188 THE STORY OF THE MUN GOOSE. 



The mungoose is easily tamed and in India is kept for the purpose of 

 driving the cobra from the residences of the wealthy inhabitants. Snake- 

 charmers carry the animal about with them. I at one time owned one 

 which always accompanied me in my hunting trips. Whenever I shot birds 

 the little fellow would stand on his hind legs when he saw me present the 

 gun, and run for the bird when it fell. He had, however, no notion of 

 retrieving, but would scamper ofif with his prey to devour it at leisure. He 

 was a most fearless little fellow, and once attacked a big greyhound, who 

 beat a retreat. In a rage his body would swell to nearly twice its size, from 

 the erection of the hair; yet I had him under such perfect subjection that 

 I had only to hold up my finger to him when he was about to attack any- 

 thing, and he would desist. I heard a great noise one day outside my 

 room, and found "Pips" attacking a fine male specimen I had of the great 

 bustard, which he had just seized by the throat. I rescued the bird, but 

 it died of its injuries. Through the carelessness of my servants he was lost 

 one day in a heavy brushwood jungle some miles from my camp, and I 

 quite gave up all hope of recovering my pet. Next day, however, in track- 

 ing some antelope, we happened to cross the route taken by my servants, 

 when we heard a familiar little yelp, and down from a tree we were under 

 rushed "Pips." 



The true mungooses have long, weasel-like bodies, and a more or less 

 elongated tail, which is generally thick at the root, and may be covered with 

 long hair, its general color being like that of the body, but the tip often 

 darker. The longer hairs of almost all the mungooses are marked with 

 alternate darker and lighter rings, which communicate a peculiar and char- 

 acteristic speckled appearance to the fur. The head has a pointed muzzle, 

 with a rather short nose, in which there is a groove on the completely naked 

 under surface. The ears are small and rounded. The limbs are likewise 

 of extreme shortness, the feet being provided with five toes, of which the 

 first, both in front and behind, is extremely small. These toes are gener- 

 ally detached, but may be slightly connected by a small web at their bases. 

 The under surfaces of the fore feet are generally naked, while in most cases 

 only the front part of the soles of the hind feet are free from hair. 



The meerkat, as the South African mungoose is known, is a small animal 

 of slender form, with a tail of about half the length of the head and body. 

 The fur is long and soft, of a light grizzled gray color, with black transverse 

 stripes across the hinder part of the back, and the tail yellowish, with a black 

 tip. The longer hairs are broadly ringed with black and white, the white 



