300 
RATEL. 
ANYONE who has visited the Small Mammal 
House cannot have failed to 
notice the “Caution” tablet, 
which warns the public that 
“These animals bite,’ and I have often 
wondered why this is the only notice-board 
in the Gardens with this caution. The 
restless nature of the two ratels at the Zoo, 
as seen in their never-ending walking-match 
round and round the cage, forming quite 
a track in the covermg of the floor, 
indicates also that the pair are still savage, 
although the latest authorities on the Ratel 
say that “In confinement ratels are easily 
tamed.’ No one, however, seems to speak 
with any certainty about these insignificant 
little animals, although much has _ been 
written. Ther hide is said to be so 
tough and loose that, if anybody catches 
hold of it by the back part of the neck, 
it is able to turn round, so to speak, in 
Cape Ratel or 
Honey-Badger. 
its skin and bite the offending arm. Cape 
Ratels are short in the limbs, the two 
front feet being furnished with long and 
powerful claws well formed for grubbing. 
In its native land the ratel is a strictly 
nocturnal animal; towards sunset it will 
ascend to the highest parts in search 
of its favourite food—honey. Raising its 
paws before its eyes to prevent their being 
dazzled by the sun, it watzhes and listens 
for the Honey-Guide, a little bird not 
exceeding a lark in size, and of plain 
plumage, which serves both the Hottentot 
and quadruped as a conductor to the bees’ 
store. 
Animal Life 
QUITE near to the ratel we find the Raccoons 
Raccoon, or C8ges, Where two specimens are 
N. American housed—the common and the 
‘Coon. crab-eating. ‘The former animal. 
which is shown in the reproduction, died 
during the cold weather which set in towards 
the end of December. At low tide the rac- 
coons go down to the shore and open and 
eat oysters, which they love. They watch 
the oyster (which is often of great size in 
the locality inhabited by the North American 
raccoon), and when it opens they nimbly 
put in their paw and pluck out the fish. The 
crab-eating variety, which is very similar in 
appearance to the one photographed, but 
without the white markings across the fore- 
head, goes about his angling Im a very 
novel manner. When he intends to make a 
prey of the crabs, which he greatly relishes, 
and which are very plentiful in Carolina, he 
goes to a marsh, where, standing on the 
land, he lets his tail hang in the water. 
This the crab takes for a bait and fastens 
his claws therein, whereupon the raccoon 
suddenly springs forward a considerable way 
on the land and brings the crab along with 
him. As soon as the crab finds himself out 
of his element he lets go his hold and falls 
an easy prey to his sharp-witted antagonist. 
RACCOON. 
