Liberia <«- 



last is a very tamable creature if caught young. The Liberians 

 call it the "bush cat" (they actually misname the civet 

 "raccoon"!). It is a pretty little animal, of grey, with dark 

 brown spots. This creature, together with the genet, is such 

 a splendid mouser and ratter that it is surprising it has not 

 been more effectively domesticated by the Liberians, who prefer 

 to import domestic cats from England, though in some of 

 the villages the aborigines keep these paradoxures or genets. 

 The two-spotted palm civet is chiefly nocturnal in its habits, 

 but when kept in captivity it is not reluctant to move about 

 in the daytime.^ 



There are two species of Ichneumon or mongoose, 

 Herpestes pluto and H. gracilis. There is one species of 

 Smooth-nosed mongoose, the Kusimanse i^Crossarchus obscurus). 

 This creature is very much given to burrowing and using 

 its long and flexible nose like a snout to root out insects from 

 all sorts of crevices. It is a dull yellow-brown in colour, 

 with a not very long tail, which is most heavily bushed near 

 the base, and not at the tip. This Kusimanse, which is very 

 common in Liberia, and often kept as a tame animal by 

 the Americo-Liberians, has become largely an insect-eater in 

 its diet, and is consequently most useful in ridding the houses 

 of insect pests, especially cockroaches. It is extremely rapid 

 in its movements, and most inquisitive, becoming rather a 

 pest at last by the interest which it takes in one's movements. 

 It keeps up a rather fidgety, querulous, purring noise. Still, it 

 is an animal of which the domestication should be encouraged 

 by bounties in West Africa on account of the vigorous war 

 it carries on against the vile insects, scorpions, spiders, mice, 

 and small snakes. 



I have stated that Hycenas may stray within the limits 



' Like the civet, it lives partly on vegetable food, fruits, and nuts. 



704 



