302 THE TELEDU. 



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. During 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 odor, 

 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 

 specimens of the Mydaus, assured me that it could only propel the fluid to the distance 

 of about two feet. The fetid matter itself is of a viscid nature: its effects depend on its 

 great volatility, and they spread through a great extent. The entire neighborhood of a village 

 is infected by the odor of an irritated Teledu, and in the immediate vicinity of the discharge 

 it is so violent as in some persons to produce syncope. The various species of Mephitis in 

 America differ from the Mydaus in the capacity of projecting the fetid matter to a greater 

 distance. 



"The Mydaus is not ferocious in its manners, and, taken young, like the badger, it might 

 be easily tamed. An individual which I kept some time in confinement afforded me an oppor- 

 tunity of observing its disposition. It soon became gentle and reconciled to its situation, and 

 did not at any time emit the offensive fluid. I carried it with me from Mountain Prahu to 

 Bladeran, a village on the declivity of that mountain, where the temperature was more 

 moderate. While a drawing was made, the animal was tied to a small stake. It moved about 

 quietly, burrowing the ground with its snout and feet, as if in search of food, without taking 

 notice of the bystanders, or making violent efforts to disengage itself ; on earth-worms (lum- 

 brici) being brought, it ate voraciously ; holding one extremity of a worm with its claws, its 

 teeth were employed in tearing the other. Having consumed about ten or twelve, it became 

 drowsy, and making a small groove in the earth, in which it placed its snout, it composed 

 itself deliberately, and was soon sound asleep." 



The color of the Teledu is a blackish brown, with the exception of the fur upon the top of 

 the head, a stripe along the back, and the tip of the short tail, which is a yellowish-white. 

 The under surface of the body is of a lighter hue. The fur is long and of a silken texture at 

 the base, and closely set together, so as to afford to the animal the warm covering which is 

 needed in the elevated spots where it dwells. The hair is especially long on the sides of the 

 neck, and curls slightly upwards and backwards, and on the top of the head there is a small 

 transverse crest. The feet are large, and the claws of the fore limbs are nearly twice as long 

 as those of the hinder paws. 



In the whole aspect of the Teledu there is a great resembance to the badger, and, indeed, 

 the animal looks very like a miniature badger, of rather eccentric colors. 



The Wolverene is one of those secluded animals of which little is known by the larger 

 portion of people. 



It is found in the northern parts of both continents, and is occasionally seen in the 

 northern part of New York State, and not long since was seen in the Hoosac Mountains, in 

 Massachusetts. The litter consists of from two to four ; produced about May. 



Another group embraces a few most notorious creatures, the Skunks. The mephitic or bad 

 odor, resulting from the secretion of peculiar glands in these animals, suggests the generic 

 name. 



The American Skunk is the one par excellence of this group. To the average reader it 

 were superfluous to call attention to the renowned attributes of this creature. To the rural 

 denizen, it is one of the salient objects of his earlier memories : to him its possibilities are 

 unutterable, its consequences ineffaceable. With all its demerits, however, the Skunk is not 

 without some admirable qualities. It is handsome ; its plumed and flowing tail is positively 

 beautiful ; its black and white pelt is strikingly so. 



