 204, 205;
habits of, 206

Peary and his dogs, 115-117

Pekin duck, the, 189

Peregrine falcons, 313, 315

Persian cat, the, 48

Philippine cock-fight, a, 185

Pig, character of the, 165-168;
food of the, 168;
how kept, 169;
flesh of, 170;
uses of, 172;
mental powers of, 173

Pigeon, the, 209;
bird of Venus, 208;
nest building of, 209;
habits of, 210;
kinds of, 211-213

Plymouth Rock fowls, 180

Ponies, Shetland, 67;
Scandinavian, 68;
Greek, 69

Poodles, the, 28

Porcupine, the, 300

Pork as food, 170;
fondness of the Romans for, 171;
where now eaten, 171;
American yield of, 172

Pouter pigeon, the, 211

Prairie dog, the, 60

Pug, the, 24

Python, the, 290, 291, 293

Q

Quagga, the, 90

R

Rabbit, the, 52-56;
varieties of, 53;
care of, 55

Race-courses, 71

Racing horse, the, 70-73

Ram, fighting powers of the, 150

Rat, the Jamaican, 298;
as a pet, 301, 302;
egg and oil stealing, 302;
armadillo attack on, 304

Raven, talking powers of the, 236;
anecdote of, 237

Reindeer, the, 100-102

Rouen ducks, the, 188

S

Seal, the, 323;
taming of, 325;
anecdotes of, 325, 326

Sheep, the, 149, 150;
uses of, 151, 154-156;
habits of, 152, 153;
where kept, 153, 154

Sheep dog, the, 22

Shepherd's dog, story of the, 36

Shetland pony, the, 67

Single-hoofed animals, 61-90

Skylark, the, 227

Snake-charmer, the, 293, 296

Snake-dance, the, 293

Snakes, 289;
poisonous kinds, 290;
taming of, 291, 296;
charming of, 293-296

Song-thrush, the, 229

Southdown sheep, the, 154

Spain, bull-fights in, 145-149

Spaniel, the, 27

Sparrowhawk, the, 313

Squirrel, the, 306;
anecdotes of, 307-309

Starling, whistling and talking powers of the, 241;
anecdote of the, 242-246

St. Bernard dog, the, 25

Stickleback, the, 288, 289

Stork, the, 328;
habits of, 329;
nest building of, 330;
popular affection for, 330

Swan, beauty of the, 199;
varieties of, 200;
American species of, 200;
habits of, 201;
eggs and nests of, 202;
anecdote of, 203

T

Terriers, 26, 29

Trotting-horse, the, 72

Tumbler pigeon, the, 211

Turkey, species of the, 194;
its habits, 194;
where kept, 195;
a Christmas dainty, 195;
in France, 196

Turnspit, the, 38

W

War-horse, the, 74-75

Weasel, the, 58

White rat, a tame, 301, 302, 304

Wild animals in captivity, 317, 318;
treaty of peace with, 322

Wild-hog, the, 165, 166

Wild-horse, the, 62

Wild-turkey, habits of the, 193

Wolf, the, 17

Wood-thrush, the, 229

Wool, origin and use of, 151;
shearing of, 156;
uses of, 157, 158

Working-horse, the, 75-76

Wyandotte fowls, 180

Y

Yak, the, 95

Yellowstone Park, wild animals in, 322

Z

Zebra, the, 89

Zebu, the, 96

Transcriber's Note:

Spelling and punctuation errors have been silently corrected.