Notice of the Habits of a Ma?igouste, 21 



shows that each hair, which is long and coarse, is composed 

 of bars of black, brown, and white, exactly resembling the 



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quills of a porcupine. The head is small and very handsome; 

 the legs are strong, the fore ones much tapered, having five 

 separate toes on each foot ; the tail is very long, thick at the 

 root, and tapering to a point. 



It uses its fore paws with much dexterity; pulls every 

 thing into the cage that comes within their sphere of action, 

 takes insects out of water with them, and when a snuffbox is 

 presented to it, by the rapidity of their motion, expels much 

 of the contents before the box can be shut. It does not take 

 its prey with the claws, but they prove powerful weapons in 

 tormenting it when caught, by throwing it from one place to 

 another. The tail seems to assist the animal in leaping and 

 turning, as in doing so it frequently strikes it against hard 

 .objects with such force as to cause it to bleed at the extremity. 



Its curiosity is unbounded. When let loose in a room it 

 traverses it at a light, airy, and graceful pace, its feet scarcely 

 appearing to touch the floor ; it searches every corner, and 

 kills all insects that are to be found. After the floor has 

 undergone a minute examination, the chairs and tables follow 

 next ; these it easily reaches, being able to leap three feet from 

 the ground, and sometimes the pockets of those present 

 undergo the same scrutiny. The mangouste knows the house 

 and garden of Canaan Cottage so well, that it runs about 

 from the one to the other, but never goes away, and appears 

 at the call of those it knows. Myself and another are the 

 only persons it has complete confidence in ; it distinguishes 

 my foot at a great distance and runs to me : its powers in 

 this way are very acute. I have seen it set its hair on end 

 and growl when a strange dog was some yards from it, the 

 one being within and the other without the house ; with the 

 dog that belongs to the house, it has been on terms of friend- 

 ship ever since the first interview, when, after giving him a 

 bite on the face, a good understanding was established, and 



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