68o THE CARNIVORES 



In length the Indian sand-badger measures about thirty inches from the snout to 

 the root of the tail; the length of the latter, inclusive of the hair at the tip being 

 about eleven inches. 



The most marked peculiarities of these animals are, however, to be found in 

 the structure of their skulls. Thus the skull differs from that of any other Mam- 

 mal, except some of the edentates and dolphins, in having the bony palate 

 prolonged as far back as the level of the cavity for the reception of the condyle of 

 the lower jaw. The teeth are numerically the same as in the true badgers, but the 

 upper molar tooth, instead of forming a regular oblong, has its hindmost, outer 

 angle excavated, so that the inner border of the tooth is much longer than the outer 

 one. The first pretnolar tooth in the upper jaw is very minute, and is often soon 

 shed. 



Writing of the habits of the Indian sand-badger, from notes sup- 

 plied by Colonel Tickell, Mr. Blanford states that it "frequents un- 

 dulating stony ground or small hills among jungle, and lives in fissures of the rocks 

 or holes dug by itself. It is thoroughly nocturnal. In captivity it is dull and 

 uninteresting, feeding voraciously on meats, fish, reptiles, or fruits, and it is par- 

 ticularly fond of earthworms. One individual used to pass the day sleeping in a 

 hole that it had dug, and was very savage if disturbed. When angry it made a 

 loud grunting noise and bit fiercely. It was dull of sight, and its only acute sense 

 appeared to be that of smell. It was in the habit of raising its snout in the air in 

 order to scent any one who approached, much as a pig does. This animal had no 

 disagreeable odor. ' ' 



THE OTTERS 

 Genus Lutra 



The otters, which, with the sole exception of the sea-otter, are included in a 

 single genus, constitute the third and last main group into which the members of 

 the Weasel family are divided. They are characterized generally by their short and 

 rounded feet, although the hind-feet of the sea-otter are an exception in this 

 respect, their webbed toes, and their small, curved, and blunt claws. They all 

 have very broad and flattened heads, furnished with small external ears, and joined 

 to the long flattened body by a thick neck, which passes imperceptibly from the 

 head in front into the trunk behind. The tail is moderately long, while the limbs are 

 extremly short. The fur is soft, thick, and of a uniformly brownish color over the 

 whole body, except on the under parts, where it is generally of a more grayish hue. 

 The teeth of the otters are characterized by the nearly square form of the molar in 

 the upper jaw, which, as shown in the accompanying figure, has its inner portion 

 much expanded. All the species of these animals are thoroughly aquatic in their 

 habits. 



The typical otters, which include all the species except the sea-otter, are char- 

 acterized by their hind-feet being of normal form, and by the number and structure 

 of their teeth. As a rule, the total number of teeth is 36, of which, on each side of 



