82 
THE CHATI. 
their prey to remain unmolested for several 
days. D’Azara and his friend frequently 
closed the doors of the yard, and opened the 
den, that the animals might leave it. Those 
lately caught went first; and sometimes the 
old ones would not go out, even when the 
den was entered that it might he swept. 
They were left at liberty for several hours, 
during which they examined every crevice 
and then lay down to sleep. When boys 
teased them with sticks, they retreated to 
their dens without turning on their perse¬ 
cutors, even when severely beaten. A male 
on one occasion, becoming very lazy, was 
abused and bitten by his female mate, as if 
to punish him. In the night their eyes 
shone like those of the domestic cat; and 
' they resembled that animal in lying down, 
in licking and cleansing themselves, wash¬ 
ing their faces with their paws, puffing, 
sneezing, and in many other ways. D’Azara 
states that his friend caught a young one, 
and it became so thoroughly tame that it 
slept in the skirt of his clerical robe and 
went about loose. He represented that no 
animal could be more tractable; but it de- 
