FENNEC. 3.33 
Bruce and Mr. Pennant disagree in their opinions. 
Mr. Pennant ranks it under the genus Canis, and 
calls it Zerda, or Dog with a pointed visage; 
long whiskers ; large bright black eyes ; very large 
ears of a bright rose-colour^ internally lined with 
long hairs : the orifice so small as not to be visi- 
ble ; probably covered with a valve or membrane : 
legs and feet like those of a dog : tail taper : co- 
lour between a straw and a pale brown : length 
from nose to tail ten inches: ears three and a 
half: tail six: height not five." It inhabits (says 
Mr. Pennant) the vast deserts of Saara^ which 
extend beyond Mount Atlas^ and is called by the 
Moors Zercla: burrows in sandy ground, which 
shews the use of valves to the ears. It is so ex- 
ceedingly swift that it is very rarely taken alive : 
feeds on insects, especially locusts: sits on its 
rump : is very vigilant, and barks like a Dog, but 
much shriller. Dr. Sparmann suspects that he 
saw it during his travels in Caifraria. Mr. Bruce, 
in the fifth or supplemental volume of his travels, 
assures us that the true name of the animal is not 
Zerda but Femiec, and this latter name, he con- 
ceives, may have been derived from ^on/*^, a palm, 
the principal residence of the creature being on 
the tops of palm-trees. Mr. Bruce, at different 
periods, kept two or three specimens of the Fen- 
nec, and the following is his account of the ani- 
mal's manners and appearance. 
Though his favourite food seemed to be 
dates, or any sweet fruit, yet I observed he was 
very fond of eggs, and small bird's eggs were first 
