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Chapter 1 Testbank: Introduction

Multiple Choice

1. Which statement best describes a computer program?

A) A program is a sequence of comments.
B) A program can decide what task it is to perform.
C) A program is a sequence of instructions and decisions that the computer carries out.
D) A program can only perform one simple task.

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.1 Computer Programs
Title: Which statement best describes a computer program?
Difficulty: Easy

2. Which statement regarding computer programs is correct?

A) Computer programs can decide what task to perform.
B) Large and complex computer programs are generally written by only one programmer.
C) Computer programs are composed of extremely primitive operations.
D) Small computer programs are not documented.

Answer: c
Section reference: Section 1.1 Computer Programs
Title: Which statement regarding computer programs is correct?
Difficulty: Easy

3. What does CPU stand for?

A) Computer Programming Unit
B) Computer Processing Unit
C) Central Processing Unit
D) Central Programming Unit

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: What does CPU stand for?
Difficulty: Easy
4. Which one of the following is NOT a function of a CPU?
A) Performing arithmetic operations
B) Processing data and controlling programs
C) Querying a database
D) Fetching and storing data from storage and input devices

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which one of the following is NOT a function of a CPU?
Difficulty: Easy

5. Which type of storage is made from memory chips?

A) CD
B) hard disk
C) primary storage
D) DVD

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which type of storage is made from memory chips?
Difficulty: Easy

6. Which one of the following memory types provides storage that persists without electricity?
A) primary storage
B) RAM
C) memory
D) secondary storage

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which one of the following memory types provides storage that persists without electricity?
Difficulty: Easy

7. Which type of secondary storage consists of rotating platters, which are coated with a magnetic
material, and read/write heads, which can detect and change the patterns of varying magnetic flux on the
platters?
A) hard disk
B) flashdrive
C) DVD
D) RAM

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which type of secondary storage consists of rotating platters?
Difficulty: Easy

8. What are the electrical lines called that interconnect the CPU, RAM, and the electronics controlling the
hard disk and other devices?
A) bus
B) network
C) optical disk
D) power lines

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: What are the electrical lines called on a computer?
Difficulty: Easy

9. Which part of a computer contains the CPU, the RAM, and connectors to peripheral devices?
A) network
B) bus
C) motherboard
D) optical disk

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which part of a computer contains the CPU, the RAM, and connectors to peripheral devices?
Difficulty: Easy

10. For a program to be executed, where must it reside so that the CPU can read its instructions?
A) optical disk
B) primary memory
C) secondary memory
D) hard disk

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: For a program to be executed, where must it reside so that the CPU can read its instructions?
Difficulty: Easy

11. Which memory type does not provide persistent storage?

A) secondary storage
B) hard disk
C) primary storage
D) DVD
Answer: c
Section reference: 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which memory type does not provide persistent storage?
Difficulty: Easy

12. Which of the following is not contained on the motherboard of a computer?

A) RAM
B) integrated circuit
C) hard disk
D) CPU

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.2 The Anatomy of a Computer
Title: Which of the following is not contained on the motherboard of a computer?
Difficulty: Easy

13. What term is used to refer to the computer instructions that are executed by a CPU, which are specific
to each CPU?
A) virtual machine
B) machine code
C) high-level code
D) instruction set

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What term is used to refer to the computer instructions that are executed by a CPU?
Difficulty: Easy

14. What is the JVM?

A) A vital machine that never fails to run compiled Java code.
B) A vital machine that compiles Java code into machine instructions.
C) A virtual machine that runs compiled Java code on any CPU.
D) A virtual machine that compiles Java code into machine instructions.

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What is the JVM?
Difficulty: Easy

15. What is the term used to refer to Java code that runs in a browser?
A) applet
B) script
C) html
D) class

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What is the term used to refer to Java code that runs in a browser?
Difficulty: easy
16. What term is used to refer to languages that allow programmers to describe tasks at a higher
conceptual level than machine code?
A) virtual
B) high-level
C) sophisticated
D) conceptual

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What term is used to refer to languages that allow programmers to describe tasks at a higher
conceptual level than machine code?
Difficulty: Easy

17. What translates high-level descriptions into machine code?

A) debugger
B) assembler
C) compiler
D) linker

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What translates high-level descriptions into machine code?
Difficulty: Easy

18. What translates Java source code into files that contain instructions for the JVM?
A) linker
B) compiler
C) assembler
D) interpreter

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: What translates Java source code into files that contain instructions for the JVM?
Difficulty: Easy

19. Which statement is true about running a Java program on a different CPU?
A) You need different Java source code for each processor.
B) You can take code that has been generated by the Java compiler and run it on different CPUs.
C) You need to recompile the Java program for each processor.
D) You cannot run the program on a computer with a different processor because Java, being a high-level
programming language, is machine dependent.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Langauge
Title: Which statement is true about running a Java program on a different CPU?
Difficulty: Medium

20. When was Java officially introduced?

A) 1989
B) 1995
C) 2005
D) 2000

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: When was Java officially introduced?
Difficulty: Easy

21. Which statement best describes the portability characteristic of Java?

A) It is easy to copy Java source code from one machine to another.
B) The same Java class files will run on different operating systems without change.
C) It is easy to compile Java source code on different operating systems.
D) It is easy to change a Java program so that it will work on different operating systems.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.3 The Java Programming Language
Title: Which statement best describes the portability characteristic of Java?
Difficulty: Easy

22. When a Java application starts, what is the name of the method that is executed?
A) main
B) start
C) begin
D) Main

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.4 Becoming Familiar With Your Programming Environment
Title: When a Java application starts, what is the name of the method that is executed?
Difficulty: Easy

23. Text enclosed between this and the end of line is ignored by the compiler.
A) ''
B) //
C) ()
D) ""

Answer: b
Section reference: 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: Text enclosed between this and the end of line is ignored by the compiler.
Difficulty: Easy

24. What is the name of the file declaring the class named MyClass?
A) MyClass
B) myclass.java
C) MyClass.class
D) MyClass.java

Answer: d
Section reference: 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the name of the file declaring the class named MyClass?
Difficulty : Easy

25. In a console window, how do you compile the declaration of the class MyClass?
A) javac MyClass.java
B) javac MyClass
C) java MyClass.java
D) java MyClass

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, how do you compile the declaration of the class MyClass?
Difficulty : Medium

26. In a console window, assuming that MyClass includes the main method, how do you run the
program?
A) java MyClass.class
B) javac MyClass
C) java MyClass
D) javac MyClass.java

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, how do you run a Java program?
Difficulty: Medium

27. A(n) ____ is a collection of code that has been programmed and translated by someone else, ready
for use in your program.
A) method
B) class
C) parameter
D) library

Answer: d
Section reference: 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: A(n) ____ is a collection of code ...
Difficulty: Easy

28. Every Java program consists of one or more of these fundamental building blocks.
A) class
B) CPU
C) applet
D) parameter

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: TB Every Java program consists of one or more of these fundamental building blocks.
Difficulty: Easy

29. What is the name of the file that contains the Java source code for the class BankAccount?
A) BankAccount
B) BankAccount.java
C) BankAccount.class
D) BankAccount.txt

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the name of the file that contains the Java source code for this class?
Difficulty: Easy

30. A __________ contains sequences of instructions to perform a particular task.

A) parameter
B) label
C) variable
D) method

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: A __________ contains sequences of instructions to perform a particular task.
Difficulty: Easy

31. What term is used to refer to an instruction in a method?

A) statement
B) constant
C) comment
D) object

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What term is used to refer to an instruction in a method?
Difficulty: Easy
32. In Java, every statement must end with this symbol.
A) .
B) )
C) !
D) ;

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In Java, every statement must end with this symbol.
Difficulty: Easy

33. What term is used to refer to text in a program that helps human readers understand the program?
A) methods
B) comments
C) constants
D) statements

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What term is used to refer to text in a program that helps human readers understand the program?
Difficulty: Easy

34. The Java compiler ignores any text between ____.

A) (* and *)
B) /* and */
C) {* and *}
D) // and //

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: The Java compiler ignores any text between ____.
Difficulty: Easy

35. What term is used to refer to a sequence of characters enclosed in quotation marks?
A) string
B) object
C) comment
D) variable

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What term is used to refer to a sequence of characters enclosed in quotation marks?
Difficulty: Easy
36. What entity belongs to a class and is manipulated in a program?
A) constant
B) package
C) object
D) comment

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What entity belongs to a class and is manipulated in a program?
Difficulty: Easy

37. A method is called on what entity in the program?

A) constant
B) statement
C) comment
D) object

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: A method is called on what entity in the program?
Difficulty: Easy

38. What term is used to refer to information passed in to a method on a call?

A) class
B) object
C) parameter
D) comment

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What term is used to refer to information passed in to a method on a call?
Difficulty: Easy

39. Parameters to methods are enclosed by these symbols.

A) ()
B) ""
C) {}
D) //

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: Parameters to methods are enclosed by these symbols.
Difficulty: Easy

40. A method may be called by specifying which 3 items in the specified order?
A) method name, parameters, object
B) object, parameters, method name
C) object, method name, parameters
D) class, parameters, method name

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: A method is called by specifying which 3 items in the specified order?
Difficulty: Easy

41. What is the syntax for calling the println method on the object System.out?
A) println("Any message").System.out;
B) System.out("Any message").println;
C) System.out.println("Any message");
D) println(System.out, "Any message");

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the syntax for calling the println method on the object System.out?
Difficulty: Easy

42. What is the object in the given method call?

System.out.println("Welcome");

A) println
B) System.out
C) System.out.println
D) System

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the object in the given method call?
Difficulty: Easy

43. What is the name of the method in the given method call?

System.out.println("Welcome");
A) "Welcome"
B) System
C) println
D) out

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the name of the method in the given method call?
Difficulty: Easy

44. What is the parameter in the given method call?

System.out.println("Welcome");

A) out
B) println
C) "Welcome"
D) System

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the parameter in the given method call?
Difficulty: Easy

45. What is the output of the following Java statement?

System.out.println("4 + 6");

A) 10
B) 46
C) 4
D) 4 + 6

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the output of the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

