The U. gulo, or glutton, is about three feet long, exclusively of its tail, which is one foot in length. It is met with in the northern regions of America, Europe, and Asia. Its name is characteristically derived from its habits, as it preys with extreme voracity on almost every species of animal food, in its fresh or putrid state. It is said to lay wait in trees, and to spring on a variety of animals passing unsuspect ingly beneath, and, after exhausting them, by sucking their blood, to tear them in pieces and devour them. It produces from two to four young once a year. Its strength and ferocity are such, that it sometimes contends for its prey, victoriously, even with the wolf or the bear. The skin of this animal is an arti cle of commerce, and it is most esteemed as such in proportion as its colour ap proaches to a perfect blackness.
U. luscus, or the wolverene, is suppos ed to be merely a variety of the former. It has been brought into this country from Hudson's Bay, about twice the size of a fox, and was, in this instance, perfectly tame and inoffensive.
U. lotor, or the raccoon, is a native of America and the West Indies, of a grey colour, and with a head shaped like that of a fox, and of the length of between two and three feet without the tail. Its natural food consists of fruits, young su gar-canes, and unripe maize ; and also, it is thought, of eggs and poultry. It is nocturnal, and seldom quits its hole by and during the rigours of winter, it continues there in a state of abstinence and perhaps of torpor. It may be do mesticated with great facility, and is seen in this familiar state in many houses in America. It is agile and sprightly, as cends trees with great ease, is particular ly fond of vegetable sweets, and averse from acid substances, and, while taking its food, generally uses its fore feet as hands, sitting on its hind ones. It is said to have an admirable tact at opening oys ters and other shells, and is extremely cleanly in all its habits. Its fur is highly useful in the manufacture of hats.
U. meles, or the common badger of Europe, is about two feet from the nose to the tail, and is found in almost all the temperate regions both of Europe and Asia, living in subterranean habitations, which its feet are admirably adapted fr.,. preparing. Its food consists of fruits and roots, frogs and insects ; and the resem blance of its teeth to those of beasts of prey, makes it probable that it destroys lambs and larger animals, which it is stated to do ; in a domestic state it pre fers raw flesh to every other species of food. It will attack bee-hives, to obtain
the honey contained in them. It sleeps much ; passes the winter, or the greater part of it, in its burrowed residence, in a state of lethargy and torpor ; and in sum mer produces, generally, three young ones at a birth. These animals are inof fensive in their manners ; reluctant to at tack, but well prepared by nature for de fence, which they conduct with an alert ness, intrepidity, and perseverance, truly admirable. To afford a spectacle of these qualities to the populace of several coun tries, the badger is frequently baited with dogs, which, from the looseness of the badger's skin and the coarseness of its hair, are prevented sometimes from pe netrating to his flesh with their teeth, and almost always, from so fastening him by their bite as to preclude his turning in various directions for their annoyance. The strength of his jaws, and the sharp nesS of his teeth, enable him to deal the most painful and destructive wounds ; indeed, his bite almost uniformly brings with it the flesh, as well as the blood of his antagonist. He is at length overpow ered by numbers, but seldom without having inflicted a severe and fatal re.
venge. His agility of movement in the conflict gives a most important advantage, as his blow is, as it were, Struck while the enemy is only preparing for the attack. The badger is particularly cleanly in his , habits ; and his flesh, prepared like that of the hog, is said to be equally valuable , and well-flavoured.
U. horribilis (of Mr. G. Ord) the Griz ly Bear. This animal, says Mr. Bracken ridge, is the monarch of the country which he inhabits. The African lion, or the tiger of Bengal, are not more fierce or terrible. He is the enemy of man, and literally thirsts for his blood. So far from shunning, he seldom fails to attack ; and even to hunt him. The colour is usually such as the name indicates, though there are varieties, from black to silvery white ness. lie is not seen lower than the Mandan villages. In the vicinity of Roche Jaune, and of Little Missouri, they are said to be most numerous. They do , not wander much in the prairies, but are usually found in points of wood, in the of large streams.