78 



The Living Animals of the World 



Floto hi/ L. Malla.itl, J-.Z..S.1 



[Xorlh Finchlei/. 



TAVO-SPOTTED PALM-CI\-ET. 



This is a West African species, whicli, with an allied form from East 

 Africa, represents the palm-civets in the Dark Continent, 



and the moment lie was let loose would 

 eagerly jnmj) down into the room, when his 

 beha\'iour became very curious and interest- 

 ing. He would instantly see where the 

 snake was, and rounding his back, and making 

 every hair on his body stand out at right 

 angles, which made his body appear twice as 

 large as it really was, he would apj^roach 

 tlie cobra on tip-toe, making a peculiar 

 humming noise. The snake, in the meantime, 

 would show signs of great anxiety, and I 

 fancy of fear, erecting his head and hood 

 ready to strike when his enemy came near 

 enough. The mongoose kept running back- 

 wards and forwards in front of the snake, 

 gradually getting to within what appeared 

 to us to be striking distance. The snake 

 would strike at him rei:)eatedly, and ajjjjeared to hit him, but the mongoose continued his comic 

 dance, apparently unconcerned. Suddenly, and with a movement so rapid that the eye could 

 not follow it, he would pin the cobra by the back of the head. One could hear the sharp 

 teeth crunch into the skull, and, when all was over, see the mongoose eating the snake's head 

 and part of his body with great gusto. Our little favourite killed a great many col^ras, and, 

 so far as I could see, never was bitten." 



The Egyptiax ^Ionuoose, or Iciineumon, has an equally great reputation for eating the 

 eggs of the crocodile ; and the Kaffik IMongoose, a rather larger South African species, is kept 

 as a domestic animal to kill rats, mice, and snakes, of which, like the Indian kind, it is 

 a deadly foe. There are more than twenty other species, most of much the same appearance 

 and habits. 



The smooth-nosed mongoose trilie are closely allied creatures in South Africa, mainly 

 burrowing animals, feeding both on flesh and fruit. The Cusi.MANSES of Abyssinia and West 

 Africa are also allied to them. Their habits are identical with the aliove. 



The JMeerkats, ok Suhicates. 



Most people who have read l-'rank Ihickland's Life will remember the suricate which was his 

 chief pet in Albany Street. The 

 SuEiCATES, or Meei{KATS, bm-row all 

 over the South African veldt, espe- 

 cially in the sandy parts, where thev 

 sit up outside their holes like prairie- 

 dogs, and are seen by da}'. They 

 are sociable animals, and make most 

 amusing pets. A iull-grown one is 

 not much larger than a hedgehog, 

 but more slender. It barks like a 

 prairie-dog, and has many other noises 

 of pleasure or anger. A lady, the 

 owTier of one, writes in Country Life : 

 " It gets on well with the dogs and 

 cats, especially the latter, as they are 

 more friendly to her, and allow her to 

 sleep by their side and on the top of 

 them. One old cat brings small birds 



ISurih l-liKhloj. 

 MASKED r.VLM-CIYET. 

 A whole-coloured spocie-s of the group. 



