THE CIVET AND ZIBETH. 229 



nunciations of one and the same Arabic word. The former is a native 

 of Africa, the latter of Asia. 



The Tangalung, Vivcrra tangarunga, has rather more distinct mark- 

 ings than the preceding species, the three black bands on the throat 

 being very conspicuous. The body has a thick downy covering of soft 

 hair next the skin, which gives the tail a cylindrical aspect. The Tanga- 

 lung is a native of Sumatra. 



The Civets in their natural wild state are rather nocturnal than diur- 

 nal creatures, and live on small birds and animals. Numbers are kept in 

 captivity for the sake of obtaining the odoriferous substance they pro- 

 duce. Civet was long a favorite perfume. " He rubbeth himself with 

 civet, a sign that the sweet youth is in love," and " An ounce of civet, 

 good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination," are well known quotations 

 from Shakespeare, who describes it correctly as the " most unclean flux 

 of a cat." This substance is contained in two glands, each of which 

 will hold about the size of an almond ; as the civet is formed it is pressed 

 through small orifices into the pouch, which the animal can compress at 

 will. When at liberty it discharges the substance in pieces about the 

 size of a nut every fourteen or twenty days ; when captive it is deprived 

 of the secretion by means of a spoon, care being taken to secure the 

 creature so that it cannot bite. Usually the civet is removed twice a 

 week, to the quantity of a drachm each time. When fresh it is white in 

 color, but turns brown. To prepare the civet of commerce, the sub- 

 stance is carefully freed from hairs, washed with water and lemon-juice, 

 and finally dried in the sun. The best kind comes from the Moluccas. 

 When civet was the scent in fashion, large numbers of the animals were 

 kept in Italy and Holland as well as by the traders in Abyssinia. 



GENUS VIVERRICULA. 



The RasSE, Viverricula malacensis, the ottly species of the genus, is 

 the Javanese Civet. Its head is wedge-shaped and the ears close to- 

 gether, the fur is rigid, coarse and scanty, and is marked along the back 

 with eight parallel lines. It is found usually in forests slightly elevated 

 above the sea-level ; it preys on small birds and animals, and has the 

 sanguinary appetite of the family in a high degree. It preserves, unlike 

 the Zibeth, the natural ferocity of its disposition in captivity. Its per- 

 fume is highl}' valuea by the Javanese. 