46. What is the output of the following Java statement?

System.out.println(4 + 6);

A) 4 + 6
B) 4
C) 10
D) 46

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the output of the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

47. What type of program can you use to enter your Java program?
A) compiler
B) editor
C) spreadsheet
D) database

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What type of program can you use to enter your Java program?
Difficulty: Easy

48. Which statement is true about a Java program?

A) Java forces the programmer to use a particular layout for readability.
B) Java requires that at most one statement appear on one line.
C) The first method that is executed in a Java program is called Main.
D) Java is case sensitive.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: Which statement is true about a Java program?
Difficulty: Easy

49. What is the name of the class declared in the file MyClass.java?
A) MyClass
B) MyClass.class
C) MyClass.java
D) myclass

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the name of the class declared in the file MyClass.java?
Difficulty: Easy
50. The Java compiler translates source code into what type of file?
A) document
B) object
C) class
D) text

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: The Java compiler translates source code into what type of file?
Difficulty: Easy

51. What is the name of the file created after a successful compilation of MyClass.java?
A) MyClass.java
B) MyClass.class
C) myClass.class
D) MyClass

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the name of the file created after a successful compilation of MyClass.java?
Difficulty: Easy

52. What does a class file contain?

A) Instructions for the specific CPU on the computer.
B) Instructions for the Java Virtual Machine.
C) The JVM instructions for all classes in the Java application.
D) The Java source code for a class.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What does a class file contain?
Difficulty: Easy

53. What is the file extension of a Java class file?

A) .java
B) There is no file extension.
C) .class
D) .txt

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is the file extension of a Java class file?
Difficulty: Easy
54. In a console window, what is the name of the command used to compile Java source code?
A) javac
B) javadoc
C) compile
D) java

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, what is the name of the command used to compile Java source code?
Difficulty: Easy

55. In a console window, what is the name of the command used to run a Java program?
A) javadoc
B) javac
C) java
D) run

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, what is the name of the command used to run a Java program?
Difficulty: Easy

56. In a console window, how do you compile the declaration of the class BankAccount?
A) java BankAccount
B) javac BankAccount
C) javac BankAccount.java
D) java BankAccount.java

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, how do you compile the declaration of the class BankAccount?
Difficulty: Medium

57. In a console window, assuming that BankAccountTester includes the main method, how do you
run the program?
A) javac BankAccountTester
B) java BankAccountTester.class
C) javac BankAccountTester.java
D) java BankAccountTester

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: In a console window, how do you run a Java program?
Difficulty: Medium

58. What is a Java library?

A) A collection of Java source code that has been programmed and can be reused.
B) A collection of books on Java.
C) A collection of electronic documentation on Java.
D) A collection of code that has been programmed and translated by someone else, ready for you to use in
your program.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: What is a Java library?
Difficulty: Easy

59. Which of the following statements is true about running a Java program?
A) The Java compiler executes your program.
B) The Java virtual machine loads the instructions for the program that you wrote, starts your program,
and loads the necessary library files as they are required.
C) The java compiler signals the JVM to execute the program.
D) The javadoc utility runs the documentation of the program.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.5 Analyzing Your First Program
Title: Which of the following statements is true about running a Java program?
Difficulty: Easy

60. Suppose that a computer virus infects your computer and corrupts the files you were going to submit
for your current homework assignment. What precaution could have saved you from a disastrously bad
grade for this assignment?
A) Defragment the hard drive.
B) Purchase an anti-virus program to remove the virus from your computer.
C) Make regular backups of all your important files.
D) Purchase an extended warranty for your computer.

Ans: C
Section Ref: Programming Tip 1.1 Backup Copies
Title: What can prevent you from losing files that get corrupted?
Difficulty: Easy

61. Which one of the following statements regarding backup strategies for Java files is correct?
A) You should have multiple copies of your source files in different locations.
B) You should regularly print out your work so you can retype it in case of data loss.
C) You should regularly back up the Java virtual machine instructions to prevent loss of valuable work.
D) Your compiler automatically makes backups of your source files.

Answer: a
Section reference Programming Tip 1.1
Title: Which one of the following statements regarding backup strategies for Java files is correct?
Difficulty: Easy

62. Which statement is true about the following Java statement:

System.out.println("Hello!);
A) There is a run-time error.
B) There are no errors.
C) There is a compile-time error.
D) There are multiple errors.

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

63. Assuming the programmer wishes to display "Hello!" on the screen, which statement is true about the
following Java statement:

System.out.println("Helo!");
A) There is a run-time error.
B) There are no errors.
C) There is a compile-time error.
D) There are multiple errors.

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

64. Assuming the programmer wishes to display "Hello!" on the screen, which statement is true about the
following Java statement:

System.out.println("Hello!");
A) There is a run-time error.
B) There are no errors.
C) There is a compile-time error.
D) There are multiple errors.

Answer: b
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

65. Assuming the programmer wishes to display "Hello!" on the screen, which statement is true about the
following Java statement:
 System.out.printn("Helo!");
A) There is a run-time error.
B) There are no errors.
C) There is a compile-time error.
D) There are multiple errors.

Answer: d
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

66. Assume that the following Java statement is contained in the main method of the class named
Hello:

System.out.printLine("Hello!");

What is the name of the file generated by the Java compiler?

A) Hello.java
B) Hello
C) No file is generated due to an error.
D) Hello.class

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: What is the name of the file generated by the Java compiler?
Difficulty: Easy

67. What is defensive programming?

A) Writing a program that does not contain run-time errors.
B) Programming in a language that allows programmers to describe tasks at a higher conceptual level
than machine code.
C) Structuring programs and development processes in such a way that an error in one part of the program
does not trigger a disastrous response.
D) Writing a program that does not contain compile-time errors.

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.6 Errors
Title: What is defensive programming?
Difficulty: Easy

68. What is the term used to describe an error detected by the compiler that is a violation of the
programming language rules?
A) logic error
B) compile-time error
C) run-time error
D) typo

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Term describing an error violating the programming language rules.
Difficulty: Easy

69. What is another term used to describe an error detected by the compiler that is a violation of the
programming language rules?
A) typo
B) logic error
C) semantic error
D) run-time error

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Another term describing an error violating the programming language rules.
Difficulty: Easy

70. What is the term used to describe an error causing a program to take an action that the programmer
did not intend?
A) typo
B) run-time error
C) compile-time error
D) syntax error

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Term describing an error causing a program to take an action that the programmer did not intenD)
Difficulty: Easy

71. What is another term used to describe an error causing a program to take an action that the
programmer did not intend?
A) syntax error
B) logic error
C) mistake
D) compile-time error

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Another term describing an error causing a program to take an action that the programmer did not
intenD)
Difficulty: Easy

72. Which statement is true about the following Java statement:

System.out.Println("Welcome!");

A) There are multiple errors.

B) There are no errors.
C) There is a run-time error.
D) There is a compile-time error.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

73. Assuming the programmer wishes to output the phrase "Hello!", which of the following is true about
the following Java statement.

System.out.println("Welcme!");

A) There are multiple errors.

B) There is a run-time error.
C) There are no errors.
D) There is a compile-time error.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

74. Which statement is true about the following Java statement:

System.out.println("Welcome!");

A) There are no errors.

B) There is a run-time error.
C) There are multiple errors.
D) There is a compile-time error.

Ans: A
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

75. Assuming the programmer wishes to output the phrase "Welcome!", which of the following is true
about the following Java statement.

System.out.Println("Wlcome!");

A) There are no errors.

B) There is a compile-time error.
C) There is a run-time error.
D) There are multiple errors.
Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the following Java statement?
Difficulty: Easy

76. Assume that the following Java statement is contained in the main method of the class named
Welcome:

System.out.printLine("Welcome!");

What is the name of the file generated by the Java compiler?

A) Welcome.class
B) Welcome.java
C) No file is generated due to an error.
D) Welcome

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: What is the name of the file generated by the Java compiler?
Difficulty: Easy

77. Which statement is true about the compilation process?

A) The compiler will generate CPU specific instructions even if it detects an error.
B) The compiler will generate Java virtual machine instructions even if it detects an error.
C) The compiler will stop compiling when it finds the first error.
D) The compiler will continue compiling after it finds an error.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Which statement is true about the compilation process?
Difficulty: Easy

78. Who or what is responsible for inspecting and testing the program to guard against logic errors?
A) JVM
B) programmer
C) end-user
D) compiler

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Who/what is responsible for ... guarding against logic errors?
Difficulty: Easy
79. Structuring programs and development processes in such a way that an error in one part of the
program does not trigger a disastrous response is referred to as ____.
A) high-level programming
B) offensive programming
C) defensive programming
D) low-level programming

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: Structuring programs and development processes in such a way that an error in one part of the
program does not trigger a disastrous response is referred to as ____.
Difficulty: Easy

80. What are special software tools called that let you trace through a program to find run-time errors?
A) compiler
B) debugger
C) CPU
D) virtual machine

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.6 Errors
Title: What are special software tools called that let you trace through a program to find run-time errors?
Difficulty: Easy

81. A step sequence that contains precise instructions for what to do at each step and where to go next is
______________.
A) unambiguous
B) terminating
C) executable
D) documented

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence that contains precise instructions ...?
Difficulty:

82. A step sequence that can be carried out in practice is ______________.

A) unambiguous
B) terminating
C) executable
D) documented

Answer: c
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence that can be carried out in practice ...?
Difficulty: Easy

83. A step sequence that eventually comes to an end is ______________.

A) unambiguous
B) terminating
C) executable
D) documented

Answer: b
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence that eventually comes to an end ...?
Difficulty: Easy

84. What is the purpose of the following algorithm?

somenum = 0
Repeat the following steps for 15 times
input variable1
if variable1 < somenum then
somenum = variable1
end of if
end of repeat
print somenum

A) To search for a particular number among 15 numbers.

B) To find the largest among 15 numbers.
C) To print out the 15 numbers.
D) To find the smallest among 15 numbers.

Answer: d
Title: What is the purpose of the following algorithm?
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Difficulty: Easy

85. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the efficiency of a vehicle's fuel consumption using the
following test values:
The trip odometer reading (odometer) = 350
The amount to fill the gas tank (amount) = 12

input odometer
input amount
output odometer/amount

What is the final output?

