78 CARNIVORA. 



He is about the size of a badger, and so much of the general shape, 

 that he was always taken for a badger of a particular kind ; but was of 

 a stronger make, and more compact in all his parts. 



He had most of the manners of a ferret in his walk, though few of 

 the dispositions : he had uncommon latitude in the motion of all his 

 joints, being able to turn himself into any position, and could climb 

 very dextrously. The skin was very loose on him, so that he could 

 turn himself almost round in it. The fore-feet are armed with four 

 long sharp claws, with a smaller side one, and they are much longer 

 than [the claws of] the hind-feet. They seemed to be for burrowing, 

 for which he showed a strong disposition. 



Contrary to many animals of this make, he was awake in the day and 

 asleep at night, though his eyes were constructed for seeing in the dark, 

 like those of the cat-tribe. He was extremely tame and sociable, so 

 that he chose always to be with people ; he was extremely lively and 

 full of play, and when he had nobody to play with, would play with 

 himself, as with his feet, or would play with the straw, by hugging 

 bundles of it ; and in this way he would go on for hours : but when at 

 his victuals he would be very jealous, and would bite anybody that 

 came near ; and so strongly had he the disposition of procuring food, 

 that he was unwearied in any method to get it if near it, or if it were 

 within his sense of smell: this. was very acute, so that he could smell 

 at some distance. 



' Moses ' was very cowardly in disposition : anything that showed the 

 least resistance frightened him ; so that he never attacked anything 

 but by stratagem ; and if the animal, as, e. g., a cat, small dog, or rat, 

 made any defence, he would suddenly start back, . or put his head 

 between his legs to secure his throat, of which he was always very 

 careful. At times, when he durst not face, he would present his back 

 and thrust his antagonist into a corner, and would with great circum- 

 spection get his mouth to the back part of the animal's head, and 

 gently get his jaws open and over the back part of the skull, and when 

 he thought he had a proper hold, would at once bite suddenly with all 

 his strength. If he did not seem to have hurt the animal materially, 

 and it made any resistance, he would abandon it with great precipitation, 

 and would again attack it as before with all the cunning imaginable. 



K an animal was put into the same house, which he durst not attack 

 boldly, nor play with freely, he was almost constantly at work, night 

 and day, either to kill it or play with it. If an animal was put into 

 the next chamber in his house, so that he either smelt or heard it, he 

 hardly ever ceased endeavouring to get to it ; and if at any time he laid 

 hold of a tail, foot, nose, <fec, he never would let go his hold till he was 



