ST1 



>TKU. 



BALA N I NTS. 



leg* and tail, until one of them fired the content* of his fowling-piece 

 into iU body. Early in the spring however, when they first begin to 

 tir abroad, they may be easily caught by pouring water into their 

 holes ; for the ground being frown at that period, the water does not 

 escape through the sand, but soon fills the hole, and its tenant is 

 obliged to come out The American Badger appears to be a more 

 carnivorous animal than the European one. A female which I killed 

 had a small marmot, nearly entire, together with some field mice, in 

 its stomach. It had also been eating some vegetable matters." As 

 to the southern limit of the geographical range of the species, at 

 least in <>ne direction, it is known to inhabit Mexico, as appears 

 from the detailed and correct description of Fernandez, who 

 call* it by the native name of Ilncoyotl or Coyotlhumuli ; and a very 

 fine skin wag some time ago sent from California to the Zoological 

 Society. 



8. M. nllnrit, the Indian Badger, called Bhalloo-Soor, or Bear-Pig, 

 by the Hindoos, is about the size of the Common Badger, but stands 



Indian Badger (Jlelti collar!,). 



higher upon ite legs, and is at once distinguished by ite attenuated 

 muzzle ending in a truncated snout, like that of the common hog, 

 nnd by ita small and nearly naked tail The whole height of this 

 animal is about 20 inches, and the length of ite tail 9 inches. It 

 has the body and limbs of a boar, with the snout, eyes, and tail of 

 a hog. Ite ears are short, completely covered with hair, and sur- 

 rounded by a slight border of white. 



The individuals, a male and female, observed in the menagerie 

 of the Governor-general at Barrackpoor by the French naturalist 

 Duvancel, who furnished Mons. F. Cuvier with the materials for his 

 description, were remarkably shy and wild. The female however was 

 less savage than the male, and showed a certain degree of intelligence, 

 which gave reason to believe that, if taken young, this animal might 

 be easily domesticated. They passed the greater part of the day 

 buried beneath the straw of their den in deep sleep. All their move- 

 ments were remarkably slow. Though they did not altogether refuse 

 animal food, yet they exhibited a marked predilection for bread, 

 fniite, and other substances of a vegetable nature. When irritated 

 they uttered a peculiar kind of grunting noise, and bristled up the 

 hair of their back ; if still further tormented, they would raise them- 

 selves upon their hind legs like a bear, and appeared, like that animal, 

 to possess a power in their arms and claws not less formidable than 

 their teeth. This is confirmed by Mr. Johnson in his ' Sketches of 

 Indian Field Sports.' "Badgers in India," says he, "lire marked 

 exactly like those in England, but they are larger and taller, are 

 exceedingly fierce, and will attack a number of dogs. I have seen 

 dog* that would attack a hyicna or wolf afraid to encounter them. 

 They are scarce, but occasionally to be met with among the hills. In 

 their nature they resemble the bear." 



BADI'STEK, a genus of Insects belonging to the order Colenptera, 

 and family Harpalidir. This genus, together with the genera TVimor- 

 j>*i, hicinut, Krmltut, and fHctrltu, form a conspicuous group among 

 the C'orn front of the Beetle Tribe. 



BAfiTIS, a genus of Insects of the order !fe<tmpltra, and family 

 Klilirmrri<l<r. This is one of the four genera of the British family 

 of May-Flies. The generic characters are taken from the number 

 nf wings, and the seta-, or hair-like appendages to the abdomen. 

 The genus Ephemera has four wings and three setae; Battit has 

 four wings and two set; Brarhyctmt has two wing* and three 

 setae ; and Utofm has two wings and two seta}. Then setae are of 

 great use to the little nnimnl in steering ite way through the air 

 whilst performing that beautifully undulating flight which all must 

 have observed. It is to the first of these genera (Ephemera) that the 

 common May-Fly belongs. 



