THE BURMESE CIVET. 213 



certain roots. A good swimmer, it never has any hesitation 

 in taking to the water. The young, in India, are born during 

 the months of May and June \ each litter including three or 

 four cubs. 



The secretion from the glands placed in front of the scrotum 

 of the male of this and other Civets, and in a corresponding 

 position in the female, escapes by a number of small orifices 

 into a kind of pouch with a long slit-like opening. From this 

 receptacle the Civet of commerce is scraped out periodically 

 by means of a kind of wooden spoon ; the natives of many 

 eastern countries keeping these animals in confinement for the 

 sake of this product. Two glands situated more posteriorly 

 yield a secretion with a most noisome and offensive odour. 



III. THE MALABAR CIVET. VIVERRA CIVETTINA. 



Viverra avettina, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. xxxi. p. 

 332 (1862); Blanford, Mamm. Brit. India, p. 98 (1888); 

 Sclater, Cat. Mamm. Ind. Mus. pt. ii. p. 236 (1891). 



Characters. — Size nearly as in the last ; black rings on tail 

 complete, but the light ones partially interrupted by a broken 

 longitudinal dark stripe on the upper surface ; sides of body 

 distinctly marked with dark spots ; dorsal crest commencing 

 on the head. First upper molar more quadrangular than in 

 the preceding species. General ground-colour of fur distinctly 

 yellowish. 



Distribution. — The Malabar Coast, and the Wynad and Curg 

 districts of Southern India. 



IV. THE BURMESE CIVET. VIVERRA MEGASPILA. 



Viverra megasp'/a, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. xxxi. 



p. 331 (1862); Blanford, Mamm. Brit. India, p. 99 



(1888); Sclater, Cat. Mamm. Ind. Mus. pt. ii. p. 227 



(1891). 



Characters. — Size of the last ; a longitudinal black band down 



