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eafily tamed, and it generally prefers raw fiefh to every other 

 food in a ftate of captivity. It is a cleanly animal, and 

 keeps its habitation very neat. The female produces about 

 three or four young. Like the bear, this animal is fond of 

 honey, and will attack hives in order to obtain it. Pennant 

 will not admit the badger to be a carnivorous animal, though 

 BufFon aflerts, that it drags young rabbits out of their bur- 

 rows, and feizes birds, eggs, fnakes, and many other animals, 

 for feeding her young. The badger fleeps much, efpecially 

 in winter, confining himfelf to his den in a ftate of femi- 

 torpidity. Ridinger has figured a Angular variety of badger, 

 of a white colour, with brown and reddifh patches. Gmelin 

 mentions two varieties, one white above and below yellowilh ; 

 and the other fpotted, white with reddifh and brown fpots. 

 The former is found in New York ; the latter is very rarely 

 I met with in forefts, in the fiffures of rocks and ftones. For 

 the method of hunting the badger, fee Hunting. 



Labradorius. The badger with the tip of the tail vil- 

 lous, and of a brownifh-yellow colour ; the throat, breaft, and 

 abdomen white, and the feet four-toed : it is the pale yel- 

 lowifh-grey badger, with the throat and belly white, and 

 the head ftriped with black. This is the American badger 

 of Pennant and carcajou of BufTon : and fo much refembles 

 the common, that it may be taken for a variety of it. This 

 fpecics is rather fcarce in America. It is found in the 

 neighbourhood of Hudfon's bay, and in Terra di Labrador, 

 and, according to Pennant, as low as Pennfylvania, where it 

 is called the ground hog. A variety of this occurs in fome 

 parts of America, with the under parts flightly tinged with 

 yellow : it is the firft variety of common badger mentioned 

 by Gmelin. 



LoTOR. The bear with annulated tail, and black tranf- 

 verfe band acrofs the eyes. This is the bear with a long tail 

 of the Stockholm afts 1747, the bear with annulated varie- 

 gated tail of Briffon, the mapach of Fernand and Nieremb., 

 the raton of Buffon, the coati of Ray, &c. and the raccoon 

 of Kalm, Pennant, &c. See Rackgom. 



Luscus. The bear with a long tail, ferruginous body, 

 duflcy fnout, the forehead and lateral part of the body 

 whitifii. This is the quick-hatch or wolverene of Edwards, 

 and the wolverene of Pennant. Dr. Shaw fuggefts, that it 

 is merely a variety of the next fpecies. It is about twice 

 the fize of the common fox, and the defcription given of it 

 by Edwards is as follows : — All the fnout, upper and under 

 jaw, as far as the eyes, is of a black colour ; the forehead 

 above becomes gradually of a whitilh colour ; the eyes are 

 of a dark colour ; the throat and lower fide of the neck 

 white, the firft fpotted with black, having fome tranfvcrfe 

 bars of black on the under fide of the neck ; the ears are 

 fmall and round, appearing but little longer than the hair 

 that grows on the head ; they arc covered with ftiort brown 

 hair ; the hind part of the head and neck, the whole body 

 both above and beneath, the legs and tail, are all of a brown 

 or chefnut-cclour, clouded lighter and darker, -viz.. the up- 

 per fide of the neck and beginning of tlie back is dufl<y, or 

 very dark brown, which gradually changes to a lighter or 

 more pleafant brown in the middle of the back ; this colour 

 again grows by degrees darker, till it becomes almoft black 

 in the hind part of the back ; the tail towards the tip be- 

 comes of a duflcy-colour ; it hath a broad bar of very light 

 afti-colourcd brown pafGng round the body, beginning at 

 each (houlder, proceeding on the fides backwards, and meet- 

 ing on the rump, juft above the tail, where it is broadeft. 

 The fur on the whole body is pretty long, and feems not to 

 lie fo flat to the (liin as in fome animals. All the feet, as 

 far as the heel or firft joint, are covered with (hort black 



10 



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hair, wliich gradually becomes brown above the knees ; the 

 claws are of a light horn-colour ; it hath on each foot for- 

 wards four toes ; the hind feet have five toes each. 



