318 Animal Life 
ZORILLA. 
Mr. C. H. T. WarrrHeap sends us the 
accompanying snap-shot photo- 
graphs of a Zorilla, together 
with the following description 
of the animal:—‘The Zorilla, or Muishona, 
as it is generally called by the Dutch, is a 
native of Central and South Africa. It is 
a pretty little creature about the size of 
a ferret, jet black in colour, with four white 
stripes down its back, white tips to its 
ears, white eyebrows, and a grey tail. Unlhke 
the ferret it carries its tail vertically above 
its back as the meerkats do. It is closely 
related to the skunks, and, like them, can 
emit a disgusting smell, and this it does 
when anything particularly annoys it. It 
is common in South Africa, but not often 
seen because it is nocturnal; hence its 
colour. A favourite abode is in an old 
wall near a farm, and, if not speedily 
ejected, they generally do a great deal of 
damage in the poultry yard. Very bold 
by nature, they are often caught right in 
the town at Port Hlizabeth. The one 
shown in the photographs was snared by 
a native when quite young, and presented 
to a sergeant of my regiment. Within 
three days of its capture it had become 
quite tame, and would follow its master 
about. It was soon allowed to come 
and go as it pleased. The daytime was 
generally spent in some rat-hole (it quite 
cleared the place of rats). In the evening 
The 
Zorilla. 
it used to come into the blockhouse for 
its meal and to play about; but it so dis- 
turbed the men when asleep by playing 
with their fingers and toes that its master 
presented it to me. I kept it for about 
four months, and used to allow it to go on 
its mousing expeditions. Unfortunately, 
from one of these it never returned. It 
was a most affectionate little animal if 
allowed a certain amount of freedom ; 
but if closely confined it became savage. 
The drawback to it as a pet 1s its smell.” 
YD 
THE thrushes are a large family, and include 
among its various branches 
eee birds which the “man in the 
street’ does not generally 
associate with the common or country song- 
thrush, such for example as the blackbird, 
the robin, the nightingale, and the hedge- 
sparrow; im all there are not less than 
forty-four species which can claim the addi- 
tional title of “ British.’ Of the thrushes 
proper, if one may use the term (and by it 
is meant the genus T’wrdus), two only are 
regular residents in Britain, two are summer 
and two are winter visitors, and three are 
occasional “stragglers.” The Song-Thrush, 
the subject of our illustration, is one of 
the two summer visitors, though a few of 
their number sometimes winter with us too. 
These birds lay in March, and rear two 
ZORILLA. 