A) 27.7
B) 29.2
C) 34.4
D) 32.3

Answer: b
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Medium

86. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the weighted score for a student:
The average homework score (homework) = 95
The weight of homework (hwWeight) = 35%
The average exam score (exams) = 87
The weight of exams(exWeight) = 65%

input homework
input hwWeight
input exams
input exWeight
output homework*hwWeight + exams*exWeight

What is the final output?

A) 89.20
B) 89.80
C) 87.80
d.92.20

Answer: b
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Medium

87. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the payment (pmt) with the following test values:
The total number of hours worked (working_hours) = 60
The rate paid for hourly work (rate) = 12

input working_hours
input rate
pmt = working_hours * rate
if working_hours > 40 then
extra_hours = working_hours – 40
extra_pmt = extra_hours * rate
pmt = pmt + extra_pmt
end of if
output pmt

What is the final output?

A) 960
b.840
c.240
d.720

Answer: a
Section reference: 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Hard

88. What term is used to refer to an informal description of a sequence of steps for solving a problem?
A) assembly language instructions
B) pseudocode
C) machine instructions for a specific CPU
D) Java virtual machine instructions

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What term is used to refer to an informal description of a sequence of steps for solving a problem?
Difficulty: Easy

89. What term is used to refer to a sequence of steps for solving a problem that is unambiguous,
executable, and terminating?
A) documentation
B) pseudoprogram
C) algorithm
D) comments

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What term is used to refer to a sequence of steps for solving a problem that is unambiguous,
executable, and terminating?
Difficulty: Easy

90. Which of the following options is true about algorithms?

A) Algorithms are described informally and can contain ambiguous steps.
B) Algorithms are written in a programming language.
C) Algorithms can replace the source code in programs.
D) You must create an algorithm for a problem before you can create a program to solve the problem.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: Which of the following options is true about algorithms?
Difficulty: Easy

91. A step sequence is unambiguous when ___________________________

A) it will eventually come to an end.
B) it is clearly documented.
C) it can be carried out in practice.
D) there are precise instructions for what to do at each step and where to go next.

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence is unambiguous when ...?
Difficulty: Easy

92. A step sequence is executable when ___________________________

A) it will eventually come to an end.
B) it can be carried out in practice.
C) it is documented.
D) there are precise instructions for what to do at each step and where to go next.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence is executable when ...?
Difficulty: Easy

93. A step sequence is terminating when ___________________________

A) there are precise instructions for what to do at each step and where to go next.
B) it will eventually come to an end.
C) it can be documented.
D) it can be carried out in practice.

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: A step sequence is terminating when ...?
Difficulty: Easy

94. What is the purpose of the following algorithm?

num = 0
Repeat the following steps for 10 times
input var1
if var1 > num then
num = var1
end of if
end of repeat
print num
A) To print out the 10 numbers
B) To search for a particular number among 10 numbers
C) To find the largest among 10 numbers
D) To find the smallest among 10 numbers

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is the purpose of the following algorithm?
Difficulty: Easy

95. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the efficiency of a vehicle's fuel consumption using the
following test values:
The trip odometer reading (odometer) = 300
The amount to fill the gas tank (amount) = 15

input odometer
input amount
output odometer/amount

What is the final output?

A) 15
B) 10
C) 30
D) 20

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Medium

96. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the weighted score for a student:
The average program score (program) = 92
The weight of programs (pgmWeight) = 40%
The average exam score (exams) = 85
The weight of exams(exWeight) = 60%

input program
input pgmWeight
input exams
input exWeight
output program*pgmWeight + exams*exWeight

What is the final output?

A) 89.20
B) 87.80
C) 89.80
D) 92.20

Ans: B
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Medium

97. Evaluate the given pseudocode to calculate the payment (pmt) with the following test values:
The total number of hours worked (working_hours) = 50
The rate paid for hourly work (rate) = 10

input working_hours
input rate
pmt = working_hours * rate
if working_hours > 40 then
extra_hours = working_hours – 40
extra_pmt = extra_hours * rate
pmt = pmt + extra_pmt
end of if
output pmt

What is the final output?

A) 540
B) 580
C) 500
D) 600

Ans: D
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is output of this pseudocode with these test values?
Difficulty: Hard

98. What is the correct order of the steps in the program development process:
i. Develop and describe the algorithm.
ii. Translate the algorithm into Java.
iii. Understand the problem.
iv. Compile and test the program.
v. Test the algorithm with different inputs.

