350 Rough Notes on the Zoology of Candahar. [No. 161. 



in motion. The tail is capable of being expanded into a good sized 

 brush, and in this state forms an excellent defence for the back. 



I once put a large snake into a box with one of these ferrets ; the 

 snake at once withdrew to one corner and sought for a hole to escape 

 by ; while the ferret arched its back, kept the head erect, and spread the 

 tail out like a thick brush, which it turned over its back. In this 

 manner he approached and retreated from the snake several times, 

 watching its movements in some alarm. The ferret often tried to 

 seize the snake by the back of the head, and as often received a bite 

 in return, until the little beast became quite terrified. The snake 

 was harmless, but too powerful for the ferret to attack success- 

 fully. 



The markings of this beautiful species are as follow, namely, 

 through or across the face are three distinct and well defined bands ; 

 the lowest one runs across embracing the eyes, and is of a brown co- 

 lour ; above this is a second narrower band of a pure white ; and a 

 third of black passes across the forehead, along the anterior base of 

 the ears, descending to join the same colour on the throat. The 

 chin and muzzle are white, the nose brown. The fore part of the throat, 

 neck, breast, fore and hind legs, are glossy black. The upper half of 

 the ears is white, with long hairs like a fringe ; the crown and nape 

 are also white with brown spots ; the hinder neck and all the upper 

 parts of the back and sides, are yellowish- white with numerous brown 

 or liver-coloured spots of indeterminate shape. The tail is greyish- 

 yellow for two- thirds from the base, and the remainder to the tip black. 

 Ears ovate, or rounded and open ; eyes pale bluish or grey, by day- 

 light. The head is broad, muzzle short, rounded and obtuse. Body 

 long and remarkably slender, very supple, like the common ferret. 

 The cry it makes when irritated resembles that of the mungoose 

 ( Mangusta \_pallipes}). 



No. 16. Mustela ? This is a skin which was given me by a 



Candahari, and came he said from the neighbourhood of Cabool. I 

 suspect it to be the " Dil-kuffub" of Burnes's Bokhara. 17 



17. This is lost; it was "sooty black with a white crescent or gorget on the throat." 

 T. H. 



