NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
the sharp quills do it little or no damage. It 
takes the greatest care not to expose its under 
parts, where the skin is tender and thin. 
I watched two male ratels in deadly combat 
one evening just about dusk. It was apparent that 
each of them was exercising the utmost care to 
protect its tender abdomen from the teeth of 
the other. They advanced on one another with 
bent back and head lowered. Each seemed to be 
inviting the other to bite first. The motive was 
plain, as the one which bit first was at a disadvan- 
tage, for the instant it raised its head and seized 
the tough skin of the neck or back of its opponent 
the latter would instantly make a grab for its ab- 
domen, which is soft and easy to bite through. 
The skin of a ratel is so loosely attached to its body 
that should a foe seize it by the back of the neck 
it can turn in its own skin so easily that it is en- 
abled to lacerate its enemy’s mouth and throat 
and inflict frightful injuries. 
So tough is the skin of a ratel that the sharp 
teeth of a dog will not penetrate it. A large hound 
is no match for an adult ratel, although it is of such 
comparatively small size. When the hound bites 
it only succeeds in getting a mouthful of the ratel’s 
hide, but does the animal little or no damage. 
Meanwhile the ratel is getting home a succession 
of severe bites, which eventually cripple or kill 
the dog. : 
Little short of actually shattering the thick skull, 
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