THE TELEDU. 85 
fike a badger in its hole ; at night it proceeds in search of its food, wnich 
consists of insects and other larva, and of worms of every kind. It is par- 
ticularly fond of the common lumbrici, or earth-worms, which abound in the 
fertile mould. These animals, agreeably to the information 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 sud- 
denly, they prepare them for food; the flesh is then scarcely impregnated 
with the offensive odour, 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 specimens of the Mydaus, assured me that it could only propel the 
fluid to the distance of about two feet. The fetid matter itself is of a viscid 
TELEDU. —(Mydaus meliceps.) 
nature : its effects depend on its great volatility, and they spread through a 
great extent. The entire neighbourhood of a village is infected by the odour 
of an irritated Teledu, and in the immediate vicinity of the discharge it is so 
violent as in some persons to produce syncope. The various species of 
Mephitis in America differ from the Mydaus in the capacity of projecting 
the fetid matter to a greater distance. 
“The Mydaus is not ferocious in its manners, and, taken young, like the 
badger, might be easily tamed. An individual which I kept some time in 
confinement afforded me an opportunity of observing its disposition. It 
soon became gentle and reconciled to its situation, and did not at any time 
emit the offensive fluid. I carried it with me from Mountain Prahu to 
Bladeran, a village on the declivity of that mountain, where the temperature 
was more moderate. While a drawing was made, the animal was tied to 
asmall stake. It moved about quietly, burrowing the ground with its snout 
and feet, as if in search of food, without taking notice of the bystanders, or 
