174 Mammals of Eastern Asia 
scent of commerce is procured. The scent is secreted into the 
hair-lined pouch by special scent glands. The True Civets have 
the forehead relatively full and broad and the ears widely sepa- 
rated; the Little Civets (which are only slightly smaller) have 
the forehead narrower and the inner edges of the ears closer 
together. The Genets of Africa and south Europe are related 
to the Civets. 
The True Civets, genus Viverra, comprise the Indian Civet, 
V. zibetha, the Large-spotted Civet, V. megaspila, the Malay 
Civet, V. tangalunga, and the Malabar Civet, V. civettina of 
southern India. The first is very widely distributed. 
The Indian Civet, Viverra zibetha, is a gray or tawny ani- 
mal with parts of the body pattern rather indistinct, but well 
marked on the back, head, and tail. A strong black line runs 
from behind the ear back almost to the shoulder and thence onto 
the chest. A second line beginning lower down on the neck also 
crosses the chest. A third crosses beneath the throat. These 
three lines are separated by areas of white. A well-defined crest 
of black hairs extends all along the back, and the tail is heavily 
ringed with black on white, the rings incomplete beneath. The 
length of the head and body is from 29 to 33 inches, of the tail 
from 15 to 19 inches, of the foot from 5 to 6% inches. 
The Indian Civet is found from northern India and southern 
China south to the Malay Peninsular. The typical race occurs 
in northeast India and Assam. In upper Burma and Laos the 
race V . z. fiicta is found. There are several other races : V. z. 
pruinosa in lower Burma, Tenasserim, and Siam ; V. z. sigillata 
in the Malay Peninsula; and V. z. ashtoni in China. Viverra 
zibetha is also represented in Tonkin, Annam, and Cochin- 
China. 
The Large-spotted Civet, Viverra megaspila, differs from 
the Indian Civet by having the areas of the palms and soles 
between the digital pads and the central pads nearly naked. 
The sheaths for retraction of the claws of the third and fourth 