A) iii, i, ii, iv, v

B) i, ii, iv, v, iii
C) iii, i, v, ii, iv
D) i, iii, v, ii, iv

Ans: C
Section Ref: Section 1.7 Problem Solving: Algorithm Design
Title: What is the order of the steps in the program development process?
Difficulty: Easy
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paid to the noble sportsman for his ability and courage, and nobody
says a word about the poor low-born wretches that may have been
killed or mutilated by the infuriated brutes.
Our English tiger-hunters generally proceed on a very different
plan. Provided with very excellent double-barrelled rifles, and
accompanied by a troop of well-armed, well-paid drivers, and a
number of courageous dogs, they boldly enter the jungle to rouse
the tiger from his lair. In front of the party generally marches the
shikarree, or chief driver, who attentively reconnoitring the traces of
the animal, points out the direction that is to be followed. On his
right and left hand walk the English sportsmen, fully prepared for
action, and behind them the most trustworthy of their followers,
with loaded rifles ready for an exchange with those that have been
discharged. Then follows the music, consisting of four or five
tambourins, a great drum, cymbals, horns, a bell, and the repeated
firing of pistols, and convoyed by men armed with swords and long
halberds. A few slingsmen make up the rear, who are constantly
throwing stones into the jungle over the heads of the foremost of
the party, and even more effectually than the noise of the music
drive the tiger from his lair. From time to time, one of the men
climbs upon the summit of a tree, to observe the movements of the
grass. The whole troop constantly forms a close body. The tiger in
cold blood is never able to attack a company that announces itself in
so turbulent a manner. If he ventures, it is only with half a heart; he
hesitates, stops at a short distance, and gives the hunter time to
salute him with a bullet.
The tiger is particularly fond of dense willow or bamboo bushes
on swampy ground, as he there finds the cool shade he requires for
his rest during the heat of the day, after his nocturnal excursions. It
is then very difficult to detect him, but the other inhabitants of the
jungle, particularly the peacock and the monkey, betray his
presence. The scream of the former is an infallible sign that the tiger
is rising from his lair; and the monkeys, who during the night are
frequently surprised by the panther or the boa, never allow their
watchfulness to be at fault during the day. They are never deceived
in the animal which slinks into the thicket. If it is a deer or a wild
boar, they remain perfectly quiet, but if it is a tiger or a panther, they
utter a cry designed to warn their comrades of the approach of
danger. When, on examining a jungle, the traveller sees a monkey
quietly seated on the branches, he may be perfectly sure that no
dangerous animal is lurking in the thicket.
During the night the cry of the jackal
frequently announces the tiger’s presence.
When one of these vile animals is no longer
able to hunt from age, or when he has
been expelled from his troop, he is said to
become the provider of the tiger, who, after
JACKAL. having satiated himself on the spoil, leaves
the remains to his famished scout.
The tiger, who on the declivities of the Himalayas tears to pieces
the swift-footed antelope, lacerates on the desert sand coasts of
Java the tardy tortoise, when at nightfall it leaves the sea to lay its
eggs in the drift-sand at the foot of the dunes. ‘Hundreds of tortoise
skeletons lie scattered about the strand, many of them five feet long
and three feet broad; some bleached by time, others still fresh and
bleeding. High in the air a number of birds of prey wheel about,
scared by the traveller’s approach. Here is the place where the
turtles are attacked by the wild dogs. In packs of from twenty to
fifty, the growling rabble assail the poor sea animal at every
accessible point, gnaw and tug at the feet and at the head, and
succeed by united efforts in turning the huge creature upon its back.
Then the abdominal scales are torn off, and the ravenous dogs hold
a bloody meal on the flesh, intestines, and eggs of their defenceless
prey. Sometimes, however, the turtle escapes their rage, and
dragging its lacerating tormentors along with it, succeeds in
regaining the friendly sea. Nor do the dogs always enjoy an
undisturbed repast; often during the night, the “lord of the
wilderness,” the royal tiger, bursts out of the forest, pauses for a
moment, casts a glance over the strand, approaches slowly, and
then with one bound, accompanied by a terrific roar, springs among
the dogs, scattering the howling band like chaff before the wind.
And now it is the tiger’s turn to feast; but even he, though rarely, is
sometimes disturbed by man. Thus on this lonely, melancholy coast,
wild dogs and tigers wage an unequal war with the inhabitants of
39
the ocean.’
After the tiger and the lion, the Panther and the Leopard are the
mightiest felidæ of the Old World. Although differently spotted, the
ocelli or rounded marks on the panther being larger and more
distinctly formed, they are probably only varieties of one and the
same species, as many intermediate individuals have been observed.
Both animals are widely diffused through the tropical regions of
the Old World, being natives of Africa, Persia, China, India, and
many of the Indian islands; so that they have a much more
extensive range than either the tiger or the lion. The manner in
which they seize their prey, lurking near the sides of woods, and
darting forward with a sudden spring, resembles that of the tiger;
and the chase of the panther is said to be more dangerous than that
of the lion, as it easily climbs the trees and pursues its enemy upon
the branches.
The Cheetah, or hunting leopard (Gueparda jubata, guttata),
which inhabits the greater part both of Asia and Africa, exhibits in its
form and habits a mixture of the feline and canine tribes.
Resembling the panther by its spotted skin, it is more elevated on its
legs and less flattened on the fore part of its head. Its brain is more
ample, and its claws touch the ground while walking, like those of
the dog, which it resembles still further by its mild and docile nature.
In India and Persia, where the Cheetahs are employed in the chase,
they are carried, chained and hoodwinked, to the field in low cars.
When the hunters come within view of a herd of antelopes, the
Cheetah is liberated, and the game is pointed out to him: he does
not, however, immediately dash forward in pursuit, but steals along
cautiously till he has nearly approached the herd unseen, when, with
a few rapid and vigorous bounds, he darts on the timid game and
strangles it almost instantaneously. Should he, however, fail in his
first efforts and miss his prey, he attempts no pursuit, but returns to
the call of his master, evidently disappointed, and generally almost
breathless.
The same radical differences which draw so wide a line of
demarcation between the monkeys of the Old and the New World
are found also to distinguish the feline races of both hemispheres, so
that it would be as vain to search in the American forests and
savannahs for the Numidian lion, or the striped tiger, as on the
banks of the Ganges or the Senegal for the tawny puma, or the
spotted jaguar. While in the African plains the swift-footed springbok
falls under the impetuous bound of the panther—or while the tiger
and the buffalo engage in mortal combat in the Indian jungle—the
bloodthirsty Jaguar, concealed in the high grass of the American
llanos, lies in wait for the wild horse or the passing steer.
The arrival of the Spaniards in the New World, so destructive to
most of the Indian tribes with whom they came into contact, was
beneficial at least to the large felidæ of tropical America, for they
first introduced the horse and the ox into the western hemisphere,
where these useful animals, finding a new and congenial home in
the boundless savannahs and pampas which extend almost
uninterruptedly from the Apure to Patagonia, have multiplied to an
incredible extent. Since then the jaguar no longer considers the deer
of the woods, the graceful agouti, or the slow capybara as his chief
prey, but rejoices in the blood of the steed or ox, and is much more
commonly met with in the herd-teeming savannahs than in the
comparatively meagre hunting-grounds of the forest.
Of all the carnivora of the New World, perhaps with the sole
exception of the grisly and the polar bears, the tyrants of the North
American solitudes, the Jaguar is the most formidable, resembling
the panther by his spotted skin, but almost equalling the Bengal
tiger in size and power. He roams about at all times of the day,
swims over broad rivers, and even in the water proves a most
dangerous foe, for when driven to extremities he frequently turns
against the boat, and forces his assailants to seek their safety by
jumping overboard. Many an Indian, while wandering through thinly
populated districts, where swampy thickets alternate with open grass
plains, has been torn to pieces by the jaguar, and in many a lonely
plantation the inhabitants hardly venture to leave their enclosures
after sunset, for fear of his attacks. During Tschudi’s sojourn in
Northern Peru, a jaguar penetrated into the hut of an Englishman
who had settled in those parts, and dragging a boy of ten years out
of his hammock, tore him to pieces and devoured him. Far from
being afraid of man, this ferocious animal springs upon him when
alone, and when pressed by hunger will even venture during the
daytime into the mountain villages to seek its prey.
The chase of the jaguar requires great caution, yet keen
sportsmen will venture, single-handed, to seek the jaguar in his lair,
armed with a blow-pipe and poisoned arrows, or merely with a long
and powerful lance. The praise which is due to the bold adventurers
for their courage is, however, too often tarnished by their cruelty.
Thus, a famous jaguar-hunter once showed Pöppig a large cavity
under the tangled roots of a giant bombax-tree, where he had some
time back discovered a female jaguar with her young. Dexterously
rolling down a large stone, he closed the entrance, and then with
fiendish delight slowly smoked the animals to death, by applying fire
from time to time to their dungeon. Having lost one-half of his scalp
in a previous conflict with a jaguar, he pleaded his sufferings as an
excuse for his barbarity.
To attack these creatures with a lance, a sure arm, a cool
determined courage, and great bodily strength and dexterity are
required; but even these qualities do not always ensure success if
the hunter is unacquainted with the artifices of the animal. The
jaguar generally waits for the attack in a sitting posture, turning one
side towards the assailant, and, as if unconcerned, moves his long
tail to and fro. The hunter, carefully observing the eye of his
adversary, repeatedly menaces him with slight thrusts of his lance,
which a gentle stroke of the paw playfully wards off; then seizing a
favourable moment, he suddenly steps forward and plunges his
weapon into his side. If the thrust be well aimed, a second is not
necessary, for pressing with his full weight on the lance, the
huntsman enlarges and deepens the mortal wound. But if the stroke
is parried or glances off, the jaguar, roused to fury, bounds on his
aggressor, and fells him to the ground with a stroke of his paw.
Having his enemy now fully in his power, the jaguar looks at him
quietly for a few moments as if enjoying his pangs, like a cat playing
with a mouse, and this short delay has not seldom enabled the
companion of the unfortunate hunter to save his life by a timely
shot.
All those that have escaped from one of these death-struggles
affirm that the breath of the enraged animal is of a suffocating heat,
with a smell like that of burning capsicum, and that its pestilential
contact produces an inflammation of the throat, which lasts for
several days. Those who are less inclined to desperate conflicts
destroy the jaguar by poisoned pieces of meat, or else they lay
pitfalls for him, when they kill him without running any personal risk.
Like the cayman, the jaguar, after having once tasted the flesh of
man, is said to prefer it to anything else. During his first solitary
journeys through the American wilds, the traveller’s sensations, on
meeting with the fresh footmarks of the monster, are like those of
Robinson Crusoe when he discovered the vestiges of the savage on
the beach of his lonely island; but as the animal itself very rarely
crosses the wanderer’s path, he at length becomes completely
indifferent, and roams about the wilderness as unconcernedly as if
no beasts of prey existed under the forest shade, or among the high
grasses of the savannah. During his long residence in Yuarmangua,
Pöppig met but one jaguar, who, not deeming it advisable to engage
in hostilities, slowly retreated into the woods.
In the Brazilian campos great devastations are caused among
the herds by the jaguar, who has strength enough to drag an ox to
some distance. He frequently kills several bullocks in one night, and
sucks their blood, leaving their flesh for a future repast. When, after
having satiated himself, he retires to a neighbouring thicket, the
vaqueros or herdsmen follow his bloody trail with their hounds; and
as soon as the jaguar sees the pack approach, he seeks to climb the
inclined trunk of a tree, and is then shot down from his insecure
station. But the chase does not always terminate without accident or
loss of life, as very strong jaguars will face the dogs, kill several of
them, and frequently carry them away and devour them.
While Prince Maximilian of Neu Wied was travelling through the
campos, he heard of the heroic conflict of three vaqueros with a
monstrous jaguar that had never been known to retreat. One day,
while following their herds through the woods, their dogs discovered
the fresh foot-prints of the beast, and following the scent, soon
brought it to a stand. Armed merely with their long lance-like varas,
the bold men did not long deliberate, but resolutely advanced
towards the jaguar, who stood confronting the dogs, and
immediately bounding upon his new antagonists, wounded them one
after the other, though not without receiving repeated thrusts of
their lances and knives. The least determined of the three, appalled
by his wounds, at first retreated, but seeing the boldest of his
companions lying prostrate under the paws of the monster, his
courage revived, and the attack being vigorously renewed, the
jaguar was at length killed. The bleeding and exhausted heroes were
hardly able to crawl home in the evening. They pointed out the spot
where they had fought, and where the jaguar was found swimming
in his blood, surrounded by the dogs which he had torn to pieces.
It is a general belief among the Indians and the white
inhabitants of Bengal that the jaguar has the power of fascination.
Many accounts are given to prove this; among others, a person
informed Mr. Wallace that he had seen a jaguar standing at the foot
of a high tree looking up into it. On the top was a howling monkey
looking down at the jaguar, and jumping about from side to side,
crying piteously. The jaguar stood still, the monkey continued
descending lower and lower on the branches, still uttering its cries,
till at length it fell down at the very feet of the jaguar, who seized
and devoured it.
There is a black variety of the jaguar, on whose dark skin the
ring-formed spots are still visible, and which is said to surpass the
common species in size and ferocity.
The Couguar, or the Puma, as he is called by the Indians, is far
inferior to the jaguar in courage, and consequently far less
dangerous to man. On account of his brownish-red colour and great
size, being the largest felis of the new world, he has also been
named the American lion, but he has neither the mane nor the noble
bearing of the ‘king of animals.’ In spite of his strength he is of so
cowardly a disposition that he invariably takes to flight at the
approach of man, and consequently inspires no fear on being met
with in the wilderness; while even the boldest hunter instinctively
starts back when, winding through the forest, he suddenly sees the
sparkling eye of the jaguar intently fixed upon him.
The puma has a much wider range than the jaguar, for while the
latter reaches in South America only to the forty-fifth degree of
latitude, and does not rove northwards beyond Sonora and New
Mexico, the former roams from the Straits of Magellan to the
Canadian lakes. The jaguar seldom ascends the mountains to a
greater height than 3,000 feet, while in the warmer lateral valleys of
the Andes the puma frequently lies in ambush for the vicuñas at an
elevation of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea. He can climb
trees with great facility, ascending even vertical trunks, and, like the
lynx, will watch the opportunity of springing on such animals as
happen to pass beneath. No less cruel than cowardly, he will destroy
without necessity forty or fifty sheep when the occasion offers, and
content himself with licking the blood of his victims. When caught
young, he is easily tamed, and, like the common cat, shows his
fondness at being caressed by the same kind of gentle purrings.
Tschudi informs us that the Indians of the northern provinces
frequently bring pumas to Lima, to show them for money. They
either lead them by a rope, or carry them in a sack upon their back,
until the sight-seers have assembled in sufficient number.
Besides the puma or the jaguar, tropical America possesses the
beautifully variegated Ocelot (Felis pardalis); the Oscollo (F.
celidogaster); the spotless, black-grey Jaguarundi (F. jaguarundi),
which is not much larger than the European wild cat; the long-tailed,
striped, and spotted Margay or Tiger-cat, and several other felidæ.
All these smaller species hardly ever become dangerous to man, but
they cause the death of many an agouti and cavy; and, with
prodigious leaps, the affrighted monkey flies from their approach
into the deepest recesses of the forest.
While the sanguinary felidæ may justly be called the eagles, the
carrion-feeding Hyænas are the vultures, among the four-footed
animals. Averse to the light of day, like the owl and the bat, they
conceal themselves in dark caverns, ruins, or burrows, as long as the
sun stands above the horizon, but at nightfall they come forth from
their gloomy retreats with a lamentable howl or a satanic laugh, to
seek their disgusting food on the fields, in churchyards, or on the
borders of the sea. From the prodigious strength of their jaws and
their teeth, they are not only able to masticate tendons, but to crush
cartilages and bones; so that carcases almost entirely deprived of
flesh still provide them with a plentiful banquet.
Though their nocturnal habits and savage aspect have rendered
them an object of hatred and disgust to man, they seem destined to
fill up an important station in the economy of Nature, by cleansing
the earth of the remains of dead animals, which might otherwise
infect the atmosphere with pestilential effluvia.
Among other fabulous qualities, a courage has been attributed to
the hyæna which is completely alien to his base and grovelling
nature. Far from venturing to attack the panther, or putting even the
lion to flight, as Kämpfer pretended to have seen, he is in reality a
most pusillanimous creature, and cautiously avoids a contest with
animals much weaker than himself. Although his jaws are strong, he
has not the sharp retractile claws of the felidæ, nor their formidable
spring, his hind legs being comparatively feeble, and thus he can
hardly become dangerous to the herds, though Bruce assures us
that the hyænas destroyed many of his mules and asses.
In Barbary, the Arabs pursue the hyænas on horseback, and run
them down with their greyhounds, never thinking of wasting their
powder on so abject a game. They are held in such contempt that
huntsmen will fearlessly penetrate into the caverns where they are
known to sojourn, first carefully stopping the opening with their
burnous, to keep out the light of day. They then advance towards
the snarling brute, address it in menacing language, seize and gag
it, without its venturing upon the least resistance, and cudgel the
animal out of the den. The rough and ugly hide of the hyæna is but
of little value, and in many tents its sight is not even tolerated, as if
so unworthy a spoil could only bring misfortune to its owner.
The intractability of the hyæna is as fabulous as his courage or
his cruelty. On the contrary, he is very easily tamed, and may be
rendered as docile as the dog himself.
The striped hyæna is a native of Asiatic Turkey, Syria, and North
Africa as far as the Senegal, while the spotted hyæna ranges over
South Africa, from the Cape to Abyssinia. Both species attain the size
of the wolf, and have similar habits. As the shark follows the ship, or
the crow the caravan, they are said to hover about the march of
armies, as if taught by instinct that they have to expect the richest
feast from the insanity of man.
The moonlight falling on the dark cypresses and snow-white
tombs of the Oriental churchyards not seldom shines upon hungry
hyænas busily employed in tearing the newly-buried corpses from
their graves.
A remarkable peculiarity of the spotted hyæna is that when he
first begins to run he appears lame, so that one might almost fancy
one of his legs was broken; but after a time this halting disappears,
and he proceeds on his course very swiftly.
‘One night, in Maitsha,’ says Bruce, ‘being very intent on
observation, I heard something pass behind me towards the bed,
but upon looking round could perceive nothing. Having finished what
I was then about, I went out of my tent, intending directly to return,
which I immediately did, when I perceived large blue eyes glaring at
me in the dark. I called upon my servant for a light, and there was a
hyæna standing nigh the head of the bed, with two or three large
bunches of candles in his mouth. To have fired at him, I was in
danger of breaking my quadrant or other furniture; and he seemed,
by keeping the candles steadily in his mouth, to wish for no other
prey at that time. As his mouth was full, and he had no claws to tear
with, I was not afraid of him, but with a pike struck him as near the
heart as I could judge. It was not till then he showed any sign of
fierceness, but upon feeling his wound he let drop the candles and
endeavoured to run up the shaft of the spear to arrive at me, so that
in self-defence I was obliged to draw a pistol from my girdle and
shoot him, and nearly at the same time my servant cleft his skull
with a battle-axe.’
The brown hyæna, which is found in South Africa, from the Cape
to Mozambique and Senegambia, and has a more shaggy fur than
the preceding species, has very different habits. He is particularly
fond of the crustacea which the ebbing flood leaves behind upon the
beach, or which the storm casts ashore in great quantities, and
exclusively inhabits the coasts, where he is known under the name
of the sea-shore wolf. His traces are everywhere to be met with on
the strand, and night after night he prowls along the margin of the
water, carefully examining the refuse of the retreating ocean.
 CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE AUSTRALIAN RACE.

