THE SMALLER CARNIVORA 



127 



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 con- 

 ditions 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 Com- 

 pany's and other great 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 

 breeding-pond, and does 

 much mischief. The beau- 

 tiful young otters here fig- 

 ured are in Mr. Percy Leigh 

 Pemberton's collection of 



ftiata by Scholastic Photo Co., Parson's Green 



KINKAJOU 



The kinkajou eats birds and eggs as "well as 

 h -mty and fruit. One kept in South America 

 killed a whole brood of turkeys, and was partial 

 to birds eggs. 



h) fermisiion of Percy Leigh Pemberton, Etf. 



YOUNG OTTERS 



Otters, when taken young, can be trained to catch fish for their owners, 

 employ them for this purpose 



In India several tribes 



British mammals. Their 



