454 THE BANDED TENREC, OR VARIED TENREC. 
inches in length. The colour of this animal is rather rich and varied, owing to the deep 
tinting of the quills and the soft hues of the long and flexible hairs which stud the body 
intermixed with the quills. The hair is of pale yellow, and the quills are of a deep red 
or mahogany tint towards their points, and white towards their bases. The long coarse 
hairs which cover the abdomen and the legs are annulated. This animal is said to be 
generally found in the neighbourhood of water, whether fresh or salt, and to make deep 
burrows near the bank. The natives esteem it highly as an article of food. 
THE BANDED TENREC, or VARIED TENREC, as the name is sometimes given, is also a 
native of Madagascar, and has derived its title of Banded, or Varied, from the bold colouring 
of the quills and hair. 
The general colour of the back is a blackish-brown, diversified with three bold stripes 
of yellowish-white, that afford a strong contrast with the dark ground-hues of the back. 
The centre one of these stripes extends along the entire length of the animal, and the two 
others commence by the ear and terminate by the flank. The hair that covers the under 
portions of the body is of a yellowish-white colour. 
