148 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



Mungo alone provided with a prophylactic. Besides 

 ■one would think that with the consciousness of se- 

 -curity he would be careless about the way he ap- 

 proached the serpent, while the truth is the very 

 thing in this animal that excites admiration is the 



THE CBAB MUNGOOS. This animal, sometimes called the Urva, derives its name from the fact that it 



ifeeds on Crabs, which, with Frogs, also a favorite food with it, are plentifully found in the wet valleys of Nepaul, 

 where it lives. It has a stout body, a pointed snout, and a rather long and buShy tail. The picture shows it with a 

 'Crab it has captured. (Herfestes urva.) 



•adroitness with which he escapps the spring of the 

 Snake, and the cunning he exhibits in his methods 

 ■of attacking it. His thick, coarse hair, bristling with 

 excitement, and his thick skin render it very diffi- 

 cult for the Snake to bite 

 him, but if he is bitten, 

 the Mungo dies from the 

 wound as well as any 

 •other animal, although 

 the effects of the poison 

 seem to be slower in his 

 case. 



The Mungo was im- 

 ported into Jamaica dur- 

 ing the '70's, and is said 

 to have exterminated so 

 many of the Rats infest- 

 ing the sugar-cane plan- 

 tations on that island 

 that his usefulness is es- 

 timated at several mil- 

 lion marks a year. 



The Mungo The Mun- , 

 as a go is the 



Domestic Pet. member 



of his family that is best 

 adapted for domestica- 

 tion, for he is a cheerful, 

 rather good-natured ani- 

 mal of cleanly habits. 



Sterndale had a Mun- 

 go, which was his steady 

 ■companion in India for 



trepid fellow; once he success/ully fought with a big 

 Dog, and at another time killed a bird six times his, 

 size. He also killed many Snakes. When excited, 

 his hair stood on end and he looked twice as large 

 as usual, but his master only had to lift his finger to 

 _ make the angry pet desist 

 from his attack. He fol- 

 lowed his master to Eng- 

 land and was the favorite 

 of all who knew him. . He 

 knew a great number of 

 tricks: jumping, turning 

 somersaults, sitting on 

 chairs with a cap on, play- 

 ing soldier, etc. Pips died 

 of grief. During a tempo- 

 rary absence of his master 

 he refused all nourishment 

 and starved to death. 



Besides the Ichneumon 

 there is only one Europe- 

 an Mungoos that is worth 

 mentioning, the Meloncillo 

 {Herpestes widdringtonii). 

 This animal was well 

 known to Spanish sports- 

 men long before it fell into 

 the hands of a naturalist. 

 Its chase was profitable, for 

 the hair of its tail is long 

 and especially adapted for 

 making painters' , brushes, 

 and therefore the- tailv 

 which brought a high price, was the only part that 

 was used and the remainder of the fur was thrown 

 away. 



The Meloncillo lives exactly like the Ichneumon, 



THE FOXY MTJNG'OOS, This animal, which is found in the southern part of Africa, is of a beautiful form 



has a smooth, tan-colored fur and a bushy tail with a white tip. It resembles the Mungoos group in its nature and 

 habits, and is generally classed with them, although differences in its skeleton have caused many naturalists to place it. 

 in a group by itself. ( Cynictus fenicillala.) ' 



three years. "Pips" knew 

 very well when his owner was going to shoot a bird 

 for him; he danced around when he saw the gun 



• adjusted, and hurried to procure the falling prey. 

 He was very clean, and after eating picked his teeth 



rin the funniest way with his claws. He was an in- 



in valleys crossed by rivers, especially in Estrama- 

 dura and Andalusia. It inhabits almost exclusivelj? 

 the reedy ,woods and plains grown with Esparto and' 

 is not found in mountains, as is generally stated. Its 

 total length is forty-four inches, of which about 

 twenty inches is taken by the tail. The fur is longer 



