﻿114 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  certain 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  bed-box 
  being 
  

   very 
  dark, 
  but 
  believe 
  their 
  eyes 
  opened 
  about 
  the 
  thirtieth 
  

   day.* 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  W. 
  Holdsworth 
  (quoted 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Harting, 
  Zool. 
  

   1888, 
  p. 
  11), 
  describing 
  cubs 
  born 
  in 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Gardens 
  on 
  

   March 
  12th, 
  1862, 
  which 
  all 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  forty-eight 
  

   hours, 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  They 
  were 
  well 
  covered 
  with 
  short 
  greyish-white 
  

   hair, 
  and 
  had 
  the 
  two 
  dark 
  facial 
  stripes 
  faintly 
  marked." 
  The 
  

   largest 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  cubs 
  weighed 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  3 
  oz., 
  and 
  

   measured 
  in 
  extreme 
  length 
  7 
  in. 
  " 
  The 
  youug 
  did 
  not 
  resemble 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Ursidce 
  in 
  being 
  abnormally 
  small." 
  

  

  Judging 
  the 
  young 
  born 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  only 
  by 
  imperfect 
  

   glimpses 
  in 
  a 
  dark 
  box, 
  I 
  cannot 
  speak 
  with 
  certainty, 
  but 
  do 
  

   not 
  think 
  they 
  were 
  so 
  big 
  at 
  two 
  days 
  old 
  ; 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  at 
  their 
  

   deaths, 
  aged 
  thirty-eight 
  and 
  thirty-nine 
  days, 
  they 
  only 
  measured 
  

   about 
  11 
  if 
  in. 
  each 
  in 
  total 
  length. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  may 
  be 
  noted 
  Mr. 
  Paterson's 
  observation 
  

   that 
  the 
  cub 
  born 
  after 
  seven 
  months' 
  gestation 
  was 
  obviously 
  

   more 
  immature 
  than 
  others 
  born 
  after 
  a 
  gestation 
  lasting 
  a 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  longer. 
  

  

  Different 
  writers 
  give 
  different 
  estimates 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   number 
  of 
  young 
  in 
  a 
  Badger's 
  litter. 
  In 
  twenty-five 
  cases 
  the 
  

   number 
  has 
  varied 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  ; 
  two 
  is 
  the 
  commonest 
  

   number 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  comes 
  out 
  at 
  about 
  2^. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  facts 
  that 
  the 
  above 
  

   conclusion 
  — 
  which 
  I 
  confess 
  is 
  a 
  decidedly 
  startling 
  one 
  — 
  can 
  be 
  

   confirmed 
  or 
  refuted, 
  I 
  would 
  venture 
  to 
  beg 
  that 
  all 
  who 
  can 
  

   contribute 
  any 
  single 
  scrap 
  of 
  evidence 
  will 
  be 
  good 
  enough 
  to 
  

   send 
  it 
  either 
  to 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist 
  ' 
  direct 
  or 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  fact 
  noticed, 
  that 
  the 
  right 
  eye 
  of 
  young 
  mam- 
  

   mals 
  opens 
  before 
  the 
  left. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  remember 
  an 
  exception 
  among 
  wild 
  

   animals, 
  nor 
  even 
  among 
  domestic 
  animals, 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  likely 
  some 
  

   occur 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  class. 
  From 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  lids 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  eye 
  begin 
  to 
  

   part 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  left 
  eye 
  is 
  fully 
  opened 
  takes 
  generally 
  from 
  thirty-six 
  to 
  

   sixt} 
  - 
  hours. 
  

  

  