MANGQUSTK. HYENAS. 67 



ringed white and black. It is met with from the south of France 

 to the Cape of Good Hope. It frequents along brooks, near 

 springs, &c. Its skin is an important article of peltry. Like the 

 Civet, it has a pouch, containing a species of perfume. It clears 

 the houses of rats and mice, which cannot endure its odour. 



65. The Mnngou.\te of Eg y /if, or Pharaoh' 1 s Rat, Ichneumon 

 Pftarannis Viverra Ichneun on {Plate 3, fiy. l.)also belongs to 

 the genus of Cioets. It resembles the Civet, but is distinguished 

 by its large eyes, with the pupils elongated transversely ; which 

 are susceptible of being almost entirely covered by a large wink- 

 ing eyelid, called membraua nictitans. It is larger than our cats, 

 slender like the weasel, and of a grayish colour. This animal is 

 the famous Ichneumon of the ancients, which was worshipped by 

 the Egyptians All that the ancients have said in relation to 

 its fights with the crocodile is fabulous. The Mangouste is 

 naturally mild and timid, and renders very important service to 

 Egypt, for it destroys a great number of crocodile eggs ; it also 

 feeds on small animals of all kinds. When domesticated it hunts 

 mice and the small reptiles which are so common in that country. 



66. The THIRD GROUP OF CARNIVOROUS DIGITIGRADES, includes 



those animals of this tribe which have no small teeth behind the 

 great molar of the lower jaw. In this group are found the most 

 cruel, the most carnivorous, and on account of their strength, 

 the most formidable animals ; they have been separated into two 

 genera : the HYENAS and CATS. 



67. HYENAS, (I'laie 3, fig. 3,) are distinguished from animals 

 of the genus CAT, by the number of their fingers, which is 

 four throughout, by their nails which are adapted for digging, and 

 which are never drawn in or retracted when on the march, and 

 by the position of their teeth, whose strength is so great that they 

 can crush the bones of the strongest of their prey. Their tongue 

 is rough, their sense of smell acute, their tail short and pendant, 

 and, below the anus there is a deep pouch in which a glandular 

 apparatus secretes a viscous matter, which diffuses a very disa- 

 greeable odour The coat is rough, not thick, composed of long 

 hairs, which form a mane along the back. Their gait is most 

 singular ; they keep the step of the hind legs always lower than 

 that of the fore. These animals are nocturnal, live in caverns, 



65. What is the history of the Mangouste? Upon what does it usually 



66. What animals are included in the third group of carnivorous Digiti. 

 grades ? 



67. What are the general characters of the Hyenas ? What do they 

 especially feed on ? 



