MUNGOOSE AND COBRA. 2"] 



the hill, in a desperate hurry with all their hair standing 

 on end ; and yet as I was to leeward and there was nothing 

 to alarm them that I could see, I was puzzled at their 

 behaviour ; but the cause was not far off, for on reaching the 

 point from which they had come I met three wild dogs in 

 chase, and I am sorry to add, made a disgraceful miss at the 

 biggest of the lot." 



In the low country where there is more cover and game 

 is plentiful, wild dogs are more abundant. In their rushes at 

 the deer, they always appear to attack it at the flank and 

 endeavour to disembowel it, and thus soon despatch their 

 victim. 



Jerdon's description is as follows : — General colour 

 bright rusty red or rufus fawn colour, paler beneath ; 

 ears erect, rather large, somewhat rounded at the tip ; tail 

 moderately brushed, reaching to the heels, usually tipped 

 blackish ; limbs strong ; body lengthened. Length of head 

 and body 32-36 inches, tail about 16 inches, height 17-20 

 inches. 



MUNGOOSE AND COBRA. 



One of our officers had a tame mungoose ; l a charming 

 little pet ; whenever we could procure a cobra, and we had 

 many opportunities, we used to turn it out into an empty 

 store room, which had a window some height from the 

 ground, so that it was perfectly safe to stand there and look 

 on. The cobra when dropped from the bag or basket would 

 wriggle into one of the corners of the room and there coil 

 himself up. The mungoose showed the greatest excitement 



1 Hevpestes mungo. The Common Indian Mungoose. 



