178 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
the rains commence, usually in November or December in the 
higher parts of the island. It is probably the most prolific mammal 
on earth, having anything from twelve to twenty-two young ones 
at a time.’ In captivity a diet of raw meat suffices to maintain it in 
good health, though its appetite varies considerably. At times 
during the voyage home ours were most voracious, while at others 
they seemed to be in a semi-torpid state and refused food for days 
at a stretch. Unaccustomed changes in climatic conditions may 
have accounted partly for this, but not wholly so, as some speci- 
mens ate nothing during spells of warm weather similar to con- 
ditions in their natural home. 
In the London Zoo they continued to show a reptilian trait in 
their spasmodic desire for food. 
In collecting in places like Madagascar one can never tell how 
much one has been hampered by local superstition. Apart from 
some innocent action which may give offence and therefore be the 
cause of non-co-operation, one has to contend with the legends 
concerning the animals themselves. I could never make up my 
mind whether the difficulty in getting White-backed Ducks was 
due to their scarcity or difficulty in trapping, or to a native belief. 
It seems that when the White-backed Duck breeds, the female 
sits so tightly on its eggs that it allows itself to be picked up. This 
has given rise to the legend that this species lays such large eggs 
as to cause it to faint and remain helpless. Native women thus 
refuse to eat it in case it is the cause of their having difficulty in 
childbirth. 
We left Madagascar with a large collection comprising Pygmy 
Geese, Hottentot Teal, Madagascar Pochard, Meller’s Duck, 
White-backed Duck and Red-billed Duck; Allen’s and Green- 
backed Gallinules; Cuvier’s Rails; Madagascar Bee-eater; par- 
tridges, button quail and white-eyes; and various sunbirds, Foudia 
Finches, tenrecs, and various snakes and chameleons. 
On the way home we called at the island of Anjouan (Johanna), 
one of the Comoro group, and I got ashore through the surging 
swell with difficulty in a small boat. My objective was the Anjouan 
’ Prof. H. Bliintschli records finding thirty-two well-developed embryos in a specimen 
he dissected. 
