THE BASSE. 



185 



It is furnished with a musk-secreting pouch like that of the African civet. It is a lethargic 

 animal in captivity, and even in a wild state passes the day in sleep, and only seeks its food 

 after dark. Its usual diet is composed of birds and the smaller mammalia, but it will also 

 eat various fruits, especially those of a sweet nature. In size it nearly equals the civet. In 

 captivity it is a gentle creature, and is so completely tamed by the natives of the countries 

 where it is found that it inhabits the house like a domestic cat and employs itself in similar 

 useful pursuits. 



THE animal which is known by 

 the native name of TANGALUNG, bears 

 some resemblance to the preceding 

 animals. The black markings, how- 

 ever, are more distinct, and along the 

 direction of the spine the fur is most 

 deeply black. On the lower part of 

 the throat and neck are three cu- 

 riously shaped black bands, very 

 wide in the middle and very narrow 

 at each end, the central band being 

 several times wider than the others. 



The length of this animal is two 

 feet six inches, the head measuring 

 nearly seven inches in length, and the 

 tail about eleven inches. The head 

 is rather wide and rounded, and is 

 suddenly contracted towards the nose, 

 so as to form a rather short muzzle. 

 The tail is nearly cylindrical, and 

 does not taper so much as that of 

 the zibeth, and the body is furnished 

 with a close downy covering of soft 

 hairs next the skin. It is partly to 

 this woolly hair that the cylindrical 

 outline of the tail is owing. The 

 Tangalung is a native of Sumatra. 



THE RASSE is spread over a large 

 extent of country, being found in 

 Java, various parts of India, Singa- 

 pore, I^epal, and other localities. The color of its fur is a warm grayish-brown, upon which 

 are placed eight parallel lines of elongated dark spots. The dark rings which mark the 

 tail pass entirely round that member, while those which are found on the tail of the zibeth 

 reach little more than half the circumference of the tail. The texture of the fur is rather 

 coarse and stiff, and it is not very thickly set. The ears of this animal approach each other 

 very closely at their base, being only separated by the space of an inch, whereas there is an 

 interval of two inches between the ears of the zibeth. 



In the Javanese language, the word "Rasa," from which the name Rasse is taken, signi- 

 fies a sensation of the palate or the nostrils, so that it may be applied to the senses of smelling 

 or tasting. It generally refers to odoriferous substances. 



The perfume which is furnished by the Rasse is secreted in a double pouch, like that of 

 the civet, and is removed from the animal in precisely the same manner. It is highly valued 

 by the Javanese, who imbue their persons, their rooms, and their garments so strongly with 

 this substance that a European nostril is grievously affected at the all-pervading odor. The 

 substance itself is termed Dedes. 



ZIBETH. Vivara zibetha. 



