NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
enemy. On the slightest cause for alarm they 
instantly disappear underground or into cover 
afforded by rocks or undergrowth. Out upon the 
karoo they cannot be distinguished from the Ground 
Squirrels unless approached closely. Although as 
large as itself, the Bushy-tailed Meerkat attacks 
and devours the Ground Squirrel. In the neigh- 
bourhood of man they are usually shy and secretive. 
They are frequently seen in the bush-veld, dense 
shrub, or vegetation-covered, rock-strewn localities 
where they have their burrows securely hidden. 
They are diurnal by habit, but when living in 
the vicinity of man they often become night prowlers 
and do considerable harm to the poultry farmer. 
They often hunt in this way in pairs under cover 
of darkness. 
When riding or driving across the vast stretches 
of the dry karoo of the Cape Province midlands, I 
have seen a dozen or more of those Bushy-tailed 
Meerkats in the course of a day’s journey, but they 
were always either in pairs or in quite small colonies. 
Sitting erect for a minute or two the meerkat watches 
you approach, then dropping down it makes off at a 
fairly rapid pace with a series of leaps and bounds 
through and over the sparse stunted growth of 
the dry karoo, with its handsome tail streaming 
out behind it. Dogs can easily overtake this meer- 
kat if it is not within a hundred yards or so of 
dense cover or its hole. When brought to bay it 
fights with the greatest of determination and 
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