A NEW SPECIES OF PALM- CIVET. 431 



a spoon against a tea-cup. Whenever he had an opportunity he 

 would scramble up the wooden posts of the verandah, like a cat, and 

 sleep, curled into a ball, on the beams. He used to lie flat on his 

 back at other times, in the most human positions, with his head 

 resting on one arm, and was a very interesting pet. Although he 

 objected to have his body touched, I used to carry him about by his 

 tail without his struggling or attempting to get away. 



The tail was much developed in bone and muscle, of equal length 

 to his head and body, and appeared to be a most powerful organ, 

 much more so than its use would, at first sight, seem to warrant, but I 

 noticed he used it much in balancing himself when walking on a 

 thin branch. Also when descending a post, head first, he would half 

 curl it round the wood, and by pressing hard with it would, by this 

 means, assist in supporting himself. Coming down a clothes-horse I 

 noticed he used to hook his tail over one bar when descending to a 

 lower. The tail was therefore decidedly semi -prehensile and of con- 

 siderable use to an arboreal animal like himself. 



His temper was not sweet, being, without doubt, short and nasty ; 

 he considered his cage as his castle, and actively objected to any 

 trespass on his domain. He would spit and swear like a cat, and, 

 with his long fluffy hair all on end, looked the handsome little spit- 

 fire he was. A rare bully, too, he was ; he knew the dogs had been 

 forbidden to molest him, and he would creep up to them when sleeping, 

 nip their tails, and frisk off in the cheekiest manner imaginable. 

 The younger dogs he used to worry until they left the verandah in 

 disgust. 



"When pleased with himself and all the world, he would roll him- 

 self into a ball, bury his nose in his tail, and pour forth his happiness 

 in a low chirruping purr which he would keep up for half an hour 

 at a time. 



I have also heard him make strange squeaking and chattering 

 noises like a nestful of young mice. His front feet were rounded and 

 resembled those of a cat, but with semi-retractile claws ; the hind feet 

 were more like those of a squirrel, his gait moreover was more like 

 that of that animal than of any other. The chief feature that I 

 remarked was the great development of the nictitating membrane. 

 This was as perfect as in many birds, and could be easily drawn over 



