THE MUNGOOSE 
it devours his crops and pasturage. Therefore it 
must be admitted the sportsman’s antipathy to the 
mungoose is a selfish one, for the creatures which 
he seeks to reserve the sole right of killing are, with 
but few exceptions, not only of no economic value, 
but are a decided hindrance to the agriculturalist 
and stock farmer. In South Africa we have little 
‘Or no pasturage to spare for the maintenance of 
wild animals useless to man. What is not required 
for the grazing of stock is urgently needed to clothe 
the veld and hills, to suck up the rain and prevent 
it carrying the fertile soil with it into the river beds, 
and eventually to the sea. In various indirect ways 
vegetation affects the rainfall, and in a country like 
that of South Africa, suffering from a chronic con- 
dition of thirst over at least one-half of its area, the 
matter of the conservation of water and vegetation 
is important. 
Mungooses in their native haunts, away from 
the vicinity of man, do a small amount of harm in 
occasionally eating the eggs and young of useful 
insectivorous birds which build their nests on the 
ground or in low bushes. This, however, is a thou- 
sand times compensated for by the mungoose, as 
it devours the creatures which are inveterate ene- 
mies of bird life. Mice, rats, and snakes, which 
destroy vast numbers of the eggs and young of use- 
ful birds, are killed and eaten by the mungoose. 
The nests of birds are perfectly safe from the mun- 
goose when they are in trees, steep banks, and in 
VOL. II 17 2 
