108 Y1VEKKID.E. 



not found in the Punjab and Sind, and is rare in the bare parts 

 of the North-west Provinces and the Bombay Deccan. Common 

 in Upper Bengal, Southern India, and the West coast. 



Varieties. Wouthern Indian and Ceylonese skins are blacker than 

 those from Northern India ; but I can find no other distinction 

 between the typical F. ni(/er (P. ti/jyus of many writers) and the 

 form usually known as P. hondar, which is not nearly so yellow as 

 Hodgson's description would lead a reader to suppose. Jerdon's 

 description is manifestly taken from Hodgson's, and neither Blyth 

 nor Jerdon had seen Hodgson's specimens. The Viverra houdar of 

 He Blainville was founded on a drawing in Buchanan Hamilton's 

 collection, preserved in the India Office Library. This drawing 

 certainly represents, I think, the common Indian palm-civet. 



Habits. The common palm-civet, tree-cat, or toddy-cat, is a 

 familiar animal in most parts of India, though, being thoroughly 

 nocturnal in its habits, it is but rarely seen in the daytime. It 

 is arboreal, passing the day generally in trees, either coiled up in 

 the branches, or in a hole in the trunk, and m places whei'e cocoa- 

 nut palms are common it frequently selects one of them for a 

 residence. Mango-gi'oves are also a favourite resort. It not un- 

 frequently takes up its abode in the thatched roofs of houses ; 

 Jerdon found a large colony established amongst the rafters of his 

 own house in Tellicherry. It is also found in dry drains and out- 

 houses. It even occurs in large towns ; I have known of one being 

 caught in the middle of Calcutta. It is common in forest, and its 

 presence may be detected, as Tickell observes in his M8. notes, by 

 its droppings, rather smaller than a cat's, and always deposited on 

 the top of the trunks of large fallen or felled trees. 



The food of P. nif/er consists partly of small mammals, lizards, 

 and snakes, birds and their eggs, and insects ; partly of fruit and 

 vegetables. This animal at times is very destructive to poultry ; 

 it is also said to do mischief in vegetable gardens. Throughout 

 Southern India and Ceylon it is said to have an especial fondness 

 for palm-juice or toddy, whence its ])opular name of toddy-cat. 

 In confinement it will eat cooked food of almost any kind, boiled 

 rice, vegetables, &c. 



The palm-civet breeds in holes of trees, and has from four to 

 six young. When taken young this animal is easily tamed. 



52. Paradoxurus hermaphroditus. The Malayan Pahn-Civet. 



Viverra hermaplirodita, Pallas, Schirbnr, Sliia/et/i. iii, p. 420 (1778). 

 Viverra musanjia, liaffles, Tratis. Linn. Soc. xiii, p. 252 (1822). 

 Paradoxurus prehensilis, P. nuisanga, P. diibius, P. hermaphroditus, 



P. pallasii, P. crossii, a>id P. finlaysonii, Oray, F. Z. S. 18;32, 



pp. 05-68. 

 Paradoxurus qiiinquelineatus and P. miisaug'oides, Gray, Vliarlvs- 



wortKs May. N. II. i, p. 579 (1837). 

 Paradoxurus hir.sutus, Hodys. As. Fc.i. xix, p. 72 (1830). 

 Paradoxurus nig-rifrons, Gray, List Sp. Manim. B. M. p. 55 (1843), 



no description ; id. F. Z. -*>'. 1804, p. 535. 



