THE AFRICAN CIVET 75 



no matter how old, attract civets, and they often come 

 to leopard and other " kills " in the absence of the rightful 

 owners. Did the animal restrict the items of its diet 

 to the above, there would be no grievance against it ; 

 but unfortunately it is a deadly foe to all such bush 

 francolins and other game birds as habitually nest or 

 roost on the ground, kills hares and the newly born 

 lambs of small buck, is a confirmed egg-eater, and occa- 

 sionally a poultry thief. Therefore it has to be classed 

 among the objectionable vermin, and dealt with as such. 

 I once owned a large cat which, during her wanderings 

 one night, was pounced on and killed by a medium- 

 sized civet. She was found to have been seized by the 

 back of the neck, and the spine was bitten through. 

 All the blood had been sucked from the body. A trap 

 was set, and the assailant, returning to its kill on the 

 following night, paid the penalty of its deed. 



Civets are capable of remaining for considerable periods 

 without food. One caught on ist June refused every- 

 thing except water until the I5th of that month, though 

 it was tempted with many of its favourite articles of 

 diet. On the last named date it drank a little milk, 

 and later began to eat normally. It was afterwards 

 found to have sustained an injury to the jaw, probably 

 while being captured. Similar capacity for enduring 

 hunger was recorded of another animal sent to the 

 Transvaal Zoological Gardens, which was some time 

 before it would accept the unaccustomed diet there put 

 before it. When caught uninjured, and offered their 

 usual food, civets generally do well from the first, and often 

 become fairly tame. 



They are often chased and killed by dogs, and p.s a rule 

 make rather a poor fight. During the struggle they utter 

 a throaty cough, and when threatened they give vent to 



