536 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



feriorly, with a white face and ears. The Kinkajous (Cerco- 

 leptes) are inhabitants of South America, and as is the case 

 with so many of the animals of this continent, they are adapted 

 for an arboreal life, to which end their tails are prehensile. 

 The Coatis (Nasua) are very closely allied to the Racoons, 

 and are exclusively confined to the American continent. All 

 the above-mentioned little animals (with the exception of the 

 Wah) present a singularly close resemblance to the Lemurs of 

 the Old World, and appear to be their representatives in the 

 western hemisphere. 



The only remaining family of the Plantigrada is that of the 

 Melidce or Badgers, characterised by their elongated bodies 

 and short legs, and by the fact that the carnassial tooth has a 

 partly cutting edge, and is not wholly tuberculate as in the Bears. 



The common Badger (Meles taxus), which may be regarded 

 as the type of this group, occurs in Britain, and is one of the 

 most inoffensive of animals. It is nocturnal in its habits, and 

 is a very miscellaneous feeder, not refusing anything edible 

 which may come in its way, though living mainly on roots and 

 fruits. The Badger burrows with great ease, and can bite very 

 severely. The Glutton (Gulo Arcticus\ often called the Wolve- 

 rine, is of common occurrence in the northern parts of Europe, 

 Asia, and America. It is from two to three feet in length, and 

 though doubtless a tolerably voracious animal, it is certainly 

 not so much so as to deserve the name of Glutton. The 

 Ratels or Honey-badgers (Mellivord) are much like the com- 

 mon Badger in their habits and appearance, but they get their 

 name from their fondness for honey. They are natives of 

 southern and eastern Africa. 



SECTION III. DIGITIGRADA. In this section of the Carnivora 

 the heel is raised above the ground, with the whole or the 

 greater part of the metacarpus, so that the animals walk more 

 or less completely on the tips of the toes (fig. 203, C). No 

 absolute line, however, of demarcation can be drawn between 

 the Plantigrade and Digitigrade sections of the Carnivora, 

 since many forms (e.g., Mustelidce and Viverridce] exhibit transi- 

 tional characters, and it has even been proposed to place these 

 in a separate section, under the name of Semi-plantigrada. 



The first family of the Digitigrada is that of the Mustelidce 

 or Weasels, including a number of small Carnivores, with short 

 legs, elongated worm-like bodies, and a peculiar gliding mode 

 of progression (hence the name of Vermiformes, sometimes 

 applied to the group). Amongst the best known of the Mus- 

 telidce. are the common Weasel (Mustela vulgar is) , the Pole-cat 

 (Mustela putorius\ and the Ferret, the last being only an albino 



