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low a badger, I was much struck with their peculiar bear-like gait. 

 Whether the animals I found there, belonged to this particular 

 species or not, I cannot say, but that they were badgers, I have not 

 any doubt. 



No. 15, Mellivora Indica. 

 JERDON, No. 94, PAGE 79 ; INDIAN BADGER. 



In its wild state I have only twice seen this animal. The first 

 time while I was looking for bears on a rocky hill in the Deccan, 

 one shuffled past me just at daylight, reminding me much of a small 

 bear by 'his ways. The other was brought to me at E-usselcondah, 

 in the Northern Circars ; it had been, I was assured, killed by one 

 of the drummers of my regiment in his fowl-house, which it pro- 

 bably entered with felonious intent. 



Two that I saw in confinement appeared very good-tempered, 

 and much more playful than tame bears would have been. They 

 were, I think, fed entirely upon vegetables and rice and milk. In 

 the Northern Circars they are known as "grave-diggers ;" and as 

 Jerdon says, accused, but I believe most unjustly of digging out dead 

 bodies. Jackals and hyaenas are, I think, the only Indian animals 

 guilty of such sacrilege. 



No. 16. Lutra Nair. 

 JERDON, No. 100, PAGE 86 ; COMMON INDIAN OTTER. 



I can corroborate Jerdon's remark at page 87, that though partly 

 nocturnal in their habits, otters may be seen hunting after the sun is 

 high. Late one morning, I saw a party, at least six in number, leave 

 an island on the Chilka lake and swim out apparently to fish their 

 way to another island, or the main land, either at least two miles 

 off, I followed them for more than half the distance in a small canoe. 

 They worked most systematically in a semi-circle with intervals of 

 about fifty yards between each, having, I suppose, a large shoal of 

 fish in the centre, for every now and then an otter would disappear, 

 and generally when it was again seen it was well inside the semi- 

 circle with a fish in its jaws, caught more for pleasure than for pro- 

 fit, as the fish, as far as I could see, were always left behind untouch- 

 ed beyond a single bite j I picked up several of these fish, which, as 



