MONGOOSE AND COBRj^. 
27 
the hill, in a desperate hurry with all their hair standing 
on end ; and yet as 1 was to leeward and there was nothing 
to alarm them that I could see, I was puzzled at their 
behaviour ; but the cause was not far off, for on reaching the 
point from which they had come I met three wild dogs in 
chase, and I am sorry to add, made a disgraceful miss at the 
biggest of the lot." 
In the low country where there is more cover and game 
is plentiful, wild dogs are more abundant. In their rushes at 
the deer, they always appear to attack it at the flank and 
endeavour to disembowel it, and thus soon despatch their 
victim. 
Jerdon s description is as follows ; — General colour 
bright rusty red or rufus fawn colour, paler beneath ; 
ears erect, rather large, somewhat rounded at the tip ; tail 
moderately brushed, reaching to the heels, usually tipped 
blackish ; limbs strong ; body lengthened. Length of head 
and body 32-36 inches, tail about 16 inches, height 17-20 
inches. 
MUNGOOSE AND COBRA. 
One of our officers had a tame mungoose ;^ a charming 
little pet * whenever we could procure a cobra, and we had 
many opportunities, we used to turn it out into an empty 
store room, which had a window some height from the 
ground, so that it was perfectly safe to stand there and look 
on. The cobra when dropped from the bag or basket would 
wriggle into one of the corners of the room and there coil 
himself up. The mungoose showed the greatest excitement 
^ Hcrpestes mango. The Common Indian Mungoose. 
