V I V 



V I V 



S.'^ipiifr us for his concertos, was a topping man among them 

 at Venice." 



VIVAR, in Geography, a town of Spain, in Old Caf- 

 tile ; 6 miles from Burgos. — Alfo, a town of Italy, in 

 Friuli ; 5 miles N.E. of Aviano. 



VIVARAIS, before the revolution a province of France, 

 in Lower Langucdoc, on the right fide of the Rhone, of 

 which Viviers was the capital ; now the department of the 

 Ardeche. 



VIVARIO, a town of the ifland of Corfica ; 10 miles 

 S. of Corte. 



VIVARO, a fmall irtand in the Mediterranean, a little 

 to the eaft of Ifchia. 



VIVARY, Vivarium, in our Laio-Bocls, is fometimes 

 ufed for a park, warren, or filh-pond, in which living crea- 

 tures are kept. 



VIVER, in Geography, a town of Spain, in the pro- 

 Tince of Valencia ; 8 miles N.W. of Segorbe. 



VIVERO, a town of Spain, in Galicia, on the river 

 Vivero or Landrova ; 18 miles N.W. of Mondonedo. — 

 Alfo, a river of Spain, in Galicia, which runs into the fea ; 

 12 miles E. of Cape Ortegal. 



VIVEROL, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Puy de Dome ; 9 miles S.S.W. of Ambert. 



VIVERON, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Dora, on a lake ; 10 miles S. of Ivrea. 



VIVERRA, in Zoology. See Ferret and Mustela. 



ViVERRA, in the Linntean Syjlem, is a diflinft genus 

 of the order Ferx (though united by Pennant and Shaw to 

 the genus Mujlela ; which fee), the charafters of which are, 

 tliat it has fix cutting-teeth, the intermediate being (horter; 

 one of tlie canine teeth on each fide longer than the reft ; 

 the grinders more than three ; the tongue bending backwards, 

 often aculeated ; and the nails extended. Gmelin reckons 

 twenty -feven fpccies, which are as follow. 



Ichneumon ; Grey Ichneumon. With diftant thumbs, 

 and tail gradually tapering from a thick bafe, and tufted 

 at the end. This is called the rat of Pharaoh. See Ich- 

 neumon. 



MuNGO ; Rufous-grey Ichneumon. With diftant thumbs, 

 and untufted tail, gradually tapering from a thick bafe: 

 the Indian ichneumon of Edwards ; the quil or quiopele 

 of Ray ; and the mangoufte of Buffon. Shaw fuggefts 

 that this may be a variety of the former ; and he obferves, 

 that the ichneumon is a fpecies of which there feem to be 

 two dilfinft varieties, one of which (t;«. the latter) is a 

 native of India, and the other (or former) of Africa : 

 they are alike in general appearance, but the Egyptian va- 

 riety is confiderably larger than the Indian, and has its tail 

 tufted at the end, and thus differing from the Indian. In 

 India, as well as in Egypt, the ichneumon is regarded as one 

 of the moft ufcful and eftimable of animals ; as it is an in- 

 veterate enemy to ferpcnts, rats, and other noxious creatures 

 which infeft tl>ofe regions. ( See Ichneumon. ) In India, 

 it attacks with great eagernefs and courage that moft dread- 

 ful reptile, the cobra de capello, or hooded fnake, and 

 cafily deftroys it. For fuch purpofes it is domefticated as 

 the cat is in Europe. It is faid to fwim and dive occa- 

 Conally, like the otter, and to continue for a long time under 

 water. This animal is found, not only in various parts of 

 India, but in the Indian iflands, as Ceylon and others. It 

 occurs alfo in various parts of Africa befides Egypt, as in 

 Barbary and the Cape of Good Hope, Sic. 



Cafra ; Yellowifli-brown Weafel. With tail gradually 

 tapering from a thick bafe, and black at the tip. This ani- 

 mal, refembhng, in its general form, the pole-cat, and 

 nearly the length of the otter, with blackifh feet and very 



12 



(hort cars, covered with woolly fur, is a native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. 



