NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
into the soil in search of insect food, and burrows 
down to theinnermost hiding-places of ratsand mice, 
devouring both the adults and young. Nothing 
of a fleshy nature comes amiss to the muishond, 
and it is by no means particular whether its diet 
be carrion or living prey. Like all of its tribe, 
it is bold and bloodthirsty. If surprised it invari- 
ably faces the aggressor and even boldly advances 
to the attack, emitting a rapid succession of shrill 
and discordant yells. 
A friend, who was a recent arrival from Ireland, 
was staying with me in Natal. One evening on 
his way home he was dreamily walking along a 
Kafir path through the estate when a muishond 
happened to be wending its way along the same path 
in the opposite direction. The two met, and the 
muishond sprang at him. 
The flashing phosphorescent eyes, and the sharp, 
rapidly-repeated screams of the creature terrified 
my friend so thoroughly that he instantly raced 
off like a hare, imagining some formidable beast 
was about to devour him. I have often seen men 
in an extremity of terror, but not more so than that 
“‘ tenderfoot ” from oversea. However, the sudden 
appearance of two luminous eyes and a rapid suc- 
cession of shrill yells of as fine a pitch as the 
highest violin note, from out of the darkness in a 
strange and lonely bush-covered place, where 
weird shadows prevailed, was enough to shake the 
nerve of even a seasoned naturalist. 
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