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The Genet 
T HE genet is a kind of cat, but with a 
long body and a very long tail, and 
even shorter legs than the civet cat. 
That is why it can steal through the grass 
like a weasel, and catch its food. It eats 
snakes, birds, rats, and mice, and even eggs, 
fruits, and vegetables. It is really very 
pretty, with soft, short gray fur on which 
are black or brown spots. He has a black 
stripe down his back, and black rings on his tail. It is often tamed in 
Africa, where it is found, and kept in the house to kill rats, like a pet cat. 
The African Bush Pig 
W HAT a long snout that pig has!” 
you will say. Yet look at him 
closely, for he is thought to be 
the most handsome of the swine. That is 
not because of his shape, but of his color. 
He is a shiny brownish red, with a tinge of 
yellow to it. His forehead, ears, and legs 
are almost black, while his mane and cheeks 
are almost white, and his under parts whit¬ 
ish gray. These pigs go in large herds, and live in the moist forests and 
on the river banks of West Africa. They are small, not two feet tall. 
The White-bearded Gnu 
D ID you pronounce that right? It is spelled with a “g,” but it is said 
as if it were just “new.” This is the largest of the wild cattle of 
Africa. It looks like a buffalo in the face and head, like an an-te- 
lope in the legs, and its tail is that of a 
horse. It stands more than four and a half 
feet high at the shoulders. With their 
black hides, their white tails and beards 
make them look old, but, young or old, 
their tails are always white. They are very 
keen of sight, and very swift, and range in 
herds over the open plains near bodies of 
water. They have a playful disposition. 
