225 



also the dense thorny scrub that usually covers the bunds of 

 tanks." 



He says that the civet-cat takes readily to water if hard pressed : 

 I have heard sportsmen from the western coasts speak of an animal 

 called by the natives there a " water cat" may it not be his next 

 mentioned species the Malabar civet-cat, which is, the size, or 

 nearly so, of this one, from which it chiefly differs in the more pro- 

 nounced character of the dark marks and in the purer gray of 

 the ground color ? 



No. 30, Page 44. Paradoxurus Musanga. 

 The Tree or Toddy Cat. 



Jerdon says that this animal is " popularly called the Toddy-cat, 

 in consequence of its supposed fondness for the juice of the palm 

 (Tari, H., toddy anglice), a fact, which appears of general accepta- 

 tion both in India and Ceylon (where it is called the palm cat) and 

 which appears to have some foundation. 



His description is as follows : 



" General color brownish-black, with some dingy yellowish 

 stripes on each side, more or less distinct, and sometimes not 

 noticeable ; a white spot above and below each eye, and the 

 forehead with a whitish band in some ; a black line from the top of 

 the head down the centre of the nose is generally observable. In 

 many individuals the ground color appears to be fulvous with black 

 pencilling, or mixed fulvous and black ; the longitudinal stripes 

 then show dark ; limbs always dark brown. Some appear almost 

 black throughout, and the young are said to be nearly all black. 

 Some appear fulvous-gray washed with black, the face black, and 

 the tail very dark ; and others appear to have the sides spotted. 

 Many of these variations are owing to the state of abrasion of the 

 fur, which is yellowish at the base and blackish at the tip. One is 

 described as pale grayish-brown with longer black hairs intermixed, 

 and most prevalent on the back of head, neck and along the back ; 

 three black bands on the loins ; head brownish with a gray mark 

 above and below the eyes ; tail with the terminal fifth yellowish 

 white. I have had several skins with the terminal portion of the 

 tail yellowish white, and one or two with the whole posterior parts 



29 



