The Weasel. The weasel though thought by some to be incapable of domestication has, like most other animals who have had the chance, shown itself amenable to kindly treatment. Mdlle. de Laistre possessed one which she kept in her chamber, dispelling its strong odours by perfumes. This weasel displayed towards her extravagant evidence of affection. "If the servant sets it at liberty before I am up in the morning," she writes, "after a thousand gambols, it comes into my bed, and reposes in my hand or on my bosom. If I am up before it is let out, it will fly to me in rapture, and spend half an hour in caressing me. The curiosity of this little pet is unbounded, for it is impossible to open a drawer or box, without its roving through every part of it; if even a piece of paper or a book is looked at, it will also examine it with attention." This weasel lived on friendly terms with both a cat and a dog who shared his mistress' favours. That the weasel can defend himself when attacked is shown by the following incident told by Mr. Bell: "As a gentleman was riding over his grounds, he saw, at a short distance from him, a kite pounce on some object on the ground, and rise with it in his talons. In a few moments, however, the kite began to show signs of great uneasiness, rising rapidly in the air, or as quickly falling, and wheeling irregularly round, whilst evidently endeavouring to free himself from some obnoxious thing with his feet. After a short but sharp contest, the kite fell suddenly to the earth. The gentleman instantly rode up to the spot, when a weasel ran away from the kite, apparently unhurt, leaving the bird dead, with a hole eaten through the skin under the wing, and the large blood-vessels of the part torn through." The length of the common weasel is about eight inches.
The Common Otter. There are several genera of Otters. The common otter (Lutra vulgaris) is known throughout Europe and is not uncommon in Great Britain. The otter lives on fish, for the hunting of which he is admirably fitted. He is web-footed and has a body of great flexibility and short but remarkably muscular legs. The Otter was looked upon as a friend by the peasants living near salmon preserves years ago, for after landing his prey he was content with but a small portion for himself, and left the rest which the peasants readily appropriated.
"Otters," says Mr. St. John, "are very affectionate animals; the young anxiously seek their mother if she should be killed; and if the young are injured, the parent hovers near them till she is herself destroyed. If one of a pair be killed, the one that is left will hunt for its mate with untiring perseverance; and if one be caught in a trap, its companion will run round and round, endeavouring to set it free, on which occasions, though so quiet at other times, they make a snorting and blowing like a horse."
"A labourer going to his work, soon after five o'clock in the morning, saw a number of animals coming towards him, and stood quietly by the hedge till they came alongside of him. He then perceived four old otters, probably dams, and about twenty young ones. He took a stick out of the hedge and killed one. Directly it began to squeak, all the four old ones turned back, and stood till the other young ones had escaped through the hedge, and then went quietly themselves. Several families were thus journeying together, and probably they had left their former abode from not finding a sufficiency of food." Otters have often been tamed and taught to catch fish for their masters. Captain Brown tells of an otter which was caught when young and trained by James Campbell near Inverness. "It was frequently employed in catching fish, and would, sometimes, take eight or ten salmon in a day. If not prevented, it always made an attempt to break the fish behind the anal fin, which is next the tail; and, as soon as one was taken away, it always dived in pursuit of more. It was equally dexterous at sea fishing, and took great numbers of young cod, and other fish, there. When tired, it would refuse to fish any longer, and was then rewarded with as much as it could devour. Having satisfied its appetite, it always coiled itself round, and fell asleep: in which state it was generally carried home." Professor Steller says that on killing and skinning a female otter, which he found at a place at which he had deprived her of her young eight days previously, he found her quite wasted away from grief at the loss of her progeny.
The Badger. There are several varieties of Badger, the Indian and the American being the most important, respectively of the eastern and western worlds. The common badger (Meles taxus), which is found in different parts of England, feeds upon roots, bulbs, fruits, and all kinds of vegetables, as well as small animals, snails and worms. He has also a great fancy for eggs. He lives in burrows, which form passages having a central chamber and various anti-chambers, which he makes in sandy and gravelly soil. He is nocturnal in his habits. "When pursued," says Mrs. Bowdich, "he constantly impedes the progress of his enemies by throwing the soil behind him, so as to fill up the passages, while he escapes to the surface." He is a formidable opponent to his enemies, as his skin is so tough and his bite so severe, and he displays much sagacity in avoiding traps and escaping confinement. Mr. St. John placed one in a paved court for security, but before the next morning he had displaced a stone and burrowed his way out under the wall. Captain Brown tells an affecting story of the feeling of a badger for its mate. "Two persons in France killed a badger and proceeded to drag it towards a neighbouring village. They had not proceeded far when they heard the cry of an animal in seeming distress, and stopped to listen, when another badger approached them slowly. They at first threw stones at it; notwithstanding which, it drew near, came up to the dead animal, began to lick it, and continued its mournful cry. The men, surprised at this, desisted from offering any further injury to it, and again drew the dead one along as before; when the living badger, determined not to quit its companion, lay down on it, taking it gently by one ear, and in that manner was drawn into the midst of the village; nor could dogs, boys, or men induce it to quit its situation: and to their shame be it said, they had the inhumanity to kill the poor animal, and afterwards to burn it, declaring it could be no other than a witch."
