THE TELEDU. 



of going on with his sermon, as the congregation made a hasty retreat, and left him 

 nearly alone in the church. 



The chief drawback to the medicinal use of this mephitic substance is, that after it 

 has been in use for some time, the whole frame of the patient becomes so saturated with 

 the vile odor that he is not only unpleasant to his neighbors, but almost unbearable to 

 himself. It would be a curious experiment if any one could force one Skunk to cast its 

 ill-smelling secretion upon another, in order to discover whether the scent is as nauseous 

 to the animal that secretes it as it is to all other animals. 



There is a curious analogy between the mode of defence which is employed by the 

 Skunk and that which is used by the cuttle-fish, and in both cases it seems to be the 

 result of various emotions, of which fear and combativeness are the chief. 



In its fur, the Skunk is extremely variable, but the general markings of its coat-are as 

 follows. The fur is of a brown tint, washed with black, and variegated by white streaks 

 along its back. The tail is long and extremely bushy, being covered with long hairs of a 

 creamy-white hue. Its habitation is commonly in burrows, which it scratches in the 

 ground by means of its powerful claws. The creature is about the size of a cat, being 

 about eighteen inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail, which measures 

 fourteen or fifteen inches. The legs are short, and the animal is not endowed with any 

 great activity by nature. It is an American animal, and is found towards the northern 

 parts of that continent. 



SCARCELY less remarkable for its ill-odor than the skunk, the TELEDU is not 

 brought so prominently before the public eye as the animal which has just been 

 described. 



It is a native of Java, and seems to be confined to those portions of the country that 

 are not less than seven thousand feet above the level of the sea. On certain portions 

 of these elevated spots, the Teledu, or Stinkard, as it is popularly called, can always 

 be found. The earth is lighter on these spots than in the valleys, and is better suited 

 to the habits of the Teledu, which roots in the earth after the manner of hogs, 

 in search of the worms and insects which constitute its chief food. This habit of turning 

 up the soil renders it very obnoxious to the native agriculturists, as it pursues the 

 worms in their subterraneous meanderings, and makes sad havoc among the freshly- 

 planted seeds. It is also in the habit of doing much damage to the sprouting plants 

 by eating off their roots. 



We are indebted to Mr. Horsfield for an elaborate and interesting account of the 

 Teledu, an animal which he contrived to tame and to watch with singular success. 

 The following passages are selected from his memoir. 



"The Mydaus forms its dwelling at a slight depth beneath the surface, in the black 

 mould, with considerable ingenuity. Having selected a spot defended above by the roots 

 of a large tree, it constructs a cell or chamber of a globular form, having a diameter of 

 several feet, the sides of which it makes perfectly smooth and regular ; this it provides with 

 a subterraneous conduit or avenue, about six feet in length, the external entrance to which 

 it conceals with twigs and dry leaves. During the day it remains concealed, like a badger 

 in its hole ; at night it proceeds in search of its food, which consists of insects and other 

 larvae, and of worms of every kind. It is particularly fond of the common lumbrici, or 

 earth-worms, which abound in the fertile mould. These animals, agreeably to the infor- 

 mation of the natives, live in pairs, and the female produces two or three young at a 

 birth. 



The motions of the Mydaus are slow, and it is easily taken by the natives, who by no 

 means fear it. During my abode on the Mountain Prahu, I engaged them to procure me 

 individuals for preparation ; and as they received a desirable reward, they brought them 

 to me daily in greater numbers than I could employ. Whenever the natives surprise 

 them suddenly, they prepare them for food ; the flesh is then scarcely impregnated with 

 the offensive odor, and is described as very delicious. The animals are generally in 

 excellent condition, as their food abounds in fertile mould. 



On the Mountain Prahu, the natives, who were most active in supplying me with 



