THE FENNEC FOX 35 



by the early writers, and one French naturalist 

 even supposed it to be some kind of galago a 

 carnivorous terrestrial species being thus mistaken 

 for an arboreal lemuroid, allied to the bush baby 

 already described ! 



A further contribution to the subject was made 

 many years later, when a fairly good figure of the 

 fennec (from a drawing by Major Denham) was 

 published with the zoological report appended to 

 Denham and Clapperton's book of travels : the 

 report also contains a good account of the fennec. 1 1 

 may here be mentioned that the zoological results 

 of this expedition were highly creditable, for though 

 only provided with a penknife and a little arsenical 

 soap, the party managed to bring home upwards 

 of a hundred natural history specimens, many 

 being in an excellent state of preservation ! 



In more recent times the habits of the fennec 

 have been carefully studied. Bruce tells us that 

 he purchased a second specimen in Sennaar : in 

 spite of the enormous distance thus separating the 

 homes of his two fennecs, they were both exactly 

 alike, so that Cam's zerda probably ranges through- 

 out the Sahara desert. It has been found to be 

 abundant in the date-growing districts of Beni 

 Mzab and Ouargla, and has even been stated to 

 climb the date palms for the sake of the fruit. 1 



i The fennec has here probably been confused with the palm -rat 

 ( Mus chamaeropsis), which is often found in the tops of the palm 

 trees in the Algerian Sahara. 



