456 
NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 
Centetes. The shrew {sorex) tribe has also been 
met with in Africa, for there is a species describ- 
ed as a native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
The common mole {talpa Europea) is found 
in many districts in Africa. Travellers mention 
an animal as occurring in the vicinity of the Cape 
of Good Hope, which has been described under 
the name golden mole^ from the singular appear- 
ance of its fur, which exhibits beautiful changing 
iridescent colours, somewhat resembling those 
observed in the hair of a South American marsu- 
pial animal. But it differs from the mole in the 
form of its skull, and the nature of its teeth j 
and hence has been considered as forming a dis- 
tinct genus named Oirysochhris, 
The civet cat {yiverra civetta)^ which secretes 
in a bag under its tail the perfume called c'wet^ 
is found only in Africa, and the famous ichneu- 
mon Qoiverra ichneumon) worshipped by the an^ 
cient Egyptians, does not appear to occur in any 
other quarter of the globe. 
Animals of the bear tribe (ursus) occur but 
seldom in this continent ; the black bear (ursus 
niger) is met with among the mountains of Bar- 
bary. 
Several species of the dog (canis) tribe are met 
with in Africa. Vast troops of wild dogs occur 
in Congo ; these are not the original of the com- 
mon dog, but appear to be some variety of that 
