THE CIVET 



(Viverra civettd) 



Owing to its former repute as a producer of perfume, the Common Civet 

 is one of the best known of its family {l^iverridce), a very varied 

 assemblage of creatures restricted to the Old World, many of which, 

 like the present, are often credited with being " Cats." Cats, however, 

 they are not, although resembling those animals closely in many ways, 

 and undoubtedly nearly allied ; and it will be particularly noticed that 

 the long foxy nose and comparatively small eyes are very different from 

 the characteristic Cat countenance. The grinding teeth of the Civet are 

 more numerous than those of the Cats, and it has five toes on the 

 hind- as well as the fore-foot, armed with claws which are only partially 

 retractible. This Civet is a large animal for its family, although not 

 much bigger than a Fox. 



The long hair along the ridge of the back can be bristled up when 

 the animal is enraged, at which time it growls and snarls like a Dog, 

 though usually silent. 



The perfumed substance which it secretes is to be found in a pouch 

 situated below the tail, and this pouch and its secretion is present in 

 both sexes ; the substance is greasy and pasty in consistence, and 

 very strong in odour. When the creature feels itself overcharged, it 

 squeezes out some of the secretion on any hard object, such as a log or 

 stone. Other glands situated in the same region secrete a horribly 

 offensive fluid. 



This Civet is confined to Tropical Africa ; it lives in wooded country, 

 and has much the same habits as the Fox, hunting about on the ground 

 at night for any small animals it can overpower, and being a great enemy 

 to poultry. Besides animal food, it will eat fruit and roots. 



It is easily kept in captivity, being omnivorous, and thriving well in 

 even a small space, and is still kept to a great extent for its perfume, though 

 this is no longer in such vogue among us Europeans as it was, judging 



89 M 



