FENNEC. 333 



Bruce and M r. Pennant disagree in their opinions. 

 Mr. Pennant ranks it under the genus Canis, and 

 calls it Zerda, or " Dog with a pointed visage; 

 long whiskers ; large bright black eyes; very large 

 ears of a bright rose-colour, internally lined with 

 long hairs : the orifice so small as not to be visi- 

 ble ; probably covered with a valve or membrane : 

 legs and feet like those of a dog : tail taper : co- 

 lour between a straw and a pale brown : length 

 from nose to tail ten inches: ears three and a 

 half: tail six: height not five." It inhabits (says 

 Mr. Pennant) the vast deserts of Saara, which 

 extend beyond Mount Atlas, and is called by the 

 Moors Zerda: burrows in sandy ground, which 

 shews the use of valves to the ears. It is so ex- 

 ceedingly swift that it is very rarely taken alive: 

 feeds on insects, especially locusts: sits on its 

 rump : is very vigilant, and barks like a Dog, but 

 much shriller. Dr. Sparmann suspects that he 

 saw it during his travels in Caffraria. Mr. Bruce, 

 in the fifth or supplemental volume of his travels, 

 assures us that the true name of the animal is not 

 Zerda but Fenmc, and this latter name, he con- 

 ceives, may have been derived from <poivi%, a palm, 

 the principal residence of the creature being on 

 the tops of palm-trees. Mr. Bruce, at different 

 periods, kept two or three specimens of the Fen- 

 nee, and the following is his account of the ani- 

 mal's manners and appearance. 



" Though his favourite food seemed to be 

 dates, or any sweet fruit, yet I observed he was 

 very fond of eggs, and small bird's eggs were first 



