THE TAYRA THE ORISON 123 



almost impossible to tame, and, though the cubs are tameable and 

 playful enough, they become more and more surly as they advance 

 in years. 



THE TAYRA 



(Galictis barbara) 



THE Tayra is, though a powerfully-built animal, distinctly of the usual 

 Weasel type and form long-bodied and low on the legs. The tail is 

 long, and the coat short and close, of a deep-brown colour relieved 

 by a yellow patch at the throat. The beast is of a good size, rather 

 exceeding that of a Cat. 



It is a South American animal, and widely distributed, ranging from 

 Demerara to Paraguay. It keeps to cover, haunting either high grass 

 or forest, and making its home in a hollow tree or the burrow of an Arma- 

 dillo. A pair live together, and they hunt in the morning up till noon, 

 and again in the evening. Their food consists of birds and small 

 beasts, and they readily climb trees in order to rob nests or obtain the 

 honey of wild Bees. As they readily approach human habitations, and 

 commit great ravages among the poultry, they are regarded as pests ; 

 in fact, their whole habits, like their appearance, are similar to those 

 of the Martens. 



Like Martens, also, they are easily tameable, will eat almost any- 

 thing, and can be allowed to run about a house like a Cat, proving 

 more useful than that animal in destroying Rats and Mice ; but it is 

 impossible to cure them of their propensity for attacking poultry. 



THE GRISON 



(Galictis vittata) 



THE Grison, another South American animal with much the same range 

 as the Tayra, and closely related to it, is, however, much smaller 

 being hardly larger than our Polecat, if shorter on the legs. In colour 



