LECTURE III. 85 



to be at pleasure withdrawn into a kind of sheaths 

 when not in use. 



The succeeding genus contains a great many 

 species, comprehending all the animals of the 

 Weasel kind. Lmnseus indeed institutes two se- 

 parate genera for these animals, on account of 

 certain differences observable in the disposition of 

 the teeth; but, in a general view, they may all be 

 considered as furnishing one very large genus or 

 assortment, under the title of Viverra, The ge- 

 neral character of the Weasel tribe is a certain 

 slenderness and length of body; with a sharpened 

 visage, short legs, and, in most species, a longish 

 tail; (for it is short in but a few,) The front teeth 

 are six in number: with the middle ones shorter 

 than the rest *. 



To the Weasel tribe belongs the celebrated 

 animal called the Ichnuemon, which was so 

 highly esteemed by the ancient Egyptians on ac- 

 count of its great utility in destroying serpents 

 and other noxious animals. It has a general re- 

 semblance to a very large ferret, but is of a brown- 



* The animal known by the name of the Polecat, (Mustela 

 Putorius, Lin.) may serve to give some idea of the g^eneral ap- 

 pearance of the animals of this genus. 



