THE SKUNK AND THE TELEDU. 107 



rendered so strong by the intense cold that the Glutton is unable to 

 break through their ice-hardened walls. 



The Wolverene is an inhabitant of Northern America, Siberia, and 

 a great part of Northern Europe. It was once thought that the Glut- 

 ton and the Wolverene were distinct animals, but it is now ascertained 

 that they both belong to the same species. 



The general aspect of this animal is not unlike that of a young bear, 

 and probably on that account it was placed by Linnaeus among the 

 bears under the title of Ursus Luscm. The general color of the Wol- 

 verene is a brownish black; the muzzle is black as far as the eyebrows, 

 and the space between the eyes of a browner hue. In some specimens 

 a few white spots are scattered upon the under jaw. The sides 

 of the body are washed with a tint of a warmer hue. The paws are 

 quite black, and the contrast between the jetty fur of the feet and the 

 almost ivory whiteness of the claws is extremely curious. These white 

 claws are much esteemed among the natives for the purpose of being 

 manufactured into certain feminine adornments. 



The Skunk, which is so celebrated for the horrible odor which em- 

 anates from it, belongs to the Weasel tribe. 



Scarcely less remarkable for its ill-odor than the skunk, the Teledu 

 is not brought so prominently before the public eye as the animal which 

 has just been mentioned. 



It is a native of Java, and seems to be confined to those portions 

 of the country that are not less than seven thousand feet above the 

 level of the sea. On certain portions of these elevated spots, the 

 Teledu — or Stinkard, as it is popularly called— can always be found. 

 The earth is lighter on these spots than in the valleys, and is better 

 suited to the habits of the Teledu, which roots in the earth after the 

 manner of hogs, in search of the worms and insects which constitute 

 its chief food. This habit of turning up the soil renders it very ob- 

 noxious to the native agriculturists, as it pursues the worms in their 

 subterraneous meanderings, and makes sad havoc among the freshly- 

 planted seeds. It is also in the habit of doing much damage to the 

 sprouting plants by eating off their roots. 



We are indebted to Mr. Horsfield for an elaborate and interesting 

 account of the Teledu, an animal which he contrived to tame and to 

 watch with singular success. The following passages are selected from 

 his memoir : 



"The Mydaus forms its dwelling at a slight depth beneath the sur- 

 face, in the black mould, with considerable ingenuity. Having selected 

 a spot defended above by the roots of a large tree, it constructs a cell 

 or chamber of a globular form, having a diameter of several feet, the 

 sides of which it makes perfectly smooth and regular ; this it provides 

 with a subterraneous conduit or avenue, about six feet in length, the 



