THE MUNGOOSE 



termined to keep a sharp lookout for half an hour 

 or so. My pointer dog was equally puzzled, and 

 began sniffing round the margin of the pool. Pre- 

 sently he stopped, became rigid and '' pointed." 

 His eyes were riveted on what seemed to me to be 

 the end of a dead twig, barely above the level of 

 the water. The dog's head slowly, almost imper- 

 ceptibly sank, and then with a rapid movement it 

 thrust its nose under the water. Next instant 

 there was a great commotion. The pointer dog 

 and a large dark object were struggling and tum- 

 bling over in the shallow water. Presently the dog, 

 with much difficulty, dragged the Water Mungoose 

 to the bank, gripping it firmly by the neck. What 

 I took to be the end of a dead twig was the nose of 

 the mungoose. Its body was invisible to me in 

 the muddy water, but the keen eyes and powers 

 of scent of the dog enabled it to locate the creature. 

 In the Mooi River in Natal a pair of Water Mun- 

 gooses became a pest, they having forfeited the right 

 to live by reason of their thefts of poultry. Half 

 a dozen fox terrier dogs were got together, and 

 a hunt was arranged. After searching the reedy 

 bank of the river for some time, a mungoose was 

 chased from its lair. It was headed downstream, 

 where the banks were free from vegetation. After 

 diving repeatedly the animal swam to the centre of 

 the stream and awaited the attack. A venturesome 

 terrier, bolder and more active than the others, 

 swam ahead and tackled the mungoose. The two 



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