A CIVET CAT 



gave a convulsive leap forward and then fell quite 

 dead. Although fully adult, he was distinctly small in 

 bodily size, and compared very unfavourably in that 

 respect with others I had shot in the highlands of 

 East Africa. I was to learn later that this decrease 

 in size is apparent in all the common specimens of 

 the game I shot in Jubaland. It would seem prob- 

 able that the poor grazing and the hard physical 

 conditions of the country which they inhabit are the 

 causes of this. I spent several days in this district 

 hunting and working, but saw little game except a 

 few dik-dik and some small birds, of which I shot 

 several for my collection. 



The night previous to my departure from this 

 camp was not without incident. I turned in about 

 8.30, and was fast asleep when, at ten o'clock, my 

 boy, Juma, came in and woke me, saying that, " There 

 was a little thing outside to shoot." So, hastily 

 putting on a pair of boots, I crept out with my shot- 

 gun, and sure enough I saw some small animal in 

 the moonlight just outside the boma. It heard me 

 coming, but as it turned to run I fired and killed it. 

 a clear proof of how bright the moon was. The 

 camp was instantly in a hubbub, as every one woke 

 at the shot and came running out with their rifles. 

 It was exceedingly amusing to watch them before 

 they realised what had happened. The midnight 

 visitor turned out to be an exceedingly pretty little 

 animal with small, pointed grey head and beady eyes, 

 a grey body with rich brown spots on it, and a ringed 

 black and grey tail, while all down the back was a 

 crest of long black hairs. It appears to be a civet 

 cat ( Viverra civetta). 



After it had been carefully put away I returned 



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