VIVERRA. 
fluch infest those regions. In India it at- | 
licks, with the greatest eagerness and con- 
age, that most dreadful reptile the cobra de 
apello, or hooded snake, and easily destroys 
F It also diligently seeks for the eggs of 
rocodiles ; for which reason, as well as for 
[s general usefulness in destroying all man* 
|er of troublesome reptiles, it was held in 
Lch a high degree of veneration by the an- 
[ent Egyptians as to be regarded in the light 
>1 a minor deity, one of those benevolent 
Lings proceeding from the parent of the uni- 
verse. For the purposes above specified it 
s still domesticated by the Indians and Egyp- 
tians, in the same manner as the cat in Eu- 
rope ; and it has also the merit of being 
easily tamed, and of performing all the ser- 
vices of the cat with a slid greater degree of 
vigour and alacrity. When in pursuit of prey, 
t sometimes springs suddenly upon it with 
the greatest agility ; and at other times will 
glide along the ground like a serpent, without 
raising its body, till it arrives at a proper 
distance for its intended attack. Like many 
other animals of this tribe, it is a most dan- 
gerous enemy to several creatures larger 
than itself; over which it gains a ready vic- 
tory, by fastening itself upon them, and suck- 
i n a- their blood. In a wild state, it is said 
prmcipally to frequent the banks of rivers ; 
and in times of Hood to approach the higher 
grounds and inhabited places, in quest of 
prey. It is reported to swim and dive occa- 
sionally, in the manner of the otter, and to 
continue beneath the water for a great length 
of time. 
The ichneumon is found not only in various 
parts of India, but in the Indian islands, as 
Ceylon and others. It also occurs in many 
parts of Africa besides Egypt, as in Barbary, 
and at the Cape of Good Ilope, &c. As it 
is a native ®f warm countries, it is of course 
greatly injured by a removal to the colder 
regions of Europe, and generally falls a vic- 
tim to the alteration of climate. See Plate 
Nat. Hist. fig* 418. 
2. Viverra surikatta. The surikate is dis- 
tinguished by a long sharp-pointed nose, de- 
pressed head, and inflated cheeks; the upper 
jaw is much longer than the lower, and on its 
upper part is black ; the eyes are also sur- 
i rounded by black ; the ears are small and 
I rounded ; the tongue is oblong, blunt, and 
aculeated backwards ; the length ot the ani- 
mal, exclusive of the tail, is about a foot, 
l and of the tail about eight inches ; the legs 
lj are short; the claws on the foie feet much 
exceed in length those of the hind feet. The 
! general colour of the surikate is a deep grey ; 
the tail is subferruginous, tipped with black. 
It is an inhabitant of the Cape of Good Hope, 
| where it is called mcer-rat. It feeds on flesh, 
and preys on mice, and other small animals. 
It commonly sits erect, in the manner of a 
[ squirrel; and when pleased makes a rattling 
noise with its tail, for which reason the Dutch 
inhabitants of the Cape call it klapper-maus. 
It is also found in the island of Java, where it 
is named surlkatje by the Dutch, on account 
I of a peculiarly acid scent, which it is said to 
i emit. • It is an animal of a capricious dispo- 
' sition when in a state of captivity. In having 
only four toes, it differs from most of this 
tribe. 
3. Viverra nasua. The size of this animal 
j is at least equal to that ef a cat. Its general 
colour is a cinereous brown, or ash-colour, 
with a cast of reddish ; the tail, which is of 
very considerable length, is annulated with 
distinct circles of black : its most remarkable 
character is the long, flexible snout, some- 
what truncated at the end. By the assistance 
of this it turns up the earth, in the manner of 
a hog, in quest of earth-worms, &c. Like the 
polecat, it also preys on the smaller quadru- 
peds, birds, See. It is a native of South Ame- 
rica, and seems to have been first described 
by Marcgrave in his History of Brasil. There 
is a particularity sometimes observable in 
this animal, which seems worthy of notice, 
viz. a kind of prolongation of the skin at the 
back of the heel into several horny processes, 
of about a quarter of an inch in length : these 
in some specimens are scarcely visible. The 
tongue is marked on the upper part with se- 
veral furrows, so disposed as to resemble the 
fibres of a leaf. 
4. Viverra vulpecula. Coasse. This animal 
is about the size of the polecat, measuring 18 
inches from nose to tail ; the tail is long and 
full of hair : the whole animal is of a deep or 
blackish chocolate-colour, but the tail is some- 
times mixed with white. It is a native of 
Mexico and many other parts of America, 
and possesses the power of emitting, when 
attacked or irritated, such powerfully offen- 
sive effluvia, as, in most instances, effectually 
to discomfit and repel its pursuers. 
