CANIS ZEEDA. 149 



to take in its motions, that he was accustomed to watch for victories 

 over it, either for his pleasure or his food. He seemed very much 

 alarmed at the approach of a cat, and endeavoured to hide himself, 

 but showed no symptom of preparing for any defence, I never heard 

 he had any voice ; he suffered himself, not without some difficulty, to 

 he handled in the day Avhen he seemed rather inclined to sleep, but 

 was exceedingly unquiet and restless so soon as night came, and always 

 endeavouring his escape, and though he did not attempt the wire, yet 

 with his sharp teeth he very soon mastered the wood of any common 

 bird-cage." 



The Fennec is above of a pale fawn-colour, or a reddish cream- 

 colour, or even a whitish stone-colour, white beneath. The end of the 

 tail is black, and sometimes there are black marks on its dorsum near 

 the root. A portion of the forehead and the parts surrounding the 

 eyes are nearly quite white. The very long, erect and pointed ears are 

 covered externally with short rufous hairs, with long whitish hairs on 

 their inner margins. A longitudinal black mark on the hinder part 

 of the dorsum of the body may be present or absent. In one specimen 

 the hairs on the body were of a light yellowish ochre with the tips white. 

 In another they were rufous ochre with white tips. The presence 

 or absence of the black mark on the back, and the differences which 

 exist as to the length of the ears, may indicate that two species are 

 confounded under the designation C. zerda. 



Habitat. Northern Africa, certainly from Nubia to Algiers, and 

 throughout the Sahara. 



Centimeters. 



Length from end of snout to root of tail 40'0 



„ of tail 17-3 



„ from licel to end of longest digit 9'0 



„ of ear 8'0 



In another specimen the ear was loO. 



