CARNIVORA. 581 



miflg. The body is long, the legs short, and the tail long, 

 stout, and horizontally flattened. The common Otter {Lutra 

 vulgaris) is a native of Britain, frequenting the banks of 

 streams and lakes. It lives upon fish, and is highly destructive' 

 to Salmon. A closely-allied form is the American Otter {Lutra 

 Canadensis). In the Sea Otters {Enhydra) the tail is very 

 short. They are found on both sides of the North Pacific, and 

 yield a very valuable fur. 



The second family of the Semi-plantigrade Carnivores is that 

 of the Viverridce, the Civets and Genettes. They are all of 

 moderate size, with sharp muzzles and long tails, and more or 

 less striped, or banded, or spotted. The camassial molar is 

 trenchant ; the canines are long, sharp, and pointed ; and the 

 tongue is roughened by numerous prickly papillas. The claws 

 are semi-retractile, and the pupils can contract, on exposure to 

 light, till they resemble a mere line. In most of their charac- 

 ters, therefore, the Civets are much more highly carnivorous 

 than are any of the preceding families, and they approach in 

 many respects very close to the typical group of the Digitigrada 

 (viz., the Felidm), having especially very close affinities with 

 the Hyaenas. All the species of the family are furnished with 

 anal glands, which secrete the peculiar fatty substance known 

 as "civet." 



The true Civet-cat is the Viverra civetta, a native of Africa. 

 It is a small nocturnal animal, which climbs trees with facility, 

 and feeds chiefly upon small mammals, reptiles, and birds, but 

 also upon roots and fruits. It furnishes the greater part of the 

 " civet" of commerce, which was formerly in great repute both 

 as a perfume and as a medicinal agent. It is a pomade-like 

 substance with a strong musky odour, and is secreted by a 

 deep double pouch beneath the anus. The Genette ( Viverra 

 gettetta) is very closely related to the preceding, and is a native 

 of Africa and southern Europe, being not uncommonly do- 

 mesticated and kept like a cat. The anal pouch in the Ge- 

 nette is much reduced in size, and has hardly any perceptible 

 secretion. Another nearly-allied species is the Ichneumon 

 {Herpestes), which is kept as a domestic animal in Egypt, and 

 lives upon Snakes, Lizards, the eggs of the Crocodile, and 

 small Mammals. 



Forming a transition between the Viverridfg and the Felidm 

 is the family of the Hycenidm, distinguished by the fact that, 

 alone of all the Carnivora, both pairs of feet have only four 

 toes each. The hind-legs are shorter than the fore-legs, so that 

 the trunk sinks towards the hind-quarters, and the tail is short. 

 The tongue is rough and prickly. The head is extremely 