5. Viverra striata. Striated weesel. It has 
been imagined, and not without a degree of 
probability, that this animal is the female of 
viverra vulpecula, or coasse. It is of the 
same size and general aspect, but is distin- 
guished by five parallel longitudinal white 
stripes on the back ; the tail is very bushy or 
full of hair. In the different specimens of 
this animal there is some slight variation ob- 
I servable in the proportion of the dorsal 
stripes, as well as in the colour ot the tail, 
which is sometimes marked with a pair of 
lateral white bands, and sometimes almost 
entirely white. Its manners and horrible va 
pour, when irritated, perfectly agree with the 
viverra vulpecula; and the same description 
of this offensive quality may be applied to 
this and some other species. If the accounts 
given of this odious vapour are not aggra- 
vated by the abhorrent recollection of those 
who have experienced its effects, every other 
ill smell which nature can produce is sur- 
passed by the overpowering foetor of these 
extraordinary quadrupeds. In consequence 
of the dreadful emanation, the dogs are said 
to relinquish their pursuit, and the men to fly 
with precipitation from the tainted spot ; but 
if unfortunately the least particle of the fluid 
which the animal commonly discharges at 
this juncture, should happen to light or. the 
clothes of the hunter, he becomes a general 
nuisance wherever he appears, and is obliged 
to divest himself of his dress, and practise all 
the arts of ablution, in order to be restored to 
the society- of mankind. 
To add to the history of these strange cir- 
cumstances, it is affirmed that the animal is 
sometimes tamed, and rendered domestic; in 
which state it is pretended that it never emits 
its pestilential vapour, unless greatly dis- 
pleased or irritated: if this is the case, it 
ought surely to be treated, as an eminent 
zoologist has well observed, with the highest 
attention. 
6. Viverra capensis. The Cape weesel, is one 
of the larger animals of the genus, measuring 
tw'o feet from nose to tail, which is eight 
inches long. Its colour is a cinereous grey 
above, and brownish black below ; the two 
colours being separated along the whole 
length of the animal, from the base of the 
tail, by a stripe of blank and white; the ears 
are scarcely visible ; t lie tail rather thick ; the 
legs short, and the head large ; the snout 
short and somewhat pointed ; the body seems 
of a thicker form than is usual in this genus. 
This animal, when pursued, ejects a fetid 
liquid, accompanied by a smell as insufferable 
as that of some of the American weesels or 
skunks, and productive of the same effects. 
7. Viverra civetta. Civet. The viverra 
civetta, commonly known by the name of the 
civet-cat, is a native of several parts 'of Africa 
and India. The general length of this animal, 
from nose to tail, is something 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, disposed in longitudinal rows on 
each side, and sometimes a tinge of ferru- 
ginous appears intermixed ; the hair is coarse, 
and along the top of the back stands up, so as 
to form a sort of mane ; tire 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 is mark- 
ed with pale or whitish spots on eacli side the 
base. It is an animal of a wild disposition, 
and lives in the usual manner of others of this 
genus, preying on birds, the smaller quadru- 
peds, &c. * It is remarkable for the produc- 
tion of the drug called civet (sometimes erro- 
neously confounded with musk). This sub- 
stance is a secretion formed in a large double 
glandular receptacle, situated at some little 
distance beneath the tail, and which the ani- 
mal empties spontaneously. When the 
civet-cats are kept in a state of confinement 
(as is usual with the perfumers at Amsterdam 
and other places), they are placed, from time 
to time, in strong wooden cages or recep- 
tacles, so constructed as to prevent the crea- 
ture from turning round and biting the per- 
son employed in collecting the secreted 
substance ; this operation is said to be gene- 
rally performed twice a week, and is done by 
scraping out the civet with a small spatula, 
or spoon. This substance is of a yellowish 
colour, and of the consistence of an unguent ; 
of an extremely strong and even* unpleasant 
odour when fresh, so as sometimes to cause 
giddiness and head-ache, but becomes more 
agreeable by keeping : the quantity obtained 
each time amounts to about a dram. 
Civet, though an article in the more an- 
tient materia medica, and though still em- 
ployed by the Oriental physicians, is with us 
chiefly used in perfumes. It has a very fra- 
grant smell, and a subacrid taste ; it unites 
readily with oils, both expressed and di tilled; 
in watery or spirituous menstrua it does not 
dissolve,* but impregnates the fluids strongly 
with its odour. It may, however, be made 
to unite with, or be soluble in, water, by 
means of rubbing with mucilages. 
5 Q2 