Physical Conformation of the Australians—Their Low

State of Civilisation—Their Superstitions—Their Wars
—Singing and Dancing—The Corribory—Division of
the Nation into Great Families—Rules regulating the
Property of Land and the Distribution of Food—Skill
in Hunting the Kangaroo and the Opossum—
Feasting on a Whale—Moral Qualities and
Intelligence of the Australians.

O
n turning from the Malayan Archipelago and New Guinea, to
the wilds of northern Australia, new aspects of savage life
rise before our view. With new plants and new animals, a
new variety of the human race makes its appearance, differing in
figure, in physiognomy, in language, and in many of its customs and
manners both from the Malay and the Papuan: a race which, though
occupying one of the lowest grades in the scale of humanity, still
offers many points of interest to the observer, and claims our
attention both by its qualities and its defects.

The figure of the Australians is remarkable for spareness and

lankness about the lower extremities, the hips and thighs as well as
the calves of the legs, observable in the females as well as in the
men. Their heads are in general large, with very projecting eyebrows
and deep-set eyes, the nose broad, the mouth wide; and there is
very often a ferocious look which is not in accordance with the
character of the individual. The hair is often matted and twisted with
filth and grease into different fashions; when clean, however, it is
frequently as fine and glossy as that of the European. Its colour is in
some of the children of a sunburnt brown, but invariably black
among the adults. In their skins they vary from a dark chocolate-
brown to an almost perfect black. Their hands and feet are usually
small and well-shaped; the shoulders and chests of the men broad,
and sufficiently muscular. Such is the physical character of the race
from one end of the continent to the other, and though there are
deviations from the usual slim and under-fed condition of the body,
and from the usual straight character of the hair, the face, figure,
and expression of an Australian is so peculiar as to distinguish him at
once from the inhabitants even of the immediately adjacent islands.
In all the industrial arts these people are extremely deficient.
They are utterly destitute of agriculture, and of all manufacture of
any kind of material, or tool, or implement, beyond their few
weapons and a rude stone hammer, and some simple nets and
baskets. Over the largest part of the coast they were utterly ignorant
of any kind of canoe until they were visited by Europeans; and
where most advanced in navigation, knew no other method of
crossing the water than in rude boats formed of a sheet of bark tied
at the ends, or on rafts consisting of bundles of rushes or sticks.
They have no huts worthy of the name, nor permanent habitations
of any kind. Men and women are alike naked, except that in the
southern parts of Australia they wear a kind of rug of opossum skins
over their shoulders during the cold weather. Many tribes strike out
one or two front teeth, and raise great scars and cicatrices on the
skin. They also paint themselves with various colours, like most
other savages, and sometimes also ornament themselves with beads
and shells, but make no use of the beautiful feathers procurable
from the birds of the country.
Their languages, although showing evident traces of a common
origin, yet vary so much and so frequently that a native of one tribe
can rarely understand the tongue of another fifty miles distant. Their
religious notions are limited to a feeling of vague superstition. They
are in great dread of an evil being whom they describe as going
about under the form of a black man, of superhuman stature and
strength. He prowls at night through the woods around the
encampments of the natives, seeking to entrap some unwary
wanderer, whom he will seize upon, and having dragged him to his
fire, will there roast and devour him. He may, however, be frightened
away, by throwing fire at him, and no native will go out at night
without a firebrand to protect him from this demon.
They have also a superstitious horror of approaching the graves
of the dead, of whom they never like to speak, and when induced to
do so, always whisper.
The supposed powers of the Boylyas, or native sorcerers, have a
mighty influence upon their minds and actions. It is supposed that
these privileged personages can transport themselves through the
air at pleasure, and render themselves invisible to all but other
Boylyas. If they have a dislike to a native, they can kill him by
stealing on him at night and consuming his flesh. Another Boylya
has, however, the power of drawing them out, and curing the
affected person by certain processes of disenchantment.
The absurd idea that no adult person dies a natural death reigns
among the Australians as it does among many of the American,
Malayan, and Negro tribes, and leads to the same baneful
consequences. If a man perishes of disease his death is generally
supposed to have been caused by some sorcerer of another tribe,
and must be avenged on his murderer, or on some near relation of
his.
This senseless belief, inspired by the demon of discord, is of
course the source of frequent wars, and one of the causes which
serve to maintain the native Australians in their state of barbarism.
The aggrieved party, anxious for revenge, assembles its neighbours,
to consult with them concerning the proper course to be pursued.
The general opinion having been declared for war, a messenger is
sent to announce their intention to the opposite party. These
immediately assemble their friends and neighbours, and all prepare
for the approaching battle. The two armies (usually from fifty to two
hundred each) meet, and after a great deal of mutual vituperation,
the combat commences. From their singular dexterity in avoiding or
parrying the missiles of their adversaries, the engagement usually
continues a long time without any fatal result. When a man is killed
(and sometimes before) a cessation takes place; another scene of
recrimination, abuse, and explanation ensues, and the affair
commonly terminates. All hostility is now at an end, the two parties
mix amicably together, bury the dead, and join in a general dance,
for, like all other savage races, the Australians are very fond of
singing and saltatorial displays. Their songs are short, containing
generally only one or two ideas repeated over and over again. Is a
native in a towering passion, he sings to himself some such words as
‘I’ll spear his liver,
I’ll spear his lights,
I’ll spear his heart,’ &c., &c.

while he sharpens the weapon intended to execute his menace, and

waxing more and more excited as he sings, quivers his spear in the
air, and, furiously gesticulating, imitates the various incidents of a
fight. His wives chime in from time to time with a line or two
expressive of their contempt for the offender:
‘The bone-rumped,
Long-shinned,
Thin-thighed fellow.’

