THE CIVET CAT. 105 



THE CIVET CAT. 



IN THE ROYAL MENAGERY, TOWER OF LONDON. 



The animal commonly known by the name of the Civet, or Civet Cat, is the Viverra Civetta of 

 Linnaeus; the felii zibethi of Gesner ; the civette of Buffon; and the "ash-coloured weesel, spotted 

 with black, with chestnut-coloured mane, and dusky tail spotted towards the base " of Dr. Shaw. Its 

 general length from nose to tail is somewhat more than two feet, and the tail measures fourteen inches. 

 The ground colour of the body is yellowish ash-grey, marked with large blackish or dusky spots dis- 

 posed in longitudinal rows on each side, with sometimes a tinge of ferruginous. The hair is coarse, 

 and along the top of the back stands up, forming a kind of mane; the head is of a lengthened or 

 sharpish form, with short rounded ears ; the eyes are of a bright sky-blue ; the tip of the nose black ; 

 the sides of the face, chin, breast, legs and feet are black ; the remainder of the face, and part of the 

 sides of the neck, are of a yellowish white ; from each ear are three black stripes terminating at the 

 throat and shoulders ; the tail is generally black, but sometimes marked with pale or whitish spots on 

 each side of the base. Some naturalists, and particularly Belon, will have the Civet Cat to be the same 

 as the hyaena of the Ancients, and he calls it hyaena odorifera ; but Buffon observes, that it has nothing 

 in common with the hyaena, except the fissure or sac under the tail, and the mane along the neck and 

 spine. It differs also from the hyaena in the figure and size of the body, being one-half smaller. The 

 ears are short and covered with hair, while those of the hyaena are long and naked. Neither does the 

 Civet Cat dig the earth in quest of dead bodies ; and this alone forms a clear distinction between the 

 two animals. 



The Civet Cat is a native of several parts of Africa and India, but not of America, as some have 

 erroneously asserted, though it has been transported thither from the Philippine Islands and the coast 

 of Guinea. Although originally a native of the warm climates of Africa and Asia, it is still capable 

 of subsisting in temperate and even in cold countries, provided it be defended from the injuries of the 

 weather, and fed with succulent nourishment. 



The Civet Cat is naturally wild, and sometimes rather ferocious, although it may be easily tamed, 

 or at least so far as to be handled without danger. Few animals are more active and nimble than 

 the civet, jumping about, like the cat, in the most animated manner, and running with wonderful 

 speed. It is an animal of prey, pursuing and surprising the smaller animals, and especially the birds, 

 and, like the fox, it will steal into the poultry-yards and commit considerable havoc. Its eyes shine 

 in the night, and it is supposed that, like the cat, it can see in the dark. When it cannot obtain either 

 animals or birds, it takes roots and fruits as its substitute. It drinks very little, and never inhabits 

 moist or swampy places, preferring for its habitation the burning sands or the arid mountains. It is a 

 very prolific animal, bringing forth from three to six at each birth, and breeding regularly once a year. 



A considerable number of these animals are kept in Holland for the sake of selling, and procuring 

 the perfume which they yield called civet, and which is sometimes erroneously confounded with musk. 

 There is a considerable traffic of civet from Bassora, Calicut, and other places, where the animal that 

 produces it is bred, although the greater part of the civet amongst us is furnished by the Dutch, who 

 rear a considerable number of these animals. That which is obtained from Amsterdam is preferred to 



