7 %e Hijlory of A N I M A L S. 557 
Under the tail is fituated the bag, in which is contained the perfume, which we call 
civet. It’s fituation is exadly the fame with that of the bag, which contains the 
white febaceous matter in the badger. 
It is Angular that the throat, and part of the under furface of the common badger, 
is black ; the whole under furface of the civet animal, the throat, bread:, and belly 
are all black, and this is contradidory to the cuftom of nature, in the generality of 
animals, which are darker-colouted on the back, and paler on the belly, that has a 
ftrange appearance; in this, however, as well as in particulars which are more efien- 
tial, the badger and this creature agree in a furprifing manner. 
The civet animal is a native of South America, and of fome other of the warmer 
quarters of the world ; it will live with us, and even produce the perfume, but in 
fmall quantities, and of an inferior fcent to that which is obtained in warmer coun¬ 
tries. All the late writers on beads have mentioned this. They call it Felis Zibethh- 
cus, and Animal Zibethicum. 
Meles unguibus uniformibus leucophcea* 
The bluijh Meles^ with uniform claws * 
3 ld)nettmott, 
This is alfo an animal, which, though long known by name, has been put among 
very wrong genera by authors % it has been generally ranged among the mus-kind, and 
called a rat; but it is truly of the badger genus, and indeed extreamly refembles the 
common badger in almoft every particular. It is of the bignefs of a large cat: the 
head is long, and the nofe tolerably fharp j the eyes are large, but not prominent ; the 
ears are fhort, ered, and patulous; the noftrils are large, and the mouth is wide, very 
well furmftied with teeth, and ornamented with whilkers; the tongue is broad, and 
rounded at the end : the body is long and thick; the tail is long and thick, and is 
well covered with hair; the legs are robuft, but they are not very long; the toes are 
armed with (harp claws: the head is of a dark colour, approaching to black, efpeci- 
ally about the nofe; the whole body, befide, is of a grey colour, like that of our com¬ 
mon badger, and has, in the fame manner, a tinge of yellowifh in it, but there is 
more of the black among the darker fhade ; fo that it has a bluifh tinge with the reft, 
which is not in our badger : the under part of the body is darker than the back or 
fides, and the legs alfo are dark or blackifh. 
This is a native of Egypt, and fome other places; it feeds on fmaller animals, and 
does not (pare ferpents, which are very numerous in that part of the world, and which 
it deftroys in great quantities. The people at Alexandria bring the young to market 
for fale; thole who buy them breed them up tame in their houfes, as we do cats, for 
the deftrudion of vermin. It is an extreamly nimble and bold animal; it will ftand a 
battle with the largeft dog, and will ftrangle any creature in a few minutes, if it can 
get hold of it’s throat, which is what it always attempts. It will ftand upon the 
hinder legs to look about for prey, and, when it has difcovered any creature that is pro-* 
per for it's purpofes, it creeps very flowly on the ground till within a due diftance, and 
then throws itfelf on the unexpeding animal with a furprifing violence and rapidity. 
Moft of the authors who have written on animals have named it $ they call it Mus 
Ichneumon, Ichneumon, and Mus Pharaonis. 
ERINACEUS. 
r I ' H E lateral fore-teeth of the Erinaceus are fhorter than the others: the noftrils 
are criftated, and the body, inftead of hairs, is cloathed, in the manner of that 
of the porcupine, with fpines. 
Erinaceus 
