240 
THE CIVET FAMILY 
away to feed on some herb that acts as an antidote. An observer kept 
one as a pet for some time, and says: “It traveled with me on horse¬ 
back in an empty holster, or in a pocket, or up my sleeve; and after¬ 
wards, when my duties as a settlement-officer took me out into camps, 
Tips' was my constant companion. He was excessively clean, and 
after eating would pick his teeth with his claws in a most absurd 
manner. I do not know whether a mongoose in a wild state will eat 
carrion, but he would not touch anything tainted; and, though very 
fond of freshly-cooked game, would turn up his nose at high partridge 
or grouse. He was very fond of eggs, and, holding them in his fore¬ 
paws, would crack a little hole at the small end, out of which he would 
suck the contents. He was a very good ratter, and also killed many 
snakes against which I pitted him. His way seemed to be to tease the 
snake into darting at him, when, with inconceivable rapidity, he would 
pounce on the reptile's head. He seemed to know instinctively which 
were the poisonous ones, and acted with corresponding caution. I do 
not believe in the mongoose being proof against snake-poison, or in 
the antidote theory. Their extreme agility prevents their being bitten; 
and the stiff, rigid hair which is excited at such times, and a thick, 
loose skin, are an additional protection. I think it has been proved 
that if the poison of a snake is injected into the veins of a mongoose 
it proves fatal." 
The Genettes are smaller than the civets, less stoutly built and 
with shorter limbs. They emit a musky odor, but there is no pouch 
in which the product of the scent-glands is stored up. The soft gray 
fur is spotted with brown or black. All the species are African, but 
one, the common genette, is also found in the South of France, Spain, 
and Southwestern Asia. It is often domesticated as a mouser. 
The Linsangs are beautiful and graceful cat-like animals, with 
three species from Asia and one from Africa. The body is long and 
slender, the limbs short, the tail long and round, and ringed with black. 
In the Asiatic linsangs the ground color is rich buff or grayish-white, 
marked with oblong black patches. The African linsang, by far the 
largest, is marked with spots and small blotches. They are as much at 
home in trees as on the ground, and prey on small mammals and birds. 
They become gentle in confinement and are easily tamed. 
