NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



It must be carefully borne in mind that there 

 are comparatively few of our animal friends which 

 are not, under certain circumstances, harmful to 

 us. The mungoose is a carnivorous animal, and 

 whatever is good for food in its neighbourhood is 

 commandeered. 



However, even when living in proximity to man, 

 the mungoose, as a rule, does comparatively little 

 mischief, for it is timid and shy, and has a whole- 

 some dread of the human animal and his dogs. 

 When pressed by hunger it becomes increasingly 

 bold, and will, under cover of darkness, steal into 

 the fowl roosts and play havoc with the poultry. 

 The sportsman is an enemy to the mungoose for 

 the reason that it preys at times on small game 

 birds and game animals. From an economic point 

 of view the sportsman's grievance against the 

 mungoose does not count for much. It is true 

 most species of game birds perform a service to 

 man in devouring noxious insects and seeds of 

 weeds, and the mungoose is one of the natural 

 enemies of these birds for the purpose of keeping 

 them from multiplying unduly and becoming a 

 plague to man, for most of the species of game 

 birds also devour with avidity the seeds sown by 

 the farmer, as well as his ripening corn, besides 

 eating off the tender plants as they push their heads 

 above ground. The hare, if allowed to unduly 

 increase in numbers, would become a decided pest. 

 It renders man no service at all. On the contrary, 



i6 



