THE MUNGOOSE 
the sea. At Despatch, near Port Elizabeth, Mr. 
F. H. Holland has recently killed two of these mun- 
gooses, which for some time had been preying on 
his poultry. “This spot is an ideal habitat for them, 
as the banks of the Zwartkops River are thickly 
covered with reeds. 
The Water Mungoose is dark brown in colour : 
the hairs are annulated with bands of brown and 
yellow alternately, the former being most pro- 
nounced. Often these annulations are absent. The 
animal is rather thickset, especially the head and 
neck; the limbs are of a darker brown than the body 
fur; the tail is a little more than half the length of 
the body, which averages two feet from the tip of 
the nose to the root of the tail. The hair of the 
tail is long at the base, but gradually grows shorter 
towards the tip, giving the tail a tapering appearance. 
On the north-eastern side of South Africa, from 
the Transvaal, and up the east coast, a local race 
is found, which is larger than the typical kind, and 
to distinguish it from the typical race, it is known 
as Mungos paludinosus rubellus. 
Tue Smart Grey Muncoose 
(Mungos pulverulentus) 
Also known as the Grijse Muishond ; Neethaar ; Pepper 
and Salt Cat; Ilitse of Amaxosa 
The Small Grey Mungoose is common throughout 
the Cape Province and Natal, but so far as is at 
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