the bystanders applaud, and the savage, having fairly sung the
wrath out of himself, assists in getting up a dance. Is a native afraid,
he sings himself full of courage; is he hungry, he sings; if he is full
(provided he is not so full as to be in a state of stupor), he sings
more lustily than ever; in fact, under all circumstances he finds aid
and comfort from singing. The Australian songs are therefore
naturally varied in their forms, but their concision conveys in the
simplest manner the impulsive idea. By a song or wild chant the
women irritate the men to acts of vengeance, and four or five
mischievously-inclined old women can soon stir up forty or fifty men
to any deed of blood by means of their chants, which are
accompanied by tears and groans, until the men are worked into a
perfect state of frenzy.
Among the native dances, the Corribory is the most remarkable.
It is always performed at night, by the light of blazing boughs, to
time beaten on a stretched skin. The dancers are all painted white,
and in such remarkably varied ways that not two are alike. Darkness
seems essential to the performance of a corribory, and the white
figures coming forward in mystic order from an obscure background,
while the singers and the beaters of drums are invisible, produce a
highly theatrical effect. At first, two persons make their appearance,
slowly moving their arms and legs; then others one by one join in,
each imperceptibly warming into the truly savage attitude of the
corribory jump; the legs then stride to the utmost, the head is
turned over one shoulder, the eyes glare and are fixed with savage
energy all in one direction, the arms also are raised and inclined
towards the head, and the hands usually grasp the boomerang or
some other warlike weapon. The jump now keeps time with each
beat, the dancers at every movement taking six inches to one side,
all being in a connected line led by the first. The line is sometimes
doubled and trebled, according to the space and to the number of
the performers, and this produces a great effect, for when the front
line jumps to the left the second jumps to the right, and thus this
strange savage dance goes on with increasing intensity, until it
suddenly and instantaneously stops, having attained the highest
pitch of vivacity.
One of the most remarkable facts connected with the Australians
is their division into certain great families, such as the Ballaroke, the
Tolondarup, the Ngotock, &c., all the members of which bear the
same names. These family names are perpetuated and spread
through the country by the operation of two remarkable laws—that a
man cannot marry a woman of his own family name, and that
children of either sex always take the family name of their mother.
 Each family adopts some animal or plant as its Kobong, or
badge, and none of its members will kill an animal or pluck any plant
of the species to which its Kobong belongs, except under particular
circumstances.
The ceremony of marriage, which among most nations is
considered so important and interesting, is with this people one of
the least regarded. The woman is looked upon as an article of
property, and is sold or given away by her relatives without the
slightest consideration of her own pleasure. When a native dies, his
brother inherits his wives and children, but his brother must be of
the same family name as himself.
The old men manage to keep the females a good deal among
themselves, giving their daughters to one another; and the more
female children they have, the greater is their chance of getting
another wife by this sort of exchange.
A most remarkable law is that which obliges families connected
by blood upon the female side to join for the purpose of avenging
crimes, and as the father marries several wives, and very often all of
different families, his children are all repeatedly divided among
themselves, no common bond of union exists between them, and
this custom alone would suffice to perpetuate their savage state.
Though they in no instance cultivate the soil, but subsist entirely
by hunting and fishing, and on the wild roots they find in certain
localities, with occasionally a little wild honey, every tribe has its own
district, beyond whose well-defined limits it seldom passes except for
purposes of war or festivity; and within that district all the wild
animals are considered the property of the tribe inhabiting or rather
ranging on its whole extent. Should any other tribe venture to
intrude upon that district this is at once resisted as a violation of the
rights of property, and is, indeed, a frequent cause of the wars
which decimate the population, for the Australian aboriginal is as
jealous of his rights and as pugnacious in their defence as any
European can be.
 But particular districts are not merely the property of particular
tribes, particular sections or portions of these districts are universally
recognised by the natives as belonging to individual members of
these tribes; and as in England a man disposes of his property by
will, thus among these savages a ‘lord of the manor’ divides his land
during his lifetime, fairly apportioning it among his several sons, and
at as early an age as fourteen or fifteen they can point out the
portion which they are eventually to inherit. The punishment of
‘trespass for the purpose of hunting’ is invariably death if taken in
the fact, and at the very least an obstinate contest ensues. If the
trespasser is not taken in the fact, but is recognised from his
footmarks, or from any other circumstance, and is ever caught in a
defenceless state, he is probably killed; but frequently he appears,
attended by his friends, and atones for his trespass by quietly
holding out his leg for the injured party to thrust his spear through
the thigh. Sometimes he undergoes the ordeal of having spears
thrown at him.
At the appointed time, young and old repair to the place
appointed for the trial, and the wild beauty of the scenery, the
fantastically-painted forms of the natives, the savage yells and
shouts of exultation which are raised as the culprit dexterously
parries or by rapid leaps and contortions of his body avoids the
clouds of spears which are hurled at him, all combine to form a
scene full of dramatic interest. If the criminal is wounded in a degree
judged sufficient for the crime he has committed, his guilt is wiped
away, or if none of the spears thrown at him (only a limited number
being allowed to each) take effect, he is equally pardoned.
There are other laws intended for the preservation and
distribution of food, such as that which forbids all vegetable
productions used as such by the natives, to be plucked or gathered
when bearing seed, and the restriction of youth to certain articles of
diet. They are not allowed to eat fish or eggs, or the emu, or any of
the finer kinds of opossum or kangaroo. In short, their fare is
required to be of the coarsest and most meagre description. As they
grow older the restrictions are removed one after another; but it is
not till they have passed the period of middle age that they are
entirely unrestrained in the choice of food. The result of this
regulation is to prevent the young men from possessing themselves
by their superior strength and agility of all the more desirable articles
of food, and leaving only the refuse to the elders, to whom another
rule requires them to pay implicit obedience.
Thus, while among most other savage nations old age is a
period of privation and neglect, aged men are always treated by the
Australians with great respect, and as they rarely take part in any
fray, and seldom appear to suffer much from the infirmities and
diseases to which the aged are generally subject amongst us, it is
probably the happiest time of their life.
It is commonly supposed that the natives of Australia are about
as badly off for food as the African Bushmen or the Fuegoans, but
according to Captain Grey, this is a great mistake, for every native
knows exactly what his district produces, the proper time at which
the several articles are in season, and the readiest means of
procuring them. Besides, he is pre-eminently omnivorous, including
frogs, mice, grubs, and lizards in his bill of fare, and making the
roots of the earth, the fishes of the water, the birds of the air, and
the animals of the bush contribute to his support. In order to obtain
all the different articles of food, he displays a wonderful ingenuity,
and never appears to greater advantage than while busily engaged
in the pursuits of the chase. When hunting the kangaroo, he rivals in
energy and perseverance, in skill and keenness of eye, the Red
Indian tracking the wild animals of the Brazilian forest. The moment
he commences his day’s hunting, his whole manner and appearance
undergo a remarkable change; his eyes, before heavy and listless,
are now full of animation; his movements are rapid but noiseless, all
his soul is intent upon detecting signs of game. His glance roves
from side to side in a vigilant, uneasy manner; no circumstance,
however insignificant, escapes his attention—suddenly, he checks his
pace, and stands immovable, like one transfixed, whilst all his
faculties are concentrated in the sense of sight and hearing. His
wives, who are at some distance behind him, the moment they see
him assume this attitude, know that a kangaroo is near, and fall to
the ground as if they had been shot, their children cowering by them
and their little faces expressing an earnestness and anxiousness far
beyond their years.
‘Looking about a hundred yards to the right of the native, you
will see a kangaroo erect upon its hind legs and supported by its tail;
it is reared to its utmost height, so that its head is between five and
six feet above the ground; its short fore-paws hang by its side, its
ears are pointed: it is listening as carefully as the native, and you
see a little head peering out from its pouch, to inquire what has
alarmed its mother; but the native moves not, you cannot tell
whether it is a human being or the charred trunk of a burnt tree
which is before you, and for several minutes the whole group
preserve their relative position; at length the kangaroo becomes
reassured, drops upon its fore paws, gives an awkward leap or two,
and goes on feeding. Meantime the native moves not until the
kangaroo having two or three times resumed the attitude of
listening, at length once more abandons itself in perfect security to
its feed, and playfully smells and rubs its little one. Now the watchful
savage, keeping his body unmoved, fixes the spear first in the
throwing-stick and then raises his arms in the attitude of throwing,
from which they are never again moved until the kangaroo dies or
runs away; his spear being properly secured he advances slowly and
stealthily towards his prey, no part moving but his legs; whenever
the kangaroo looks round, he stands motionless, in the position he is
in when it first raises its head, until the animal, again assured of its
safety, gives a skip or two and goes on feeding again; the native
advances, and this scene is repeated many times, until the whistling
spear penetrates the devoted animal; then the wood rings with
shouts, women and children all join pell-mell in the chase; the
kangaroo, weak from the loss of blood, and embarrassed by the long
spear, which catches in the brush wood as it flies, at length turns on
its pursuers, and to secure its rear, places its back against a tree,
preparing at the same time to rend open the breast and entrails of
its pursuer, by seizing him in its fore-paws and kicking with its hind
legs and claws; but the wily native keeps clear of so murderous an
embrace, and from the distance of a few yards throws spears into its
breast, until the exhausted animal drops down.’
There are several other modes of taking kangaroos, such as
catching them in nets or pit-falls, or lying in wait near their watering
places until they come to drink; or else a party surrounds and
incloses them in a narrowing circle; but the mode of tracking a
kangaroo until it is wearied out is the one which pre-eminently
requires every qualification prized by savages,—skill in tracking,
endurance of hunger and thirst, unwearied bodily exertion, and
lasting perseverance. To perform this feat, a native starts upon the
track of a kangaroo, which he follows until he sights it, when it flies
timidly before him; again he pursues the track, and again the animal
bounds from him, and this is repeated until nightfall, when the
native lights his fire, and sleeps upon the track; with the first light of
day the hunt is resumed, and towards the close of the second day,
or in the course of the third, the kangaroo falls a victim to its
pursuer. None but a skilful huntsman, in the pride of youth and
vigour, can execute this feat, which beyond all others excites the
admiration of the natives.
Unfortunately, my limits do not allow me to describe their
dexterity in fishing, or in entrapping the various kinds of wild fowl
with which the rivers and lagoons of Australia abound, but the skill
and acuteness of perception they display in hunting the opossum are
too interesting to be passed over in silence. The savage carelessly
walks up to some narrow trunk which he thinks bears a suspicious
appearance; his hands are placed thoughtlessly behind his back,
whilst his dark eye glances over the bark; suddenly it is for one
moment stationary, and he looks eagerly at the tree, for he has
detected the holes made by the nails of the opossum in its ascent;
he now seeks for one of these footmarks which has a little sand
attached to it, and gently blows the sand. If this is still damp, and
holds together, it is a sign that the animal has climbed the tree the
same morning, for otherwise the sand, dried by the heat of the sun,
would have been readily swept away before his breath. Having, by
this examination of signs which an unskilled European would vainly
strive to detect, convinced himself that the opossum is in some hole
of the tree, the native pulls his hatchet from his girdle, and cutting a
small notch in the bark about four feet from the ground, he places
the great toe of his right foot in it, throws his right arm round the
tree, and with his left hand sticks the point handle of the hatchet
into the bark, as high up as he can reach, and thus forms a stay to
drag himself up with; having made good this step, he cuts another
for his left foot, and thus proceeds until he has ascended to the hole
where the opossum is hid, which is then compelled by smoke, or by
being poked out, to quit its hiding-place, when the native catching
hold of its tail, dashes it down on the ground, and quietly descends
to pick it up.
The stranding of a whale is a great event in an Australian’s life,
for here without any trouble on his part the bountiful sea presents
him with a whole mountain of flesh. It is impossible for civilised man
to enter into the feelings of the savage under these circumstances,
for he has never been similarly situated, he never has had such a
prodigal repast placed at once before him. On finding a whale cast
ashore upon his property, the native ‘lord of the manor,’ seeing the
impossibility of his own family consuming this enormous mass of
food, whatever zeal it may bring to the task, feels his breast glow
with unwonted hospitality, and anxious to see his friends about him,
falls to work with his wives, and kindles large fires to give notice of
the joyful event. This duty being performed, he rubs himself all over
with the blubber, then anoints his favourite wives, and thus
prepared, begins cutting his way through the blubber into the flesh,
the grain of which is about as firm as a goose-quill. By-and-by other
natives come gaily trooping in from all quarters; by night they dance
and sing, by day they eat and sleep, and continue gormandising and
merry-making until they at last fairly eat their way into the whale.
Thus they remain by the carcase for many days, rubbed from head
to foot with stinking blubber, gorged to repletion with putrid meat,
out of temper from indigestion, and therefore constantly quarrelling,
suffering from a cutaneous disorder by high feeding, and presenting
altogether a most disgusting spectacle. A native girl stepping out of
the carcase of a putrid whale is indeed a sight very different from
that of a sea-born Venus emerging from her shell. When they at last
quit their feast, they carry off as much as they can stagger under, to
eat upon the way, and to take as a rare treat to their distant friends.
Though in many respects so utterly barbarous, the Australians
are not guilty of the cannibalism so prevalent among the islanders of
the Papuan race and in many parts of the Indian Archipelago, where,
by a strange anomaly, we find it practised by nations standing much
higher in the scale of civilisation.
The inventions of the throwing-stick for darting the spear, and of
the well-known weapon called the boomerang; the sound policy of
many of their laws and regulations, and the fact that Australian
children educated in England have shown the same aptitude in
learning as white children of the same age, sufficiently prove that
these savages are by no means deficient in intelligence.
As to their moral qualities, their apparent honesty results in a
great measure from there being few European articles for which they
have any use; articles of food, or a knife, or a hatchet are by no
means safe where they can get at them. Their behaviour to their
women is often very bad; they beat and even spear them on the
most trifling occasions. Different tribes vary in the most
extraordinary way in their friendliness or hostility to strangers. They
appear to be very capricious, and always act on the whim or the
impulse of the moment, so that the same people, who to-day may
be kind assistants in the hour of need, will to-morrow be guilty of
the grossest acts of treachery.
 CHAPTER XXXVII.
THE SLOTH.

