96 JUNGLE FOLK 



Empire. The only one which is well known is the 

 common mungoose, which Jerdon calls Herpestes 

 griseus. It is, I believe, now known as Herpestes mungo. 

 During the last century it has been renamed some 

 eight or nine times. 



It is not necessary to describe the mungoose. The 

 few Anglo-Indians who have not met him in the wild 

 state must have frequently seen him among the 

 ** properties " of the individual who calls himself a 

 snake-charmer. 



The mungoose lives in a hole excavated by itself. 

 It is diurnal in habits, and feeds largely on animal food. 

 Jerdon states that it is " very destructive to such birds 

 as frequent the ground. Not infrequently it gets 

 access to tame pigeons, rabbits, or poultry, and 

 commits great havoc. ... I have often seen it make 

 a dash into a verandah where some cages of mynas, 

 parrakeets, etc., were daily placed, and endeavour to 

 tear them from their cage." But birds are not easy for 

 a terrestrial creature to procure, so that its animal food 

 consists chiefly of mice, small snakes, lizards, and 

 insects. Jerdon states that " it hunts for and devours 

 the eggs of partridges, quail, and other ground-laying 

 birds." I am inclined to think that the carnivorous 

 propensities of the mungoose have been exaggerated, 

 for its food seems to contain a considerable admixture 

 of vegetable substances. In captivity it will eat bread 

 and bananas, although it requires animal food in 

 addition. McMaster records the case of a mungoose 

 killed near Secunderabad, of which the stomach 

 contained a quail, a portion of a custard apple, a small 