GuLO. The bear with tail of the fame colour, rufous- 

 brown body, and middle of the back black. The gulo of 

 Gefn. and Aldrov., and the glutton of BufFon. It is confi- 

 derably larger than a badger, but varying in fize : the 

 muzzle, as far as beyond the eyes, is blackilh-brown, and 

 covered with hard fiiining hair ; over the forehead, down the 

 fides of the head between the eyes and ears, runs a whitifh 

 or a(h-coloured band or fillet ; the top of the head and 

 whole length of the back are black-brown, the colour 

 widening fomewhat over the fides as it pafles on, and again 

 leflening or contrafting towards the tail ; or the defcription 

 might be given in other words, by faying, that the colour 

 of the body is a fine glcffy black-brown, with a ferruginous 

 tinge along the fides, fo as to form a broad lateral zone ; 

 but it is to be obferved, that the animal varies coiifiderably 

 in colour ; fometimes appearing black, with a fubferru- 

 ginous lateral band ; and at other times of a chefnut-colour ; 

 the feet are black. Agreeably to its name, it has the cha- 

 racter of being very voracious, preying indifcriminately both 

 on frefh food and carrion. One of thefe animals would eat 

 thirteen pounds of flefh in a day, without being fatisfied. 

 It attacks deer, birds, field-mice, &c. and even fometimes 

 the larger cattle ; and is faid to fit on the branches of trees, 

 and fuddenly to fpring down on fuch animals as happen to 

 pafs beneath ; tearing them, and fucking the blood, till 

 they fall down through faintnefs, when it begins to devour 

 the fpoil. In whiter, it feeks out and catches ptarmigans 

 under the fnow. What it cannot devour at once it is faid 

 to hide under ground, or in the cavity of fome tree. It is 

 faid to be an animal of uncommon fiercenefs and ftrength ; 

 and will fometimes difpute the prey both with the wolf and 

 bear. It is alfo extremely fetid. It breeds once a year, 

 and brings from two to four young at a litter. The fur is 

 much ufed for muffs, linings. Sec. Thofe fkins are faid to 

 be preferred which have leaft of the ferruginous tinge ; and 

 for this reafon the Siberian variety, which is blacker than 

 the reft, is moft efteemed. The glutton is a native of the 

 moft northern parts of Europe and Afia, and is found in 

 Sweden, Norway, Lapland, and Siberia, as well as in fome 

 of the Alpine regions, and in the forefts of Poland and 

 Courland, and in the northern parts of America. 



In'dicus. The badger white above and black beneath, 

 firft defcribed by Pennant from a fpecimen brought from 

 India, and in the pofFeffion of the late Mr. John Hunter. 

 It had five toes on each foot, with long, ftraight claws ; the 

 head fmall, the nofe pointed, with fcarcely any appearance 

 of external ears ; the colour of the nofe, and face a little be- 

 yond the eyes, black ; the crown, upper part of the neck, 

 back, and upper part of the tail, white, inchning to greyifh; 

 the legs, thighs, breaft, belly, fides, and under part of the 

 tail, black. Its food is ilefti, and its difpofition lively and 

 playful. Dr. Shaw obferves, that this animal feems to be 

 nearly allied to the genus viverra ; and particularly to the 

 fpecies V. mellivora and V. capenfis. See Viverra. 



URTAMSKOI, in Geography, a town of Ruflia, in the 

 government of Tobolfl<, on the Oby ; 52 miles W. of 

 Tomdi. 



URTICA, in Botany, an ancient name, derived from 

 uro, to burn, or fting, and alluding to that property, for 

 which the original and familiar fpecies of this genus, our 

 common Nettles, are univerfally known. For the mode in 

 which this ftinging is accomphfhed, fee Pubescenxe. A 

 great proportion of the fpecies, however, are fimply downy, 



and 



