306 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description, &c. 



saw two of them, which, on perceiving a cat, 

 would rise on their hind feet to prepare for a 

 combat. During the night they were remark- 

 ably active and lively; but in the day, and parti- 

 cularly after eating, they slept so sound, that they 

 might be pushed and shaken violently without 

 disturbing their repose. 



Sables are principally found in North Ame- 

 rica, Siberia, Kamtschatka, and Asiatic Russia. 



THE ICHNEUMON. 



THIS animal is, in general, about the size of 

 a common cat, but somewhat longer in the body, 

 and shorter in the legs. The eyes are of a bright 

 red ; the ears almost naked, small, and rounded ; 

 and the nose long and slender. The tail is very 

 thick at the base ; whence it gradually tapers to 

 almost a point, where it is slightly tufted. The 

 colour is a pale reddish grey, each hair being 

 mottled with brown. The voice is small and 

 soft, somewhat like a murmurer ; but this is never 

 exerted unless the animal be struck, or otherwise 

 irritated. 



The icbneumon was anciently reckoned among 

 the deities of Egypt; and it is at present domes- 

 ticated in that country, and considered as one of 

 the most useful and estimable of animals; being 

 an inveterate enemy to the serpents and other 

 noxious reptiles which infest the neighbourhood 



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