BAQCXU8, a genus of Insects belonging to the order Co'->n- 

 tTO, and family Curc*lio*id<r. The little Beetle* composing tun 

 genii* are all of a mud-colour, and feed upon aquatic plante, probably 

 1 t)i in the larva nnd imago states. There are six or eight species 

 found in En 



I'.A'ISI'MT SAN'P. One of the higher momliers of the Tertiary 

 Group of England is thus designated. 



HA I i light-green variety of Augite, deriving ite name 



from its locality, the mouth of the river Sljunianka, which falls into 

 Lake Baikal. 



ItALA 1,1 M 1 - i \ I :, one of the most interesting of the Calcareous 

 Deposits which have been examined by Professor Sedgwick in the 

 midst of the Schistose Itocks of North Wales. There are two bands 

 of this rock, exhibited on the west of the Berwyn Mountains anil ..n 

 the east of Bala Lake. Two miles north-east of Bala the limestone 

 and the schistose rocks in which it lies may be well Men, and 

 numerous fossils may be gathered at this and at many other points in 

 the vicinity of Bala, on both sides of the lake. Professor Sedgwick 

 has satisfied geologists of the true position of these rocks with refer- 

 ence to the slate* of the Berwyn range, and the flags and slate* of 

 LJangollen. The series is in two parts, thus : 



Upper Part, blags and schistose beds of Llangollen, with upper 

 Silurian fossils. 



Lower Part Schistose beds with limestone bands, the lowest of 

 which occur at Bala, and yield lower Silurian fossils. 



This is the view of Professor Sedgwick, and the Bala and Llandeilo 

 limestones are thus nearly coeval. 



BALJE'NA (from the Greek feUwa), the Latin name of the Com- 

 mon or Greenland Whale, and adopted by naturalists as a generic 

 term, to comprehend all the other species which agree with it in tlieir 

 zoological characters. [CETACEA.] 



BAL^KNO'PTEHA. This term was. invented by Lacopode, to 

 denote those whales which are distinguished by having an adipose fin 

 on the back, whence they are called Finncr* by sailors, and which he 

 proposed to separate from the other Jitd<nut for the purpose of form- 

 ini; them into a distinct genus. The character however upon whirli 

 he proposed to make this separation is utterly void of importance, 

 and exercises no assignable influence upon the habits and economy of 

 animal life. His division is consequently vicious, and cannot be 

 admitted into a natural or philosophical system of mammalogy, at 

 least for any other purpose than as a matter of simple convenience. 

 The word itself is compounded of the terms baltrna, a whale, and 

 *r4pw, a wing or tin. 



BALANI'NUS, a genus of Insects belonging to the order Coleop- 

 trra, and family Cun-iilinnitltt. The species of this genus are all 

 remarkable for possessing a long slender ro.-trum or snout, which is 

 furnished at the tip with a minute pair of sharp horizontal jaws : this 

 instrument is used by the animal in depositing ita eggs, which are 

 generally placed in the kernel of Rome fruit. 



Balaninx* tfcnm, the Nut-Weevil, deposits ite eggs in both the 

 common nut and the filbert, having bored a hole for that p > 



Nut-\Veevit (HfiliminuM ..Vwrwm). 



I, The tip of thr rottrum imiinif'K.l, showing the jw>, a a; 1, aide TICW of 

 the ramr ; 3, thr larva ; 4, the pupa. The larva, pupa, anil perfect Inwct, are 

 eai-h represented rather larger than the natural nine. 



while the nut in young and tender. When ;il>out to perform this 

 nprmtioii, the little animal may be seen travelling over tho nut, and 

 feeling with its antenna; to discover a convenient iin:,t;.,n, in select- 

 ing which it shown great care. The spot beinj- i on, it cut* 

 a hole with the jnws at the top of the snout until it reaches the 

 kernel ; in thin hole the egg is deposited, which in a short time is 

 hatched and becomes a maggot or larva. The nut lieing but slightly 

 injured continues to grow and ripen, while the larva feeds upon its 

 kernel In course of time this larva gnaws n hole in the shell, 

 through which it makes ite escape, and n 1 mi-rows into the 

 ground, where it assumes the pupa state, from which, in the fol' 



