THE HONEY RATEL 



Ratel and its cousin the badger are probably two 

 of the strongest and toughest animals upon earth 

 for their size. 



No ordinary cage would hold Jeannie the ratel. 

 We had a cage specially made, but she demolished 

 it. Another was erected which the maker guaran- 

 teed was ratel-proof. She broke out of it a score 

 of times until it was covered with unsightly patches. 

 Just about that time we were temporarily exhibiting 

 a series of live animals with explanatory labels in 

 special cages in the museum ; these were renewed 

 from time to time by others kindly loaned by a 

 dealer in animals. We thought that at last we 

 had Jeannie securely confined. For over a month 

 she had failed to make any impression on the cage. 

 However one night she broke out, and next morning 

 I met the caretaker at the door with a woebegone 

 expression on his face. " Why, what's the matter, 

 Brown ? Is your mother dead or what ? " " Jeannie 

 got out last night, sir ; come and see." There lay 

 the ratel in her cage, and when she saw me she 

 sprawled onher back andcrooned affectionately. She 

 seemed particularly pleased with herself that morn- 

 ing. Glancing down the hall, I saw a heap of broken 

 glass. It was the front of a cage in which we had 

 a number of tame Fruit Bats. She had deliberately 

 thrown her body through the glass, captured and 

 ate the bats, the odd scraps of whose bodies bore 

 witness to the fact. The next cage was a smaller 

 one, and contained dormice in different compart- 

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