CIVET. 



are attached. By means of this compression, the 

 animal gets rid of the superfluous part of its perfume. 

 Besides this odoriferous matter, there is another 

 secreted, which assumes the form of stiff' silken 

 threads, and is mingled with the first. The civet 

 has besides a small hole on each side of the anus, 

 from which a blackish and very foetid liquid issues. 



The odoriferous substance produced by the civet, 

 and to which the animal owes its common name, forms, 

 especially in the east, an object of considerable 

 commerce. Its virtues are greatly vaunted, accord- 

 to Baron Cuvier, among- the French, though, as we 

 have already said, its medicinal reputation is now 

 wholly exploded. 



The tail of the civet is composed of twenty-five 

 vertebrae, which forms a difference between it and the 

 zibeth, which has only twenty-two. We must not con- 

 found the sluggishness of this animal during the day, 

 with incapacity of motion, at those times when 

 its habits require it to move ; for this sluggishness by 

 day is common to all animals which prey by night ; 

 and those which pursue their prey with the greatest 

 ardour and success, are generally the most quiet dur- 

 ing the periods of their repose. The civet is lithe 

 and agile, and capable either of springing like a cat, 

 or of coursing its prey like a dog, and it indiscrimi- 

 nately catches birds and small quadrupeds. Failing 

 these, it attacks fruits, and also the fleshy roots of 

 plants. They inhabit plains and hills which are 

 rather dry, and seldom drink. In many places of 

 Africa they are kept and bred in a domestic state for 

 the sake of their perfume, which still forms a consi- 

 derable article of trade. The female has four mammae, 

 but seldom produces more than two or three young. 

 The period of gestation has not been well ascertained. 



Zihctli. This species is much smaller in size than 

 the civet, and smoother in its covering ; but it is 

 longer on the legs. Its length is about fifteen inches 

 exclusive of the tail, and its height about a foot. It 

 has no crest of prominent hairs along the ridge of the 

 back ; the ground colour of its fur is yellowish grey, 

 marked with numerous black spots, which sometimes 

 run so much into c;tch other, as to form nearly con- 

 tinuous lines along the sides. The tail is black above 

 throughout its whole length, and pale grey on the 

 under side, which is also the colour of the belly. The 

 sides of the tail are marked with cross bars of black 

 and grey ; the throat and breast are white, and so are 

 the ears, a small spot in front of the eye, and the sides 

 of the upper lip. The throat and breast arc whitish, 

 but marked on the sides with a very conspicuous arch 

 of black, proceeding from the hind part of the ear, 

 and returning to the breast, but not meeting there, so 

 as to form a complete collar. Within the arch there 

 is a spot in the shape of the letter V, with its point 

 directed towards the ear. 



This animal is most plentiful in the Eastern islands, 

 where it is often kept in a domestic state, in the same 

 manner as the civet is in Africa. When fed properly 

 it is a very peaceful animal ; though it is strongly 

 made and very active when in a state of nature. 



It is probable that two distinct varieties, if not 

 species, of these animals, both natives of the Eastern 

 islands, have been mixed up in the descriptions of 

 this one. This species is called Taitggahmg by the 

 Malays, and the other is called Rasse, the latter being 

 by far the more slender of the two, and having the 

 line on the forehead straight, the muzzle more pointed, 

 the head and neck much smaller, and the ears much 



nearer to each other. It is a very active animal, 

 very difficult to be tamed ; will not breed in confine- 

 ment, and therefore, in order to procure its perfume, 

 which is highly prized in the east, it has to be captured 

 and confined in a cage. It is probable that there arc 

 other varieties, or even species, besides these, but 

 their history is obscure ; and, as the colours are known 

 to be variable in the same species, and as they all 

 have the same structure, and nearly the same habits, 

 the distinctions of them are of minor importance. 



GENNETS. These have the sac in which the 

 scented matter is produced much smaller than the 

 civets, and though they have the musky smell, there 

 is no visible secretion, at least in any sensible quantity. 

 The pupil of their eyes contracts more completely to 

 a vertical line in the light than that of the civets, and 

 their claws are more retractile, nearly as much so, in 

 fact, as those of the cats, only they are not so much 

 crooked, and the paw is not so well adapted for being 

 either a striking or a clutching weapon. 



Common Gi'nnct. In its general appearance, the 

 gennet bears no inconsiderable resemblance to the 

 common pole cat, only it is rather longer and stouter, 

 has the line of the forehead straighter, the muzzle 

 much thinner, the ears larger and more naked, the 

 feet stouter and the tail longer. It is covered with 

 two sorts of hair, the longest about half an inch in 

 length on the body, and a whole inch on the tail. 

 The tips of the hairs are, in some places, black, others 

 grey, and others reddish, and the tail is marked with 

 fifteen rings, alternately white and black, with some 

 cloudings of red. 



This is a western animal, having a very consider- 

 able range in latitude, namely, from the south of 

 France to the extremity of Africa. They sleep, or 

 doze in indolence, during the greater part of the day, 

 but are particularly alive during the night. They 

 have many of the habits of cats, and are sometimes 

 employed as substitutes. They breed in confinement, 

 and the period of gestation is understood to be about 

 four months. 



Many other species of this sub-genus have been 

 described, and it is probable that the Rasse of the 

 Eastern isles should have been included in the num- 

 ber ; but the history of the greater part of them is 

 perfectly obscure, and therefore, not adapted for 

 popular purposes. 



ICHNEUMONS. These have the anal bag large and 

 simple, with the anus in the middle of it. They have 

 the hair short on the head and the feet, the toes semi- 

 palmated, and they are generally found near the 

 banks of rivers. 



Common Ichneumon. Many marvellous stories 

 have been told of the blessing which the ichneumon 

 bestows upon Egypt, in the destruction of crocodiles 

 and serpents on the banks of the Nile. A little more 

 accurate information has, however, taught us to 

 believe that the crocodile is by no means a dangerous 

 neighbour to the human inhabitants of Egypt, neither 

 are the serpents on the banks of the Egyptian river 

 very remarkable for their deadly qualities ; and, there- 

 fore, the ichneumon has lost much of its celebrity ; 

 and in the service which it renders to man, it must 

 take its station below the domestic cat, though it is 

 sometimes used as a substitute for that animal. The 

 ichneumon is rather of a timid disposition, except 

 against mice and small lizards ; and, though it attacks 

 the eggs of the crocodile and of other large reptiles 

 with great courage, or, at any rate, avidity, there is no 



