9 o CARNIVORES. 



The pelage consists of a full soft under-fur, mingled with long stiff hairs. In 

 colour the Indian sand-badger is dirty grey both above and below, with a more or 

 less marked blackish tinge on the back, most of the individual hairs being dirty 

 white throughout their length, but the longer ones on the back and sides having 

 black tips. The head is white, with some variable black bands, while the lower 

 parts and limbs are dusky, the limbs being sometimes black. Here, then, we have 

 another instance of the tendency in the present family for the under-parts to be 

 lighter than the upper regions. In length the Indian sand-badger measures about 

 30 inches from the snout to the root of the tail ; the length of the latter, inclusive 

 of the hair at the tip, being about 11 inches. 



The most marked peculiarities of these animals are, however, to be found in 

 the structure of their skulls. Thus the skull differs from that of any other 

 mammals, except some of the edentates and dolphins, in having the bony palate 

 prolonged as far back as the level of the cavity for the reception of the condyle of 

 the lower jaw. The teeth are numerically the same as in the true badgers, but the 

 upper molar tooth, instead of forming a regular oblong, has its hindmost outer 

 angle excavated, so that the inner border of the tooth is much longer than the 

 outer one. The first premolar tooth in the upper jaw is very minute, and is often 

 soon shed. 



Writing of the habits of the Indian sand-badger, from notes 

 supplied by Colonel Tickell, Mr. Blanford states that it " frequents 

 undulating stony ground or small hills among jungle, and lives in fissures of the 

 rocks or holes dug by itself. It is thoroughly nocturnal. In captivity it is dull 

 and uninteresting, feeding voraciously on meats, fish, reptiles, or fruits, and it is 

 particularly fond of earth-worms. One individual used to pass the day sleeping in 

 a hole that it had dug, and was very savage if disturbed. When angry it made a 

 loud grunting noise and bit fiercely. It was dull of sight, and its only acute sense 

 appeared to be that of smell. It was in the habit of raising its snout in the air in 

 order to scent any one who approached, much as a pig does. This animal had no 

 disagreeable smell." 



THE OTTERS. 

 Genus Lutra. 



The otters, which, with the sole exception of the sea-otter, are included in a 

 single genus, constitute the third and last main group into which the members of 

 the Weasel family are divided. They are characterised generally by their short 

 and rounded feet, although the hind-feet of the sea-otter are an exception in this 

 respect, their webbed toes, and their small, curved, and blunt claws. They all 

 have very broad and flattened heads, furnished with small external ears, and joined 

 to the long flattened body by a thick neck, which passes imperceptibly from the 

 head in front into the trunk behind. The tail is moderately long, while the limbs 

 are extremely short. The fur is soft, thick, and of a uniformly brownish colour over 

 the whole body, except on the under-parts, where it is generally of a more greyish 

 hue. The teeth of the otters are characterised by the nearly square form of the 

 molar in the upper jaw, which, as shown in the accompanying figure, has its inner 



