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The little book of British quadrupeds — Background and Themes

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In Category - Marine Life

Authors: May, W. Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2024 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Mammals -- Great Britain -- Juvenile literature Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 13,555

Reading time 59 min

Text sections 49

Before opening The little book of British quadrupeds — Background and Themes, the edition data offers a quick orientation: 13,555 words, 59 min estimated reading time, and 49 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 23.4 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Mammals -- Great Britain -- Juvenile literature,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #72582

W. May's 1835 natural history primer presents British mammals through concise, factual entries. The language shifts from utilitarian descriptions of livestock to vivid, anecdotal accounts of dogs and horses, revealing a subtle narrative arc in its educational approach.

Editorial Edition Score 4.7/5

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Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
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Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg72582

Read the Text

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THE LITTLE BOOK OF BRITISH QUADRUPEDS

LONDON: C. TILT, FLEET STREET.

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C. WHITTINGHAM, TOOKS COURT,

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Page The Kyloe Ox 7 The Horse 8 The Race Horse 12 The Cart Horse 16 The Mule 20 The Ass 24 The Bull 28 The Cow 32 The Ram 36 The Sheep 40 The Goat 44 The Stag 48 The Fallow Deer 52 The Roebuck 56 The Boar 60 The Sow 64 The Domestic Cat 68 The Wild Cat 72 The Weasel 76 The Martin 80 The Ferret 84 The Polecat 88 The Badger 92 The Fox 96 The Wolf 100 The Shepherd’s Dog 104 The Bulldog 108 The Newfoundland dog 112 The Greyhound 116 The Foxhound 120 The Harrier 124 The Pointer 128 The Spaniel 132 The Terrier 136 The Hare 140 The Rabbit 144 The Squirrel 148 The Dormouse 152 The Rat 156 The Water Rat 160 The Mouse 164 The Mole 168 The Hedgehog 172 The Bat 176 The Guinea Pig 180 The Otter 184 The Ichneumon 188

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This most useful animal is a native of Scotland, and is said to have derived its name from having crossed the kyles, or ferries, which abound in the Highlands.

The Kyloe Ox is of a black colour, and has a very thick hide, and a great deal of hair. Its horns are large and long. Its flesh is the finest kind of beef: and there is scarcely a single part of the Ox that cannot be made use of. The hide is made into leather, the gristles are made into glue, the horns into knife-handles, drinking-cups, &c. and the bones are a substitute for ivory.

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This noble animal is found in almost every part of the world. In Arabia and Africa are wild horses, which wander about in herds; and in South America many thousands are seen in one drove.

The horse is used for riding, and is then guided by the rein. He is used for drawing carriages, carts, and waggons, for ploughing, and also for war. Hunting seems to be enjoyed as much by the horse as by his rider: and in the race he shows great eagerness to be the foremost.

When kindly used, the horse is very fond both of his feeder and of his rider. He has a very good memory. A gentleman once rode a young horse thirty miles from his home to see his friend. The horse had never been in that part of the country before, and the road was hard to find: after asking the way of many persons whom he met, the gentleman at last got to his friend’s house. Two years afterwards he had again to go the same journey, and it became quite dark, long before he could get to the place. “Well,” said he, “here I am, far from any house, and I know not an inch of the road, and I can hardly see my horse’s head. I have heard much of the memory of the horse; it is my only hope now, go on;” so saying, he threw the reins on his horse’s neck, and in half an hour he was safe at his friend’s gate.

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The horse is found in high perfection in Arabia. To the people of that country they are as dear as their own children; and by constantly living in the same tent with their owner and his family, they become very familiar and gentle. They are not used to the spur, but the least touch with the foot sets them in motion. They form the principal riches of many of the Arab tribes, who use them both for plunder and for the chase.