Miserable Aspect of the Sloth—His Beautiful

Organisation for his Peculiar Mode of Life—His Rapid
Movements in the Trees—His Means of Defence—
His Tenacity of Life—Fable about the Sloth refuted—
The Ai—The Unau—The Mylodon Robustus.

‘T
he piteous aspect, the sorrowful gestures, the lamentable cry
of the Sloth, all combine to excite commiseration. While
other animals assemble in herds, or roam in pairs through
the boundless forest, the sloth leads a lonely life in those
immeasurable solitudes, where the slowness of his movements
exposes him to every attack. Harmless and frugal, like a pious
anchorite, a few coarse leaves are all he asks for his support. On
comparing him with other animals, you would say that his deformed
organisation was a strange mixture of deficiency and
superabundance. He has no cutting teeth, and though possessed of
four stomachs, he still wants the long intestines of ruminating
animals. His feet are without soles, nor can he move his toes
separately. His hair is coarse and wiry, and its dull colour reminds
one of grass withered by the blasts of surly winter. His legs appear
deformed by the manner in which they are attached to the body,
and his claws seem disproportionably long. Surely a creature so
wretched and ill-formed stands last on the list of all the four-footed
animals, and may justly accuse Nature of step-motherly neglect!’

When seeing a captured sloth painfully

creeping along on even ground, sighing and
moaning, and scarcely advancing a few steps
after hours of awkward toil, the observer
might well be disposed to acquiesce in the
foregoing remarks, and to fancy he had
discovered a flaw among the general beauty
of the Creator’s works; but let him view the
animal in the situation for which it was
ordained, and he will soon retract his hasty
judgment, and discover it to be no less
perfect in its kind, and no less admirably fitted
THE SLOTH. for its sphere of existence, than the most
highly organised of the mammalian tribes.
For the sloth, in his wild state, spends his whole life in the trees,
and never once touches the earth but through force or by accident.
Like the monkey, he has been formed for an exclusively sylvan life,
high above the ground, in the green canopy of the woods; but while
the nimble simiæ constantly live upon the branches, the sloth is
doomed to spend his whole life under them. He moves, he rests, he
sleeps suspended from the boughs of trees, a wonderfully strange
way of life, for which no other four-footed animal of the Old or the
New World has been destined.
And now examine his organisation with reference to this peculiar
mode of existence, and all his seeming deficiencies and deformities
will appear most admirably adapted to his wants, for these strong,
muscular, preposterously long fore-feet, while the hinder extremities
are comparatively short and weak, these slender toes armed with
enormous claws, are evidently as well suited for clasping the rugged
branch as the enormous hind-legs of the kangaroo for bounding over
the arid plain. Indeed, in every case, we shall find the fundamental
type or idea of the four extremities belonging to the vertebrated
animals most admirably modified according to their wants: here
shortened, there prolonged; here armed with claws, there
terminating in a hoof; here coalescing to a tail, there assuming the
shape of a fin; here clothed with feathers to cleave the air, there
raised to the perfection of the human hand, the wonderful
instrument of a still more wonderful intelligence; and who, seeing all
this, can possibly believe that the world is ruled by chance, and not
by an all-pervading and almighty power?
Thus the sloth, so helpless when removed from his native
haunts, is far from exhibiting the same torpidity in his movements
when seen in the place for which Nature fitted him.
‘One day, as we were crossing the Essequibo,’ says Mr. Waterton,
‘I saw a large sloth on the ground upon the bank; how he had got
there nobody could tell; the Indian said he had never surprised a
sloth in such a situation before: he would hardly have come there to
drink, for both above and below the place the branches of the trees
touched the water, and afforded him an easy and safe access to it.
Be this as it may, though the trees were not above twenty yards
from him, he could not make his way through the sand time enough
to escape before we landed. As soon as we came up to him, he
threw himself upon his back, and defended himself in gallant style
with his fore-legs. “Come, poor fellow!” said I to him, “if thou hast
got into a hobble to-day, thou shalt not suffer for it; I’ll take no
advantage of thee in misfortune; the forest is large enough both for
thee and me to rove in. Go thy ways up above, and enjoy thyself in
these endless wilds; it is more than probable thou wilt never have
another interview with man. So fare thee well.” On saying this I took
up a long stick which was lying there, held it for him to hook on, and
then conveyed him to a high and stately mora. He ascended with
wonderful rapidity, and in about a minute he was almost at the top
of the tree. He now went off in a side direction, and caught hold of
the branch of a neighbouring tree; he then proceeded towards the
heart of the forest. I stood looking on, lost in amazement at his
singular mode of progress. I followed him with my eye till the
intervening branches closed in betwixt us, and then lost sight for
ever of the sloth. I was going to add that I never saw a sloth take to
his heels in such earnest, but the expression will not do, for the sloth
has no heels.’
The Indians, to whom no one will deny the credit of being acute
observers of animal life, say that the sloth wanders principally when
the wind blows. In calm weather he remains still, probably not liking
to cling to the brittle extremity of the branches, lest they should
break under his weight in passing from one tree to another; but as
soon as the breeze rises, the branches of the neighbouring trees
become interwoven, and then he seizes hold of them and pursues
his journey in safety. There is seldom an entire day of calm in the
forests of Guiana. The trade-wind generally sets in about ten o’clock
in the morning, and since the sloth, as we have just seen, is able to
travel at a good-round pace when he has branches to cling to, there
is nothing to prevent him making a considerable way before the sun
sinks, and the wind goes down.
During night, and while reposing in the daytime, the sloth
constantly remains suspended by his feet, for his anatomy is such
that he can feel comfortable in no other position. In this manner he
will rest for hours together, expressing his satisfaction by a kind of
purring, and from time to time his dismal voice may be heard
resounding through the forest, and awakening at a distance a similar
melancholy cry.
The colour of the sloth’s hair so strongly resembles the hue of
the moss which grows on the trees, that the European finds it very
difficult to make him out when he is at rest, and even the falcon-
eyed Indian, accustomed from his earliest infancy to note the
slightest signs of forest life, is hardly able to distinguish him from the
branches to which he clings. This no doubt serves him as a
protection against the attacks of many enemies; but, far from being
helpless, his powerful claws and the peculiarly enduring strength of
his long arms, make very efficient weapons of defence against the
large tree snakes that may be tempted to make a meal of him.
 The sloth possesses a remarkable tenacity of life, and withstands
the dreadful effects of the wourali poison of the Macushi Indians
longer than any other animal. Schomburgk slightly scratched a sloth
in the upper lip, and rubbed a minimum of the venom in the wound,
which did not even emit a drop of blood; he then carried the animal
to a tree, which it began to climb, but after having reached a height
of about twelve feet, it suddenly stopped, and swinging its head
about from side to side, as if uncertain which way to go, tried to
continue its ascent, which, however, it was unable to accomplish.
First it let go one of its fore-feet, then the other, and remained
attached with its hind-legs to the tree until, these also losing their
power, it fell to the ground, where, without any of the convulsive
motions or the oppressive breathing which generally mark the effect
of the wourali, it expired in the thirteenth minute after the poison
had been administered.
The sloths attain a length of about two feet and a half, and form
two genera—the Unaus, with two-toed fore-feet and three-toed
hinder extremities, and the Aïs, with three toes on each foot. Their
way of living is the same, and their range is limited to the forests of
Guiana and the Brazils. They bring forth and suckle their young like
ordinary quadrupeds, and the young sloth, from the moment of its
birth, adheres to the body of its parent till it acquires sufficient size
and strength to shift for itself.
INDIAN PANGOLIN.
 CHAPTER XXXVIII.
ANT-EATERS.
The Great Ant-Bear—His Way of Licking up Termites—
His Formidable Weapons—A Perfect Forest
Vagabond—His Peculiar Manner of Walking—The
Smaller Ant-Eaters—The Manides—The African Aard
Vark—The Armadillos—The Porcupine Ant-Eater of
Australia.

