SMALL GAME HUNTING WITH DOGS 



extreme low country. The small Indian civet (Viverricula 

 malaccensis) is common in Ceylon and my dogs often hunt 

 it. It is a grey animal, with longitudinal black bands on 

 the back, no marks on head and neck except a black spot 

 at the base of each ear on the upper side, and longitudinal 

 rows of black spots on the sides ; black and whitish ringed 

 tail, body and tail about 36 inches. The " civet" smell 

 (from the secretion in the civet gland) seems to drive the 

 dogs frantic with excitement and they run these animals 

 very hard. Being larger than the little Herpes tes they have 

 to run in less matted cover, and consequently get hard 

 pressed by the dogs at times, though unlike a mongoose, 

 which is never more than 10 or 15 yards ahead of the 

 dogs, they keep 30 or 40 yards ahead, and will break 

 cover when they get tired, often running a long way through 

 the tea to another cover. Curiously enough, after being run 

 for some little time in the new cover to which it may 

 have broken, the civet almost invariably makes for its 

 original bit of scrub again, and this habit gives you your 

 chance to bag it, but you must keep quiet and a sharp 

 look-out, as it will break far ahead of the dogs and sneak 

 very quietly along, taking advantage of any chance cover. 



Visitors to Ceylon are not likely to go in for hunting the 

 foregoing animals, but they form part and parcel of our 

 " estate " hunts wherever dogs are kept, for they will run 

 these " cats " no matter what you do to prevent it. 



I have also killed over my dogs a few specimens of 

 Felts rubiginosa, the rusty spotted cat. These are pretty 

 little animals, exactly like the ordinary domestic cat 

 in appearance, but smaller in size. The difference is in 

 the colour, the wild animal being fawn-coloured on back 

 and sides, merging into white on the belly, whilst the 

 whole body is spotted with brown spots, darker on the 



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