CLASS I. MAMMALIA: ORDER 5. CARNIVORA. 



1-:; 



THE RING-TAILED BASSARIS. 



produces three or four at a birth. It is rather a rare animal in Texas, but is more abundant in 

 parts of Mexico. The natives of that country call it Caco-mixtle. 



THE MAXGOUSTES. 



The type of this family, whose name of Mangouste is equivalent to Ichneumon, or Herpestes, is 

 the famous Ichneumon of Egypt, sometimes called Pharaoh's Rat. The body of all the species 

 is long and slender; they are lively in their motions, and so low on the legs as almost to scrap • 

 the ground. The fur is silky and mottled ; the nails, generally five on each foot, are sharp and 

 non-retractile. They feed on small animals, insects, and eggs, the latter constituting a large pail 

 of their food. 



We pass over the genera Suricate, Bdeogale, and Cyntctis, all belonging to Africa, but 

 which present no species of particular interest. 



The Genus MANGOUSTE, Mangusta, or Herpestes, presents several interesting species, the 

 first of which is the Ichneumon, M. ichneumon or H. ichneumon. This animal bears a close re- 

 semblance to the weasel tribe, both in form and habits. From the tip of the nose to the root cf 

 the tail, it is about eighteen inches in length. At the base, the tail is very thick, tapering gradually 

 toward the point, which is slightly tufted. It has a long, active body, short legs, lively and 

 piercing eyes, and a pointed nose ; the hair is rough and bristly, of a pale reddish gray. In a 

 wild state, the ichneumon usually resides on the banks of rivers, and swims and dives like the 

 otter, being able to keep under water for a great length of time. 



The ichneumon is celebrated in the mythology of ancient Egypt, where it has long been 

 domesticated, and where it was ranked among its divinities, on account of its great utility in 

 destroying serpents, snakes, rats, mice, and other vermin ; it is also fond of crocodiles' eggs, 

 which it digs out of the sand where they have been deposited. It is a very fierce though small 

 animal, and will fight with dogs, foxes, and even jackals, with great fury.* It will not breed in 

 confinement, but may be easily tamed when taken young. 



The following particulars are related by M. IVOrbsonville, in his " Essays on the Nature of 

 various Foreign Animals:" "I had an ichneumon very young, which I brought up^ I fed it at 



