NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



into the soil in search of insect food, and burrows 

 down to the innermost hiding-places of rats and mice, 

 devouring both the adults and young. Nothing 

 of a fleshy nature comes amiss to the muishond, 

 and it is by no means particular whether its diet 

 be carrion or living prey. Like all of its tribe, 

 it is bold and bloodthirsty. If surprised it invari- 

 ably faces the aggressor and even boldly advances 

 to the attack, emitting a rapid succession of shrill 

 and discordant yells. 



A friend, who was a recent arrival from Ireland, 

 was staying with me in Natal. One evening on 

 his way home he was dreamily walking along a 

 Kafir path through the estate when a muishond 

 happened to be wending its way along the same path 

 in the opposite direction. The two met, and the 

 muishond sprang at him. 



The flashing phosphorescent eyes, and the sharp, 

 rapidly-repeated screams of the creature terrified 

 my friend so thoroughly that he instantly raced 

 off like a hare, imagining some formidable beast 

 was about to devour him. I have often seen men 

 in an extremity of terror, but not more so than that 

 " tenderfoot " from oversea. However, the sudden 

 appearance of two luminous eyes and a rapid suc- 

 cession of shrill yells of as fine a pitch as the 

 highest violin note, from out of the darkness in a 

 strange and lonely bush-covered place, where 

 weird shadows prevailed, was enough to shake the 

 nerve of even a seasoned naturalist. 

 164 



