218 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



ing and rolled into his hole. After a time he put his 

 head out on account of the heat and went to sleep thus 

 intrenched. The mischievous ^coon saw that he could 

 not expect much attention from his friend under these 

 circumstances, and was about to set out for home when 

 the badger suddenly awoke and stretched his narrow 

 red mouth wide open. This so surprised our hero that 

 he turned back to examine the rows of white teeth 

 from every point of view. The badger continued im- 

 movable in the same position, and this excited the rac- 

 coon's curiosity to the highest pitch; at last he ven- 

 tured to reach out and tap the badger's nose with his 

 paw. In vain, there was no change. This behaviour 

 of his comrade was inexplicable, his impatience in- 

 creased with every moment, he must solve the riddle 

 at any cost. He wandered restlessly about for a while, 

 apparently undecided how best to pursue the investiga- 

 tion; but reaching a decision at last, he thrust his 

 pointed snout deep in the badger's open jaws. The 

 rest is not difficult to imagine. The jaws closed, the 

 raccoon, caught in the trap, squirmed and floundered 

 like a captive rat. After mighty scuffling and tugging 

 he at length succeeded in tearing his bleeding snout 

 from the cruel teeth of the badger and fled precipitately. 

 This lesson lasted a long time, and after it whenever 

 he went near the badger's kennel he involuntarily put 

 his paw over his nose." 



Mice and other rodents are curious,* and so are all 

 kinds of seals. J. E. Tennent describes a hunt with 

 tame buffaloes in Ceylon. If they are turned loose at 

 night with lights fastened to their backs and bells hung 



* See Hudson on the viscacha. The Naturalist in La Plata, 

 p. 298. 



