236 CARNIVORA. 



The Ichneumon, when fully grown, is as large or larger than oui 

 domestic cat, but seems smaller owmg to its short legs. The body is 

 slender, but by no means so graceful as that of the Genet ; the feet have 

 naked soles, and are partially webbed. The long tail appears, in conse- 

 quence of its long hair, to be very thick at the root. The eyes are proml 

 nent, the ears short, broad and rounded. The fur consists of a thick, 

 woolly, russet-colored felt, covered with long hair marked with black and 

 yellowish rings, and having a dull yellow tip. 



The Ichneumon, or Pharaoh's Rat, extends over all North Africa and 

 Northwestern Asia, and is always found near the habitations of man, fre- 

 quenting the reedy banks of rivers or the hedges which surround the 

 fields ; through these reed-beds it forms narrow roads which lead to its 

 nest, where the female brings forth her young. Brehm describes the 

 Ichneumon as strictly diurnal in its habits, and as timid and suspicious, 

 possessing the evil odor and bloodthirstiness of the marten. It eats 

 everything — snakes, worms, lizards, mice, reed-birds ; its plunder of the 

 nests of hens and pigeons renders it hateful to the fellaheen. At present 

 it does not come into contact with crocodiles, the latter being nearly 

 exterminated in Lower Egypt. Its mode of progression is very serpent- 

 like ; it seems to glide over the ground without using its legs. In the 

 summer, when the young ones have been born, the whole family may be 

 seen together, following each other in Indian file so closely that they seem 

 to be one snake-like creature. The sense of smell is highly developed, 

 and is the means by which the Ichneumon tracks his prey. 



The Ichneumon was, in the land of the Pharaohs, an emblem of the 

 Deity as the destroyer of evil ; in the Egypt of Turkish Pachas and 

 Greek traders it is considered a charitable action to kill it. When a 

 report spreads that some traveler is going to kill a Nims, as the Arabs 

 call the beast, young and old rejoice; the peasant drops his hoe, the 

 weaver quits his loom, the waterwheels stop, and all the population 

 flock to witness the destruction of the murderous little thief. 



The sportsman must use a strong charge of powder and fire at a 

 short range if he wishes to kill, for the Ichneumon possesses incredible 

 tenacity of lite, and will certainly escape if only wounded. The Ich- 

 neumon is easily tamed and is as playful as a cat, but it is not of much 

 use to its master. 



Like other illusions of our youth, belief in the virtues of the Ich- 

 neumon is torn from us b}^ modern philosophers. 



