THE CIVET FAMILY 2^9 



its teeth are more numerous ; the canine or sharp-pointed teeth are 

 smaller, and the back-teeth less scissor-like, bearing, especially in the 

 palm civets, little blunt projections, so as to crush or grind. There 

 is a pouch under the tail, in which an odorous substance is secreted. 

 These animals are confined to regions of Asia and Africa, with the 

 exception of one species that is European. 



The true civet cats, from which the musky substance called 

 civet is obtained, are the representatives and chief members of the 

 family. The fur is coarse, yellowish-gray in color, more or less spotted 

 or striped with black, and forming an erect mane on the back. They 

 feed chiefly upon flesh, but also on fruits and roots. 



The African civet is a native of those parts of the Dark 

 Continent lying between the tropics. It is somewhat larger than a 

 common fox, and, like some other species, is kept in confinement for 

 the sake of its strong-smelling secretion, which is used in the manu- 

 facture of perfumery. The odor is far too strong to be pleasant, 

 unless the civet is diluted with oil or spirit. The Asiatic civet, 

 about the same size as the African, has a wide range in the East, 

 \vhere the natives keep it in cages, and care for it that they may 

 obtain from it the fatty substance from which the perfume is made. 

 The tangalung, from Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines, 

 and the Burmese civet, are of smaller size, but similar in habits. The 

 spots of the latter are large and distinct. 



The Ichneumons are chiefly African, only the true ich- 

 neumons ranging into Asia and Europe. They are also known as the 

 mongoose. They vary in size from that of a large cat to that of a 

 weasel, which animal many of them resemble in form. They live 

 mostly on the ground, and feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles and 

 their eggs, and insects. Some are domesticated as mousers and snake- 

 killers. The common ichneumon of North Africa, found also in Spain, 

 was a sacred animal among the ancient Egyptians. It is commonly 

 domesticated at the present day, and makes an afifectionate pet, and a 

 capital servant in killing rats, mice, serpents, and lizards. The Indian 

 ichneumon, or mongoose, is much smaller, with pale-gray fur. It is 

 noted as a snake-killer ; and while some maintain that it is proof against 

 snake-poison, others declare that when bitten the mongoose rushes 



