THE STRIPED MUISHOND OR STINK CAT 
The mission in life of the muishond is a good and 
useful one. Like all the weasel tribe, it is a most 
bloodthirsty creature. Nothing comes amiss to 
it. Insects are sought out among the herbage 
and devoured, or if the soil abounds in their larve 
it digs down after them. The large white grubs. 
found in manure heaps, which are the larve of the 
Rhinoceros Beetle, are an especial dainty, and, in 
consequence, if heaps of manure are in the vicinity 
of its lair, the muishond visits them nightly, and 
at these times may easily be captured with the aid 
of dogs. 
The powers of scent possessed by the muishond 
are superior to those of the bloodhound. Once 
upon the track there is little chance of ultimate 
escape for the hunted creature. 
The muishond is a slow runner, and when it 
startles a hare the latter is off at a bound. The 
pursuer is in nohurry. It does not even trouble to 
raise its head to see which direction the hare 
has taken, but, with tail bent over its back and nose 
to the ground, it starts off on the trail at a slow trot. 
Time and again the hare is startled by the sudden 
apparition of its dreaded enemy, until eventually 
the creature gets so terrified that it becomes dazed ; 
_ and when the muishond again appears it either hops 
around aimlessly or else throws itself upon its side 
and screams shrilly. The implacable hunter in- 
stantly seizes it by the throat, and the sharp canine 
teeth soon cut through the jugular vein. The 
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