THE MARTEN FAMILY— TELEDU. 



173 



that owners of poultry-yards regard it as one of the 

 most destructive creatures to be found. In Algoa 

 Bay several peasants were once quarreling over 

 some eggs, which Hens had laid outside of their 

 coops, when a Ratel put an end to the contention 

 by killing all the Hens — there were about thirty of 

 them — in a single night, and carrying three away 

 to its den. 



Description The Indian Ratel (Mellivora indica) 

 of the is said to have the same habits as the 



Indian Ratel. preceding animal and also to be a 

 destructive visitor of poultry-yards. It is found all 

 over India, to the west and northwest of the Bay of 

 Bengal, to the foot of the Himalayas (with the excep- 

 tion of the coast of Malabar) and Lower Bengal. It 

 is not found in Ceylon. 



Ratels when captured young are capable of domes- 

 tication and afford much amusement by the clumsi- 

 ness and originality of their movements. 



THE TELEDU. 



The Teledu or Stinking Badger (Mydatis meliceps) 

 is a small member of its family attaining a length of 

 nearly fifteen inches, one of which goes to the stumpy 

 little tail. The color of the thick, long fur is a uni- 

 form dark brown, with the exception of the back of 

 the head and neck. A white or yellowish-white 

 band runs along the spine to the tip of the tail. The 

 under surface of the body is lighter than the upper 

 part. The fur consists of a silky inner coat and a 

 coarse outer one, form- 

 ing a kind of a mane on 

 the sides and nape of the 

 neck. The Teledu in- 

 habits Sumatra, Java and 

 Borneo, but it is not 

 known whether it is 

 found on the Malay Pe- 

 ninsula and other parts 

 of the continent. , 



Burrow of Horsfield was 



the Teledu the first to 



Described, describe the 

 habits of this peculiar 

 creature. It digs its hole 

 to a slight depth under 

 the surface of the ground 

 with great caution and 

 dexterity. When it has 

 found a place protected 

 by the long and large 

 roots of a tree, it scoops 

 out a hole between the 

 roots, and a central round 

 chamber about three feet 

 in diameter is built right 

 under the tree. Conduits 

 about six feet long lead 

 to the surface in various 

 being skillfully concealed by twigs and dry grass. 

 During the day it remains in its burrow; but after 

 sunset it sets forth to hunt for larvae of all kinds, 

 and worms, especially Rain-worms, which it finds in 

 great numbers in the fertile soil. It digs them out 

 like a Pig and thereby does great damage in the 

 fields. According to Horsfield it lives in Java only 

 upon mountains having an elevation of more than 

 7,000 feet above the sea, and is found there as regu- 

 larly as certain plants. Modern accounts contradict 

 these statements. Karl Bock avers that in south- 

 eastern Borneo, "where the Teledus are as common 



as Rats," they are found "at an elevation of eighty 

 or one hundred feet. In Sumatra, the highest eleva- 

 tion in which they are found is lower than 1,000 feet 

 and there they occur but rarely." 



Traits and The Teledu is a very slow-moving ani- 



Habits of the mal, and is therefore often caught by 



Teledu. t ne natives, who do not fear it in the 



least, but even go so far as to eat its flesh, for they 



believe that whoever can bring himself to eat this 



meat enjoys immunity from disease. 



During his stay in the mountains of Prahu, Hors- 

 field asked the natives to bring him a few Teledus 

 for examination and dissection, and they brought 

 him so many that he soon refused to accept any 

 more. "I was assured," says this naturalist, "that 

 the flesh of the Teledu was very savory, if one suc- 

 ceeded in killing the animal quickly and immediately 

 proceeded to remove the tail-glands, before they had 

 time to communicate their abominable odor to the 

 body. My native hunter also told me that the 

 Teledu could not eject its secretion to a longer dis- 

 tance than twenty-four inches. The fluid is of a 

 viscid character, and its effect is produced by reason 

 of its great volatility; it may infect the surroundings 

 of a whole village, and in its immediate neighbor- 

 hood it is so strong that some people who cannot 

 escape its powerful odor faint away. The various 

 American animals remarkable for their ill odor are 

 distinguished mainly for their ability to eject the 

 fluid to a greater distance. 



^3££r : 



THE TELEDU, OR STINKING BADGER. This animal, which gives forth an odor fully entitling it to its 



name, is distinguished by the white stripe th-* extends from its forehead to the tip of its queer, stumpy little tail as 

 shown in the illustration. Its strong, cur* a claws enable it to make its burrowing chamber, and with the aid of its 

 strong snout to dig and root for worm* 1 .a larvae in Java and Sumatra, where it lives. {Mydaus meliceps.) 



directions, the entrances 



" The Teledu is of a gentle, mild disposition, and 

 when taken young may easily be domesticated. One 

 specimen, which I caught, knew its home and its 

 keeper, and never once emitted its horrid odor." 



THE SKUNKS. 



It cannot be averred that any of the Weasel family 

 give forth an agreeable perfume ; there are some, 

 even among the European species, from whose bod- 

 ies a terrible stench issues forth. But the Polecat 

 cannot vie with some of its American and African 

 relatives, or with the Teledu of the southeast of the 

 Old World, which has just been described. When 



