42 VERTEBRATES I MAMMALS. 



with gray beneath, and the tail 

 white, the latter with six to 

 eight black rings. They are 

 arboreal, easily tamed, and fa- 

 vorite pets with the miners. 



The Genus Viverra, accord- 

 ing to its old limits, comprises 

 the four following species. 



Civet Cat, B. astuta. Licht. /-,->. ^. . Tr T . 



The Civet, V. cwetta, Lmn., 



of Africa, is ash-colored, irregularly barred and spotted 

 with black. There is a mane along the whole back and 

 tail which the animal raises at will. This species furnishes 

 the musky substance called civet. 



The Common Genet, V. genetta, Linn., of Southern 

 Europe to Cape of Good Hope, is gray, spotted with 

 brown or black ; the tail annulated with black and white. 

 Its skin is an important article of trade. 



The Mangouste or Ichneumon, V. ichneumon, Linn., of 

 Egypt, is about the size of the domestic cat, very slender, 

 of a gray color, tail long and terminated with a black tuft. 

 It hunts chiefly the eggs of the crocodile, but also preys 

 upon all sorts of small animals. It is kept in houses, like 

 the common cat. The Europeans at Cairo call it Pha- 

 raoh's Rat. 



The Mangouste, V. mungos, Linn., of India, smaller 

 than the last, is celebrated for its combats with the most 

 dangerous serpents, and for having led us to the knowl- 

 edge of the Ophiorhiza mungos as an antidote for their 

 poison. 



MUSTELID.E, OR WEASEL FAMILY. This Family com- 

 prises elongated and slender-bodied animals, with five- 

 toed plantigrade or digitigrade feet, and with a single 

 tubercular molar tooth only on either side of each jaw. 

 The Mustelidae comprise all the animals known as Fish- 

 ers, Martens, Sables, Weasels, Minks, Otters, Badgers, and 



