MAMMALIA. 23 



86. Lutra vulgaris. Erxl. Syst. p. 48S. The Otter. Arab. \A\ c_,l^, 

 Kelb cl ma. 



The Common Otter was found by us only on the shores of the Lake 

 of GaHlee, where it has abundant food. We also heard its bark, but did 

 not procure it, when camped by the seashore, close to the mouth of the 

 Litany river. 



The Otter extends from the British Isles and North Africa to the 

 Himalayas. 



FAMILY, MELINID.E. 



'&']. Meles taxus. Schreb. Saugth., t. 142. Common Badger. Arab. 

 jt>^\ JjUi:>, 'Anak iHlard. 



The Badger is very common in all the hilly and wooded parts of the 

 country, but has not been observed in the Jordan valley. 



The Badger extends through the whole of Northern Europe and 

 Northern Asia, but has not been found in North Africa. Palestine seems 

 to be the southward limit of its range. 



The words translated in the Old Testament ' Badgers' skins ' (oroth 

 TecJiashini), refer not to this animal, not procurable either in Egypt or in 

 the wilderness of Sinai, but to the Dugong, Halicorc hcmprichii, common 

 among the coral banks of the Red Sea, and pretty clearly identified by its 

 Arabic name Tucash, the equivalent of the Hebrew Tachash. 



FAMILY, URSID.E. 



88. Ui'siis syriacus. Ehrenb. Symb. Phys. i. a, pi. 1. Syrian 

 Bear. Heb. ^in. Arab. s_j, Dub. 



The Bear has become very rare in Palestine, though still not uncommon 

 on Hermon and the wooded parts of Lebanon. I only once saw it in 

 Galilee, in a ravine near Gennesaret. It still exists on the east side of 

 Jordan, in Gilead and Bashan. From the frequent references in Scripture, 

 we see how familiar the Bear must have been to the ancient inhabitants, 

 in the days when the Judean hills were still clothed with wood, and 

 the primaeval forests crowned the rugged heights of Galilee. 



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