466 



THE CARNIVORES 



The name of toddy-cats is applied to these animals from the partiality they, in 

 common with the fox-bats, display in Southern India and Ceylon for the palm juice, 

 or toddy, collected by the natives in vessels suspended on the trees. Like the other 

 members of the group, the Indian palm-civet, when irritated, gives forth a most 



unpleasant odor. 



The Malay palm-civet (P. hermaphroditus] , which is represented in the illus- 

 tration on p. 465, occurs throughout the countries to the eastward of the Bay of 

 Bengal, as far as Siam, and is distinguished from its Indian congener by the pres- 

 ence of a pale-colored band running across the forehead, and also by the general 

 presence of stripes across the back in the adult condition. In both the preceding 

 species the "whiskers" are black, but in the golden palm-civet (P. aureus) of 



THE CHINESE PAI.M-CIVET. 



(One-fourth natural size.) 



Ceylon, and also the brown palm-civet (P. jerdoni) of Southern India, they are 

 respectively rufous and dark brown ; the body color of those two species being 

 nearly the same as that of their whiskers. On the other hand, the Himalayan 

 palm-civet (P. grayi), which occurs throughout Sikhim and Assam, is readily 

 distinguished by its white whiskers ; while it is further characterized by the great 

 backward production of the bony palate of the skull. The golden palm-civet is said 

 to be less carnivorous than the other species. 



The Chinese palm-civet (P. larvatus), of which we give a figure on this 

 page, is closely allied to the Himalayan palm-civet, but differs by the browner tinge 

 of its grayish fur, and by the markings on the head being very distinct, and black 



