THE SNAKE MUISHOND 



hanging tenaciously to its throat, and will bound 

 away until it either falls exhausted or becomes 

 paralysed through terror. 



Once a Snake Muishond secures a firm grip with 

 its jaws it will not let go, and stoically endures the 

 terrific bumping it gets when its victim races off 

 in the hope of getting rid of the incubus. 



In Great Britain the destruction of the smaller 

 native carnivorous animals by the gamekeepers is 

 the cause of financial losses to the farmers of many 

 millions sterling annually, through the destruction 

 caused by rats and mice. 



In captivity the Snake Muishond soon becomes 

 tame, and makes a gentle and interesting pet. 

 I have kept them alive at various times, both in 

 Natal and the Cape Province. They will eat any- 

 thing of the nature of flesh. Both they and the 

 Striped Muishond devour locusts with avidity. 



These curious little weasels are termed Snake 

 Muishonds because of their elongated bodies, not 

 because of their snake-eating propensities, al- 

 though snakes do form a portion of their very 

 varied diet. 



From the nose to the tip of the tail the length 

 of an adult averages eighteen inches. The head 

 is as broad as the body, and consequently where- 

 ever the head can go, the body can follow. 



Although widely scattered in the eastern parts 

 of South Africa, the Snake Muishond is rarely seen, 

 because of its secretive and nocturnal habits. 

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