CARNIVORA. 
173 
the hollows of trees. From these it sallies forth at 
night to visit the sheds and hen-roosts of the natives, 
in search of eggs, chickens, &c. Its rambles are also 
particularly directed to the gardens and plantations, 
where fruits of every description within its reach, 
and particularly pineapples, suifer extensively from 
its depredations. 
The coffee plantations in Java are greatly infected 
by the musang ; in some parts of the island it has, 
on this account, obtained the name of coffee rat. It 
devours the berries in large quantities, and its visits 
are soon discovered by parcels of seeds which it dis- 
charges unchanged. It selects only the ripest and 
most perfect fruits, and the seeds are eagerly col- 
lected by the natives, as the coffee is thus obtained 
without the tedious process of removing its mem- 
branaceous arillus. 
The injurious effects occasioned by the ravages of 
this animal in the coffee plantations are said, how- 
ever, to be fully counterbalanced by its propagating 
the plant in various parts of the forests, and particu- 
larly on the declivities of the fertile hills : these spon- 
taneous groves of a valuable fruit in various parts of 
the western districts of Java afford to the natives no 
inconsiderable harvest, while the accidental discovery 
of them surprises and delights the traveller in the 
most sequestered parts of the island- 
