38 SOUTH AFRICAN MAMMALS 



about like a dog. They thrive well in captivity, living 

 on raw meat, dead birds, mice and rats. 



Genus POECILOGALE. 



Body very long and slender, and the legs short. The 

 teeth number from 28 to 30. 



Poecilogale albinucha. Snake Weasel. Slang Midshond. 



This little creature much resembles the Stink 

 Muishond in coloration, differing from this animal, 

 however, in that the whole of the top of the head (or 

 crown) is white. Sometimes this may have a greyish or 

 yellowish tinge. It is also a much smaller and lighter 

 animal, measuring only about a foot in length, with a 

 tail of 6 or 7 inches. It ranges from the Eastern 

 Cape Colony northwards to East Africa. The National 

 Zoo has so far only received examples from King- 

 williamstown, which have been kindly sent us from 

 time to time by Mr. E. A. 0. Pym, of the local museum. 

 It is of a retiring nature, lying up in a lair or burrow 

 during the day. Its food consists of small mammals, 

 birds, insects, &c. 



This, to me, is one of the most fascinating of the 

 smaller mammals, as, apart from its peculiar shape and 

 striking coloration, it is exceedingly plucky. We have 

 not been able to keep them in captivity for any length 

 of time, excepting the last pair, received by us in 1913 ; 

 these we turned out into a small cage made of wire- 

 netting and having a sandy floor. As soon as the door 

 of the cage was opened the male would approach in a 

 defiant manner, his back arched and his hair fairly 

 bristling with rage. These two animals lived well in 

 captivity upon chopped raw meat, hard boiled egg, and 



