CHAP. VI. 
PLA. 
216. 
The MONGOOZ. 
H E S E animals are brought from 
A Madagafcar, and many of the fmaller 
iflands between that and the Eaft Indies ; 
they feem to be one remove from the diredt 
Monkey. The Maucauco, defcribed in 
my Hiftory of Birds, &c . page 197, is 
another fpecies of this genus, but more 
beautiful than this. The Mongooz is lefs 
than a fmall cat. This was a female. 
The head of this animal is fhaped much 
like that of a fox, and is wholly covered 
with hair : the eyes are black, with orange- 
coloured irides, or circles round the eyes : 
the hair is black, and joins between the 
eyes, tending downwards in a point toward 
the nofe, which is alfo black ; but there is 
a fpace between the eyes and nofe purely 
white, which reaches under the eyes, on 
the fldes of the head. The upper part of 
the head, neck, back, tail, and limbs, is 
of a dark-brownilh afh« colour, the hair 
being fomething woolly $ the under fide of 
the body is white ; the paws are made like 
thofe of Monkies, with flat nails, except 
the fecond toes of the hinder feet, which 
have each of them a (harp- pointed claw ; 
all the paws are covered with fliort hair of 
a light afh-colour ; the tail is long, the hair 
is pretty thick and foft, and appears to have 
a mixture of lighter and darker parts all 
over the body. Its actions were like thofe 
of a Monkey. 
I faw this animal, A.D. 1752, alive, at 
the houfe of the obliging Mrs. Kennon, 
midwife to her Royal Highnefs the Princefs 
of Wales, who invited me to take a draw- 
ing of it ; and informed me that it fed on 
fruits, herbs, and almofl: any thing, even 
Le MONGO US. 
E S animaux viennent de Madagafcar, 
et de la plufpart des petites ijles entre 
celle- lei et les Indes Orient ales ; ils paroijfent 
s' ecar ter d'nn degre du Smge proprement dit. 
Le Maucauco , decrit dans mon Hijloire des 
Oijeaux, pi 197, ejl une autre efpece de ce 
meme genre , mats plus beau que celui-ci. 
Le Mongous ri ejl pas Jigros quun chat de 
petite taille. Celui-ci etoit femelle . 
La tete de cet animal rejj'emble beaucoup d 
celle d'nn renard y et ejl toute couverte de poll: 
il a les yeux noirs, entoures d'iris ou cercles 
d' un jaune orange : fon poll ejl noir y et fe 
joint entre les yeux dam une pomte, la quelle 
defeend jufqu au nez, qui ejl de la meme cou - 
leur ; mais il y a entre les yeux et le nez 
une efpace purement blanche , qui i et end fous 
les yeux, fur les cotes de la tete . Le haut de 
la tete , le dejfus du cou , du dos, de la queue , 
et des membrcSy ejl d' un brun fonce y tirant fur 
la couleur de cendre y mais tout le dejfous du 
corps ejl blanc : fon poll ejl laineux ; Jes pates 
font faites comme cedes des fnges , avec des 
angles plats , except e que le fecond orteil des 
pates de derrierefe ter mine par une griff "e fort 
pointue. Les quatre pates font couvertes de 
poll court d'wi gris cendre clair : il a une 
longue queue : fon pot l eft ajfez epais et doux y 
et paroit etre melange part out de clair et de 
fence : fes tnouvements rejfembloient a ceux des 
fnges. 
Je vis cet animal en vie, en 1752, chez 
feu Madame Kennon , qui etoit fage-femme 
de fon Altejfe Royale la Princejfe de Gales . 
Elk eut la bonte de m inviter a le deffi- 
tier , et elk m apprit, qu il fe nouriffoit de 
fruits , d' herbes, et de prefque tout ce qu on 
