ANIMALS. 277 



i<=!=s ; some being of a lijrhtev mixture ol' colours, and some being 

 streaked in the maimer of a cat. 



The ichneumon, with all tlie strength of a cat, has more in- 

 stinct and agility ; a more universal appetite for carnage, and ■/ 

 greater variety of jjowers to procure it.' Rats, mice, bird<, 

 serpents, lizards, and insects, are all equally pursued; it attacks 

 every living thing which it is able to overcome, and indiscrimi- 

 nately preys on tlesh of all kinds. Its courage is equal to the 

 vehemence of its appetite. It fears neither the force of the dog, 

 nor the insidious malice of the cat ; neither the claws of the vul- 

 ture, nor the poison of the viper. It makes war upon all kinds 

 of serpents with great avidity, seizes and kills them, how veno- 

 mous soever they be ; and we are told, that when it begins to 

 perceive the effects of their rage, it has recourse to a certain 

 root, which the Indians call after its name, and assert to be aii 

 antidote for the bite of the asp or the viper. 



But what this animal is particularly serviceable to the Egyp- 

 tians for, is, that it discovers and destroys the eggs of the croco- 

 dile. It also kills the young ones that have not as yet been 

 able to reach the water ; and, as fable usually goes hand in hand 

 with truth, it is said that the ichneumon sometimes enters the 

 mouth of the crocodile, when it is found sleeping on the shore, 

 boldly attacks the enemy in the inside, and at length, when it 

 iias effectually destroyed it, eats its way out again. 



The ichneumon, when wild, generally resides along the banks 

 of rivers ; and in times of inundation makes to the higher ground, 

 often approaching inhabited places in quest of prey. It goes 

 forward silently and cautiously, changing its manner of moving 

 according to its necessities. Sometimes it carries the head high, 

 shortens its body, and raises itself upon its legs ; sometimes it 

 lengthens itself, and seems to creep along the ground ; it is often 

 observed to sit upon its hind legs like a dog when taught to beg ; 

 but more commonly it is seen to dart like an arrow upon its 

 prey, and seize it with inevitable certainty. Its eyes are sprightly, 

 and full of fire, its physiognomy sensible, its body nimble, its 

 tail long, and its hair rough and various. Like all its kind, it 

 has glands, that open behind, and furnish an odoiuus substance. 

 Its nose is too sharp and its mouth too small to permit its seizing 



1 The rest of this desriiptiou is i'\liaileil fruni ;\Ir liiilioii, i xcejit nliers 

 niarkeil with (•(nuinu s, 

 il. 2 A 



