The Smaller Carnivora 



127 



backwards and forwards. When thus hanging, it would bring 

 its fore paws to the bars, as well as the hind pair, and in 

 this manner would travel up and down its cage with the 

 utmost address, every now and then thrusting out its long 

 tongue between the wires, as if in quest of food, which, when 

 offered to it, it would endeavour to draw in between the 

 wires with this organ. It was very fond of being gently 

 stroked and scratched, and when at play with any one it 

 knew it would pretend to bite, seizing the hand or fingers 

 with its teeth, as a dog will do when playing with its 

 master. As the evening came on, it was full of animation, 

 and exhibited in every movement the most surprising energy." 



THE OTTERS. 



As the badgers and ratels seem specially adapted to 



an underground and cave-making existence, so the OTTERS 



all conform in structure to an aquatic life ; yet, except the 



webbing of the space between the toes and the shortening 



and flattening of the head, there is very little obvious change 



in their structure to meet the very great difference in the 



conditions under which they live. 



The SHORT-TOED OTTER is a small Indian species. It 



has nails on its hands in place of claws. One kept at the 



Zoo was a most amusing and friendly little pet, which let 



itself be nursed like a kitten. 



The NORTH AMERICAN OTTER has the same habits as the 



English kind, but is somewhat larger, and has a far finer coat. 



It is trapped in thousands, and the fur sent over to this country to the Hudson Bay Company's 



and Sir Charles Lampson's fur- sales. These otters, like all their family, are very fond of playing. 



One of their regular games is to make a snow-slide or an ice-slide down a frozen waterfall. 



The alighting-place from this 

 chute is, if possible, in the 

 water. There the trapper 

 sets his traps, and the poor 

 otters are caught. 



The COMMON OTTER is far 

 the most attractive of the 

 British carnivora. It is still 

 fairly common all over Britain 

 where fish exist. It is found 

 on the Norfolk broads and 

 rivers, all up the Thames, 

 in Scotland, Devonshire, Wales, 

 Cumberland, and Northumber- 

 land. It travels considerable 

 distances from river to river, 

 and sometimes gets into a 

 preserved trout-pool or 



By permission of Percy Leigh Pemberto-, Eiq. breeding-pond, and does much 



YOUNG OTTERS. mischief. The beautiful 



, _ , 



young otters here figured are 



Photo ly Scholastic Photo. Co., Parson's Green. 



KINKAJOU. 



The kinkajou eats birds and eggs as well as 

 honey and fruit. One kept in South America 

 killed a whole brood of turkeys, and was partial to 

 birds' eggs. 



B 



Otters, when taken young, can be trained to catch fish for their owners. In India several tribes 



employ them for this purpose. 



