THE MADAGASCAR CIVETS 



though often remote situation suggests a fear of 

 enemies, and also a kind of imitation of the serpent. 

 To imitate a serpent, however, seems to be needless. 

 If there is anything in the world sharper than a serpent's 

 tooth it is a cat's claw. A wild cat can look after 

 itself without, so to speak, borrowing from the attitudes 

 of the serpent, and endeavouring to delude its foes 

 into the notion that they are to deal with the " vengeful 

 snake." Still, the aloofness of pussy is probably a 

 trait of wildness, as is her frequent habit of escaping 

 for weeks from comfort, and leading a wild and hunting 

 life in neighbouring game preserves. 



CRYPTOPROCTA FEROX 



About twice the size of a common cat with a long tail 

 and of an uniform sandy or tawny hue, is the Fossa of 

 Madagascar, an island which does not nourish many 

 bloodthirsty beasts of prey. It appears, however, 

 that what it wants in quantity it makes up for in 

 quality ; for the Cryptoprocta, as its specific name 

 suggests, is reputed to be one of the most ferocious of 

 hunting mammals. The unprejudiced visitor to the 

 Zoo will probably not be of that opinion. For the 

 specimens that have been on view at that institution 

 present the appearance of mildness rather than ferocity 

 of disposition. But place a Cryptoprocta handy to a 

 farmyard and the bloodthirstiness comes into evidence ; 

 it will kill and slay indefinitely. In this it is like its 

 not near relative the weasel, ferocity of disposition 

 being often in wild beasts disproportionate to size. 

 This fossa must not be confounded with another 

 Madagascar carnivorous animal, Fossa daubentoni, 

 which is more definitely a civet, though lacking the 

 odoriferous pouch of those beasts. To avoid confusion 

 the latter animal is spoken of as the fossane. The exact 

 position which Cryptoprocta occupies in the carnivorous 



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