MELLIYORA. 



175 



a skin, apparently of this species, from Cachar, in the British 

 Museum, and in all probability the specimens obtained by Blyth 

 from Tipperah and Arakan are the same. 



• Fig, 4-4. — Helidis personaia, (From a drawing by Col. Tickell.) 



Habits. This animal is nocturnal like other members of the 

 genus, and appears to be omnivorous. One kept alive by Tickell 

 fed upon fruit, insects, lizards, meat, and eggs, and drank by lapping. 

 It was savage and restless, and appeared well able to defend itself 

 against prowling dogs, as it was kept chained to a tree. 



Anderson obtained the Chinese type of the genus, If. moschata, 

 distinguished by its very small teeth, in Yunnan, and this species 

 may be found in Upper Burma. 



G-enus MELLIVORA, Storr, 1780. 

 Syn. Ursitaxus, Hodgson (1836). 



Body stout. Limbs short, strong ; fore claws very large. Tail 

 short. No external ear. Coloration peculiar : the upper parts 

 whitish ; lower parts and limbs, with the muzzle, uniformly black. 

 Mammae 4. Anal glands well developed, one opening on each side 

 of the anus. Feet naked below, on the hind feet the naked sole 

 extends to the heel. 



Dentition : i. g, c. }^J, pm. g^, m, [^J. No lower tubercular 

 molar. The upper tubercular (or true) molar much broader than 

 long, thus being transverse and more or less dumbbell-shaped, as 

 in Mustelince. Upper sectorial large, with the inner tubercle 

 quite at the anterior end. The heel of the lower sectorial very 

 small. Vertebr® : C. 7, D. 14, L. 4, S. 4, C. 15. 



The ratels, as they are commonly called in England, have 

 somewhat the form of badgers, but are rather more like bears in 

 gait and appearance. They burrow in the ground, but occasionally 



