THE MANGOUSTIS. 



195 



been introduced into that island with great success 

 as a means of destroying the rats (brown and black, 

 but especially the "cane-piece rat") which do so much 

 damage to the sugar-canes. Four males and five 

 females were introduced direct from India in 1S72, 

 and since then they ha\'e multiplied enormousl}'. 

 As to the effect of this in diminishing the number 

 of rats, Mr. D. Morris, writing to the Field from 

 Jamaica on the 24th of Feb. 1882, says, "There can 

 be no doubt that on sugar estates the mongoose 

 has fully realized the hopes held out regarding its 

 powers as a rat-catcher, and sugar-planters all o\-er 

 the island speak in the most unqualified terms of 

 the good it has done in destroying the rapacious 

 'cane-piece rat,' and reducing the expense of rat- 

 catching in all its phases." Several particular 

 cases are adduced to show the extent to which this 

 has been accomplished, and the writer concludes 

 that "the annual saving to sugar estates by the 

 introduction of the mongoose might ver}- fairly be 

 put down at 90 per cent of the rat-catching e.x- 

 penses, and at 75 to 80 per cent of rat-eaten canes." 



A cut is also furnished illustrating the 

 Suricate iyRJiyzana i^Siiricatd) tctradactyla), 

 fig. 97, which is easily distinguished by its 

 very long slender head, feet with four toes 

 armed with long curved non-retractile claws, 

 and by its dentition. It has only three pre- 

 molars and two molars in each jaw, which brings 

 the total number of teeth to 36. All the teeth 

 are very sharp and pointed, thus approaching 

 the insectivorous type. This small animal 

 (only a foot in length) inhabits South Africa 

 from the equator to the Cape. It lives in 

 underground dwellings, which it excavates 

 with great celerity. The fur is gray and 

 adorned on the back with ten transverse 

 stripes. The tail, six inches in length, is 

 round and thinly covered with hair. 



The suricate goes sniffing about in all 

 directions like an insectivore, and preys upon 

 small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. 

 It is easily tamed, and is kept in the huts of 

 the natives as a domestic animal for the de- 

 struction of vermin ; but the abominable stench 

 which it difiuses from its anal glands, and its 

 habit of excavating underground passages, 

 make it tolerable only to the Kaffirs, who are 



accustomed to all sorts of bad smells from 

 their youth up. 



"As company for the monke}-s and myself for 

 many years past I have had a 'Jemmy.' All my 

 suricatcs I call 'Jemm)-s.' The Latin name is 

 Suricata Zciiick. 



" I should like now to say something of the habits 



Fig. 07.— The Suricate [Rhyzana tctradactyla). 



of this pretty little fellow. Jemmy the Third (for 

 I ha\'e prex'iously had two Jemmys) was allowed 

 the free range of the whole house. He was full of 

 curiosity and restlessness, running continually from 

 one room to another. He very seldom walked; 

 his pace, on the contrary, was a short gallop, or 

 rather canter. When on the move he always ga\-e 

 tongue like a hound on the scent. It was impossible 

 to describe his melodious cr)- in words, ^^'hen 

 handled and petted he would utter a sharp bark, 

 not unlike that of a dog, and if he ^^'as in a very 

 good humour I could, by imitating him, make him 

 bark alternately with myself His great peculiarity 

 was his wonderfully intelligent and observant look. 

 He had the habit also of sitting up on his tail like 

 a kangaroo: his fore-paws on this occasion were 

 like a dog's \\\\q\\ begging. He was very fond of 

 warmth, and would sit up inside the fender and 

 warm himself, occasionally leaning back against the 



