CIVET. GENET. 



all the poultry, and loading himself with a part of the spoils, he 

 hastens to deposite it at some distance, then returns, and carries 

 off another part, which he disposes of in the same way, taking 

 the precaution however to change the place of deposite. This he 

 repeats several times. When he finds birds caught in a snare, 

 he adroitly frees them from their bonds and carries them off to 

 his hole. His gluttony accommodates itself to everything. When 

 pressed by hunger, he eats rats, mice, snakes, toads, lizards, in- 

 sects, and even contents himself with vegetables. Foxes that 

 live near sea coasts feed upon all kinds of shell-fish. 



62. The genus CIVET, Viverra, includes not only the Civet 

 properly so called, but also the Genet, or wild cat, the Mangouste 

 and several other carnaria, which seem to fill up the chain of re- 

 lationship between the dogs and cats. (Plate 2, fig. 17, and 

 Plate 3, Jig. I.) Like the last, their tongue is rough, and their 

 nails are more or less retracted when walking, so that their ex- 

 tremities are always kept very sharp. All of them have a pouch 

 placed more or less deeply under the tail, containing a greasy 

 matter which frequently exhales a very strong odour. 



63. The Civet properly so called, Civetta, has been im- 

 properly called the musk cat. It is ordinarily of an ash colour, 

 spotted white, sometimes striped like certain species of cats. Its 

 perfume, which consists of the greasy matter formed in the pouch 

 we have just mentioned, is so strong that it penetrates all parts 

 of the body, and the skin preserves the odour for a long time 

 after it has been stripped from the animal. Although originally 

 from hot countries, Guinea and the central parts of Africa, the 

 Civet can live in temperate and in cold climates, if protected from 

 the injurious influences of the air. It has been acclimated in Hol- 

 land, where the inhabitants carry on a considerable trade in its 

 perfume. The quantity afforded by each animal depends upon 

 its keeping; and diet ; the more abundant its food, the more per- 

 fume it yields. It is said to be most abundant after the animal 

 has been irritated. 



64. The Genet, Genetta, (Plate 2. fig. 17.) bears consider- 

 able resemblance to the Civet ; its colour is gray, spotted brown 

 and black with a blackish muzzle, white spots on the brow, on 

 the cheek, and on each side of the end of the nose ; the tail is 



62. What are the characters of the genus Civet? What is the source of 

 the odour which animals of this genus exhale ? t 



63. What are the specific characters of the Civet properly so called? 

 What is the source of its perfume ? To what use is this animal applied in 

 Holland ? 



C4. What are the specific characters of the Genet ? 