Zenik ; Four-toed Grey Weafel. With ten tranfverfe 

 black bands on the body, and deep chefnut-coloured tail, 

 black towards the tip ; it is about the fize of a water-rat, 

 with a long fnout, and two incifive and fix canine teeth in each 

 jaw ; it has five toes on each foot ; the claws on the fore- 

 feet being very long, and almoft ftraight ; and thofe on the 

 hind-feet are fmall and crooked. It is defcribed by Sonnerat 

 as a Caffrarian fpecies, being found in the country of the 

 Hottentots. 



Tetradactyla, or Surikatte ; the Grey-brown Wea- 

 fel. With four-toed feet, and long moveable fnout, and ferru- 

 ginous tail, black at the tip : the furicate of Buffon, and 

 four-toed weafel of Pennant. It is an inhabitant of the 

 Cape of Good Hope, where it is called Meer-rat. It feeds 

 on flefh, and preys on mice and other fmall animals. It com- 

 monly fits erect like the fquirrel, and when pleafed, makes 

 a rattling noife with its tail, from which circumftance it has 

 obtained, among the Dutch inhabitants of the Cape, the 

 name of Klappermaus. It is alfo found in the ifland of 

 Java, where the Dutch call it Surikatje, on account of a pe- 

 culiar acid fcent which it is faid to emit. 



Nasua ; Rufous Weafel. With tail annulated with 

 white, and lengthened moveable fnout : the coati of Marc- 

 grave, and coati-mondi of others, and Brafihan weafel of 

 Pennant. Its fize is equal to that of a cat ; its colour cine- 

 reous-brown, with a caft of reddifti, and tail annulated with 

 diftinft circles of black. Like the pole-cat, it preys on 

 the fmaller quadrupeds, birds, &c. It is a native of South 

 America. Some animals are diftinguifhed by a prolongation 

 of the fkin at the back of the head into feveral horny pro- 

 ceffcs, about a quarter of an inch in length ; and the upper 

 part of the tongue is marked with feveral furrows, difpofed 

 fo as to refemble the fibres of a leaf. 



Narica ; Brownifh Weafel. With tail of the fame colour, 

 and lengthened moveable fnout : the coali-brun of Buffon, 

 and dnfky weafel of Pennant ; reckoned a variety of the 

 former both by him and Shaw. However, it is larger than 

 the former, of a browner colour, and without any very dif- 

 tinft variegations on the tail. It feeds on animals and vege- 

 tables ; goes into the water, and alfo climbs trees. It is 

 found in South America. 



Vui.pecula ; Dark-chefnut-coloured Weafel. With 

 lengthened fnout : the coaffe of Buffon, and ftifling 

 weafel of Pennant. It is about the fize of the pole-cat, of 

 a deep or blackilh chocolate colour, that of the tail fome- 

 times mixed with white. This animal is a native of Mexico, 

 and many other parts of America, and when attacked or ir- 

 ritated in purfuit, emits very powerfully offenfive effluvia. 



Quasje ; Chefnut-coloured Weafel. Beneath yellowifli, 

 with prolonged fnout and annulated tail ; is found at Su- 

 rinam, and feeds on worms, infeAs, and fruits, and is 

 fetid. Probably a variety of the coati-mondi, or Brafilian 

 weafel. 



Putorius ; Blackifti Weafel. With five parallel, white, 

 dorfal ftripes : the ftriated weafel of Pennant, and conepate 

 of Buffon : fuppofed to be the female of the V. vulpecula. 

 Found in North America. It is fometimes tamed, and 

 rendered domeftic. See Mustela Putorius. 



Conepatl ; Blackifh Weafel. With two white dorfal 

 lines extending along the tail. It is a native of New Spain, 

 and probably a variety of the preceding. 



Mephitis ; Brown Weafel. AVith white back, marked 

 with a longitudinal black ftripe : the ikunk weafe! of 

 Pennant, and chinche of Buffon. In manners and fmell 

 this fpecies refembles the two prececKng. 



The 



