36 MAMMALIA^INSEOTIVORA DIAGRAM 8. 



when attacked by an enemy. Neither head nor legs are then 

 visible ; and it remains thus until the danger is past. 



ORDER CARNIVORA. 



BEAKS. The animals of which we are now about to speak are 

 still carnivorous ; but they no longer feed on insects. Never- 

 theless, if some of them are fierce and formidable animals, man 

 has been able to turn them to profit ; he hunts them for their 

 skin, which is sometimes very valuable. 



The bears are the first we come to. The white bear lives on 

 ice in the North, and feeds on fish : the brown bear inhabits 

 high mountains. They train it, and 'exhibit it at fairs, taking 

 care to muzzle it well. However, the brown bear does not seem 

 to prefer flesh ; it likes fruits. It eats roots which it turns up 

 with its claws; it is very fond of honey, and climbs trees, in spite 

 of its apparent clumsiness, to eat bees' nests. Young bears 

 are lively, and will play like kittens. Bearskin was long used 

 for the fur caps of grenadiers ; now this ridiculous head-dress is 

 no longer used ; their thick hide makes good blankets in cold 

 countries. Its flesh is very good, and yields abundance of 

 fat. 



THE BADGER is closely allied to the bear, although -it is much 

 smaller. It lives in this country, and is hunted, both for its 

 fur, and because it destroys game. When the badger is attacked 

 by dogs, it defends itself fiercely ; it lies on its back, and repels 

 the attacks of its adversaries with teeth and claws ; but by dint 

 of numbers, they always succeed in overcoming it. 



THE WEASELS. We have now to deal with a family of true 

 carnivorous animals which are much alike ; it includes the pole- 

 eat, the ferret, the weasel, the ermine, the pine-marten, the leech- 

 marten, and the otter, all animals which must be mentioned. 



