58o MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



in South America. The Ratels or Honey-badgers (Mellivord) 

 are much like the common Badger in their habits and appear- 

 ance, but they get their name from their fondness for honey. 

 They are natives of southern and eastern Africa. . 



Section III. Digitigrada. — In this section of the Carnivora 

 the heel is raised above the ground, with the whole or the 

 greater part of the metacarpus, so that the animals walk more 

 or less completely on the tips of the toes (fig. 223, C). No 

 absolute line, however, of demarcation can be drawn between 

 the Plantigrade and Digitigrade sections of the Carnivora, since 

 many forms (e. g., Mustelida and Viverrida) exhibit transitional 

 characters, and it has even been proposed to place these in a 

 separate section, under the name oi Semi-plantigrada.' 



The first family of the Digitigrada is that of the Mustelidd 

 or Weasels, including a number of small Carnivores, with short 

 legs, elongated worm-like bodies, and a peculiar gliding mode 

 of progression (hence the name of Vermiformes, sometimes 

 applied to the group). Amongst the best known of the Mus- 

 telidcR are the common Weasel {Mustela vulgaris), the Pole-cat 

 {Mustela putoriiis), and the Ferret {Mustela furo),'tht last being 

 supposed to be only an albino variety of one of the Pole*Cats. 

 It is really an African species, but has been long domesticated 

 in Europe. Many of the Mustelida are of great commercial 

 importance, furnishing beautiful and highly - valued furs. 

 Amongst these are the Ermine {Mustela erminea), and the' 

 Sable (Mustela zibellina). It is asserted, however, that most of 

 the Sable of commerce is derived from the Black Mink {Puta- 

 rius nigrescens) and the Pine Marten {Mustela Americana) of 

 the United States and Canada. 



Almost all the Weasels have a very disagreeable odour, pro- 

 duced by the secretion of greatly-developed and modified 

 sebaceous glands, placed in the neighbourhood of the anus, 

 and known as the anal glands. In this respect, however, the 

 nearly-allied genus Mephitis, comprising the Atnerican Skunk, 

 is facile princeps. The Skunk is a pretty little animal, with a 

 long bushy tail, and when unmolested it is perfectly harmless. 

 If pursued or irritated, however, it has the power of ejecting 

 the secretion of the anal glands to a greater or less distance 

 with considerable force. The odour of this secretion is 

 so powerful and persistent that no amount of washing will 

 remove it from a garment, and its characters are said to be of 

 the most intensely disagreeable description. 



Also belonging to the family of the Mustelidte, and very 

 nearly allied to the Weasels, are the Otters {Lutrd), distin- 

 guished by the possession of webbed feet adapted for swim- 



