AXKMALS OF THE rOTCHEFSTROOM DISTRICT 213 



coiidemned from a humanitarian point of view, but I 

 think juiyone who has had experience of the amount of 

 physical endurance and energy entailed to kill a single 

 otter, and knowing the remarkable resources, of the 

 quarry, will concede it much more justifiable than his 

 ignominious end in the jaws of a trap; besides, the otter 

 having few natural enemies and being very destructive 

 to fish, is as warrantable a quarry as any other. 



The small skunk or black and white muishond is come 

 upon now and again; and I have killed it close to 

 the town, but it is now comparatively scarce, as its 

 destructive propensities doom it to short shrift where 

 homesteads abound, this plucky little beast being more 

 inclined when encountered to show fight than to run 

 awaA;, probably, like its larger relative in the new world, 

 relying on its evil smelling discharge for protection. An 

 amusing incident occurred when, late one evening, as I 

 was folloAving my waggon, I heard my pointer barking and 

 a considerable commotion on the veld some distance away. 

 My kafiir boy reached the scene first, where the dog was 

 baiting a pair of these muishonds, which, with all their 

 hair on end, resembled two infuriated cats ; they promptly 

 set upon the boy, whom I met in precipitate flight, and 

 afterwards bestowed their attention on me, when, having 

 no weapon or missile to hand, I was obliged to retreat 

 ignominiously, leaving them in the fast gathering dark- 

 ness in full possession of the field. 



In the way of lesser vermin, the red meerkats, which 

 are plentiful on the veld, are frequently seen where loose 

 sandy f)atches afford them favourable ground for their 

 burrows, and in such places, where not much molested, 

 they exist in considerable colonies. Near habitations 

 their reputation as poultry thieves induces their extermi- 

 nation. 



When I was first in Potchefstroom nearly twenty years 

 ago, although the brown rat was often seen, the smaller 

 black rat was still numerous, but I have not seen any 



