FLOOK.] 
MAJMMALIA SALOON. 
7 
of the warmer parts of the globe, and particular!}^ organized for a life 
to branch. The}^ live on trees in the Indian Archipelago, and suspend 
themselves by their feet to the branches, back downwards, thus 
forming a kind of hammock in which they nurse their young. 
Cases 21-51 contain the Carnivorous Quadrupeds, distinguished 
by the sharpness and trenchant form of some of their molars, the 
tubercles projecting from others, and the large size of the canine 
teeth. They are particularly organized to feed on flesh ; most of 
them catch and kill their prey. The Cats, or Feline Animals, 
with retractile claws ; the Lion of Africa and Asia ; the striped 
Tiger of India; the spotted Leopards of Africa and Asia, at home 
among trees; the fierce Jaguar of South America; the long-tailed 
Ounce with its thick fur, found even among the snows of the Himalaya. 
The sharp-ej'ed Lynx with tufted ears; the Cheetah, or Hunting 
Leopard, trained in India to bring down game, and for that purpose 
carried hoodwinked, till an Antelope or other game is in sight, when, 
on the blinders being removed, the Cheetah pursues and springs on the 
animal. 
Cases 30 and 31. The Hyaenas, noted for their extreme voracity, and 
the loud howling they make at night; they feed chiefly on carrion. 
Case 32. The Civets, which secrete in a pouch a peculiar substance 
used as perfume. The Genets, Lingsang, Bassaris, and Ichneumons 
prey upon the srrirJler quadrupeds and birds, and are fond of sucking 
the eggs of re])tiles and birds. The Surikate is readily tamed. Cases 
37-42. The Dogs which walk with the claws exposed : the Wolves 
hunting their prey in packs; the Jackals wandering about at night 
and feeding on carrion. The Foxes, with sharp muzzles and bushy 
tails : one species is found in the Arctic regions, which turns white in 
winter. The African Otocyon and Fennec, with their enormous ears. 
Of the Dogs, one of the most interesting is the Esquimaux Dog, indis- 
pensable to the Arctic tribes during their long journeys over the snow. 
Case 43. The Weasels, well adapted by their slenderness to creep into 
holes where they find their prey. Some of the best furs are derived 
from this tribe ; in Siberia and North America, the Sable and Ermine 
are regularly trapped during the winter for their skins. Case 44. The 
Wolverene, a very astute and ferocious animal, said to master even the 
large Elk, on which it drops from an overhanging branch of a tree ; 
the Cape Ratel, whose favourite food is honey, in getting which it shows 
a peculiar instinct ; the Badgers, very strong creatures living in holes 
which they dig in the ground ; the Skunks deriving their name 
[Mephitis) from the odious smell which they emit when provoked : they 
are natives of America. 
Case 45. The Otters, with short webbed feet and long bodies, inhabit 
rivers and lakes, and live on fish; the skin of the American Sea 
Otter is greatly valued as a fur. 
Cases 45-50. The Bears are named Plantigrade from walking on 
the soles of their feet, unlike the Dogs, which are Digitigrade^ or walk 
on their toes. Bears are more frugivorous than carnivorous ; but 
the Polar Bear, the tyrant of the Arctic seas, lives chiefly on seals 