T
he great Ant-bear is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary
denizens of the wilds of South America, for that a powerful
animal, measuring above six feet from the snout to the end
of the tail, should live exclusively on ants, seems scarcely less
remarkable than that the whale nourishes his enormous body with
minute pteropods and medusæ. The vast mouth of the leviathan of
the seas has been most admirably adapted to his peculiar food, and
it was not in vain that Nature gave such colossal dimensions to his
head, as it was necessary to find room for a gigantic straining
apparatus, in which, on rejecting the engulphed water, thousands
upon thousands of his tiny prey might remain entangled; but the
ant-bear has been no less wonderfully armed for the capture of the
minute animals on which he feeds, and if, on considering the use for
which it was ordained, we become reconciled to the seeming
disproportion of the whale’s jaws, the small and elongated, snout-
like head of the ant-bear will also appear less uncouthly formed
when we reflect that it is in exact accordance with the wants of the
animal. For here no deep cavity was required for the reception of
two rows of powerful teeth, as in most other quadrupeds, but a
convenient furrow for a long and extensile tongue—the use of which
will immediately become apparent on following the animal into the
Brazilian campos, where, as we have seen in a former chapter, the
wonderful cities of the white ant are dispersed over the plains in
such incalculable numbers. Approaching one of these structures, the
ant-bear strikes a hole through its wall of clay, with his powerful
crooked claws, and as the ants issue forth by thousands to resent
the insult, stretches out his tongue for their reception. Their furious
legions, eager for revenge, immediately rush upon it, and vainly
endeavouring to pierce its thick skin with their mandibles, remain
sticking to the glutinous liquid with which it is lubricated from two
very large glands situated below its root. When sufficiently charged
with prey, the ant-bear suddenly withdraws his tongue and swallows
all the insects.

Without swiftness to enable him to escape from his enemies, for

man is superior to him in speed; without teeth, the possession of
which would assist him in self-defence; without the power of
burrowing in the ground, by which he might conceal himself from his
pursuers; without a cave to retire to, the ant-bear still ranges
through the wilderness in perfect safety, and fears neither the boa
nor the jaguar, for he has full reliance on his powerful fore-legs and
their tremendous claws.
Richard Schomburgh had an opportunity of witnessing a young
ant-bear make use of these formidable weapons. On the enemy’s
approach it assumed the defensive, but in such a manner as to
make the boldest aggressor pause, for, resting on its left fore-foot, it
struck out so desperately with its right paw as would undoubtedly
have torn off the flesh of any one that came in contact with its
claws. Attacked from behind, it wheeled with the rapidity of
lightning, and on being assailed from several quarters at once, threw
itself on its back, and desperately fighting with its fore-legs, uttered
at the same time an angry growl of defiance. In fact the ant-bear is
so formidable an opponent that he is said not unfrequently to
vanquish even the jaguar, the lord of the American forests, for the
latter is often found swimming in his blood, with ripped-up bowels, a
wound which, of all the beasts of the wilderness, the claws of the
ant-bear are alone able to inflict.
On seizing an animal with these powerful weapons, he hugs it
close to his body, and keeps it there till it dies through pressure or
hunger. Nor does the ant-bear, in the meantime, suffer much from
want of aliment, as it is a well known fact that he can remain longer
without food than perhaps any other quadruped, so that there is
very little chance indeed of a weaker animal’s escaping from his
clutches.
Peaceable and harmless, the ant-bear when unprovoked never
thinks of attacking any other creature; and as his interests and
pursuits do not interfere with those of the more formidable denizens
of the wilderness, he would, without doubt, attain a good old age,
and be allowed to die in peace, if, unfortunately for him, his delicate
flesh did not provoke the attacks of the large carnivora and man. To
be sure, the Indian fears his claws, and never ventures to approach
the wounded ant-bear until he has breathed his last; nor can he be
hunted with dogs, as his skin is of a texture that perfectly resists a
bite, and his hinder parts are effectually protected by thick and
shaggy hair; yet, armed with the wourali poison, the wild hunters
know how to paralyse in a few minutes his muscular powers, and to
stretch him dead upon the earth. They have also recourse to
stratagem for the animal’s destruction, for during rain it turns its
long bushy tail up over its back and stands still. Knowing this, the
Indians when they meet with one, rustle the leaves, and it thinks
rain is falling, and turning up its tail, they take the opportunity of
killing it by a blow on the head with a stick.
A perfect forest vagabond, the ant-bear has no den to retire to,
nor any fixed abode; his immense tail is large enough to cover his
whole body, and serves him as a tent during the night, or as a
waterproof mantle against the rains of the wet season, so that he
might boast, like Diogenes, of carrying all he required about him.
The peculiar position of his paws, when he walks or stands, is
worthy of notice. He goes entirely on the outer side of his fore-feet,
which are quite bent inwards, the claws collected into a point and
going under the foot. In this position he is quite at ease, while his
long claws are disposed of in a manner to render them harmless to
him, and are prevented from becoming dull and worn, which would
inevitably be the case did their points come in actual contact with
the ground, for they have not that retractile power which is given to
animals of the feline race, enabling them to preserve the sharpness
of their claws on the most flinty path. In consequence of its resting
perpetually on the ground, the whole outer side of the foot is hard
and callous, while, on the contrary, the inner side of the bottom of
the foot is soft and hairy.
Besides the great ant-bear, there are two other species of
American ant-eaters, one nearly the size of a fox, and the smallest
not much larger than a rat. Being provided with prehensile tails, they
are essentially arboreal, while the great ant-bear, incapable of
climbing, always remains on the ground, where, thanks to the
abundance of his prey, he is always sure of obtaining a sufficient
supply of food, with very little trouble.
The Manides, and Pangolins, of South Africa and Asia, resemble
the ant-eaters of America in having a very long extensile tongue,
furnished with a glutinous mucus for securing their insect food, and
in being destitute of teeth; but completely differ from them in having
the whole body covered with a panoply of large imbricated scales,
overlapping each other like those of the lizard tribes, and also in
being able to roll themselves up when in danger, by which their
trenchant scales become erect, and present a formidable defensive
armour of wonderful hardness, so that even the tiger would vainly
attempt to overcome the Indian Pangolin.
The manides are inoffensive animals, living wholly on ants and
termites, and chiefly inhabit the most obscure parts of the forest,
burrowing in the ground to a great depth, for which purpose, as also
for extracting their food from ant-hills and decaying wood, their feet
are armed with powerful claws, which they double up in walking, like
the ant-bear of Brazil.

AARD VARK.
 Besides several species of manides, Africa possesses a peculiar
class of ant-eaters in the Aard varks, or Earth-hogs (Orycteropi),
thus called from their extraordinary powers of excavation and their
fancied resemblance to small short-legged pigs. Such is the strength
of their prodigious claws that they easily tear to pieces the clay-built
domes of the termites; which, though so solid as to be capable of
bearing the weight of many men on their summits, are unable to
resist the destructive labours of the Aard vark. Towards evening the
animal issues from its burrow, and roaming over the plains, searches
for an ant-hill in full operation. A breach is soon made in the strong
walls of the citadel, and as the unfortunate termites run hither and
thither in consternation, like the inmates of a beleaguered city
whose ramparts are crumbling under the enemy’s artillery, the
author of this confusion flings his glutinous tongue among them and
sweeps them into his mouth by hundreds. The Aard varks abound all
over the sultry plains of torrid Africa, but owing to their great
burrowing powers the capture of a living specimen is attended with
the greatest difficulty; the claws being instruments of excavation
with which the spade is unable to compete. Unless disturbed,
however, and forced to dig deeper through fear of capture, the Aard
vark, being averse to unnecessary trouble, makes but a shallow
burrow—sufficiently deep, however, not seldom to cause the wheels
of a waggon to sink into it, or to prove a treacherous pitfall to a
hunter in full chase.
The American Armadillos have many points in common with the
Manides. They have neither fore nor canine teeth, but a number of
conical grinders, and are distinguished by having the upper parts of
their bodies defended by a complete suit of armour, divided into
joints or bands, folding one over the other like the parts of a
lobster’s tail, so as to accommodate themselves to all the motions of
the animal. In life, this shell is very limber, so that the armadillo is
able to go at full stretch, or to roll himself up into a ball as occasion
may require. These animals are very common both in the forests
and in the open plains of South America, where they reside in
subterranean homes which they have dug with their powerful fore-
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