378 THE TELEDU. 
of going on with his sermon, as the congregation made a hasty retreat, and left him 
nearly alone in the church. 
The chief drawback to the medicinal use of this mephitic substance is, that after it 
has been in use for some time, the whole frame of the patient becomes so saturated with 
the vile odour that he is not only unpleasant to his neighbours, but almost unbearable to 
himself. It would be a curious experiment if any one ‘could force one Skunk to cast its 
ill-smelling secretion upon another, in order to discover whether the scent is as nauseous 
to the animal that secretes it as it is to all other animals. 
There is a curious analogy between the mode of defence which is employed by the 
Skunk and that which is used by the cuttle-fish, and in both cases it seems to be the 
result of various emotions, of which fear and combativeness are the chief. 
In its fur, the Skunk is extremely variable, but the general markings of its coat are as 
follows. The fur is of a brown tint, washed with black, and varieg: ited by white streaks 
along its back. The tail is long and extremely bushy, being covered with long hairs of a 
creamy-white hue. Its habitation is commonly in bmrows, which it scratches in the 
ground by means of its powerful claws. The creature is about the size of a cat, being 
about eighteen inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail, which measures 
fourteen or fifteen inches. The legs are short, and the animal is not endowed with any 
great activity by nature. It is an American animal, and is found towards the northern 
parts of that continent. 
ScARCELY less remarkable for its ill-odour than the skunk, the TELEDU is not 
brought so prominently before the public eye as the animal which has just been 
described. 
It is a native of Java, and seems to be confined to those portions of the country that 
are not less than seven thousand feet above the level of the sea. On certain portions of 
these elevated spots, the Teledu, or Stinkard, as it is popularly called, can always 
be found. The earth is lighter on these spots than in the valleys, and is better suited 
to the habits of the Teledu, which roots in the earth after the manner of hogs, 
in search of the worms and insects which constitute its chief food. This habit of turning 
up the soil renders it very obnoxious to the native agriculturists, as it pursues the 
worms in their subterraneous meanderings, and makes sad havoc among the freshly- 
planted seeds. It is also in the habit of doing much damage to the sprouting 
plants by eating off their roots. 
We are indebted to Mr. Horsfield for an elaborate and interesting account of the 
Teledu, an animal which he contrived to tame and to watch with singular success. 
The following passages are selected from his memoir, 
“The Mydaus forms its dwelling at a slight depth beneath the surface, in the black mould, 
with considerable ingenuity. Having selected a spot defended above by the roots of a large 
tree, it constructs a cell or chamber of a elobular form, having a diameter of several feet, 
the sides of which it makes perfectly smooth and regular; this it provides with a subter- 
raneous conduit or avenue, about six feet in length, the Seevacie lt entrance to which it conceals 
with twigs and dry leaves. During the day it remains concealed, like a badger in its 
hole ; at night it proceeds in search of its food, which consists of insects and other larvee, 
and of worms of every kind. It is particularly fond of the common lumbrici, or earth- 
worms, which abound in the fertile mould. These animals, agreeably to the information 
of the natives, live in pairs, and the female produces two or three young at a birth. 
The motions of the Mydaus are slow, and it is easily taken by the natives, who by no 
means fear it. Durine my abode on the Mountain Prahu, I engaged them to procure me 
individuals for preparation ; and as they received a desirable reward, they brought them 
to me daily in greater numbers than I could employ, Whenever the natives surprise 
them suddenly, they prepare them for food; the flesh is then scarcely impregnated with 
the offensive odour, and is described as very delicious. The animals are generally in 
excellent condition, as their food abounds in fertile mould. 
On the Mountain Prahu, the natives, who were most active in supplying me with 
