340 



ANIMALS OF 



THE GENET. 



FROM the squash, which is the most offen- 

 sive animal in nature, we come to the Genet, 

 which is one of the most beautiful and pleas- 

 ing. Instead of the horrid stench with which 

 the former affects us, this has a most grateful 

 odour; more faint than civet, but to some, 

 for that reason, more agreeable. This ani- 

 mal is rather less than the martin; though 

 there are genets of different sizes, and I have 

 seen one rather larger. It also differs some- 

 what in the form of its bod y. It is not easy 

 in words to give an idea of the distinction. 

 It resembles all those of the weasel kind, in 

 its length, compared to its height ; it resem- 

 bles them in having a soft, beautiful fur, in 

 having its feet armed with claws that cannot 

 be sheathed, and in its appetite for petty car- 

 nage. But then it differs from them in having 

 the nose much smaller and longer, rather re- 

 sembling that of a fox than a weasel. The 

 tail, also, instead of being bushy, tapers to a 

 point, and is much longer ; its ears are larger, 

 and its paws smaller. As to its colours, and 

 figure in general, the genet is spotted with 

 black, upon a ground mixed with red and gray. 

 It has two sorts of hair, the one shorter and 

 softer, the other longer and stronger, but not 

 above half an inch long on any part of its body 

 except the tail. Its spots are distinct and se- 

 parate upon the sides, but unite towards the 

 back, and form black stripes, which run lon- 

 gitudinally from the neck backwards. It lias 

 also along the back a kind of mane or longish 

 hair, which forms a black streak from the head 

 to the tail, which last is marked with rings, 

 alternately black and white, its whole length. 



The genet, like all the rest of the weasel 

 kinds, has glands, that separate a kind of per- 

 fume, resembling civet, but which soon flies 

 off! These glands open differently from those 

 of other animals of this kind ; for, as the lat- 

 ter have their apertures just at the opening 

 of the anus, these have their aperture imme- 

 diately under it; so that the male seems, for 

 this reason, to the superficial observer, to be 

 of two sexes. 



It resembles the martin very much in its 

 habits and disposition ;" except, that it seems 



Buffon, vol. xix. p. 187. 



tamed much more easily. Belonius assures 

 us, that he has seen them in the houses at 

 Constantinople as tame as cats; and that they 

 were permitted to run every where about, 

 without doing the least mischief. For this 

 reason they have been called the cats of Con- 

 stantinople; although they have little else in 

 common with that animal, except their skill 

 in spying out and destroying vermin. Natu- 

 ralists pretend that it inhabits only the moist- 

 er grounds, and chiefly resides along the banks 

 of rivers, having never been found in moun- 

 tains, nor dry places. The species is not 

 much diffused ; it is not to be found in any 

 part of Europe, except Spain and Turkey; 

 it requires a warm climate to subsist and mul- 

 tiply in ; and yet it is not to be found in the 

 warmer regions either of India or Africa. 

 From such as have seen its uses at Constan- 

 tinople, I learn, that it is one of the most beau- 

 tiful, cleanly, and industrious animals in the 

 world ; that it keeps whatever house it is in 

 perfectly free from mice and rats, which can- 

 not endure its smell. Add to this, its nature 

 is mild and gentle, its colours various and 

 glossy, its fur valuable; and, upon the whole, 

 it seems to be one of those animals that, with 

 proper care, might be propagated amongst 

 us, and might become one of the most service- 

 able of our domestics. 



THE CIVET. 



PROCEEDING from the smaller to the greater 

 of this kind, we come, in the last place, to 

 the Civet, which is much larger than any of 

 the former; for as the martin is not above 

 sixteen inches long, the civet is found to be 

 above thirty. Mr. Buffon distinguishes this 

 species into two kinds ; one of which he calls 

 the civet, and the other the zibet. The latter 

 principally differs from the former in having 

 the body longer and more slender, the nose 

 smaller, the ears longer and broader: no 

 mane or long hair running down the back in 

 the latter; and the tail is longer and better 

 marked with rings of different colours, from 

 one end to the other. These are the diffe- 

 rences which have induced this great natu- 

 ralist to suppose them animals of distinct spe- 

 cies; and to allot each a separate descrip- 