Of one of these people a touching story is told. The whole stock of a poor Arabian of the desert was a mare, and he consented to sell her to a French merchant for a very large sum of money. At length with only a miserable rag to cover his body he brought his noble courser to the house of the buyer. Having dismounted, he looked first at the gold and then at the mare, and heaving a deep sigh, he exclaimed, “To whom is it that I am going to give thee up? To Frenchmen, who will tie thee close, who will beat thee, who will render thee miserable! Return with me my beauty! my jewel! and rejoice the hearts of my children!” Having said this he sprang on her back, and was out of sight in a moment. Still, for a continuance of great exertion, the English Race Horse is said to be superior to the Arabian, and for fleetness, he will yield to none. A Race Horse will go at the rate of a mile in less than two minutes.

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Continue Reading →

W. May's The Little Book of British Quadrupeds, published in 1835, opens with a description of the Kyloe Ox that is brisk and utilitarian: the animal is black, thick-hided, and every part is put to use—hide into leather, horns into knife-handles, bones as a substitute for ivory. This matter-of-fact tone, focused on economic utility, sets the stage for a work that gradually reveals a more varied voice. As the entries progress, the language shifts: the Horse is introduced as 'noble,' and the narrative expands into a sustained anecdote about a horse's memory, a story that occupies several paragraphs. This change in pace—from compressed fact to leisurely tale—marks a distinctive feature of May's approach, blending instruction with entertainment.

From Utility to Anecdote

The early entries, such as those on the Kyloe Ox and the Cow, are stripped to essentials: colour, size, uses. The prose is almost list-like, with short sentences and a focus on practical applications. But by the time May reaches the Horse, the rhythm alters. The description of the horse's memory is not a dry fact but a small story: a gentleman, lost in the dark, trusts his horse to find the way home, and the animal succeeds. This anecdote occupies far more space than the preceding entries, suggesting a deliberate choice to engage young readers through narrative. The shift is not merely stylistic; it implies that some animals merit a fuller, more personal treatment, while others are dealt with summarily.

Voice and the National Character

May's voice becomes notably patriotic in the sections on dogs. The Foxhound, he writes, is unmatched in Europe, and 'the utmost attention is paid to their training' in Great Britain. He adds that 'attachment to the chase has been considered a trait in the national character.' This rhetorical flourish is absent from the earlier, more neutral entries. The language here is evaluative, even boastful, and the sentences grow longer, building a case for British pre-eminence. The anecdote of the two hounds that die after pursuing a stag to exhaustion reinforces this tone: the dogs' loyalty and stamina are presented as admirable, almost heroic. May's voice thus moves from detached observer to invested commentator, a shift that colours the latter half of the book.

Pace and the Use of Exemplary Tales

The entries vary markedly in length and tempo. The Kyloe Ox is dispatched in a few lines; the Horse stretches over several paragraphs; the Foxhound includes a dramatic death scene. This uneven pacing suggests that May is not simply cataloguing species but selecting moments for emphasis. The Harrier entry, for instance, includes a brief crime story: a bloodhound leads to a hidden sheep carcass. Such tales break the monotony of description and serve as mnemonic devices. They also hint at a moral dimension—the horse's fidelity, the hound's perseverance—that is only implicit in the earlier, more functional entries. Readers attentive to these shifts will find a book that teaches not only facts but also values through its variable narrative speed.

May's book rewards a reading that attends to its changes in pace and voice. The early entries, brisk and utilitarian, give way to longer, more anecdotal passages that celebrate certain animals and, by extension, British virtues. This variation is not accidental; it shapes the reader's experience, making the work more than a simple list. To appreciate The Little Book of British Quadrupeds, follow the rhythm of its prose and note where the author lingers—those are the places where instruction becomes story.

In The Little Book of British Quadrupeds, Mr. May’s fondness creeps past his dry factual lines, especially with the old hunting dogs. That quiet warmth—the way a careful observer’s affection reshapes plain words—reminds me of another patient chronicler, one gazing at leviathans breaching in an Alaskan fjord. Their kinship is a shared tenderness for creatures simply going about their lives. Humpback Whales in Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska — Text and Context holds that same gentle reverence.