124 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



So far as I know, it is not a climber, except possibly to 

 the extent of scrambling up sloping trunks. 



Its diet covers a fairly wide field. There is no doubt 

 that it is occasionally a carrion eater, for it comes, 

 now and then, to traps baited for other animals. 

 When caught it struggles for release with the quiet but 

 dogged persistence so characteristic of its nature, and, 

 thanks to its loose and impenetrable skin and considerable 

 bodily strength, usually attains freedom. It is said to 

 be a deadly foe to snakes of all kinds. Their fangs can 

 seldom penetrate the leathern armour which completely 

 encases it ; nor, having regard to the easy fit of this 

 covering, is it likely that much harm would be done even 

 if the outer skin were bitten through. Locusts, ants, 

 beetles, and other insects also figure prominently in the 

 animal's bill of fare, but its favourite food is certainly 

 the honey and grubs of the wild bees, the comb con- 

 taining which it tears from the nest with its powerful 

 claws, taking no notice of the attacks of the infuriated 

 insects. 



A very interesting phenonemon in wild life is the 

 alliance which apparently exists between the birds 

 known as " Honey Guides " and the Rat el. You may be 

 resting in the bush in the cool of the afternoon, or on 

 some cloudy day, when your attention is arrested by the 

 persistent and approaching chatter of one of these 

 feathered spies. Presently the bird itself comes fluttering 

 on to a branch some thirty yards distant, where it perches, 

 flapping its wings, and displaying every sign of im- 

 patience. For a moment it is silent, and then a less 

 familiar sound strikes the ear : a light sibilant hissing 

 and chuckling, which at first you find yourself unable 

 to identify : " Kru-tshee, kru-tshee-clk, elk, elk, whee- 

 tshee-tse, tse-whi-o-o " (it is almost impossible to do it 



