THE RATEL. 



which it obtains its food, which is honey. The Ratel is endowed w ith a 

 furp riling faculty of difcovering the fecret retreats where the Bees hide this 

 delicious viand. This inveftigation the Ratel ufually undertakes about 

 funfet, at which time it watches the motions of thefe industrious infecfs 

 with great attention, holding one of its paws before its eyes, in order to 

 modify the rays of the fun, fo as to render them inoffensive to the organs of 

 light, and that it may at the fame time have a di flinch view of the object of 

 its purfuit. Having thus w r ell remarked their route, it carefully follows the 

 fame courfe. In thefe refearches, it is often affiled by a bird, which the 

 natives call the Honey-guide, (Cuculus Indicator,) which is equally fond 

 both of honey and of the larvae of Bees. This bird, when in quell of its 

 favourite food, frequently fends forth a grating cry, refembling the found of 

 the monosyllables cherr s cherr, cherr, at the fame time gradually approaching 

 the place where the Bees have deposited their treafure. The Ratel carefully 

 and inftincfively attends to this call, which it follows till it arrives at the 

 object of its purfuit, when it plunders the neft, always leaving a sufficient 

 quantity, as a reward to its faithful conductor. Thus thefe two animals 

 hunt, by a fort of instinctive confent, till they have obtained the common 

 object of their desires, which the Cuckoo could not easily procure without 

 the assistance of the Ratel, to dig it out of the recelfes in which it is 

 concealed ; nor could the Ratel, on the other hand, fo readily difcover thefe 

 recelfes without the assistance of the Cuckoo, to point out their lituation. 



The conformation of the Ratel is particularly well adapted to its manner 

 of living : the long claws, with which the toes of the fore feet are furnifhed, 

 are of lingular fervice to the animal, in digging into the hollows of the 

 earth ; and the toughnefs, thicknefs, and loofenefs of its ikin effectually 

 defend it from the vindictive flings of the vineyard Bees. This ftru#:ure of 

 the Ikin is like wife a great fource of defence, to the animal, against all other 

 attacks ; for, like the Badger's, it is fo loofely attached to the body, that, 

 when it is feized by a Dog, or any other creature, it gives w r ay, and enables 

 the Ratel to turn round and bite its enemy; which it often does with fo 

 much effect, as to oblige it to desist from the attack. Dr. Sparrman 



