76 MR. G. L. BATES ON THE [Feb. 7, 



morning further marks of gnawing. The next night, after 

 watching for it till past midnight, I had just gone to bed when 

 the boy, who took my place watching, fired ; he missed the 

 animal, but he saw it, and it was undoubtedly a "mvae." 



Though that one was hunting for meat, there is no doubt that 

 the usual food of the Nandine is vegetable. It never catches 

 chickens, as do other Viverridce. 



Crossarchus obscurus. 



Three young of this little animal, which is called " nyameso'o," 

 were once brought to me by a man who said he found them in 

 a hollow tree with the opening near the ground. They were 

 probably two or three weeks old. They lived only a few days, 

 though they drank a little milk and ate bits of meat and egg. 

 First, one that looked puny at the beginning died. Then one of 

 the others was accidentally killed, and the remaining one after 

 that cried continually till it died. "When awake and stirring, 

 these little creatures made a little squeaking noise like the twit- 

 tering of small birds. When running about on the ground they 

 kept close together, one behind the other, generally with the nose 

 of one touching the rump of the one ahead. Once, when a gun 

 was fired not far ofi", the three instantly crouched down behind a 

 stick at the sound. 



Mr. Johnston, when hunting in the forest, once killed two of 

 these little animals at one shot. He said they were making the 

 same squeaking noise my young ones made. Native hunters say 

 these animals always go in companies one behind the other, like 

 my young ones, sometimes a dozen together ; and that they root 

 among the dead leaves and vegetable mould of the forest, looking 

 for worms to eat. 



The Mongooses. 



The larger Reiyestes {H. naso), called " mvak," is one of the 

 small animals most frequently killed by the natives. Yet I have 

 nothing to record about it except that it is found in the forest in 

 swampy places or near streams, and is said to eat crabs. 



The small Herpestes gracilis, on the contrary, lives not in the 

 forest, but in the thick bushes about villages, and is seldom killed, 

 though it does not seem to be rare. That it is so seldom killed 

 seems to be because of its extreme wariness. It is a great poultry 

 thief. 



The Bdeogale nigripes seems to be found in the same kind of 

 place as Herpestes naso, but more rarely. 



The Larger Hoofed Animals. 



The Hoofed Animals form the most interesting group from the 

 sportsman's point of view. So it is with regret that I have to 

 confess my failure to learn much about them. 

 ' The small Buflalo of this part of Africa, and the two species of 