The Ratel and the Skunk. The Ratel (Mellivora capensis) of South and East Africa and the Skunk of Canada belong to this family. The Ratel is a small animal standing from ten to twelve inches high, with a very tough skin, which is so loose that, to quote Sparrman, "If anybody catches hold of the Ratel by the hind part of his neck, he is able to turn round, as it were, in his skin, and bite the arm of the person that seizes him." Dog-like in shape, the back and head are covered with a coat of lighter colour than that of the sides and under part of the body, giving it the appearance of a garment. The Ratel is the natural enemy of the Bees, his thick skin rendering him impervious to their attack, and he is said to show great sagacity in tracing their nests, watching at sundown, with his eyes shaded by his paws, the homeward flight of the honey makers and then following them to plunder and destroy. The Skunk is famous for its offensive smell, which according to Sir John Richardson is emitted by a deep yellow fluid which it discharges, and which is so strong that it retains its disgusting odour for many days. It is about eighteen inches in length, has short legs and a body that is broad and flat. It lives upon poultry and eggs, small quadrupeds, young birds, and wild fruits. Godman says: "Pedestrians, called by business or pleasure to ramble through the country during the morning or evening twilight, occasionally see a small and pretty animal a short distance before them in the path, scampering forward without appearing much alarmed, and advancing in a zigzag or somewhat serpentine direction. Experienced persons generally delay long enough to allow this unwelcome traveller to withdraw from the path; but it often happens that a view of the animal arouses the ardour of the observer, who, in his fondness for sport, thinks not of any result but that of securing a prize. It would be more prudent to rest content with pelting this quadruped from a safe distance, or to drive it away by shouting loudly; but almost all inexperienced persons, the first time such an opportunity occurs, rush forward with intent to run the animal down. This appears to be an easy task; in a few moments it is almost overtaken; a few more strides and the victim may be grasped by its long and waving tail—but the tail is now suddenly curled over the back, its pace is slackened, and in one instant the condition of things is entirely reversed;—the lately triumphant pursuer is eagerly flying from his intended prize, involved in an atmosphere of stench, gasping for breath, or blinded and smarting with pain, if his approach were sufficiently close to allow of his being struck in the eyes by the pestilent fluid of the Skunk."
The Raccoon and the Coati. Our next concern is with the family of the procyonidæ which includes several bear-like animals, the Raccoon and the Coati being the best known. The raccoon belongs to North America, the coati to Central and Southern America. The raccoon is an expert swimmer, about the size of a fox, and of nocturnal habits. "His food," says the Rev. J. G. Wood, "is principally small animals and insects. "Oysters are also a very favourite article of its diet. It bites off the hinge of the oyster, and scrapes out the animal with its paws. Like a squirrel, when eating a nut, the raccoon usually holds its food between its fore-paws pressed together and sits upon its hind quarters while it eats. It is said to be as destructive in a farm-yard as any fox, for it only devours the heads of the murdered fowl. When taken young it is easily tamed but very frequently becomes blind soon after its capture. The coati (Nasua nasica) is distinguished from the raccoon by a pointed nose. In size it resembles the cat, its tail being as long as its body. Like the cat it is a good climber, and preys upon birds. When domesticated, as it is in Paraguay, the coati is kept in tether, as its climbing habits render it dangerous to ornaments and furniture. The Kinkajou (Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) of Demerara belongs to this family. The Panda (Ælurus fulgens) constitutes another family. It is cat-like in the face, but otherwise resembles the bear. It lives in the dense forests which clothe the declivities of the Himalayas.
The Bear. After the lion and the tiger the bear is probably the most popular animal in legend and story. Dr. Gray divides the bears into three classes: the sea bear, the land bear, and the honey bear. The polar bear is the sea bear; the brown bear, the black bear, and the grizzly are land bears, and the Malayan bear is the honey bear. Mr. Wood says, "Bears and their allies are mostly heavy, and walk with the whole foot placed flat on the ground, unlike cats and dogs who walk with merely their paws or toes. They are omnivorous, that is, they can eat either animal or vegetable food, so that a leg of mutton, a pot of honey, a potatoe, or an apple are equally acceptable." The bears of Kamtchatka live principally on fish, which they are adepts in catching. The bear is found in the polar regions, in Siberia, the Caucasus, the Pyrenees, the Himalayas, in various parts of Western Asia, in Canada, and the United States.
