20 Notice of the Habits of a Mangouste, 



Fahr., and, as the monkey eat little or nothing, and was quite 

 inactive, I hardly expected to have kept it alive. 



When I got it on shore, I kept it for some days in a warm 

 room ; it gradually recovered its nimbleness, running about 

 the room, and dragging its kennel after it. Even then it 

 would not eat any insects, and its food consisted of milk and 

 crumbs of bread ; it was particularly fond of any sweet pre^ 

 serve, as jelly, &c., and of fresh ripe fruits. From London I 

 brought it with me to Edinburgh last November, and have 

 kept it here till now. During all this time it has thriven 

 perfectly well ; it is considerably plumper than it was, and the 

 tail is now completely covered with long darkish hair. 



I observe in Linnaeus's description of this animal, he says 

 it is a great enemy to cats ; so far, however, is this from being 

 the case with the present one, that it feeds and sleeps with 

 puss, and they live on the best terms imaginable. 



Though now it is much tamer than it was, it is by no means 

 tractable or docile ; it will allow itself to be patted or gently 

 stroked, but all attempts to handle or play with it are quite 

 unsuccessful. When teased or enraged, it exhibits a most 

 ludicrous physiognomy of passion; the white hairs or whis- 

 kers on its cheeks are erected ; it grins and shows its teeth ; it 

 dilates its nostrils, and the little eyes beam with the most 

 passionate fury : it only wants the power of speech to embody 

 its feelings, to represent most faithfully a true picture of anger. 

 Though it does not possess any of that imitative playfulness 

 which is so amusing in many of the <Simiae, there is a some- 

 thing, an air of intelligence, a look of observation, which we 

 search for in vain in those animals lower in the zoological 

 scale. 



Art. IV. Notice of the Habits of a Mangouste, kept alive at 

 Canaan Cottage, near Edinburgh, By Alex. J. Adie, Jun. Esq. 



The Mangouste, Fiverra Mungo Lin. {fig, 2.), which has 

 been in my possession for about twelve months, is one of a 

 family of four which were taken on board at Madras. This 

 was the only one that reached England, the other three 

 having died during the voyage. It has as yet borne the 

 rigours of our northern latitude well, but it is a little subject 

 to a cough in cold damp weather. The animal is a female, 

 now between two and three years old. It measures in length 

 2 ft. including the tail, which is 1 ft. Its colour, when viewed 

 at a little distance, is a silvery grey ; but a closer inspection 



