12 



THE FOOD OF ANIMALS 



comparatively weak. The largest member of the group, and at the 

 same time the least typical, is the Foussa (Cryptoprocta ferox), a 

 form peculiar to Madagascar, and probably to be looked on as 

 being a connecting-link with the Felidae (fig. 309). All the Mas- 

 carene Carnivores belong to the Civet group, and by far the most 

 formidable of these is the animal in question. In appearance it 



Fig. 309. Foussa (Cryptoprocta ferox) 



suggests a cat of slender proportions, and may attain a length of 

 about 5 feet, of which, however, nearly half is taken up by the tail. 

 Little is known of its habits, but it is extremely ferocious, and 

 much dreaded by the natives. Like cats and the like, it is able to 

 pursue prey both on the ground and among the trees. The Civets 

 proper and their immediate allies are characteristic of the warmer 

 parts of the Old World, and some of them are far from being 

 entirely carnivorous in diet. We find here, as among the Felidae, 

 some species possessed of marked climbing powers, as in the case 

 of the Asiatic Palm- Civets, or Toddy- Cats (Paradox^tres\ the 

 favourite food of which consists of birds, eggs, and small quad- 

 rupeds such as rats and lizards. The name of Toddy-Cat has 



