76 



THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



photo b) Scholastic Photo, Co.] 



[Parson' 1 ! (Srttn 



This photograph iho 



AFRICAN CIVET 



; i he finely marked Jur oj the ipecia and the jrnnt fieiv cj the head 



killing rats. Several other 

 very similar forms arc found in 

 Africa. The presence of such 

 a very Oriental-looking ani- 

 mal in Europe is something 

 of a surprise, though many 

 persons forget that our South 

 European animals are very 

 like those of Africa and the 

 East. The porcupine, which 

 is common in Italy and Spain, 

 and the lynx and Barbary ape 

 are instances. A tame genet 

 kept by an acquaintance of the 

 writer in Italy was absolutely 

 domesticated like a tame 

 mongoose. It had very pretty 

 fur, gray, marbled and spotted with black, and no disagreeable odour, except a scent of musk. 

 It was a most active little creature, hill of curiosity, and always anxious to explore not only 

 every room, but every cupboard and drawer in the house. Perhaps this was due to its keenness 

 in hunting mice, a sport of which it never tired. It did not play with the mice when caught as 

 a cat does, but ate them at once. 



The Linsangs, an allied group, are met with in the East, from India to Borneo and Java. 

 They are more slender than the genets, and more arboreal. Of the Nepalese LlNSANG Hodgson 

 writes : " This animal is equally at home on trees and on the ground. It breeds and dwells in 

 the hollows of decaying trees. It is not gregarious, and preys mainly on living animals." A 

 tame female owned by him is stated to have been wonderfully docile and tractable, very sensitive 

 to cold, and very fond of being petted. There is an allied West African species. 



The Palm-civets and Hemigales still further increase this numerous tribe. Slight differ- 

 ences of skull, of the markings of the tail, which may only have rings on the base, and of the 

 foot and tail, are the naturalist's guide to their separation from the other civets ; Hakdwicke's 

 Hemigale has more zebra-like markings. Borneo, 

 Africa, India, and the Himalaya all produce these 

 active little carnivora ; but the typical palm-civets are 

 Oriental They are sometimes known as Toddy-cats, 

 because they drink the toddy from the jars fastened to 

 catch the juice. The groves of cocoanut-palm are their 

 favourite haunts ; but they will make a home in holes in 

 the thatched roofs of houses, and even in the midst 

 of cities. There are many species in the group. 



The Binturong is another omnivorous, tree- 

 haunting animal allied to the civets ; but it has a 

 prehensile tail, which few other mammals of the Old 

 World possess. It is a blunt-nosed, heavy animal, 

 sometimes called the Bear-cat. Very little is known 

 of its habits. It is found from the Eastern Himalaya 

 to Java. 



The last of the Civet Family is Bennett's Civet, 

 the only instance of a cat-like animal with partly 

 webbed feet. Found in the Malay Peninsula and in 



fhtlt h, I. M,dUnd, T.7. 5.] [North Fimhln 



SUMATRAN CIVF I 



A small and very beautiful member of the Civet Family 

 It feeds largely on fish 



