210 
NATURE NOTES. 
TAME MONGOOSES. 
I. 
E mongoose is an animal something like a ferret, only- 
prettier. It has a large bushy tail and blue eyes r 
and is a sort of grey-brown colour. When angry 
the tail swells almost to the size of a fox's brush ; it 
has a pointed nose and tiny paws, and can be easily tamed by 
constant handling and petting, but their bite is fearful, as they 
have long, sharp, pointed teeth, and are very tenacious in their 
hold. They are most useful in India for killing snakes or rats, 
and it is quite curious to watch them. I have seen a mongoose 
lie in wait watching a snake, when he will make a sudden 
pounce and catch it in a certain part of the neck, give it a 
vigorous shaking, and never loose its hold till the snake is dead. 
The snakes know that this little creature is their natural 
enemy, and will sometimes remain perfectly rigid, as though 
dead ; all the while the mongoose never takes his eyes off the 
snake, watching from a distance ; should the unwary reptile 
make the slightest movement, his enemy, with a single bound, 
siezes him in a most dexterous manner, and never releases him 
till he is dead. 
Some years ago when I was in India, I bought two of these 
little creatures — one only a baby mongoose, the other older. 
Having a number of pets at the time I let them play together, 
so as to grow up good friends. We named the larger mongoose 
“ Tiny.” By constant petting he grew so tame as to come at a 
whistle, and on that account was allowed a great deal of liberty 
and the free run of the garden, and to go in and out as he pleased. 
At that time I had a large bull terrier puppy — a nice affectionate 
creature — also a lovely Blenheim spaniel with long silky ears, 
beautiful large eyes — brown, and most expressive — and his coat 
was white, with red patches ; and from his most amiable gentle 
disposition he was a universal favourite. “ Smut,” the bull 
terrier, was somewhat impetuous, and like all puppies rough in 
his play. He had beautiful white teeth, something like the wolf 
in Red Riding Hood. There was also a little monkey, quite 
young, but very bad-tempered ; he seldom interfered with the 
other animals. Tiny was in the habit of flying on his back, and 
with his little paws playing with Dot's lovely silk ears, conve- 
niently near the ground. On this unlucky occasion, Dot, with 
his usual equanimity, dozed, or half closing his eyes, allowing 
Tiny to jump and frisk about, then frequently giving his ears 
rather too energetic tweaks. The amiable Dot, however, bore it 
so patiently that Tiny, finding no notice taken of his frolicsome 
tricks, bounded off with his back arched like pussy when she 
spies an enemy' in the distance, and seeking for more new mis- 
chief, caught sight of his old friend “ Smut ” basking in the sun. 
For a time they had fine games, Smut fairly^ tolerant of Tiny's 
